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31 Aug ' 16:47
Updated August 31, 2010 Harry BrownSony, 103 min., R, DVD: $27.99, Blu-ray: $30.99, Aug. 31 
This Death Wish with an English accent benefits from director Daniel Barber’s sophisticated and stylish approach to the pulpy subject matter. Of course, it also helps that Michael Caine stars as the titular vengeful vigilante, bringing depth and complexity to the flawed but sympathetic character of Harry Brown, a pensioner living in a decaying London flat who lost his daughter years ago and is now visiting his dying wife in the hospital. When Harry’s best friend is killed by local thugs and the police fail to make any arrests, the aging former soldier takes matters into his own hands—at first by accident, but then with grim determination as the corpses begin to pile up. In purely narrative terms, Harry Brown is a fairly standard-issue revenge story, but it towers over wretched Hollywood versions of the formula, depicting a gritty, realistic milieu in contrast to over-the-top American movies like 2007’s Death Sentence (and even when Barber shows us something horrendously awful, he adds a touch of sly surrealism). Caine delivers a convincing performance, turning what might have been a cheap melodrama into a rather moving tale of an elderly man’s valedictory crusade against callous brutality. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary (with director Daniel Barber, producer Kris Thykier, and Michael Caine), deleted scenes (17 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are a “movieIQ” track and the BD-Live function. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a film anchored by a winning central performance.] (
Killers 
Lionsgate, 93 min., PG-13, DVD: $29.95, Blu-ray: $39.99, Sept. 7
Recently jilted Jen Kornfeldt (Katherine Heigl) is on the French Riviera with her intimidating, skeet-shooting father (Tom Selleck) and overprotective, alcoholic mother (Catherine O’Hara) when she bumps into hunky Spencer Aimes (Ashton Kutcher) on the elevator. One thing leads to another, and three years later they’re happily married, with a starter mansion in a gated community. What Jen doesn’t know is that Spencer’s been hiding his double identity, desperately trying to ditch his previous life as an international superspy/hit man. But soon after his 30th birthday, the pair discover that there’s a $20 million bounty on his head, which leads them to see danger everywhere (turning their so-called friends and neighbors into potential assassins) as they dodge perceived threats while trying to keep up appearances. Director Robert Luketic’s Killers borrows liberally from earlier films, most notably the Brad Pitt/Angelina Jolie vehicle Mr. & Mrs. Smith and the Arnold Schwarzenegger/Jamie Lee Curtis hit True Lies. But unlike their models, Heigl and Kutcher fail to ignite any convincing chemistry, an admittedly difficult proposition anyway given Kutcher’s smirking blandness. A purported action comedy, Killers is DOA. Not recommended. (
MarmadukeFox, 87 min., PG, DVD: $29.99, Blu-ray: $39.99, Aug. 31 
Based on the popular single-panel newspaper cartoon created by Brad Anderson and Phil Leeming, this live-action, kid-centric comedy centers on the titular galumphing Great Dane and his hapless human family. The story begins as workaholic advertising exec Phil Winslow (Lee Pace), his wife (Judy Greer), and their three children move from Kansas toOrange County ,California Survival of the DeadMagnolia, 90 min., R, DVD: $26.98, Blu-ray: $29.98, Aug. 24 
George A. Romero’s sixth zombie movie in the series he launched in 1968 with Night of the Living Dead finds Sarge Crocket (Alan Van Sprang), the leader of a ragtag bunch of post-apocalyptic military deserters (introduced in 2007’s Diary of the Dead), fleeing the ravenous undead. A video invitation for survivors to come to an island off the Delaware coast convinces him to lead his troupe in that direction. What Sarge doesn’t know, however, is that the invite was issued by the patriarch (Kenneth Welsh) of the O’Flynn family, who’s been expelled by the leader (Richard Fitzpatrick) of the rival Muldoons because of differences in approach to dealing with their local zombies (the O’Flynns favor execution; the Muldoons, rehabilitation). When a civil war between the clans is renewed, the newcomers are dragged into the quarrel and most of them bite the proverbial dust in a variety of bloody ways. Romero’s films have always carried a subtext with social commentary, so here the island serves as a microcosm of a world in which nations cherish their traditional enmities to an absurd extent. But for most viewers, the message will be less of a draw than the mayhem, which is pretty much nonstop and repetitive throughout. Although it boasts occasional suspenseful sequences, Survival of the Dead is still unlikely to appeal beyond Romero’s fan base.
The Wind JourneysFilm Movement, 120 min., in Spanish w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: $24.99 
From Colombian writer-director Ciro Guerra comes this fable-like tale of celebrated troubadour Ignacio Carrillo (Marciano Martínez), whose accordion—according to rumor—belonged to the devil, and young musician Fermin Morales (Yull Núñez), who wants to learn from the master, as he follows Ignacio through lush forests, arid deserts, and mountain villages. It’s a classic template: Ignacio, mourning the death of his wife, embarks on a quest to right an old wrong, along the way begrudgingly mentoring Fermin (who may, in fact, be his own son). The texture is stronger than the story in The Wind Journeys, which features dueling instruments, community concerts, and grudge fights in a hardscrabble peasant world, where master musicians receive the respect of shamans, and superstition and sorcery are part of everyday life. Slow and contemplative, the film won’t suit all tastes, but it features beautiful landscapes, an interesting look at agrarian lifestyles, and a unique musical culture (from a rural rap battle with players improvising rhyming insults to a dynamic drum ceremony). A strong optional purchase.S. Axmaker
[Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary with filmmaker Raymond De Felitta, and producer/star Andy Garcia, a “Dinner with the Rizzos” cast and crew featurette (16 min.), deleted scenes (16 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is a bonus digital copy of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for an uneven film.] (
might have worked as a three-minute Looney Tunes short, when dragged out past 90, it will test even young viewers’ patience. Not recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary (by director Roger Kumble, and costars Brendan Fraser and Brooke Shields), the production featurettes “The Pitfalls of Pratfalls” (10 min.) and “Working with Animals” (9 min.), deleted scenes (6 min.), a gag reel (4 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is a bonus DVD copy of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a disappointing film.] (F. Swietek [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include deleted scenes (5 min.). Bottom line: a paltry extras package for a thin satire.] (
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