Susan Granger’s DVD/Video update for week of Friday, August 28:
“Adventureland” is a sweet-natured coming-of-age story about a recent college grad (Jesse Eisenberg) working at the rigged arcade games at an amusement park in Pennsylvania, learning more about life one summer at the theme park – from the bumper cars to the Tilt-a-Whirl to the Tunnel of Love – than in his past four years in academia.
Set in New Mexico, the gently ghoulish “Sunshine Cleaning” revolves around two underachieving sisters (Amy Adams, Emily Blunt) struggling to stay afloat in a sinking economy by going into the messy, morbid business of mopping up blood-splattered crime scenes and toxic biohazard sites after the CSI guys leave.
In “Fighting,” Channing Tatum plays a poor kid living on the streets of NYC, where he’s discovered by a scam artist (Terence Howard) who makes him a star in the underground “bare-knuckle” world of street-fighting; keep your eye on the brawl in this generic ‘wannabe’ Fight Club.
If you like off-beat, independent films, “Goodbye Solo,” directed by Ramin Bahrani, is about the unlikely friendship between a cheerful taxi driver from Senegal (Souleymane Sy Savane) and a hard-edged, 70 year-old white Southerner (Red West).
“Burning the Future: Coal in America” is David Novack’s searing expose of how West Virginia’s coal-mining industry has created a wasteland, destroying the fresh water supply and causing health issues for residents.
New York Giants fans can re-live many of Big Blue’s greatest moments with “NFL New York Giants 10 Greatest Games,” a 10-disc collectible, and there’s “NFL San Francisco 49ers Greatest Games: Super Bowl Victories,” a five-disc collectible.
For kids, “Bob the Builder: Call in the Crew!” is packaged with a toy vehicle and filled with action about teamwork, positive thinking and problem-solving. And “Fireman Sam: Help is here!” teaches fire safety and fire prevention.
PICK OF THE WEEK: “Duplicity” is a sexy, sophisticated spy caper starring Julia Roberts as a CIA officer who teams up with Clive Owen, a M16 agent, even though they constantly “game” each other with playful misdirection, since they’re competitive spirits, consummate deceivers and lovers of larceny.