"As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron axhead fell into the water. "Oh, my lord," he cried out, "it was borrowed!" - 2 Kings 6:5

MOVIE REVIEWS:

Normally I just post reviews for movies that I see in theaters, but as the age of Netflix and Redbox is upon us, I thought I would give you all a little bit of information about some new DVD releases. Please note that later I will post my review for the movie "Taking Woodstock" which I am going to see in a couple of hours. But now onto the DVD reviews...

"Adventureland" was out in theaters roundabout the time I was in Japan. When I returned, it was barely playing anywhere and I decided to catch it at the cheap theaters instead. To my sadness however, the cheap theater near me chose not to screen it at all. So this past Wednesday, I decided to watch it on DVD. Was it worth the wait? No. But it wasn't terrible either.

Centering around one guy whose plans for the best post-college summer ever come crashing down when his parents don't deliver on their promise to fund a trip to Europe, the film follows his journey to find a job and stay employed at a zany area amusement park full of unoriginal, miserable characters. My favorite moments came when SNL cast members Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader, playing the owners of the park, were on screen. If I had paid to see this in theaters, I would have felt like I wasted my money. It plays better on DVD, and I would suggest watching it but not getting your expectations too high. It's passable. I would give it * * out of * * * *.

Last night I watched "Duplicity", starring Julia Roberts and Clive Owen. Another movie that was out while I was in Japan and I never got to it upon my return, I was excited to see this hit the DVD shelf. Written and directed by the Oscar-nominated Tony Gilroy - the guy who brought us the brilliantly acted but kind of boring "Michael Clayton" - this film trudged along until it hit it's second hour and then became almost as fun as "Ocean's Eleven." Owen and Roberts were very good together as a couple who, as the viewing audience, we don't know who to trust. The supporting cast is strong, and the ending was very original. Aside from the slow first hour, my only other complaint is that the film jumps around from location to time period so often it may be hard for some to follow. This isn't one of those movies you can have on in the background and still be able to follow. Still though, on DVD it's totally worth the rental fee (or it's FREE if you go to your local library like I did!) and I would give it * * * out of * * * *.

Another movie that was released on DVD this week was "Sunshine Cleaning." I did see this in theaters, but if you missed it, I thought I would post my "warning" here. Starring Emily Blunt (The Devil Wears Prada), Amy Adams (Julie & Julia, Doubt), and Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine), the film deals with a down on her luck single mom and sister who begin working as crime scene clean-up attendants. While the previews made it look like a happy, bubbly, carefree time at the movies, I was seriously depressed after my screening. This film deals with the issue of "What do I with my life if I'm unhappy?" but doesn't provide any insight other than 'just try to change but things most likely won't work out.' The acting is great, the story is a little disjointed but still well-written, but again, watch with caution and have a good comedy on the back-burner if you get too depressed. I would give the movie * * 1/2 out of * * * *.

A suggestion for the comedy to watch post-"SC" would be "I Love You, Man." While earning it's R-rating, it is far more tame than other R-rated comedy fare of late. Relying on even parts of laughter and storyline, the movie starring Paul Rudd and Jason Segal is a refreshing buddy flick that will please just about everyone old enough to watch it. While it didn't break any comedy ground, I really liked the relationship of all the characters - it was like a long episode of some really well-written sitcom, and while some might consider that a bad thing, it is just the film to leave you smiling. I would give it * * * of * * * *.

Okay all, happy renting!