Short Circuits: 'Hunter' on video, 'Inversion in games, Snapseed app

Updated: July 2, 2012 - 2:59 PM

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"The Hunter," with Willem Dafoe and Sam Neill, is out on DVD.

Photo: , Magnolia Pictures

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VIDEO

A lonely 'Hunter'

An ecological thriller about a professional animal killer and loner who discovers a newfound sense of stewardship for the planet, "The Hunter" is a mystery with a message. Martin (Willem Dafoe) is an elite hunter who has been hired by a mysterious firm to bag the last remaining example of a Tasmanian tiger. His efforts to track the animal are hampered by radical environmentalists, or "greenies." A more interesting subplot involves Martin's relationship with Lucy (Frances O'Connor) -- a greenie in whose remote Tasmanian house he has set up camp -- and her two children. At the core of the movie is the message that the real lonely hunter is the heart. The DVD and Blu-ray (Magnolia, $27-$30) include featurettes, deleted scenes and commentary.

WASHINGTON POST

Colin Covert's take: Dafoe's brooding intensity can't fill the long, slow, silent stretches when he examines tracks, sets traps, calibrates his gunsight. This is a mediocre film unfolding without plan, purpose or enthusiasm.

Also out Tuesday:

Movies: "The Forger," "God Bless America," "Mac & Devin Go to High School," "Monumental."

TV: "Dynasty" (Season 6), "Mannix" (Season 7), "Midsomer Murders" (Set 20), "Rocko's Modern Life" (Season 3), "The Streets of San Francisco" (Season 3).

Blu-ray debuts: "Barbarella," "Born on the Fourth of July," "The Entity," "Home on the Range," "The Horse Whisperer," "Phenomenon," "Step Up," "Treasure Planet," "Under the Tuscan Sun."

APP

More than filters

There are a lot of photo applications out there in the world but not many great editing programs for the mobile device. That is, essentially, the whole reason that programs such as Instagram exist -- because filters make mobile photography look less horrible. If you want a little more control over how your pictures look, however, consider Snapseed ($5 for Apple devices). The app is complicated to navigate, but it gives you a much wider range of options for editing. From the app, you can sharpen, blur, color correct, change focus and more. The complex features require you to pay close attention to the instructions the app offers, but the payoff can definitely be worth it. It does have one major disadvantage, however: The Android app is still in development.

WASHINGTON POST

GAME

'Inversion' gets it wrong

"Inversion" ($60 for Xbox 360, PS3; rated Mature) desperately wants to be "Gears of War" with a twist -- there is often no gravity. The world that Davis and his cop buddy Leo inhabit has flipped (literally) so that common objects such as streetlights, cars and rubble become weapons of grisly destruction. Combine those with weaponry from rifles to rocket launchers, and it's hard for the invaders to put up much of a fight. It's easy to say they maybe should have drawn up something we earthlings like to call "a plan" and perhaps exhibited a meaner attitude than the tame stuff they bring to the party. A collection of online multiplayer and co-op modes rounds out the package, but these are haphazard in their delivery.

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