DVD Update for week of Friday, May 14th:
Since newcomers are raking in big bucks as vampires, it’s not surprising that Ethan Hawke and Willem Dafoe drink blood in “Daybreakers,” a stylish, sci-fi caper set in the fanged future when humans are hunted to feed the undead.
Based on a true story, Philipp Stolzl’s “North Face” explores the mythology of extreme mountaineering in a gripping adventure/drama about the 1936 Nazi competition to climb the legendary Eiger, the most dangerous rock face in the Alps.
“Disgrace” adapts J.M. Coetzee’s best-seller of postapartheid South Africa, as a Cape Town college professor (John Malkovich) and his grown daughter (Jessica Haines) face hardships after he’s forced from his job after it’s revealed that he seduced a student.
After four years without a marriage proposal, an enterprising young woman (Amy Adams) takes matters into her own hands in the rom-com “Leap Year” and follows her boyfriend (Adam Scott) to Dublin to pop the question on February 29th
Doug Pray’s “Art and Copy” is an interview-propelled assessment of advertising and inspiration, revealing the work and wisdom of some of the most experienced pros. And “Mine” follows New Orleans residents as they attempt the daunting task of reuniting with the pets that – after Hurrican Katrina – were adopted by animal lovers all over the country and chronicles the custody battles that arise when two families love the same pet. The filmmakers look into what determines the fate of the animals – and the people – and examines how we treat animals as an extension of how we view and treat each other.
From the sublime to the ridiculous: “Icons Among Us: Jazz in the Present Tense” documents the metamorphosis of jazz by showcasing 75 influential musicians, while “Pulling John” explores the sweat-drenched world of arm wrestling, as John Brzenk decides whether to retire as champion or succumb to an inevitable loss.
PICK OF THE WEEK: Mel Gibson unleashes maniacal anger in “Edge of Darkness,” a violent, revenge-fueled thriller, playing a grief-stricken veteran homicide detective whose 24 year-old daughter is gunned down on the doorstep of his Boston home.