Punch Drunk DVDs

Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2
Illustrating the world's utter lack of good taste, 2008's Beverly Hills Chihuahua went on to gross over $145M, so you knew a sequel was coming. Thankfully this one is straight-to-DVD, but George Lopez is back for a second helping as the now married pup, Papi. How they got married is beyond me and I hope I never find out.









Let Me In

Fans of Tomas Alfredson's Let the Right One In were justifiably upset when it was revealed that there'd be an American remake. In this case, though, the remake proved to be on par with the original. Director Matt Reeves(Cloverfield) captures the gloomy tone of the Swedish version, with Chloe Moretz proving that she can do more than just kick-ass. Maybe not for the Twilight faithful, but Let Me In was the best vampire film we got in 2010.









Hilary Swank gives what I thought was an Oscar worthy performance as Betty Anne Waters, who struggled for 19 years to earn her law degree in order to defend her brother from a trumped up murder charge. Directed by Tony Goldwyn and featuring an outstanding turn by Sam Rockwell, Conviction is an inspirational true life tale that not enough people have had the chance to see.









Never Let Me Go
In a future dystopian society, three rebels buck the murderous regime and fight to secure their own future. Sounds exciting, right? Mark Romanek's adaptation of Kaz Ishiguro's novel is anything but an explosive action flick. Instead it's an elegant romantic drama about trying to forge your own destiny in the face of overwhelming odds. Carey Mulligan once again shows her unparalleled grace, alongside two touching performances by Andrew Garfield and Keira Knightley.








Monsters
A lot of people are comparing Gareth Edwards' monsters-in-exile flick to Neil Blomkamp's District 9, and that makes some sense. From the social commentary being made on the immigration issue(the creatures are basically quarantined in Mexico), to the photo-realistic special effects crafted on an extremely tight budget, it's easy to see why some are saying Edwards is a star in the making. 









Hatchet II 
As far as movie slashers go, Hatchet ranks somewhere between Friday the 13th and Lawnmower Man. The original Hatchet gained a cult following thanks to director Adam Green's clear love for the genre, but from everyone I've heard this sequel is only for the initiated. In other words, if you didn't like Hatchet, don't expect to care who dies in this sequel.









The Tillman Story
Regardless of how you feel about our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, we can all agree about the treatment of Pat Tillman, the former NFL defensive star who gave up his career and ultimately his life in service to his country. This stirring, scalpal precise documentary shines a harsh light on the "patriotic" folks who exploited his death by lying about the circumstances, but also make to highlight the many reasons why Pat was so much more than he was portrayed in the media.








Welcome to the Rileys

Twilight die hards might want to keep this Kristen Stewart performance off their Netflix queues, but for everyone else her turn as a stripper taking advantage of a broken down husband played by James Gandolfini, is a welcome surprise. Melissa Leo, currently winning raves for The Fighter, co-stars as Gandolofini's wife, who goes off in search of her wayward hubby.









Mean Girls 2
Don't go in expecting anything close to resembling Tina Fey's hilarious and insightful Mean Girls, this "sequel" has been ABC Family'ed up for the 13 year old girl in your house. Meaghan Martin does a solid job in a similar role to the one played by Lindsay Lohan, but this group of "Plastics" lack the bite of the Rachel McAdams-led clique.

















Conviction