Week of March 29

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Intensity

Natalie Portman won Best Actress at this year's Academy Awards for her performance as ballerina Nina Sayers in Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan. When her prestigious ballet company's director (Vincent Cassel) casts her as the lead in a production of Swan Lake, Nina already embodies the pure and delicate white swan, but in order to convincingly portray the black swan on stage, she begins to change in her real, off-stage life. Chafing against her controlling mother (Barbara Hershey) and uncertain of the company's newest dancer (Mila Kunis), Nina's conflicts and betrayals drive her to be more and more like the black swan... but the conflicts and betrayals might just be Nina's inability to tell fiction from reality. With Winona Ryder. On DVD and Blu-Ray.

Hilary Swank moves into a spacious New York apartment in The Resident, but something just doesn't seem right. The building is managed by the handsome and gentlemanly Jeffrey Dean Morgan and owned by his enigmatic father (Christopher Lee), and though everything seems perfect, she just can't shake the feeling of dread in her new home. With Lee Pace and Aunjanue Ellis. On DVD and Blu-Ray.

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Animated

Mandy Moore is Rapunzel in Disney's musical re-imagining of the classic fairytale in Tangled. Kept high in a tower by Gothel (Donna Murphy), Rapunzel is sheltered from the outside world and the knowledge that Gothel isn't actually her mother: she's a princess kidnapped from the neighboring kingdom because of the magic in her hair. When Flynn (Zachary Levi), a charming rogue, breaks into her tower, she sees him as an escort to guide her to the outside world. With Gothel trying to reclaim Rapunzel and Ron Perlman hunting Flynn, their journey is fraught with peril, but they could both find what they need in the end. On DVD and Blu-Ray.

The Peanuts special Happiness is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown gathers Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and Lucy in a story where Linus is determined to give up his ever-present blanket before his grandmother comes to visit.

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Based on Actual Events

(Degrees of actuality may vary)

Telling the story of real-life CIA officer Valerie Plame (Naomi Watts), director Doug Liman's Fair Game dramatizes the scandal that erupted when Valerie's undercover status was leaked as retaliation for her husband's (Sean Penn) 2003 article criticizing the war in Iraq. Based on Plame's memoirs, the film unfolds as a thriller, as complex political motives destroy her career and threaten her life and the lives of everyone in both her undercover and civilian lives. With Ty Burrell, Bruce McGill, and Sam Shepard. On DVD and Blu-Ray.

Made in Dagenham stars Sally Hawkins as the fictional leader of the historical 1968 sewing machinists strike at the Ford assembly plant in Dagenham, England. When the women (including Jaime Winstone) who sew Ford's automotive interiors are reclassified as "unskilled labor," they go on strike for conditions and pay equal to Ford's male employees. Backed by their union representative (Bob Hoskins), their fight would be a major contributor to the Equal Pay Act 1970, but their disruption of the status quo causes trouble in their working-class community. With Daniel Mays, Miranda Richardson, and Rosamund Pike. On DVD and Blu-Ray.

Completing the story that began in Mesrine: The Killer Instinct, Mesrine: Public Enemy #1 rejoins French outlaw Jacques Mesrine (Vincent Cassel) at the height of his notoriety, joined by his girlfriend (Ludivine Sagnier) and accomplice (Mathieu Amalric). As Mesrine rises to Public Enemy #1, his story could only end one way, but the path to that ending sees the charismatic gangster in multiple heists and prison breaks, donning many costumes and accents, and embracing his own fascinating public persona. With Samuel Le Bihan and Olivier Gourmet. On DVD and Blu-Ray.

David (Ryan Gosling), the son of a powerful real estate tycoon (Frank Langella), marries working-class student Katie (Kirsten Dunst) in the thriller All Good Things. At first, the newlyweds live free of David's powerful family, but as he's drawn back into the fold, he becomes more moody and controlling until Katie disappears under mysterious circumstances. Based on an actual disappearance, the film investigates the intrigue and drama that surrounds the mystery of the powerful young man's missing bride. With Lily Rabe and Philip Baker Hall. On DVD and Blu-Ray.

The documentary Afterlife is an attempt to answer the question "What happens after we die?" Composed of interviews with Near Death Experience survivors and medical experts, all sharing their experiences of a life after death.

