In these days of $50 million weekend grosses, movies that don’t even make that much during their entire theatrical lives are not considered “hits.” Of course, when they get to DVD a scant few months later, the playing field is once again leveled and–whether it’s an Israeli film or a Disney kids’ movie–the movies have new chances to find their audiences.

After the Wedding

Genius/IFC
directed by Susanne Bier
starring Mads Mikkelsen, Rolf Lassgard, Sidse Babett Knudsen

Susanne Bier pulls no punches in this scathing, intimate portrait of what may well be the ultimate dysfunctional family, whose secrets are dragged out into the open at the beloved daughter’s wedding. Unlike “The Celebration,” however–a similar film that piled its revelations so high that the entire proceedings became an untenable circus– “After the Wedding” draws us in through sharply-drawn characters, believable situations and dialogue: credit must also go to Bier’s screenwriter, Anders Thomas Jensen, and a phenomenal cast without one weak link. With this film, Bier has become a director to be reckoned with.

Extras: deleted scenes; interview with Bier.

Black Snake Moan

Paramount
directed by Craig Brewer
starring Samuel L. Jackson, Chrisina Ricci, Justin Timberlake

Director Craig Brewer calls his follow-up to the Oscar-winning pimp character study, “Hustle & Flow,” a fable: that’s the only way he can get away with describing a movie that traffics in Southern racist stereotypes. The question is, is Brewer exploding them or exploiting them? It’s a little of both, as he enjoys putting trailer-trashy little Christina Ricci in chains (literally) as scary black man Samuel L. Johnson tries to put her on the right path. Brewer does have the courage of his crazy convictions, and the result is a movie that–however wrongheaded–is never less than watchable, thanks in no small part to Ricci and Jackson’s remarkable ability to pull off their dicey roles.

Extras: Brewer commentary; deleted scenes with commentary; featurettes about making the film and the music.

The Bow

Breach

Universal
directed by Billy Ray
starring Chris Cooper, Ryan Phillippe, Laura Linney

More Hollywood entertainments should be like director/co-writer Billy Ray’s brisk, taut retelling of how the FBI finally brought down the worst spy in the bureau’s history. Chris Cooper is splendid as spy Robert Hanssen, and Ryan Phillippe nearly matches him as young undercover operative Eric O’Neill; for once, the put-upon wife role is well-written, and Caroline Dhavernas plays her with intensity and grace. With the always-amazing Laura Linney as O’Neill’s boss, “Breach” does what mainstream movies rarely do nowadays: tell a fascinating story with a minimum of fuss.

Extras: deleted and alternate scenes; commentary with Ray and real-life Eric O’Neill; three behind-the-scenes featurettes.

Bridge to Terabithia

Disney
directed by Gabor Csupo
starring Josh Hutcherson, AnnaSophia Robb, Aooey Deschanel

Mixing elements of “The Chronicles of Narnia” into a modern framework, “Bridge to Terebithia” is Disney’s attempt to reach family audiences for a fantastical movie that’s also sentimental and even–somewhat surprisingly–depressing. Well-paced at a quick 95 minutes, “Terebithia” won’t make anxious kids squirm with its tale of lasting friendship; the fantasy elements often seem almost a second thought. Earnest, well-meaning, and hopelessly cliched, “Bridge to Terebithia” still scores with its target  audience.

Extras: featurettes on the original book and making the film; two audio commentaries.

Climates

Zeitgeist
directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan
starring Ebru Ceylan, Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Nazan Kirilmis

Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan makes introspective films that look so inwardly it’s difficult to meet him halfway. “Climates” is no exception: the writer-director stars as a Turkish filmmaker whose problems with his girlfriend (played by his real-life wife, Ebru Ceylan) cause their break-up; of course, he then realizes what she meant to him. There is scene after scene of people sitting around talking, or not talking–the silences are deafening, but not in the way Ceylan intends. Taking his cue from the infinitely superior groundbreaking films of Antonioni, “Climates” is visually breathtaking, including a meltingly beautiful final shot in the snow which heralds new standards for digital filmmaking.

