Notable New Releases
Goon (Magnolia Pictures)
Release Date: Mar 30, 2012
Director: Michael Dowse
Cast: Seann William Scott, Jay Baruchel, Alison Pill, Marc-André Grondin, Kim Coates. Full cast + crew
Verdict: Buy Me
Available On: Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD
Special Features:
Additional Thoughts: It doesn't matter if you hate sports movies or can't tell a hockey puck from a hole in the ground, Goon is just a damned good movie. It's a funny, genuinely heartfelt comedy about a man trying to make the best out of his simple station in life. Michael Dowse's film has more replay and quote value than most comedies in recent years, plus it features a career-high performance by Seann William Scott. If you've been avoiding it because you think it's a typical underdog sports movie, stop. It's not. Goon is a well rounded comedy that just happens to be about hockey; one I happen to think is one of the most satisfying movies of the year so far.
Read our interview with Goon co-screenwriter Evan Goldberg.
Man on a Ledge (Summit)
Release Date: Jan 27, 2012
Director: Asger Leth
Cast: Sam Worthington, Elizabeth Banks, Jamie Bell,Anthony Mackie, Edward Burns. Full cast + crew
Verdict: Rent Me
Available On: Blu-ray, DVD
Special Features: A 15-minute behind-the-scenes featurette, Trailer with commentary by Elizabeth Banks
Additional Thoughts: Man on a Ledge is a fine, Sunday afternoon of a movie; nothing more, nothing less. It's a bit too plotty for its own good, but as far as twisty heist movies go, this Sam Worthington-led ship is leagues better than, say, Tower Heist, but not quite as clever as Inside Man.
Gone (Summit)
Release Date: Feb 24, 2012
Director: Heitor Dhalia
Cast: Amanda Seyfried, Daniel Sunjata, Jennifer Carpenter,Sebastian Stan, Wes Bentley. Full cast + crew
Verdict: Forget Me
Available On: Blu-ray, DVD
Special Features: None. Zip. Nada.
Additional Thoughts: As every young actress blossoms into stardom, they inevitably have to make one awful thriller in the process. Gone is Amanda Seyfried's. It's a dreadful, absurd movie whose complete disregard for logic or grounding in the real world practically makes it a fantasy procedural about a vigilante girl investigating a kidnapping who may or may not be out of her gord. Seyfried tries, but what she's given to try with is moronic at worst and goofy at best. Only watch if you're a 12-year-old girl completely unfamiliar with even the most basic understanding of Hollywood screenplay tropes. Or if you need a bad movie for a drinking game.
Other New Releases
Everything Else