DVD Spotlight - April 1 - April 7

Brief capsules on new DVDs worth renting.

By R. Kurt Osenlund, The Good Life film critic

AN EDUCATION

Academy Award nominee Carey Mulligan blooms before your eyes in this eloquent, sophisticated coming-of-age import based on the autobiographical memoir by British journalist Lynn Barber. The solid-across-the-board supporting cast includes Emma Thompson, Peter Sarsgaard, Dominic Cooper, Rosamund Pike and Alfred Molina, who was robbed of an Oscar nomination. Novelist-turned-screenwriter Nick Hornby's script is way too safe and tidy, but director Lone Scherfig greatly conveys an intoxicating world of posh excitement, and Mulligan is a wonder to behold. (Now available)

SHERLOCK HOLMES

Guy Ritchie's first big Hollywood outing, and his most entertaining film since "Snatch," "Sherlock Holmes" puts a stylized spin on the tale of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's iconic detective, and sees superstar Robert Downey Jr. ham it up perfectly in the lead role. The Golden Globe winner raises his already substantial likability, sporting a Brit accent with ease, spinning gold out of campy lines, and making the most of his bromantic rapport with co-star Jude Law, who portrays sidekick Dr. Watson. The Dan-Brown-esque storyline is less than engaging, but it's the game, not its object, that makes this modern adventure a rollicking entertainment. Mark Strong and Rachel McAdams co-star. (Now Available)