Category: DVD Review

New on DVD

Lord of the Rings
Available on Blu-ray
April 6 marks the day that hardcore fans of Lord of the Rings will be very excited, but not for the reason you may think.  Both the Peter Jackson trilogy and the animated Ralph Bakshi editions will both be released, but for many of Tolkien’s loyalists, they will be skipping the trilogy for now.  Sure the 1978 Bakshi version is crudely animated and the rotoscope technology utilized combined with the hand-drawn characters looks like there was no clear vision, but there are some that really love this movie and think the story is more true to the books, even though the film was only half completed since no one would fund him to do the second half.  But the real reason the hardcore fans will be skipping out on Jackson’s Oscar-winning trilogy this time out is because this set only includes the standard editions and not the far superior extended editions.  Sure the lure of digital copy is tempting.  Who wouldn’t want a copy on their iPhone or new iPad.  But it’s hard to stomach shelling out that much money for the set now, knowing that the studio will try to get you again later when the extended editions are finally released on Blu-ray.  The Trilogy: A (but I would wait for the next blu-ray release whenever that might be).  Animated: C+

Dolan’s Cadillac
Rated R for violence and language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Based on the Stephen King short story, when a school teacher’s (Wes Bentley) wife is murdered in cold blood for witnessing the crimes of a mob boss (Christian Slater), the teacher vows revenge.  The first half of the movie is not that great, filled with way too much bad acting, including that of the lead actors, but once things get going in the end of the second and into the third acts, the film turns into a pretty decent revenge flick.  While Stephen King’s story is much darker, and the revenge is served much more cold, for the sake of a movie like this, they did a decent enough job for a straight-to-dvd thriller.  B-

Clash of the Gods
Unrated
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
For those with a mind to discover what really went down with Perseus and Zeus, the History Channel has just released this 10 part series that explores many of the myths that entertainment today.  While the reenactments are pretty lame and the special effects could use a boost, the series is extremely interesting and full of enlightening moments.  I would rather watch the segment on Medusa here than the new Clash of the Titans any day of the week.  B-

Taxidermia
Unrated but every scene is full of foul and offensive material
Available on DVD
Hungarian with English Subtitles
I remember walking through the Kiasma Contemporary Art Museum in Helsinki, Finland, which is one of the worlds most celebrated modern art institutes, and I was truly shocked as to what I saw there.  And needless to say it takes a lot to shock me.  I only mention that now, because this film reminds me much of that experience.  Taxidermia follows the lives of three generations of Hungarian men each living obscure and absurd, miserable lives.  It’s a movie that normally I would have turned off after the first fifteen minutes, but yet just like that museum, I couldn’t’t stop watching.  I couldn’t’t look away.  As grotesque and horrid as it was, I kept thinking to myself that this movie is too well made to be simply ignored as a trivial piece of Euro garbage.  There are way too many movies that I watch like that and this doesn’t even come close to fitting that category.  I felt like I was truly watching someone’s art come to life.  And while it’s not a film I could enjoy, there are folks out there that might connect and discover that deeper appreciation.  C+

New on DVD

Sherlock Holmes
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some startling images and scene of suggestive material
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Golden Globe winner Robert Downey Jr. and director Guy Ritchie (Snatch) give a crazy interpretation of the classic detective tale where the eclectic sleuth and his sidekick Dr. Watson (Jude Law) attempt to figure out how to stop a man that has come back from the grave from wreaking havoc over London.  While many Sherlock Holmes enthusiasts were turned off by the overly adventurous script, many new fans were brought into the fold as the movie brought in over a half a billion worldwide, and all this while competing against the behemoth Avatar.  For sure the movie is worth watching, but the Blu-ray itself is just as innovative as the film.  Warner Brothers is consistently churning out the highest quality Blu-ray product, especially when they bring in their Maximum Movie Mode.  Here, Guy Ritchie does a fascinating lecture-style picture-in-picture look at the movie while you are watching it, complete with storyboard comparisons, focus points, production information, and basically a compact little film school on disc.  A-

