Far and away the best film new to DVD this week is Drive. Two of the best young talents in movies join forces to thrilling effect here, with Denmark’s Nicolas Winding Refn directing and Canada’s Ryan Gosling starring. This was one of the best films of the year, according to Criticker users. The rest of the new films aren’t too inspiring — Justin Timberlake’s In Time could be worth a look, and young horror fans who weren’t alive in 1982 might want to check out the remake of John Carpenter’s classic The Thing.
Drive –
Average Tier 7.89
A Hollywood stunt performer who moonlights as a wheelman discovers that a contract has been put on him after a heist gone wrong.
Drive @ Amazon
In the future people stop aging at 25 and must work to buy themselves more time, but when a young man finds himself with more time than he can imagine he must run from the corrupt police force to save his life.
In Time @ Amazon
At an Antarctica research site, the discovery of an alien craft leads to a confrontation between graduate student Kate Lloyd and scientist Dr. Sander Halvorson.
The Thing @ Amazon
Successful publisher Will Atenton (Craig) quit a job in New York City to relocate his wife, Libby (Weisz), and two girls to a quaint New England town. But as they settle into their new life, they discover their perfect home was the murder scene of a mother and her children.
Dream House @ Amazon
A retired CIA operative is paired with a young FBI agent to unravel the mystery of a senator’s murder, with all signs pointing to a Soviet assassin.
The Double @ Amazon
The best new DVD of the week is the comic drama 50/50, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a young man diagnosed with cancer. Mixing humor with the specter of death is a tricky task, but 50/50 manages to stay respectful to the trials of a battle with cancer, and offer some real laughs. An emotional roller-coaster which Criticker users appreciated. Check it out.
50/50 –
Average Tier 7.50
Adam, a 27 year old man who is otherwise in excellent health, is suddenly diagnosed with cancer. He breaks the news to his girlfriend, his best friend and his mother, who is also dealing with her husband who has Alzheimer’s disease. In the middle of it all, Adam also seeks therapy from a young and inexperienced therapist,assigned to him by the hospital, and befriends several older, wisecracking chemotherapy patients.
50/50 @ Amazon
Set in the near future, where robot boxing is a top sport, a struggling promoter feels he’s found a champion in a discarded robot. During his hopeful rise to the top, he discovers he has an 11-year-old son who wants to know his father.
Real Steel @ Amazon
In 1988, young sisters Katie and Kristi befriend an invisible entity who resides in their home.
Paranormal Activity 3 @ Amazon
A drama based on the experiences of Kathryn Bolkovac, a Nebraska cop who served as a peacekeeper in post-war Bosnia and outed the U.N. for covering up a sex scandal.
The Whistleblower @ Amazon
A chronicle of the events that led to the founding of the Chinese Communist Party.
The Beginning of the Great Revival @ Amazon
This week’s slate of new DVD releases is a case of extremes. On the one side, you have films like Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star, and 2011′s very worst film according to users of Criticker: Abduction. But the rest of the line-up is great. Ryan Gosling and George Clooney team up in the well-received The Ides of March, and the starkly Christian film Courageous actually manages not to stink. But the pick of the week comes out of Portugal. Mysteries of Lisbon had Criticker users united in praise.
An idealistic staffer for a newbie presidential candidate gets a crash course on dirty politics during his stint on the campaign trail. Based on the play by Beau Willimon.
The Ides of March @ Amazon
When teenager Nathan comes across his own childhood picture while scrolling through a missing persons website, he begins to question everything he ever took for granted — including the people he always assumed were his parents.
Abduction @ Amazon
Follows a jealous countess, a wealthy businessman, and a young orphaned boy across Portugal, France, Italy and Brazil where they connect with a variety of mysterious individuals.
Mysteries of Lisbon @ Amazon
A kid from the Midwest moves out to Hollywood in order to follow in his parents footsteps — and become a porn star.
Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star @ Amazon
When a tragedy strikes close to home, four police officers struggle with their faith and their roles as husbands and fathers; together they make a decision that will change all of their lives.
Courageous @ Amazon
There’s one clear gem among this week’s litter of new releases to DVD. Moneyball, starring Brad Pitt as the manager of the Oakland As, was a hit both with critics and at the box office. The rest of the field was much less successful with users of Criticker, though I’ll cop up a strange urge to watch Anna Faris and Chris Evans in the romantic comedy What’s Your Number?
An all-star cast brings to life the true story of Billy Beane, a former jock turned general manager who uses unconventional methods to bring the best players to the Oakland A’s, a major league baseball team struggling against financial hardship.
Moneyball @ Amazon
When his mentor is taken captive, a retired member of Britain’s Elite Special Air Service is forced into action. His mission: kill three assassins dispatched by their cunning leader.
Killer Elite @ Amazon
Anna Faris stars in this rollicking comedy as Ally Darling, a sexually adventurous twentysomething who begins to suspect that her one true soul mate may be among the many lovers she has left in the dust, including Colin (Chris Evans). Turning to her licentious neighbor for help, Ally begins a quest to locate her old boyfriends to see which one might be Mr. Right. Mark Mylod directs this rom-com based on Karyn Bosnak’s book, 20 Times a Lady.
