DVD Releases for January 26th

Saw VI – B (Wait for It)

Saw 6 is more or less the same as the other 5 installments in the perennial horror series. Its story is much more political then its predecessors as it attacks the health insurance business, providing plenty more victims for Jigsaw to terrorize. Fans of the series will likely see this as one of the best of the series, as it focuses quite a bit more on the story and not just on how gruesome the death scenes can be. It does a great job mixing into the rest of the movies, and making it almost believable from the very beginning the series was meant to go 10 or more installments. This one introduces many new characters that can be used to continue the series. I can see it lasting at least another 4 movies as the production costs are minimal and the series still has a decent following. It is definitely worth watching if you’ve seen the others as this is the best one since Saw II.

Surrogates – B (Wait for It)

Surrogates is a very promising Sci-Fi flick that suffers from being “hollywoodized.” The premise of everyone using avatars (a computerized version of what they want themselves to be) to live their lives is intriguing and could have really become a great science fiction movie, instead settling as just being decent. Its main problem is that it shifts into unnecessary action scenes that could have been left out altogether. I have to say that I didn’t see the twist at the end coming, which is a refreshing change. Hopefully this will be the last avatar themed movie for a while as the genre will get old fast with Gamer and Avatar both coming out at the same time. The look of the film is quite impressive, although seeing a 30 year old Bruce Willis with perfectly toned skin is a little creepy. Overall it’s an above average film that would be worth watching (especially on Blu-Ray).

Whip It - A- (Gotta Rent)

Drew Barrymore combines about 4 different types of movies all in one in her directorial debut, Whip It. She uses a great ensemble cast to create a coming-of-age, romantic comedy, sports movie that is much better than I had was expecting. Ellen Page stars as a total misfit in Bodeen, Texas that finds Roller Derby as an escape from her both her small-town life, and her beauty pageant obsessed mother. She combines both her witty humor as well as an edgy toughness to perfect the role. Page once again shows that she is one of the best young actresses of our generation. Marcia Gay Harden plays the overbearing mother that only wants Page to follow in her footsteps. Kristen Wiig and Barrymore are just a few of her teammates that team up to provide lots of laughs. If Jimmy Fallon was half as funny in his late-night show as he is as the derby announcer then he might actually get a decent audience. Overall you’ll find yourself laughing and thoroughly enjoying the film and it might even generate a little interest in seeing what roller derby is all about.