VIDEO RELEASES 7/21/09

[Dennis Willis]

This week's video releases, all available on DVD, Blu-ray or the streaming service of your choice.

Nightmarish fantasies, know-it-all computers! anti-superheroes and one has-been D-lister! This week's video and DVD releases prove that the grass isn't always greener on the other side of the alternate universe!

CORALINE
Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, Keith David, Robert Bailey Jr., Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French, John Hodgman, Ian McShane
SCR: Henry Selick; Based on the novella by Neil Gaiman
DIR: Henry Selick
PG / 1:41 / BOX: $75,028,061
www.coraline.com
Coraline hates her boring life and discovers a mirror universe where everything appears better. Of course, it's not. This harkens back to The Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland and even Spirited Away. Stop-motion director Selick adapts Gaiman’s graphic novel in nightmarishly brilliant 3D stop-motion animation. Think about that for just a moment: every frame, animated by hand in 3D. As dark, creepy and wildly imaginative as it is, it’s nothing short of a minor miracle. (Focus Features)

ECHELON CONSPIRACY
Shane West, Edward Burns, Ving Rhames, Jonathan Pryce, Martin Sheen
SCR: Kevin Elders, Michael Nitsberg
DIR: Greg Marcks
PG-13 / 1:45 / BOX: $666,009
echelonconspiracy.com
Slick techno thriller borrows from similar flicks and in some ways benefits from its lower budget. It’s also rooted in reality: Echelon is an information-gathering network that analyzes million of pieces of electronic data every day. West receives a cell phone that spits out mysterious SMS text messages that reveal when to play certain slot machines or how to avoid planes that are going to crash. He attracts the attention of FBI agent Rhames and casino owner Burns, not to mention landing at the center of a deadly international plot. West is a bit slight and twitchy, suggesting a weird mix between Matthew Perry and Leonardo DiCaprio. The poor guy has to hold his own against heavyweights Rhames and Sheen, who bring their A-game mofo mojo. (After Dark Films)

THE GREAT BUCK HOWARD
Colin Hanks, John Malkovich, Emily Blunt, Tom Hanks, Steve Zahn
SCR/DIR: Sean McGinly
PG-13 / 1:27 / BOX: $693,512
www.greatbuckhowardmovie.com
Colin Hanks (who at times looks a lot like his father), drops out of law school and finds a job as a road manager for faded celebrity magician – ahem, mentalist – Malkovich as he attempts the comeback of a lifetime. This movie taps into that strange and kinda sad subgenre of has-been performers trying to hang on to a bit of notoriety, but never gets too maudlin or sentimental. In this case, the Great Buck Howard is notorious for his 61 appearances on Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show (a running joke is his disdain for Jay Leno). Hanks manages to hold his own against a focused Malkovich, playing his most likable part in many moons. The beautiful Blunt plays a fiery, boozy publicist. Dad Tom Hanks appears briefly as Colin’s dad, a guy who disapproves of the entertainment industry. (Magnolia)

WATCHMEN
Malin Åkerman, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Carla Gugino, Jackie Earle Haley, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Patrick Wilson
SCR: David Hayter, Alex Tse; Comic Book by Dave Gibbons, Alan Moore
DIR: Zack Snyder
R / 2:42 / BOX: $107,388,630
watchmenmovie.warnerbros.com
Some have called Watchmen the Catcher in the Rye of comic books, and it’s certainly true that this legendary “anti-superhero” superhero saga has had more adventure and drama trying to get to the big screen than most costumed heroes experience saving the planet! The central idea is whether humanity is even worth saving – heady and grumpy stuff for a $150 million caped-hero flick. For the uninitiated, it's a big, bold, talky and visually stunning movie, which, like The Dark Knight, has grandiose ideas. For the faithful, it's an accurate adaptation that does a good job of pairing it all down to 2 hours and 40 minutes. Unlike most movies that end with the Big Battle, this one actually removes the giant squid that destroys half of New York in favor of a more streamlined plot. But I’m still not sure about the barrage of 20th-century pop music that fills up the soundtrack… (Warner Bros.)

TV on DVD:
Hotel: The First Season
Jon & Kate Plus Eight: Season 4, Volume 2
The Mighty Boosh: 1
Monk: Season 7
Prison Break: The Final Break
Psych: The Complete Third Season
Pushing Daisies: The Complete Second Season
Robot Chicken Star Wars: Episode II
Spongebob Squarepants: To Squarepants or Not...
This American Life: Season Two