Tag Archives: entertainment

Video Verdict: ‘Nine,’ ‘Leap Year,’ ‘Tooth Fairy’

Guido Contini (Daniel Day-Lewis), a blocked writer-director, agonizes over starting a new film during a musical number in “Nine.”

This week’s home video releases are anchored by a romantic comedy starring Amy Adams, a family feature with Dwayne Johnson and a flashy musical from the man who brought us “Chicago.”

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Video Verdict: ‘It’s Complicated,’ ‘Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus’

Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin make a connection in “It’s Complicated.”

This week’s DVD releases are anchored by Heath Ledger’s last feature film and a wonderful comedy starring Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin.

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Video Verdict: ‘Avatar,’ ‘Lovely Bones,’ ‘Crazy Heart,’ ‘The Young Victoria’

Writer-director James Cameron’s science-fiction film “Avatar” is the highest-grossing movie of all time, and his blue-skinned Na’vi protagonists are one of the reasons behind its success.

Each of the four major films coming out on home video this week was in competition at the 82nd Academy Awards, and all but one of them – “The Lovely Bones” – left the ceremony with at least one Oscar.

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Video Verdict: ‘Pirate Radio’

Rhys Ifans plays a flamboyant disc jockey in writer-director Richard Curtis’ “Pirate Radio.”

It’s a slow week for home video, as only one major theatrical release is making its way to the small screen.

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Video Verdict: ‘An Education,’ ‘Sherlock Holmes,’ ‘Alvin and the Chipmunks 2’

Carey Mulligan received a best actress Academy Award nomination for her portrayal of a teen girl who has an affair with an older man in “An Education.” The film also received Oscar nominations for best picture and best adapted screenplay.

This week’s major video releases include an update of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes character, a children’s movie featuring singing chipmunks and an Oscar-nominated drama about a teen girl who falls for an older man.

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Video Verdict: ‘Twilight: New Moon,’ ‘Blind Side,’ ‘The Fantastic Mr. Fox,’ ‘Brothers,’ ‘Men Who Stare at Goats,’ ‘The African Queen’

Kristen Stewart, right, and Robert Pattinson do a lot of sulking in the vampire drama “The Twilight Saga: New Moon.”

This week’s DVD and Blu-ray releases include a Humphrey Bogart/Katharine Hepburn classic, a best picture candidate in the 2009 Oscar race and a pop culture phenomenon that had tweens flocking to theaters just a few months ago.

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Video Verdict: ‘Princess and the Frog,’ ‘Armored,’ ‘Ninja Assassin,’ ‘The Fourth Kind,’ ‘Astro Boy,’ ‘Did You Hear About the Morgans?’

Disney’s “The Princess and the Frog” is a clever and well-executed riff on a classic fairytale.

It’s a busy week on the home video front, as no fewer than six titles that received wide theatrical releases are making their way into stores. The bad news is that most of these releases are average or worse. The good news is that there’s one shining star: A Disney movie that features old-fashioned, hand-drawn animation, great music and a sweet, sweet story.

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Video Verdict: ‘Up in the Air,’ ‘Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire,’ ‘Capitalism,’ ‘Planet 51,’ ‘Old Dogs’

Gabourey Sidibi plays Claireece Precious Jones in the Oscar-nominated movie “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire.”

Many titles are hitting home video this week, including two films that competed for multiple Oscars during Sunday’s Academy Awards ceremony.

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And the Oscar winners are …

Following is a complete list of nominees and winners from the 82nd Academy Awards. Note that winners are listed in bold with an asterisk.

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
* Jeff Bridges in “Crazy Heart”
George Clooney in “Up in the Air”
Colin Firth in “A Single Man”
Morgan Freeman in “Invictus”
Jeremy Renner in “The Hurt Locker”

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Matt Damon in “Invictus”
Woody Harrelson in “The Messenger”
Christopher Plummer in “The Last Station”
Stanley Tucci in “The Lovely Bones”
* Christoph Waltz in “Inglourious Basterds”

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
* Sandra Bullock in “The Blind Side”
Helen Mirren in “The Last Station”
Carey Mulligan in “An Education”
Gabourey Sidibe in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”
Meryl Streep in “Julie & Julia”

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Video Verdict: ‘Everybody’s Fine,’ ‘Vampire’s Assistant: Cirque du Freak,’ ‘The Box,’ ‘The Informant!’

Matt Damon plays corporate whistleblower Mark Whitacre in director Steven Soderbergh’s offbeat dramedy “The Informant!”

This week’s video releases cover a lot of territory, with everything from a teen-vampire thriller to a family drama starring Robert DeNiro hitting rental store shelves.

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