Susan Granger’s DVD Update for week of Fri., May 25:
In his first major post-Harry Potter film, “The Woman in Black, “Daniel Radcliffe plays a cash-strapped, guilt-ridden widower who is dispatched as an estate solicitor to sort out the papers of an elderly recluse who lived in a sinister Victorian mansion that’s haunted by a revenge-seeking ghost.
McG’s chaotically messy action comedy “This Means War” finds hunky CIA agents/best friends (Chris Pine, Tom Hardy) wooing and watching an uptight consumer products tester (Reese Witherspoon), while Edward Burns and Caitlin Fitzgerald are “Newlyweds” who seem to have it all until an unexpected family member (Kerry Bishe) disrupts their daily routine, making them question their relationship.
In the sci-fi drama “Perfect Sense,” Ewan McGregor and Eva Green are lonely, damaged strangers who come together to face a global catastrophe in Glasgow, Scotland.
CG-enhanced aerial dogfights and a final moment of genuine respect highlight “Red Tails,” George Lucas’s tribute to the courageous Tuskegee airmen of W.W. II.
Based on Michael Murphy’s best-selling novel, “Golf in the Kingdom” follows a young American philosophy student (Mason Gamble) who’s unexpectedly paired with a mysterious, mischievous golf pro (David O’Hara).
Robin Hessman’s award-winning documentary “My Perestroika” tells the stories of five former schoolmates in Moscow who were brought up behind the Iron Curtain, providing vivid accounts of their sheltered Soviet childhood, through the collapse of the USSR during their teenage years.
Theater-goers will appreciate “Carol Channing: Larger than Life,” a captivating celebration honoring this legendary performer whose life is as colorful as her big, bright smile.
For foreign film aficionados, “Certified Copy” is a playful, metaphysical mind-game, starring Juliette Binoche, who won the coveted best actress prize at the Cannes Film Festival for this role. And “Norwegian Wood” is Vietnamese filmmaker Tran Anh Hung’s adaptation of Murakami’s novel.
And “Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Alpha” was made to coincide with this week’s release of Ubisoft’s highly-anticipated “Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Future Soldier” video game.
PICK OF THE WEEK: Based on Mary Norton’s beloved children’s book series, “The Borrowers,” the gently enchanting “Secret World of Arrietty” reveals a race of miniature people who live, undetected, in perfect harmony with nature – as detailed in wondrous Japanese animation.