DVD Releases for February 2nd

Zombieland - A (Gotta Own)

Anyone who likes Zombie movies or even a good comedy should watch Zombieland. It takes the concept of the end of the world via man-eating corpses and turns it into a hilarious comedy. It’s basically an American version of Shaun of the Dead, replacing British humor with good ole fashion guns and Twinkies. Woody Harrelson, Abigail Breslin, Emma Stone and Jesse Eisenberg all star as the misfit group of survivors doing anything they can to both survive, and track down the elusive last packs of Twinkies. Harrelson is hilarious as the redneck of the group, trying to get "Zombie killer of the week". I had my reservations for this going in as I was not a fan of Shaun of the Dead, and the trailer didn’t really have anything special to convince me that this would be worth a watch. That being said, I thought it was one of the best zombie flicks that have been made, and by far the funniest. Everyone looking for a laugh or a fresh take on zombies should watch this film.

Love Happens – C+ (Wait for It)

The most appealing reason to watch Love Happens is because its filmed and takes place in Seattle. It stars Aaron Eckhart as a self-help motivational speaker who just recently lost his wife, and Jennifer Aniston as a woman that has sworn off men, that is until she meets Eckhart. The main problem with this movie is that it barely develops Aniston’s character, to the point that she shouldn’t even really be in the movie. If the entire movie just focused on the fact that Eckhart is professing all these ways to overcome the death of a loved one, yet he hasn’t even come to terms with the death of his own wife. It should have been a drama solely about Eckhart, and not try to be just another Romantic Comedy. It has its touching moments, however they would have been there without Aniston anyways. I’d say this is a complete Don’t Bother but since there isn’t very many films that take place locally, it’s nice to see one, even if it isn’t all that good.

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.

DVD Releases for January 19th

Gamer – C (Wait for It)

Gamer should not be watched for its story or its acting, but instead for its non-stop, full throttle action. Its style is very similar to that of Crank, in that there isn’t really an understandable or well thought out story. It relies purely on the crazy amount of action and the lengths in which it will go. The story itself is basically the same as Death Race or The Condemned, where inmates must play a game of life or death in order to earn their freedom. The twist with this movie is that it’s much more futuristic and technologically based; with fans controlling their favorite inmate and playing them just like a character in a video game. The movie could also be viewed as an upcoming path for our own society, seeing as how dependant we have become on technology, and just how advanced it is. Gerard Butler brings out the Spartan in him and Michael C. Hall (Dexter) brings out yet another side to his acting repertoire as the mastermind of the game itself. Hardcore fans of either video games or insane action movies will likely thoroughly enjoy this film.

Whiteout - B- (Wait for It)

Whiteout is a very promising and interesting concept about a U.S. Marshal being stuck in some of the worst environmental conditions imaginable with a cold-blood killer on the loose. Kate Beckinsale stars as the Marshal posted in Antarctica trying to solve the continent’s first murder before she gets stuck there for 6 months. Having to deal with both a killer environment as well as an ice-pick wielding murderer poses should be an intense and suspenseful thriller. However, the director executes this very poorly, ruining even the most suspenseful of moments. Its climactic and dramatic scenes are ruined by the characters being tethered to a rope and chasing one another at a snail’s pace. I actually liked its ultimate twist, although once again the way it was revealed was quite disappointing. Overall it’s an alright movie, but its potential is wasted with a poor director.

Pandorum - B+ (Gotta Rent)

This mix between a sci-fi and a horror flick creates both an intense and chilling feeling despite an incoherent story. The overall feeling and setting is a kind of mix of no less than 6 movies including Aliens, The Descent and the first Resident Evil. The aliens, or monsters, or whatever the evil creatures are supposed to be aren’t all the scary and frankly are about as lame as the “zombies” from I Am Legend. The story itself is either not clear enough to be really understood, or not interesting enough to be fully understood. However, the eeriness and sometimes frightening atmosphere that the movie creates through its dark pathways, startling noises and evil tone more than makes up for its flaws. Overall if you want a modern day scary movie then this is a good choice, especially if you “enjoyed” watching the other sci-fi horrors of recent years.

Invention of Lying - A- (Gotta Own)

This has to be one of the most hilarious concepts for a comedy in the last decade. Imagine a world where no one could tell a lie. You don’t realize just how much our society relies on lies until you’ve seen this movie. Invention cracks some hysterical jokes on everything from religion, to dating to the difference between Coke and Pepsi (here’s a hint, Coke is better). Ricky Gervais plays the first man who realizes what a lie is, and uses it quite hilariously to his advantage. The movie really accomplishes its goal when it pokes fun of our society, especially in the first half of the movie. The second half gets a little more serious and follows the same flow that your typical romantic comedy follows. At that point it becomes predictable and loses a little bit of its uniqueness that made the first half so great. Fans of Ricky Gervais will not be disappointed as he brings his same sarcastic wit as he has in Ghost Town and The Office. Everyone should watch this comedy if only for its great premise and laugh-out-loud first half.

