DVD Picks

Pick of the Week

The Illusionist

Animated comedy; rated PG for thematic elements and smoking; also available on Blu-ray

The Gist: Old-school in all aspects of the term, "The Illusionist" uses classic hand-drawn animation to tell a simple and funny-tragic story.

The Lowdown: "The Illusionist" is an animated comedy, safe for kids, that harks back to the days of silent film. Aside from a scattering of deliberately garbled dialogue, this French film has no spoken words at all. The story is told - with astounding precision - using nonverbal character and motion cues. It's about a stage illusionist, circa 1940s, who befriends a young Scottish girl while trying to wring out the last moments of his career.

The Illusionist (a character based essentially on the French filmmaker Jacques Tati - whole 'nother story there) is forced to the showbiz sidelines as modernity and pop music steal his crowds from the old Paris stage venues. It's all about artful visual storytelling with this one. The animation made me cry, maybe, a little bit. It's that good. Director Sylvain Chomet ("The Triplets of Belleville") has made a film that is genuinely unlike anything else you are likely to see on DVD.

The Extras: Director's commentary audio track; a making-of doc.

The Bottom Line: In a world of Pixar, computers and CGI, this is a persuasive case for classic animation filmmaking. I recommend setting aside an evening; it's an eye-opening experience.

Double Secret Bonus Tip: There's a crazy back story to this movie. Check the wiki page for the film if you're interested.

No Strings Attached

The Gist: No-nonsense medical student Emma (Natalie Portman) chooses hard-body TV producer Adam (Ashton Kutcher) as her no-strings-attached sex partner. Complications arise.

The Lowdown: A not-bad-at-all comedy from industry vet Ivan Reitman ("Ghostbusters"), "No Strings Attached" trods well-worn sex comedy grounds and riffs on them. It essentially re-broaches the topic raised by Elaine and Jerry in season one of "Seinfeld," back in 1989. Is it possible to have regular sex with a friend and not be "in a relationship"?

In other words, is it possible to be ... hmm, what's the polite phrase ... sex buddies? "Strings" explores the question with the usual dirty talk and R-rated banter and ends pretty predictably (and conservatively). But along the way, the film provides a successful balance of sexy and funny, with appealing bedroom scenes, naturally, between Portman and Kutcher.

It's all driven by Elizabeth Meriwether's script, which sets up the cast with lots of good jokes - one in particular concerning a compellingly themed mixed tape. Among the supporting cast: Kevin Kline, Ludacris, Mindy Kaling ("The Office") and my current movie star crush, Greta Gerwig.

The Extras: The two-disc Blu-ray/DVD package has the usual array of production docs, deleted scenes and a commentary track from Reitman.

The Bottom Line: A surprisingly funny comedy, despite Kutcher's failure to bring much to his character. Just watch everyone else instead. This movie is a lot funnier than I expected it to be.

Double Secret Bonus Tip: Seriously, replace Kutcher, and this movie could have really taken off.