New On Dvd Videos

Terminator Salvation I suspect McG's movie will play really well at home, with the volume turned up and the surround sound explosions masking the lack of a compelling story and lackluster performances. Everyone from Christian Bale to Anton Yelchin to Sam Worthington to Bryce Dallas Howard was overshadowed by the special effects and the robots running rampant. However, at home you can walk in and out, pause, rewind, and replay -- and yes, freeze frame Moon Bloodgood's extremely brief topless scene -- without harming an essentially harmless movie. Rent it. Also available in a 3-disc Blu-ray edition, with theatrical and director's cut, alternate endings, featurettes, and more Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian Our reviewer, Eric D. Snider, described it as "a mix of genuinely funny performances and highly lazy storytelling. You know how it goes: the plot is inane, but a lot of the dialogue makes you laugh." With Ben Stiller, Amy Adams, Robin Williams, Ricky Gervais, and Owen Wilson. Not my cup of tea, but if you're so inclined: Rent it. Also on Blu-ray. Single-disc DVD includes audio commentary, featurettes, deleted scenes with alternate ending, and gag reel. Two-disc "Monkey Mischief" edition add more featurettes and games. The Blu-ray combo pack includes even more featurettes and a standard def DVD. Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon Who is that happy couple running? Indies on DVD, more Blu-ray picks, and Collector's Corner - after the jump!Filed under: New on DVD, Home Entertainment, Cinematical IndieContinue reading Spin-ematical: New on DVD for 12/1 Permalink | Email this | Comments

If the sound of the name "Ruh-Ruh-Ruh-Raaaaaaaandy!" partnered with a few DJ effects and the sight of comic actor Aziz Ansari jumping maniacally around a stage made you tingle in Judd Apatow's Funny People, then prepare yourself for what I'm about to say: Randy is getting his own movie. To paraphrase Randy himself, if you fine folks are prepared to chortle until your genitals become disconnected from your body, let me hear you say "Yes!" Variety reports that Ansari and fellow Human Giant collaborator Jason Woliner pitched the Randy spin-off to Apatow along with two other intended Ansari vehicles, a buddy road flick about motivational speakers and an astronaut comedy. While Apatow's production company will produce all three, the report doesn't mention which of the projects will happen first. Over at the MTV Movies Blog, Christopher Campbell notes that just last week, Apatow indicated some hesitation on Ansari's part to revisit the character of Randy. "Aziz may be concerned that more people think he's Randy than Aziz," Apatow explained. And that may be a legitimate concern for Ansari, who currently co-stars on "Parks and Recreation." His Randy characterization is so subtle, even in its bombastic raunchiness, that it's an entirely believable comic persona -- kind of a douchebag persona, but a hilarious one nonetheless. (Personally, if Ansari did nothing but "Randy" for the rest of his life, I'd be satisfied.) More on the Randy spin-off and a video from Funny People after the jump. Filed under: Comedy, Scripts, New on DVD, Newsstand, Home EntertainmentContinue reading 'Funny People' Star Aziz Ansari Getting His Own 'Randy' Spin-off Permalink | Email this | Comments

Angels & Demons The first was met with much critical disdain, but fought back to earn over $750 million at the worldwide box office. Angels & Demons still managed to make money, but less than $500 million (needing worldwide take to even make up for the budget) as Tom Hanks tries to hunt down a symbol-loving murderer. Eric D. Snider called it: "is as overly serious as its predecessor, and poor Mr. Hanks -- the world's most likable man, for crying out loud! -- is still dour and intense." Skip it. Also on Blu-ray. Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon Four Christmases Just as the title implies, Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon are forced to stop avoiding their crazy families and must hit four households over the holidays. In his review, William Goss wrote: "The rest makes for an occasionally amusing, mostly shrill series of encounters with an ensemble that only encourages misanthropic ideals, and maybe if Four Christmases had decided to extend itself beyond white trash targets and projectile vomiting, we could've found ourselves talking about a new Christmas classic right now." Rent it if you want some uncomfortable holiday humor. Also on Blu-ray. Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon Funny People If ever there was a reason why Adam Sandler has been sticking to the ridiculous fluff, this is it -- a dramedy with a lot of heart that couldn't even make back its budget after worldwide release. In his review, Todd Gilchrist said: "Funny People is one of the summer's, if not the year's best films, because it's a comedy that inverts the medium's typical use - effectively revealing feelings rather than concealing them - and invites the audience to share in that discovery." Buy it and give the film some love. Also on Blu-ray. Read Our Blu-ray Review | Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon Hit the jump for a peek at Shorts and other new releases...Filed under: New Releases, DVD Reviews, New on DVD, Home EntertainmentContinue reading Spin-ematical: New on DVD for 11/24 Permalink | Email this | Comments

