New DVD Releases for the Week of August 11 2009

Here is a list of the new DVD Releases for the week of August 11 2009 (for TV on DVD releases head over to Daemon's TV):

Alien Trespass

Synopsis: Set in 1957, ALIEN TRESPASS chronicles a fiery object from space that crashes into a mountaintop in the California desert, bringing the threat of disaster to Earth. Out of the flying saucer escapes a murderous creature – the Ghota, which is bent on destroying all life forms on the planet. A benevolent alien from the spaceship, Urp, inhabits the body of Ted Lewis (Eric McCormack) – a local astronomer – and with the help of Tammy, (Jenni Baird) a waitress from the local diner, sets out to save mankind.

Cast: Eric McCormack, Robert Patrick, Dan Lauria, Jenni Baird, Jody Thompson

Director: R.W. Goodwin

Recommendations: Alien Trespass is an homage to the 1950's Sci-fi films and thus looks really fun. I have been waiting to get my hands on this DVD!

Apres Lui

Synopsis: A woman (Catherine Deneuve) becomes obsessed with her son's best friend after her child dies in a car accident.

Cast: Catherine Deneuve, Thomas Dumerchez, Guy Marchand, Elodie Bouchez

Director: Gael Morel

Recommendations: It seems like a lot of French movie are coming out on DVDs this week, and the synopsis for Apres Lui has definitely got me interested in checking it out.

The Class

Synopsis: François and his fellow teachers prepare for a new year at a high school in a tough neighborhood. Armed with the best intentions, they brace themselves to not let discouragement stop them from trying to give the best education to their students.
Cultures and attitudes often clash in the classroom, a microcosm of contemporary France. As amusing and inspiring as the teenaged students can be, their difficult behavior can still jeapordize any teacher's enthusiasm for the low-paying job.
François insists on an atmosphere of respect and diligence. Neither stuffy nor severe, his extravagant frankness often takes the students by surprise. But his classroom ethics are put to the test when his students begin to challenge his methods...

Cast: François Bégaudeau

Director: Laurent Cantet

Recommendations: I have heard a lot of good things about The Class, and have put the movie at the top of my Netflix queue.

Gigantic

Synopsis: Brian Weathersby (PAUL DANO) is a 28 year-old salesman at a high-end Swedish mattress company. The afterthought child to elderly parents (ED ASNER, JANE ALEXANDER), and the youngest son in a trio of successful brothers, a shady oil man (IAN ROBERTS), a surgeon (ROBERT STANTON), Brian is searching for his place in the world. Unfulfilled by his work he spends a good portion of his day pursuing his goal of someday adopting a baby from China. He gets swept up in a romance with the lovely but misguided Harriet Lolly (ZOOEY DESCHANEL) when she comes in to his store one day and falls asleep on one of the beds. To win her over, he must compete with her bear of a father, Al Lolly, (JOHN GOODMAN) an art-collecting loudmouth with a bad back and deep pockets. GIGANTIC is a funny, surreal love story about the anxiety that comes when two people with crazy families collide unexpectedly and fall for each other.

Cast: Zooey Deschanel, Paul Dano, John Goodman, Ed Asner, Jane Alexander

Director: Matt Aselton

Recommendations: I haven't seen Gigantic yet, but how can I say no to Zooey Deschanel and Paul Dano?

I Love You, Man

Synopsis: In I Love You, Man, a comedy from John Hamburg (Along Came Polly, co-writer of Meet The Parents, Meet The Fockers, Zoolander), Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd, Knocked Up The 40 Year Old Virgin) is a successful real estate agent who, upon getting engaged to the woman of his dreams, Zooey, (Rashida Jones), discovers, to his dismay and chagrin, that he has no male friend close enough to serve as his Best Man. Peter immediately sets out to rectify the situation, embarking on a series of bizarre and awkward "man-dates," before meeting Sydney Fife (Jason Segel, Forgetting Sarah Marshall), a charming, opinionated man with whom he instantly bonds. But the closer the two men get, the more Peter's relationship with Zooey suffers, ultimately forcing him to choose between his fiancée and his new found "bro," in a story that comically explores what it truly means to be a "friend."

Cast: Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, Jaime Pressly, Jon Favreau, Aziz Ansari, Rashida Jones, Andy Samberg, J.K. Simmons, Jane Curtin, Matt Walsh

Director: John Hamburg

Recommendations: I saw this in theaters and really enjoyed it. It's a definitely fun movie to rent. You can also read Amie's review here.

Paris 36

Synopsis: A story of friendship, a story of love and brotherhood - Paris 36 is all these, to be sure. But it's probably more than that, since it turns on the sometimes conflicted but always affectionate relationships between three friends - Pigoil, Milou and Jacky - all struck head on by unemployment (a consequence of the 30's financial crisis) - as well as Douce a pretty young girl from the provinces who has come to Paris looking to hit it big and Monsieur Radio, an aging musician whose unhappy love affair has led him to withdraw from the world around him.

Cast: Gérard Jugnot, Clovis Cornillac, Kad Merad, Nora Arnezeder

Director: Christophe Barratier

Recommendations: I've wanted to watch this film ever since watching the trailer but I missed it in theaters, so it's time to add it to my Netflix queue.

17 Again

Synopsis: What would you do if you got a second shot at life? Class of 1989, Mike O'Donnell is a star on his high school basketball court with a college scout in the stands and a bright future in his grasp. But instead, he decides to throw it all away to share his life with his girlfriend Scarlett and the baby he just learned they are expecting. Almost 20 years later, Mike's glory days are decidedly behind him. His marriage to Scarlett has fallen apart, he has been passed over for a promotion at work, his teenage kids think he is a loser, and he has been reduced to crashing with his high school nerd-turned-technobillionaire best friend Ned. But Mike is given another chance when he is miraculously transformed back to the age of 17. Unfortunately, Mike may look 17 again, but his thirtysomething outlook is totally uncool in the class of 2009. And in trying to recapture his best years, Mike could lose the best things that ever happened to him.

Cast: Zac Efron, Matthew Perry, Michelle Trachtenberg, Melora Hardin, Leslie Mann, Jim Gaffigan, Allison Miller

Director: Burr Steers

Recommendations: I saw 17 Again in theaters, and while it wasn't horrible, it wasn't great either. It's something that you might just enjoy watching on TV to relax.