DVD Reviews

Abduction [Blu-Ray]
Unless there was a movie released last year that features two goats in a bare field farting for three hours straight, then its pretty clear that IAbductionI was the worst movie of 2011. Star Taylor Lautner seems like a very nice guy, and if I had pecs like his Id try to convince everyone I was an action hero too. But hes not.

50/50 [Blu-Ray]
Adam is a tedious and careful worker, and if this were a movie about following a goal or a passion, we wouldnt hold it against him. However, if we know anything about i5050i going in, we know it is a movie about cancer. There is no time for this tediousness, because i5050i is not about pursuing a goal, it is what happens when a young persons life is put on hold in response to a dangerous and potentially fatal disease.

What's Your Number? (EX-tended Edition)
I like Anna Farris. I really do. Ever since I first noticed her in the iScary Moviei series Ive thought she was funny, attractive without being Hollywood-pretty, and a decent actress. I wanted to like this movie for Anna. I really did.

Real Steel [Blu-Ray]
iReal Steeli combines sports, fatherson bonding, a man and machine team-up, and a classic underdog tale into a semi-futuristic movie that, aside from some violence, is relatively family friendly.

Paranormal Activity 3 [Blu-Ray]
iParanormal Activity 3i continues the story of sisters Katie and Kristi with a prequel that delivers on scares but never quite hits its potential in the way it builds onto the girls story by taking us back to their childhood years.

Good Morning Vietnam [Blu-Ray]
I have a long list of movies Ive never seen before but want to and only know one thing about them in this case, Robin Williams screaming, Gooooood morning, Vietnaaaaam!. Sometimes, when I actually do see them, Im pissed off at what I got. And other times, such as with iGood Morning Vietnami, Im pleasantly surprised. Thats rare for a movie. Especially one starring Robin Williams.

Dead Poets Society [Blu-Ray]
When the boys make their way back from the cave the one last time, holding lanterns to light their way home, it suddenly strikes me: the iDead Poets Societyi is about finding your own path. Not necessarily traipsing down a new path or making some great changes to the state of humanity. We wont all be doctors or actors or writers of great achievement, but we will all have to find our places in the big, brave world. If we are lucky, we have learned from our own Mr. Keatings.

Straw Dogs
iStraw Dogsi, the 2011 remake by Rod Lurie of a 1971 Sam Peckinpah film, opens with a bunch of beautiful shots of a landscape somewhere in the hot, hot Mississippi summer. Thats the first indication that Lurie is trying to differentiate his film from Peckinpahs, a film set in England with a better cast that was a bigger deal for its violent detail when it was made.

Super 8 [Blu-Ray]
Yes, J.J. Abrams and Steven Spielberg have a small history together. Yes, ISuper 8I has accurately drawn countless comparisons to Spielbergs classics from the 1970s and 1980s. Unfortunately, those were never my favorite movies, despite their quality, because story was often shortsighted for all the imaginative spectacle.

Colombiana
The big catch here is that, like many non-stop action films, IColombianai doesnt hold up well to close examination. There isnt much tension because Cataleyas motivation is pure revenge. And revenge is kind of timeless. The only ticking clock is her quest to get to Don Luis before he dies of old age or someone else kills him.

Burke & Hare
I really wanted to like this movie. How could I not? Its the director of iAn American Werewolf in Londoni making a horrordark comedy movie with the very talented stars of IShawn of the Deadi and ILord of the Ringsi about Britains most notorious mass-murderers after Jack the Ripper. I was surprised I hadnt even heard of this movie until it got offered for review.

Fright Night [3D Blu-Ray]
iFright Nighti is a remake of a 1985 movie of the same name featuring Chris Sarandon. If you are a huge fan of the very campy 80s-ness of the first film, the sleek, well-produced new movie may not resonate with you. For everyone else, iFright Nighti should come across as a well-produced, well-acted, very much overlooked movie in 2011.

Conan the Barbarian [Blu-Ray]
From the fiery pits of sword-and-sandal epics comes IConan the Barbariani. Hes come riding in on his Blu-ray steed and hes out for blood. Lets see if hes the stuff of legend or something less memorable.

Margin Call
As much as wed like to think its never been this bad, its been worse. As the CEO of an unnamed investment bank, Jeremy Irons says much the same thing while he eats a steak after ordering the firing of most of his employees and the screwing of most of his customers. Welcome to Wall Street!

Friends with Benefits [Blu-Ray]
iFriends with Benefitsi is culturally up-to-date, its reference-y, it has two attractive adults engaging in unconventional romantic behaviors. Its also a fairly large-budget romantic comedy, and generally the former and latter dont meld together into a solid film with a satisfying conclusion. iFriends with Benefitsi manages to balance some challenging discourse with a conclusion that never deviates too far from the defined romantic comedy format. In short, this works, even if it shouldnt.