Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Punch Drunk DVDs

3. Everything Must Go
Few comedians are abler to make a smooth transition from frantic humor to serious drama. Will Ferrell has proven to be one of those who can, mainly because he's capable of being real without becoming dry and tasteless. In Everything Must Go, he plays a poor guy who sees his life fall apart all at once. He relapses into alcoholism, loses his corporate job, and his wife(Rebecca Hall) kicks him out and throws his stuff on the lawn. He decides to live there in the yard under the pretense of a five-day yard sale.

2. Hanna
Part Luc Besson espionage thriller, part twisted fairy tale, Hanna stars who I think is the best young actress working today in Saoirse Ronan. She plays a young girl raised in seclusion by her ex-CIA agent father(Eric Bana) to be a perfect killer. Trained for one special mission and take out a very personal target, when the time comes to go into action, Hanna finds herself thrust into a world she's unprepared for. A heart pounding, kinetic film from director Joe Wright(Atonement).
1. X-men: First Class
I've taken some serious heat for my claims that X-men: First Class is the best superhero movie ever. No knock against Christopher Nolan and his Batman films, they are both excellent. But Matthew Vaughn's film had a much harder job. Not only did it have to make the X-men franchise relevant again, but it also manages to incorporate the turbulent 1960s without turning into a goofy time travel story. Instead it uses the time period to add depth and texture to the mutant universe, creating the first truly globe trotting superhero adventure we've seen yet. And did I mention there are a lot of characters that need to be juggled? X-men: First Class is nearly flawless, and a hell of a lot of fun to boot.

Other Notable Releases
Scarface (Limited edition Steelbook), starring Al Pacino
Scream Five-Film Set
Straw Dogs (Blu-Ray), directed by Sam Peckinpah
Randy Orton: The Evolution of a Predator
Assassination Games, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme
United 93 (Blu-Ray), directed by Paul Greengrass
Airwolf: The Movie, starring Jan-Michael Vincent
Last Night, starring Keira Knightley and Sam Worthington
First Dog, starring Eric Roberts and Tiny Lister
The Entitled, starring Kevin Zegers and Ray Liotta
Live at 9:30 Club

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