DVD Release Reviews for September 29th

Monsters vs. Aliens –B+ (Gotta Rent, Gotta Own for Kids)

Monsters vs. Aliens is the next animated feature from Dreamworks. Both the animation and voice casting are excellent featuring voices such as Seth Rogen, Reese Witherspoon, Hugh Laurie and Kiefer Sutherland. Possibly the best role is a somewhat small one with Stephen Colbert playing a hilarious rendition of an inept president. The downside is the storyline which is lackluster and nowhere near the quality that Pixar implements in its animation masterpieces. Whereas Pixar’s movies such as Wall-E, Up and Ratatouille have great stories that connect the viewer to the characters (even if they are robots and rats), Dreamworks doesn’t have that connection with its audience. MVA is a very good animated film and definitely worth a watch with the family, however do not expect a great film that’s on par with the Pixar greats.


Management – B (Wait for It)
Management is an interesting romantic-comedy starring Jennifer Aniston and Steve Zahn (That Thing You Do, Rescue Dawn) that’s about a guy trying to win the heart of a girl that is way out of his league. The best way to describe this film is that it is a weird one to watch. The casting seems very weird matching up Aniston, who does tons of Rom-Coms, and Zahn who normally plays the idiot friend but never the main role. The movie never really makes you laugh out loud or have any sort of special connection to the characters, nor does it necessarily cause you to lose interest. Aniston plays her role as a somewhat uptight businesswoman well and so does Zahn as the loser with nothing going for him except for his parent’s motel. Management has unnecessary plotlines, is slow at parts and doesn’t even have that believable of a storyline, however, something about it keeps your interest and makes it worth watching.


Away We Go – A (Gotta Rent)
The year’s best films always seem to not be the big budget blockbuster hits, but instead the small indie-films that are made on a relatively pint-sized budget. Away We Go is another perfect example of this as John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph both shine in this heartfelt comedy. Sam Mendes showed the destruction of a marriage in Revolutionary Road and in this he shows the other side of a relationship. The story is about Karisinski and Rudolph, recently pregnant, traveling the U.S. looking for a place to start their family. Many of the shots and scene transitions are very reminiscent to ones in Juno. Krasinski proves he can step outside his Office role as does Rudolph and her regular SNL appearances. The chemistry between the two is perfect as Krasinski is the eternal optimist and always trying to break any tension or stress with jokes, whereas Rudolph is a pessimist and always worried about what lies ahead. This is definitely worth a rent as it is one of the better movies of the year.


Shrink - B+ (Gotta Rent)
Shrink follows Kevin Spacey, a middle-aged shrink for the celebrities that is flooded by problems of his own. He tries to deal with the death of his wife through excessive use of drugs, all the while trying to help Hollywood’s finest with all of their own problems. Spacey plays the role of the cynical and depressed shrink perfectly. You begin to feel very sorry for his character as he avoids having to deal with his wife’s death. Alongside Spacey there is a very strong performance from Keke Palmer (Akeelah and the Bee) playing a very troubled young girl who’s life is turned upside down by the suicide of her mother. Shrink’s faults lie in the sub-par performances of the other Hollywood characters, including a very irritating OCD agent. Too much focus was placed on all of the other characters that it watered down what could have been a great connection between Spacey and Palmer. That being said, the ending leaves you feeling satisfied and really pulls everything together. This movie is definitely worth a watch, if only to marvel at the great acting of Kevin Spacey.


The Brothers Bloom - B+ (Gotta Rent)
The Brothers Bloom is an action-adventure-comedy about 2 brothers that have spent their entire lives as con-men. The brothers, played by Adrien Brody and Mark Ruffalo, decide to attempt one more con, trying to dupe a millionaire heiress, played by Rachel Weisz. Weisz’s character is tired of living alone with all of her riches and needs to have an adventure, so she decides to accompany the brothers thinking she’s in on a con of her own. The casting is perfect as all 3 work great together, especially Brody and Ruffalo. What really makes this movie is the endless amount of twists and turns that keep you guessing until the very end. If you don’t like unpredictable plots then you’ll probably want to avoid this, however everyone else should give it a shot as its entertaining, funny and will keep your attention until the very end.