I realize that I have fallen behind in keeping our readers up to date with what is being released to home video the past couple of weeks, and for that I apologize. Unfortunately, life gets in the way sometimes. Here are the new releases for the past three weeks; in the interest of keeping the length of this post down I’ve only included a brief assessment of whether or not you, the reader, should rent or pass on each film.
Released May 24, 2011:
Rated: G
Starring: James McAvoy, Emily Blunt and Maggie Smith
Director: Kelly Asbury
Synopsis from IMDB: The neighboring gardens of Montague and Capulet are at war, but the gnomes, Gnomeo and Juliet, are in love.
Trailer:
Pac’s Take: If you have kids under 12 then – Rent. If not – Pass.
Rated: PG-13
Starring: Alex Pettyfer, Timothy Olyphant and Dianna Agron
Director: D.J. Caruso
Synopsis from IMDB: John is an extraordinary teen, masking his true identity and passing as a typical high school student to elude a deadly enemy seeking to destroy him. Three like him have already been killed … he is Number Four.
Trailer:
Pac’s Take: Very low rental
Rated: R
Starring: Jamie Chung, Zoe Saldana and Rosamund Pike
Director: Christopher B. Landon
Synopsis from IMDB: A subversive tale that interlaces five stories set in Los Angeles, where no taboo is left unexplored as each character careens toward a dark and often comic fate.
Trailer:
Pac’s Take: I am so perplexed by that trailer, I don’t know what to say.
Rated: R
Starring: Antonio Banderas, Thomas Kretschmann and William Fichtner
Director: Tony Krantz
Synopsis from IMDB: A private detective is hired to find a missing stripper. A simple job turns complicated when everyone he questions ends up dead.
Trailer:
Pac’s Take: Maybe I’ve been playing too much LA Noire, but something about this intrigues me. I’m going to go out on a limb with this one and say Rent.
Released May 31, 2011:
Rated: R
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Amber Heard and William Fichtner
Director: Patrick Lussier
Synopsis from IMDB: A vengeful father escapes from hell and chases after the men who killed his daughter and kidnapped his granddaughter.
Trailer:
Pac’s Take: Despite Nicolas Cage, Rent.
Rated: R
Starring: Javier Bardem, Maricel Álvarez and Hanaa Bouchaib
Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Synopsis from IMDB: Uxbal, single father of two children, finds his life in chaos as he is forced to deal with his life in order to escape the heat of crime in underground Barcelona, to break with the love for the divorced, manic depressive, abusive mother of his children and to regain spiritual insight in his life as he is diagnosed with terminal cancer.
Trailer:
Pac’s Take: Rent.
Released June 07, 2011
Rated: PG-13
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon and Hailee Steinfeld
Director(s): Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Synopsis from IMDB: A tough U.S. Marshal helps a stubborn young woman track down her father’s murderer.
Trailer:
Pac’s Take: The last of the best picture nominees to be released to home video, Rent.
Rated: PG-13
Starring: Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston and Brooklyn Decker
Director: Dennis Dugan
Synopsis from IMDB: On a weekend trip to Hawaii, a plastic surgeon convinces his loyal assistant to pose as his soon-to-be-divorced wife in order to cover up a careless lie he told to his much-younger girlfriend.
Trailer:
Pac’s Take: This is not a good movie, but if you like Adam Sandler or looking at Brooklyn Decker and/or Jennifer Aniston it is worth a low rental.
Rated: R
Starring: Rhys Wakefield, Allison Cratchley and Christopher Baker
Director: Alister Grierson
Synopsis from IMDB: An underwater cave diving team experiences a life-threatening crisis during an expedition to the unexplored and least accessible cave system in the world.
Trailer:
Pac’s Take: If you have the 3D capability to get the full experience of this film at home, then it is probably worth a rental. For all of us with modest home theater systems, pass.
Rated: PG-13
Starring: Jim Broadbent, Ruth Sheen and Lesley Manville
Director: Mike Leigh
Synopsis from IMDB: A look at four seasons in the lives of a happily married couple and their relationships with their family and friends.
Trailer:
Pac’s Take: I feel like I’ve seen different incarnations of this movie before, so for me it’s a pass. However, judging by the trailer and its acclaim, it may be worth a rental for some.
Rated: R
Starring: Ben Affleck, Chris Cooper and Tommy Lee Jones
Director: John Wells
Synopsis from IMDB: The story centers on a year in the life of three men trying to survive a round of corporate downsizing at a major company – and how that affects them, their families, and their communities.
Trailer:
Pac’s Take: I’m on the fence with this one, but Ben Affleck has impressed me lately – Rent.
Brian Pac Sostak
Chris Petersen
Sarah Higgins
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Chris and Pac Take on Hollywood 
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