April 30, 2014 THE VILLADOM TIMES I & II • Page 21 Winslet, Brolin share unusual holiday weekend Gabriella Montez of the “High School Musical” films. She elevates “Gimme Shel- ter” to much more than soap opera. Fraser, who has done his share of dopey films, is also believable as a father torn between a desire to develop a relationship with his daughter and self-doubt and guilt. Extras on the Blu-ray release include a digital copy, making-of featurette, deleted scenes, and audio commentary by writer/director Ronald Krauss. “The Selfish Giant” (MPI) is the story of 13-year-old best friends for whom the by Dennis Seuling “Labor Day” (Paramount) finds Adele (Kate Winslet) and her 13-year-old son, Henry (Gattlin Griffith), out for their monthly shopping chores when Henry is approached by a bleeding man (Josh Brolin), an escaped convict who demands to be driven to their home so he can rest a hurt leg and leave after dark. Frightened, Adele reluctantly obeys. With police swarming the area, the man, Frank, extends his stay. As day turns into night, he gradually reveals his gentleness and sensitivity to Adele’s loneliness. The adult Henry (Tobey Maguire), narrating off-screen, observes that when her husband left her, his mother became nearly agora- phobic, leaving Henry to do basic chores. Brolin makes Frank real despite some incongruities written into the character, and the Brolin/Winslet chemistry is strong. His eyes suggest a dark side to Frank that his actions in the house do not. Based on a Joyce Maynard novel, “Labor Day” has the look and feel of a Tennessee Williams play with its sultry setting, fragile heroine, and a strong male who will have a profound effect on her. Extras on the two- disc Blu-ray/DVD combo pack include a digital copy, six deleted scenes, and a making-of featurette. “Gimme Shelter” (Lionsgate) stars Van- essa Hudgens (“High School Musical”) as Agnes Bailey — known as Apple — a Adele (Kate Winslet) with escaped convict Frank (James Brolin) and her son (Gattlin Griffith) in ‘Labor Day.’ pierced, pregnant teenager who flees her volatile, drug- and alcohol-addicted mother (Rosario Dawson) and seeks sanctuary with Tom (Brendan Fraser), the biological father she has never met. As a frightened teenager, he abandoned her. Now a Wall Street type, married, with a skeptical wife and two kids, he is willing to take her in, but only if she terminates the pregnancy. This is a tough movie to watch, since it tells this true story unflinchingly, with- out the smooth gloss Hollywood typically spreads over gritty tales. Hudgens is a reve- lation as Apple. Her performance is raw and real, her appearance far from her cheery joys of boyhood are almost nonexistent. Diminutive, hyperactive Arbor (Conner Chapman) and shy Swifty (Shaun Thomas) stick together to battle bullies at school and poverty at home. One fateful night, the boys witness men trying to steal power cables and manage to make off with the valuable wires themselves. They sell them to a shady scrap dealer, Kitten (Sean Gilder), begin- ning a criminal arrangement in which the two boys trade whatever metals they can swipe for quick cash. When the vindictive (continued on Crossword page)