Going the Distance (2010) on DVD

A cute, foul-mouthed, romantic comedy you want to watch again and again.

Eat Pray Love on DVD

A woman travels around the world for a year to find herself. The rest of us can stay at home with our best friends and our favorite pint.

The Expendables on DVD

Jacket: "Sylvester Stallone stars as Barney Ross, leader of The Expendables, a tight-knit team of skilled combat  vets turned mercenaries. Hired by a powerful covert operator, the team jets off to a small South American country to overthrow a ruthless dictator. Once there, they find themselves caught in a candy deadly web of deceit and betrayal. Using every weapon at their disposal, they set out to save the innocent and punish the guilty in this blistering action-packed thriller."


A throw-back to the '80s action flicks, including painfully corny one-liners, but without the cheesy soundtrack. Rental-worthy.

44 Inch Chest on DVD

The Measure of Revenge

Official Site: "Provocative, outrageously profane and surprisingly tender amidst an explosion of unbridled testosterone, 44 INCH CHEST explores the masculine ego at breaking point, testing whether fear is stronger than love. Colin (Ray Winstone) is in agony, shattered by his wife’s (Joanne Whalley) infidelity. However, he has friends who do more than stand by - they kidnap the wife's French lover and hold him prisoner so that Colin can restore his manhood with revenge. A kangaroo court takes place and as the situation escalates Loverboy's life hangs in the balance as Colin wrestles with revenge, remorse, grief and self pity, all the while egged on by his motley crew of friends who just want him to get on with it so they can get down the pub.

44 INCH CHEST marks the debut feature of noted photographer and filmmaker Malcolm Venville, and is produced by Richard Brown and Steve Golin, who with (BABEL, BEING JOHN MALKOVICH and ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND) among many others, has specialized in innovative pictures that take challenging risks.

The film stars John Hurt, Ray Winstone, Ian McShane, Tom Wilkinson, Stephen Dillane, Melvil Poupaud and Joanne Whalley."

An intriguing and trippy film. Rental worthy for the indie lovers.

Nativity! (2009) on DVD

 

From the British Comedy guide: "Directed and conceived by Debbie Isitt (Confetti), Nativity is an improvised comedy which will star Martin Freeman, Ashley Jensen, Jason Watkins and Marc Wootton.

Mr Maddens is a frustrated under-achieving primary school teacher. His long time adversary, Gordon Shakespeare, is the teacher at the posh independent school up the road.

Every year, the two schools are embroiled in a bitter rivalry to achieve a five-star review for their Christmas nativity play. Maddens' class always comes runner-up. The story of his life.

This year, Maddens makes an idle boast to Shakespeare that his school's showstopping musical has attracted the attention of his ex-girlfriend, Jennifer Lore - who happens to be a big time Hollywood Producer. They want to make a movie starring his kids - Hollywood is coming to Coventry!

When over-enthusiastic new classroom assistant, Mr Poppy, overhears the lie, Maddens suddenly finds himself a local celebrity and at the centre of quarrelling parents, a wannabe show director, and more Mary and Josephs than he can shake a stick at.

Now all he needs to do is persuade Jennifer to make Hollywood pay attention and make their dreams come true."


This is an instant classic and I'm adding it to my holiday collection!

Charlie St. Cloud on DVD

Official Site: "Zac Efron stars as Charlie St. Cloud, a small-town hero and an accomplished sailor who has it all: the adoration of his mother and younger brother, and a Stanford scholarship. His bright future is cut short when tragedy strikes, taking his dreams with it. Now Charlie is torn between honoring a promise he made years ago and pursuing his newfound love with a former high-school classmate. Based on the acclaimed bestseller, comes a story of hope, second chances and the transformative power of love, also starring Ray Liotta and Academy Award® winner Kim Basinger."

