New on DVD

'Pelham' is a runaway train ride

Tom Long / Detroit News Film Critic

New and notable on DVD this week:

"The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3" (Rated R for violence and pervasive language; Sony, $28.96): This remake of the '70s classic has John Travolta (in full wacky-evil mode) as the gunman who hijacks a New York subway train, and Denzel Washington (in decent average guy mode) as the transit authority worker who has to figure out how to stop him from murdering innocent people. Flashy director Tony Scott controls himself (for the most part), letting the sweaty hostage story play itself out in telecommunications between the lead characters. A nice guilty pleasure. GRADE: B

"I Love You, Beth Cooper" (Rated PG-13 for crude and sexual content, language, some teen drinking and drug references, and brief violence; Fox, $27.98): Is there any room for old-fashioned teen comedies in the post-"Superbad" era? Apparently not, since this standard but well-made story about a nerd who proclaims his love for the most popular girl in school (Hayden Panettiere) died at the box office. But if you're in the mood for some '80s-ish, Hughes-ish teen angst and laughs, it's not bad. GRADE: B-

"G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" (Rated PG-13 for strong action violence; Paramount, $29.98): This is one of those big, bombastic, minor star-studded (Sienna Miller? Joseph Gordon-Levitt? What were you thinking?), special-effects war fantasy affairs that turns out to be, to absolutely no one's surprise, utter garbage. Take the worst Bond film ever and imagine it's 10 times as bad. GRADE: D-