Punch Drunk DVDs

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Stieg Larsson's acclaimed book series, Men Who Hate Women, made a huge splash around the world for its stark brutality and the uniqueness of it's main character, the enigmatic Lisbeth Salander(Noomi Rapace). Turns out the film series, now called The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, was just as big of a hit, to the point where an American version is currently in production with David Fincher(Fight Club) at the helm. Just as the original title suggests, there is a ton of brutality against women here, and I have some issues with the plot, but there is no more interesting character in film today than Lisbeth.





Brooklyn's Finest
Three cops, working the rough 'n tumble streets of Brooklyn. Each beaten down in different ways by the rigors of the job. Whether it's the long-time veteran, who's only seen his years of service amount to nothing; or the undercover cop who's gotten in too deep; or the blue collar detective not afraid to line his pockets in order to provide for his family, it's all stuff we've seen before in any episode of The Wire. The acting cred is what keeps the film fresh: Richard Gere, Don Cheadle, Ethan Hawke, and a returning Wesley Snipes bring director Antoine Fuqua's gritty vision to life.






A Single Man
The most beautifully constructed film of 2009 had nothing to do with 3-D or big blue aliens, it was fashion designer Tom Ford's gorgeous A Single Man, a simple story that absolutely drips with decadence and glitz. Colin Firth gives one of the best performances of the year as a homosexual man in the 1960s, a time when there was no coming out of the closet. He's just lost the love of his life, and now he's looking at a bleak future all alone, and has decided to do something drastic and final about it.







Bitten
Be wary of any film that pushes Jason Mewes as the headliner....unless its Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. I don't know anything about Bitten except that it stars Silent Bob's hetero lifemate as a guy who saves a really hot chick, only to discover that she's a vampire.









Ladybugs
As something of a tribute to the late Rodny Dangerfield and Jonathan Brandis, you can probably find better offerings than this horrible soccer comedy, memorable only for the size of Jackee Harry's hair and the tightness of her skirt.