The Baader Meinhof Complex
Rated R for strong bloody violence, disturbing images, sexual content, graphic nudity, and language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
German with English Subtitles
This extensively researched true story takes place in Germany over the 60’s and 70’s when young people obsessed with revolution started a violent crusade that sprang up throughout the world.  While many who lived through the 60’s might have a deeper knowledge of these events, my historical knowledge of the Vietnam era sprang directly from American tales from my parents and movies, so I found this story of the European reaction to be at first interesting, but then shocking and finally downright frightening.  To say this movie is engaging is an understatement.  Nominated for both the Oscar and Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film, The Baader Meinhof Complex is a disturbing look at what can happen when an emotional society gets out of control.   Brilliantly written and directed by Uli Edel (Last Exit to Brooklyn), and terrifically acted by an exceptional cast, this picture is exemplary historical filmmaking.  But one fair warning for parents, pay attention to the rating as it was lucky to have only gotten an R and not an NC-17.  A

Alice in Wonderland: Classic Film Collection
Available on DVD
If you are Alice-crazy after the latest Tim Burton hit, Infinity has released this collection of rare Alice in Wonderland films including the two shorts directed by Walt Disney in 1925 starring four-year-old Virginia Davis, years before there was ever a Walt Disney Studios.  Also included here is the first ever Alice in Wonderland from 1915 starring Viola Savoy, which was thought to be lost, the French animated Alice of Wonderland in Paris from 1966 with the voice of Carl Reiner and the 1972 Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland musical theatrical film starring Michael Crawford, Peter Sellers, and Dudley Moore.  It’s a lot of Alice, and while it’s not all great filmmaking, there is a historical value to this set that can be appreciated by any fan of the Lewis Carrol.  B

New on DVD

Breaking Bad: The Complete Second Season
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Bryan Cranston has already won two Emmys for his portrayal of a high school chemistry teacher who after a diagnosis of lung cancer, uses his chemistry skills to cook and sell high quality meth in order to make enough to pay for his chemo and maybe leave his family something when he dies.  The first season was very good, but the second kicks it up a notch with an incredibly well-written storyline that leaves you absolutely devastated after the last episode.  With season three starting this week, it’s a great time to catch up or get acquainted with this groundbreaking, nail-biter of television series.  A

Toy Story and Toy Story 2
Both Rated G
Available on Blu-ray/DVD Combos
With Toy Story 3 just a couple of months away, Disney is releasing Woody, Buzz Lightyear and gang for the first time on Blu-ray and with all new special features in addition to the old special features.  It has been 15 years since Toy Story hit theaters and changed animation forever.  Before Toy Story, hand-drawn and stop-motion animated films were the only way to make an animated film, and now they are the exception rather than the norm.  While many advancements have been made since these two films hit the screen, they still look absolutely gorgeous on Blu-ray and the stories are both truly timeless tales that will be cherished for generations.  The only negative criticism I have here is that lately all of the Pixar films have come with digital copy so you can put a copy on your iPod/iPhone, but for some reason, these sets lack it.  The funny thing is, they advertise it for the other films on the special features section, but don’t include it on their own.  A

The Blind Side
Rated PG-13 for one scene involving brief violence, drug and sexual references
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Based on a true story, The Blind Side tells the story of Michael Oher, a very large, under-privileged teenager in Memphis that is adopted by a well-to-do family who pushes him to become an all-star college and pro football player.  Now while I don’t think she necessarily deserved the Oscar for her performance here, Sandra Bullock does an admirable job of portraying the adopted mother and the film has a nice feel-good quality to it.  That being said it is also incredibly manipulative and custom-designed to make you cry throughout.  Most disappointing here are the contrived football sequences that should annoy anyone that knows anything about high school football is played.  So while I liked the story, I just couldn’t stand how it was represented.  C+