What’s Your Number? @ Amazon
Arising out of the horror of the Spanish Civil War, a candidate for canonization is investigated by a journalist who discovers his own estranged father had a deep, dark and devastating connection to the saint’s life.
There Be Dragons @ Amazon
A historical drama based on the founding of the Republic of China when nationalist forces led by Sun Yat-sen overthrew the Qing Dynasty.
1911 @ Amazon
The best film this week on DVD is the Irish comedy, The Guard, which stars Brendan Gleeson and Don Cheadle. This is the most successful independent Irish film of all time, and won Criticker users over with its profane, violent and uproarious humor. SlashFilm called it a combination of Hot Fuzz and In Bruges, and better than both. For those of you who’d rather watch Sarah Jessica Parker preen, there’s always I Don’t Know How She Does It. Any takers? Nah, I didn’t think so.
An action-thriller centered on the threat posed by a deadly disease and an international team of doctors contracted by the CDC to deal with the outbreak.
Contagion @ Amazon
An unorthodox Irish policeman with a confrontational personality is teamed up with an uptight FBI agent to investigate an international drug-smuggling ring.
The Guard @ Amazon
A young girl sent to live with her father and his new girlfriend discovers creatures in her new home who want to claim her as one of their own.
Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark @ Amazon
Terror makes a splash in this literally titled big-screen creature feature when a group of unsuspecting friends unpack for a weekend at the lake, only to discover that they’re not the only ones lurking in the water.
Shark Night 3D @ Amazon
A comedy centered on the life of Kate Reddy, a finance executive who is the breadwinner for her husband and two kids.
I Don’t Know How She Does It @ Amazon
Not a single film new DVD manages to be better than average this week — everything is under an average tier of 5. But fans of horror still have a reason to take a look. The latest Final Destination didn’t receive wholly terrible reviews, and an average tier of 4.13 is pretty good for film in that franchise. And Apollo 18 at least has an interesting premise. The French thriller Love Crime, starring, Kristin Scott Thomas and Ludivine Sagnier, is probably the pick of the week.
Death still isn’t satisfied in the fifth installment of this cult horror franchise, setting out to claim the lives of shaken co-workers who cheated him when they heeded a colleague’s premonition about an unstable suspension bridge.
Final Destination 5 @ Amazon
If you buy in to official statements, Apollo 17 was NASA’s last manned mission to the moon. But what if found footage of a secret Apollo mission that had taken place the following year could prove otherwise — and explain why we haven’t gone back?
Apollo 18 @ Amazon
The true story of an 84 year-old Kenyan villager and ex Mau Mau freedom fighter who fights for his right to go to school for the first time to get the education he could never afford.
The First Grader @ Amazon
Corporate overlord Christine (Kristin Scott Thomas) is mentor to her brilliant underling Isabelle (Ludivine Sagnier). After one of the women establishes a clear upper hand, the other begins to plot an elaborate plan to exact her revenge.
Love Crime @ Amazon
A group of 30-year-olds who have been friends since high school attempt to throw an end-of-summer orgy.
A Good Old Fashioned Orgy @ Amazon
The best film on DVD this week, the last Tuesday before Christmas, is the latest from Woody Allen. Midnight in Paris stars Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams, and Criticker users are praising the director’s most lightweight film in years. Another movie which the community highly approves of is Warrior, which follows Tom Hardy into the bloody world of Mixed Martial Arts.
Midnight in Paris –
Average Tier 7.13
A romantic comedy about a family traveling to the French capital for business. The party includes a young engaged couple forced to confront the illusion that a life different from their own is better.
Midnight in Paris @ Amazon
Margin Call – Average Tier 5.54
A thriller that revolves around the key people at a investment bank over a 24-hour period during the early stages of the financial crisis. Margin Call @ Amazon
Colombiana – Average Tier 3.14
After watching Bogota gangsters slay her parents in cold blood, young Cataleya Restrepo dedicates her life to becoming a ruthless assassin, working on assignment but always on the hunt for the criminals who killed her family. Colombiana @ Amazon
Warrior – Average Tier 6.87
The youngest son (Hardy) of an alcoholic former boxer (Nolte) returns home, where he’s trained by his father for competition in a mixed martial arts tournament — a path that puts the fighter on a collision corner with his older brother (Edgerton). Warrior @ Amazon
Straw Dogs – Average Tier 4.91
In Rod Lurie’s remake of the controversial 1971 Sam Peckinpah drama, screenwriter David Sumner (James Marsden) relocates with his wife, Amy (Kate Bosworth), to her Mississippi hometown. But as detachment strains their marriage, bigger threats loom in their small town. To Amy’s chagrin, David attempts to befriend the locals, including Amy’s ex-boyfriend, Charlie (Alexander Skarsgaard). But resentments re-emerge and tensions rise to an explosive end. Straw Dogs @ Amazon
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