Extras: Cannes featurette; interviews with director and co-star.

Close to Home

Genius/IFC
directed by Jim Leonard
starring Jennifer Finnigan, Kimberly Elise, David James Elliott

This study of two female Israeli soldiers who are part of the street patrol in heavily fortified Jerusalem still makes its points about dealing with everyday terror succinctly and off-handedly. Only once (in a scene aboard a bus dealing with an unclaimed bag) does writers/directors Dalia Hager and Vidi Bilu veer into unnecessarily obvious territory; otherwise–with the help of their two terrific actresses, Smadar Sayar and Naama Schendar–they admirably keep histrionics and the soapbox to a minimum in order to restrainedly present real-life difficulties brought on by terrorism.

Extras: none.

Days of Glory

Genius/Weinstein Company
directed by Rachid Bouchareb
starring Jamel Debbouze, Samy Naceri, Roschdy Zem

Rachid Bouchareb’s intense drama about Algerians who enlisted in the French army during WWII to help liberate a mother country that  they’ve never even seen was nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Film; despite that, it’s actually a memorable look at a little-known fact about that war–that many colonials fought for France despite the rampant racism among those being liberated. Despite melodramatic missteps, Bouchareb’s film is a powerful indictment of what is a still-pervasive atmosphere.

Extras: making-of featurette; short film by Bouchareb.

Driving Lessons

Sony
directed by Jeremy Brock
starring Julie Walters, Rubpert Grint, Laura Linney

An unexpectedly touching, low-key character study, writer/director Jeremy Brock’s film takes several offbeat characters and–instead of making them “lovably eccentric”–treats them as individuals. The result: a satisfying comic drama about a teenage boy caught between his overbearing mother and the over-the-hill actress he works for. Of course, it helps immensely that superlative performers are playing the parts: Julie Walters as the actress, Rupert Grint as the kid and the extraordinary Laura Linney as Mom.

Extras: outtakes, deleted scenes, making-of featurette.

The Last Mimzy

New Line
directed by Robert Shaye
starring Chris O'Neil, Rhiannon Leigh Wryn, Joely Richardson

An unlikely, unwieldy combination of “E.T.,” “A.I.” and “Alice in Wonderland,” “The Last Mimzy” is children’s moviemaking gone wild: Lewis Padgett’s short story has been expanded into a lunatic full-length escapade that may appeal to those who haven’t seen the movies it so artfully rips off. (That means most kids.) The youngsters are appealing, but the adults (Tim Hutton, Joely Richardson, Michael Clarke Duncan) look properly embarrassed. The ending is so blatantly a steal from “E.T.” that it’s endearing in its way.

Extras: several making-of featurettes; 11 deleted scenes; director commentary; Roger Waters video for “Hello (I Love You),” which is not the Doors song.

Longford

HBO
directed by Tom Hooper
starring Lee Boardman, Jim Broadbent, Tam Dean Burn

Rarely have two actors become so unrecognizable in their characterizations as Jim Broadbent and Samantha Morton in this fact-based drama about the 7th Earl of Longford’s unconventional attempts to help a low-class woman accused of murdering children. Written by Peter Morgan–on a true roll, following “The Queen” and the play “Frost/Nixon”–and directed by Tom Hooper, “Longford” unforgettably explores two people’s lives and how, when they cross paths, they leave indelible marks on each other.

Extras: Hooper and Morgan commentary; featurette about the actual Longford and Hindley.

Miss Potter

Weinstein Co./Genius
directed by Chris Noonan
starring Renee Zellweger, Ewan McGregor, Emily Watson

This is an overly sugary biopic about Beatrix Potter, whose wondrous stories were supplemented by her equally inventive drawings; the main problem is the presence of Renee Zellweger, who gets the accent right but whose performance is too apple-cheeked (literally!) and idealized to make a real impression. Luckily, the supporting cast–including Ewan MacGregor, Bill Paterson and Emily Watson (who would have been perfect as Beatrix)–saves the day.

Extras: director commentary; making-of featurettes.

