New on DVD: The Incredible Hulk, The Strangers, Zombie Strippers

The Incredible Hulk
It’s not a sequel. It’s a reboot. Whereas Ang Lee’s Hulk tried to explore the roots of Bruce Banner’s anger, The Incredible Hulk just takes it as a given and drops us into his nightmare of a life after five years on the run. He’s hiding out in Brazil, working at a bottling plant and secretly communicating with a mysterious benefactor trying to help him cure his affliction. He’s learning anger management techniques and self-defense maneuvers so as to build his confidence and minimize his feeling of being threatened, monitoring his pulse rate like a hawk. Eventually, though, General Ross (William Hurt) and his man Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth) track Banner (Edward Norton) down, and they make him angry. They don’t like him when he’s angry, but you will.

Read the full review here.

*****

The Stone Angel
In a rather stunningly good casting job as far as physical appearance goes, Christine Horne is being “introduced” in The Stone Angel, based on the best-selling novel by Margaret Laurence, to play the younger version of Ellen Burstyn. Look at the comparison above - it really does work. Just like casting Cole Hauser as a romantic lead Bram Shipley and his father Wings Hauser as the older version of that same character.

Burstyn and Horne are playing the fiery and independent Hagar Shipley in what initially looks like a movie starkly similar to The Notebook, in that an older woman with memory issues is reminiscing about her passionate youth. This, however, is the story of a woman whose unshakable pride and turbulent past has left her family a dysfunctional mess, and when her estranged son wants to put her in a nursing home, she escapes. In her journey to get away, she’s finally forced to confront the mistakes she’s made in her life. Also starring Ellen Page, Dylan Baker and Kevin Zegers, The Stone Angel should get you your fix of Canadian drama.

*****

The Strangers
Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman suddenly find their home invaded by freaky masked people who terrorize and torment them for seemingly no discernible reason.

*****

Zombie Strippers
Robert Englund and Jenna Jameson star. Do you need a synopsis? Government project = deadly virus = zombies = hot zombies. Have at it!