New on DVD
Safe House stars Ryan Reynolds as a CIA agent who wants some action, and gets his wish in the form of Tobin Frost ( Denzel Washington), a rogue agent suspected of treason.
SAFE HOUSE
Just like the stripper, prostitute and gangland assassin, the CIA agent has been glamorized on the big screen. Trained to believe the bullets will fly at any moment, the bored agent’s eyes glaze over like a Tim’s doughnut. Certainly, that’s the case for Ryan Reynolds’ Matt Weston, a rookie agent taking care of a safe house where he spends the day twiddling his thumbs. Matt wants some action, and he gets his wish in the form of Tobin Frost ( Denzel Washington), a rogue agent suspected of treason. Frost is in custody when he’s brought into the safe house, but he busts out, accusing his bosses of corruption and threatening to get even. This smart, well- acted thriller doesn’t reinvent the wheel — but gives it spinner rims. Special features include digital copy, second screen experience, and shooting the safe house attack.
JOHN CARTER
It’s big. It’s bold. It’s incredibly silly and will go down as one of the biggest flops in Disney history. Yet, the only thing truly wrong with John Carter — the mega- budget action flick that spans galaxies and eras of human history — is the mismatch between source and ambition. Director Andrew Stanton tried to make a splashy, sophisticated picture. But the premise of a Civil War vet going to Mars and saving an alien race is so cheesy, the movie had to immerse itself in a Saturday matinee feel to really work any magic. Special features include digital copy, Barsoom bloopers.
MACHINEGUN PREACHER
Everyone loves a reclamation story, but even the saintliest recreation feels a little shallow at the end of a gun barrel. That said, this story of a convicted drug dealer and biker gang member who finds Jesus and brings vigilante justice to the Sudan runs into problems. Based on the real life transformation of Sam Childers, this Marc Foster ( Finding Neverland, Quantum of Solace) movie stars Gerard Butler as Childers and Michelle Monaghan as his frazzled wife, a woman who must watch as her entire safety net is forfeited for a group of kids half a world away. The film is awash in moral grey zones, but the writers tried to hammer Hollywood values into the frame, ensuring the whole structure feels lopsided — and just a little too pushy. Special features include a spotlight on the music, trailer.
ACT OF VALOR
Army recruitment efforts have given us some of the most important artifacts of our time. As a result, it’s no surprise the people looking for human sacrifice have latched on to the power of the motion picture and produced Act of Valor. A red, white and blue ode to patriotic bloodletting, Act of Valor stars real life Navy Seals as, um, Navy Seals assigned to free a CIA agent from a group of baddies nesting in the jungle. The dialogue and acting are just plain lame as they desperately attempt to glorify wholesale killing in the name of international justice. Special features include deleted scenes, director commentary and more.
W. E.
Madonna takes on the directing reins in this second effort, and once again proves she’s got a great feel for design, but no narrative touch. The upside is the performance value generated by the two leads, Andrea Riseborough and Abbie Cornish. Everything feels a little soapy in this bodice- ripper that eventually bores.
MAN ON A LEDGE
The cast is tremendous: Sam Worthington, Elizabeth Banks, Jamie Bell, Anthony Mackie and Ed Harris. Worthington plays the “jumper,” a man who walks onto the ledge of a Manhattan hotel in the opening scene. He seems awfully together for a man about to commit suicide, and that’s because he’s hatched a complex plan to clear his own name from the windowsill. Overly complex and emotionally vacuous, the story feels like an afterthought that eventually slips and goes splat — without a single scream of true horror. Special features include The Ledge featurette.
JOURNEY 2 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND:
A family movie steeped in special effects, Journey 2 picks up where Journey to the Centre of the Earth left off — halfway between Jules Verne’s source material and Hollywood inanity. Josh Hutcherson returns as a kid hoping to solve the mystery of a family disappearance. He gets help from Dwayne Johnson, a former Navy code breaker who helps him decrypt “Vernian” messages. Special features include digital download, gag reel and deleted scenes.