Aside from a weak story line, I kept getting distracted by how pretty Efron looked in this film. They must've had some really good lighting and makeup on this one. I get the concept of life & death experience, survivor guilt and the whole "I see dead people" thing they were shooting for, but it was poorly executed. Anyways, it's been done so many other times ... and better.

Burlesque (2010)

The show numbers were exciting, the costumes hot, but there was no story to pull it all together. Aguilera could use a few more acting lessons as well. As many patrons summarized in one word while walking out: CHEESY.

Wait for the rental.

Predators on DVD

I just wasn't convinced of Adrien Brody as the tough and rugged type. This installment was better than the previous two, but was no where near as suspenseful and scary as the first film. And of course, they leave the ending open for a possible sequel. I hope that doesn't happen.

Ip Man on DVD

 


In the last great war one man defied an empire . . .

Jacket: "Ip Man, starring Donnie Yen, is the award-winning film adaptation about the life story of Ip Man, grandmaster of Wing Chun and mentor to legendary kung fu superstar Bruce Lee.

Set in Fo Shan, China during the Sino-Japanese War, Ip Man vividly brings to life the brutality of the infamous Japanese occupation, where once proud men are forced to fight till their death for a precious bag of rice. Defined by courage and humility, Ip Man, whose fighting skills are revered all over China, rises to the fore front.

Upon refusing to teach his martial arts to the invading Japanese soldiers, he is forced to fight for the honor of his country in a series of battles that will culminate ina kill-or-be-killed showdown with Japan's greatest fighter."

This was so good I had to add it to my collection! Donnie Yen gives a moving performance as Wing Chun master, Ip Man, and the trials he and his city must endure during the Japanese occupation. 

Jonah Hex on DVD

Jacket: "Out of the pages of legendary comics and graphic novels steps Jonah Hex (Josh Brolin), a scared drifter and bounty hunter of last resort who has survived death and can track anyone ... and anything. Jonah's violent history is steeped in myth and legend and has left him with one foot in the natural world and one on the "other side." His one human connection is with Lilah (Megan Fox), whose life in a brothel has left her with scars of her own.  But Jonah's past catches up with him when the U.S. military makes him an offer he can't refuse: to wipe out the warrants on his head, he must hunt and stop dangerous terrorist Quentin Turnbull (John Malkovich).  But Turnbull, now gathering an army and preparing to unleash Hell, is also Jonah's oldest enemy and will stop at nothing until Jonah is dead."


I think this one is best left on the page! Hopefully the animated graphic will be more interesting.

Splice on DVD

Jacket: "Superstar genetic engineers Clive (Adrien Brody) and Elsa (Sarah Polley) specialize in splicing DNA from different animals to create incredible new hybrids. Now they want to use human DNA in a hybrid that could revolutionize science and medicine. But when the pharmaceutical company that funds their research forbids it, they secretly take their experiment underground - risking their careers to push the boundaries of science and serve their own curiosity and ambition. The result is Dren, who exceeds their wildest dreams - and threatens to become their worst nightmare."

This film had potential, but it had a slow progression and lackluster ending.

Get Him to the Greek on DVD

Jonah Hill and Russell Brand make a great combo in the bawdy & colorful comedy of two misfits that have to get it together and make it to the concert on time. This is full of LOL moments, so check it out.


Jacket: "Jonah Hill and Russell Brand reunite with the director of Forgetting Sara Marshall in this outrageous comedy about Aaron Green (Hill), an aspiring music executive, who has 72 hours to deliver the wild rock legend, Aldous Snow (Brand), from London to Los Angeles for a comeback concert. In order to keep his job, Aaron must navigate a minefield of mayhem and debauchery to get Snow to the world famous Greek Theatre on time!"


Crazy lines:

• Azari: "I woke up with glitter on my d*@k." 

• Aldous Snow: "When the world slips you a Jeffrey, stroke the furry wall."

• Pharrell Williams: "You're five zippers away from "Thriller"."
• Sergio Roma: "Oh, and you're one shirt away from Carlton, muthafucka."