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vidlib@videolibrarian.com
 Updated January 31, 2012 |
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Paranormal Activity 3  Paramount, 83 min., R, DVD: $22.99, Blu-ray: $40.99, Jan. 24 
Time-traveling back to 1988, this prequel reveals how two sisters were traumatized at an early age by ominous, supernatural occurrences. Beginning in the summer of 2006, just before the events of the previous two films in the series, now-adult Katie and Kristi Rey (Katie Featherston, Sprague Grayden) discover a stash of old VHS tapes from their recently deceased grandmother’s house. As the “found footage” flashback begins, young Katie and Kristi (Chloe Csengery, Jessica Tyler Brown) are living with their mother (Lauren Bittner) and her partner (Christopher Nicholas Smith), a wedding videographer. Curious about the inexplicable sounds emanating from their new home in Santa Rosa, CA, the shutterbug sets up surveillance cameras to capture daily activities, along with those mysterious nighttime disturbances. Revealed are phantom footsteps, doors that open and close, and a toy closet that contains demonic spirits. In addition, Kristi has an imaginary friend named Toby, and plays a fateful game of “Bloody Mary” in the bathroom. Terrified and tormented by otherworldly ghosts, the siblings wind up being creepily cursed by a deeply evil force. Working from a formulaic yet infuriatingly illogical script, co-directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman nevertheless effectively prolong the suspense while also leaving much to the viewer’s imagination. Spooky and scary, it may not always make sense, but it’s definitely sinister and unnerving. Recommended. (S. Granger)
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The Big Year  Fox, 100 min., PG, DVD: $29.98, Blu-ray: $39.99, Jan. 31 
Beware of manic middle-aged men with binoculars; they can be obsessive and competitive, as exemplified by amateur ornithologists Stu (Steve Martin), Brad (Jack Black), and Kenny (Owen Wilson), who crisscross North America, from the Everglades to the |
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Outrage  Magnolia, 109 min., in Japanese w/English subtitles, R, DVD: $26.98, Blu-ray: $29.98, Jan. 31 
The latest from Japanese actor-director-screenwriter Takeshi Kitano, Outrage finds Kitano playing Ôtomo, a lower-tier member of a Tokyo crime syndicate who’s dispatched to terminate a pact made between his boss, Ikemoto (Jun Kunimura), and a rival gang leader, Murase (Renji Ishibashi), sealed when the men were in prison together. Ôtomo carries out his order with harsh violence, but this only serves to ignite a bloody gang war between the yakuza organizations. Kitano has enjoyed a minor cult following on this side of the Pacific for his deadpan screen persona and artistic visual style, presented in memorable works such as Sonatine (1993) and Hana-bi (1997), although Outrage is far removed from these earlier films in both style and substance. The narrative quickly becomes tiresome, strident, and confusing as a multitude of black-suited thugs run around Tokyo torturing each other with sadistic physical assaults on fingers, ears, and teeth (frankly, the R-rating seems more than a little generous). Not a necessary purchase. [Note: Blu-ray extras include a behind-the-scenes featurette (37 min.), a Q&A from the premiere with the cast (24 min.), a cast interview featuring filmmaker and star Takeshi Kitano (19 min.), a “Cast Panel Interview” (14 min.), footage from the Cannes Film Festival premiere (9 min.), trailers, and the BD-Live function. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a disappointing film.] (P. Hall)
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Turkey Bowl  New Video, 64 min., not rated, DVD: $26.95, Oct. 18 
Neither a short nor a feature, writer-director Kyle Smith’s hour-plus Turkey Bowl is a deceptively modest comedy about a group of old college friends (and a few newcomers) gathering for an annual touch-football game. The story simply chronicles a friendly (and sometimes not so friendly) athletic encounter, with every scene shot on a park field and the screenplay consisting almost entirely of a real-time succession of huddles and plays. Within that limited structure, Smith accomplishes a remarkable amount in terms of delineating characters, touching on old and new interpersonal tensions, while still finding fresh ways to shoot the potentially redundant gridiron action. Featuring an excellent, largely unfamiliar cast--including Jon Schmidt as the twentysomething who organizes the event—this is highly recommended. (T. Keogh)
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The Ides of March Sony, 101 min., R, DVD: $30.99, Blu-ray: $35.99, Jan. 17 
Timely and thought-provoking, writer-director-star George Clooney’s skeptical dissection of American political culture revolves around presidential candidate Gov. Mike Morris (Clooney), a charming, charismatic idealist, who bears more than a passing resemblance to disgraced former senator John Edwards (coincidence, since the screenplay sprung from an earlier play conceived by Beau Willimon, who worked for 2004 presidential contender Howard Dean). Disguised as a dramatic thriller, this character-driven parable of loyalty, betrayal, and revenge unfolds during a crucial Ohio Democratic primary, pitting Morris against Sen. Pullman (Michael Mantell). While Morris respects his experienced campaign manager, Paul (Philip Seymour Hoffman), he relies more on his media strategist, Stephen (Ryan Gosling), a hotshot who spins ruthless reporters like Ida Horowicz (Marisa Tomei). But problems arise when cocky, ambitious Stephen meets with Pullman’s devious campaign manager, Tom (Paul Giamatti), who tries to convince him to switch sides. Later, Stephen’s dalliance with seductive intern Molly (Evan Rachel Wood) adds seedy complications. Cynical, sophisticated, and featuring a strong ensemble cast, this is recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director-star George Clooney and co-screenwriter Grant Heslov, a “Believe: George Clooney” segment on the filmmaker (6 min.), an “On the Campaign” cast featurette (5 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are the production featurettes “Developing the Campaign: The Origins” (7 min.), and “What Does a Political Consultant Do?” (7 min.), as well as the BD-Live function, and a bonus digital copy of the film. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a solid film.] (S. Granger)
