Offbeat title, screen biography arrive on DVD
(Editor’s note: Near the beginning of each month, Video View looks at the DVD titles to be released in the next four weeks.)A offbeat title (“The Astronaut Farmer”), a mild import (“Driving Lessons”), a screen biography (“Factory Girl”), a creature feature (“The Host”), a family title (“The Last Mimzy”), a psychological thriller (“The Number 23”), a romantic thriller (“Premonition”), an action epic (“300”) and a factual chiller (“Zodiac”) are the top titles arriving during July. The films are rated as follows: A (very good), B (good), C (fair), D (poor) and F (turkey). Films that have not been previewed are marked NP.
AFTER THE WEDDING (Genius; $19.99, DVD; July 10; B): During this import, a benevolent Danish man, Jacob Petersen (Mads Mikkelsen of “Casino Royale”), devotes himself to running an orphanage and helping poor street children in India. When the orphanage faces closure due to a lack of funds, a mysterious businessman offers a donation of $4 million under the condition that Petersen returns to his homeland to attend a wedding. At that ceremony, some uncomfortable truths are revealed. Susanne Bier (“Open Hearts”) directed the intriguing picture, which received a 2006 Oscar nomination as best-foreign-language film. (120 minutes) Harsh four-letter profanity, sexual elements. (R)
THE ASTRONAUT FARMER (Warner; $27.99, DVD; July 10; B-): In this far-fetched but heartfelt story, Billy Bob Thornton (“School for Scoundrels”) plays a hard-working rancher who once was an astronaut and had an opportunity to blast off with NASA. Due to a family tragedy, he was never able to do that, so he convinces his wife (Virginia Madsen of “Firewall”) and three children to help him build a rocket in his barn so that he can blast into space. On the surface, it seems silly and some of the plot turns stretch credibility to the breaking point, but certain uplifting elements should touch the hearts, if not the minds, of forgiving family audiences. (104 minutes) Scenes of danger and peril, mild language. (PG)
AVENUE MONTAIGNE (ThinkFilm; $27.99, DVD; July 17; B): Cecile de France (“Russian Dolls”) stars in this European comedy about a waitress who becomes involved with people from the worlds of art, theater, fashion and music who eat at an affordable caf? in Paris. The import is being shown in French with subtitles. Quality rating based on Web and wire-service reports. (106 minutes) Strong language, brief sex. (PG-13)
DRIVING LESSONS (Sony; $24.99, DVD; July 3; C+): In this mildly entertaining British import, a feisty veteran actress (Julie Walters of “Calendar Girls’) teaches a shy 17-year-old (Rupert Grint of the “Harry Potter’ series) how to start embracing life and stop hiding from it. Laura Linney (“You Can Count on Me’) co-stars as the teen’s religious mother who wants to see her son praying, not dating. (98 minutes) Harsh four-letter profanity, sexual elements. (PG-13)
FACTORY GIRL (Genius; $28.99, DVD; July 17; B-): A troubled script plagues this biography, which stars the gifted Sienna Miller (“Casanova”) in a decadent drama about the initially glamorous, ultimately tragic life of Andy Warhol’s 1960s’ “it girl” Edie Sedgwick. Guy Pearce (“Memento”) plays the controlling Warhol, and Hayden Christensen (“Star Wars: Episode I”) appears as a Bob Dylan-like folk singer who tries to coax the ill-fated Sedgwick away from the eccentric artist. (91 minutes) Pervasive drug use, strong sexual content, nudity, harsh four-letter profanity. (R)
FIREHOUSE DOG (Fox; $29.99, DVD; July 31; B-): During this kid-friendly canine comedy with Josh Hutcherson (“Bridge to Terabithia”), a four-legged Hollywood star gets lost far from Tinsel Town. The animal eventually ends up in a town and is adopted by firefighters who are then inspired by the very-smart shaggy dog. Quality rating based on Web and wire-service reports. (111 minutes) Scenes of action peril, mile crude humor and language. (PG)
THE HILLS HAVE EYES 2: (Fox; $29.99, DVD; July 31; C): In this follow-up, starring Michael McMillian (TV’s “Big Love”) and Jessica Stroup (“School for Scoundrels”), some new recruits to the National Guard stop at a remote research post in New Mexico. They then battle deadly cannibalistic beings who are seeking women to use as “breeders” to keep their mutant clan alive. Quality rating based on Web and wire-service reports. (89 minutes) Gruesome violence, rape, harsh four-letter profanity. (R)
THE HOST (Magnolia; $26.99, DVD; $34.99, Blu-ray Disc; July 24; B+): This inspired creature-feature import, starring Kang-ho Song, ranks as South Korea’s highest-grossing movie of all time. In the picture, directed by the very talented Joon-ho Bong, the U.S. military dumps some toxic chemicals into Seoul’s Han River. A couple of years later, a flesh-eating monster, which is about the size of a Hummer and faster than a Porsche, comes out of the depths and hits the shore looking for food. It’s simultaneously funny, scary and touching. (119 minutes) Violence, harsh four-letter profanity. (R)
THE LAST MIMZY (New Line; $28.99, DVD; July 10; B-): In this family adventure, starring Rainn Wilson (TV’s “The Office”), Timothy Hutton (“Ordinary People”) and Michael Clarke Duncan (“The Green Mile”), a brother and sister discover a toy from the future. They then develop incredible and frightening talents while playing with it. Quality rating based on Web and wire-service reports. (94 minutes) Scenes of peril, mild language. (PG)
