Susan Granger’s DVD Update for week of Fri., Nov. 25:
Adapted from Tatiana de Rosney’s best-seller, “Sarah’s Key” is a sincere, yet searing, Holocaust guilt-ridden tale, starring Kristin Scott-Thomas as an expat-American journalist in Paris who discovers a family connection with the Nazi-sympathetic Vichy Regime’s infamous July 16, 1942, Vel d’Hiv round-up and imprisonment of Jews.
Hunky half-Hawaiian actor Jason Momoa stars in the recent revenge-propelled, savage remake of “Conan The Barbarian,” along with Ron Perlman, Stephen Lang and Rose McGowan.
Patrick Dempsey and Ashley Judd get caught in a sticky situation in “Flypaper,” a madcap crime comedy as two gangs of robbers descend on the same bank.
Back in 1988, director Cynthia Beatt and actress Tilda Swinton took a filmic journey along the Berlin Wall to create the short film, “Cycling the Frame. More than 20 years later – after the Wall came down – they retraced their ride in “The Invisible Frame” – presenting a poetic, meditative view of one of the most important events of the 20th century.
“Dahling: A Tribute to Zsa-Zsa Gabor” celebrates the Hungarian beauty whom Merv Grffin once described as “glamour personified.” And for those who are passionate about food and dining, “Le Cirque: A Table in Heaven” is an intimate portrait of restaurateur Sirio Maccioni and his three sons.
Just in time for the upcoming holidays, “Becoming Santa” is a humorous documentary that follows one man’s journey to regain his Christmas spirit, as he interviews historians and professional Santas.
But “Spy Kids: All the Time in the World” is a low-budget, gimmicky follow-up to Robert Rodriguez’ kidpic trilogy, featuring Jessica Alba, Jeremy Piven, and the original Spy Kid Alexa Vega.
Perfect for this weekend there’s “Giving Thanks…and More Stories to Celebrate American Heritage.” And for preschoolers, there’s “Thomas & Friends: Steam Team Collection,” a four-dvd pack of 16 fun-filled tales, and “Timmy Time: Go-Kart Timmy” with the lovable lamb and his barnyard buddies.
PICK OF THE WEEK: “Super 8” is J.J. Abrams’ sci-fi fantasy/adventure, set in suburban Ohio in 1979, when geeky middle-school students, who are making a Super 8 zombie movie, encounter strange, inexplicable occurrences caused by some kind of alien creature who escaped from captivity.