New in Home Entertainment
November 1, 2011
Water for Elephants
Rated PG-13 for moments of intense violence and sexual content
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
After falling in love with the novel by Sara Gruen, I so badly wanted this romance that takes place in a depression-era circus to be legendary, but instead we merely got a good but forgettable love story. The male part of the love triangle was well acted by Robert Pattinson and Christoph Waltz but Reese Witherspoon was royally upstaged by her female co-lead Rosie the Elephant. It’s not that Reese was bad, but she was severely miscast in the role. Still, the film was well-produced with some marvelous cinematography and a lovely score by James Newton Howard. B+
Crazy Stupid Love
Rated PG-13 for coarse humor, sexual content and language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
This romantic comedy about love, loss and pain comes on strong with a terrific first and second act, only to be brought down several notches by its ridiculous third. Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore and Emma Stone put on a great show for most of the film but writer Dan Fogelman (Tangled) ran completely out of creative steam towards the end leaving the film with much more of a Hollywood feel than the movie deserves. Due to the nature of the subject matter, I wouldn’t recommend it as a date movie, but it should play well as a movie that the girls will enjoy thoroughly with a bottle of wine and no men in the house. B-
An Invisible Sign
Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material and some disturbing images
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Watching this trailer, I was really looking forward to what looked like a quirky and fun cross between Amelie and Stranger than Fiction starring Jessica Alba. But rather than the entertaining and creative experience I was hoping for, I ended up with a miserable ninety minutes that I wish I could have back. The film is not light at all, but rather a heavy mess that is not in the least enjoyable. D-
Cars 2
Rated G
Available on DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D
Critics enjoyed piling on to this latest Pixar release, but I simply can’t join the fray. Cars 2 might be the least of the Pixar films, but when you are comparing to such perfection, that is not exactly fair. This sequel, which follows Lightening McQueen (Owen Wilson) and Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) in a game of international espionage, is creative, funny and stunning to look at. Where it does fall short is in the script department. It’s not a bad script but not quite up to the standards of Pixar. Pixar films are known for being spectacular four-quadrant films. They are usually equally loved by males, females, young and old. Here the adults have dismissed, while the kids seemed to have loved it. The $549 million worldwide take in spite of poor reviews proves this point. If you have a 3D television, the 3D is a step up for Pixar and really brings the film to vibrant life. Also hitting stores this week are the 3D versions of the recently re-released Toy Story films. B+