DVD Releases

2012 is one of those movies I approached with trepidation. After all, we’ve seen director Roland Emmerich attempt to destroy the world on several occasions in the past (Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow), and 2012 – the destruction movie to end all destruction movies – was bound to be just a graphics-heavy onslaught of… well, graphics.

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Back in November, there was a clear front runner for Best Picture. The movie was Precious, or more officially Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire, an utterly depressing tale of physical, mental and sexual abuse, teen pregnancy, down syndrome, AIDS, rape and obesity. After watching the movie in theaters, I described it as “one of the most satisfying films of the year” and “one of the best movies of 2009, if not the best.”

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Robin Wright turns in her best performance since Forrest Gump in the quirky drama-comedy The Private Lives of Pippa Lee, but the movie itself fails to leave a lasting impression. Written and directed by Rebecca Miller, Pippa Lee also stars Alan Arkin, Keanu Reeves, Maria Bello, Winona Ryder, Julianne Moore and Blake Lively.

Read FilmJabber’s full The Private Lives of Pippa Lee movie review.

For years, HBO was the preeminent leader of high-quality television. No other station, and especially no other premium station, consistently produced expertly done and engaging shows the way they did. Think Six Feet Under, The Sopranos, Deadwood, Big Love, Entourage and Carnivale. These are some of the best shows ever made, and are considered as such.

But every great empire must fall at some point. Enter Showtime.

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In December, Robert De Niro aimed to take advantage of the feel-good holiday spirit with Everybody’s Fine, a lighthearted drama about a father trying to reconnect with his grown kids. The movie flopped, and understandably so. The previews did a great job of marketing the movie as a dreadfully boring and forgettable drama. Way to go, team. But, with its DVD release this week, Everybody’s Fine gets a second chance, and it’s worth it.

Read FilmJabber’s full Everybody’s Fine movie review.

Returning from a week-long vacation/business conference, I was delighted to discover Lionsgate was so kind to have sent me four action movies on Blu-Ray – three of which I’d forgotten even existed. The Running Man, Hard Rain, The Phantom and Drop Zone are now available to own on Blu-Ray.

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Racism is a virus that has yet to be cured. Though the election of Barrack Obama was a historic and momentous occasion, his presidency has revealed a deep-seeded racism that still persists in society. Still, it’s shocking to hear that as of just two years ago, an American school was still allowing segregated proms. The documentary Prom Night in Mississippi focuses on one such school in Charlestown, Mississippi, the hometown of actor Morgan Freeman.

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Bruce Willis wants to save the world! Again! Surrogates, his latest action-thriller, debuts on Blu-Ray and DVD on January 26, 2010. More of a mystery-thriller than an action film, the movie offers up a cool concept with only decent execution, resulting in an entertaining but underwhelming film.

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In 2006, Joe Carnahan unleashed the psychedelic Smokin’ Aces upon audiences, developing a cult following that unfortunately never formulated for his previous, much-better cop thriller Narc. Apparently, Smokin’ Aces was good enough to warrant a sequel – or at least a prequel – because Smokin’ Aces 2: Assassins’ Ball has now arrived on DVD and Blu-Ray. As can be expected, the movie is horrible and a waste of time.

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Evil children are creepy. Why? Because they look all cute and cuddly, but then those innocent, buggy eyes turn cold, the curl of the lips reveal something sinister and they are able to do just about anything they want while parents attempt to overlook the fact that their kid is a sociopathic killer. These are the reasons why “bad seed” movies continue to be made, because they are just so much fun to watch.

Read FilmJabber’s full Orphan movie review.

From Diablo Cody, the writer of Juno, comes a movie much more fitting for her name: Jennifer’s Body, a sharp-tongued horror-comedy about an attractive cheerleader – Megan Fox – who is possessed by a flesh-hungry demon. Though not perfect, Jennifer’s Body is a slick, witty and at times creepy film that any horror fan, especially those of the male species, will enjoy.

Read FilmJabber’s full Jennifer’s Body movie review.

Elijah Wood, John C. Reilly, Jennifer Connelly, Christpher Plummer, Crispin Glover and Martin Landau star in the sci-fi adventure film 9, out today on DVD and Blu-Ray. The animated film from Shane Acker is a visual masterpiece, full of rich special effects and tons of creativity. While it never completely lives up to expectations, 9 is definitely worth seeing (note: it’s not for little children).

The movie is, of course, about the timeless tale of a rag doll in a post-apocalyptic world where humanity has died off, to be replaced by ravenous robotic creatures. The title character – yes, 9 – finds himself on the adventure to the truth about his existence as he is thrust into the middle of a battle between the evil creatures and his own kind, who themselves are divided. Action ensues.

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One of the edgiest, smartest and most entertaining movies of 2009 is now available on DVD and Blu-Ray: (500) Days of Summer, starring Jospeh Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel.

The back cover describes the movie as a romantic comedy, and in many ways it is: it’s about a romance, and it’s funny from the first second to the last. But (500) Days of Summer is so much more than a romantic comedy. It’s not just fluff and concept, the same story layered over the same old formula. It’s real life, and yet an exaggerated form of life. More accurately, it is a movie about the emotional ups-and-downs of any relationship.

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Twilight fans, take note: the alleged vampires in your books and movies are not real vampires. Vampires don’t sparkle in the sun, they burn. They don’t feast on game meat, they only desire human blood. Oh, and they’re not very nice. Chan-wook Park knows this. That’s why the twisted director with twisted ideas has made one of the most disturbing, strange and authentic vampire movies in recent history. Too bad it’s about a half an hour too long.

View this Thirst movie review at its original location – FilmJabber!

This should be quick and painless. Extract, Mike Judge’s latest comedy, is now available on DVD and Blu-Ray, just in time for Christmas. As a harmless stocking stuffer, Extract has enough to satisfy: high-concept jokes, some shenanigans and Mila Kunis looking really, really good in flannel. The movie bears some similarities to Office Space, which, unfortunately, results in it paling in comparison to Judge’s masterpiece, but it is funny in its own right – as long as you like Mike Judge movies. The comedy isn’t for everyone, but it’s well worth a viewing. Purchasing? Perhaps not.

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