We’re in Full Patrol Mode, people! The DVD Patrol is on board for our busiest time of year. That’s right! The Toddster’s favorite time of year is now upon us and the summer movie season has arrived. Not only do we have new DVDs this week. We also have not 1, not 2, but 3 movies from the theater to tell you about. It’s been a pretty busy one for us but let’s get right to it and see what you think.

New on DVD

No Strings Attached - Friendship has a knack of changing over the years. For Adam (Ashton Kutcher) and Emma (Natalie Portman), the years have a funny effect on them. They first met at summer camp and Adam was interested in her. Emma quickly took him down a peg. As time went on, they pursued their own relationships with other people but as fate would have it, they found each other together. Emma wanted to try something different to have all the benefits of being together without all the headaches that they bring. Adam decides he likes the idea and wants to give it a try. The longer they go on this way, they start to develop actual feelings for one another. Will they finally realize that they are the right fit for one another? Portman is about to become a new mom but is currently in the new movie “Thor.”

New in Theaters

Scream 4 - History always a way of repeating itself – something Sydney Prescott (Neve Campbell) knows only too well. Being the target of a killer using a ghost face costume and an obsession with movies multiple times, a person gets to become pretty tough and develops a pretty thick skin. Ten years have gone by and life has calmed for Sydney. Writing a book about her experiences has helped her cope with the crazy events of her life and she returns to her hometown to launch the new book. Dewey (David Arquette) and his wife Gail (Courtney Cox) have also settled into life as a married couple. Life starts to turn upside down again when a new Ghost Face killer comes into the picture and begins to stalk Sydney using her cousin Jill (Emma Roberts) and her friends as targets. Can Sydney find out who is doing the killings and why?
The Toddster’s Take - As I’ve often said, sequels are a tricky proposition. They can be really good or really bad. Seeing the original cast and the original filmmakers (Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson) told me that this might be an interesting one to catch. I couldn’t have been more wrong. They just tried too hard to get a decent story going but this had so many holes in it I can’t even begin. It had so many ups and downs it would give a roller coaster a run for its’ money. Not one of my favorites to start summer. 

Fast Five - When someone is good at something, you usually stick with it. Dominick Toretto (Vin Diesel) was a thief who specialized in high speed thefts and liked to race for a thrill. When he met Brian O’Connor (Paul Walker), Dom thought he might have had found a new partner. What Dom didn’t know was Brian was an undercover cop and was assigned to find evidence on Dom to put him in jail. As Brian got to know Dom, he ended up letting him go and for years they didn’t see each other. After Dom came back, he goes to find out who killed his girl and comes into contact with Brian again. They find out who the killers are and stop them. Dom ends getting arrested but Brian doesn’t agree and frees him with the help of Dom’s sister Mia (Jordana Brewster). Mia has a secret she is keeping from Brian and Dom. She is going to have a baby and now the only way to get out of the business is to plan one big heist. They go after the biggest drug dealer in Brazil to steal all of his money. Now the only other problem is running up against the government’s best tracker (Dwayne Johnson) to bring Dom in. Will Dom and Brian be able to pull this off?
The Toddster’s Take - Another tricky proposition but this one couldn’t have worked out better. Things usually happen in threes. I was hoping this would work out and having a story that keeps getting better is a pretty good start. Diesel has a reputation for not sticking with sequels but has come back and they have been working for him very well. Bringing back cast members from other sequels like Tyrese Gibson (2 Fast 2 furious), Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, and Sung Kang (Fast and Furious). Adding Dwayne Johnson was also a great decision. I loved it from start to finish. Worth your time.

Thor - It’s often said the Journey of a hero is a difficult one but it’s not the road, it’s the destination. Thor (Chris Hemsworth) was a mighty warrior and brought glory to the battle as a prince of the land of Asgard. His father Odin (Anthony Hopkins) thought much of his son and hoped the battles have taught him patience and given him some lessons to be a future king. However, Thor’s lessons in life haven’t worked as well as Odin thought. Their enemies the Frost Giants break into Asgard to steal an ancient relic but are stopped. Now Thor wants to go to the realm of the Frost Giants to find out what is going on . Doing this would bring war to an already shaky alliance with them and Odin has ruled that Thor is not to do this. Thor goes anyway with his teammates his step brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Sif (Jaime Alexander), and the Warriors Three Hogun (Tadonobu Asano), Fandral (Joshua Dallas), and Volstagg (Ray Stevenson). Going into their realm. Thor and his friends are outnumbered and have to be rescued by Odin. Odin decides to exile Thor for his rashness and unworthiness by sending him to Earth without his powers or weapons. There he meets a beautiful scientist named Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) who’s not sure what to make of the hero without a world. Also, Loki comes to rule as Odin collapses and the Frost Giants plot their revenge. Can Thor find a way home and make himself worthy again to save his World and the Earth too?
The Toddster’s Take - Coming from an old comic book guy, when a movie comes out that really knows the character and the material well, magic can happen. Hemsworth and the rest of the cast nailed the story and the characters with an incredible eye for detail under the watchful direction of director Kenneth Branaugh. Marvel has been doing very well linking all the movies like Iron Man, the Hulk, and Captain America coming out in July which leads to next Summers “The Avengers.” I would see this again and I think everyone should catch it.

We hope you have enjoyed some of the choices and thoughts we’ve made. Go see them for yourself and see what you’ll like. More reviews are on the way and a whole slew of DVDs too. Next week we’ll have a week of all new discs with a new one of Thor.