Releases for 1.27.09

Tuesday is when new movies come out on DVD, and since I work at Blockbuster (Behind the counter, get it? Amazing!), I get to see them for free before they’re released. After recently seeing a couple of great, smaller titles, I thought of doing a weekly review here to let people know what movies I suggest for the week. Borrowing the series title from my aforementioned failed side project with a friend (thanks, Nick), every Tuesday I’ll write about any movies I really enjoyed… and any that were so bad they deserve a public lashing. I don’t see everything, so this won’t be a comprehensive review of every title, but I’m always willing to give something a try, so I find some odd gems sometimes. I’m not sure what I’ll do when there are no titles to report on, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it

This week is a rarity for me – I actually have FIVE rentals I can recommend! In all of my years with Blockbuster, I don’t know if I’ve ever had this many movies to suggest in a single week. They’re all good for very different reasons, as well, so there’s quite a variety this week. Haha, just don’t count on the usual weekly reviews being this extensive.

The ones to see:

The Lucky Ones
Pride and Glory
Battle in Seattle
RocknRolla
Hulk Vs.

The ones to avoid:
None this week

More detailed reviews after the break.

The Lucky Ones – *PICK OF THE WEEK*
With Tim Robbins, in a movie about soldiers from Iraq, it’d be safe to assume this movie is focused on criticizing the war.  I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was NOT a preachy anti-war (or pro-war) movie, but rather a movie about these soldiers as people. I really, really love this movie, and it’s my strong Pick of the Week because of it’s heart.  The Lucky Ones are three soldiers, on leave for various medical reasons, who by interesting circumstances end up on a road trip across a good part of America together.  The characters are far from flat, and as the movie progresses, we get to know each one better – and they are people that we WANT to get to know better.  The script is very smart for a variety of reasons, but it really hits the nail on the head in regards to the three main characters.  These are people you probably know, or have come across in your own life.  Everyone in this movie, in front of and behind the lens, shines, but being me, I do have to make a special point to mention Rachel McAdams.  She is a very beautiful woman, yes, but she is a great actress, too.  Collee, the character she plays, could have easily become a cliche (as could they all have been), but Rachel McAdams gives her such a genuine and endearing spirit, that I couldn’t help but fall in love with the girl.  Her character, without being flat or fairy-tale-ish, really is a shining light and driving force throughout the movie.  At one point, when she loses her optimism, we get a glimpse of how solemn the movie could have been otherwise – even if it’s a bit of a humorous moment.  Overall, The Lucky Ones is a hilarious, heart-warming journey that I hope you enjoy nearly half as much as I did.

Pride and Glory
This was difficult to not make my pick of the week, but the heartwarming tale of The Lucky Ones just won me over.  Regardless, I think Pride and Glory is a fantastic movie.  I was wary that it might be very generic, but it’s not at all.  Yes, a story about corrupt cops is nothing new – but this movie chooses to deal even with it’s "villains" as human beings.  Every character is wonderfully written and developed, and the performances are excellent.  Even the minor characters, who might normally be left as flat personalities, are wonderfully interesting.  Also, instead of simply finding a "cool" sounding title for a cop movie, this picture really IS about pride and glory – amongst many other things.  Each character follows their own personal destiny, and it is interesting to watch them react to each other when their paths collide in awkward ways.  Again, the performances were wonderful; I especially loved Jon Voight’s slightly tipsy characterization, Noah Emmerich and Jennifer Ehle’s performances – especially together as husband and wife, and Colin Farrell’s beautifully nuanced showing as a man struggling with the choices he is making.  I went in with fairly low expectations, but I was horribly wrong.  Pride and Glory is a strong, deep, and wonderful movie.

Battle in Seattle
Again, this was a movie that I went into with a bit of hesitation – fearing what could have been an annoyingly preachy take on the situation, and yet again, I was pleasantly surprised.  This movie portrays the WTO protests in Seattle that happened when I was in high school.  I barely remember images on the news about it, because I was dealing with the much more troubling details of high school, itself – mainly girls   Accordingly, I started this movie knowing pretty much nothing about the situation.  As is a recurring theme, here, one of the strengths of this movie is how it treats it’s characters with respect as human beings, each with their own thoughts and faults.  What I really loved, though, was the B-storyline involving a doctor trying to lobby the WTO in regards to AIDS funding.  I really appreciated that, while the two sides were out fighting each other in the streets, someone who could have potentially made a REAL difference was harmed.  This doctor was not able to spread his message because the protesters (and later, violent rioters) shut down the WTO meeting.  That concept made me smile.  Also, as with the doctor, there is a moment with Charlize Theron that is pretty gut wrenching to see… another example of the sacrifice that the innocent make in a situation like this.  Beyond all of that, though, it was just an interesting story to watch unfold.  It felt genuine, and never stayed with one side long enough that an unbiased viewer would be leaned towards one viewpoint over the other.

RocknRolla
Guy Ritchie’s latest movie.  There isn’t much to say to that – it’s either that you like him, or you don’t.  After a very avant-garde direction with his previous movie, Revolver (which I loved), he has returned to his more formulaic roots.  None of his movies are without certain depth, though, and amongst the fun stylization is always an interestingly warm heart.  Likewise, in this movie, he also includes some well-done important messages regarding addiction and abuse.  I certainly hope his plans to make this the first of a trilogy succeed

Hulk vs.
Haha, and finally, well… this one is pretty simple.  It’s two animated shorts featuring The Incredible Hulk.  In the first, he fights Thor – but that one lost my interest quickly and I skipped it.  The real reason I rented it was to see the other story – Hulk vs. Wolverine.  Before you glaze your eyes over, though – this is rated PG-13.  They don’t hold back.  Wolverine is cursing and cutting body parts off of people (in full view, with blood), and at one point Hulk rips someone apart.  The inclusion of a genuinely hilarious Deadpool, puts the icing on the cake.  It’s not long, but it’s a really fun little movie.

If you see any of these movies, let me know!  Even if it’s to disagree with me