New Moon
Rated PG-13 for some violence and action
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
This second in the Twilight series tells the continuing saga of Bella Swan as she makes her decision of who to love.  Her vampire lover Edward has left her and never wants to see her again.  Her werewolf friend Jacob wants to take Edward’s place in Bella’s heart, but Bella is not ready for that.  The whole thing is just way too melodramatic for me.  The one positive thing I can say about this vampire chick flick is that the production values are a million times better than the original film.  I was blown away by how badly made the first film was and at least Chris Weitz (American Pie) knows how to make a movie without including ten shots with the camera men in plain view.  So while the story is not up my alley, it’s not quite as painful of an experience.  C

Broken Embraces
Rated R for sexual content, language and some drug material
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Spanish with English subtitles
A blind screenwriter must face his past when the son of a dead businessman pays him a visit.  Written and directed by the always interesting Pedro Almodovar (Volver) and starring Penelope Cruz, this is yet another quirky and complicated drama which keeps you engaged and thoroughly entertained.  I will admit that the plot is a little confusing, although I cheated and watched it a second time which cleared things up nicely.  Winner of the 2009 Critic’s Choice Award and BAFTA for Best Foreign Film, this is regarded as one of Almodovar’s best works.  B+  

The African Queen
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
The last film on the AFI top 100 list to be released on DVD has gotten a nice touch up here for this special release.  Set during WWII, Bogey and Hepburn take a journey through the wilds of Africa on a beat up old boat in the hopes of putting a torpedo in the hull of a wandering German ship. I have to admit that I’m not a big fan of the film.  After all, it’s a pretty cheesy love story when you think about it and the plot is absurd.  But it’s not too hard to see its importance in film history, and I found the new documentary on the making of the movie to be better made and far more interesting than the movie itself.  C+

New on DVD

The Princess and the Frog
Rated G
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Set in Jazz Age-era New Orleans, young Tiana dreams of opening up her own restaurant, to the point where she allows a frog prince to convince her to kiss him to make her dream come true.  But rather than getting her wish, she turns into a frog herself and the two amphibians set off on a journey to undo their curse.  Disney took a real risk with this work by going back to what made them famous to begin with: beautiful hand-drawn animation.  Now that we are in the age of computer animated films, it is so refreshing to see that this quality of filmmaking and storytelling can still be made.  This is a fun, whimsical tale that can be enjoyed by almost anyone.  The musical numbers aren’t quite up to the level of Beauty or Aladdin, but still good enough to win two Oscar nominations.  The characters are all terrifically conceived.  I especially loved the villain, who might just be one of the scariest Disney has ever created.  And while it didn’t make a monster box office, it did bring home enough to hopefully convince the boys that cut the checks at the mouse house that this art form is far from dead.  A

South Park: The Complete Thirteenth Season
Unrated
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Not quite Disney, and much more crudely animated, the boys from Colorado are back for Season 13 and the show is still as relevant as ever.  This season saw them win an Emmy with their episode Margaritaville which focused on the recession.  Also in this season the boys took on Kanye (months before he pulled his stunt at the MTV Video Awards) they took on Avatar and Glenn Beck in the same massive episode, and even did their part to expose the Japanese ala The Cove style in their whaling practices.  This season also saw a couple of really lame episodes that were nothing but toilet humor (and I mean nothing but), but overall they are still knocking it out of the park and I can’t wait for season 14 to start up this month!  A-

Paris
Unrated
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
French with English subtitles
In a style similar to Love, Actually, several intersecting storylines converge to make one coherent film about several people who live in Paris.  While not nearly the romantic film that Love, Actually was, this is an extremely interesting movie focusing mostly on the life of a social worker, played by Juliette Binoche, and her brother who has just been told by his cardiologist that he needs a heart transplant.  This and many other stories being told hold a lot of gravity and drama combined with many light and funny moments to break the tension.  While it’s not exactly a love letter to the city, like Paris, Je T’aime, which also starred Juliette Binoche, it does serve as a fair representation for those that actually call the city home.  A-

