New on DVD This week's releases

"The Brothers Grimm" (PG-13, 118 minutes, Miramax; contains spooky, supernatural goings-on, some gruesome imagery and occasional obscenity):
More enchanted than enchanting, this adventure reimagines real-life brothers Wilhelm and Jakob Grimm not as the doughty German folklorists they were, but as British-accented con men (Matt Damon and Heath Ledger) who make money by pretending to "exorcise" barns of nonexistent witches, goblins and sprites. When they stumble upon a village whose children seem to have been abducted by a malevolent, and very real, boogeyman, their patience is sorely tested. Extra: Bringing the fairy tale to life.
"Cry Wolf" (PG-13, 90 minutes, MCA Home Video; contains violence, profanity, a brief drug reference and sexual situations):
Owen (Julian Morris), a new student at tony Westlake Prep, falls in with redhead Dodger (Lindy Booth) and a clique of cerebral pranksters. When Owen and Dodger transmit a schoolwide e-mail claiming a ski-masked marauder is killing students across the country, it proves (apparently) prescient. A student is murdered close to campus, and suddenly the prospect that there's a killer among them is real.
"The Exorcism of Emily Rose" (PG-13, 115 minutes, Sony Pictures, contains sequences of disturbing imagery):
Despite the cast's pedigree, this movie is satisfying neither as a murder mystery nor as a vomit-soaked frightfest. A Roman Catholic exorcist (Tom Wilkinson) is charged with negligent homicide in the death of a possessed college student (Jennifer Carpenter). The film, based on a true story, pits a church-going district attorney (Campbell Scott) against the priest's nonbelieving defense lawyer (Laura Linney). Extra: Cast and director commentary.
"Four Brothers" (R, 108 minutes, Paramount Home Video, contains obscenity, sexual content and violence):
This Detroit-based Western-without-cowboy-hats pits four thuggish adopted brothers (Mark Wahlberg, Tyrese Gibson, Garrett Hedlund and Andre Benjamin of the musical duo OutKast) against the gangsters who had their saintly mother killed. It's a diverting thriller but one that ultimately doesn't expect, or even want, its audience to participate in it, except as a passenger. Extra: Director's commentary.
"The Great Raid" (R, 132 minutes, Miramax Home Entertainment; contains obscenity, war violence and atrocities):
Based on one of modern history's boldest and most inspiring rescue missions, the story of how 500 POWs were freed from captivity of the Japanese in a remote corner of the Philippines during World War II is unnecessarily long, with lame dialogue, unfleshed-out relationships between central characters and a formulaic romance between prisoner Joseph Fiennes and nurse Connie Nielsen.
"Must Love Dogs" (PG-13, 88 minutes, Warner Home Video; contains sexual content):
This listless, clich & eacute; tale of two divorc & eacute;es who meet through an online dating service stands as yet another example of how easy it is for filmmakers to fail at romantic comedy. The usually radiant Diane Lane loses some of her luster as Sarah Nolan, a teacher who ventures into the world of online dating. Eventually Sarah must choose between a quirky boat builder (John Cusack) and the flirtatious father of one of her students (Dermot Mulroney), but many viewers will lose interest long before she makes that decision. Extra: Gag reel.
"November" (R, 73 minutes, Sony Pictures. Contains gun violence, bloody shootings and a few profanities):
The best thing about this psychological exploration is its star, Courteney Cox, who turns in a fine performance as a photographer whose boyfriend (James LeGros) is killed in a convenience store holdup. Shot in a little more than two weeks on digital video, the movie has a grainy, atmospheric quality that does induce a mood of surreal disturbance. Cox's strong presence intrigues enough to make you interested in finding out what's really happening, but the film's plodding pace and minimalist plot may leave you more interested in how much longer you have to sit through it. Extra: Alternate opening sequence.
"Rebound" (PG, 87 minutes, 20th Century Fox; contains comic violence, including the killing of a bird, and a running gag about vomiting):
Just like the character played by star Martin Lawrence here, a cocky, indolent college basketball player trying to rehabilitate his bad-boy image by coaching a bunch of inept 13-year-olds at his former junior high school, this formulaic underdog sports comedy is lazy and arrogant. Lazy because it relies on a plot that's been around since God was a boy, and arrogant because it thinks it can get by on mugging and physical shtick that Lawrence has been flogging since his days on TV's "Martin" but now feel as tired as the comedian looks. Extra: Audio commentary.
"Serenity" (PG-13, 119 minutes, Universal Studios Home Entertainment; contains sci-fi violence, sexual situations and profanity):
When Joss Whedon's imaginative sci-fi series, "Firefly," was canceled, fans went into deep mourning. But thanks to their enthusiastic snapping up of the show's DVDs, Universal ponied up $40 million for this movie version, which brings back Capt. Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) and his lovable outer-space mercenaries. The film is a sort of amphetamine-fueled reprise, designed to give fans their sentimental jolt but also drum up new devotees. Extra: Deleted scenes.
The Washington Post