What a great week for movies on DVD. You have three pretty good, and quite different, films to choose from. Hit the titles for reviews on each of them. The movies after the jump…well, I’m sure someone will take pity and give ‘em a rent.

Enchanted

Enchanted
The concept for this film – animated Disney princess is transported to the real world – was ripe for failure. They have instead pulled off an impressive and immensely watchable homage to all things Disney, due in large part to Amy Adams’ brilliant performance. I heartily recommend this for the guys and the girls – a more charming film you will not find.

Recommended if you love Disney films with princesses or making fun of Disney films with princesses…just recommended period

Atonement

Atonement - MovieZeal Rating – 3.5 out of 5 stars
Atonement was hot to trot at this years Oscars, netting an impressive amount of nominations, but walking away with only one (Best Original Score). It is a meticulously crafted adaptation of Ian McEwan’s bestseller, but it is also a bit misleading. See the poster over there to the left? See how James McAvoy and Keira Knightly are prominently featured, leading one to believe the movie is about them? Well, it’s not. They are an integral part, but the film’s story belongs to the little girl, played by three different actresses of three different ages. Too bad they don’t have a Best Casting category, as Atonement would have hit that one out of the park.

Recommended if you liked Far and Away or Pride and Prejudice (the recent one with Knightly)

I Am Legend

I Am Legend - MovieZeal Rating – 1.5 out of 5 stars
To be honest, the star rating here doesn’t really reflect the worth of this film. I fully acknowledge it’s a rating based on subjectivity, but you’ll have to read the review to understand why. Will Smith gives a powerful performance, and apocalyptic popcorn thrills don’t get delivered much better than this. You will most likely find it a satisfying film, although I would recommend reading the book instead and never watching the movie.

Recommended if you liked 28 Days Later, War of the Worlds, or Independence Day

Southland Tales

Southland Tales
Bizarro filmmaking at its finest. From the director who upchucked Donnie Darko out of his mind comes a film about the approaching apocalypse (a popular theme these days) which stars The Rock as an amnesiac movie star, Justin Timberlake as an Iraq war veteran, and Sarah Michelle Gellar as an adult movie star developing her own reality TV series. There are also musical numbers and indecipherable narration from Timberlake. Simply put, this movie makes no sense at all, but for some its confusion will be its biggest selling point.

Recommended if you like bizarre films that have no discernible point

Love in the Time of Cholera

Love in the Time of Cholera
Isn’t this title the equivalent of saying “Romance in the Time of Aids”? Never mind its based on the book of the same name (marketing tie-in!), falling in love and communicable disease don’t really go together in my mind. Javier Bardem of No Country fame stars in this period piece that apparently involves an epidemic of some sort. Anyone wanna take a wild guess that someone dies of, I dunno, cholera at some point?

Recommended if you liked The Painted Veil

The Seeker: The Dark is Rising

The Seeker: The Dark is Rising
Walden Media how far you have fallen. Following the outstanding success of The Chronicles of Narnia, Walden has released a string of commercial failures, including The Waterhorse and Bridge to Terabithia. The Seeker, based on the classic children’s series, was intended to be the first of a franchise, but is perhaps the worst addition to Walden’s filmography. A young boy discovers he has hidden talents and is destined to save the world. More derivative it does not get.

Recommended if you liked Eragorn, The Golden Compass, or are desperate for pale Harry Potter imitations

Revolver

Revolver
Guy Ritchie’s career may be officially over. Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch were heavy on the style but light on meaningful content, indicating a director of certain talents that might have room for improvement. Apparently, that room was very, very tiny, as Revolver demonstrates he has zero story telling skill whatsoever. On the bright side, Jason Statham stars, but British smart aleckry can only carry a film so far.

Recommended for Guy Ritchie fans who made it all the way through Swept Away