Susan’s DVD Update for week of Fri., Jan. 7:
“Catfish” is a suspenseful reality documentary of online intrigue, examining a bizarre twist in social networking, as three curious New Yorkers drive to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to meet a mysterious woman after a steamy cyberspace encounter.
Steve Carell and Paul Rudd co-star in “Dinner for Schmucks,” a silly, screwball comedy about a hapless, buck-toothed nerd who latches onto an ambitious businessman.
Philip Seymour Hoffman directs and stars in “Jack Goes Boating,” a sensitive, slice-of-life story about lonely, middle-aged people yearning to make an emotional connection; it’s somewhat reminiscent of Paddy Chayefsky’s 1950 classic “Marty.”
Based on the book by Leroy Aarons, Sigourney Weaver stars in “Prayers for Bobby,” an emotionally wrenching, true story about a deeply religious suburban housewife who struggles with her conservative Christian beliefs to accept her son’s homosexuality.
In “Grindhouse,” Robert Rodriguez referred to a fake movie called “Machete,” starring craggy-faced veteran character actor Danny Trejo (“Desperado,” “Con Air”), and now “Machete” has become a testosterone- fueled homage to ‘70s exploitation pictures.
In the romantic comedy “Coyote County Loser,” a struggling radio station has a reversal of fortune when a suave radio jock initiates a contest to find the “biggest loser” in town and help him woo the woman of his dreams.
Everyone loves to read wonderfully wicked food and restaurant reviews, except one crazed, temperamental chef, played by James LeGros, who has just been panned in the gut-churning, dark and scary thriller “Bitter Feast, co-starring celebrity chef Mario Batali.
For preschoolers, there’s “Barney: Musical Zoo,” “Bob the Builder: The Golden Hammer,” “Fireman Sam: Ready for Action” and a new Engine friend, Scruff, makes his debut in “Thomas & Friends: Wobbly Wheels and Whistles!” Looking ahead, the heartwarming Peanuts special “A Charlie Brown Valentine” is now available.
PICK OF THE WEEK: Before catapulting to international acclaim in “127 Hours,” James Franco starred in “Howl,” playing Allen Ginsburg, Greenwich Village’s legendary Beat Poet; the plot pivots on the 1957 court case about obscenity, and the supporting cast includes Jon Hamm, David Strathairn, Bob Balaban, Jeff Daniels and Mary-Louise Parker.