By DNA Smith
PICKS OF THE WEEK
“The Other Woman” (R) — Natalie Portman stars as the titular other woman in this melodrama about infidelity, divorce and grief. Portman plays Emilia, a woman who has an affair with Jack (Scott Cohen), the husband of gynecologist Carolyne (Lisa Kudrow). Jack divorces and marries Emilia, and they have a baby daughter who dies three days later of SIDS. In her grief, Emilia tries to forge a bond between herself and her stepson, but Carolyne does whatever she can to prevent Emilia from “stealing” her son from her too. Gah. This movie is so Chick-Flicky, I actually grew an ovary while writing this synopsis.
“The Hustler” (Unrated) — Paul Newman’s awesome performance as pool shark “Fast Eddie” Felson makes “The Hustler” one of the greatest gritty, noir pictures Hollywood ever cranked out. Now, you can see it in all its high-def glory in this new remastered Blu-ray release.
After a crushing defeat at the hands of the legendary Minnesota Fats (Jackie Gleason in the role of a lifetime), Eddie hits the skids. He hooks up with an alcoholic socialite (Piper Laurie) and a ruthless financial backer (George C. Scott), who offers Eddie one last chance at the big money.
“The Mechanic” (R) — Jason Statham stars in this remake of the classic 1972 Charles Bronson action flick. Statham plays Arthur Bishop, a successful “mechanic” (hitman) nearing retirement, who trains his young replacement (Ben Foster). Although the film has its share of cool action sequences, “The Mechanic” doesn’t have the same Statham-y oomph as his “Crank” or “Transporter” films. “The Mechanic” isn’t a horrible film, nor is it as good as the original, but it’s still worth a look.
“The Comancheros” (50th Anniversary Edition) (G) — John Wayne stars as Big Jake Cutter, a Texas Ranger who teams up with gambler Paul Regret (Stuart Whitman) to infiltrate an evil gang of Comancheros — men who smuggle whiskey and weapons to Comanche Indians in a plot to spur an uprising against God-Fearin’ White Americans Who Are Just Following Their Manifest Destiny.
TV SHOWS
“ESPN Films 30 for 30 Gift Set Collection” Volume 2
“American Experience: Freedom Riders”
“Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!” Season 5
“All in the Family” The Complete Ninth Season
“The Twilight Zone” Season 4
“The Wild Thornberrys” Season One
“Covert Affairs” Season One
“Royal Pains” Season Two
“The Bionic Woman” Season Two
“Flashpoint” Third Season
“Wagon Train” The Complete Third Season
“The Virginian” The Complete Fourth Season
“Smokin: Classic Cigarette Commercials”
“American Experience: George Washington: Man Who Wouldn’t Be King”
“Thor: Tales of Asgard”
© 2011 King Features Synd., Inc.