New on DVD

Well, if you can’t stomach another Pirates sequel, here are my DVD recommendations on what to pick and what to avoid.

Worth a home viewing:

ânº The Fighter: Mark Walhberg is tremendous and Christian Bale and Melissa Leo both won Oscars for their portrayal of a real-life Boston boxing family who overcome a mountain of adversity.

ânº 127 Hours: The only deterrent from watching this true story of hiker Aron Ralston’s harrowing days trapped in a crevasse by a boulder pinning his arm is the graphic gore involved in his escape. Other than that, it is an inspiring story of how a tragedy became the best thing that ever happened to a man.

ânº The Next Three Days: Russell Crowe and Elizabeth Banks are terrific, and the story hits the jackpot. Banks plays a woman convicted of murder, and Crowe plays her loving husband determined to spring her from the big house.

ânº Unstoppable: And another true story gets the thumbs up. Here Ridley Scott directs Denzel Washington and Chris Pine as two conductors trying to stop a runaway train. It’s edge-of-your-seat stuff.

And the musts to miss:

ânº Country Strong: The eye-rollingly, sappy story of a country singer trying to make a comeback. Better option: Coal Miner’s Daughter.

ânº Yogi Bear: If there ever was a stupid movie, this is it. Better option: Megamind.

ânº Skyline: Alien invasion at its worst. Better option: Independence Day or Battle LA.

ânº Due Date: It’s hard to believe Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis could be so not funny. Better option: The Hangover.

ânº Conviction: The futile story of a woman who goes to law school to free her brother from a wrongful conviction. Better option: The Shawshank Redemption.

ânº The Roommate: Unoriginal story of the loony roomy with predictable scares and bad acting. Better option: Single White Female.

ânº The Green Hornet: Worst super hero concept ever: a super hero with no abilities. Better option: The Dark Knight Rises.