Saturday, August 10, 2013

On DVD/Blu-ray, one of the year's better films: McGehee/Siegel WHAT MAISIE KNEW

Covered at length this past April (that post is here), I'll just add that a second viewing of WHAT MAISIE KNEW, the very good movie from film-making team Scott McGehee (below, right) and David Siegel (below, left), holds up well (and looks even better on Blu-ray). TrustMovies still feels that one good melt-down from the little girl at the center of the film would have been a smart move on the part of the directors and adapters of the Henry James novel (on which the movie is based and has been updated to modern times). God knows this kid deserves one, and seeing her express some genuine anger would have helped balance the slightly too-sweet feeling that builds up as the movie goes along.

Balancing this are the excellent performances (every last one of them), the remarkable capture of events from the child's point of view, and the ferocious anger and narcissistic stupidity exhibited by Maisie's parents, which may set the movie record for bad parenting yet always remain within the realm of reality (no Mommie or Daddy Dearest here, thank you!).

A film to savor and maybe make you feel a little guilty about the family fights to which your own child was privy, What Maisie Knew -- from Millennium Entertainment 
and running 98 minutes -- hits the street Tuesday, August 13, on DVD and Blu-ray, for sale or rental.

Pictured at right is Alexander Skarsgård holding Onata Aprile, who plays Maisie.

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