DVD Pick of the Week: I Sell the Dead

Welcome back! Well, to some of you, anyway. To the rest of you, glad you decided to stop by and I hope this humble column helps you navigate the stacks of new releases each week. My goal is to point you toward titles of interest and warn you away from those films that seek to do nothing but leech away your time and give you nothing in return.

Full disclosure: I have not seen many of these titles, and what follows are not necessarily reviews, but opinions based upon what I know of the titles I pluck from the new release lists I peruse. The opinions I give based on the new releases are my own, and my recommendations are based on my personal interest. In any case, I hope you enjoy and perhaps find something you like or a title to point me towards.

I Sell the Dead (also Blu-ray). I have not seen this film but I am definitely intrigued enough to make it my top pick of the week. Just read this description and tell me it doesn't at least sound interesting: It was a time of ghouls, ghosts and most ghastly of all, the fine art of grave robbing. Dominic Monaghan of Lord of the Rings and Lost stars as 19th century corpse snatcher Arthur Blake, who pilfered the cemeteries and coffins of England until his capture by police. But just before Blake is to meet the hangman s noose, he will confess to a peculiar priest (Ron Perlman of Hellboy and Sons of Anarchy) his gruesome tale of vampires, zombies and cadaver dealing that takes him from the savagery of the criminal underworld to the terrors of the undead. Producer Larry Fessenden (Wedigo, The Last Winter) and Angus Scrimm (Phantasm) co-star in this deliriously grisly and hilarious homage to foggy graveyards, bloody mayhem and the golden age gothic horror.

Sherlock Holmes (also Blu-ray). This movie is a lot of fun. The story is not exactly deep and Rachel McAdams seems a little lost, but there is no denying the entertainment value and the way Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law command the screen. Guy Ritchie does a fine job of tempering his kinetic skills and focusing them on a decidedly more mainstream project; it is a definite compromise but one that works to his advantage. I look forward to visiting it again at home.

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (also Blu-ray). I enjoyed the first film but feel that with that I have seen enough of the animated trio brought to the live action arena. Frankly, the commercials began to annoy me, especially the Chipettes and that Beyonce tune. You know the one. Maybe one day I will catch up with it, but not soon.

Article Author: Chris Beaumont

Christopher Beaumont spends much of his time writing about music and movies when he isn't indulging in them. He is always ready to talk about his favorite form of entertainment and offer up recommendations. Follow: Twitter and Tumblr. Visit: Critical Outcast. …

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