March 12, 2014 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 23 ‘Inside Llewyn Davis’ revisits the 1960s folk scene by Dennis Seuling “Inside Llewyn Davis” (Sony), the latest film from Joel and Ethan Coen, takes place in 1961 during Greenwich Village’s folk music heyday. Llewyn Davis (Oscar Isaac) is part of that scene, but things are not going well for him. He has no permanent home, his gigs have failed to draw critical atten- tion, his solo album is selling poorly, and he has gotten his friend’s wife (Carey Mul- ligan) pregnant. Life looks bleak. Llewyn is serious about his music, but makes a lot of decisions that stunt his career. One of his biggest problems is connecting with an audience. He does not have boyish good looks to rely on and possesses little on-stage charm. He watches opportunities pass him by as others succeed, failing to look within himself to discover the cause. Isaac performs all his own songs with skill and feeling and handles the dramatic scenes effectively despite his thin acting resume. His performance incorporates arrogance, anger, frustration, disdain, bit- terness, and resignation. The movie is filled with interesting little episodes, colorful characters, and vignettes that capture an early ‘60s vibe. An assort- ment of characters interact with Llewyn in different ways, ranging from the nasty accusations spewing from a female friend’s mouth to the painfully candid assessment of his singing by record promoter Bud Grossman (F. Murray Abraham) to a ram- bling tirade by jazz musician Roland Turner (John Goodman). Both the Blu-ray and DVD editions Oscar Isaac stars as a 1960s folk musician in ‘Inside Llewyn Davis.’ contain the behind-the-scenes featurette, “Inside ‘Inside Llewyn Davis,’” containing interviews with Oscar Isaac, Joan Baez, Patti Smith, Justin Timberlake, Carey Mul- ligan, and Joel, and Ethan Coen. “Homefront” (Universal) is a thriller about a man who will go to dangerous extremes to protect his family. Phil Broker (Jason Statham) is an ex-DEA agent whose desire for the quiet life has taken him, along with 10-year-old daughter Kit, to a small Louisiana town to settle down. When Kit inadvertently precipitates a chain of clan violence, Broker must draw upon the deadly skills he hoped to keep in his past and deal with local crime lord Gator Bodine (James Franco). Bodine runs a boat-repair busi- ness that is merely a front for his lucrative meth lab, and he has the town’s sheriff on the payroll. Though it is initially strange to see Franco in a villainous role, he plays it straight, with a crazed, megalomaniacal gaze that has a withering effect on every- one except Broker. This is standard-issue for Statham, who soon ends up taking on the bad guys single-handedly. The Blu-ray/ DVD combo pack contains a digital HD ultraviolet copy and deleted scenes. “Mademoiselle C” (Cohen Media Group) is a documentary about Carine Roitfeld, (continued on Crossword page)