Green Lantern (+ UltraViolet Digital Copy)

Green Lantern (+ UltraViolet Digital Copy)
Ryan Reynolds (Actor), Blake Lively (Actor), Martin Campbell (Director) | Format: DVD
(271)

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In a universe as vast as it is mysterious, an elite force of protectors for peace and justice has existed for centuries. They are the Green Lantern Corps. When a new enemy called Parallax threatens to destroy the Universe, their fate and the fate of Earth lie in the hands of the Corps' newest recruit, the first human ever selected: Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds). Bringing the popular superhero to the big screen for the first time, Green Lantern also stars Blake Lively (Gossip Girl), Peter Sarsgaard (Orphan), Mark Strong (Sherlock Holmes), Academy Award® nominee Angela Bassett* and Academy Award® winner Tim Robbins**. As far as superheroes go, Green Lantern may lack the clean, iconic lines of his more respectable DC counterparts Superman and Batman, but the very wonkiness of the premise (earthling joins elite force of space cops) lends itself to a pulpy, operatic, not-entirely-serious approach. (One of his teammates is a talking carrot, after all.) Capitalizing on a charming performance by Ryan Reynolds, the feature-film adaptation is a big, messy movie that, at its best, generates a feeling of aw-shucks wonder. Much like Thor, it isn't afraid to loosen up on the inner turmoil of its hero and go macro. Based on comic writer Geoff Johns's retrofitting of the title character, the story follows Hal Jordan (Reynolds), an impulsive test pilot whose encounter with a dying alien leaves him with an energy ring capable of weaponizing his imagination. While struggling to master his will-based powers, he must deal with threats both earthbound (a hilariously nebbishy Peter Saarsgard, who may be the first supervillain to rock a hoodie) and galactic. Martin Campbell, a director who specializes in more down-to-earth heroics (Casino Royale,The Mask of Zorro), brings a pleasing matter-of-fact baseline to the proceedings, an approach that makes the increasingly outlandish effects truly feel special when they occur. Green Lantern has its debits, certainly--the lack of a memorable theme, a second act that hems and haws before getting to the action, the standard origin story shoehorning in too many secondary plots--but its final scenes succeed on a Gigantor, cosmic level where most superhero movies fear to tread. The bigger it goes, the more goofily enjoyable it gets. --Andrew Wright Read more

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Real Steel

Real Steel
Hugh Jackman (Actor), Evangeline Lilly (Actor), Shawn Levy (Director) | Format: DVD
(22)

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Sometime in the not-too-distant future, boxing has been outlawed and replaced by fighting matches with robots. Big robots. Hulking, rock 'em, sock 'em mechanical robots. But if those machines are cutting edge, Real Steel sticks to an old-fashioned style of storytelling, with a tale of a down-and-out fight manager (Hugh Jackman) looking for a good 'bot to get back in the game, and get back out of debt. Hearts are further tugged by the arrival of this guy's 11-year-old son (Dakota Goyo), who hasn't seen his dad in many years but now needs tending. There's something endearing about the way nobody ever pauses to remark on the fact that they are in the presence of giant remote-controlled prizefighting robots; it's taken for granted in this cockeyed universe. Loosely inspired by a Richard Matheson-penned episode of The Twilight Zone, Shawn Levy's film is lavishly mounted and fairly ridiculous--although in this case, the human interactions are more preposterous and formulaic than the fun robot action. Jackman plays to his roguish strengths, Evangeline Lilly (Lost) gets the perfunctory love interest role, and the villains are uncomplicatedly hissable, from Jackman's good ol' boy rival (Kevin Durand) to the heavily accented owners (Olga Fonda, Karl Yune) of the most fearsome of robots, the undefeated Zeus. If you can imagine Rocky restaged with a pile of spare parts, you might be the audience for Real Steel. --Robert Horton Read more

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Heroes: Season Four

Heroes: Season Four
Jack Coleman (Actor), Hayden Panettiere (Actor) | Format: DVD
(72)

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Experience all the intrigue and suspense of Heroes: Season 4 in this 5-disc set that includes all 18 gripping episodes from the fourth season’s volume, Redemption. As the Heroes mourn fallen friends and face dangerous new foes, prepare for a wild ride — filled with shocking twists and turns — through an ominous funhouse that culminates in a Brave New World. Then step right up and explore hours of exclusive, behind-the-curtain magic with the show’s writers, stars and artists. Read more

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Attack the Block

Attack the Block
John Boyega (Actor), Jodie Whittaker (Actor), Joe Cornish (Director) | Format: DVD
(8)
Release Date: October 25, 2011

