Next Time You Visit Blockbuster Rent These Titles

How many times have you been at Blockbuster or your other local DVD store and scanned the shelves, in vain, looking for something to rent because all the best new releases are gone? Worry no more. I have compiled a shortlist of DVD that are almost sure to be there next time you go and that are well worth the price of the rental fee. Let's start with my favorite genre...

HORROR

BEHIND THE MASK : THE RISE OF LESLIE VERNON - Probably the smartest and most unique horror movie that I've seen in years. The movie starts out like a documentary with a bunch of college kids making a film about the next great serial killer (the premise is that Elm Street, Jason, and Michael Myers were all real characters). Leslie Vernon is the killer in question and he comes off as a very likeable guy, actually reminding me of a young Jim Carrey. The crew follow him during his preparation, never really believing that he is going to go through with it, but when he does, the movie flips from documentary to slasher flick in a heartbeat. Full of witty, clever dialogue and inside horror movie humor, it's a must see.

THE HOST - Be warned this one has subtitles. A new take on the old monster movie genre. A mutant lizard/fish type monster comes out of Seouls Han River and terrorizes the locals. It played in limited release here in the US so, unfortunately didn't reach the mass audience it deserved. Great special effects and the humor that was intended is not lost in translation.

ALTERED - From the maker of "The Blair Witch Project", this one is the story of 4 thirtysomething guys who claimed to have been abducted as kids and have spent the rest of their lives since then trying to snag one of the aliens. They do manage to bag one and take it back to their garage in the hopes of putting the alien through some of the torture they were subjected to. The creature gets loose though, and all hell breaks loose. Made on a small budget, the effects are surprisingly good including one of the cast members basically melting for an hour and a half.

THE DESCENT/DOG SOLDIERS - How about a Neil Marshall double feature? All the best horror at the moment is coming out of the UK and these 2 are no exception. The Descent is the story of a bunch of girls who go cave diving only to get trapped and attacked by a bunch of mutant underground dwellers. You feel claustrophobic watching it but there are lots of very clever lighting tricks so that the whole movie isn't in the dark. If the DVD offers it, watch the UK version which has a better ending than the US one. Orgianlly made for the Sci-Fi Channel here in the States, Dog Soldiers is the story of a group of British soldiers who are out on a training mission in the wilds and get trapped and set upon by a pack of werewolves. All they have are their wits and a bunch of dummy bullets. Imagine Southern Comfort meets Underworld...great action and some really good gore.

COMEDY

I have a couple of really good recommendations here if you are planning on staying in over the weekend. They are both multiple DVD collections

EXTRA'S SEASON 1 & 2 - Brought to you by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant (the creators of The Office), Extras is the story of a struggling bit part actor played by Gervais and his hapless agent played with alarmingly brillant stupidity by Merchant. There are 6 episoed in each season and each one gets progressively better than the other. It also features some great cameos by the likes of Kate Winslet, Ben Stiller, and Robert De Niro, all of whom play themselves and seem to take great joy in ridiculing themselves...clever and brilliant.

NOT JUST THE BEST OF THE LARRY SANDERS SHOW - For me, the Larry Sanders Show was far and away the best sitcom produced in the 90's. This collection features 23 of the best episodes and they are all great. Brilliant comedic turns by Gary Shandling, Rip Torn, Jefrrey Tambor, and Jeremy Piven, to name just a few. Another show where the guest stars, playing themselves, seem to take great delight in being self-depreciating.

DRAMA

MEMENTO - What makes this movie stand out, other than the great storyline and incredible acting, is that it starts at the end and works it's way backwards by playing the scenes in reverse chronological order. It sounds crazy but all comes together brilliantly in the end. Guy Pearce is astounding as the main character who has short-term memory loss and has to scribble everything he does on his skin and pieces of scrap paper. It's a dizzying backwards journey that you won't regret taking. I believe that the newest release of the DVD actually has version where you can watch the movie in the "proper" order but that would take away all the fun.

ANGEL HEART - I love this movie!! It's the story of a down and out private detective (Mickey Rourke) who is hired by a mysterious stranger, played for very creepy effect, by Robert De Niro, to do a missing persons search. For a large part of the movie it looks like he is getting nowhere fast until the final few minutes when the lid is blown off everything and you are left stunned. This movie is the king of the surprise ending films.

ACTION

Going with an oldie and a newbie for these two

SHOOTER - A relatively new release, this movie tanked at the box office and there always seems to be tons of copies on the shelf at the video store but I thought it was great. Mark Wahlberg plays a retired army sniper who is summoned to help out after an assassination attempt against the President is uncovered. He ends up being framed when a visiting dignitary is sot and killed rather than the President and whatt follows is an action-packed series of events as he tries to track down those responsible and clear his name. Solid acting all round especially by Danny Glover who chews up the scenery playing an evil government stooge.

HARLEY DAVIDSON & THE MARLBORO MAN - Mickey Rourke and Don Johnson play the title characters in this over the top action flick. Great cheesy fun as the two main guys and their friends plan a robbery in order to save their local bar and end up in way over their heads. Some great actions scenes and a bunch of bad guys in bullet-proof full length leather jackets...great fun.

I hope that these selections will help you all the next time you are having a hard time picking a movie to watch and I hope everyone gets as much enjoyment out of these as I did.