A Serious Man

Need a good movie to watch while Winter is still nipping outside? I've got a few good new DVD releases to recommend today, including an Oscar nominee and other highly-anticipated movies. In addition to the flicks below, you can also find The Stepfather, Dare, and Serious Moonlight available today as well.

Couples Retreat

Vince Vaughn, Kristen Bell, Jon Favreau, Malin Akerman, Jason Bateman, and Kristen Davis star in this ensemble about a group of friends who find that their relaxing vacation is actually a relationship boot camp. Couples Retreat is not quite as funny as I was expecting, but it makes a pretty good rental — especially with its gorgeous tropical setting.

Extras on the DVD release include an alternate ending, a gag reel, commentary with the director and Vince Vaughn, and three featurettes.

12%

A Serious Man

The Coen Brothers's latest film, A Serious Man, is a dark comedy featuring Michael Stuhlbarg's standout performance as a down-on-his-luck college professor with a wicked sense of humor. It struck me as a bit of a head-scratcher, but it's definitely a thought-provoking, well-made film. And as of last week, it's an Oscar nominated one in the best picture category.

If you're bringing this DVD home, you'll find the featurettes on the making of the movie, and interviews with the brothers Coen.

87%

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I like the Coen brothers. I loved No Country For Old Men, I still enjoy quoting Frances McDormand lines from Fargo — I even appreciated their most recent project, Burn After Reading despite lukewarm reviews. So I went into A Serious Man with high expectations. Perhaps a bit too high.

The Coens go incredibly dark and thought-provoking this time around, and unfortunately without any big-named stars attached like Clooney a la Reading or O Brother, Where Art Thou?, A Serious Man probably won't live on as one of their more memorable films for viewers. In fact, many people will probably feel put off by it. To see what I mean, read more

Seeing as this one minute, 40-second teaser trailer for the Coen brothers' latest film, A Serious Man, is like a little short film in itself, I can say with certainty that I'll be eagerly waiting in line for this one come October. The synopsis: "A black comedy set in 1967 and centered on Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg), a Midwestern professor who watches his life unravel when his wife prepares to leave him because his inept brother (Richard Kind) won't move out of the house." Seeking some kind of balance, Larry approaches three different rabbis for advice.

In the trailer, the sounds of destruction, confusion, and desperation in this man's life weave together to make a mesmerizing kind of music. It looks dark and weird and funny — everything we've come to expect from the Coens. A Serious Man opens in limited release Oct. 2. To check out the trailer, read more