New on DVD: Win Win and The Beaver

It's "Quirky Indie Flick With Fine Acting Week" in the DVD aisle!

Win Win

Drama / Comedy

The Gist: A lawyer (Paul Giamatti) moonlighting as a high school wrestling coach barely gets by. He makes a dubious choice to become the guardian of an old man. There’s money in it, but he doesn’t expect the man’s grandson to show up. Happens, the boy is good at wrestling. Read our full review.

The Ups: Superbly acted. Finely written. Moments of humor, rich side characters, and a working-class setting make this flick enjoyable. This movie is all about the seemingly innocent compromises we make that come back to bite us in the end. Giamatti’s character believes himself to be a good man, a decent man, so part of the tension of the story is within himself. When he looks in the mirror and realizes he’s only been good when it’s been easy to be, it’s a powerful moment. Not all excitement in movies has to come from explosions.

The Downs: None. This is one of the best movies of the year so far.

The Verdict: Watch it. Discuss murky moral choices. Ruminate.

Be Aware: Rated R for pervasive language. The movie has no violence or sexual content. If you don’t mind swearing, this is an excellent movie for everyone to see.

The Beaver

Dark Drama

The Gist: Mel Gibson plays a severely depressed man whose salvation comes from a stuffed beaver. This puppet, real to him but ludicrious to everone else, smack talks him into reclaiming his life. There’s a cost, however. There more the beaver helps him, the more it expects to control him. Read our full review.

The Ups: Amazing acting on the part of Gibson, as well as Jodie Foster and the rest of the cast. Gibson essentially plays two characters at the same time and his cross-talking strong emotions are a wonder to behold. This is a film that meditates on the meaning of life and will resonate with those of us who have seen dark days.

The Downs: Did I mention dark days? This movie is deeply, desperately depressing. There’s not a lot of laughter or light, which might make you wish you’d popped “Rango” in the Blu-Ray player instead.

The Verdict: If you like dark insightful movies, watch it.

Be Aware: The film is rated PG-13 and has implied married sex and little language. It’s not intended for children, however, due to the dark nature of the themes and a scene of off-camera gore.