DVD Picks & Passes 12.14.2008

Blu-ray is here to stay. With almost six times the capacity of standard DVD, Blu-ray accommodates higher-resolution video and lots more extras. Will standard DVD go the way of the dinosaurs? Don’t worry about your collection — Blu-ray players will play standard DVDs. This week, a truckload of new and old movies make their Blu-ray debut — too many to review here. Here are a few highlights of what’s worth picking — and passing on. (If you don’t have a Blu-ray player yet, they’re all available on standard DVD.)


PICKS:

The Fugitive (1993): In his last great role, Harrison Ford is Richard Kimble, wrongly accused of killing his wife and pursued by U.S. Marshall Tommy Lee Jones. It’s a thrilling match of wits and luck in which you root for both sides. Murder and other violence, coarse language. Teens and up.

Planet Earth (2006): Eleven hours of some of the most awesome nature documentary footage ever. Some graphic scenes of predation; brief discussion of population control. Generally fine family viewing.

Pride and Prejudice (1995): The beloved BBC miniseries — all five hours of it, the definitive retelling of Austen’s beloved tale. Romantic complications and a brief scandalous incident. Might be okay for kids.

The Pursuit of Happyness (2006): Will Smith is Hollywood’s most responsible struggling father since Cinderella Man in this Hollywoodized take on a true story. Some crude language, mild profanity and an obscenity; marital discord and desertion; some disturbing situations. Teens and up.

Strictly Ballroom (1992): Baz Luhrman’s comedy-romance is compulsively watchable, wickedly satirical and grandly romantic, an edgy mockumentary with a crowd-pleasing fairy-tale ending. Grand fun. Some rude expressions, mild crude humor, comic drunkenness.

The Third Man (1949): Directed by Carol Reed from Graham Greene’s screenplay of his own novel, The Third Man is a visually stunning, sophisticated thriller mired in the muddle of post-war Europe. Brief violence; discussion of murder and racketeering; partial nudity in a cabaret scene. Teens and up.


PASS:

The Island (2005): Schlockmeister Michael Bay’s sci-fi parable about human cloning gets human dignity right-ish, but gets mired by unnecessarily violent action and trashy sexuality. Much strong action violence; profane, obscene and crude language; a disturbing childbirth scene, inappropriate sexual content and a couple of toilet scenes; a couple of theologically confused remarks.

The Legend of Zorro (2005): This disastrous sequel reunites Antonio Banderas, Catherine Zeta-Jones and director Martin Campbell, but the Mask of Zorro magic is gone. Rated PG, it’s cynically marketed to family audiences only because it’s not good enough for grown-ups. Kids deserve better. Stylized violence; marital discord and divorce; mixed depiction of religious figures, including a weirdly religious villain.

The Polar Express (2004): This lackluster computer-animated Christmas fantasy was marketed as a parable of “faith,” but dubiously suggests that the journey matters more than the destination. “The meaning of Christmas is in your heart.” Whatever that means. Mild action peril; brief unnerving imagery.

An image of the Sacred Heart in the Church of the Jesu in Rome

Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Next week, the Bishops of the United States will meet in Orlando and consecrate America to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This week on Register Radio we are joined by Bishop Kevin Rhoades to explain the importance of the consecration and how we can all take part and then Register senior writer Zelda Caldwell tells us about the remarkable phenomenon of diocesan priests living in community.