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From the producers of Shaun of the Dead, Attack the Block is a fast, funny, frightening action adventure movie that pits a teen street gang against an invasion of savage alien monsters. It turns a London housing project into a sci-fi battleground, the low-income apartment complex into a fortress under siege. And it turns a crazy mix of tough street kids into a team of kick ass heroes. It’s inner city versus outer space and it’s going to explode. A high-concept, micro-pocketed mash note to John Carpenter and Walter Hill, this Cockney vs. Aliens saga generates an enormous amount of likability out of some very limited means. Executive produced by the folks behind Shaun of the Dead, writer-director Joe Cornish's feature debut mixes gore and gags in a ratio that should drive genre fans bonkers. Unlike many recent Comic-Con-friendly movies, however, Attack the Block admirably concentrates on actually telling a story first, with the in-jokes and pop-culture references treated as tinsel. Kicking off with a literal bang, Cornish's script follows a group of British teenage punks on the downward slide to outright thugdom. Once a horde of neon-toothed aliens starts falling from the sky, however, the kids find themselves appointed the unlikely protectors of their grotty South London housing complex. Cue the bottle rockets, dirt bikes, and ninja weapons. There's not much to the story beyond that, really, but any narrative sparseness is leavened by some healthy doses of low-budget ingenuity, chief among them the design of the negative-image aliens themselves, which suggest ticked-off wild boars after a serious Rogaine overdose. On the character front, the film also scores, quickly sketching out its team of likable (but not cuddly) bad seeds with distinct personalities. (That said, American viewers should be prepared to have at least a quarter of the slang fly over their heads.) Clocking in at a just-right 88 minutes, Attack the Block may ultimately never rise above the level of clever homage, but there's copious evidence that the filmmaker already has a firm understanding of what makes B movies tick. While his first film doesn't exactly reinvent the wheel, check out all the neat stuff in the spokes. --Andrew Wright Read more

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Young Frankenstein

Young Frankenstein
Gene Wilder (Actor), Peter Boyle (Actor) | Format: DVD
(427)

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YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN - DVD MovieIf you were to argue that Mel Brooks's Young Frankenstein ranks among the top-ten funniest movies of all time, nobody could reasonably dispute the claim. Spoofing classic horror in the way that Brooks's previous film Blazing Saddles sent up classic Westerns, the movie is both a loving tribute and a raucous, irreverent parody of Universal's classic horror films Frankenstein (1931) and Bride of Frankenstein (1935). Filming in glorious black and white, Brooks re-created the Frankenstein laboratory using the same equipment from the original Frankenstein (courtesy of designer Kenneth Strickfaden), and this loving attention to physical and stylistic detail creates a solid foundation for nonstop comedy. The story, of course, involves Frederick Frankenstein (Gene Wilder) and his effort to resume experiments in re-animation pioneered by his late father. (He's got some help, since dad left behind a book titled How I Did It.) Assisting him is the hapless hunchback Igor (Marty Feldman) and the buxom but none-too-bright maiden Inga (Teri Garr), and when Frankenstein succeeds in creating his monster (Peter Boyle), the stage is set for an outrageous revision of the Frankenstein legend. With comedy highlights too numerous to mention, Brooks guides his brilliant cast (also including Cloris Leachman, Madeline Kahn, Kenneth Mars, and Gene Hackman in a classic cameo role) through scene after scene of inspired hilarity. Indeed, Young Frankenstein is a charmed film, nothing less than a comedy classic, representing the finest work from everyone involved. Not one joke has lost its payoff, and none of the countless gags have lost their zany appeal. From a career that includes some of the best comedies ever made, this is the film for which Mel Brooks will be most fondly remembered. Befitting a classic, the Special Edition DVD includes audio commentary by Mel Brooks, a "making of" documentary, interviews with the cast, hilarious bloopers and outtakes, and the original theatrical trailers. No video library should be without a copy of Young Frankenstein. And just remember--that's Fronkensteen. --Jeff Shannon

Beyond Young Frankenstein

High Anxiety

Spaceballs

Blazing Saddles

Stills from Young Frankenstein (Click for larger image)

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V: The Complete Second Season

V: The Complete Second Season
Elizabeth Mitchell (Actor), Morena Baccarin (Actor) | Format: DVD
(22)
Release Date: October 18, 2011

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They seem almost godlike among us. They are the alien Visitors who, led by mysterious queen Anna, base their operations out of 29 motherships hovering over 29 global sites. But why 29? The answer lies in the Vs’ secret plan – just one of the extraordinary revelations in Season 2 of V. As that astonishing plan draws closer to fulfillment, a resourceful underground unit of resistance fighters called the Fifth Column redoubles its efforts to undermine it. And throughout are the amazing visuals that are hallmarks of the series: looming spaceships, advanced medical technologies and the fear-inducing morphing of Vs into their reptilian forms. Our world…their rules? Read more

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I Am Number Four

I Am Number Four
Alex Pettyfer (Actor), Timothy Olyphant (Actor), D.J. Caruso (Director) | Format: DVD
(192)

