New Releases on DVD – August 2009

Adventureland

When a recent college graduate realizes he cannot afford his European dream vacation, he is forced to take a minimum-wage job at a local amusement park. Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Martin Starr, Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, Margarita Levieva, Ryan Reynolds. Rated R

August

Tom, a dot-com business owner, fights to keep both his professional and his personal life afloat as he tries to reunite with an old flame, gain control of his company, and repair his relationship with his family. Cast: Josh Hartnett, Naomie Harris, Adam Scott, Robin Tunney, Andre Royo, Emmanuelle Chriqui, David Bowie, Rip Torn. Rated R

The Betrayed

A young woman and her son find themselves  kidnapped and tortured by a mysterious figure who suspects her husband of stealing millions from a crime syndicate. Cast: Melissa George, Oded Fehr, Christian Campbell, Alice Krige. Not Rated

Coco Chanel

Charts the rise of one of the most influential designers of the 20th century. From her humble childhood and early days as a young dressmaker’s assistant, to her passionate love affair with a dashing Englishman and ultimate success as a pioneering fashion icon. Cast: Shirley MacLaine, Malcolm McDowell, Barbora Bobulova, Sagamore Stévenin. Rated PG

The Code

Two thieves try to pull off a dangerous heist with FBI, NYPD, and KGB operatives on their trail, determined to escape with the loot and their lives. Cast: Morgan Freeman, Antonio Banderas, Radha Mitchell, Robert Forster, Rade Serbedzija, Marcel Iures. Rated R

Crossing Over

An immigration officer must protect the U.S. border in Los Angeles from those trying to pursue the American Dream, as those around him try to break the rules by fraud, blackmail, and work-site enforcement. Cast: Harrison Ford, Ashley Judd, Ray Liotta, Jim Sturgess, Cliff Curtis, Alice Braga, Alice Eve. Rated R

A Day in the Life

Bad blood between two urban crime families explodes into an all-out turf war in this gritty, hard-hitting drama.Cast: Kirk “Sticky Fingaz” Jones, Michael Rapaport, Omar Epps, Mekhi Phifer, Clarence Williams III, Fredro Starr, Drena De Niro, Faizon Love, Michael K. Williams, Bokeem Woodbine. (2007) Rated R

Duplicity

A pair of corporate spies who share a steamy past hook-up to pull off the ultimate con job on their respective bosses. Cast: Julia Roberts, Clive Owen, Tom Wilkinson, Paul Giamatti. Rated PG-13

The Edge of Love

The unconventional love story of poet Dylan Thomas and the two women who inspire him. Cast: Keira Knightley, Sienna Miller, Cillian Murphy, Matthew Rhys. Rated R

Fast and Furious

After being released from prison, an ex-con works with the feds to bring down a heroin importer by infiltrating his operation. Cast: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, John Ortiz, Laz Alonso.  Rated R

Five Fingers

When a young Dutch idealist travels to Morocco to start a food charity, he’s kidnapped by local terrorists and has to engage in a mental chess match to learn his captors’ objectives. Cast: Laurence Fishburne, Ryan Phillippe, Gina Torres, Touriya Haoud, Said Taghmaoui, Colm Meaney. (2006) Rated R

The Great Buck Howard

A young man, much to the chagrin of his father, becomes the new assistant to an aging illusionist. Cast: John Malkovich, Colin Hanks, Emily Blunt, Ricky Jay, Steve Zahn, Tom Hanks. Rated PG

The Green Lantern: First Flight

An animated feature film based on the DC Comics characters.  When Hal Jordan becomes a Green Lantern, he is put under the supervision of senior Lantern, Sinestro, only to discover that his so-called mentor is part of a secret conspiracy that threatens the entire Green Lantern Corps. Voices of: Christopher Meloni, Victor Garber, Tricia Helfer, Michael Madsen, John Larroquette, Kurtwood Smith, William Schallert, Larry Drake. Rated PG-13

