@Home releases for April 21

Maps to the Stars navigates Tinseltown with Cronenberg’s broken compass, Jennifer Aniston has her Cake, Marion Cotillard faces unemployment while Paul McCartney carries the weight of the week’s DVD, Blu-Ray and VOD releases.

By Katherine Monk

Maps to the Stars (2014)

Three and a half stars out of five. Starring: Julianne Moore, Mia Wasikowska, John Cusack, Sarah Gadon, Robert Pattinson, Evan Bird, Olivia Williams. Directed by: David Cronenberg. Running time: 111 minutes.

Julianne Moore may have won the best actress Oscar for her performance as a woman suffering from Alzheimers in Still Alice, but she deserves a rodeo buckle for her turn as Havana Segrand, the grown daughter of Hollywood royalty and central figure in David Cronenberg’s latest freak show. Havana has been riding the bull of showbiz since she was just a kid, but now that she’s getting older, she’s getting thrown – which only makes her want to hang on tighter. It’s a desperate move, but that’s where Canada’s resident king of discomfort rules. Cronenberg has so much fun in the shadows of human ego that Maps to the Stars almost feels like comedy at times, thanks to the overall mood that leaves the viewer in a suspended state of sympathy. Unable to embrace the cast of characters that includes Moore as the flailing Havana, Mia Wasikowska as a disturbed burn victim, John Cusack as a self-absorbed self-help guru and Evan Bird as a morally warped child actor, the audience has no choice but to watch from a place of detachment. On one level, the emotional removal from the action makes the experience more unsettling because we feel completely powerless. On another, it’s where the movie works best because it pulls up to the bumper of each character and gives us insight into their world, where everything feels a little phony and scripted, and individuals are perpetually trapped in the smoking wreckage of bad choices.

Special features: Cast and crew interviews, making-of featurette.

Cake (2014)

Three and a half stars out of five. Starring: Jennifer Aniston, Adriana Barraza, Anna Kendrick, Sam Worthington, William H. Macy, Felicity Huffman. Directed by: Daniel Barnz. Running time: 102 minutes.

She is the smiling face behind vitamin-enhanced water and an everywoman hero in the wake of Brangelina, but clearly, Jennifer Aniston wants more out of her professional life than being remembered as the “nice one from Friends.” She wants to be taken as a serious dramatic threat, and Cake serves up every one of her skills on a silver platter. Sinking her teeth into the role of Claire, a woman trapped in a cycle of self-destruction, Aniston chews through several layers of emotional custard as she conveys everything from survivor guilt to addiction and denial. Claire lost something along the way, and when we meet her, she’s completely stuck. Bitter, angry and prone to bouts of apoplectic rage, Claire is actually tossed from her support group in the opening scene because she’s too negative. Watching Aniston play nasty is surprisingly interesting, if only as a novelty, because as good as she is at playing mega-bitch, we can still feel something warm and friendly lurking behind the fake scars. It seems Aniston can’t help but project the alter ego of a yellow Labrador retriever, even when she’s playing a depressive. As a result, Cake often feels a little too flaky to take seriously. Large chunks of narrative feel too forced, especially the bits with love interest Sam Worthington, and Anna Kendrick, the disembodied voice of survivor guilt. Yet, it doesn’t really matter. People are going to watch this movie to see Aniston stripped of her wholesome glamour, and on that score, it’s impossible to be disappointed. The veteran proves she can hit the darker notes with a touch of grace, even when the melody veers into melodrama.

Special features: The Many Layers of Cake (learning to live again), Icing on the Cake (meet the cast), trailer.

Two Days One Night (2014)

Four Stars out of five. Starring: Mario Cotillard, Fabrizio Rongione, Catherine Salée. Directed by: Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne. Running time: 95 minutes. (In French with English subtitles)

It’s a subject an increasing number of people can relate to: Job loss. Considered one of the most stressful events in a person’s lifetime, outside of death and divorce, unemployment can rob you of self-esteem and a sense of purpose. The dependable routines that gave existence shape and form are gone, leaving the individual to sputter in chaotic circles – at least for a short time –until the smoke clears to reveal a world of renewed possibility. For Sandra (Marion Cotillard), the loss is fresh. We can see the shock and panic in her eyes from the moment the Dardenne brothers give us the first close-up in the opening scene. Something has happened to poor Sandra, and though it takes several more cryptic exchanges with other characters to figure it all out, we soon realize Sandra is going to visit every one of her former colleagues in a bid to get her job back. The gutless bosses left her career in the hands of her peers, forcing them to choose between a bonus, and Sandra’s job. It’s an impossible position, but the Dardennes do not shy away. They make us feel the humiliation, which in turn forces us to question society’s larger assumptions, especially when it comes to assigning value to a given human being. Economic forces have told Sandra she has no value, yet in watching her confront each character and social construct, we not only begin to see her as a brave and unwavering heroine, we start to question a value system that puts corporate profit ahead of people.

Special features: Interview with the Dardennes.

A MusiCares Tribute to Paul McCartney

Three and a half stars out of five. Starring: Sir Paul McCartney, James Taylor, Diana Krall, Alicia Keys, Coldplay. Running time: 60 minutes

It doesn’t matter how old he gets, or how much he colours his hair: Sir Paul McCartney’s expression hasn’t changed in half a century. The high arch of the eyebrows dances over those puppy dog brown eyes creating a look trapped somewhere between complete surprise and egghead concentration. It’s a friendly, open-faced expression that made Paul the most accessible Beatle, and continues to serve him well as the elder statesman of Rock ‘n’ Roll, which is where we find him in this concert video. A recording of a February 2012 MusiCares Tribute to Sir Paul, this straightforward release features all the performances – and not much else. Opening with Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and the Cirque du Soleil performers, the night also included glowing tributes from Alicia Keys, Norah Jones, James Taylor with Diana Krall and Coldplay. The standout number came from none other than Neil Young, who brought Crazy Horse to the sequined affair for a rousing rendition of I Saw Her Standing There. Yet, as much fun as it was watching others sing McCartney’s classics, watching McCartney is the best part of the show because after all these years, you can still hear the joy in his aging vocal chords, and see the light pouring out of his puppy dog eyes.