Star Trek In rebooting the franchise, J.J. Abrams faced the daunting challenge of pleasing long-time Trekkies and roping in new viewers who think 'Live long and prosper' is a slogan for an insurance company. This is not your father's Star Trek, but he'd probably like it too (begrudgingly). Buy it. Also on Blu-ray (see Todd Gilchrist's review for more on that edition.) Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon Bruno I'm not a big fan of the 'ridicule the clueless' school of humor, so I turn to Cinematical's review by Todd Gilchrist: "curiously ineffective, a sort of middling effort that fails to liberate itself from the stereotypes that provide the character's foundations, even if it also doesn't deliberately or harmfully reinforce them." Skip it. Also on Blu-ray. Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon My Sister's Keeper Despite a relentless barrage of scenes evidently designed with the sole goal of jerking tears, Nick Cassavetes' My Sister's Keeper did not make me cry. It is, however, one of the most glorious-looking terminal cancer pictures I've ever seen. Cameron Diaz, Jason Patric, Abigail Breslin, and Alec Baldwin star in a film I found entirely unsatisfying. (See my review for more.) In addition, fans of the novel by Jodi Picoult may not appreciate the changed ending. Skip it. Also on Blu-ray. Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon Also out: How to Be (with Robert Pattinson), Wild Child (with Emma Roberts). After the jump: Indies on DVD, more Blu-ray, and Collector's Corner.Filed under: Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, New on DVD, Home EntertainmentContinue reading Spin-ematical: New on DVD for 11/17 Permalink | Email this | Comments

Up If there is one disc sure to fly off shelves this week, it's this one. The Pixar film made instant fans out of most viewers, and agonizingly ripped the rest of our hearts out with the love story opening. In her review, Jette Kernion said Up is "a very good movie that defies demographic categorization." By now, your minds are probably made, but if not: Buy it. Also on Blu-ray. Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon The Ugly Truth How do you follow up comments about Knocked Up being a little bit sexist? By producing and starring in a film that teaches a smart and successful woman the "ugly truth" of life from a notorious chauvinist, naturally. In his review, Jeffrey M. Anderson wrote that this romcom "actually knows next to nothing about dating advice, the behaviors of men and women, or much of anything else romantically human." Skip it and save yourself. Also on Blu-ray. Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon Watchmen: The Ultimate Cut We all knew this was coming -- the step above the director's cut, the disc for uberfans of the graphic novel -- a version of the film with all of The Black Freighter interspersed as it was in print. Grab this, and you should have everything you need from the big-screen cinematic experience. If you adore all things Watchmen, Buy it. Also on Blu-ray. Buy at Amazon The Accidental Husband When he wasn't spending time in Watchmen's blood and carnage, Jeffrey Dean Morgan was becoming Uma Thurman's Accidental Husband. Another one of those floofy romcoms, this flick takes Uma back to her Cats and Dogs days, but this time, she gets the radio show and the man. I imagine. Do you care? Skip it. Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon Also out: Robsessed, Love Finds a Home, A Christmas Proposal, The Christmas Clause, Spread, Summer's Moon, The Echo, Hurt, The Gambler, the Girl and the Gunslinger, The Line, Bad Guys Filed under: New Releases, DVD Reviews, New on DVD, Home EntertainmentContinue reading Spin-ematical: New on DVD for 11/10 Permalink | Email this | Comments

Brett Erlich and Ellen Fox take a peek at what's coming up this weekend including A Christmas Carol, The Men Who Stare at Goats, & Precious.

