Susan Granger’s DVD Update for week of Friday, Jan. 28th:
Joining forces in “REDS,” retired federal agents played by Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman and John Malkovich discover that just because you’re no longer active with the CIA doesn’t mean you’re not a target of a nefarious plot, pitting wisdom and experience against youthful arrogance and gullibility.
Poignantly, perceptively reflecting on John Lennon’s childhood, “Nowhere Boy” reveals an angst-ridden, rebellious 15 year-old (Aaron Johnson) raised by his prim Aunt Mimi (Kristin Scott Thomas), not realizing that the woman he knows as his vivacious, free-spirited Aunt Julie (Anne-Marie Duff) is really his mother.
The Western genre is revived in “Red Hill,” a raw Australian thriller in which a city cop (Ryan Kwaten from HBO’s “True Blood”) reports for duty as a newbie officer in the remote, rugged, rural outpost of Red Hill, only to discover that a convicted Aborigine killer has escaped from a nearby maximum-security prison and is determined to wreak blood-splattering vengeance against the sheriff and his deputies.
Violently re-imagining the “Hansel and Gretel” fable, “Bread Crumbs” is a fairy tale of horror deep in a shadowy forest. And a supernaturally skilled conjurer (Don Stewart) and his simian sidekick must defeat a jealous rival and evil doctor in the cult classic “Carnival Magic.”
“Zorro: The Complete Series” contains all 88 episodes of the popular ‘90s Family Channel series, along with bonuses like Douglas Fairbanks’ original silent film “The Mark of Zorro” that defined the “swashbuckler” genre.
“What’s the Matter With Kansas?” is a compelling documentary about the rise of the conservative Tea Party movement in America. And celebrating our 40th President’s 100th Birthday, “Ronald Reagan Centennial Collection” includes eight of the former California Governor’s best-known films.
PICK OF THE WEEK: “Secretariat” is the inspirational true story about the 1973 Triple-Crown winner. Diane Lane plays Penny Chenery Tweedy, who through a coin toss, became owner of an incredibly promising chestnut colt and hired an eccentric French Canadian (John Malkovich) to train him. The stallion’s 31-length victory in the Belmont Stakes is still the greatest horse-racing performance of all time.