DVD & Blu-rays Released April 14, 2009 - Movie Insider (original) (raw)

Tuesday, April 14

The Reader R

"The Reader" opens in post-WWII Germany when teenager Michael Berg becomes ill and is helped home by Hanna, a stranger twice his age. Michael recovers from scarlet fever and seeks out Hanna to thank her. The two are quickly drawn into a passionate but secretive affair.

Michael discovers that Hanna loves being read to and their physical relationship deepens. Hanna is enthralled as Michael reads to her from "The Odyssey," "Huck Finn," and "The Lady with the Little Dog." Despite their intense bond, Hanna mysteriously disappears one day and Michael is left confused and heartbroken.

Eight years later, while Michael is a law student observing the Nazi war crime trials, he is stunned to find Hanna back in his life – this time as a defendant in the courtroom. As Hanna's past is revealed, Michael uncovers a deep secret that will impact both of their lives. "The Reader" is a haunting story about truth and reconciliation, about how one generation comes to terms with the crimes of another.

Anthony Minghella, Scott Rudin, Kate Winslet, Sydney Pollack, Ralph Fiennes, Stephen Daldry, Robert Fox, David Kross

Drama Period

108 mins

The Spirit PG-13

"The Spirit" is a classic action-adventure-romance genre-twister written for the screen and directed by Frank Miller. It is the story of a former rookie cop who returns mysteriously from the dead as the Spirit (Gabriel Macht) to fight crime from the shadows of Central City. His arch-enemy, the Octopus (Samuel L. Jackson) has a different mission: he's going to wipe out Spirit's beloved city as he pursues his own version of immortality. The Spirit tracks this cold-hearted killer from Central City's rundown warehouses, to the damp catacombs, to the windswept waterfront ... all the while facing a bevy of beautiful women who either want to seduce, love or kill our masked crusader. Surrounding him at every turn are Ellen Dolan (Sarah Paulson), the whip-smart girl-next-door; Sliken Floss (Scarlett Johansson), a punk secretary and frigid vixen; Plaster of Paris (Paz Vega), a murderous French nightclub dancer; Lorelei (Jaime King), a phantom siren; and Morgenstern (Stana Katic), a sexy young cop. Then of course, there's Sand Saref (Eva Mendes), the jewel thief with dangerous curves. She's the love of his life turned bad. Will he save her or will she kill him?

Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Gigi Pritzker, Gabriel Macht, Deborah Del Prete, Michael E. Uslan, Frank Miller, Will Eisner

Drama Action Adventure

Dark Matter

A Chinese student comes to the United States to study the origins of the universe, hoping to win the Nobel Prize through his work in dark matter theory, but when campus politics get in the way, tragedy ensues.

Meryl Streep, Greg Kinnear, Chen Shi-Zheng, Billy Shebar, Liu Ye, Val Kilmer

Drama

Strange Wilderness R

The story centers on an effort to boost ratings of the ailing "Strange Wilderness" TV show by sending a pair of animal enthusiasts to the Andes in a search for Bigfoot.

Jonah Hill, Ashley Scott, Kevin Heffernan, Joe Don Baker, Jack Giarraputo, Steve Zahn, Allen Covert, Fred Wolf

Comedy

More April 2009 Releases

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