New DVD Releases for the Week of April 14 2009

Here is a list of the new DVD Releases for the week of April 14 2009 (for TV on DVD releases head over to Daemon’s TV):

The Reader

Synopsis: THE READER is a mesmerizing story of love and secrets, horror and compassion, set against the landscape of post-war Germany. When he falls ill on his way home from school, 15 year-old Michael Berg is rescued by Hanna (Kate Winslet), a woman twice his age. The two begin an unexpected and passionate affair only for Hanna to suddenly and inexplicably disappear. Eight years later, Michael, now a young law student observing Nazi war trials, meets his former lover again, under very different circumstances. Hanna is on trial for a hideous crime, and as she refuses to defend herself, Michael gradually realizes his boyhood love may be guarding a secret she considers to be more shameful than murder.

Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Bruno Ganz, Kate Winslet, David Kross, Lena Olin

Director: Stephen Daldry

Recommendations: Since I haven’t seen The Reader yet, I can’t put it in the must buy category, but Kate Winslet did win an Oscar for her performance in it, so it’s definitely a must rent.

Buy it: THE READER on Amazon (also available on Blu-ray)

Dark Matter

Synopsis: The feature film debut of renowned opera and theater director Chen Shi-Zheng, Dark Matter delves into the world of Liu Xing (Chinese for “Shooting Star”), a Chinese science student pursuing a Ph.D. in the United States in the early 1990s. Driven by ambition, yet unable to navigate academic politics, Liu Xing is inexorably pushed to the margins of American life, until he loses his way.

Cast: Meryl Streep, Val Kilmer, Ye Liu, Aidan Quinn, Bill Irwin

Director: Chen Shi-Zheng

Recommendations: I hadn’t heard of this movie, but since Meryl Streep and Aidan Quinn are starring, I think it’s at least worth a look on TV.

Buy it: DARK MATTER on Amazon

The Spirit

Synopsis: Adapated from the legendary Will Eisner’s graphic novels, “The Spirit” tells the visceral, action-packed story of a man who fakes his own death and fights crime from the shadows of Central City. The Octopus — who kills anyone unfortunate enough to see his face — has a different mission: he’s going to wipe out the entire city. The Spirit tracks this cold-hearted killer from Central City’s rundown warehouses, to the damp catacombs, to the windswept waterfront… all the while facing a bevy of beautiful women who either want to seduce, love or kill our masked crusader. In the vein of “Batman Begins” and “Sin City,” “The Spirit” takes us on a sinister, gut-wrenching ride of a hero who is born, murdered and born again.

Cast: Gabriel Macht, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Eva Mendes, Sarah Paulson, Stana Katic, Johnny Simmons, Dan Lauria, Louis Lombardi, Jaime King, Paz Vega

Director: Frank Miller

Recommendations: I have seen this and unfortunately even though I didn’t want to believe all the negative reviews, they ended up being right.

Buy it: THE SPIRIT on Amazon (also available on Blu-ray)