For exactly this reason, my return to the 'blogging scene will only involve sparing political commentary between now and the Pennsylvania Primary. (That is, if I can manage to write another entry between now and the Pennsylvania Primary; I would've failed had that been the task last month.)
So it's time to concentrate on something a little less (or a little more, depending on your point of view) pressing: movies. Because I was largely absent from criticism in the months of June and November last year, there are quite a few movies being released on DVD from those months that I would like to single out.
Note that you won't see anything that I've reviewed or anything high-profile on here (sorry, Into the Wild and No Country for Old Men). With that being said, here are a few criminally underseen pictures being released on DVD in the month of March.
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (available now on DVD!) - Number 10 on my Top 10 of 2007 is now available for the mass market. It was criminally underseen last winter, and now deserves as wide an audience as it can get. In a grave tale of morality, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Marissa Tomei, and Albert Finney all deliver some of the best performances of their careers. The film, directed by seasoned veteran Sidney Lumet, represents that rare find that will both leave you on the edge of your seat and thinking at the same time.
Nancy Drew (available 3/11 on DVD) - What many critics dismissed as a standard confection for twelve-year-old girls was actually one of the most fun movies of the year. In the lead role of the famed title child-detective, Emma Roberts sparkles and charms in a performance that proves that she may just be the next big star in Hollywood. This is pop-entertainment at its best, enjoyable for kids and adults alike. On this instance, I'm prepared to say what I always scrutinize others for saying: screw critics.
August Rush (available 3/11 on DVD and BluRay) - Another picture that was unfairly scrutinized by critical elites, August Rush is a good, old-fashioned weepy that is nearly impossible not to like. Sure, there's some clear manipulation committed on behalf of director Kirsten Sheridan (Jim's daughter), but that's to be expected. Communicating the true power of music through a conventional but well-done lens, the movie works despite its formula. In the lead role, Freddy Highmore is a near-revelation and supporters Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Kerri Russell, and Robin Williams are darn good, too.
Wristcutters: A Love Story (available 3/25 on DVD) - In art-houses across the country, this little gem discovered at Sundance gained something of a cult-audience. In other circles, nobody saw it. Now that it's on DVD, they'll have their chance. Despite an awkward-feeling tone in its second and third acts, the movie comes together with an unpredictable, killer ending that perfectly justifies its surreality. On the acting front, lead Patrick Fugit does a solid job, but the real miracle is Shannyn Sossamon, who does turns in some absolutely wonderful work.
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