DVD picks of the week: "Rio" and "Soul Surfer"

Along with the promise of fall movies just around the corner, late summer brings something else for movie lovers: Some of the year's best movies finally start to trickle onto DVD.

This week brings two of mine, the best animated movie I've seen this year and the inspiring story of Bethany Hamilton.

First up is "Rio," and on paper at least, there's no way this movie should be as good as it is. The story is at once very familiar, that of fish (well, actually birds) out of water, this time a blue macaw raised in comfortable domesticity until forced to fend for himself (with, of course, the help of new friends, this being a children's movie) in the streets of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

But what sets "Rio" apart from the animated pack is vibrant color, both local and overall. The streets of Rio spring to life in vibrant hues rarely seen in animated movies these days, especially if you watch them in muddied 3-D. Add to that a cast of memorable characters led by Jesse Eisenberg and Anne Hathaway as the macaws and also featuring voice work by the likes of Jane Lynch, Tracy Morgan, Wanda Sykes and other funny people, and you've got a great rental idea for this week.

My second weekly pick is "Soul Surfer," a nominally Christian movie that, even without that quality, couldn't help but be inspiring as it tells the tale of Bethany Hamilton, the Hawaiian girl who lost an arm in a shark attack but still went on to a successful career as a professional surfer. What it isn't, however, is mawkishly sentimental, dealing much more with life than dwelling on tragedy.

The movie has two principal strengths, starting with the performance of AnnaSophia Robb as Bethany. Her passion for the character shines through, and she gives Bethany an infectious spirit that makes this great story even better. And secondly, the surfing action throughout is first-rate, and beautifully shot in Hawaii and Tahiti by director Sean McNamara.

Add all that together and mix in just a good story very well told, and you've got a movie well worth a rental.

Guild to climb the 'Tree of Life'

The Macon Film Guild has some very interesting movies coming up in the next few months, starting with the Kelly Reichart Western "Meek's Cutoff" on Aug. 14 and then the Italian psychological thriller "The Double Hour" in September. It's in October, however that the guild has scored a real coup with Terrence Malick's "Tree of Life."

The great director's immensely personal movie won the Palme D'Or for best film at this year's Cannes Film Festival, and having seen this, I can confirm it's well deserved. In an at least partially autobiographical tale, Malick tells the story of a boy growing up in a suffocating family in Texas in the 1950s, and uses this springboard to ask powerful questions about faith and the meaning of life.

Believe me, it's all much, much better than I can make it sound here, so go ahead and mark your movie calendar for "Tree of Life" on Oct. 9 at the Douglass Theatre, and note that because of its 138-minute length, there will only be two screenings, at 2 and 7:30 p.m.

Mid-year report card: My favorite 10 movies - so far - of 2011

After a slower-than-usual start to this movie year, things have definitely picked up this summer for one heavy on good comedies, just the way I like it.

So, without any hesitation, let's just get right to it: Here, in reverse order, are my 10 favorite movies - so far - of 2011.

10. "Cedar Rapids"
Miguel Arteta's insurance salesmen comedy is lighter than air and manages to wrap up just before its laughs run out, and the very best of them all come from John C. Reilly, who just takes over the screen with an irresistible ball of bluster.


9. "Soul Surfer"
Yes, a Christian movie, but even without those overtones, the story of Bethany Hamilton, the professional surfer who lost her arm in a shark attack, would still be an inspiring tale. Here it's very well told, and AnnaSophia Robb just shines as Bethany.

8. "Water for Elephants"
The definition of by-the-book filmmaking, but since the source is a book I love, the movie just worked for me. And besides, I think the only time I actually heard people cheer in a movie theater this year was when Rosie the elephant finally ... I won't spoil it for you, but just trust me that this grand romance set at the circus is a fun ride.

7. "Super 8"
The science fiction in J.J. Abrams' movie is much weaker than its overall view of life through the eyes of a group of 13-year-olds who love making movies, which is infectiously entertaining. And keep an eye on Elle Fanning, who steals the movie with a performance way wiser then her years should allow.

6. "Rio"
Though I enjoyed "Cars 2" a heck of a lot more than the original flick from Pixar, it definitely won't be the best animated movie of 2011. That title, so far, goes to this flick from the "Ice Age" crew, which brings the streets of Rio de Janeiro to vibrant animated life (especially in bright 2D) and just delivers a thoroughly fun story.

5. "Hanna"
Joe Wright's Euro-thriller came out so early in the year that it's easily forgotten, which is a real shame, because its nearly as smart as it is exciting, and Saoirse Ronan is just icy perfection as the titular assassin raised to carry out her father's revenge plot.

4. "Bridesmaids"
In summer, the ultimate season for the raunchy R-rated comedies, none has delivered more laughs than this romp led by Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy, and for that they've been rewarded with huge box office numbers (more than $146 million domestic so far, hopefully more than enough to greenlight more genuinely funny movies led by women.)

3. "Tree of Life"
No movie this year has been more ambitious or packed with more maddening contradictions than Terence Malick's "Tree of Life," which manages to paint an often painfully intimate portrait of family life in Texas of the 1950s while at the same time asking questions about the very nature of human existence. Malick's most personal film, and in my opinion, his best, too.


2. "Midnight in Paris"
Woody Allen's best movie since "Hannah and Her Sisters" is also his most popular one since then, too, even making an almost month-long run in Macon that unfortunately ends Thursday. As much a valentine to the City of Lights as it is just the funniest movie I've seen this year, and in this solid year for comedies, that's a real accomplishment.

1. "Win Win"
Thomas McCarthy's movie can sort of be described as "The Blind Side" set in the none-too-glamorous world of high school wrestling, but what it really is the story of a not terribly heroic man trying to do the best he can in trying circumstances. And Paul Giamatti's performance as that man gives the movie much of its soul, and makes it an all-around winner in my book.

Honorable mention: "The Way Back", "Of Gods and Men", "Jane Eyre", "Thor", "X-Men: First Class", "Bad Teacher", "Cars 2"

And there you have it. Please feel free to add any you think I may have snubbed, and have a perfectly passable Tuesday. Peace out.