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The French road movie Around a Small Mountain stars Sergio Castellitto as a drifter who follows a small circus through small, French villages. As he develops a relationship with the ringmaster (Jane Birkin) on their travels, he slowly learns why she is awkward and distant with him, and what secrets lie in her past.

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New this week to Reckless Video's TV New Releases are the 4th season of the critically acclaimed Mad Men, following Don Draper (Jon Hamm) through the corporate world of 1960's advertising, and Mary McCormack as a Marshall in witness protection in the 3rd season of In Plain Sight.

We also have the 1st season of HBO's Treme, by The Wire creator David Simon, creating an ensemble drama of post-Katrina New Orleans. The show fleshes out the intersecting lives of a tavern owner (Khandi Alexander) searching for family members missing since the hurricane, a civil rights lawyer (Melissa Leo) working to help the tavern owner, the lawyer's English teacher husband (John Goodman), a Mardi Gras Indian Chief (Clark Peters), a jazz trombonist (Wendell Pierce) always looking for his next gig, a low-key part time DJ (Steve Zahn), and more as their stories flesh out the Treme neighborhood of post-disaster New Orleans.

Week of March 22

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Finding a Match

The Tourist is a new spy caper by Oscar winning director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, where Angelina Jolie, a spy on the run, has to select a patsy to misdirect the people following her. She picks a tourist: Frank (Johnny Depp), a frumpy American math teacher totally unprepared for her world. As the couple are pursued by both the law (Paul Bettany) and a notorious criminal (Steven Berkoff), their journey across Europe blurs their cover-story relationship-- but is their romance real, or just part of life as a spy? With Timothy Dalton. On DVD and Blu-Ray.

Reese Witherspoon is an Olympic athlete whose life is in crisis in James L. Brooks' How Do You Know. She's torn between a wealthy and stable (but self-involved) major league baseball player (Owen Wilson) and a corporate executive (Paul Rudd) whose life is as complicated and confused as her own, but with everything in her world upended, how can she know who to choose? With Jack Nicholson. On DVD and Blu-Ray.

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Monsters, Swords, and Guns

Eric Balfour travels to Los Angeles with his girlfriend (Scottie Thompson) to celebrate the birthday of his rich and successful best friend (Donald Faison)... but while the friends are gathered in the penthouse, an alien invasion descends upon LA in Skyline. Now they all have a choice: stay in the building and try to avoid the mayhem outside, or risk the aliens and try to escape to safety. With Brittany Daniel and David Zayas. On DVD and Blu-Ray.

A group of Paris police (including Jean-Pierre Martins & Aurelien Recoing) storms a gangland hideout to take down Eriq Ebouaney, but the cops and gangsters have to band together in the French The Horde when the zombie apocalypse breaks out. Heavily armed and ready for action, the survivors have to blast through nearly endless waves of the undead and fight their way to safety.

The Japanese Blood is a samurai/vampire film where a detective who specializes in long-unsolved cases finds that one of his chief suspects is a vampire. The investigation leads to centuries-old vampires who began their reign of terror as samurai in the 1600s, and two ancient men who have been locked in a dark gothic battle for the fate of their would-be bride for centuries.

A Royal Thai Policewoman is recruited to join an international anti-terrorism squad in Vanquisher, but barely escapes with her life when the team is "erased." With a new threat on the horizon, she's reluctant to join another anti-terrorism mission... but her former Vanquisher teammates have nefarious plans, and there's no choice to fight back with swords, guns, and explosives until all her betrayers are brought to justice.

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Kids

Yogi (Dan Aykroyd) and Boo Boo (Justin Timberlake) spend their days a Jellystone causing mischief, stealing picnic baskets, and generally causing trouble for Ranger Smith (Tom Cavanagh) Yogi Bear. When the mayor (Andrew Daly) threatens to close the park, it's up to Yogi, Boo Boo, and the ranger to put together a crazy plan to save the day. With Anna Faris.

Young Arthur is obsessed with magic-style card games, adventures in sewers, and dragons in Adventures of a Teenage Dragon Slayer, which doesn't win him any points with the school bully. When Arthur and his friends discover and befriend a troll, they realize their fantasy games are actually real: trolls, alchemy, potions, and dragons are now part of their lives. With Lea Thompson, Wendie Malick, and Amy Pietz.

Arthur (Freddy Highmore) returns to the land of the Minimoys twice more in Arthur & the Invisibles 2 & 3, reuniting with Princess Selenia (Selena Gomez) and undertaking two new adventures. With Mia Farrow as Granny.

