Joey’s DVD Picks of the Week (9/4/2012)

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This week, we have a rather mixed bag hitting Blu-Ray and DVD, though that’s not to say that it’s a particularly bad slate in any way. In fact, it’s better than last week, that’s for sure. Today may be low on highly recommended titles, but I’m very happy with my top choice, and that’s always a plus. There’s also some lesser flicks hitting shelves, but I’ll get to those in a bit, including one of the very worst films of 2012 so far (it may even wind up in my Bottom 5 of the year). As for my PICK OF THE WEEK, I may not have had too many directions to go, but I went with the latest comedy from the Judd Apatow stable of films and I regret nothing. Remember which film I’m talking about? Well, if you don’t, I’ll remind you. It’s:

The Five Year Engagement

This may not be my favorite Apatow factory production (and in fact this team did a far better job with Forgetting Sarah Marshall), but this Jason Segel penned flick is still very charming and real entertaining. There’s a ton of chemistry between Segel and Emily Blunt here, and if my issue of too many scenes feeling extraneous and like the type of stuff that normally winds up in an Extended Cut is only exacerbated here with a longer Unrated version, this movie has far more going in its favor than against. It’s a romantic comedy with both heart and laughs, a combination far too rare these days. The flick didn’t break the bank at the box office, so if you missed it the first time around or want to see it again, I can recommend it to you without much hesitation. It may not be amazing, but it still is pretty good…

-Also out this week we have the slight but entertaining enough drug themed comedy High School, the mediocre action flick Safe, a quartet of flicks I haven’t seen (the dramatic thriller Woman Thou Art Loosed: On the 7th Day, the family drama Touchback, the foreign drama Sacrifice, and the crime drama For the Love of Money), and the atrocious sequel Piranhaa 3DD. It’s surely one of the worst films of the year for me, and you should avoid it like the plague and not make the mistake of sitting through it like I did. As for the rest of the titles, well…that’s up to you. Only the first mentioned flick is any good to me, but I leave the decisions in your capable hands.

-Today also brings the release of the tiny flick My Sucky Teen Romance, the first feature from the teenaged filmmaker Emily Hagins. Her work already has a cult following in certain sections of the film community, and by all accounts she’s a talent to watch. I’ve yet to see the flick, but I intend to and I’m curious and wanted to give it a quick mention here. If any of you pick it up, report back on your thoughts!

-My Vintage pick, in honor of this week’s release of For Ellen, is a similarly mumblecore-tinged film that director So Yong Kim actually produced. It’s The Exploding Girl, a film I’ve been championing for a few years now here at The Awards Circuit. An intimate and captivating character study lifted up by Zoe Kazan’s amazing performance, I’ve long been a fan of this little flick and since Kim’s partner Bradley Rust Gray directed this one and has a hand in her new flick, I wanted to once again shine a light on it. Those of you interested in some terrific acting need to check this one out. If you haven’t seen it yet, I forgive you…but get on it soon. I can’t recommend it enough to you, and especially considering how Kazan has opened some new eyes this summer with Ruby Sparks, now’s a perfect time to double back on the role that first blew me away, no pun intended.

-What will you be watching on Blu-Ray/DVD this week? Discuss in the comments!

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