DVD release highlights, week of October 13, 2009

October 13, 6:58 PMSpokane DVD ExaminerMartha Hokenson

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Here's your roundup of DVD releases for the week of October 13, 2009. Autumn is the time when DVD releases speed up, meaning that movies released in the theater just this summer are already hitting store shelves on DVD and Blu-ray. Among these is the Sandra Bullock / Ryan Reynolds romantic comedy The Proposal. Centered around a demanding editor (Bullock) who fakes an engagement to her assistant (Reynolds) to avoid being deported to Canada, it's sure to be snappy and smart. 

Also on this week's release list comes Drag Me to Hell, directed by Sam Raimi (of Evil Dead and Spiderman fame). Alison Lohman plays a loan officer whose decisions force an elderly woman out of her home; the gypsy in turn places a curse on the unfortunate girl that will lead to her arrival in hell in three days' time--unless she can right her past wrongs. Justin Long (better known as 'the Mac guy') costars as Lohman's boyfriend.

If you like true stories and documentaries, then this week offers you several title choices.  American Violet tells the true story of a young African-American woman who fights back after being falsely accused of dealing drugs. Angels vs. Demons: Fact or Fiction is a Discovery Channel documentary on the controversial bestselling novel (and now movie) from author Dan Brown (The Da Vinci Code); also from the Discovery Channel is Miracle on the Hudson, about spectacular air crash events, and The Shift, about police detectives in Indianapolis, Indiana. National Geographic presents the mystery documentary What Happened to Amelia Earhart? Finally, Every Little Step is a documentary about the hit musical A Chorus Line.

Other movie releases this week include Adoration, Fighter, Flashpoint, Gnaw, Hardware, The Haunted Airman (a thriller starring Robert Pattinson), How to be a Serial Killer, iMurders, Infestation, The Killing Room, Land of the Lost (starring Will Ferrell), Minor Details, and An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving. As you can probably tell from the list, many of these titles are low-budget horror films. Land of the Lost is the only big-budget pick of this group; a remake of the 1970s TV series, it received generally poor marks from critics and viewers alike. If you're lucky, you might also be able to find Jack Brown, Genius, which was co-written and executive produced by Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings). Originally released in the mid-1990s, the film comes to North America for the first time this week on limited-release DVD. The story centers around a monk-turned-inventor named Elmer, who falls to his death while testing a flying machine and is promptly sent to purgatory. One thousand years later, he attempts to communicate with a young inventor and convince him to build the flying machine and prove its worth, thus setting Elmer free from his prison. The film received mixed reviews, but it's worth looking for if you're a fan of Jackson's earlier work.

TV on DVD releases this week include Futurama: The Complete Collection, Girlfriends: Season Seven, Legend of the Seeker: Season One, Married...With Children: Season Eleven, and Some Assembly Required: Seasons One & Two. If you're a fan of the British mysteries and dramedies that we Yanks pick up late at night on PBS, then you might be interested in Inspector Lewis: Series Two, Lovejoy: Season Six, The Mighty Boosh (seasons one through three), or  My Family (season three and four).

That's your roundup for the week. Go to www.imdb.com or www.rottentomatoes.com for more DVD news, reveiws, and trailers. And check back later in the week for a review of The Proposal (rated PG-13).