DVD Releases for January 5th and 12th

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs - A- (Gotta Rent)

Based on a children’s book of the same name, Cloudy is a great animated movie that both kids and adults can enjoy. I found myself laughing throughout most of the film. The animation is top notch, as is the voice acting. The characters are all funny, including a hilarious monkey whose few lines are spoken by Neil Patrick Harris, and a policeman voiced by Mr. T. Cloudy actually comes from Sony and not Dreamworks or Pixar. If Sony makes a few more as good as this it will establish itself as the 2^nd best animation studio in the business. Where Dreamworks failed in Monsters Vs. Aliens with a boring story and poor character development, Cloudy succeeds in both areas. This is definitely worth a rent and for most families will be worth the purchase.

The Final Destination      C-             (Wait for It)

As a big fan of the series this is the biggest disappointment of all 4. It is definitely a movie that if you do not see it in 3-D, then you probably shouldn’t see it at all. The movie is made to be seen in 3-D, to the point that certain scenes and characteristics seem completely out of place since they can’t jump out of the screen at you. The best part of the other movies are the unique and eccentric death scenes, making you look over your shoulder in real life, wondering if something crazy could actually happen to you. The death scenes in FD4 are a complete joke compared to its predecessors and almost all of them are ruined by the trailer. I would recommend just not watching the trailer since it leaves nothing to the imagination and leaves virtually no surprises. If you’re a die hard fan of the series I would recommend buying it instead of renting it since the retail version is at least in 3-D.

Adam - B+ (Gotta Rent)

Adam is a cute and quirky romantic-comedy that stars Hugh Dancy as a man with Asperger’s Syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder thataffects one’s social capabilities. His neighbor, played by Rose Byrne, falls for him following a couple awkward interactions. If you liked movies such as Mozart and the Whale or Lars and the Real Girl then you will probably adore this film. Both do a great job in their roles as well as have some great chemistry, despite being completely different characters. Hugh does an especially great job and makes you believe that he actually has Asperger’s. Its only downfall is the ending as it feels like there isn’t as much thought put into it as the rest of the film. It also felt kind of rushed in the last 10-15 minutes. That being said it’s definitely worth a watch.

Moon - A+    (Gotta Own)

This ode to 2001: A Space Odyssey is one of the best films of the year, and one of the best space movies out there. Sam Rockwell, pretty much the only actor in the entire film, plays an astronaut that is serving a 3-year term working on the moon all alone. His only companion is a robot, GERTY, voiced by Kevin Spacey. After an unexpected incident, the meaning of Rockwell’s entire existence comes into question. The story is gripping and doesn’t unveil the answers until the very end. Sam Rockwell deserves at the very least an Oscar nomination as this was his defining performance. He must deal with the complete isolation from the world with only the occasion video being sent back from Earth. This movie should not be missed and any fan of space themed movies, great acting performances or character driven plots should watch this.

Post Grad – C     (Wait for It)

Post Grad starts off with a very promising story that many of today’s college grads could relate to. Alexis Bledel plays Ryden, a girl who had her whole life planned out after she graduated college, only to find that life can’t be planned out. She is stuck looking for any job, not just her dream job. However, once she is forced to move back home the story turns its focus to her annoying father (played by Michael Keaton), her little brother, and her friend that wants nothing more than to marry her. Her mom, played by the hilarious Jane Lynch (Glee) is the only supporting character that should have received any screen time is given but a few minutes. The movie suffers from very unlikeable characters, unnecessary plotlines and gaping plot holes. If it would have stuck with her problems and not tried to turn it into a romantic comedy then it could have been a success. The story loses its focus and its connecting point to the audience and never recovers. 

Hurt Locker - A+  (Gotta Own)

Just when you think enough Middle East war movies had been released, a masterful work in Hurt Locker comes out and shows everyone how it’s done. Where most of today’s war movies take a Call of Duty type approach and just see how epic they can make the battle sequences, Hurt Locker provides both a great story as well as characters that you actually care about and feel as if you know. The story follows a small platoon that has a mere 38 days until they get to go back home, if they can survive that long. Jeremy Renner gives an Oscar worthy performance as Staff Sgt. William James, a soldier who excels at diffusing anything that blows up. The movie doesn’t try and ride star power or a major budget; it instead provides non-stop suspense that will keep you in your seat until the very last frame. Hurt Locker will be a major contender at all the award shows this year as its one of the best war films of the last decade.