It seems to be kismet that two films centering on the exploration of the primate psyche were released in the same year. Both Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Project Nim feature one of the various species being raised as a human being, isolated from their fellow creatures. They are both taught to communicate with humans using sign language, building a bridge of language which would eventually be... 

As much as the trailer for 50/50 looked interesting, I was wary about watching Seth Rogen do another movie where he plays friend to someone who is dying of some disease. After all, we already saw him do that for Judd Apatow in Funny People and, well, it wasn’t that funny. The fact that 50/50 is produced by Rogen and is based on the story of his own friend wasn’t enough to convince me and so I wound... 

The Guard starts with local Irish police sergeant (or “Garda” so as to fit the title) Gerry Boyle (Brendan Gleeson) going through his normal routine: investigating crime, making idol chit chat with the citizens who respect him, and pilfering drug evidence for himself. You know, the usual stuff. Suddenly, things heat up when a string of murders lead to an international drug smuggling ring. Thus... 

At long last, HBO’s Boardwalk Empire arrives on DVD. The saga of Enoch “Nucky” Thompson (Steve Buscemi), debonair politician/outlaw and king of Atlantic City in the 1920’s. The pilot, directed by Martin Scorsese, opens on the eve of Prohibition, as party goers everywhere mourn the loss of sweet alcohol and a new era of bootlegging and rum running begins. Nucky’s right hand man and surrogate... 

A Better Life, directed by Chris Weitz, follows an illegal immigrant from Mexico, played by Demian Bichir, as he works off the books tending lawns, planting hedges, and performing maintenance around the richest houses in Los Angeles, California. When Carlos leaves work and drifts toward the poverty line and below it, he arrives home to his son Luis, played by Jose Julian, who wants nothing more than... 

Dr. Martin Harris (Liam Neeson) takes on his own memory in the film Unknown after a car accident in Berlin leaves him in a coma for four days. When he wakes, only certain details of his life are clear. He rushes to find his wife, played by January Jones, at their hotel to quickly discover that she not only acts as though she’s never seen him before, but also brings her husband, Dr. Martin Harris... 

Bananas!* is a controversial true story which follows the David and Goliath battle between the Dole Food Company and many of their former employees in Nicaragua. These former employees claim that they have suffered various ailments, including cancers, kidney failure and sterility, due to contact with a harmful pesticide which was used in the banana groves where they worked for years. Nemagon, one of... 

John Cameron Mitchell first burst upon the world of film as a director a decade ago with the rock musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch (adapted from the Off-Broadway play which he wrote). That film was a brilliant, hilarious injection of pure energy and an exercise in how to use a lot of style on a tight budget. His next film, Shortbus, was a controversial exploration of the unorthodox sexual adventures... 

I’m unabashedly psyched to be writing about this DVD/Blu-Ray release. I’ve been a huge fan of the Harry Potter series since the first book slipped quietly on to shelves. I remember picking it up and thinking, “Hmm. This looks kind of cool.” Well, the rest is history and “cool” doesn’t begin to cover it. So, if you’re not familiar with the “boy wizard” books and films,... 

As the trailer, poster, and DVD cover make perfectly clear, Made in Dagenham is going to be an uplifting movie. There will be some lows, to be sure, but the collage of people smiling and laughing on the DVD box reassures us that plenty of cheer and good humor will be there to accompany them. The movie comes to us from director Nigel Cole, who is also responsible for such feel-good dramas as Calendar...