New DVDs: 'No Country,' 'Dan In Real Life'

'No Country For Old Men' (R)
Filmmaking brothers Joel and Ethan Coen's "No Country For Old Men" is the best movie of 2007, according to the Oscars and several critics groups -- organizations that apparently failed to notice how utterly pretentious the ending is.

It's a shame, because prior to the last two minutes of the film, "No Country For Old Men" is an expertly executed crime thriller by the Coens, who co-directed the film and co-wrote the script based on the Cormac McCarthy novel.

Josh Brolin stars as Llewelyn Moss, a hunter who happens upon a drug-deal gone awry near the Rio Grande, with hordes of dead bodies, stacks of heroin and $2 million left in its wake. But it's Javier Bardem who steals the show as Anton Chigurh, a cold-blooded assassin who disposes of anybody who gets in his way with a cattle gun, as he attempts to track down Moss and his valuable find. Tommy Lee Jones also stars as a sheriff on the trail of the bloodshed.

Frightening from the moment he appears on-screen, Bardem's recent Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for the film was definitely merited. He's an omnipresent force throughout the film as the silent killer, and is arguably one of the most memorable villains in film history. Punctuating his presence is an eerie tone the Coens set by opting not to go with any sort of musical score throughout the film.

The film's rambling, artsy ending aside, "No Country For Old Men" is without a doubt the Coens most conventional film, as it lacks the sort of quirkiness that has come to define the filmmakers with such hits as "Raising Arizona" and "Fargo." That's not entirely a bad thing, however. Ultimately, it makes their work -- love it or hate it -- accessible to a much bigger audience.

DVD Features: Production featurettes and more. (Touchstone Home Entertainment)

'Dan in Real Life' (PG-13)
Steve Carell delivers a remarkably understated performance as the title character in "Dan in Real Life," a sweet romantic dramedy that appropriately feels like real life.

Steve Carell Interview

Carell plays Dan Burns, a widowed newspaper columnist and single father of three spirited girls who, on a trip home for an annual family gathering, meets the free-spirited Marie (Juliette Binoche) in a local bookstore – a free spirit who just may be the one to pull him out of his doldrums. The two soon meet again, but this time Marie is introduced as Dan's brother's (Dane Cook) girlfriend, leading to an uncomfortable situation at best.

While the chemistry between Carell and Binoche makes them one of the best screen couples this year, the key to "Real Life's" success is the impressive ensemble cast that makes up Dan's family (Diane Wiest, John Mahoney and Brittany Robertson -- who is a scream as Dan's lovelorn 15-year-old daughter), who can be caring of Dan one minute and mocking him the next, just like any loving family member would do.

Director/co-writer Peter Hedges has an incredible handle on the material, making "Dan" one of, if not the sweetest, romantic comedies of the year.

DVD Features: Commentary with Hedges, deleted scenes, outtakes, production featurettes and more. (Touchstone Home Entertainment)

'Bee Movie' (PG)
Opting for a different direction than his classic sitcom, Jerry Seinfeld's four-years-in-the-making "Bee Movie" is actually about something. The film follows the exploits of a yellowjacket named Barry B. Benson (Seinfeld), a recent college graduate who decides there's more to life outside the honey factory in New Hive City.

Jerry Seinfeld Interview

Bravely venturing out into New York City, Barry makes a human friend in the kindly florist Vanessa (Renee Zellweger), and makes the shocking discovery that people are consuming honey -- leading him to sue the human race for stealing it.

While the idea of bees suing mankind seems a bit heavy-handed on the face of things, Seinfeld and company keep the proceedings relatively light with sharp, funny dialogue and vibrantly colored, jaw-dropping computer animation.

Like many of its computer-animated predecessors, "Bee Movie" has a smattering of pop culture references. But perhaps the funniest gag is the employment of "Goodfellas" actor Ray Liotta playfully spoofing himself as the lucrative head of his own honey label. Seinfeld's voice work is impeccable, and Zellweger's vocals are barely recognizable in her sweet turn as Barry's best human friend.

DVD Features: Commentary with Seinfeld and filmmakers, lost scenes with commentary, production featurettes, TV Juniors advertising vignettes, alternate endings with commentary and more. (Paramount Home Entertainment)

'August Rush' (PG)
"The Spiderwick Chronicles" star Freddie Highmore proves why he's arguably one of the best teen actors today with "August Rush," a poignant story about an orphaned musical virtuoso.

Freddie Highmore Interview

Highmore plays the older version of Evan, the birth child of Louis Connelly (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), a charismatic Irish rock guitarist and Lyla Novacek (Keri Russell), a sheltered cellist, conceived after a chance encounter in New York City. The harmonic connection Louis and Lyla had with each other resulted in instant love, but Lyla's overprotective father (William Sadler) intervened in the relationship right away and months later, after a tragic accident, made Lyla believe that the child she and Louis had conceived had died.

Nearly 12 years later, Evan, who swears the music he hears in his head is the key to connecting him with his parents, takes off from the boys' home he's lived all of his life and ventures to New York City to find them. But instead, he encounters a temperamental street musician known as Wizard (Robin Williams), and a guitar for the very first time. Renaming Evan "August Rush," Wizard sets out exploit the boy's musical gift for money -- but August is convinced that his talents is what will draw him, Lyla and Louis together, if they only listen to the music.

While the storyline is fantastical in nature (too many things fall conveniently into place), grounded performances by Highmore, Russell, Rhys Meyers and Williams (who is frightening as Wizard) hold "August Rush" together throughout the entire film. While the actual recorded soundtrack is of another musician, Highmore learned to play guitar for the film -- an unorthodox style of playing made famous by late new age artist Michael Hedges. The music is stirring and the story of the strong musical bond between August and his parents makes for refreshing family movie storyline.

DVD Features: Additional scenes and more. (Warner Home Video)

Also New:
'Tin Man' (NR): Zooey Daschenel, Alan Cumming and Neal O'Donnell star in this re-imagining of L. Frank Baum's classic "The Wizard of Oz" that aired as a miniseries on the Sci-Fi Channel last year. Kathleen Robertson, Rauol Trujillo and Richard Dreyfus also star. (Genius Entertainment)