Tuesday | January 19, 2010 | 8:47 pm
New On DVD: Steven Soderbergh’s ‘Che’ Criterion’s recent deal with IFC films is going to end up put a lot of fantastic titles in the already impressive collection, and to start it off is Steven Soderbergh’s five hour long biopic on the life of Che Guevara. I had the chance to see the film a while back in its entirety, sitting through the first half felt as though it was only preparing me for the second half. I was right. After a brief intermission, Che: Part Two began rolling and I was captivated from start to finish. The film as a whole works on so many different levels that it’s difficult to explain without actually having the film playing in front of me. The story is told from Guevara’s own point of view, which is interesting in and of itself as most films portray Che Guevara as either completely ruthless, or a brilliant revolutionary, hardly ever taking the stance from his side. Che strives to do the opposite of what most biographical films do. Soderbergh is careful not to impose any commentary on the situation and rather use his camera in a way that’s just as discreet and guerilla as Che’s own techniques on the revolutionary battlefield. Check out the synopsis below and a trailer at the bottom of the post. Via Criterion: Far from a conventional biopic, Steven Soderbergh’s film about Che Guevara is a fascinating exploration of the revolutionary as icon. Daring in its refusal to make the socialist leader into an easy martyr or hero, Che paints a vivid, naturalistic portrait of the man himself (Benicio del Toro, in a stunning, Cannes-award-winning performance), from his overthrow of the Batista dictatorship to his 1964 United Nations trip to the end of his short life. Composed of two parts, the first a kaleidoscopic view of the Cuban Revolution and the second an all-action dramatization of Che’s failed campaign in Bolivia, Che is Soderbergh’s most epic vision. Also out on DVD today is Christian Alvart’s sci fi thriller Pandorum. It slipped under the radar but received pretty decent reviews, and was actually pretty enjoyable. One of the better space movies I’ve seen in a while and definitely worth a watch. Rent it if you can. -William Gutheil

New On DVD: Steven Soderbergh’s ‘Che’

Criterion’s recent deal with IFC films is going to end up put a lot of fantastic titles in the already impressive collection, and to start it off is Steven Soderbergh’s five hour long biopic on the life of Che Guevara. I had the chance to see the film a while back in its entirety, sitting through the first half felt as though it was only preparing me for the second half. I was right. After a brief intermission, Che: Part Two began rolling and I was captivated from start to finish. The film as a whole works on so many different levels that it’s difficult to explain without actually having the film playing in front of me. The story is told from Guevara’s own point of view, which is interesting in and of itself as most films portray Che Guevara as either completely ruthless, or a brilliant revolutionary, hardly ever taking the stance from his side. Che strives to do the opposite of what most biographical films do. Soderbergh is careful not to impose any commentary on the situation and rather use his camera in a way that’s just as discreet and guerilla as Che’s own techniques on the revolutionary battlefield. Check out the synopsis below and a trailer at the bottom of the post.

Via Criterion: Far from a conventional biopic, Steven Soderbergh’s film about Che Guevara is a fascinating exploration of the revolutionary as icon. Daring in its refusal to make the socialist leader into an easy martyr or hero, Che paints a vivid, naturalistic portrait of the man himself (Benicio del Toro, in a stunning, Cannes-award-winning performance), from his overthrow of the Batista dictatorship to his 1964 United Nations trip to the end of his short life. Composed of two parts, the first a kaleidoscopic view of the Cuban Revolution and the second an all-action dramatization of Che’s failed campaign in Bolivia, Che is Soderbergh’s most epic vision.

Also out on DVD today is Christian Alvart’s sci fi thriller Pandorum. It slipped under the radar but received pretty decent reviews, and was actually pretty enjoyable. One of the better space movies I’ve seen in a while and definitely worth a watch. Rent it if you can.

-William Gutheil

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