Brief Interviews with Hideous Men
Unrated
Unrated Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Based on the book by David Foster Wallace, a graduate student copes with a break up by holding intimate interviews with various men.  John Krasinski (The Office) makes his directorial debut with this piece that is almost too intellectual for it’s own good.  You can tell a lot of heart and soul went into this project, but there gets to be a point when the film stops entertaining and that point came very early here.  After that I couldn’t help but find it to be anything but a verbal mess.  Almost like a Kevin Smith film without the jokes.  Krasinski is so likable that you want to ignore the fact that you don’t like it, but after it’s all said and done, you are really glad it’s over.  C-

Ninja Assassin
Rated R for strong bloody stylized violence throughout, and language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
A young ninja hiding from his estranged clan attempts to protect a woman trying to discover the clan’s secrets.  If you are going into this film wanting to see deadly ninjas violently killing everyone in sight, you have the right movie here.  This is a vile, disgusting, yet kind of thrilling movie set in the world of the ever secretive ninja.  Sure it’s silly, and it takes itself way too seriously, but if you are in the right frame of mind, and I guess I was when I watched it, it can be a pretty entertaining 90 minutes.  B-

The Fourth Kind
Rated PG-13 for violent/disturbing images, some terror, thematic elements and brief sexuality
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Trying to capitalize on scraps that Paranormal Activity left behind, The Fourth Kind tells the story of alien activity that has gone on in Nome, Alaska recently using both supposed actual footage and recordings, and staged reenactments.  The problem is that it never does get very scary and any shivers you did get won’t last once you google the thing afterward.  Worse than that though is the buffet of bad acting that I blame almost solely on the horrible directing.  D

New on DVD

Cold Souls
Rated R for nudity and brief strong language
Available on DVD
Paul Giamatti, playing himself, is on the verge of performing Chekov’s play Uncle Vanya when he comes to the realization that his soul is too heavy and getting in the way of performing the part.  In an attempt to lighten his load, he removes his soul at a soul storage facility and has it securely locked away.  When he realizes that he needs his soul in order to properly continue on, he discovers it has been stolen by a Russian soul trafficker in St. Petersburg.  Deeply influenced by Charlie Kaufman’s Being John Malkovich, Cold Souls is a unique and bizarre experience that does more philosophical questioning than entertaining.  There are some terrific comedic moments here and Giamatti is an amazing actor, but while the film is strange it is not as quirky as you would expect.  It also feels like a movie with a great premise, a promising story, but then no way to end it or form resolution.  It’s likable and somewhat memorable, but not distinguished.  B

Gentlemen Broncos
Rated PG-13 for some crude humor
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
From Napoleon Dynamite director Jared Hess comes this oddball comedy about a high school sci-fi writer whose book is plagiarized by a pseudo-famous author who has run out of ideas.  With the same amateurish look and feel of Napoleon Dynamite, the artistry of the filmmaking is a step backward for Hess, but the weirdness of the picture at least keeps everything interesting enough to get you through the 90 minutes without hating it.  Flight of the Conchord’s Jemaine Clement is perfectly cast as the conniving writer and has some very funny moments, although the rest of the actors look a little uncomfortable with the filming style.  C-

Old Dogs
Rated PG for some mild rude humor
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
John Travolta and Robin Williams are two best friends who are charged with the care of seven-year-old twins, right as they are on the verge of a huge business deal.  If the rottentomatoes.com core of 6% doesn’t scare you away, then just watch the trailer for this horrific waste of talent and money.  Old Dogs takes a tired formula and gives two uninterested actors a paycheck to perform it.  The film is not as bad as it looks in the two minute trailer – it’s worse.  Those were the good parts used to try to sell the film.  And for those of you insisting that you just need a good clean family film – there are plenty of other decent options.  Showing bad films like this to kids just because their clean ultimately leads to creating an undiscerning audience that eventually can’t tell a good movie from bad.  My advice – skip this one and wait for the next two weeks when Princess and the Frog and the Fantastic Mr. Fox hit video shelves.  You may not care what kinds of movies your kids like – but I certainly do.  F

