New in Home Entertainment
April 10, 2012
Into the Abyss
Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material and some disturbing images
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Many of you will remember the horrific events that took place in Conroe in 2001 when Michael Perry killed three helpless victims all for the sake of stealing a car. In 2010 he was executed in Huntsville, but before justice was served, he was interviewed by famed German filmmaker Werner Herzog (Grizzly Man) in an attempt to show the uselessness of the death penalty. While I found the story intensely interesting and extremely sad for the families destroyed by the crime, I failed to see a reason against putting such a monster to death. As one of the victim’s family members said “some people don’t deserve to live” and Perry truly falls into that category. So as an argument against the death penalty, the movie does is not convincing. As a reminder to lock your doors, don’t trust strangers and protect yourself and your family at all cost – the movie succeeds admirably. B+
Being Elmo
Rated PG for some mild language including a brief drug reference
Available on DVD
It’s funny where we find inspiration. For Kevin Clash, it was the puppet shows of his youth including Sesame Street and The Muppet Show. From the time he was a small child he strove to be a world-class puppeteer and decades later he eventually created Elmo and later went on to become the Executive Producer of Sesame Street. This wonderful indie doc follows the journey of a most amazing man who truly embodies the advice “do what you love.” The movie itself is very well-made and would be a pleasure to watch for any kid or adult. In fact, this should be required viewing for grade-school kids nationwide. A
The Darkest Hour
Rated PG-13 for sci-fi action violence and some language
Available on DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D
When I first saw the trailer for this alien invasion pic I was kind of excited. After all, I love Emile Hirsch (Into the Wild), and invisible electric aliens in Moscow sounded exciting. But the reviews were horrible upon its Christmas release and it made next to nothing at the U.S. box office. Well, sad to say, the bad reviews are well warranted. What could have been an interesting script turns out to be a real stinker filled with unimaginative dialog and bad acting to match. To make matters worse, the special effects are practically non-existent and what little there is looks cheap. Luckily the film is less than 90 minutes so the pain is only momentary. C-