Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Week of January 18

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Small Spaces in War Zones

An American truck driver in Iraq, Paul (Ryan Reynolds) wakes up in a box after an attack on his convoy in Buried. When he regains consciousness, Paul finds himself sealed in a coffin and buried with a cell phone, a lighter, and a flashlight. He has to reach the outside world and find help, but with limited air and half a charge on the phone's battery, Paul doesn't have much time... and an incoming call from the people who buried him worsens his situation. On DVD and Blu Ray.

The war film Lebanon, set during Israel's war with Lebanon in 1982, takes place inside an Israeli tank. The driver, loader, gunner, and commander inside the tank experience the world through the tank's gunsight, continuing a mission to clear an area of Lebanese hostiles, but the confined space, heat, and deteriorating quality of the tank worsen their already harried and dangerous situation.

Criminal Activity

J Cody moves in with his grandmother (Jacki Weaver), the head of a crime family, in the Australian gangster movie Animal Kingdom. Living with The Cody Boys (Ben Mendelsohn, Luke Ford, and Sullivan Stapleton), J is introduced to his family's life of crime and violence at a time when they're on the verge of war with the police. Though one officer (Guy Pearce) sees him as an innocent thrown into the wrong situation and tries to help, J's life is changed forever by his time with The Cody Boys.

The origin story to Death Race, Death Race 2 sees getaway driver Luke (Luke Goss) arrested after a failed bank robbery, landing in a prison where an immoral TV producer (Lauren Cohan) uses the inmates to stage pay-per-view gladiator battles called "Death Match." With ratings falling, Luke inspires her to make a new show: Death Race. Luke is teamed up with Tanit Phoenix in his car and Danny Trejo in his pit crew, and he has to survive not just the other racers but also a contract on his life from his crimelord boss (Sean Bean), ensuring Luke's silence. With Ving Rhames. On DVD and Blu Ray.

Fresh out of prison, Ghost (T.I.) sets up his old crew with a new armored car job in Takers. Crew leader Idris Elba assembles his men (Paul Walker, Hayden Christensen, Michael Ealy, and Chris Brown) and prepares for a $20 million caper, but a pair of cops (Matt Dillon and Jay Hernandez) are tracking the crew. With a fortune on the line, they're all big figures in the underworld, targets for gangsters, police, and even each other. With Zoe Saldana.

The British Down Terrace is set in a small house where Bill, the father, runs a successful club with sidelines in drugs and girls and Karl, the son, is 34 and still living with his parents. Acquitted in court, Karl returns home as everyone in Bill's organization is a suspected informant, and paranoia wreaks havoc on the business and the family.

Edward Norton is the title character in the morality drama Stone, in prison for arson and meeting with corrections officer Jack Mabry (Robert De Niro) before his parole hearing. Doing everything he can to get Jack to help with his parole, Stone convinces his wife (Milla Jovovich) to seduce the soon-to-be-retired cop, but as Stone begins to find faith, Mabry's shaken by the emptiness of his own life.

Documentaries

Based on the bestselling book, Freakonomics is a series of theories illustrated and visualized by different directors. Featuring chapters by Heidi Ewing & Rachel Grady, Alex Gibney, Seth Gordon, Eugene Jarecki, and Morgan Spurlock, the documentary investigates "economic" principles that influence everyday life in unexpected places.

Researching a trio of killings in 1964, Neshoba: The Price of Freedom looks back at the murders of three Mississippi civil rights workers at the hands of the Klu Klux Clan. Forty years after the original trial yielded minimal results, the case was re-opened, and documentary filmmakers were given access to people on both sides of the tragedy, including the victims' families and the unrepentant Klansman who organized the lynch mob.

Providing footage of the American southwest, Living Temples explores the natural beauty of the water and rock with minimal narration, letting the images speak for themselves.

Smaller Dramas

An unsuccessful novelist (Jeff Daniels) finds an unlikely friend in a teenage girl (Emma Stone) in Paper Man. They both have troubled pasts, and both have imaginary friends: she imagines a boy her own age (Kieran Culkin) who loves her and he's been supported by Captain Excellent (Ryan Reynolds), his own personal superhero, since he was second grade. With a little understanding and each other's help, they each may be able to go forward and move past the need for their imaginary friends.


Socially awkward Jack (Philip Seymour Hoffman) begins an unlikely romance with troubled Connie (Amy Ryan) in Jack Goes Boating. Relying on his friend (John Ortiz), Jack begins to improve his life, learning to swim, learning to cook... becoming a better man so that he can date Connie. With Daphne Rubin-Vega and Tom McCarthy.


A group of four friends conspires to film their last virgin member's first time in The Virginity Hit. Recorded on a cheap, hand-held camera and meshed with YouTube uploads, the boys document their friend Matt's exploits as he becomes an online celebrity and the women willing to help a famous virgin with his problem.


New this week to Reckless Video's TV New Releases are the first season of the Federal Marshal drama Justified, based on the story by Elmore Leonard and starring Timothy Olyphant, as well as the second season of the British fantasy drama Merlin. We also have the first season of Funny or Die presents and the gory preview/clip show Mad Ron's Prevues from Hell.

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