New on DVD

Where the Wild Things Are
Rated PG for mild thematic elements, some adventure and brief language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Based on Maurice Sendak’s classic children’s book, Wild Things follows a rebellious young boy named Max as he runs away from home and finds himself on an island filled with dangerous monsters that befriend him.  Director Spike Jonze (Adaptation) unleashes all of his creative prowess in this live-action fantasy that is at times weird, but always interesting.  Artistically, it is one of the most intriguing films of 2009, full of imagination and eye-popping wonder.  At times, though, it gets a little repetitive, but forgivably so.  I’m not so sure this is a film for young kids, but rather older kids, teenagers and even college students will probably love it.  A-

2012
Rated PG-13 for intense disaster sequences and some language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
The Earth as we know it is coming to an end, as predicted by the Mayan calendar, and only a few people know it.  One of those people is John Cusack and he must rescue his kids and ex-wife before and bring them to safety before they are taken down with the rest of the planet.  Story-wise, this isn’t the greatest film ever made.  The escapes are very repetitive with each successive plane take-off barely making it and way too many close calls.  Also, logic issues abound which will leave you scratching your head throughout.  That being said, the special effects are what folks are most interested in here and they are spectacular and plentiful, even if they don’t make much sense all the time.  If you really want to add some gravity to the silliness, wait till The Road comes out and watch the films back to back, pretending the latter is the sequel. C

Ponyo
Rated G
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Master animator Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away) tells the tale of a five-year-old boy that befriends a goldfish princess, who is the escaped daughter of great wizard and a sea goddess.  If you’ve seen any of his other films, you know that his storytelling is as eccentric as his animation style.  This story, inspired by The Little Mermaid, is for the most part mesmerizing, but at the same time really, really strange.  Dubbed into English from it’s original Japanese with a host of great voice talent such as Liam Neeson, Cate Blanchett, and Matt Damon, the film is very accessible for all ages.  Kids just need their imagination.  Adults might need a few drinks. B-

New on DVD

The Informant!
Rated R for language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Matt Damon gives a highly underrated performance in this hilarious based-on-a-true-story comedy about an executive in the agriculture business that turns informant to the FBI, only to find himself getting himself into hotter and hotter water.  Screenwriter Scott Burns took a semi-serious book by Kurt Eichenwald and, through a random-thought inner dialog spoken by Damon, brought out a dimension of the film that made the movie a purely enjoyable experience.  Masterfully directed by Stephen Soderbergh, the film is well paced and keeps throwing you surprises left and right.  And after all the dust has settled and I’ve seen all of the films for 2009, I am still holding tight that Damon not only deserved to be nominated for an Oscar this year for The Informant! (which he did not), but he should have won as well.  A

Dead Snow
Unrated
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Norwegian with English subtitles
A group of Norwegian medical students heads to a remote cabin in the woods for a winter holiday only to find that the area is haunted by Nazi zombies.  Unlike 2008’s Outpost starring Rome’s Ray Stevenson, Dead Snow chooses to have a little more fun with the story and creates a tale with almost as much comedy as gory violence.  While this is an IFC release, this is not smart film making in the least, but it can be described as an innovative and peculiar way to represent the zombie genre, with loads of laughs and I-can’t-believe-they-just-did-that moments. I can easily see this becoming a big cult classic around colleges nationwide.  B-

Lock n’ Load with R. Lee Ermey: The Complete Season One
Unrated
Available on DVD
Gunnery Sergeant, drill instructor, Vietnam veteran, and larger-than-life actor R. Lee Ermey (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) shows us 4 DVDs worth of weapons, from pistols to tanks to rockets, in this addictive little History Channel original program.  Beginning with the origins of each weapon of discussion, he takes the audience on a journey of discovery of how the weapons evolved, the impact they have had, and through advanced high-speed photography and 3D graphics, he shows the details you’ve always wanted to know but were afraid to ask.  B-

