Susan’s DVD UPDATE for week of Friday, August 20th:
Popular teen songbird Miley Cyrus is ‘way out of her depth in the contrived, beach-set melodrama “The Last Song,” based on another tear-jerking novel by Nicholas Sparks (“The Notebook,” “Message in a Bottle,” “Dear John”) and co-starring Greg Kinnear and Miley’s real-life squeeze Liam Hemsworth.
Not much better is “Furry Vengeance,” a disappointing family film about endangered animals that conspire to harass a construction manager (Brendan Fraser) for a so-called “green” housing development that will, in fact, wipe out an entire Oregon forest. Nor is the action thriller “Dead Man Running” with recording artist/actor Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson as a vicious loan shark who is cashing in on all of his debts, or “The Assassin Next Door,” starring Olga Kurylenko as a sexy hit-woman seeking revenge on the mafia who have been forcing her to assassinate people on their behalf.
I do recommend “The Red Riding Trilogy,” an acclaimed trio of British neo-noir thrillers about a mysterious – and perhaps related – series of gruesome crimes in Northern England attributed to the Yorkshire Ripper in the 1970s and ‘80s. And “The Good, The Bad and the Weird,” a South Korean action adventure about Chinese bandits, directed by Kim Ji-Woon in the spaghetti Western style of Sergio Leone.
“Triage” is a direct-to-video drama about a battle-scarred war photographer (Colin Farrell) who returns from an assignment in Kurdistan without his partner.
And in “Breakfast Special: A Celebration of Great Morning Meals,” diverse “foodies” from around the country dish out little known facts, cooking tips and unique recipes.
PICKS OF THE WEEK: “The City of Your Final Destination” is James Ivory’s first film since the death of his longtime partner Ismail Merchant, continuing their elegant, exotic storytelling tradition. Starring Anthony Hopkins, Laura Linney and Charlotte Gainsbourg, it’s a journey into self-discovery, set on a huge plantation in Uruguay in South America. And in “Temple Grandin,” Claire Danes delivers an outstanding performance as an autistic woman who became an esteemed scientist whose innate sensitivity and understanding of animal behavior led her to revolutionize the American cattle industry.