Out on Video - Tues Dec 20

Zoe Saldana in 'Columbiana'

Photo: Contributed

Out on release this week:  A young girl avenges her parent’s death by becoming an assassin, an investment firm discovers there’s about to be a complete financial market meltdown, two brothers face off in a mixed martial arts showdown, a couple has a stand-off with a small town of crazy locals, a team of experts and a young kid work together to rebuild a dolphin’s tail, and a Hollywood screenwriter travels back in time to the 1920’s in the city of love.

Columbiana

A young girl witnesses her parent’s death by a Columbian drug lord.  She is moved to the Chicago area to live with her extended family and grows up to become a professional assassin (Zoe Saldana), attempting to lure the drug lord out so she can exact her revenge. 

Rating: 3 out of 5 - Short on storyline, however Saldana is proving herself a force to be reckoned with when it comes to the action flick genre!  Move over Angelina Jolie, Saldana’s coming after your nice cushy action movie gigs!

Margin Call

‘Margin Call’ takes place right at the beginning of the 2008 market crash.  A young analyst (Zachary Quinto of ‘Star Trek’ reboot) discovers that the mortgage industry is about to take a huge tumble, and over the next 24 hours, all involved must start dumping worthless shares of stock before they all lose their shirts - at the cost of their customers and clients!

Also starring Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettaney, Demi Moore

Rating: 4 out of 5 – This may not be a horror film, but it will scare you more than 99% of the films in the genre. Excellent performances fuel this ultra-compelling drama.

Warrior
 

Two brothers, one an ex-Marine (Tom Hardy) and the other a devote family man (Joel Edgerton), face off in the largest winner-take-all in a mixed martial arts event.

While one brother is trying to prove himself, the other is trying to save his family from financial ruin.

Straw Dogs

David (James Marsden), a screenwriter, and his wife Amy (Kate Bosworth), head down to her small southern hometown after the death of Amy’s father.

As they begin to adjust to the town, a small group of locals headed by Amy’s ex high school boyfriend (Alexander Skarsgard from ‘True Blood’) target the couple - especially David - leading to an all-out violent and bloody showdown at the couple’s home.

Dolphin Tale

Based on the true story about a dolphin that gets caught in a crab trap and ends up severely damaging her tail.  A young boy discovers the dolphin on the shores and she is rescued and sent to a Marine Hospital where a dedicated Marine Biologist and a prosthetics doctor (Morgan Freeman) construct her a new tail for her survival.

Not too surprising but quite interesting is that the dolphin is played by…  herself (of course).  Not too many dolphins out there with a prosthetic tail!

Midnight in Paris

Recently nominated for four Golden Globes, this Woody Allen flick set in modern-day Paris is about a Hollywood screenwriter named Gil (Owen Wilson) who goes on a trip there with his fiancée (Rachel McAdams) and her family.

Gil finds that the city is stirring up his dream of becoming a serious novelist, and one night while strolling down the street, he jumps into an old antique vehicle and travels back in time to the 1920’s. He begins to do this each night, all the while falling for Picasso’s mistress (Marion Cotillard).

Rating: 5 out of 5 – There are still many films yet to see before the end of the year, but so far… Midnight In Paris is this year’s best. May not be for everyone, but if you just let go and allow the story to sweep you away Woody’s latest will amaze and astound. Spectacular.

Also out: Hostel 3, Sint, Glee; The Concert

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.