December 17, 2014 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 27 Siblings discover common ground in ‘Skeleton Twins’ by Dennis Seuling “The Skeleton Twins” (Lionsgate) is a film about a troubled brother and sister, an unhappy marriage, and a suicide, yet it is far from depressing. In fact, its stars — “Saturday Night Live” alumni Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader — spotlight the absurdity of wrenching emotional crises. Maggie (Wiig) and Lance (Luke Wilson) live in upstate New York in a picture-per- fect home. They are supposedly trying to have a child, but Maggie is miserable. She is secretly on birth control and is having an affair. When she gets a call from a Los Angeles hospital that her twin brother Milo (Hader), whom she has not seen in 10 years, has tried to kill himself, she rushes to his side and convinces him to come home with her to recuperate. His return dredges up memories and a controversial past. The movie layers on assorted examples of dysfunction, showing why both Maggie and Milo are having difficulties. The tone, however, is troublesome, as it switches back and forth from lighter moments to bleak scenes. Using suicide as the jumping-off point for comedy is an awkward sell, and many scenes never achieve proper bal- ance. Are viewers supposed to laugh at how messed up these two are, sympathize with their suffering, or regard them as victims of fate? Writer/director Craig Johnson and co- writer Mark Heyman elicit first-rate dra- matic performances from Wiig and Hader, which is a feat considering their past work leads viewers to expect rollicking laughs that never materialize. “The Skeleton Twins” defies classifi- cation. The film is not exactly a comedy, although it includes humor, and it is not heavy drama, despite its subject matter. Extras on the Blu-ray release include out- Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader star as estranged siblings in ‘The Skeleton Twins.’ takes, deleted scenes, director and co-writer audio commentary, a gag reel, a digital copy, and a making-of featurette. “This Is Where I Leave You” (Warner Home Video) also deals with family dis- connection. The Altmans have assembled after the death of the family patriarch. Mom Hillary (Jane Fonda) has called together her daughter and three sons to sit shiva. Son Judd (Jason Bateman) has separated from his wife (Abigail Spencer) and only his sister Wendy (Tina Fey) knows about it. Judd has told the clan his wife is sick. Wendy’s hus- band, Barry (Aaron Lazar), is so buried in deal-making that he can not properly convey his condolences or help look after his kids. Paul (Corey Stoll) and wife Alice (Kathryn Hahn) are on a strict baby-making schedule, which has them constantly tense. Phillip (Adam Driver) shows up with yet another in a series of inappropriate women: Tracy (Connie Britton), his psychiatrist. This comedy is formulaic. It throws together family members who have little in common, resulting in arguments, rehashes of old resentments, secrets, broken con- fidences, and recriminations. The cast is strong, but the movie combines forced comedy, soap opera, and personal angst in a potpourri that is, at best, mildly amusing. It is a pity the cast did not have better mate- rial. Extras on the Blu-ray/DVD combopack include a behind-the-scenes featurette, a digital copy, outtakes, and deleted scenes. “The Night Porter” (The Criterion Col- lection) is set in 1957 Vienna. Lucia (Char- lotte Rampling) is a wealthy young woman touring Europe with her conductor husband. The couple stops at a hotel where Lucia’s former lover, Max (Dirk Bogarde), is work- ing as a night porter. Flashbacks show that Lucia and Max had a sadomasochistic rela- tionship while she was an inmate and he a concentration camp commander during the war. The former Nazis who frequent the hotel believe they have eliminated any wit- nesses to their war crimes. Lucia and Max rekindle their odd relationship, but the other hotel residents attempt to stop them. This disturbing film explores the minds of both the tortured and torturer who build sexual and emotional feelings for one another as a result of horrific circumstances. Extras on the Blu-ray edition include a new inter- view with director Liliana Cavani; the 50- minute 1965 documentary “Women of the Resistance,” composed of interviews with female partisans who survived the German invasion of Italy; and a critical essay. “Cam2Cam” (IFC) is a thriller about what happens when the virtual world and the real world collide. Backpacker Allie (Tammin Sursok) has just arrived in Thai- land, to hunt down her sister’s killer. When Allie meets fellow Americans Michael and Marit (Ben Wiggins, Sarah Bonrepaux), (continued on Crossword page)