New on DVD: March 2

DVD Pick of the WEEK

Where the Wild Things Are
Based on the classic children’s book, Where the Wild Things Are is the story of Max (Max Records), a nine-year-old boy with an active imagination and a rambunctious spirit who discovers a secret world after a fight with his mother. Dressed in a wolf costume, Max stumbles across a mysterious island full of wild creatures who welcome him into the fold and crown him as their king. It’s not too hard to see that the loveable, quirky monsters are manifestations of Max’s own fears and feelings: imposing Carol (James Gandolfini) is Max’s frustration, and bold extrovert Judith (Catherine O’Hara) is his longing for independence. As he deals with this new world, he learns about his own wild ways.

Director Spike Jonze and writer Dave Eggers have taken the nine sentences that make up Maurice Sendak’s beloved story and created a lush fantasy world that is at once enchanting and dark. Young children may not find too much joy in this movie as it depicts some potentially disturbing violence and explores slightly complicated themes; it’s magical and strange, but probably is best enjoyed by the adults who grew up with the book than a current generation of readers. Available in standard DVD, as well as a blu ray combo edition, which includes the film on standard DVD, blu ray and digital copy. (Warner Home Video)

MOVIES

Gentleman Broncos
The latest from director Jared Hess (Napolean Dynamite, Nacho Libre), Gentleman Broncos features an all-star comedic cast and ridiculous storyline about truth and heroes. Benjamin (Michael Angarano) spends his days being home-schooled by his eccentric mother (Jennifer Coolidge), hanging out with his creepy mentor from the “Guardian Angel” program (Mike White), and dreaming about making it big as a fantasy author. At a writing convention, Benjamin is thrilled to meet his favourite author, Ronald Chevalier (Jemaine Clement) . . . until he plagiarizes Benjamin’s manuscript. Hijinks ensure as Benjamin helplessly watches his story becomes a hit under Ronald’s famous name, and then made into a low-budget B movie. (Fox)

Ponyo
Sosuke, the son of a sailor, is lonely on the high seas with his father. When he rescues a goldfish one day, he is delighted to have a new friend. He christens her Ponyo, but quickly learns that she’s no ordinary fish — she’s the daughter of a powerful sorcerer, who longs to be human. She uses her father’s wizardry to transform herself into a girl, but the use of such powerful magic causes an inbalance in the world. She and Sosuke must put their new friendship to the test as they race to save the planet and keep Ponyo in her human form forever. (WDSHE)

2012
Two and a half hours of apocalyptic explosions does not necessarily a good plot make, but what 2012 lacks in substance it makes up for in mind-blowing special effects. The flimsy story revolves around Jackson Curtis (John Cusack), who learns that the world is ending and must rescue his ex-wife (Amanda Peet) and children. Together with some less than memorable side characters, they narrowly escape crumbling monuments, an ocean-bound Los Angles, and a plethora of earthquakes and mega tsunamis as they try to reach ships in the Himalayas where they may find sanctuary.

TV on DVD

Alice
If you’re waiting impatiently for Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland to be released, the SyFy channel’s mini-series (from the makers of the popular Tin Man) should certainly tide you over. A dark interpretation of the classic Lewis Carroll tale, Alice follows martial arts instructor Alice (Caterina Scorsone) through the looking glass and down the rabbit hole to rescue her abducted boyfriend. Along the way to confront the wily Queen of Hearts (Kathy Bates), Alice befriends teashop owner The Mad Hatter (Andrew Lee Potts) and gets help from the last white knight in Wonderland (Matt Frewer) and puts her judo skills to the test. Alice may not quite be Burton’s predicted blockbuster, but it is a beautiful and interesting twist that should please fans. (Universal)

Bollywood Hero
SNL vet Chris Kattan is tired of being rejected as leading man material in Hollywood, so he heads to India to see if he can fare any better in the world of Bollywood. The comedic mini-series capitalizes on the popularity of last year’s Slumdog Millionaire and showcases the beauty of Indian culture. As Chris tries to make it big in a new country, he learns plenty about India, but more about himself. (Anchor Bay)