How About You

When free-spirited and headstrong Ellie is left in charge of a residential home over the Christmas holidays, her youth and inexperience clash with the four grumpy residents. Cast: Vanessa Redgrave, Imelda Staunton, Brenda Fricker, Hayley Atwell, Joss Ackland, Orla Brady, Joan O’Hara. Based on the short story How about you by Maeve Binchy. (2007) Not Rated

I Love You, Man

A newly engaged guy sets out to find the perfect “best man” for his wedding. Cast: Paul Rudd, Rashida Jones, Jaime Pressly, Jon Favreau, Jane Curtin, J.K. Simmons, Andy Samberg, Jason Segel. Rated R

Lighthouse Hill

When his best friend suddenly dies, Charlie drives off into the country where he comes across a lonely hotel with a landlocked lighthouse. Here he meets many fascinating characters, including an attractive vagrant who will change his life forever. Cast: Jason Flemyng, Kirsty Mitchell, Frank Finlay. Not Rated

Obsessed

When a successful financial advisor settles into a new neighborhood with his loving wife and young son, everything seems perfect. But when a beautiful temp joins the firm, his life begins to spiral out of control. Cast: Idris Elba, Beyoncé Knowles, Ali Larter, Bruce McGill, Jerry O’Connell, Christine Lahti. Rated PG-13

Race to Witch Mountain

A UFO expert enlists the help of a cabbie to protect two siblings with paranormal powers from the clutches of an evil organization.Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Annasophia Robb, Carla Gugino, Ciaran Hinds, Alexander Ludwig, Tom Everett Scott, Christopher Marquette.Based on the novel by Alexander Key. Rated PG

17 Again

A man wakes up one morning to find he’s a teenager again and has a shot at fixing his wayward life. Cast: Zac Efron, Leslie Mann, Thomas Lennon, Michelle Trachtenberg, Matthew Perry. Rated PG-13

Shooting Star

A Hollywood starlet finds herself stranded in a rural Utah town where she learns some of life’s most important lessons and simple pleasures. Cast: Torrey DeVitto, Erin Chambers, KC Clyde. (2007) Rated PG

The Soloist

Tells the true tale of a Los Angeles newspaper reporter who discovers a brilliant street musician.  The pair’s unique friendship soon transforms both of their lives.  Cast: Jamie Foxx, Robert Downey, Jr., Catherine Keener, Tom Hollander, Lisagay Hamilton.  Based on the novel by Steve Lopez.  Rated PG-13

Spinning into Butter

A hate crime on the campus of a New England college puts the school’s dean in a position where she has to examine her own feelings about race and prejudice. Cast: Miranda Richardson, Beau Bridges, Sarah Jessica Parker, Mykelti Williamson.  Originally released as a motion picture in 2007. Based on the play by Rebecca Gilman. Rated R

Step Up 2 the Streets

Romantic sparks occur between two dance students from different backgrounds at the Maryland School of the Arts. Cast: Briana Evigan, Robert Hoffman, Will Kemp, Cassie Ventura. Rated PG-13

Sunshine Cleaning

A woman who wants to send her eight-year-old son to a private school decides to go into business with her unreliable sister in order to earn more money. Cast: Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, Alan Arkin, Jason Spevack, Steve Zahn, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Clifton Collins, Jr., Eric Christian Olsen. Rated R

Surveillance

When FBI agents Elizabeth Anderson and Sam Hallaway arrive at a rural police station to investigate a series of gruesome murders, there are three witnesses with three different stories of the roadside rampage. Cast: Julia Ormond, Bill Pullman, Pell James, Ryan Simpkins, French Stewart, Kent Harper. Rated R

Table for Three

A single guy invites what he thinks is a perfect couple to move into his apartment, only to discover they quickly insert themselves into all aspects of his life.Cast: Brandon Routh, Sophia Bush, Jesse Bradford, Jennifer Morrison. Rated R