Joey's DVD Picks of the week (8/30/2011)

This week there's a somewhat decent variety on DVD, though after the high level of last week's releases, this seems rather average by comparison (more in terms of quality than quantity). I can't say that I'm crazy about anything that's new this week, though I won't deny the quality of the top pick. There's also a few that I haven't seen, so that also keeps me from being too excited about the selections. That being said, my PICK OF THE WEEK is definitely highly regarded and worthy of the top spot. It's also this week's resident Academy Award winner, as well as perhaps the first foreign language film to ever get this honor from me (though don't get excited, it's more due to circumstance than anything else). It's:

In a Better World

Last year's winner of the Best Foreign Language Feature Oscar, it's Susanne Bier's latest drama and it hits almost all of the right notes. For me, it's a little too melodramatic, but it's definitely an affecting work, with a moving story that does more right than it does wrong. I probably don't like it as much as most do, but it's easily the best of the week in terms of DVD releases. As it stands, it's worth checking out, especially if you like to have seen all of the Oscar winners in a given year. For those not with that particular predilection, it's still worth your time and money, though perhaps not quite as strongly so...

-The other recommendation worthy flicks this week include the acting showcase/suspense film Wrecked (Adrien Brody does fine work), the 80's coming of age drama Skateland, and the health documentary Forks Over Knives. None of these 3 are amazing, but each are just good enough to be worth giving a look to, in my humble opinion at least.

-The rest of the releases include the harmless but bland Disney flick Prom, the religious sports drama The 5th Quarter (which I haven't seen), as well as Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family (which I managed to miss as well). I have no interest in either of the ones I didn't see, but the other one is nothing special and probably not worth your time, outside of an opportunity to see an underrated actor in Nicholas Braun.

-My Vintage pick, in honor of this week's release of Apollo 18, is another found footage fright flick. It's The Blair Witch Project, and despite the mocking it gets these days, it still remains a deeply unsettling film for me. I really do find it one of the scarier movies ever made. It's well worth revisiting this week, at least in my eyes.

-What will you be watching on DVD this week?