New on DVD

New on DVD

Up
Rated PG for some peril and action
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Pixar’s epic adventure of an elderly man that attaches thousands of helium balloons in order that he might realize his lifelong dream of traveling to South America, makes its home video debut in grand fashion this week.  Truly one of the most spectacular films to be released this year, Up is an emotionally impactful picture that plays as well with multiple viewings as it does on the first.  What’s more, it is a film that pretty much everyone will love, children, parents, grandparents, doesn’t matter.  This film hits a chord with its entire audience which is one of the reason why it is one of the top grossing films of all time at almost $300 million domestic box office.  I highly recommend getting the 2 DVD or blu-ray special editions due to the great special features found on them, including several documentaries showing the intense attention to detail and a wonderful look at man’s best friend.  Also out this week is a new blu-ray release of Monsters, Inc (still my personal favorite Pixar flick), and a new Cars collectors set including two die-cast collector cars. A+

The Accidental Husband
Rated PG-13 for some sexual content and brief strong language
Available on DVD
Patrick Sullivan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) is as happy as can be thinking he is about to get married, until he discovers his wife received advice from a radio talk show host (Uma Thurman), convincing her to leave him.  In order to get revenge, he convinces a friend to hack into the city records, and creat a fake marriage between he and the radio show host, keeping her from getting to her fiance (Colin Firth).  This straight to DVD romantic comedy has its moments, but due to predictability and not being very funny, it’s a tough pill to swallow.  Apparently, the premise was realistic according to a making-of feature on the disc, but it seems so outlandish and frankly a fiance that leaves for the silly reason as the one in the beginning here would warrant good riddance rather than revenge. C

Discovery Atlas: Complete Collection
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
In this series, Discovery Channel travels to eleven countries, including France, Japan, Mexico, and India, and shows a unique perspective of each country by looking at its people, colors, and flavors and what makes them special.  This is not your typical travel documentary and what I like most about it is that instead of showing the similarities between their world and ours, it shows what makes their part of the world truly magical.  Information-wise the content is great, but aesthetically, the look is stunning.  If you are a world traveler, this might be one you might want to add to your collection. A

The Echo
Rated R for violence, disturbing images and brief language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
An ex-con moves into his deceased mother’s apartment in New York City where he discovers that there is a ghost haunting the unit, and his life is in danger until he can figure out the spirit wants.  While not a great film, the pic does what a horror film is supposed to do – it scares.  And it’s not the “boo” scare either, but rather a nice, lingering creepiness that helps you forget the bad acting and lack of rational thought from the script. B-