Oh my goodness, I am so late to the party with this week’s batch of new DVDs and Blu Rays, and I apologize for that. I was distracted when I saw that Tyler Perry’s Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor (and Other Words that Can Be Crammed Into a Film’s Title) had actually made $51 million at the box office, because while that’s still a nice chunk of change, I still can’t believe so many people watched this movie.
Of course you don’t really appreciate how amazing the plot is until you actually watch it. But still – Kim Kardashian is in it. As an actress. Who was paid money to act. WTF, Tyler Perry – you hitting that?
Anyway. new on DVD and Blu Ray this week:
Tyler Perry’s Temptation
Admission
The Host
Spring Breakers
Dead Man Down
The Gatekeepers
I’m going to put the Jiffy Pop on the stove while you grab us a couple cold Tabs, and let’s decide what to watch on my parents’ VHS player tonight.
Tyler Perry’s Temptation
A bold exploration of the intrigue and perils of infidelity, Tyler Perry’s Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor is a compelling love story that dives straight into the heart of obsessive passion. “It’s about a woman who starts to get restless in her relationship and her choice to be with another man has a huge effect on the rest of her life,” explains screenwriter/producer/director Tyler Perry. “She goes on a journey – in her career and in her marriage – and she ends up in a very different place than she expected.” In a departure from his previous dramas, this explosive film finds Perry exploring the nature of desire – and just how powerful and dangerous a taste of the forbidden can be. “This is definitely one of the most provocative movies – sexually and otherwise – that I’ve made,” says the director. “There are a lot of people who struggle in their relationships. They make bad choices about their marriages. They get divorced. And so many of them don’t step out of their situation and really think about the consequences of what they’re doing. This movie asks, ‘Are you sure you want to do this?’ It sends up a flag.”
Should You Watch It? Only if all you know about it is that huge load of BS that qualifies for a synopsis. But if you do watch it, please video your reaction to the ending, because mine was a lot like this:
Admission
Tina Fey (30 Rock) and Paul Rudd (This is 40) are paired for the first time on-screen in Admission, the new comedy/drama directed by Academy Award nominee Paul Weitz (About a Boy, In Good Company), about the surprising detours we encounter on the road to happiness. Every spring, high school seniors anxiously await letters of college admission that will affirm and encourage their potential. At Princeton University, admissions officer Portia Nathan (Tina Fey) is a gatekeeper evaluating thousands of applicants. Year in and year out, Portia has lived her life by the book, at work as well as at the home she shares with Princeton professor Mark (Michael Sheen). When Clarence (Wallace Shawn), the Dean of Admissions, announces his impending retirement, the likeliest candidates to succeed him are Portia and her office rival Corinne (Gloria Reuben). For Portia, however, it’s business as usual as she hits the road on her annual recruiting trip.
Should You Watch It? Honestly, this is shocking, but as much as I love Tina Fey and Paul Rudd, I haven’t seen this movie yet. But, in my defense, I’m still mourning the loss of 30 Rock, so I’m just not ready for non-Liz Lemon Tina Fey just yet.
The Host
What if everything you love was taken from you in the blink of an eye? “The Host” is the next epic love story from the creator of the “Twilight Saga,” worldwide bestselling author, Stephenie Meyer. When an unseen enemy threatens mankind by taking over their bodies and erasing their memories, Melanie Stryder (Saoirse Ronan) will risk everything to protect the people she cares most about – Jared (Max Irons), Ian (Jake Abel), her brother Jamie (Chandler Canterbury) and her Uncle Jeb (William Hurt) , proving that love can conquer all in a dangerous new world.
Should You Watch It? Yes, but only so we can all stand on Diane Kruger’s lawn and shout, “Explain yourself!” all night.
Spring Breakers (our review)
Brit (Ashley Benson), Candy (Vanessa Hudgens), Cotty (Rachel Korine) and Faith (Selena Gomez) have been best friends since grade school. They live together in a boring college dorm and are hungry for adventure. All they have to do is save enough money for spring break to get their shot at having some real fun. A serendipitous encounter with rapper “Alien” (James Franco) promises to provide the girls with all the thrill and excitement they could hope for. With the encouragement of their new friend, it soon becomes unclear how far the girls are willing to go to experience a spring break they will never forget.
Should You Watch It? Watch it? I got this movie tattooed on the back of eyelids the day it came out. Because I’m a pervert, you see.
Dead Man Down
Niels Arden Oplev, the acclaimed director of the original The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, makes his American theatrical debut with the new action thriller, DEAD MAN DOWN. Colin Farrell and Noomi Rapace star as two strangers who are irresistibly drawn to one another by their mutual desire for revenge. The film co-stars Academy Award (R) nominee Terrence Howard and Dominic Cooper, from a screenplay by J.H.Wyman (Fringe).
Should You Watch It? It wasn’t the best movie that I’ve seen this year by any means, but I thoroughly enjoyed it for what it was – a movie about a pissed off dude kicking a lot of ass. I really appreciate that genre.
The Gatekeepers
Charged with overseeing Israel’s war on terror-both Palestinian and Jewish- the head of the Shin Bet, Israel’s secret service is present at the crossroad of every decision made. For the first time ever six former heads of the agency agreed to share their insights and reflect publicly on their actions and decisions. The Gatekeepers offers an exclusive account of the sum of their success and failures. It validates the reasons that each man individually and the six as a group came to reconsider their hard-line positions and advocate a conciliatory approach toward their enemies based on a two-state solution.
Should You Watch It? It doesn’t have Ashley Benson and Selena Gomez running around in bikinis, but I think it’s probably just as important of a film.