The Hot Sheet

DVD

The Back-Up Plan — Jennifer Lopez pairs with gay director Alan Poul for this artificial insemination comedy about a woman who gives up on finding Mr. Right, then meets him on the cab ride home after becoming impregnated. The humor is a bit uneven, but Lopez is in her element here, even echoing shades of Lucille Ball. And the mostly lesbian birthing team she finds for support provides the film with its biggest laughs. Kudos too for finding leading man Alex O’Loughlin. Nice!

The Lottery — The Lottery is a heartbreaking and ultimately inspiring look at the failings of the American educational system, highlighting four families who have entered their kids in a charter school lottery with the hope of a better future. Directed by Madeleine Sackler and shot by award-winning cinematographer Wolfgang Held, the film takes a blunt look at the dire need for education reform — and will surely tug at the heartstrings of anyone with children or hoping to one day raise children.

Dorian Gray — The latest film adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray stars The Chronicles of Narnia’s Ben Barnes in the titular role — and doesn’t shy away from Dorian’s gay leanings. The film didn’t score a stateside release but was a commercial hit in the U.K. Costarring Colin Firth and Rebecca Hall, the film suffers from the same shortcomings as nearly every adaptation — this is one of those stories that’s better read than seen.