Spin-ematical: New on DVD for 9/22

Observe and Report
A big buzz title out of SXSW -- "Sick, dark, halfway twisted, and drop-dead hilarious," according to Scott Weinberg -- Seth Rogen's performance as a grotty, mentally messed-up security guard and his somewhat controversial bedroom scene with a semi-comatose Anna Faris defined the movie. I fell in the middle, neither able to fully embrace its extreme efforts to provoke laughter through grossness, obscenities, and extreme reactions to a flasher, nor to entirely dismiss its sour commentary on modern mall culture. It's definitely worth a look if you're a fan of comedies that push the limits of tolerance and taste. Also on Blu-ray. Rent it.

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Ghosts of Girlfriends Past
I have become allergic to nearly all romantic comedies spewing forth out of Hollywood nowadays, and was not encouraged by William Goss' description: "Mawkish, obvious, and not very funny." If, however, you have built a strong tolerance for such things, and/or love Matthew McConaughey and/or Jennifer Garner, help yourself. Also on Blu-ray. Skip it.

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Battle for Terra
While the film is "certainly not a brilliant little experiment," Scott Weinberg observed, "it sure is colorful enough to warrant a few peeks." Not exactly a ringing endorsement, I know, but if you're in the mood to support an independently-made animated CG feature, the tale of an alien race who fight back when they're invaded by mankind could be just the ticket. Rent it.

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Also out: The Haunted World of El Superbeasto (another type of animated adventure, featuring a Mexican wrestling terror).

Choice Indies on DVD, more Blu-ray picks, and Collector's Corner -- after the jump!

O'Horten
Director Bent Hamer's explores a Norwegian railroad engineer who must deal with retirement issues in the dead of winter. James Rocchi wrote that it's "a smaller film, a slice of life, but it's so well-done -- so generous and smart and funny and sympathetic -- that it completely wins you over." I'm a huge fan of Hamer's earlier film, Kitchen Stories, and I'm sorry that I missed O'Horten during its theatrical run, but the DVD provides a splendid opportunity to catch up.

Adam Resurrected
Paul Schrader continues to plumb the depths of human existence. "A darkly abstract and haunting film," reflected Kim Voynar, "featuring Jeff Goldblum in his finest, most layered performance ever. Goldblum portrays Adam Steiner, a tragic clown shattered by the horrors of the Holocaust. A clown and ringleader of his own highly successful circus act in pre-War Berlin, Adam finds himself, his wife, and their two young daughters caught in the roundup of Jews." Willem Defoe appears as a concentration camp commandant.

Lymelife
Alec Baldwin, Cynthia Nixon, Timothy Hutton, Jill Hennessy, Emma Roberts, and Rory Culkin star in a coming-of-age flick set in late 70s Long Island, New York. Erik Davis called it "a gem of a family drama," while William Goss thought it worked "despite its familiarity ... I'm willing to chalk this one up to the cast."

Also out: Tulpan (comedy/drama; nomadic sheep herders in Kazakhstan).

Shaun of the Dead
What I know is this: without knowing much about it, I saw Shaun on opening night at a packed theater in Hollywood and none of us ever stopped laughing. It was a perfect tonic for a Friday night after a long, hard week, an uproarious horror comedy that displayed a keen understanding for why zombies have etched their way into our subconscious.

Happily, it's held up very well on repeat viewings, and that's due to the whip-smart script by Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright, the spot-on direction by Wright, and the relaxed, confident, wickedly funny performances by Pegg and Nick Frost, as well as the entire cast of characters.

Hot Fuzz (Ultimate Edition)
Wright, Pegg, and Frost next turned their attention to a big city, crimebustin' cop who is "promoted" to a small village in rural England. The film makes fun of a dozen somewhat related sub-sub-genres of police flicks, yet, as with Shaun, the finished picture is wholly original, and even more accomplished and ambitious. Wright and Frost are the perfect mismatched pair: one sharp, probing, and intelligent, the other dumb, flat, and plodding. The cast that surrounds them is just as funny.

Gojira
The release of the original Japanese-language version in high definition should be cause for celebration, but Glenn Erickson at DVD Talk reports: "Classic Media's Blu-ray of Gojira is a major disappointment that can't really be recommended. ... Every comparison with the existing Deluxe Collector's Edition DVD makes that release seem a better purchase option." Buyer beware.

Wallace and Gromit: The Complete Collection
A man and his dog: which one is smarter, and which one only thinks he's smarter? Very dry, very British, very funny, very endearing, very heart-stopping, all highly recommended, and all on high-def Blu-ray now as well as standard-def DVD.

The disc compiles the wonderful short subjects A Grand Day