Everybody’s Fine
Rated PG-13 for thematic elements and brief strong language
Available on DVD
Robert De Niro is a widowed father that wants to see his kids again, so he takes a trip on a bus to see his adult children, one-by-one, all over the United States, only to find that the surprise visits are challenging for the startled hosts.  You’d think that with a title like this and the smiles on the DVD cover, that this might be a boring, feel-good film.  Well if you did, you thought wrong.  This is a tough, challenging film about a lonely man coping with family issues that you could never see coming.  I really liked the direction this film took and even though you watch it not being prepared for the dark places it takes you, it gets you out just fine and rewards your patience.  The cast is strong here, but De Niro is especially at his best, giving an emotionally impactful performance that is a far cry from his usual fare.  A- 

New on DVD

Black Dynamite
Rated R for sexuality/nudity, language, some violence and drug content
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
This parody of 1970 blaxploitation films stars Michael Jai White as Black Dynamite, an ex-CIA operative that seeks revenge for his brother’s death when he is killed working undercover on a drug sting.  Unlike other, more expensively produced parodies such as Undercover Brother and I’m Gonna Get You Sucka, Dynamite has fun reproducing the actual look and feel of the original genre with a premise that is too ridiculous to be believed.  Microphones getting in the way of shots, stunts going wrong and remaining in the film, bad acting, worse writing, and all of the whacked out racial stereotypes abound in this low-budget production.  This is not only one of the most clever films of the last year, but one of the funniest as well.  Some of the scenes had me in absolute stitches and forced me to rewind due to laughing over some of the dialogue.  While the ending is completely over the top, I still found it very enjoyable and refreshing.  Also, this film allowed me to finally forgive Michael Jai White for that atrocious performance in The Dark Knight.  A-

Coco Before Chanel
Rated PG-13 for sexual content and smoking
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Before she launched a fashion empire, Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel started from humble beginnings and this story follows her rise to the top, but not further.  Audrey Tautou (Amelie) stars as the iconic designer whose complicated romantic affairs allowed her to do what she ended up being most famous for.  The film is a little slow, but even though I’m not the most fascinated by the fashion world, I still found myself very interested.  The performances were all very good, as is to be expected from a cast including one of the world’s most extraordinary actresses.  The production here is phenomenal with stunning cinematography and an exquisite musical score by Oscar-nominated composer Alexandre Desplat (Julie and Julia).  Story-wise, the film chose fiction over fact in many facets of her life in order to tighten the script, but this is forgivable as long as you understand that movies sometimes bend the truth to shape what works best for the script.  B+

Spirit Camp
Unrated but contains sexuality/nudity, graphic violence, and language
Available on DVD
Local filmmaker Kerry Beyer writes, directs, and stars in this low-budget indie horror flick filmed in Houston and just outside Cleveland, TX.  This cross between cheerleader and slasher-camp genres follows a group of beautiful young cheerleaders as they head to cheerleader camp deep in the woods.  The film delivers exactly what you expect: young cheerleaders, lots of violence, all with a B-movie look and feel.  With any luck, Houston might have itself a budding horror film star in Kerry.  Available right now only on www.spiritcampmovie.com.

New on DVD

A Serious Man
Rated R for language, some sexuality/nudity, and brief violence
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
This low budget dark comedy by the Coen brothers (No Country For Old Men) follows a 1960’s Midwestern professor whose life is falling apart around him.  His wife wants to leave him and expects him to be very OK with the proposition.  His money problems are mounting up on him.  He has a student attempting to blackmail him when he doesn’t accept a bribe.  His son is a pothead who even gets stoned on the day of his Bat Mitzvah.  His loser brother spends all of his time in their only bathroom, which puts a huge strain on their entire family.  There are some that think that this is a retelling of the book of Job from the Bible.  Others have even more detailed observances of the meanings of each of the picture’s little quirks.  The message boards are a blast to read with everyone having different insights and they are all correct in their own heads.  All I know is that I enjoyed it thoroughly.  The Coen brothers have such a unique filmmaking and storytelling style and this one is prime proof.  Watching the making of documentary, it doesn’t appear that the brothers had such deep thoughts as the folks in the audience, but regardless, it’s a clever, funny, ridiculous adventure that is very worthy of its Oscar nom for best picture this year.  I strongly advise to catch the short feature Hebrew and Yiddish for Goys which will teach you what you need to know to translate the film correctly.  A