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra Here's my problem with the picture: a furiously-filmed chase through the streets of Paris should be spectacular and thrilling. Instead, it's incoherent, routine, even disappointing. Director Stephen Sommers (The Mummy, Van Helsing) turns in another by-the-numbers action spectacle, this time starring Dennis Quaid, Channing Tatum, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Marlon Wayans, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. There are better ways to waste your time and money. Skip it. Also on Blu-ray. Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 Tony Scott's remake is a higher-grade disappointment, coming achingly close to delivering an unqualified success. Derailed by John Travolta's unrepentant scenery-chewing, which goes far beyond the bounds of bad taste, and an unhealthy preoccupation with explaining everything, the film motors along reasonably well, fashioning a paranoid tale of post-9/11 terror and ticking time bomb suspense. Denzel Washington is eminently watchable, and James Gandolfini has a good turn as the Mayor of NYC. Recommended with reservations. Rent it. Also on Blu-ray. Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon I Love You, Beth Cooper As I wrote in my review, Larry Doyle's very funny book has been transformed into a dreadfully boring movie. Hayden Panettiere and Paul Rust are miscast as a rule-breaking dream girl and the boy who loves her from afar, respectively. The spend a night together that seems endless. Chris Columbus directed, without distinction. Skip it. Also on Blu-ray. Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon Also out: Aliens in the Attic. Indies on DVD, more Blu-ray picks, and Collector's Corner -- after the jump! Filed under: Action, Comedy, Documentary, Independent, Thrillers, New on DVD, Home Entertainment, Cinematical IndieContinue reading Spin-ematical: New on DVD for 11/3 Permalink | Email this | Comments

Orphan An "outwardly angelic little girl" gets adopted by a new family consisting of Peter Sarsgaard and Vera Farmiga, and then begins to unleash her hidden evilness. In his review, Peter Martin wrote that Orphan "is so bats*** crazy that it wears you down just enough to accept the lunacy and enjoy the movie for what it is: every parent's worst nightmare, writ large in childish crayon." Skip it. Also on Blu-ray. Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon Whatever Works Woody Allen's follow-up to Vicky Cristina Barcelona and return to the Big Apple takes his old man self out of the equation to give a new dude (played by Larry David) some May-December romance with Evan Rachel Wood. Nick Schager wasn't sold, and in his review, he wrote: "rather than an inspired meeting of kindred minds, their collaboration does little except reinforce the notion that Allen's creative well has long since run dry, his films now split into either inert, heavy-handed, detached spectacles of pretty people doing naughty things in foreign locales (Match Point, Vicky Cristina Barcelona), or leaden comedic larks in which notable names embody Allen's archetypal kvetching role." Rent it. Also on Blu-ray. Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs The next installment in the family film series. In his review, William Goss wrote: "All in all, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs is an improvement over its massively forgettable predecessor: generally inoffensive (save perhaps for history buffs), a bit more charming than most of the non-Pixar competition, and frivolous in the best possible sense." Buy it for the family film collection. Also on Blu-ray. Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon Also out: Battlestar Galactica: The Plan, Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure, Nothing Like the Holidays, Night of the Creeps, Criminal Ways, Stan Helsing Filed under: New Releases, DVD Reviews, New on DVD, Home EntertainmentContinue reading Spin-ematical: New on DVD for 10/27 Permalink | Email this | Comments

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox run for their lives as Michael Bay's giant robots trample onto the home video scene on DVD (single-disc or two-disc special edition) and Blu-ray (two-disc special edition). The special editions includes audio commentary by Bay and writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, deleted / alternate scenes, a music video, and additional features, such as "A Day With Bay: Tokyo," "Giant Effing Movie," and "The Matrix of Marketing." To approximate the theatrical experience, play really, really loud, and sit as far back from the screen as you possibly can. Resistance is futile. Rent it. Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon Blood: The Last Vampire Chris Nahon's live-action adaptation of an anime series features a half-human, half-vampire samurai battling an infestation of demons. "the result is so laughably awful that it easily qualifies for so-bad-it's-good status," wrote Jeffrey M. Anderson. "As you may expect, the English-language dialogue is ultra-serious and absurd, the action is inept and shaky, and the visual effects look like they might have been generated on an old Atari video game." Also on Blu-ray. Skip it. Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon Ch ri Michelle Pfeiffer's reunites with her Dangerous Liaisons director (Stephen Frears) and scripter (Christopher Hampton) for a movie based on a novel by French writer Colette about a passionate affair. "For some reason," Jeffrey M. Anderson wrote, "Ch ri is dead on arrival, a cold fish. It just lies there, too lethargic to be funny and too timid to be sexy, but not deep enough for any real drama." Skip it. Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon After the jump: Indies on DVD, Blu-ray Picks, and Collector's Corner!Filed under: Action, Comedy, Documentary, Drama, Horror, Independent, Music & Musicals, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, New on DVD, Home Entertainment, Comic/Superhero/GeekContinue reading Spin-ematical: New on DVD for 10/20 Permalink | Email this | Comments