The Number 23

New Line
directed by Joel Schumacher
starring Jim Carrey, Virginia Madsen, Logan Lerman

This faintly ludicrous horror movie uses so many of the genre’s cliches that it’s actually a relief to see Jim Carrey overact shamelessly as the hero (or is that villain?), because he takes your mind off the idiotic goings-on. As the women in his life–and fantasies–Lynn Collins and Virginia Madsen salvage the movie dramatically, even as their director, Joel Schumacher, ramps up the over-the-top quotient. If the number 23 is your lucky number, you should stay away; if it isn’t, do the same.

Extras: Infinifilm features include an unrated version of the film (with 3 extra minutes!), deleted scenes, interviews, featurettes and Schumacher’s audio commentary.

The Page Turner

Tartan
directed by Denis Dercourt
starring Catherine Frot, Deborah Francois, Pascal Greggory

Denis Dercourt’s debut feature takes its cues from Hitchcock and Chabrol in its psychologically penetrating account of revenge in the rarefied world of classical musicmaking. The story’s low-key nature–played around the strains of glorious music by Shostakovich–prevents it from being totally successful as a thriller (and the implausibility of the plotting and characterization further hampers things), but Dercourt has a firm grasp on both filmic and musical rhythms; there are splendid performances by Deborah Francois as the vengeance-wreaking title character and Catherine Frot as the unsuspecting musician.

Extras: 30-minute making-of featurette.

Premonition

Sony
directed by Mennan Yapo
starring Sandra Bullock, Julian McMahon, Shyann McClure

Sandra Bullock was once America’s sweetheart, but if she continues making movies as foolish and implausibly misguided as this second-rate “Twilight Zone” story about a woman whose husband may or may not be dead, she’ll soon disappear from everybody’s radar. It’s unfortunate, really, since Bullock brings a lighthearted air to a morose and downbeat plot that director Mennan Yapo and writer Bill Kelly do nothing with except pour on the usual mystery-thriller cliches.

Extras: deleted scenes; gag reel; making-of featurette; Bullock and Yapo commentary.

Ruffian

ESPN
directed by Ybes Simoneau
starring Mark Adam, Lisa Arnold, Laura Bailey

An exciting, emotional drama about the famous filly who captured America’s hearts until breaking her leg in a 1975 match race with Foolish Pleasure, which was seen by millions live on national TV. Director Yves Simoneau smartly concentrates on the inherent drama, showing how the trainers, owners, riders, sportswriters, and fans follow racing with all their hearts. Sam Shepard is excellent as trainer Frank Whiteley, who saw the brilliance in Ruffian and molded her talent.

Extras: making-of featurettes; interviews; vintage horse racing footage.

Shooter

Paramount
directed by Antoine Fuqua
starring Mark Wahlberg, Michael Pena, Danny Glover, Kate Mara

Mark Wahlberg has turned into a solid actor who can be relied on for giving authentic, likeable performances, and his presence grounds the otherwise wildly implausible “Shooter” in a reality that gives it an exciting kick. Director Antoine Fuqua barrels straight ahead through numerous plot holes and unbelievable characterizations, but a two-hour-plus running time is a good half-hour too much. Luckily, Wahlberg’s presence is nicely complemented by an array of excellent supporting actors, including Danny Glover, Ned Beatty, Michael Pena and Kate Mara.

Extras: Fuqua commentary; deleted scenes; two behind-the-scenes featurettes.
                       

Tyler Perry’s Daddy’s Little Girls

Lions Gate
directed by Tyler Perry
starring Gabrielle Union, Idris Elba, Louis Gossett Jr.

Such a manipulative, even meretricious melodrama has a built-in audience that wouldn’t listen to reason anyway, but for those who might ignore this unoriginal, ugly “romantic comedy,” be assured that Gabrielle Union–she of the luminous smile and totally disarming personality–is so good as the new girlfriend of a single father with three daughters that she almost makes sitting through 100 minutes of this pap worthwhile.

Extras: Tyler Perry commentary; making-of featurettes; extended scene.

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