Tuesday, February 1, 2011

New DVD Tuesday

Let Me In (2010) - Kodi-Smit McPhee, Chloe Moretz, Richard Jenkins
The English remake of a Swedish film about a young vampire (Moretz) who becomes friends with her new neighbor (McPhee). I've heard only good things about "Let the Right One In" (The Swedish version) but haven't seen it due to my dislike of horror films. This one seemed to be a bit more split in terms of how people felt about it. Still not my type of movie so I'm skipping it regardless.

Monsters (2010) - Whitney Able, Scoot McNairy
Now this is my type of movie. In a "District 9"-like future, "Monsters" finds a journalist and a tourist trying to make their way back to the safety of the U.S. border after Mexico is quarantined in an effort to contain an alien invasion. Um, yes please! I never got a chance to see "Monsters" because it literally never came to a theater near me. Curses! There's a distinct possibility of a Snow Day here in the Metroplex tomorrow. If that occurs, you can bet I'll make it out to Family Video for this little gem. Stoked.

Never Let Me Go (2010) - Keira Knightley, Andrew Garfield, Carey Mulligan
Even after reading the summary for this movie on IMDB, I'm not exactly sure what it's about. I believe it involves a group of young men and women who are bred and raised to be organ donors but who fall in love and must fight for their survival. I think. The reviews I've seen have almost completely fallen on one end of the spectrum or the other: either the viewer LOVED this or DESPISED it. You can see why it's struggled to find an audience. Such a sci-fi premise thrown into what is supposed to be a seriously touching love story is kind of asking for trouble. I find myself mildly interested, however. Maybe Netflix Instant will get ahold of this.

Conviction (2010) - Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell
The true-life story of a woman (Swank) who goes to law school just so she can represent her falsely imprisoned brother (Rockwell). You know, if the main role was played by just about anyone else, I could probably get into this. But I just absolutely cannot stand Hilary Swank. I'm not entirely sure why (as is sometimes the case with my random dislikings) but I am filled with angst anytime she comes on screen. Apparently people like her but I really do not. Sue me.

New to Blu Ray
Alice in Wonderland (1951)
The Disney classic that helped bring this classic story into the mainstream. I do not care for "Alice." In truth, I don't much care for the entire "Alice" story, Disney version or not. Even as a kid it didn't make a bit of sense to me. It seems so ridiculous and over the top, I've just never known what to make of it. Still, it is considered a classic and I'm sure lots of people are stoked about a blu ray release.

You've Got Mail (1998) - Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan
Confession: I love "You've Got Mail." It is currently my third or fourth favorite chick flick ever (behind "When Harry Met Sally", "Serendipity", and "Notting Hill") and I would bet I've watched it more times than any other rom-com. My apologies if that makes you look down upon me. We're all about honesty around here.

Pleasantville (1998) - Tobey Maguire, Reese Witherspoon, Jeff Daniels, Joan Allen
You know, I was shocked to see that this movie has a 7.5/10 rating on IMDB. I don't know a single person who really likes "Pleasantville." Everyone always talks about how excited they were to see it and then how disappointed the final product was. The use of color is solid, I would say, but the rest is magnificently dull. Ah well.

An Affair to Remember (1957) - Cary Grant, Deborah Kerr
Confession: I've never seen "AATR." That's due mostly to the fact that I feel like "Sleepless in Seattle" has effectively summed it up for me. As opposed to "Pleasantville", however, I know tons of people who swear by this. Maybe I'll get around to a viewing at some point.

Blu Ray Pick of the Week or Whenever I Feel Like It
Almost Famous (2000) - Billy Crudup, Kate Hudson, Patrick Fugit, Frances McDormand
I LOOOOOOOOOOVVVVVVEEEE "Almost Famous." It's easily one of the my ten favorite movies of all time. I love it so much that it takes up residence along with the likes of "The Shawshank Redemption" on the list of films that I feel EVERYONE should appreciate. It kind of offends me when I talk to someone who has seen and doesn't like "Almost Famous", like you just insulted my family's honor. This is a Best Buy exclusive release and I can't begin to describe how excited I am to pick it up. An exquisite film.

2 comments:

  1. Don't hate me. I've never seen Almost Famous. I'm counting on you to review it for me.

    ReplyDelete
  2. It's okay to have not seen it. It's not okay to see it and not like it. Probably safer if you don't see it quite frankly.

    ReplyDelete

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