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Investigations

A police detective (Nick Stahl) returns to his hometown with his new partner (Rachel Nichols) in Meskada, investigating a murder in a wealthy community. Looking into the desperate and impoverished workers (including Kellan Lutz and Jonathan Tucker) who've done construction work where the murder took place, he uncovers old tensions and strife that led to tragedy.

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Chris Hegedus & D.A. Pennebaker bring us the documentary Kings of Pastry, following chefs who compete in the once-every-four-years French competition to be heralded as the King of Pastry, and The Wildest Dream combines the story of George Mallory (who disappeared on Mount Everest in the 20s) and Conrad Anker (who discovered Mallory's body on Everest in 1999) through photos and letters, with the voices of Hugh Dancy, Ralph Fiennes, and Liam Neeson.

The stand-up comedy DVD Daniel Tosh: Happy Thoughts is an irreverent and politically incorrect stage performance by the host of the popular Tosh 2.0.

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New this week to Reckless Video's TV New Releases are part 2 of Season 4 of the cult hit adventure comedy The Venture Brothers. We also have two new BBC mystery /procedural series: the first season of Luther, featuring Idris Elba, and the second season of Agatha Christie's Marple.

Week of March 15

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Family Matters

Christian Bale and Melissa Leo won Best Supporting Actor and Actress Oscars this year for their roles in David O Russell's The Fighter, based on the real life events of welterweight boxer Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg). Micky's career has been run by his family, namely his ex-fighter brother (Bale) and his forceful mother (Leo), but his losing streak and life in crisis makes inspires him to retire. When Amy Adams turns his life around, Mickey gets back into the ring... but without his mother's interference or his brother's drug addiction to weigh him down. On DVD and Blu-Ray.

Kassie (Jennifer Aniston) is single, but ready to have a child, so she opts for artificial insemination in The Switch. Her neurotic best friend Wally (Jason Bateman) isn't thrilled with the idea... and, when he meets the boy years later, he's shocked how much he has in common with the boy. As Kassie begins to date the Roland, (Patrick Wilson) the donor, Wally starts to suspect he might be a better match for the family than Roland. With Jeff Goldblum. On DVD and Blu-Ray.

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Coping with Loss

Director Clint Eastwood's meditation on death and loss, Hereafter intertwines several stories of people with connections to the afterlife. Cecile De France survives a catastrophic tsunami that kills thousands around her, a young boy suffers a shocking loss and begins to search for answers, and a medium (Matt Damon) who communicate with the deceased tries to lead a normal life by hiding the skill he considers a curse. Their lives intersect in ways both large and small, each connected in some way to the world beyond this one. With Lindsey Marshal. On DVD and Blu-Ray.

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Documentaries

The Oscar-nominated Waste Land, by a team of directors (including Lucy Walker), is both about the state of landfills and the artists and trash-pickers who create acclaimed artwork by using waste material. The film focuses on Vik Muniz, a Brazilian artist creating art from landfills, making well-received pieces that help bolster awareness of the conditions from which they were created.

An exploration of the friendship between two legendary filmmakers, Two in the Wave tells the stories of Jean-Luc Godard and Francois Truffaut, two of the most prominent auteurs in the French New Wave of the 50s and 60s.

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Creature Feature

Hot on the heels of Piranha, SyFy's Sharktopus releases another underwater terror on unsuspecting swimmers. An ambitious scientist (Eric Roberts) designs a shark/octopus hybrid as a weapon for the navy, but the dangerous creature goes rogue and begins wreaking havoc off the coast of Mexico, providing the kinds of mayhem, bikinis, blood, and monsters that only appear in Roger Corman productions.

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Family Friendly

Tomas, a young orphan, has a hard time with his classmates in the Irish A Shine of Rainbows, but his life is changed when he's brought home by Connie Nielsen, the headmaster of his school. Her husband (Aidan Quinn) wanted an older and more confident boy, but Tomas has to adapt to his new family, make new friends, and begin to truly discover who he is.

Barbie: A Fairy Secret is the newest of the popular series of Barbie computer animated movies, where Barbie has to rescue Ken from a secret Fairy World.

