DVDs out Tuesday
NEW FILMS
Arrival
The Edge of Seventeen
Bleed for This
Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk
Priceless
Christine
King Cobra
Stake Land 2
The Crash
TELEVISION
Quarry
NEW FILMS
Arrival
The Edge of Seventeen
Bleed for This
Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk
Priceless
Christine
King Cobra
Stake Land 2
The Crash
TELEVISION
Quarry
Denis Villeneuve’s heady science-fiction tale “Arrival” stars Amy Adams as a linguist who is asked to help interpret what an arrival of extraterrestrials want. The aliens have surrounded the Earth with a fleet of their ships and signaled they want to connect by allowing humans on to their spacecraft. There, the tall ovoid creatures with tentacles float within their transparent enclosures. Though they have posed no overt threat to the planet and have shown no hostile intentions, most of the world’s larger nations prepare for war, ready to use firepower for the slightest reason, while their leaders squabble for advantage. Only Adams’ Louise understands that new conceptual thinking is needed to communicate. It’s a lesson we should all keep in mind as our planet faces new challenges. Adams delivers a lovely nuanced performance. As things crumble around her, her character takes her own journey to understand herself. Meanwhile, Villeneuve keeps the tensions high, which is aided by an intriguing score from Jóhann Jóhannsson.
‘Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk’
In the Ang Lee film “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk,” the zen-like Sergeant Shroom (Vin Diesel) tells Billy Lynn (Joe Alwyn), a member of his platoon in Iraq, that “if a bullet’s going to get you, it’s already been fired.” Throughout the often-provocative film, which is adapted from a terrific novel by Ben Fountain, Billy seems to be waiting for the bullet to hit.
It’s an uneasy film, but the director of such diverse fare as “The Ice Storm,” “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” and “The Life of Pi” Lee tries a high-wire act by creating something of a multi-reality vision of war. The film is set on Thanksgiving Day 2004 at the big football game in Dallas (Think Cowboys with a Jerry Jones-like owner played by Steve Martin). Billy and his squad have brought home from Iraq on a promotion tour to boost support for the war. The young soldier is the main draw for his bravery, which was captured on a film and shown all over the TV news, making him a hero. As the unit wades through the patriotic hoopla, including a halftime show with Destiny’s Child, Billy relives his time at war and contemplates deserting as his sister (Kristin Stewart) wants him to do. What the film captures entertainingly well — if imperfectly — is the tumult inside Billy.
‘The Edge of Seventeen’
In the dark comedy “The Edge of Seventeen,” Hailee Steinfeld’s Nadine finds her good friend in bed with her older brother. Feeling betrayed, Nadine starts to act out. Neither her friend nor her brother are bad people, though. The teen is just trying to figure things out. The film from Kelly Fremon Craig has a commendable honesty and Steinfeld is an interesting presence.
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