Couples Retreat
Rated PG-13 for sexual content and language
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau, and Jason Bateman lead an all star cast of four couples that are tricked into going to Bora Bora for what they think will be a vacation, but in reality turns out to be couples therapy.  There is so much talent here that I am perplexed how this got to be such a mediocre film.  These guys all know comedy well.  They all have great timing. Favreau and Vaughn have proven their writing skills in the past.  So maybe the beauty of Bora Bora was just too much for them?  There were a few decent one-liners that got through and the pro-marriage message was admirable, but why did it have to be so absolutely stupid and overall unfunny?  C- 

Amelia
Rated PG for some sensuality, language, thematic elements and smoking
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Hillary Swank is Amelia Earhart, the legendary female pilot that disappeared somewhere in the Pacific Ocean as she attempted fly around the world.  While it’s an overly long, horribly paced, and extremely boring look at the icon, Swank plays the part well and I like the history lesson, though I wish it were a little more exciting or at least interesting.  Great cinematography and a lush musical score are the highlights of the film, but can’t overcome the poor directing by Mira Nair, who should have been less concerned with making an epic and more concerned with telling a decent story.  C-

Dare
Rated R for sexual content, language, and alcohol use – all involving teens
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Emmy Rossum is a do-no-wrong high schooler that wants to be an actress.  When an actor she respects tells her that she has to actually live more uncomfortably to be a great actress, she starts having sex, partying, and doing things that go against the way she was raised.  The film takes some turns that don’t really make a lot of sense, like her moving in with her gay male friend when her parents feel she is acting up too much.  But that being said, I think some parents might like to watch just due to the fact that it’s a pretty real look at what kinds of messes kids get into when parents aren’t around.  Some might find the homosexual sex scenes very uncomfortable, but I’m convinced that there’s a touch of realism here pertinent to what kids are pressured with today.  B-

New on DVD

Whip It
Rated PG-13 for sexual content including crude dialogue, language and drug material
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Drew Barrymore makes her directorial debut in this feel good sports comedy about a young girl, played expertly by Juno’s Ellen Page, who decides to end her mother’s dream of becoming a beauty queen in small town Texas, in order to make it big in Austin’s roller derby scene.  While completely predictable, the film is very charming, funny and extremely well-acted by the very talented cast including Barrymore, Marcia Gay Harden, Daniel Stern, and SNL’s Kristen Wiig.  And capturing some of the quirkiness of both small town Texas as well as Austin, the film will be pleasantly familiar to most folks reading this column.  A-

The House of the Devil
Rated R for some bloody violence
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Set in the early 80’s in both time and style, this indie horror pic follows a young college girl who thinks she is being hired to be a babysitter, only to find out that a Satanic cult has other plans for her.  There’s not a lot of jump out and scare you moments, but the suspense here is very frightening throughout as you just wait for something very bad to happen at any second.  Writer/director Ti West had a little too much fun making the movie look like it was filmed 30 years ago, but had I not known in advance that the film was made this last year, I might have thought it was an authentic 80’s cult pic.  B

New York, I Love You
Rated R for sexual content
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
One of the current trends in independent cinema right now is to take a breathtaking city and have some of the world’s greatest directors and actors tells their short stories within it in order to give a sense of the city from many directions and viewpoints.  In 2006 we saw Paris, je taime, and now a few years later, New York, I Love You (Jerusalem and Rio are said to be next and who knows, maybe Houston will get one someday).  This film follows many different love stories from directors such as Mira Nair (Amelia), Brett Ratner (Rush Hour), and even Natalie Portman tries her hand behind the camera.  Actors include Bradley Cooper, Shia LaBeouf, Orlando Bloom, and a full assortment of other A-list actors wanting to get in on the game.  It’s very artsy, but the different slices of New York life come together in a fascinating way that make the film fairly entertaining.  Some of the stories were a bit too weird to fit into this film, but I loved the overall feel and energy.  B-