The smart, contemporary adaptation of “The Scarlett Letter,” “Easy A,” is easily one of the funniest movies recently released on DVD, and provides Golden Globe nominee Emma Stone with her breakout role. Stone’s oddly brilliant combination of acerbic wit and compassion provide the film with a depth it would be lacking without her embracing the role of a high school student pretending to be promiscuous in order to gain attention and help those in need. The DVD has some funny bonus features including commentary with Stone and her audition footage. A-
Schlockmeister General Paul W.S. Anderson returns to writing/directing duties in the fourth (and unfortunately, not the last) in the “Resident Evil” series with “Resident Evil: Afterlife.” The best thing that can be said about this dead zombie entry (no pun intended) is that it isn’t as bad as the last, and that the 3-D Blu-ray is striking. Unfortunately, its brilliant visuals can’t make up for lack of plot and/or scare factor. D
The shortened penultimate “Big Love: The Complete Fourth Season,” arrives on DVD with revealing “Inside the Episode” perspectives from series creators Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer. Unfortunately, this season tries to cram in too much information in fewer episodes than previous seasons and this obvious struggle to do so proves less effective. It sets up a nail-biting cliffhanger for the upcoming final season. C+
