Comedy Examiner DVD Reviews: Which of these new movies is worth your hard-earned money?

  Did The Losers live up to its title, or were we pleasantly surprised?  Find out below, folks.

This week, "Comedy Examiner DVD Reviews" is taking on three new movies, all of which have just arrived on DVD or BluRay over the past several weeks.  First up is Kevin Smith's Cop Out, starring Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan.  The comedy took a beating in theaters from nearly every critic that saw the film-- is it as bad as you've heard?  Next up is The Losers, another film that didn't do so hot at the box office (though better with critics than Cop Out).  We weren't expecting much from The Losers, so were our reservations justified...or flat out wrong?  And, finally, in the "Non-Comedy" slot, we've got The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, a dark thriller that's as far from a comedy as one could possibly get.  What did we think about these three new movies, and should you rush out to be any of 'em?  Find out below, my gentle Examiner readers...

In an effort to provide even more film reviews for all the sweet, sweet Comedy Examiner readers out there, we're going to start running a new column: "Comedy Examiner DVD Reviews".  Each week, we'll be looking at three films that have just hit DVD or BluRay.  What's worth renting the next time you're putting your Netflix list together?  What's worth buying the next time you're in Best Buy?  What should you avoid like an STD?  We'll let you know whether you should RENT, BUY, or IGNORE each film we've selected.

Be aware that we'll usually be reviewing the BluRay versions of these movies, but we'll be making note of which format the films were viewed in below.  If you're a film geek, though, you really should be building your collection with BluRay these days.  Get with the program, folks: it's the way of the future (the way of the future, the way of the future...).  This week, we've got Kevin Smith's Cop Out, the action-comedy The Losers, and-- in the "Non-Comedy" category, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.  Let's see what's worth your money...

COP OUT (BluRay):  We picked up Kevin Smith's latest on BluRay this week, morbidly curious to find out whether or not the critics were right about the film.  When Cop Out hit theaters, critics savaged the film and left Kevin Smith's feelings hurt: the director compared the bad reviews to bullies picking on a retarded kid.  His reasoning was, the film's not trying to be an award-winner, just a fun time at the movies, so why all the hate?  Generally, I'm willing to get Smith's back.  I've always enjoyed his flicks.  In fact, with the lone exception of Jersey Girl, I don't recall ever really disliking a Kevin Smith film.  Well, now there's Cop Out.

The film's a complete misfire on every conceivable level.  For starters, there's the utter lack of chemistry between Tracy Morgan and Bruce Willis.  Follow that up with an absurd plot (it revolves around a stolen baseball card, which tells you Smith didn't write the script: had he been behind the keyboard on this one, it woulda been a comic book), a lame villain, and the most obnoxious appearance by Sean William Scott to date (sorry, buddy, but it was just too much) and you've got a disaster on your hands.  I hate to say it, but I swear I didn't even crack a smile during this one. 

RENT, BUY, OR IGNORE?  Kevin Smith, I love you, but I cannot tell a lie: IGNORE it like your ex.

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO (BluRay): Each week, I'd like to think that we'll be able to work a "Non-Comedy" selection into the mix.  This week, it's the Swedish export The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, based on the novel of the same name by Stieg Larsson.  I gave the book a shot a few times, but-- despite nearly-universal glowing reviews-- I could never get into the book.  Would the movie turn out the same way, or would it be more accessible?  Maybe I shouldn't have read the Swedish version: as it turns out, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is awesome, but won't be for everyone.

What it is big on, it turns out, is rape, murder, and the slimiest family to come along since the Baldwins.  Mikael Blomqvist (the guy on the left) teams up with Lisbeth, a hacker (the girl on the right) to solve a decades-old, unsolved murder that's been troubling the Vanger family for generations.  They're a creepy bunch, and the things that Blomqvist and Lisbeth turn up while figuring out who killed the young girl at the center of the story will make your skin crawl.  David Fincher's working on an American version, and he's perfect for this material: it's not as good as Silence of The Lambs, but it's playing on the same field and loses to that film on a technicality.  With a different actor in the male-lead, it might've bested Lambs.  All the buzz you've heard is dead-on: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo's the real deal.

RENT, BUY, OR IGNORE?  RENT it, see what you think, and if you like it-- and you're a freak for BluRay like I am-- go ahead and shell out the few extra bucks to get it in the best possible format.  If you're without a BluRay player, you won't be missing out on much.  But then again, why the hell don't you have a BluRay player?  Get with it, man, you're embarrassing yourself.

THE LOSERS (BluRay): I picked this one up completely on a whim, deciding that-- worst case scenario-- I could just sell the thing off if it sucked.  The Losers was largely ignored when it hit theaters earlier this year, coming across as a B-level A-Team in its trailers and having no big stars to speak of.  Part of my decision in picking up the film involved the casting of Chris Evans: he's the dude that's going to be our Captain America next year, and-- having never seen either of the Fantastic Four movies-- I wanted to see the dude in action.  Turns out, he's one of the best parts of this shockingly entertaining movie.  Yep, that's right: The Losers is awesome.

The film's pretty standard as far as plot goes: ragtag group of soldiers-- each with their own sparkling personality quirks-- have to take down a big-bad guy in order to clear their names and bring justice to some dead kids who were exploded in a helicopter.  You know, that story again.  The thing is, The Losers has one of the sharpest scripts you could ask for in this kinda film, and the actors really sell the material.  Jeffrey Dean Morgan (he was "The Comedian" in Watchmen, where he was also kick-ass) rocks, Idris Elba (who you might know from The Office or The Wire) rocks, Chris Evans rocks-- hell, even Zoe Saldana rocks in this.  It's fairly mindless and pretty over-the-top, but it's much smarter than you'd expect and five times as fun as you'd expect.  I was totally shocked by how much I enjoyed this flick. 

BUY, RENT, OR IGNORE?  Oh, BUY it, no question.  You're not wandering into Oscar-caliber territory here, but it's a solid action movie with a surprising number of laugh out loud moments.  Definitely spring for the BluRay version, as the film looks stunning in that format.  The colors pop, the explosions look great, and the bikini-clad groupies in the villains lair come through with crystal clarity.

So, there you have it, folks: go ahead and buy The Losers, avoid Cop Out like you owe it money, and give The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo a day in court if that's your kinda flick.  We'll be back next week with three new selections, and if there's anything you'd like to see featured here in the "Comedy Examiner's DVD Review", don't hesitate to drop me a line and request it.  Hit the "Subscribe" button up top if you're not already signed up to receive all Comedy Examiner articles as soon as they're published, and feel free to check out some of these other recent articles while you're here:

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