THE NUMBER 23 (New Line; $28.99, DVD; July 17; C): In this strained psychological thriller, a seemingly ordinary guy (Jim Carrey of “The Truman Show”) blames a series of numbers for causing his world to be turned into a living hell. The material, which concerns a man who’s haunted by extreme and bizarre visions, has potential but fails to grab the viewer. Virginia Madsen also stars and Joel Schumacher (“The Phantom of the Opera”) directed. (96 minutes) Violence, sex, harsh four-letter profanity, disturbing images. (Unrated and R)
PATHFINDER (Fox; $29.99, DVD; July 31; C-): Karl Urban (the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy), Moon Bloodgood (“Eight Below”), Russell Means (“The Last of the Mohicans”) and Clancy Brown (“Highlander”) star in this lame action tale. In the story, a Viking boy is left behind after Viking warriors retreat following a battle with an Indian tribe. The tribe members then raise the boy, who helps them fight the sadistic Vikings when they return years later to get revenge and locate the child they left behind. Marcus Nispel, who helmed “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” remake, directed. (78 minutes) Brutal violence throughout. (R)
PERFUME: THE STORY OF A MURDERER (Paramount; $29.99, DVD; July 24; B+): Viewers will find this offbeat tale either intoxicating or infuriating, with little middle ground. British newcomer Ben Whishaw, Dustin Hoffman (“Stranger Than Fiction”) and Alan Rickman (the “Harry Potter” series) star in this 18th-century epic about an abused orphan who grows into a serial killer obsessed with combining aromas into powerful fragrances. German filmmaker Tom Tykwer (“Run Lola Run”) directed the strikingly different picture, based on the best-selling novel by Patrick Suskind. (147 minutes) Aberrant behavior, nudity, violence, sex, disturbing images. (R)
PREMONITION (Sony; $28.99, DVD; $38.99, Blu-ray Disc; July 17; C): During this flimsy psychological thriller, a wife (Sandra Bullock of “The Lake House”) is told by police that her husband (Julian McMahon of TV’s “Nip/Tuck”) died in a car crash. Upon awakening the next morning, she finds him still alive, realizes she has had a premonition and then struggles to change the future by keeping him safe. Nia Long (“Are We There Yet?”) co-stars, and German filmmaker Mennan Yapo (“Soundless”) directed the disappointing suspense tale that seems like a combination of a soap opera, “Twilight Zone” episode and Dr. Phil marriage-encounter seminar. (110 minutes) Violence, disturbing images, adult themes, profanity. (PG-13)
PUCCINI FOR BEGINNERS (Strand; $27.99, DVD; July 3; B-): Gretchen Mol (“The Notorious Bettie Page”) stars in this screwball sex comedy about a woman who loves her girlfriend but can’t totally commit to the same-sex relationship. Quality rating based on Web and wire-service reports. (82 minutes) (Unrated)
SLOW BURN (Lionsgate; $27.99, DVD; July 24; C): Ray Liotta (“GoodFellas”), LL Cool J (“Deep Blue Sea”) and Jolene Blalock (TV’s “Star Trek: Enterprise”) star in this contrived thriller about a district attorney dealing with a gang leader, being manipulated by an assistant and facing an unknown enemy. Quality rating based on Web and wire-service reports. (93 minutes) Sex, violence harsh four-letter profanity. (R)
STARTER FOR TEN (HBO; $27.99, DVD; July 10; B): A working-class British student (James McAvoy of “The Last King of Scotland”) runs into various problems and has different relationships during his first year at the upper-crust Bristol University in 1985. David Nicholls wrote the screenplay based on his novel. Quality rating based on Web and wire-service reports. (96 minutes) Sex, profanity, a scene of drug use. (PG-13)
SWEET LAND (Fox; $27.99, DVD; July 10; B): In this 1920-set drama, a woman (Elizabeth Reaser of “The Family Stone”) travels from Norway to Minnesota as a postal bride to be married to an American (Tim Guinee of “Ladder 49”). The couple then face numerous hardships while building a life together. Quality rating based on Web and wire-service reports. (110 minutes) Brief partial nudity, mild language. (PG)
300 (Warner; $28.99, DVD; $34.99, two-disc, special-edition DVD; $34.99, Blu-ray Disc; $39.99, HD DVD; July 31; A-): Blood, sweat and spears dominate the screen in this epic adaptation of Frank Miller’s popular graphic novel about the battle of Thermopylae in which just 300 Spartan warriors held off the army of Persia, killing thousands of the invaders and changing the course of history. Zack Snyder (“Dawn of the Dead’ remake) directed the visually impressive, heavily stylized picture, which was created via state-of-the-art, computer-enhanced imagery. The actors playing the Spartan soldiers, including Gerard Butler (“The Phantom of the Opera’), spent six hours a day – two devoted to sword-fighting moves and four to body-building techniques – over a six-week rehearsal period preparing for the highly intense action scenes in the strikingly original cinematic achievement that ranks as a work of pop art. (116 minutes) Graphic battle sequences, some sexual elements and nudity. (R)
ZODIAC (Paramount; $29.99, DVD; July 24; B): Director David Fincher (“Fight Club”) takes almost three hours to tell the story of the elusive serial killer who terrorized residents in the San Francisco area in the late 1960s and early 1970s and how his hateful crimes impacted the detectives who investigated the case.
and the journalists who covered it. Jake Gyllenhaal (“Brokeback Mountain”), Robert Downey Jr. (“Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang”), Anthony Edwards (TV’s “ER”) and Mark Ruffalo (“Collateral”) star in the intense, detailed picture, which proves ultimately unnerving and truly gets under a viewer’s skin. (156 minutes) Strong violence, harsh four-letter profanity, brief sexual images, drug material. (R)