Firefly

Brothers with arms a violent delight

FOUR BROTHERS ($25.89) --- After their mother is gunned down in a Detroit corner store, her four bad-ass adopted sons (Mark Wahlberg, Tyrese Gibson, Andre Benjamin and Garrett Hedlun) return to the ’hood to dish out some justice — Old West style. Led by tough-as-nails eldest brother Bobby (Wahlberg), the boys discover their mother was the victim of a professional hit, raising the stakes in their quest for revenge. Director John Singleton (Boyz n the Hood) captures the real spirit of a western set in modern times by giving us characters who are not only willing to live and die by the gun, but who also possess depth and an unwavering commitment to their goal. Make no mistake, the good guys here are killers as well, it’s just they’re more likeable than the bad guys. Extras: As well as commentary by Singleton and deleted scenes, bonus featurettes include interviews with the four main actors; The Look of Four Brothers, in which Singleton talks about the shooting style used to capture the feel of a gritty western; and Mercer House Shootout, a breakdown on the film’s most explosive action scene, which like most of the film, was shot in Hamilton.

Movie: Sun Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 Extras: Sun Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5

SERENITY ($25.96) — Picking up where the cancelled TV series Firefly left off, the crew of the rebel spaceship Serenity find themselves being hunted by the Universal Alliance in a bid to capture one of its passengers, a disturbed telepathic (Summer Glau) with a terrible secret. When a coded signal broadcast over television by the Alliance sets the girl off on a deadly rampage, Serenity’s captain (Nathan Fillion) is determined to find out why she is so important to his sworn enemy. It was tireless campaigning by creator and director Joss Whedon and fans of Firefly that got this movie made. Alas, it seems they were also the only ones who bothered to shell out to see it in theatres, which is unfortunate given this is a very good sci-fi flick that doesn’t need knowledge of the TV show to be appreciated. Extras: It’s easy to see from the slew of hilarious outtakes the cast weren’t just paying lip service when they say how much they enjoyed everything about being part of the Firefly series and subsequent film. For those of us who never watched the show, however, a featurette providing more detail than Future History: Story of Earth That Was, on the history of the storyline and the rebel war, would have been appreciated. Still, there are nine deleted scenes; a great look at how the movie got made in Re-lighting the Firefly; and commentary by Whedon.

Movie: Sun Rating; 3 1/2 out of 5 Extras: Sun Rating; 3 1/2 out of 5

THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE ($27.93) — A Catholic priest (Tom Wilkinson) is charged with murder after college student Emily Rose (Jennifer Carpenter) dies following a failed exorcism. In the ensuing trial, his agnostic lawyer (Laura Linney) begins to question her own outlook on the world when the conviction of her client’s beliefs convince her that maybe there really are demons in the world. Director and writer Scott Derrickson succeeds in leaving the notion of demonic possession open to interpretation, but in doing so, creates a film that is neither all that scary nor a great courtroom drama. Extras: For a film "based on a true story," there is no recounting of Anneliese Michel, the woman whose death in 1976 following an exorcism ended with the priest and her parents being convicted of manslaughter. It’s an unforgivable oversight that makes moot the inclusion of the three featurettes — Genesis of the Story, Casting the Movie, and Visual Design.

Movie: Sun Rating; 2 1/2 out of 5 Extras: Sun Rating: 2 out of 5

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