New DVD releases: Pickings look fairly good

With the January theatrical wasteland upon us, I strongly suggest catching up on some of the new DVD releases, especially if there isn't something playing at the cineplex that you're simply dying to see. Many of the new DVD releases this week, and last week, aren't exactly winners with movie critics, but if you can snag them for $1 at Redbox or somewhere else, what's the harm in at least checking them out? Even if you wind up hating them, you're only out a buck.

I think at the moment, the best of the new DVDs include the raunchy Joseph Gordon-Levitt comedy Don Jon and possibly the R-rated dramedy Thanks for Sharing. Don Jon's been on my must see list for some time now, so I'm excited to finally see what all the fuss was about. I love JGL and almost anything he does, so I expect greatness. And of course, throw in the fact that his co-stars include Scarlett Johansson and Julianne Moore, and I'm sure to see this before I see any of the other new releases.

Thanks for Sharing I'm more iffy about, but with Mark Ruffalo involved, I'll make the effort. This movie, about sex addiction, was directed and co-written by Stuart Blumberg. He co-wrote one of my favorite Ruffalo films in recent years, Lisa Cholodenko's The Kids Are All Right. I'll see this one too, for sure.

Okay, the other options? They seem even more iffy, but again, if you can snag one of these films cheaply, I say go for it. They include the suspense thriller Closed Circuit, starring Eric Bana, and the thriller Runner Runner, starring Justin Timberlake and Ben Affleck. Neither of these movies got particularly great reviews, especially Runner Runner, but perhaps they'll be good enough to keep us interested for a couple of hours, even if they don't inspire deep thought.

Photo courtesy of DigitalSpy.com