VIDEO ROUNDUP

We recently viewed several newly released to video titles ranging from the quirky and fun to the tired and old.  Starting with the former, Safety Not Guaranteed is an indie film with a lot of charm.  It is a light-hearted dramedy about a guy that posts an ad in the classifieds for a time-travelling partner.  A reporter and 2 interns decide to go check out his story and, of course, discover more about themselves in the process.  As the story unfolds, we're never really sure the would-be Time-Traveler is legit or not and it plays out similarly to the Kevin Spacey movie,   K-PAX.  Definitely worth checking out.

Next up, the animated feature,  Escape From Planet Earth.  A host of aliens have been captured while visiting Earth and are being forced to develop technology by the military at Area 51.  William Shatner provides the voice of the general in charge of the project which he ultimately has ulterior motives for.  Other voices are Provided by Brendan Frasier, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Jessica Alba, to name a few.  The movie is fun and, not being a Disney/Pixar film, is allowed be original and smart without being too formulaic.  Oh, and the kids loved it!

A Good Day to Die Hard is the fifth film in the Die Hard franchise.  There have already been a lot of jokes involving the title, with reason, so I won't go there.  The plot, which has gotten a lot of criticism, is not really that bad.  It involves a cover-up at Chernobyl and the smuggling of weapons-grade uranium.  However, the real problem with the movie, to me, is that Bruce Willis just seems to be really tired of the character.  His lackluster performance in this was a disappointment.  The other thing about it was that they changed the main thing that made John McClane interesting.  In the past movies he was always the reluctant hero, finding himself in situations he didn't want to be in but could not turn away from.  In this one, however, it's like he's looking for a fight.  He goes to Moscow looking for his adult son, who he thinks is in trouble, and proceeds to clumsily force confrontations.  There's plenty of action and the explosion factor is high, so it's not a total loss, but, with Willis just phoning in his performance, you can't really root for him as much as you'd like to.  If you're a fan of the series, it's worth watching.  Otherwise, pass on this one and maybe check out....

Jack Reacher.  That's the title, plain and simple.  This movie, however, was a pleasant surprise.  I didn't  know anything about the book series it was based on so I didn't know what to expect.  This is not a mindless action flick or a Mission Impossible clone.  It is a very well done thriller.  Tom Cruise portrays the title character who is an ex-military MP and investigator, and decorated war hero who, after returning to the states after several tours abroad, promptly drops off the grid.  He resurfaces to try to solve a possible case of mistaken identity and a cover-up plot involving an ex-army sniper.  The plot is smart and the movie does not hit you over the head with a lot of exposition.  The characters do things that actually make sense and Reacher approaches the mystery in a very logical way, though he disregards several laws in the process.  But hey, that's the way he rolls.  Definitely worth a look at this one.

And, finally, I got to watch OZ The Great and Powerful.  I really liked what Sam Raimi and the writers have done with the mythology, going back and giving us a direct prequel to the 1939 classic based on the works of L. Frank Baum.  Sideshow magician and con man, Oscar (or Oz, as he typically goes by) gets whisked away to a familiar setting where he is believed to be a great wizard, come to free them from the threat of a wicked witch.  He plays along, at first, with the promise of great riches awaiting him, but soon finds that he actually cares for the fate of these people in this magical realm.
The supporting cast is great, including the talents of the likes of Zach Braff, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz and Michelle Williams.  However, the choice of James Franco as Oz was a bit of a misstep.  While Franco is a decent actor, and I've liked him other things, he just doesn't have the personality to pull of the charismatic presence that the character is supposed to have.  I think that the role would have been better in someone else's hands.  Otherwise, it is an imaginative and visually striking romp through a land that is both familiar and new at once.