This Week on DVD & Blu-ray (11-27-12)

The three releases that rise to the top of the crop this week all have a certain something to offer. For example, one would have never expected that the second sequel, “Men in Black 3” would actually be any good, but it surprisingly was, thanks to Josh Brolin and Michael Stuhlbarg! As for John Hillcoat’s “Lawless”, well it has a good cast, with some fine scenery-chewing by Gary Oldman and Guy Pierce, but other than that, this Prohibition-era period piece is kind of flat, despite being beautiful to look at. It also proves that Ton Hardy can mumble his way through more than one film this year. If you want to be really surprised and possibly delighted and maybe even impressed, you’d do well to check out “ParaNorman”, from the folks who made “Coraline”. Of the three ‘frightful’ animated kids features that came out this fall, this was by far the most creative and original, even if the tone felt a bit uncomfortable at times. Overall, if you had even an itch to see any of these three films, you won’t be entirely disappointed in any of them.

I can’t say the same for “The Apparition”, “Sparkle” or “Step Up: Revolution” though. Mainly, because I didn’t see them and most likely won’t be rushing to see them any time soon either. Or, you can settle in and check out “Christmas in Compton” a holiday film which looks to have plenty of racial stereotypes for all, as can be seen in the trailer below. Ho-ho-Noooo!!

That’s it for this week! Previous reviews are highlighted below. Enjoy the Rundown….