Peter Brown

454 days ago - With a name like “Smart People,” you’d expect snappy dialogue and some intelligence, or at least a slapstick comedy accompanying the ironic title.

461 days ago - The onslaught of children’s fantasy films continues with “Nim’s Island,” a tale about young Nim (Abigail Breslin) who lives a Robinson Crusoe-like existence on a remote island with her scientist father (Gerald Butler). When her dad goes missing, Nim must use her imagination and the help of her favorite author (Jodie Foster) to combat an “invading force” on the island. While it’s not in the same league as “Narnia” or “Spiderwick Chronicles,” “Nim’s Island” is cute and emotional. Kids will love it, adults may be bored. Three featurettes, director audio commentary and cast commentary accompany the DVD. On Blu-ray, there are interactive games and a picture book as well. Price: $29.98 to $39.48. Rent or buy: Good kid rental.

468 days ago - It rips off a number of recent science-fiction films, but since it takes place in the U.K., “Doomsday” somehow gets a pass. The premise: A terrible virus ravages Scotland in 2005, then the government walls up the country to stop it from spreading. Fast forward 30 years, we find out it didn’t work. The cure may be found in the survivors living in Scotland cut off from the world. A team of military specialists is sent to recover the cure; they find Darwin’s law is in full effect, with the strong feeding on the weak and mobs controlling the land. Yes, it is “Escape from New York,” but in another place — with a hot chick (Rhona Mitra) who wears an eye patch (seriously).

482 days ago - Please — cut back on remaking horror movies based on films from Asia. It worked for a while with “The Grudge” and “The Ring,” but things went quickly downhill with “Pulse,” “Dark Water” and, now, here’s “Shutter,” based on a Thai film. This remake is a lame ghost story about an American couple (Joshua Jackson and Rachel Taylor), who, on their honeymoon in Japan, run over a poor girl in the country. When the police arrive, there’s no girl in sight. But after that, the protagonist, a professional fashion photographer, begins to see specks of light show up in his camera — or “shutters.” What follows is a yawn-inducing Hollywood stinker. It’s too bad, because this set has good extras: five featurettes, nine deleted scenes, an alternate ending, audio commentary, and on the Blu-ray version, Japanese videos from the set and more alternate scenes. Price: $29.98 to $39.98; Rent or buy: Rent, if that.

492 days ago - Bring a strong stomach to the “The Ruins;” a few scenes in this gruesome horror flick give “Hostel” and “Saw” a run for their money. The film, about a group of Americans who must flee to an ancient temple in Mexico, doesn’t break new territory — we’ve seen stupid people doing stupid things and going where they shouldn’t plenty of times. Yet, it nonetheless offers a great level of suspense. Plus, it has a unique monster killer. Put the kids to bed with earmuffs on before you watch — and that means horror fans only. This DVD features the unrated version of the movie, commentary with the director, an interesting look at how the set was made, four deleted scenes and an alternate ending. Price: $29.98 to $39.99. Rent or buy: Good rental.

499 days ago - If you enjoy multitiered plotlines, fancy camerawork and action with a lot of twists, “Vantage Point” should be right up your alley. It’s told from the perspective of a number of people in a town square in Spain, where a U.S. president is targeted for assassination. But the question is: Is the target really the man onstage, or is more complex terrorist activity in the works?

507 days ago - The number of fantasy novels getting swallowed up by Hollywood is increasing at a feverish pace since the success of the first “Chronicles of Narnia” film, based on C.S. Lewis’ “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.”

513 days ago - Shockingly, the romantic comedy “Fool’s Gold,” starring Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson, isn’t as trite as expected; it falls more along the lines of “Romancing the Stone” than the other Hudson-McConaughey flick, “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.” The actors play a divorced couple on a treasure hunt to find lost pirate’s booty in order to pay off a gangster to whom McConaughey’s character owes money. Of course, along the way, through the bickering and bantering, they find love again.

520 days ago - “Jumper” is the story of a guy who discovers he has the ability to teleport himself. After robbing a bank and setting up a nice little life for himself, David (Hayden Christensen) travels back to his hometown to win the heart of his childhood sweetheart (Rachel Bilson). But along the way, he meets another Jumper, Griffin (Jamie Bell) and is dragged into a centuries-long war between Jumpers and those tasked with eliminating them, the Paladins, led by a fanatical zealot (Samuel L. Jackson).

521 days ago - JUMPER

528 days ago - Will Ferrell cranks out yet another semi-inspired comedy, again traveling back to the 1970s. But instead of delving into local news, as in “Anchorman,” he stumbles, bumbles and fumbles as pro basketball star Jackie Moon, a character who tries to take a loveable bunch of losers to National Basketball Association play. Unlike “Anchorman” or “Talladega Nights,” “Semi-Pro’s” humor seems forced. It’s almost as if Ferrell has lost his snappiness and the desire to take off his clothes and run around naked.

534 days ago - Who exactly was clamoring for a new “Rambo”? The last movie in the series (“Rambo III”) was in theaters 20 years ago. But what’s shocking is that this new “Rambo” isn’t half-bad. In fact, if anything, “Rambo” (which really should have a “IV” after it) is a throwback to old-school action flicks from pre-CGI days when stunts were real.