‘Watchmen’

English writer Alan Moore has seen several of his works — including “V for Vendetta” and “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” — remade for the big screen, but the one title that’s carried the most excitement and highest expectations is “Watchmen.” Moore’s groundbreaking graphic novel, published in 1986, carried with it a large number of dedicated fans, as it explored the dark side of superheroism in a pessimistic world grown cold with the imminent threat of nuclear war. Essentially, the story is a deconstruction of the superhero mythology. It breaks away from the clean-cut crusader personae that millions have come to adore, and paints these extraordinary figures with innumerable flaws. Directed by Zack Snyder, the movie is mostly faithful to Moore’s work with the exception of an ending that’s a change for the worse. The film is a must see, though, specifically for the CGI work and performances by Jackie Earle Haley, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Patrick Wilson. Additionally, it’s a spectacle unlike any other superhero-based film ever presented to viewers, as it sufficiently tackles the darkness enveloping these folks in their twilight of heroism. To sum it up, someone is killing superheroes, so a band of retired crime fighters team up to protect their own in a world that could care less about them. As the clues stack up, the assemblage soon realizes it’s one of their own that’s inflicting the damage. There are two nice DVD packages for consumers. A director’s cut — with 25 minutes added to the flick — is available in two-disc standard and Blu-ray packages. The standard also includes a spectacular featurette on Moore’s graphic novel and a music video from My Chemical Romance. Blu-ray buyers will find a lot more in their purchase. Two extra featurettes and a comprehensive look at the film with Snyder also are in tow. A scaled-down single disc with the theatrical cut and no special features also is in stores. R; 2009. Our Take: 3 Stars.

Buy It: Forces viewers to see superheroes in a whole new light.

‘Coraline’

Creativity reigns supreme in director Henry Selick’s “Coraline,” a visual masterpiece for the eyes. Selick — the same fellow responsible for directing the action in 1993’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas” — puts out an accomplished feature that finds its stride in an entrancing story, based off of a book by English writer Neil Gaiman. It’s a stop-motion animation divergent from anything else emerging from this genre. The film follows a young girl named Coraline, who’s just moved into a new apartment with her parents. Her mother and father don’t have much time to spend with her, so Coraline explores the new place and soon realizes there’s something very different about this dwelling. Besides the weird neighbors, Coraline finds a portal to a world that’s much like her own. The one difference is that her parents have all the time in the world for her. Just as Coraline is becoming quite fond of her new digs, she comes upon a couple of clues hinting of danger. When she tries to make the return trip back to her boring life, though, she finds out this new world doesn’t want to part with her. “Coraline” is available in three different packages, and the two-disc collector’s and Blu-ray editions pack the most punch. Both sets carry 2-D and 3-D versions — complete with four pairs of glasses — and a splendid set of special features. A making-of documentary details the hard work that went into this special brand of animation. An additional featurette on voicing the characters, commentary and deleted scenes also are available. More extras reside on Blu-ray. PG; 2009. Our Take: 3.5 Stars.

Buy It: An imaginative film that delivers the goods.

‘Explicit Ills’

Indie actor Mark Webber makes his directorial and screenwriting debut with this feature that targets poverty in the streets of North Philadelphia. Webber knows a lot about this subject, because he spent a good part of his upbringing homeless in the slums of Philly. That experience carries over well to the independent “Explicit Ills.” Webber brings this flick to life with crackling cinematography and a cast of characters that shows great depth. Webber employs a talented cast — Rosario Dawson, Paul Dano, Lou Taylor Pucci and Francisco Burgos — to carry out this compassionate story. However, the follow-through leaves much to be desired. “Explicit Ills” tracks the lives of several folks in a poor neighborhood, including single mothers, drug dealers, young kids, struggling artists and working stiffs. Webber does a fine job of putting an honest face on each person. While it’s abundantly clear these folks are struggling, Webber offers little or no answers as to how these people are working to make things better. Introducing the face of poverty to viewers seems to be the intended purpose here, and the film wraps up with a handful of people taking part in a march through town to combat poverty. It’s a lost opportunity for the young director to put an exclamation point on a film that introduces poverty, but fails to follow up on one of the nation’s greatest problems. “Explicit Ills” doesn’t offer many special features. A short featurette on the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign Outreach is the only extra here. R; 2008. Our Take: 2.5 Stars.

Rent It: An average debut for a conscientious director.

‘Echelon Conspiracy’

Directed by Carnegie Mellon graduate Greg Marcks, “Echelon Conspiracy” easily could have been a sequel to a couple of blockbusters — 1998’s “Enemy of the State” or last year’s “Eagle Eye.” “Enemy of the State” focuses on an Orwellian government snooping on its people. “Eagle Eye” tells of a rogue supercomputer out to destroy the executive branch of the United States’ government. Marcks’ film carries both of these aspects, delivering a supercomputer with Patriot Act tendencies and a paranoid government. The story quickly slips into the ridiculous after a series of plot holes and predictable twists and turns. “Echelon Conspiracy” follows a computer engineer named Max Peterson (Shane West), who acquires a phone through the mail that receives anonymous text messages tipping him off to big scores at a casino. When he hits it big, he catches the eye of the casino’s security chief, John Reed (Edward Burns). As John descends upon Max, feds jump in to take the computer engineer into custody. The government believes the person sending the messages is a threat to the nation. Eventually, they figure out that the messages are coming from a supercomputer that gathers intelligence on threats to the United States. The supercomputer is working on its own to acquire all the capabilities it needs to take control of the country’s defenses. There’s some cool technology on display in this one, but it’s rubbed out by a sorry story. No extras. PG-13; 2009. Our Take: 1 Star.

Skip It: A timely thriller that suffers from a total lack of execution.

‘Grey Gardens’

Albert and David Maysles caught lightning in a bottle in 1975 with their documentary on Edith Beales and her daughter Edith, two reclusive socialites living in a broken-down home in an exclusive neighborhood in East Hampton, N.Y. Edith was the aunt of John F. Kennedy’s wife, Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis. With little money coming in, Edith and her daughter let the house go, leading to squalor and loneliness. The documentary picked up a cult following and is the main motivation for HBO’s “Grey Gardens,” a telling feature with great performances from Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore. The film — directed by Michael Sucsy — covers the time around the shooting of the documentary and the events that lead up to it. So, in this second visit with mother and daughter, the viewer is treated to the pair’s history, including those moments when times were fruitful. The director does a fine job of weaving these magical moments with the turmoil later in life, and that’s where “Grey Gardens” finds its stride. Commentary with crew members is included, as well as a worthwhile featurette that details the similarities between the 1975 documentary and this new HBO film. It can be watched before or after the feature. PG; 2009. Our Take: 3 Stars.

More TV releases:

“Psych: The Complete Third Season” (four discs, 16 episodes, extras), “Monk: Season Seven” (four discs, 16 episodes, extras), “Jon & Kate Plus Eight, Season 4, Volume 2: The Big Move” (two discs, 17 episodes, extras), “The Lucy Show: The First Season” (four discs, 30 episodes, extras), “Charlie’s Angels: The Complete Fourth Season” (six discs, 26 episodes, extras) and “Hotel: The First Season” (six discs, 22 episodes).

More movie releases:

“Messengers 2: The Scarecrow” (Norman Reedus, R, extras) “An Empress & The Warriors” (Donnie Yen, R, extras), “Dakota Skye” (Eileen Boylan, R, extras), “Break” (David Carradine, R, extras), “The Color of Magic” (Sean Astin, NR) and “Super Capers” (Justin Whalin, PG, extras).

Additional Information:

DVDs

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