10-19-09 New on DVD

10-14-09 New DVD Releases

Year One (Unrated) The marketing made it look like it was all about Jack Black and Michael Cera as primitive cavemen, when in reality it's very much a Biblical comedy. In either guise, it fails to fire on all cylinders, never igniting into a full-blown laugh romp. Still, Black and Cera display enough rambunctious charm to keep the proceedings moving along nicely. And maybe the unrated edition will restore some much-needed adult-oriented humor. Also on Blu-ray. Rent it. Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon Imagine That As I wrote in my review, Eddie Murphy gives a very warm, very funny performance as a stressed-out financial executive trying to be a better parent to his seven-year-old daughter, but the film springs to life only at rare moments, which are surrounded by so much fatty tissue that you fear the movie will die of a heart attack before it huffs and puffs its way to the end credits. Also on Blu-ray. Skip it. Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon My Life in Ruins No, no, Nia! The unexpected star of My Big Fat Greek Wedding has been struggling in vain to recreate that magical lightning strike, but not even a trip to Greece could interest audiences -- or critics. "It often feels flat and forced," wrote Jette Kernion, "and even the landscapes seemed blah." Also on Blu-ray. Skip it. Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon Also out: Trick 'r Treat, The Children, Ken Burns: National Parks - America's Best Idea. Filed under: Animation, Comedy, New on DVD, Family Films, Home EntertainmentContinue reading Spin-ematical: New on DVD for 10/6 Permalink | Email this | Comments

Away We Go John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph star as a couple about to have a child and who journey across the country to find the perfect spot to settle down. In his review, William Goss said: "It's easily the most tender film that Sam Mendes has done to date, and it's easily among the very best films that the year has offered so far." Buy it. Also on Blu-ray. Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon Monsters vs. Aliens Monsters, aliens, superheroes -- it's the sort of fare that's perfect for animation. For the most part, critics and fans seem to agree, although our Scott Weinberg says the film "is NOT one of those transcendent animated features, the sort that bridges the gap between kid stuff and grown-up art with no discernible effort whatsoever. No, Monsters vs. Aliens is a loud, rushed, choppy, silly, colorful Nintendo game of a movie." See for yourself and Rent it. Also on Blu-ray. Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon Management The latest Jennifer Aniston romcom to hit the shelves, this flick watches her get followed around the country by a motel manager (Steve Zahn) eager for her affections. In his review, Nick Schager said that the film's conventions are "delivered with a straightforward sappiness that seems all the more disingenuous in light of the film's variety of off-kilter trappings." Skip it. Also on Blu-ray. Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon The Girlfriend Experience One of Steven Soderbergh's less mainstream films, porn star Sasha Grey stars as a high-priced escort trying to balance her work and personal life. In his Sundance review, James Rocchi wrote: "Sex is everywhere in The Girlfriend Experience, except there's no sex," and instigates a crowd that walks "into the cold night more thoughtful than titillated." Rent it. Also on Blu-ray. Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon Also out: Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa, Mickey's Christmas Carol, Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, Lies and Illusions, Stepfather II, The Hills Run Red, The Hanging Woman, The Shortcut, Fermat's Room, Secrecy, Farmhouse, The Storm Riders, Bloodwine, Dinner with a Vampire, Nightmare, Flesh, TX. Filed under: New Releases, DVD Reviews, New on DVD, Home EntertainmentContinue reading Spin-ematical: New on DVD for 9/29 Permalink | Email this | Comments

