Sandra Bullock (left) won't take no for an answer in "The Proposal," with Ryan Reynolds (right).
Gary Thompson: A few sleeper hits for your viewing pleasure
This week's DVD crop is a study in overattended and underappreciated movies.
I didn't really dig "The Proposal," but audiences made this Ryan Reynolds-Sandra Bullock romcom one of the summer's sleeper hits.
On the other hand, I found Sam Raimi's "Drag Me To Hell" to be a terrific retro horror movie - real chills, laughs and none of the clinical dismemberment that accompanies so much contemporary horror crud. It's priced at $29, and includes Raimi's on-set video diary.
The real overlooked gem, though, is the fact-based "American Violet," featuring a great performance by actress Nicole Behairie as a Texas mom caught up in a drug sweep and treated as just another defendant by an arrogant D.A. Yes, it's a plainly rendered, gal-against-the-system movie, but it's a really good one. It's priced at $28, and includes interviews with the cast taped at the Telluride film festival.
