Week of April 7

by Philip Yu    April 6, 2009

In this week's new DVD releases, one man goes on a yes-capade, tall tales come true, a nun confronts a priest, and an alien comes to earth with some very bad news.

Pick of the Week

Yes Man He's played a pet detective, a lying lawyer, and the star of Truman TV. Jim Carrey has even played God. Here, he's a man who signs up for a self-help program based on one simple principle: "Yes." Say yes to everything... and anything. And he does. At first, unleashing the power of yes transforms his life in amazing and unexpected ways, including a romance with a free-spirated musician (Zooey Deschanel). But he soon discovers that opening up his life to endless possibilities can have its drawbacks.

Family Fun

Bedtime Stories Funnyman Adam Sandler stars in a fantastical family comedy where one man's tall tales magically become real-life adventures. While babysitting for his sister's kids, he entertains them with elaborate, outlandish bedtimes stories, always casting himself as the hero. But things take a turn for the strange when the stories mysteriously start coming true. He attempts to take advantage of the phenomenon, but the kids' unexpected contributions turn his life upside down. Will this handyman hero be able to find his own happy ending?

Sci-Fi Remake

The Day the Earth Stood Still In a remake of the sci-fi classic, Keanu Reeves stars as Klaatu, an otherworldly being whose arrival on Earth triggers an unstoppable series of events that could annihilate all of mankind. Jennifer Connelly is a scientist who discovers the deadly ramifications of Klaatu's plan, and must find a way to convince the extraterrestrial who was sent to destroy us that mankind is worth saving -- but it may be too late. The process has begun.

War of Wills

Doubt Stacked with an Oscar-nominated ensemble cast -- Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams and Viola Davis -- John Patrick Shanley directs the adaptation of his own award-winning play. At a Bronx catholic school in 1964, iron-gloved Sister Aloysius confronts a priest, Father Flynn, after suspecting him of abusing a black student. Without a shred of proof or evidence except for her "moral certainty," the two lock into battle of wills that threatens to tear apart the Church and school with devastating consequences.