DVD Releases

“Everybody Loves Raymond” was a highly successful American sitcom. It was extremely popular during its nine-year run. Not cool enough to be watched by me, but popular. About an everyman who has to deal with average American issues, it of course was a natural candidate to be adapted for Russian audiences. The documentary Exporting Raymond depicts the Chernobyl-sized culture clash that ensued.

Read FilmJabber’s full Exporting Raymond movie review.

Not to be confused with Stakeland, a 2011 vampire flick, Skateland – as in “land of the roller skates” – debuted on DVD and Blu-Ray this week, giving most audiences their first chance to see the coming-of-age drama. Those who do bother to see it will be treated to a moderately engaging if ultimately inconsequential tale that features the lovely Ashley Greene.

Read FilmJabber’s full Skateland movie review.

Joe Johnston, move over. Chris Evans, throw down your shield. The 90′s badass version of Captain America has returned, the red, white and blue invading DVD players for the first time. If you liked this summer’s big budget blockbuster, you’ll love the 1990/1992 version, a superbly written, highly entertaining and expertly crafted action film starring big names like Matt Salinger, Kim Gillingham and Scott Paulin as the Red Skull.

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It’s 2011. Before this year, I had never seen The Man with No Name trilogy.

What kind of movie critic am I?

Don’t answer that.

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Evil lords are evil. They like to torture, kill and rape their subjects and have fun doing it. Shooting children with arrows? They love that, too. Why? Because they’re evil. But evil lords sometimes need to be put in their place – by the good guys. And often that means killing them. Enter 13 Assassins.

Read FilmJabber’s full 13 Assassins movie review.

The director of Pirates of the Caribbean and Johnny Depp reunite for yet another blockbuster, this one an animated western about a chameleon that can best be described as a family friendly acid trip amalgam of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, A Fistful of Dollars, City Slickers and the strange “dream” sequence from the second or third Pirates movie. If that sounds crazy to you, Rango is, but Rango is also one of the better movies of the year.

Read FilmJabber’s full Rango movie review.

There was a time when The Beaver could have been big. A drama directed by Jodie Foster and starring Mel Gibson? Yeah, it could have been big. Sometime between the anti-Semitic remarks and the threatening voicemails, however, that opportunity vanished.  Instead, the two stars can rest their laurels on this: The Beaver is a very good movie, and Mel Gibson delivers one of the best performances of the year – and his career.

Read FilmJabber’s full The Beaver movie review.

From the director of The Visitor and The Station Agent comes yet another well-made personal drama, this one starring Paul Giamatti as a financially strapped lawyer and high school wrestling coach who finds inspiration literally on his doorstep. Win Win is one of the best movies of the year so far.

Read FilmJabber’s full Win Win movie review.

Paul Bettany is at it again, trying to be a Goody Two-Shoes by saving humanity from eternal damnation in Priest, on DVD and Blu-Ray this week. If Priest looks a lot like 2009′s Legion, which starred Bettany as an angel trying to save humanity from eternal damnation, you’re not alone. And like Legion, Priest falls short of its intended goal, whatever it was, seemingly satisfied with being mediocre.

Read FilmJabber’s full Priest movie review.

Mars Needs Moms is many things. It’s a $150 million sci-fi “epic.” It’s also an epic flop. And failure. But as bad as it is, it deserves praise: this movie singlehandedly destroyed Robert Zemeckis’ terrible motion capture studio and forced the once-acclaimed director back to live action films.

Read FilmJabber’s full Mars Needs Moms movie review.

Shaun of the Dead is one of my favorite movies. I thoroughly enjoyed the next Simon Pegg/Nick Frost satire Hot Fuzz. Needless to say, I had high hopes for Paul, their latest collaboration, a sci-fi spoof from the director of Superbad. Unfortunately, Paul is about as funny as a wisecracking alien. Which isn’t very funny at all.

Read FilmJabber’s full Paul movie review.

May 6, 2011 was a wonderful day. That was the day Jumping the Broom was released, which meant I no longer had to see its eye-rolling trailer before every movie. The romantic dramedy is now available on Blu-Ray and DVD, and, surprisingly, it’s watchable. But not much more than that.

Read FilmJabber’s full Jumping the Broom movie review.