Joey's DVD Picks of the week (8/16/2011)

This week, we have a decent assortment of things on DVD, though it's another week when very little stands out from the pack. Two of the releases are quality titles, and the rest are a mixed bag of decent mediocre flicks, but it's a week lacking in real high quality (that's next week, FYI). Still, we press on as usual, and for my PICK OF THE WEEK I had to choose between two classy films, but ones that didn't do as much for me as they might have for others. In the end, it was almost a coin flick for top honors this week, but after some careful thought I went with the more ambitious movie. It's:

The Conspirator

I was expecting something different than what Robert Redford gave here with this trial film about the killing of Lincoln. It boasts strong acting and the expected political ax to grind, but it's not as pointed or angry as I was expecting from Redford. It was more subdued and maybe even a little bland. I did like the movie, don't get me wrong, but there was a great flick to be found in this material. Redford settled for a good one, instead. It didn't break any records at the box office, so it's likely that most will be seeing it for the first time on DVD. It's worth checking out (though perhaps lower your expectations just a bit), in my opinion at least...

-The other recommended title this week is the new incarnation of Jane Eyre. As I said in my initial review, I'm not huge on the story itself, but this was a good version of it, with excellent acting and some interesting directorial decisions. Most claim this isn't the definitive version of the tale, but for my money, it's easily one of the better ones out there. Pick it up and decide for yourself!

-The rest of the releases this week include the effective but low rent (for the filmmaker at least) John Carpenter's The Ward, the surprisingly decent (but still not good enough) action/horror/thriller Priest, the very mediocre romantic comedy Something Borrowed, the quirky indie that didn't do too much for me Meet Monica Velour, and the drama The Bang Bang Club, which I found interesting but not effective enough for my taste. There's also Hoodwinked Too: Hood vs Evil, but I didn't see that. Sort through this group and pick out what you think you may like, as none of them are terrible choices.

-My Vintage pick, in honor of this week's release of Fright Night, is an underrated Anton Yelchin film. It's Charlie Bartlett, and that coming off age dramedy charmed the pants off of me when I first saw it. It's a warped John Hughes movie at its core, and I loved every second of it. Give it a first or second shot now before his new film opens and enjoy!

-What will you be watching on DVD this week?