June 5, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES II & IV • Page 19 ‘Identity Thief’ benefits from chemistry of leads by Dennis Seuling “Identity Thief” (Universal Home Entertainment) draws upon the serious problem of identity fraud as the basis for a wild, often slapstick romp. Diana (Melissa McCarthy) is on a spending spree on the outskirts of Orlando, Florida. Her endless shopping is being financed with a credit card and Social Security number stolen from Sandy Patterson (Jason Bateman), a hard-working Denver family man and accounts rep. Sandy, burdened with enormous debt, is frustrated with the snail’space police investigation and decides to go to Florida, find the hacker, and see that justice is done. Naturally, Diana is not overly cooperative, resulting in a variety of comic situations. McCarthy has a wonderful flair for comedy and singlehandedly keeps the movie from being a tired variation of the road trip gone bad. She has Lucille Ball’s instincts for physical comedy, Carol Burnett’s talent for portraying offbeat characters, and Lily Tomlin’s way with a zinger. Bateman is a bland Sandy, and merely sets up the gags and keeps the plot moving. Bateman has made a career of playing the grounded adult when those around him are immature, deceitful, or outright zany. He is the steadying influence that prevents a movie from going too far over the top. The chemistry between McCarthy and Bateman is excellent. They exchange what appear to be improvisational quips effectively, possess first-rate comic timing, and know when a joke needs punching up or can stand on its own. The contrast between McCarthy’s manic Diana and Bateman’s sane Sandy contributes to the incongruity of their interaction. Director Seth Gordon keeps the pace brisk and the gags abundant. He is not afraid of being politically incorrect, and offers a few surprises along the way. The Blu-ray/DVD combo pack includes both unrated and theatrical versions, a gag reel, a making-of short, alternate takes, and a featurette. “Warm Bodies” (Summit Entertainment) focuses on young R (Nicholas Hoult), who has eyes for Julie (Teresa Palmer). Julie, however, is preoccupied with fighting zombies in a post-apocalyptic world. Sandy Patterson (Jason Bateman), right, attempts to bring credit card thief Diana (Melissa McCarthy) to justice in ‘Identity Thief.’ The catch: R is a zombie. Like his fellow zombies, R must feed on the brains of the living to survive. By ingesting brains, a zombie also experiences the memories of his victim. R has just chowed down on Julie’s boyfriend Perry (Dave Franco), and begins to see memories of the couple’s life together. R is smitten with Julie, but can Julie possibly fall for a dead predator? Hoult (“X-Men: First Class,” “Clash of the Titans”) is appealing as the lovesick R. Hoult does his zombie shuffle convincingly and is made up just pale enough with some skin discolorations and scars to make him creepy, but not altogether repugnant. With borrowings or influences from many sources, starting with “Romeo and Juliet” and extending through every dystopian movie ever made, this is a sweet picture despite its gruesome trappings. It is tough to make an essentially mute character register with a personality, but Hoult and director Jonathan Levine accomplish this task both touchingly and amusingly. “Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters” (Paramount Home Entertainment) tells viewers what happens when the title characters, kidnapped by a witch and almost killed, grow up. Now, 15 years later, they are heavily-armed bounty hunters. When the children of a small town go missing, the duo is hired to track down the evil witches and return the children safely. Jeremy Renner and Gemma Atherton star and attempt to balance the frequent violence with clever quips and lighter moments that never quite click. Renner does not have Sean Connery’s facility with a clever line and Atherton is a rather bland Gretel. The Blu-ray/DVD combo pack contains both the unrated and theatrical, R-rated version, with violence and strong language amped up in the unrated version. This is not the Grimm Brothers’ fairy-tale Hansel and Gretel by any means, but a testosteronedriven action flick rampant with computergenerated special effects, retro “modern” weaponry, and mayhem aplenty. Blu-ray special features include three behind-thescenes featurettes. There is also a 3D edition packaged with Blu-ray 2D and DVD versions. “Perfect Understanding” (Cohen Media Group) is a 1933 comedy written by Michael Powell and starring Gloria Swanson and Laurence Olivier. Judy (Swanson) and Nicholas (Olivier) are a young society couple who marry based on the “perfect understanding” that they will enjoy extramarital adventures and never let jealousy come between them. That arrangement is soon put to the test. During their honeymoon, they go to Cannes to spend time with friends. Judy decides to go back to London to set up their new home, but insists that Nicholas remain. One night, when drunk, Nicholas sleeps with a former lover (Nora Swinburne). When he returns to Judy, he feels guilt-ridden and confesses. She forgives him, but Nicholas soon battles his own feelings of jealousy when he suspects Judy has slept with an old friend (John Halliday). This film shocked audiences for its treatment of sexuality. Soon after, England (continued on Crossword page)