February 15, 2012 THE VILLADOM TIMES I, II, III & IV • Page 19 ‘Take Shelter’ has a dark, ‘Twilight Zone’ feel by Dennis Seuling “Take Shelter” (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment) is an odd film anchored by an outstanding lead performance. Curtis LaForche (Michael Shannon) works for an Ohio sand-mining company. Though his life appears normal, he has lately been tormented by troubling visions: dark, cloudy skies, weird bird flock formations, and lightning flashes on clear days. Fearing he is becoming unbalanced, he seeks medical help, but can’t stop feeling that the dreams and hallucinations point to disaster ahead. He becomes obsessed with converting an unused, underground storm shelter into a vault capable of sustaining him, wife Samantha (Jessica Chastain), and six-year-old daughter Hannah (Tova Stewart) for weeks. As Curtis’ behavior becomes increasingly erratic, he endangers his job and the medical insurance that will pay for an expensive operation for Hannah. This creates an enormous strain on the marriage as Samantha attempts to understand what is driving Curtis to such an extreme type of behavior. The movie unreels as an almost gothic mystery. Does Curtis have a special ability to foresee the future? Shannon is both sympathetic and creepily focused as his Curtis devotes energy, time, and money to a project that family and friends see as destructive folly. The uncertainty about Curtis’ state of mind drives the plot as suspense and tension build. Shannon’s craggy face makes him a good fit as both blue-collar worker and outsider. He has an intense look that is unsettling. Is it menace, concentration, or something else? In the case of “Take Shelter,” keeping Curtis enigmatic works. The film has a dark “Twilight Zone” feel. Curtis LaForche (Michael Shannon) sees disturbing premonitions in ‘Take Shelter.’ Blu-ray bonuses include deleted scenes, commentary with Michael Shannon and director Jeff Nichols, a making-of featurette, and a Q&A with Shannon. The film is also available on DVD. “Bombshell” (Warner Archive) is a vintage insideHollywood comedy about the flip side of fame and fortune. Film star Laura Burns (Jean Harlow) is at the top in Hollywood, but she is no happy camper, with lies about her appearing in the press regularly, long work days, and demands from her studio eating away at her. Laura has many parasites, including her brash publicity agent, Space Hanlon (Lee Tracy), Laura’s greedy, boorish family, and several guys who are eager to romance her. The role of Laura is based on Clara Bow, the guileless silent movie star. A satirical comedy, the film is acerbic in its indictment of Hollywood types and the way they attach themselves to celebrity. Directed by Victor Fleming (“The Wizard of Oz”), “Bombshell” also stars Franchot Tone, Frank Morgan, and Una Merkel. There are no extras. “La Jetee”/“Sans Soleil” (The Criterion Collection) contains two films from French director Chris Marker. “La Jetee” is a 1963 27-minute short that begins on the observation deck at Orly Airport in Paris. A young boy witnesses a pair of incongruous sights that will remain with him forever: a beautiful woman standing at the far end of the deck and a mysterious man who comes running out of nowhere and drops dead at her feet. Subsequently, World War II envelops the globe and images of a devastated Europe dominate the screen. The post-apocalyptic world is underground because of the fatal radiation levels that remain above, and it seems to be a dictatorial environment where doctors conduct experiments in time travel. The imagery in this bleak sci-fi movie is striking and stark, and was the inspiration for Terry Gilliam’s “12 Monkeys.” “Sans Soleil,” Marker’s 1983 feature film, follows the narrated letters and footage of a fictitious traveling cameraman. Showing several locations, environments, people, and time periods, the brisk-paced film makes up a tapestry of memories that question the entire nature of memory while it simultaneously celebrates cinema. One (continued on Crossword page)