Susan Granger’s DVD Update for Sept. 9:
There’s such a deluge of Sept. 11th documentaries that there’s no way to keep pace with the overwhelming volume. I recommend A&E’s comprehensive “September 11th Memorial Edition,” which details events that led to the attack and profiles key terrorists, while Inception Media Group’s “Remembering 9/11” adds stories of courage and survival.
On the lighter side, “Prom” revolves around a Michigan overachiever (Aimee Teegarden) telling a teen rebel (Thomas McDonnell) why the annual dance is so important, while her pal (Yin Chang) breaks it to her boyfriend (Jared Kusnitz) that she’s going to study at Pratt in New York City. Clichés abound but by the time the disco ball spins, you don’t much care.
Father Knows Best takes on a whole new meaning in “Hanna,” when a teenage warrior (Saoirse Ronan), who spent her childhood in an isolated cabin in the rugged, remote forests of northern Finland with her rogue CIA-agent father (Eric Bana), ventures out into the cold, cruel world, where she’s threatened by an enigmatic operative (Cate Blanchett).
In “Everything Must Go,” Will Ferrell plays a weary, self-destructive, alcoholic sales exec who loses everything before he begins to grasp the idea of life-renewal.
The romantic comedy of errors “Bed & Breakfast” stars Dean Cain and Brazilian Juliana Paes as a couple who discovers that love is a happy accident.
For youngsters, “Thomas & Friends: Day of the Diesels – The Movie” introduces new firefighting engines Flynn and Belle who help Thomas and Percy resist a Dieselworks takeover. “Sesame Street: Elmo’s Music Magic” finds Abby Cadabby and Cookie Monster rocking out with John Legend, Garth Brooks, Sugarland, Will.I.Am of the Black-Eyed Peas and more, while Andy Samberg guest stars in “Elmo’s Shape Adventures!” HBO’s beloved Elephant King has “Babar: Best Friends Forever” and “Babar: School Days.” Plus, there’s the brand-new, animated “Scooby-Doo! Legend of the Phantosaur.”
PICK OF THE WEEK: “X-Men: First Class” is an adventurous origin story prequel that takes the comic-book superhero mutants back to their roots, detailing the differences between the ideologies of Xavier and (James McAvoy) and Magneto (Michael Fassbender).