Maine news, sports, weather from Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram, Portland, Maine

June 28, 2012

DVD Releases

NEW ON THE SHELF

"THE ARTIST," Jean Dujardin, Berenice Bejo. Winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture, this loving homage to the black-and-white silent films of yesteryear has Oscar bait written all over it, but the timeless tale of love between a fading star (Dujardin, "99 francs") and an up-and-comer (Bejo, 'A Knight's Tale") is well-nigh irresistible, especially as played by the two excellent leads. Writer-director Michel Hazanavicius (the "OSS" series) brings a breathtaking style to the table, handily transporting the viewer to the era with nary an anachronism to be found. Rated PG-13. Running time: 1:40.

Suggested retail price: $30.99; Blu-ray $35.99.

 

"MIRROR MIRROR," Lily Collins, Julia Roberts. Visually extravagant update of "Snow White" treads well-worn territory with style, benefitting greatly from director Tarsem Singh Dhandwar's ("The Fall") ever-stylish approach and Roberts' amusingly arch portrayal of the Wicked Queen. Special features include an interactive storybook. Rated PG.

Suggested retail price: $29.98; Blu-ray $39.99.

 

"A THOUSAND WORDS," Eddie Murphy, Allison Janney. Family-friendly comedy finds motormouth literary agent Murphy forced to communicate by other means when a magical Bodhi tree appears in his backyard, containing one thousand leaves. Every time he speaks a word, a leaf falls off, and once the leaves are gone, so is Murphy, according to guru Cliff Curtis, who saddles him with this tree after Murphy's unethical behavior causes their business deal to go sour. While it seems strange to render mute such a notoriously verbal comic, Murphy rises to the challenge with an impressive variety of pantomime and physical bits of business, and the results fall somewhere between "Groundhog Day" and "Liar Liar." Things get a bit sappy near the end, but there are plenty of laughs to be had along the way. Rated PG-13. Running time: 1:31.

Suggested retail price: $29.99; Blu-ray $39.99.

 

"21 JUMP STREET," Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum. A strong contender for the best big-adaptation of a beloved '80s TV show (despite the fact that the tone in no way captures the brooding cool of the original), "Street" finds an unlikely but wholly successful comic team in Hill ("Moneyball") and an unexpectedly droll Tatum ("The Vow"), bumbling rookie cops assigned to take down a drug ring in the local high school due to their younger appearances. Given that they both originally attended this particular high school, it's a little difficult to believe that none of the staff recognizes them, but such nit-picking seems a waste of time when the jokes and performances are this good. Able comedic support comes from the likes of Ice Cube and Nick "Ron Swanson" Offerman as the boys' roundly unimpressed superiors. Special features include a gag reel and a commentary from cast and crew. Rated R. Running time: 1:49.

Suggested retail price: $30.99; Blu-ray $35.99.

 

"WRATH OF THE TITANS," Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson. Action-packed CGI-fest pummels the viewer with so many over-the-top special effects that at some point all you can really do is give in and enjoy the ridiculous ride, with plucky warrior Perseus (Worthington, "Avatar") taking on the Titans in an attempt to rescue kidnapped dad Zeus (Neeson, who else?). Rated PG-13. Running time: 1:39.

Suggested retail price: $28.98; Blu-ray $35.99.

 

NEW TO DVD

"BREAKAWAY," Vinay Virmani, Rob Lowe. A Toronto-based Indian hockey enthusiast (Virmani, who also co-scripted) joins forces with a former pro player turned Zamboni driver (Lowe) to put together an all-Indian hockey team after facing racial discrimination and unsupportive family members when he tries to join the NHL. Newcomer Virmani makes for a very likable protagonist, and Lowe turns in some nice work as the initially wary Coach. Clean-cut and genuinely uplifting. Rated PG-13. Running time: 1:35.

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