2/16/2008

John Neal

This DVD Dribble features the latest in comedies, dramas, and documentaries coming to DVD.

*Day Zero*  
  
In this near-future tale, the military draft has been reinstated and three young men - a lawyer, a taxi cab driver and an insecure writer - have been selected and are given 30 days to report for duty. With only one month left as a civilian, they are forced to confront everything they believe about courage, duty, love, friendship and honor. *Day Zero* stars Elijah Wood, Jon Bernthal, Chris Klein and Ginnifer Goodwin. This is the first feature film by director Bryan Gunnar Cole and made its big screen debut at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2007.  
  
*My Kid Could Paint That*  
  
Ever think your kid can create a better painting than most of today's modern artists? In this documentary, toddler Marla Olmstead creates gallery-worth paintings on her family's dining room table. By the age of 4, little Marla is being compared to Jackson Pollack and her paintings sell for $300,000. But when *60 Minutes* reveals that Marla may have received help, her family must defend their child's artistic genius and prove she is not a hoax.  
  
*Becoming Jane*  
  
*Becoming Jane* is the untold romance of one of the world's most celebrated authors. When Jane Austen first meets Tom Lefroy, she is offended by the penniless and reckless aspiring lawyer. Their clashing egos, however, soon spark a passionate romance that leads Jane to marrying for love. You'll fall head over heels for this enchanting and imaginative film. *Becoming Jane* stars Anne Hathaway as the author and James McAvoy as her love interest, and also stars Maggie Smith, James Cromwell and Julie Waters.  
  
*Beowulf*  
  
Amazing animated action turns the ancient epic poem, Beowulf, into a modern fantasy. Motion-capture technology turns some of today's biggest stars into super-sized heroes and villains. When a Danish kingdom is threatened by the monster Grendel, it is up to Beowulf to save his people. But can he resist the seductive powers of Grendel's mother? This action-packed film stars Ray Winstone as the title hero, Crispin Glover as Grendel, and Angelina Jolie as the monster's mother. *Beowulf* also features the talents of Anthony Hopkins, Robin Wright Penn and John Malkovich.  
  
*Margot at the Wedding*  
  
When Margot attends her sister's wedding with her son, it seems as though a family rift has finally been mended. But soon, Margot and Pauline are back to their dysfunctional selves, and their partners are just as screwed up as they are. But at the heart of all the madness is a touching story of a mother-son relationship. *Margot at the Wedding* stars Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jack Black, Ciaran Hinds, John Turturro and Zane Pais, in his film debut.  
  
*Across the Universe*  
  
It's the late 1960s when Jude leaves Liverpool to find his estranged father in America. While in the U.S., Jude is swept up in the waves of change and falls in love with a girl during the anti-war movement in New York's Greenwich Village. This revolutionary rock musical from director Julie Taymor stars Jim Sturgess, Evan Rachel Wood and features a cameo by U2 rocker Bono. DVD features include deleted scenes, extended musical scenes, director's commentary and five behind the scenes featurettes.  
  
*Gone Baby Gone*  
  
Ben Affleck makes his debut behind the camera with gripping drama about an ongoing investigation of the mysterious disappearance of a little girl. Two young private detectives are hired to take the case, but as they get closer to finding the girl, they discover that nothing is as it seems, and the case becomes more dangerous than they ever thought possible. *Gone Baby Gone* stars Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan and Academy Award winners Morgan Freeman and Ed Harris. DVD features include an extended ending, deleted scenes with commentary by Ben Affleck, and two making-of featurettes.  
  
*Introducing the Dwights*  
  
Tim Dwight's parents are a risque comedienne and a washed up country singer. While his dad tries to revive his dead career, Tim's mother dotes on her sons. But when Tim falls in love with Jill, his mother is convinced only one woman is good enough for her boy: his mother. This hilarious romantic comedy stars Khan Chittenden, Brenda Blethyn, Frankie J. Holden, and Emma Booth.  
  
*Goya's Ghosts*  
  
The Spanish Inquisition is at its end and Napoleon's army has invaded Spain. In all this turmoil, Spain's master artist, Francisco Goya, creates some of his most beautiful and awe-inspiring works, featuring the royal court and grisly scenes of war in 18th century Spain. But when his muse is accused of being a heretic, Goya must convince his friend, a power-hungry monk and leader of the Inquisition, to spare her life. Academy Award nominees Natalie Portman and Javier Bardem star in this romantic drama. DVD features include a behind the scenes featurette.  
  
*Screamers*  
  
Metal band and Armenian activists System of a Down take their hard rock act on the road from Los Angeles to Europe and provide the soundtrack to director Carla Garapedian's documentary on the Armenian genocide by Ottoman Turks at the turn of the 20th Century. *Screamers* features interviews with experts and survivors of one of the world's worst and nearly forgotten mass murders. Garapedian also follows the stories of some of this century's worst cases of genocide and mass murder in Africa.  
  
*In the Valley of Elah*  
  
When a decorated soldier returns home from Iraq and goes missing, his veteran father enlists the help of a police detective to uncover his son's true fate. What he finds, however, is a tangled web of intrigue, cover-up and murder that highlight the personal tolls taken on the battlefields of Iraq. Based on an article that appeared in *Playboy*, *In the Valley of Elah* stars Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron and Jonathan Tucker. DVD features include featurettes on life after Iraq, the traumas of coming home from war, and additional scenes.  
  
*Greener Mountains*  
  
*Greener Mountains* is the coming of age tale of JP Barton, a boy who was raised exclusively on the grounds of a family resort in Vermont. With the arrival of a carefree New York artist, JP's sheltered life is suddenly turned upside down and he begins a journey of self discovery. Four-time Emmy-nominated director Lee Shallat-Chemel makes her feature film debut. *Greener Mountains* stars Chris Heuisler, Kimberly McCullough, M. Emmet Walsh, Kevin Durand, Curtis Armstrong, Nan Martin, Phill Lewis and Michael Hitchcock.