9-24-09 New on DVD

X-Men Origins: Wolverine After X-Men and X2, we expected a lot from our adamantium man. But rather than slipping in as another irresistible cinematic piece of high-action fun, we got a flick that didn't even begin to live up to our love of the claws. Jeffrey M. Anderson said a number of negative things about the film, including: "The movie's whitewashing of all the gray areas between good and evil is just one side effect of its dubious approach." Skip it. Also on Blu-ray. Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon Easy Virtue At it's most basic, this is that period piece with Jessica Biel. But it's also the film Eugene Novikov said: "is a droll and witty delight, a superb showcase for its cast, and a return to fine form for The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert director Stephan Elliott, who last turned in the unsettling but incomprehensible Eye of the Beholder nearly 10 years ago." Buy it. Also on Blu-ray. Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon Grace I can't say it better than Eric D. Snider, who said: "If you are the sort of person who might enjoy an effed-up gore-fest about a woman who delivers an undead baby, you can rest assured that Grace lives up to its potential." Also, it's "the most effective anti-procreation stories ever told." Rent it. Also on Blu-ray. Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon Also out: Deadgirl, Fame, Michael Jackson: Never Surrender, Knights of Bloodsteel, Mail Order Bride, Next Day Air, Blood & Bone, The Desert Within, Bodyguard: A New Beginning, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Collection, Rest Stop: The CollectionFiled under: New Releases, DVD Reviews, New on DVD, Home EntertainmentContinue reading Spin-ematical: New on DVD for 9/15 Permalink | Email this | Comments

State of Play A Russell Crowe-starring thriller that entangles 3 deaths, Washington politics, old-school journalism, and new wave blogging, State of Play is by far your best mainstream choice this week. In his review, Jeffrey M. Anderson said: "it's probably the best newspaper/journalism movie in years," and "State of Play moves well, with grace and intelligence as well as a measure of scrappiness and a sense of working by the seat of one's pants." Buy it. Also on Blu-ray. Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon Tennessee A movie co-starring Mariah Carrey might not seem like a noteworthy piece of cinema, but it's more than meets the eye. The film focuses on woman and her brothers who set out to find their estranged father in hopes that he will help save their leukemia-suffering sibling. In his review, Joel Keller said: "Tennessee isn't action-packed, but it has a story that should keep you engaged from start to finish." Rent it. Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon Unwigged & Unplugged Live Concert DVD This isn't exactly a film, but seeing that Unwigged and Unplugged was the costume-free tour of Spinal Tap, mixing the band's hits with the musical numbers from A Mighty Wind, it's definitely worth mentioning here. Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer sound great with nothing more than their voices and guitars, and add a lot of anecdotes in for good measure. Buy it. Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon Also out: Impact, Methodic, Bring it On: Fight to the Finish Filed under: New Releases, DVD Reviews, New on DVD, Home EntertainmentContinue reading Spin-ematical: New on DVD for 9/1 Permalink | Email this | Comments

