Arliss Howard

CHICAGO – “Concussion” suffers from what I call the “Moneyball” problem – it’s got an interesting subject matter, but it doesn’t seem to know what to do with it. It doesn’t have enough faith in its own material or its audience, so it stocks up on a lot of off-the-shelf melodrama in effort to avoid digging into what makes the story interesting in the first place. It’s also a movie that chickens out at the end and seems afraid to pick a fight.

CHICAGO – Few directors were made for Blu-ray like Stanley Kubrick and recent editions of some of his classics, including the Criterion releases for “The Killing” and “Paths of Glory” and the stunning anniversary edition of “A Clockwork Orange” are among the best in my collection. His penultimate film, “Full Metal Jacket,” was just released in a Digibook HD edition from Warner Bros. and while it may not be one of my favorite flicks, it’s another visual masterpiece from Kubrick, which makes it a perfect fit for Blu-ray.

CHICAGO – Robert Schwentke’s adaptation of the beloved novel “The Time Traveler’s Wife” was mostly critically ridiculed in theaters but should make for a satisfying rental this Valentine’s Day and deserves a second consideration from those that completely dismissed it at first. It looks beautiful in HD and the film’s flaws are easier to forgive at home without the expectation of this long-awaited project.