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Older films new this week to our New to Reckless section are Ronald Neame's 60's heist film Gambit, starring Michael Caine and Shirley MacLaine. We also have Ann-Margret and John Forsythe in Kitten with a Whip and the Australian family adventure BMX Bandits (Nicole Kidman's first film).

Week of March 1st

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Trapped

Taking the opposite approach from a film like Buried, which never leaves its single location, 127 Hours takes the story of a man trapped in one spot and transforms it into a film with no boundaries. As Danny Boyle's follow-up to his Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours is the true story of Aron Ralston (James Franco) who had his arm trapped under a boulder while hiking and rock climbing. During his attempts to free himself, his mind's eye turns to a kinetic journey through the people and events in his life, but his supplies are limited, and he needs to do whatever it takes to break free or die from exposure and dehydration. On DVD and Blu Ray.

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Casual

Jake Gyllenhaal is a salesman and ladykiller in the romantic comedy Love & Other Drugs when he lands a job as a pharmaceutical representative, convincing doctors to prescribe Zoloft instead of Prozac. His partner (Oliver Platt) sicks him on a high profile doctor (Hank Azaria) that could make them a sales success story, but he begins seeing one of the doctor's patients (Anne Hathaway) in a casual affair... which starts off with them both wanting the same thing, but begins to change over time. With Josh Gad. On DVD and Blu Ray.

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Show

Pop star Christina Aguilera makes her big-screen debut in Burlesque as Ali, a working class girl who leaves small town Iowa to pursue her dreams in Los Angeles. Ali ends up working in a burlesque bar run by Cher, who won't let her follow her dream of singing and performing on-stage, but gives her a job waiting tables (and striking up a friendship with Cam Gigadent, the bartender.) When the club's star performer (Kristen Bell) can't go on, Ali steps into the spotlight and begins her ascent to stardom... but fame has its price, and success could cost her everything she holds dear. With Eric Dane. On DVD and Blu Ray.

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Smaller

15-year-old Mia lives with her sister and single mother in Fish Tank, and spends her time picking fights and causing trouble. Her world changes drastically when her mother's new boyfriend (Michael Fassbender), who becomes a constant presence around the house, has a widespread effect on the household. The Criterion DVD release of Fish Tank includes director Andrea Arnold's previous short films: Milk, Dog, and the 2003's Best Short Film Oscar-winner Wasp.

Boarding school student Leon Bronstein (Jay Baruchel) continually fights with his small-business-owner dad (Saul Rubinek) in The Trotsky, mostly because he believes himself to be the reincarnation of Leon Trotsky. After suffering Leon's protests and insults, his father decides to put him, like Leon Trotsky, into public school... but Leon is ready to rise to the challenge, joining the only union he can find (the student union: their only power is to arrange dances), and combating his "fascist" principal (Colm Feore).

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Violence

Only known as "Driver," Dwayne Johnson is released from prison and immediately begins tracking down his enemies in Faster. As he hits his targets, one by one, he's being pursued by a pair of police (Billy Bob Thornton and Carla Gugino) as well as a killer (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) who needs to hunt him down before he completes his list. The Driver seems unstoppable, though, and he charges through all obstacles to do what he's driven to do. With Jennifer Carpenter.

Shawn Black accidentally lands himself in the middle of the battle between good and evil in The Bleeding when he takes on the role of "vampire slayer." Following the leads provided by a vampire expert (DMX), Black teams up with a pragmatic and foul-mouthed priest (Michael Madsen) and ends up on the wrong side of a shady cop (Armand Assante). When a master vampire begins recruiting an evil army by luring people to vampiric parties, Black meets his biggest challenge in the nefarious Cain (Vinnie Jones).


A group of friends (including Kip Pardue and Breckin Meyer) are out for a bachelor party in the horror movie Stag Night, when their subway ride ends with them and the girls in their car (including Vinessa Shaw) forcing open the doors and hopping out. Without another train coming and no way to the surface, they start walking through the tunnels... but there's something down there with them.

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Along with the new movies of the week, Reckless Video's New To Reckless section has just picked up the Blu Ray release of the Disney classic Bambi as well as the complete Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, also on Blu Ray.

New this week to Reckless Video's TV New Releases are seasons 6 & 7 of the Canadian comedy Trailer Park Boys. With the final two seasons, our recent acquisition of Say Goodnight to the Bad Guys, and the final movie (Countdown to Liquor Day), we now have the entire Trailer Park Boys series.