New Bluray and DVD Releases for May 25th

Last week was an explosion of DVDs.  There were four titles worth watching (even if they all weren’t fantastic) in Valentine’s Day, The Messenger, Extraordinary Measures, and Invictus.  Also, The Spy Next Door with Jackie Chan was the least intriguing last week, but not in regards to the kids.  Plus, if Jackie Chan is starring in the worst DVD of the week, then you’ve got choices.

I’m not sure what happened this week.  Sure, we’ve got a couple of watchable ones, but there really isn’t much else, no hidden gems at all.  If you are a TV buff, you already had your week scheduled with Lost and 24 series finales, and the rest of the week was dedicated to watching True Blood: Season 2.  Sounds like a good week, but enough TV, let’s get to the movies.

There are only two noteworhty movies coming out this week, Dear John and The Road.  There aren’t any decent Blu-ray re-releases to help satisfy your new Blu-ray player’s thirst this week either (save for Stagecoach starring John Wayne).  So, this week we’ll take a look at The Best… and The Rest.

The Best

The Road

Buy/Rent/Skip: Rent

Grim and dark, The Road defines sorrow.  Based off of the book of the same name, it weaves a tale of a family surviving in a post-apocalyptic world.  There is no discussion of how the world became the way it is, only the reality of dealing with life as it is. The Road is brutally simplistic, with very little dialogue and back-story explanation, the supsense is heightened because none of the obvious questions are answered.  (The characters names are not given, commonly known only as The Man, Wife, and The Boy — brutal simplicity.)  So, if you were disappointed with Lost because it didn’t tell you where the freakin’ polar bears came from, then The Road may be an exercise in frustration, not to mention re-opening just closed wounds.  If you are okay with leaving stones unturned, The Road should be on your list.  Read the review.

Director: John Hillcoat

Starring:  Viggo Mortensen, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce, Robert Duvall

MPAA Rating: R for some violence, disturbing images and language.

Official Website: http://www.theroad-movie.com/

(Click poster for movie trailer, full cast, plot summary, and more..)

Dear John

Buy/Rent/Skip: Rent

Dear John is what you expect it to be, sort of.  If you are a male between the ages of… scratch that, if you are male, then you probably won’t enjoy this movie.  (It beat Avatar in it’s opening weekend with an 84% female audience.)  Essentially, Dear John isn’t The Notebook.  The Notebook worked because the movie was properly paced, extremely well acted, and had an amazingly romantic  ”twist” at the end.  Dear John is a watered-down version in every way.  There’s a mildly interesting story, some enjoyable moments, but it leaves you thinking, “It could have been so much better.”  Still, movies like Dear John were made for a Tuesday night in,  so don’t forget to order the pizza.  Read the review.

Director: Lasse Hallström

Starring: Channing Tatum, Amanda Seyfried

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some sensuality and violence.

Official Website: http://www.dearjohn-movie.com/

(Click poster for movie trailer, full cast, plot summary, and more..)

The Rest

Mystery Team

Three would-be Encyclopedia Browns step into the world of grown-up crime in this independent comedy. When they were seven years old, “the Mystery Team” were three kids living in the same neighborhood in Oakdale who played at being precocious preteen detectives. With Jason (Donald Glover) as “the Master of Disguise,” Duncan (D.C. Pierson) as “the Boy Genius,” and Charlie (Dominic Dierkes) as “the Strongest Kid in Town,” they would spend their afternoons getting to the bottom of such crimes as missing tricycles and stolen pies, charging ten cents (or some fruit roll-ups) for their services. However, while their peers have moved on to more mature pastimes… Read the full synopsis.

(Click poster for movie trailer, full cast, plot summary, and more..)

Rain Fall

Based on the bestselling novel by author Barry Eisler, this action thriller from director Max Minnix follows a seasoned assassin as he races to prevent CIA hit men from killing the daughter of a former target. The Special Forces taught John Rain (Kippei Shiina) how to kill, and he’s the best at what he does. After dispensing with a government bureaucrat, John discovers that the CIA has marked the women he loves for death. Saving her won’t be easy, but John won’t stop until he’s sure she’s safe. Gary Oldman co-stars. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

(Click poster for movie trailer, full cast, plot summary, and more..)

Tell Tale
Josh Lucas stars as a man whose heart transplant leads him on a frenzied journey to find the killer of his heart’s previous owner before its past catches up to him in this retooling of Edgar Allen Poe’s classic tale. Directors Tony and Ridley Scott produce the Scott Free production being helmed by cable TV veteran Michael Cuesta. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide

(Click poster for movie trailer, full cast, plot summary, and more..)

Article written by Lee Jaster on GotchaMovies.com. Reposted with permission.