Punch Drunk DVDs

Justin Bieber: Never Say Never
Not exactly my cup of tea, there's no denying that Justin Bieber has dominated the world of music via his charm, a healthy dose of viral marketing, and the help of a few willing celebrities buds. Directed by Jon Chu(Step Up 2 & 3), this documentary/concert film went on to gross far more than his teen peers, The Jonas Brothers.




No Strings Attached


No Strings Attached just beat out it's competitor, Friends with Benefits(featuring Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis), as the first film to explore the issue of dating and relationships in today's age. Natalie Portman and Ashton are too unfairly attractive people who decide to forgo all the ball and chain drama and just have fun. F**kbuddy fun. The best kind. Directed by Ivan Reitman, he knows how to spotlight his two gorgeous stars(as well as the amazing Greta Gerwig). So consider this a perfect date movie for those who wanna do more than just hook up.






Blue ValentineI'm still kicking myself over the lack of awards consideration I gave to Blue Valentine's stars, Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling. In the powerful Blue Valentine, a once happy love spirals into quiet hatred and bitterness. Gosling is Dean, an aggressive, free spirited guy who pursues Wiliams' Cindy, a troubled but optimistic girl with a bright future. Watching their love crumble is a raw, excruciating experience, made so much more real by the brilliance of the two central performances. A must own film.







Black Death Sean Bean stars as a valiant knight sent to investigate the origins of a plague sweeping across all of Europe. Accompanied by a young monk(Eddy Redmayne), he learns of a necromancer living in a village that the plague can't seem to reach. Directed by Christopher Smith(Severance).


















The Illusionist
A pure and brilliant animated visual feast, Sylvain Chomet pays loving tribute Jacques Tati, completing the French artist's uncompleted work about a down on his luck illusionist who begins caring for a young girl named Alice. It's said that the central figure is a version of Tati himself, and the story written as a sort of apology to his estranged daughter. The Illusionist was nominated as Best Animated Feature at this year's Academy Awards.















I Saw the Devil Murderous mayhem abounds in South Korean filmmaker Kim Ji-Woon's insane I Saw the Devil. The film features an insane game of "Can you top this?" between a sadistic serial killer and the husband of one of his victims, who has sworn to get his revenge even if it turns him into a monster as well.

















The Hit List
It's too late for Cuba Gooding, Jr.'s career. The former Oscar winner has been permanently relegated to straight-to-DVD land where he's become some sort of underground action star. But poor Cole Hauser, who once had such potential leading man potential. Here's hoping that The Hit List, which has a plot too vague for me to even bother trying to summarize, is just a momentary blip.