New DVD Releases for the Week of May 12 2009
Here is a list of the new DVD Releases for the week of May 12 2009 (for TV on DVD releases head over to Daemon’s TV):
Taken
Synopsis: Liam Neeson stars in this action-packed international thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. When his estranged daughter is kidnapped in Paris, a former spy (Neeson) sets out to find her at any cost. Relying on his special skills, he tracks down the ruthless gang that abducted her and launches a one-man war to bring them to justice and rescue his daughter.
Cast: Liam Neeson, Famke Janssen, Maggie Grace, Katie Cassidy, Goran Kostic, Anatole Taubman
Director: Pierre Morel
Recommendations: If you haven’t seen Liam Neeson go all Jason Bourne, then you’re missing out. Definitely a movie worth buying, seriously people were cheering in the theater.
Buy it: TAKEN on Amazon (also available on Blu-ray)
Passengers
Synopsis: After a plane crash, a young therapist, Claire (Anne Hathaway), is assigned by her mentor (Andre Braugher) to counsel the flight’s five survivors. When they share their recollections of the incident – which some say include an explosion that the airline claims never happened – Claire is intrigued by Eric (Patrick Wilson), the most secretive of the passengers. Just as Claire’s professional relationship with Eric – despite her better judgment – blossoms into a romance, the survivors begin to disappear mysteriously, one by one. Claire suspects that Eric may hold all the answers and becomes determined to uncover the truth, no matter the consequences.
Cast: Anne Hathaway, Patrick Wilson, David Morse, Andre Braugher, Clea DuVall, Dianne Wiest, Chelah Horsdal, Ryan Robbins
Director: Rodrigo García
Recommendations: I’ve been meaning to see Passengers for a while now. Plus I enjoy a lot of what Rodrigo García does, like HBO’s In Treatment, for which he is the executive producer and writer.
Buy it: PASSENGERS on Amazon (also available on Blu-ray)
Personal Effects
Synopsis: A young man arrives in a small town seeking vengeance for the murder of his sister and falls for a stunning older woman with her own psychological scars.
Cast: Ashton Kutcher, Michelle Pfeiffer, Kathy Bates
Director: David Hollander
Recommendations: I know this is a straight to DVD movie, but Michelle Pfeiffer and Ashton Kutcher are in it, so it’s worth a look.
Buy it: PERSONAL EFFECTS on Amazon (also available on Blu-ray)
Lying
Synopsis: A long weekend brings four women together in the countryside. Virtual strangers, the women are forced to navigate the depths of social interaction. On the surface all seems placid. But the atmosphere of calm is a facade.
Cast: Chloë Sevigny, Jena Malone, Maya Goldsmith, Halley Wegryn Gross, Leelee Sobieski, Henry Gummer
Director: M. Blash
Recommendations: This could either be very good or very boring, but because of the cast, I’ll give it a shot.
Buy it: LYING on Amazon
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
Synopsis: UNDERWORLD: RISE OF THE LYCANS delves into the origins of the centuries-old blood feud between the aristocratic vampires, known as Death Dealers, and the barbaric Lycans (werewolves). A young Lycan, Lucian (Michael Sheen), emerges as a powerful leader who rallies the werewolves to rise up against Viktor (Bill Nighy), the cruel vampire king who has persecuted them for hundreds of years. Lucian is joined by his secret lover, the beautiful vampire Sonja (Rhona Mitra), in his battle to free the Lycans from their brutal enslavement.
Cast: Michael Sheen, Bill Nighy, Rhona Mitra, Shane Brolly
Director: Patrick Tatopoulos
Recommendations: I did hear some good things about this one when it was in theaters, so I’m curious to find out whether it’s any good.
Buy it: UNDERWORLD: RISE OF THE LYCANS on Amazon (also available on Blu-ray)
In Tranzit
Synopsis: In the chaotic aftermath of WWII, a group of German POWs are accidentally sent to a female-run Soviet prison camp. When the guards are given the task of weeding out the SS officers, they play a bitter game of cat and mouse with the prisoners. Each group slowly learns that situations are not what they seem; prejudices are sometimes unjustly held; and love can be found in even the harshest places.
Cast: Thomas Kretschmann, Vera Farmiga, Daniel Brühl, John Malkovich
Director: Tom Roberts
Recommendations: In Tranzit has a really great cast and so I’ll just watch it based on that.
Buy it: IN TRANZIT on Amazon