Duplicity Julia Roberts and Clive Owen in a smart, fast-paced espionage thriller should have gone gangbusters at the box office, but for some reason never caught fire. They play dueling corporate spies, and that's all you really need to know to enjoy it. Duplicity is witty and engaging, and I think it should hold up quite well to multiple viewings. Also on Blu-ray. Buy it. Adventureland Greg Mottola's nostalgic paen to youth is more wistful and bittersweet than rambunctious and celebratory, which makes for a darker viewing experience. It's shot through with a sub-current of anger and resentment, occasionally flaring up to reveal unflattering embarrassments most of us would rather forget. With Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, and Ryan Reynolds at his most sleazily appealing. Also on Blu-ray. Rent it. Sunshine Cleaning This is triumph through tears and really bad smells, as sisters Amy Adams and Emily Blunt start a business to clean up crime scenes, without really knowing what they're doing. Alan Arkin provides support as their father, with Steve Zahn, Mary Lynn Rajskub, and Clifton Collins, Jr. adding nice turns in supporting roles. Ultimately it's a trifle, but the trip is warm and funny. Also on Blu-ray. Rent it. Fighting For fans of Channing Tatum only, as the buff-bodied star occasionally takes off his shirt in an otherwise numbingly familiar, sometimes unwatchably confusing tale of the NYC underground fighting scene. (My review.) Also on Blu-ray. Skip it. An outstanding week for Indies on DVD, plus more Blu-ray picks and a very special Collector's Corner -- after the jump! Filed under: Action, Animation, Comedy, Documentary, Drama, Independent, New on DVD, Home Entertainment, Cinematical IndieContinue reading Spin-ematical: New on DVD for 8/25 Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Last House on the Left A remake of Wes Craven's 1972 film, starring Tony Goldwyn, Monica Potter, Sara Paxton, and Garret Dillahunt, the film is a harrowing look into how a family reacts to the crimes played out on their daughter. In his review, William Goss said: "for those who willingly subject themselves to the harsher experiences that storytelling has to offer, this version is a capably, confidently, and chillingly effective opportunity to place ourselves in the worst possible shoes for a length of time." Rent it. Also on Blu-ray. Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon Hannah Montana: The Movie Miley Cyrus' Disney icon finally made her way to the big screen. In his review, Nick Schager said: "and the nicest thing one can say about the film is that at least it's not The Suite Life of Zack & Cody: The Movie." I highly doubt anyone who wants the film will be reading this, so I'll just skip to: Skip it. Also on Blu-ray. Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon Julia Tilda Swinton stars as a 40-year-old alcoholic who makes a last effort at full-on sobriety. In his review, Peter Martin said: "To say that Tilda Swinton gives a riveting performance as Julia is almost to damn her with faint praise. It's her character's story, of course, so we expect that she'll dominate the screen time, but even with all that exposure, there's never a hint of artifice or self-conscious primping to make herself look better as an actress." Buy it. Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon Also out: Wyvern, The Wedding Bros., Bridge to Nowhere, The Final Destination CollectionFiled under: New Releases, DVD Reviews, New on DVD, Home EntertainmentContinue reading Spin-ematical: New on DVD for 8/18 Permalink | Email this | Comments

I Love You, Man Bro-mance, schmo-mance, this is a funny movie, centered by a very good performance by Paul Rudd as a befuddled "ladies' man" in search of a best man for his upcoming wedding to Rashida Jones. He starts awkwardly 'man dating' until he stumbles across the happy-go-lucky bachelor Jason Segal, and an unlikely triangle is formed. "A sweet, amusing, and perfectly acceptable comedy all around," wrote Eugene Novikov. Also on Blu-ray. Buy it. Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon 17 Again Personally, I have zero interest in seeing this movie, but if you're a devoted fan or even curious about the star, help yourself. 17 Again is "a run-of-the-mill family comedy that would be tiresome," Jette Kernion opined, "if not for [Zac] Efron and a few of the other cast members." Also on Blu-ray. Skip it. Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon The Class (Entre les Murs) Laurent Cantet directed this adaptation of a semi-autobiographical novel by Fran ois B gaudeau, an inner-city Paris school teacher. James Rocchi observed: "Begaudeau's interactions with his students are so nuanced and smart that it doesn't feel like the heavy hand of drama when various incidents and events escalate as the film progresses; they feel natural, lived in, human." Also on Blu-ray. Buy it. Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon Also out: Chaos (from 2006, with Jason Statham, Ryan Phillippe, and Wesley Snipes); Road Trip: Beer Pong (the sequel, directed by Steve Rash); I Do, I Did ("One man, two women, too much!"). More Indies on DVD, more Blu-ray picks, and Collector's Corner, all after the jump!Filed under: Action, Classics, Comedy, Drama, Foreign Language, Independent, New on DVD, Home EntertainmentContinue reading Spin-ematical: New on DVD for 8/11 Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Soloist It seemed like the sort of project to explode with praise and critical acclaim -- Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx in the story of a talented homeless musician who once went to Julliard. The reality, however, didn't live up to expectation. In her review, Jette Kernion said: "the overall film isn't compelling, and the plot falls into the easy traps of traditional melodrama." Still ... Rent it. Also on Blu-ray. Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon Obsessed One of the classic cases of reviewer v. audience. The story of a psycho Beyonce didn't charm the critical eye, and Scott even said: "Obsessed feels a lot like a refugee from the Lifetime Network that just happened to have a budget." Nevertheless, it exploded. I say Skip It ... but I have a feeling that won't matter. Also on Blu-ray. Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon Filed under: New Releases, DVD Reviews, New on DVD, Home EntertainmentContinue reading Spin-ematical: New on DVD for 8/4 Permalink | Email this | Comments