New on DVD: Dumb, Dumber, and Smart

MacGruber

Comedy

The Gist: The hottest man to wear a mullet, MacGruber makes bombs out of the stuff on the bottom of your shoe and worms his way out of the toughest situations. Or not.

The Ups: Good for a few laughs.

The Downs: So raunchy it almost didn't make an R rating. Yes. As in, nearly NC-17. Also, it’s not as funny as it thinks it is. Hmm… maybe those two criticisms are connected.

The Verdict: Skip it.

Be Aware: Rated R for strong crude and sexual content, violence, language and some nudity.

Killers

Romantic Comedy

The Gist: A couple is keeping secrets. No, not about who left the toilet seat up. More like guns… assassins…secret agencies…kinds of secrets.

The Ups: There are no ups in this yawn of a movie.

The Downs: A total lack of chemistry and good writing make this movie torturous. They should have just kept their secrets to themselves.

The Verdict: Skip it. See "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" instead.

Be Aware: Rated PG-13 for violent action, sexual material and language.

Solitary Man

drama

The Gist: Ben has been a bad man. Not "Killers" bad, but still pretty bad. He's been the kind of selfish business man, husband, and father who thinks he's okay, but whose quiet me-first attitude is worse than blatant depravity. His personal and professional lives are about to catch up with him.

The Ups: A commanding performance by Michael Douglas makes this film work. He sows the wind and reaps the whirlwind. It's a character driven film about the price we pay for our misdeeds.

The Downs: If watching a jerk self-destruct isn't your idea of a good time, you might not like this film.

The Verdict: Depends. It's the best release of the week and a good movie. No explosions, though.

Be Aware: Rated R for language and some sexual content.

That Evening Sun

Drama

The Gist: An old man returns to his Tennessee mountain farm to find that it's been rented by his son in his absence. He wants his land back. He's not ready to die yet.

The Ups: Beautiful setting, good acting, and an unusual storyline about “not going gently” combine to make an interesting movie.

The Downs: The pace can feel slow at times.

The Verdict: Depends. If you like character driven drama, rent it.

Be Aware: Rated PG-13 for brief strong language, some violence, sexual content and thematic elements.

Also out on DVD this week:

Two of my favorite TV shows: The Office (Season 6) and Chuck (Season 3)