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Three are dead. Who is Number four? From Director D.J. Caruso (Disturbia), producer Michael Bay (Transformers) and the Emmy-winning writers of TV's Smallville, comes this gripping, action-packed thriller. John Smith (Alex Pettyfer) is an extraordinary teen masking his true identity to elude a deadly enemy sent to destroy him. Living with his guardian (Timothy Olyphant) in the small town he now calls home, John encounters unexpected life-changing events - his first love (Dianna Agron, TV's Glee), powerful new abilities and a secret connection to the others who share his incredible destiny. Complete with deleted scenes and more, I Am Number Four is an explosive suspense-filled ride that will take you to the edge of your seat and beyond.The most successful entries in the Young Adult fantasy genre cannily cater to their target audience's growing pains, allowing the adolescent consumers to feel better about their own inner fears and doubts while watching an initially awkward protagonist discover their secret powers hidden within. The potential franchise launcher I Am Number Four, however, chooses to introduce its golden-maned, fiercely six-packed hero while he's doing a totally rad Jet Ski stunt in front of a beachful of bikinied admirers. (This is a Michael Bay production.) Based on the bestselling YA novel pseudonymously cowritten by James Frey (of A Million Little Pieces fame), the plot follows a super-powered exile from another world (Alex Pettyfer) attempting to uncover the secrets of his heritage while staying under the radar of the authorities. After arriving in a small Midwest town and hitting it off with a gorgeous, nonconformist classmate (Dianna Agron), he must make a stand against a gaggle of alien bounty hunters bent on wiping out him and his fellow eight exiles in numerical order. Director D.J. Caruso (Disturbia) is a more-than-competent craftsman, but he can't do much with the film's soggy middle section, which veers away from appealing teenage angst and perilously close to whiny entitlement. (The casting of the superbly no-nonsense Timothy Olyphant as Pettyfer's Yoda-ish instructor does help matters considerably.) Things do pick up in the final act, particularly with the introduction of some giant dinosaur/flying squirrel beasties, but it remains to be seen if the majority of viewers will be able to find a vicarious entry point within the frustratingly seamless perfection of the main character. Great hair, zero zits, the attention of the most beautiful girl in school, and way cool telekinetic flashlight hands? Pick a side, folks. --Andrew Wright Read more

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The Thing from Another World

The Thing from Another World
Kenneth Tobey (Actor), Margaret Sheridan (Actor), Christian Nyby (Director), Howard Hawks (Director) | Format: DVD
(280)

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Members of an Antarctic research team are killed off by a frozen alien they uncover.With its modest special effects, lean plot, and small cast of lesser stars, this 1951 thriller remains a sturdy blueprint for fusing horror and science fiction. The formula has been employed countless times since, fleshed out with more extensive and elaborate production values, and manned by higher profiled marquee names, but the results have yet to improve on The Thing from Another World, Howard Hawks's lone foray into sci-fi.

The story begins as military airmen are dispatched to a remote Arctic research station where scientists have detected the crash of a spacecraft. An effort to retrieve the saucer-shaped vehicle fails, but the team returns to the station with the frozen body of its sole occupant. When the extraterrestrial pilot is accidentally thawed, the crew, headed by a tough-talking pilot (Kenneth Tobey), grapples with a massive, chlorophyll-based humanoid (James Arness) thirsty for blood and in no mood for galactic diplomacy.

Hawks takes only a production credit for this low-budget exercise, but his filmmaking style transcends Christian Nyby's nominal direction: rapid-fire, overlapping dialogue, an ensemble of comrades whose professionalism is tempered by wisecracks, and unsentimental female characters (embodied by feisty romantic interest Margaret Sheridan) recall Hawks's signature works, while propelling the plot over any potential gaps in credibility. It's hardly surprising, then, that The Thing from Another World remains among the most influential science fiction movies ever shot, or that it remains exciting entertainment a half century later. --Sam Sutherland Read more

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Paul (Unrated & Theatrical Versions)

Paul (Unrated & Theatrical Versions)
Simon Pegg (Actor), Nick Frost (Actor), Greg Mottola (Director) | Format: DVD
(121)

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Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead) reunite as sci-fi geeks taking a pilgrimage to America's UFO heartland. There they meet a smart-ass alien, Paul (voiced by Seth Rogen), who takes them on an insane road trip. As they struggle to return Paul home, the little green man might just take the outcasts from misfits to intergalactic heroes. Read more

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Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein

Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein
Bud Abbott (Actor), Lou Costello (Actor), Charles Barton (Director) | Format: DVD
(154)

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ABBOTT & COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN - DVD MovieUniversal Pictures made a great deal of money from its monster movies in the 1930s. In the early '40s, the burlesque team of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello kept the studio's coffers full. When the two franchises were combined in 1948, the result was another windfall--despite the apparent oil-and-water mix of subject matter. Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein was the first of these summit meetings, although the title is a misnomer. Actually, Bud and Lou bump into most of the Universal heavy-hitters, including Count Dracula (played by Béla Lugosi himself), the Wolfman (Lon Chaney Jr.), and the Frankenstein monster (veteran monster Glenn Strange). There's even a token appearance by the Invisible Man, whose disembodied voice is recognizable as that of Vincent Price. Sure enough, the film is funny, especially since it gives the portly Costello multiple opportunities to do his wide-eyed, quivering scaredy-cat routine. Audiences ate it up, and in future installments Bud and Lou would run into Boris Karloff, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the Invisible Man, and the Mummy. But the first was the best. --Robert Horton Read more

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