Short circuits 12/20: Woody Allen gets it right with 'Midnight in Paris'

New and noteworthy experiences among DVDs, video games, gadgets and the Web.

December 19, 2011 at 7:29PM
Owen Wilson, left, and Rachel McAdams in "Midnight in Paris."
Owen Wilson, left, and Rachel McAdams in "Midnight in Paris." (Associated Press - AP/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

DVD: Woody Allen gets it right

"Midnight in Paris" finds Woody Allen in a larky, slightly tart and altogether bountiful mood. Owen Wilson plays Gil, a screenwriter and would-be serious author who's visiting Paris with his fiancée, Inez (Rachel McAdams), and her parents (Kurt Fuller and Mimi Kennedy). Gil is besotted with the Paris of the 1920s, when his heroes F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway traded dry martinis and even drier barbs with the likes of Gertrude Stein and Pablo Picasso. Inez and her family, on the other hand, couldn't care less.

The mood is doubly spoiled when they bump into Paul (Michael Sheen), an old college crush of Inez's. Newly alive to his thwarted literary ambitions, or perhaps threatened by the obvious attraction between Inez and Paul, Gil winds up exploring Paris, embarking on an enchanted journey that brings him into contact with a ravishing designer named Adriana (Marion Cotillard). The DVD and Blu-ray include the "Midnight in Cannes" featurette.

  • WASHINGTON POST

    Out on DVD Tuesday 12/20

    • "Blackthorn," "Catch .44"
      • "Colombiana"
        • "Dolphin Tale"
          • "Futurama" (Vol. 6)
            • "Glee: The Concert Movie"
              • "Margin Call"
                • "One Tree Hill" (Season 8)
                  • "Senna"
                    • "Straw Dogs" (2011)
                      • "The Tempest" (2010)
                        • "Warrior"

                          VIDEO GAMES: They'll never see it coming It's hard to be mystified by the explosive popularity of mobile gaming when games like "Zombie Gunship" ($1 for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch; rated 9+) -- which takes one of the most popular mission styles from a $60 "Call of Duty" game and practically gives it away -- keep springing up. "Gunship" puts you at the controls of an AC-130 gunship, with the customary weapons (a 25-millimeter Gatling gun for precision's sake, a 40mm Bofors auto-cannon for explosive strikes and a 105mm cannon for clearing out zombies by the dozen) are at your disposal.

                          The object is simple: Help as many humans reach the bunker safely before zombies overwhelm the perimeter and lockdown takes effect. "Gunship" doesn't aim much higher than that. You're playing essentially for high score, and the game's two maps aren't tied into any kind of narrative. But given its faithfulness to the mission style and its consequential ability to satiate the itch to rain down destruction from high above, that's plenty good enough for the price.

                          "Gunship" carves out replay value via a currency system that lets you upgrade the weapons and unlock other perks. Game Center support means you can compete with friends for leaderboard bragging rights.

                          • MCCLATCHY NEWS SERVICE

                            WEB: Discover hidden Facebook Many Facebook users are missing out on personal messages, thanks to a separate inbox that has gone largely unnoticed.

                            When Facebook users click on "Messages" on the left side of the home page, they can then select "Other," which displays a lesser inbox designed to capture uninvited or spammy messages. Here, users will find updates from fan pages and from events they never RSVP'd to. But they'll also find messages from people they aren't friends with, which isn't necessarily a great barometer for unwanted contact.

                            So check out your Other messages. There might be something good in there.

                            • DETROIT FREE PRESS
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