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Abduction Lionsgate, 91 min., PG-13, DVD: $29.95, Blu-ray: $39.99, Jan. 17 
Hunky Twilight heartthrob Taylor Lautner stars as Nathan, a popular high school senior who mysteriously sees his picture on a missing-child website. After goons break into his home and kill his “parents,” Nathan finds himself in all sorts of danger as he and pretty classmate Karen (Lily Collins) race around to uncover the secret of his real past while being pursued by police, government agents, and nefarious international arms dealers. An old hand at frenetic action, director John Singleton has set up quite an endurance test for the young star: a prolonged fight against a Serbian thug on a train and a long slide down a plastic ramp at the home stadium of the Pittsburgh Pirates are only two of the more eye-catching set-pieces that show off Lautner’s physical prowess. Unfortunately, even though the movie is visually slick, it’s also so astoundingly silly and rife with clichéd dialogue that most viewers will wind up suppressing chuckles. Not a necessary purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include the “Abduction Chronicle” production journal with star Taylor Lautner (18 min.), an “Initiation of an Action Hero” stunt featurette (12 min.), “The Fight for the Truth” making-of featurette (12 min.), a gag reel (4 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is the “Abduction Application” picture-in-picture viewing mode with documentaries and behind-the-scenes interviews, plus a bonus digital copy of the film. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a disappointing film.] (F. Swietek)
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Killer Elite Universal, 117 min., R, DVD: $29.98, Blu-ray: $34.98, Jan. 10 
Adapted from explorer Ranulph Fiennes’s fictionalized memoir The Feather Men, this high-voltage action thriller begins in 1979 with contract killer Danny (Jason Statham) and his grizzled mentor, Hunter (Robert De Niro), poised to execute their target in Mexico. But something goes terribly wrong, and Danny vows that he’s done with killing. Several years later, however, Danny is summoned back into action when Hunter is kidnapped by a tribal sheikh (Rodney Afif). Noting that “this time it’s personal,” Danny leaves his farm in Australia—where he lives the retired life with his beautiful girlfriend, Anne (Yvonne Strahovski)—to trek to Oman on a rescue mission. In lieu of delivering a monetary ransom, Danny’s task is to eliminate a trio of former operatives in the British Special Air Services (SAS) responsible for murdering the sheikh’s sons during the Dhofar rebellion, but first he must obtain videotaped confessions from the men and then make their grisly deaths looks like accidents. But Danny’s assignment attracts the attention of Spike (Clive Owen), an SAS vet determined to stop Danny and his cohorts. Formulaic from the get-go, director Gary McKendry’s Killer Elite is an optional purchase, at best. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include deleted scenes (14 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are bonus DVD and digital copies of the film, and the BD-Live function. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a so-so thriller.] (S. Granger)
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Real Steel DreamWorks, 127 min., PG-13, DVD: $29.99, Blu-ray: $39.99, Jan. 24 
This family-friendly, inspirational action drama is set in 2020, when high-tech entertainment consists of 8-foot-tall, 2,000-pound robots brutally boxing via their owners’ remote controls. Scheming Charlie Kenton (Hugh Jackman) is a former boxer-turned-promoter who pieces together low-end bots from scrap metal for underground fights, working out of a gym owned by former girlfriend Bailey (Evangeline Lilly). Suddenly saddled with an 11-year-old son, Max (Dakota Goyo)—whose mother recently died—Charlie just wants to get rid of him. But then one night, Max discovers Atom, a battered, sparring bot discarded in a junkyard. Ferociously adept at bot-boxing electronics, smart-mouthed Max befriends Atom, who has a special shadow-mode adjustment that allows it to pantomime human movement. Predictably, Charlie eventually bonds with both, joining Max to train Atom for awesome contests with competitors like Ambush, Midas, Noisy Boy, two-headed Twin Cities, and constantly evolving Zeus (Sugar Ray Leonard served as fight consultant). Shawn Levy’s film wears its influences on its sleeve—from Rocky to Transformers—but Jackman and Goyo shine in this crowd-pleaser. Recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director Shawn Levy, a “Making of Metal Valley” scene segment (15 min.), a “Building the Bots” production featurette (6 min.), bloopers (3 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is the “Second Screen” feature with interactive content, deleted and extended scenes (18 min.), “Countdown to the Fight: The Charlie Kenton Story” in-character featurette with star Hugh Jackman (14 min.), a “Sugar Ray Leonard: Cornerman’s Champ” segment featuring the boxing consultant (6 min.), and a bonus DVD copy of the film. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a fun action film.] (S. Granger)
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