Michael Cera haters got a smack down this summer. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is as if all of Cera’s work up until this point has been preparation for this one uber-role. Michaela Cera is best at playing Michael Cera, but equip him with an awesome screenplay and super powers and you get Michael Cera on steroids. Thank Edgar Wright for that, the skillful director behind Hot Fuzz and some little movie called Shaun of the Dead. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World could be the pinnacle of Cera’s career. It’s also one of the best movies of the year.
Unfortunately, no one saw it. Well, cool people saw it, but there aren’t that many cool people in the world anymore. Scott Pilgrim was more or less a box office flop, but movies can’t become cult classics if they’re blockbuster hits. With its debut on DVD and Blu-Ray this Tuesday, November 9, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World begins its upward trajectory toward greatness.
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Believe it or not, there is one Oscar race that is already decided and done. That race doesn’t belong to an actor or a drama, but to Disney-Pixar’s 
Lost is over, which means I have 20 or more hours that I previously spent agonizing, debating and arguing one of the most complex, intelligent and emotionally satisfying television shows ever produced to devote to other activities, like sleeping. It had its ups and downs, but people who abandoned it partway through missed out much more than they realized.
Each awards season, some movies rise above expectations – even above their means – to achieve glory, and others fade from awareness almost immediately. Occasionally, there’s nothing wrong with these movies; they’re just released at the wrong time, promoted poorly or struck by fate. One such film is The Road, the Viggo Mortensen drama-thriller that was destined for great things but never got the recognition it deserved.
The biggest movie of all time is now available on DVD and Blu-Ray, and if you’re wondering why this review wasn’t written a month ago, that’s because 20th Century Fox didn’t send me a copy to review until this week. Apparently, a lot of websites and newspapers were asking for a copy to review, and FilmJabber wasn’t given first priority. It’s OK, we know The New York Times is jealous of us for being cooler, even if they get more attention. 
Daybreakers, the modest hit from early January (modest meaning that it earned $30 million in the U.S. against a $20 million budget), bites its way onto DVD and Blu-Ray this Tuesday, bringing with it a clever idea, questionable writing and an impressive making-of featurette. For vampire fans, Daybreakers, despite its shortcomings, may be worth owning – as long as you can get past the fact that, by and large, the movie is downright bad. 
The Meryl Streep/Alec Baldwin/Steve Martin romantic comedy 
Traditional animation returned to theaters in grand form last fall, but unfortunately the classic style failed to resonate with audiences on the level that the Walt Disney Company was hoping for. While mildly successful, The Princess and the Frog struggled to make it to the lucrative holiday weekends, and was decimated by the far inferior Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeaquel. It’s a shame, because The Princess and the Frog is a magical, entertaining event the entire family will enjoy. 
Armored is now available on DVD and Blu-Ray, and not only have I finally reviewed the action-thriller, I am also giving away a copy of the movie on DVD! Enter the 
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.
Vince Vaughn has declared war on audiences. His pact with the Devil nearly complete, he has punished moviegoers with a trifecta of bad movies starting with 2007′s Fred Claus. Four Christmases wasn’t nearly as bad, but still terrible. And now, the once-funny actor has given us Couples Retreat, an unfunny and unimpressive romantic comedy that also stars Kristin Bell, Jason Bateman, Jon Favreau, Faizon Love, Kristin Davis, Malin Akerman and Jean Reno.
In a day and age where horror movies are generally defined by how loud and gruesome they can be, it’s refreshing to see a movie that harkens back to a quieter, creepier time. In the vein of old Stephen King and the demonic thrillers of the 1970′s, House of the Devil unleashes an intoxicatingly engaging glimmer of horror – too bad it falls apart just as it’s getting good.
