DVD Releases for Week of 8/13/2012
It's a great week for DVDs! Several good films were released yesterday!
'The Hunger Games' - Based on the popular best selling series by Suzanne Collins, this excellent adaptation is loaded with terrific acting and superb storytelling. Jennifer Lawrence is outstanding as the heroine Katniss Everdeen who steps up to take the place of her baby sister in 'The Hunger Games', a kill or be killed tournament. The violence, while raw, is filled with emotion as Katniss is forced to make impossible choices in an equally impossible situation. Supporting cast members Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Donald Sutherland and even Lenny Kravitz bring their A game. The opening film to the trilogy is a fantastic start and a must see.
'The Raid: Redemption' - No character development here - just a high rise filled with gang members and one elite force of cops sent in to bring them to justice. 'The Raid: Redemption' is proof that the action genre is alive and well. Sure, it is subtitled, but who cares? There is nothing to really read anyway - just sit back and marvel at the high octane martial arts and breath taking stunts.
'The Snowtown Murders' - A no name director, Justin Kurzel, brings together a no name cast in this unrelenting, unnerving and totally engrossing thriller that will leave you exhausted but emotionally impacted by the end. 16 year old Jamie is befriended by a quietly dark yet very charismatic John Bunting. As their relationship develops, Jamie's suspicions grow until he is tested between his loyalty for his newly found father figure and the startling truth that he is in fact a serial killer.
'Kill List' - Part thriller, part family drama and part horror film, this mind bending blend of films will blow you away. It starts slow, but it is a slow burn that will keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time. It's bloody and violent, so prepare for that, but the substance behind that will leave you exhausted but entertained. Jay is an ex-soldier turned contract killer; after a botched job in Kiev leaves him scared, both mentally and physically, he hesitantly accepts a new job that plunges him into the very disturbing and horrifying situation. Part psychological thriller, part action film, part family drama, director Ben Wheatley weaves a complex story that was deemed the 'Best Horror Film of the Year'.
'Hick' - Small town teenager runs away from home to Las Vegas and along the way becomes entrapped in drugs, murder and sex. I am not even sure why this movie was even made or what the point of it was. Other than to get a quick pay day for Alec Baldwin (totally wasted here) and Rory Culkin (I still think NONE of the Culkins should ever be allowed near a script again).