Spin-ematical: New on DVD for 5/12
Filed under: New Releases, DVD Reviews, New on DVD, Home Entertainment
Taken
Another action fest from District 13's Pierre Morel, this time Liam Neeson gets to rescue his daughter from slave traders. These glowing words from Eric D. Snider say it all: "it is welcome as a delightfully dizzying balm to soothe the pain inflicted by recent action films that have failed to deliver. It subscribes to the less-talk-more-rock school of thought, intentionally free of nuance but overbrimming with relentless, efficient, energetic mayhem. It plays out like a season of 24, crammed into 90 minutes." Buy it. Also on Blu-ray.
Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon
Passengers
Anne Hathaway has been making waves with her critical successes (Rachel Getting Married), and migraine-inducing romcoms (Bride Wars). But in the midst of all this, Passengers came and went without much more than a glance. A "conspiratorial supernatural thriller," Hathaway plays a grief counselor facing foul play when crash survivors begin to disappear. Skip it. Also on Blu-ray.
Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon
S. Darko
It's such an unnecessary sequel, is there any more to be said? Even if it contains Daveigh Chase? The one surprise -- Elizabeth Berkley as a religious fanatic. Skip it, but I shouldn't need to tell you that.
Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon
Also out: The Grudge 3
Of Time and the City
Terence Davies' personal portrait of Liverpool, outlining almost 30 years of his life until he left in the early '70s. A.O. Scott said: "Of Time and the City, with its meditative tone and thematically (rather than chronologically) determined structure, might be classified as an essay film, but it is, even beyond that generic description, a stubbornly and thrillingly literary work."
Add to Netflix queue | Buy at Amazon
Also out: B.T.K.
For the first time, I think, the blu-ray releases trump the regular ol' DVD releases. There are a slew this week. But the biggies:
Star Trek
As the new generation, so to speak, hits the big screen, Paramount is releasing two, feature-laden Star Trek box sets. You can grab the whole shebang, Star Trek: Original Motion Picture Collection, or just the Genesis Arc with 2-4. But beware, as Amazon commenters note: only Khan gets the actual hi-def transfer, which makes the whole thing pointless if/when it all becomes high-def.
Terminator (Lenticular Cover)
In a pretty disappointing case of double-dipping, Terminator is re-hitting the shelves on Blu-ray, but it looks like the only thing that has changed since the first mediocre release is the cover. Two big geek love releases, and not a lot to love.
Also out: Action Hero Collection (The Day After Tomorrow, I, Robot, Terminator), Black Sheep, Dodgeball (rated), Fargo, Force 10 from Navarone, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, The Grudge, Jock Collection (Hoosiers, Rocky, Dodgeball), Licence to Kill, Major League, The Man with the Golden Gun, Personal Effects, Possession, Ran, Underworld 3-Pack, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, War Hero Collection (Patton, Behind Enemy Lines, Rescue Dawn), Wayne's World, Wayne's World 2, Without a Paddle
Galaxy Quest: Deluxe Edition
The beloved sci-fi comedy is getting a Deluxe Edition, but what does that mean? According to DVD Talk, it looks good, sounds good, and has new and better special features to get your geek on. And it includes, believe it or not:
"Sigourney Weaver Raps" A rap music video Weaver did for her agent while on the set, with help from Mitchell, Rockwell, Pyle and Breen, is so incredibly embarrassing that we are lucky to have it to enjoy on DVD. Really, the title is all you have to say to get the idea, but hearing Rockwell spit rhymes and seeing Pyle dance like a loon doesn't hurt either.
That should be enough all on its own!
Ultimate Westerns Collection
This one will require a clear shelf -- 2 Discs each for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Big Trail, Magnificent Seven, Dances with Wolves, Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, plus singles for Comancheros, Broken Arrow, Hang 'Em High, Red River, The Westerner, and The Missouri Breaks
Older Flicks: Wise Blood - Criterion, Alexander Korda's Private Lives - Eclipse Series, The Anatomist, Holy Flame of the Martial World, The King and Four Queens, Northwest Frontier, Time Limit
Tom Cruise and J.J. Abrams Reunite for 'Mission Impossible 4'
'Big Top Pee-Wee': The Original Benicio Del Toro Wolfman
Spin-ematical: New on DVD and Blu-ray for 2/9
Watch This: Brilliant Oscar-Nominated Short 'Logorama'
Chris Nolan to Lead 'Superman' Reboot!?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-12-2009 @ 11:45AM
Astin said...
It's sad that the studios are missing the point with Blu-Ray. There's just about zero point to picking up comedies, dramas, and other "small-screen" movies in the format unless they're loaded with special features you can't get on DVD. The real bread and butter is the sci-fi, action, and other genres where visuals and sound make all the difference. If the studios just slap "blu-ray" on the box and release a DVD-quality copy, then there's no point and they hurt the format as a whole.
But Terminator and Trek are obviously money grabs with the new installments coming out in theatres this month. I'll hold off until they release something substantial.
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5-12-2009 @ 2:12PM
Jay Seaver said...
I disagree that "There's just about zero point to picking up comedies, dramas, and other "small-screen" movies in the format unless they're loaded with special features you can't get on DVD". Superior presentation makes watching ANY movie better. Background gags show up better in comedies, the expressive creases on a person's face are highlighted in dramas, the cinematography is more impressive everywhere. It's all about getting closer to the original film presentation, which can be amazing in any genre.
What really convinced me of this wasn't even Blu-ray or HD at all; it was seeing some Don Hertzfeldt shorts on film last fall. Hertzfeldt has a decidedly minimalist style, but the improvement over the video I'd always seen them on was night and day. HD only gets us halfway there, but it's worth doing.
Just out of curiosity, were you saying the same thing about DVD ten years ago, and if so, do you still regularly watch VHS?
5-12-2009 @ 3:16PM
Astin said...
That's pretty details-oriented. Most comedies don't have cinematography or subtle sight gags that require HD to catch. Maybe a funny license plate or sign will be more readable, but they rarely rely on HD sound or video to get their message across.
I'll grant you that some dramas DO have camerawork that is deserving, and occasionally even sound, but the vast majority that are pure dramas (and not, say, war movies) don't gain much from the added resolutions. It's not like the wrinkles or tears are blurry or the cries tinny.
Comparing a jump from video (online or analog) to movie screen is a BIG jump compared to DVD to Blu-Ray. Would there be as noticeable a difference if you played Hertzfeldt's work on the same TV in one format and then the other? Especially with upsampling being available in just about every player out there now.
And no, I wasn't saying the same thing about video to DVD. Video is a format that is incredibly lossy and limited, and degrades over time. DVD held appeal as a means of watching something repeatedly without watching the snow increase despite how often you adjusted the tracking. Blu-Ray is, in comparison, a small step in format.
I just don't see myself double-dipping for 40-Year Old Virgin so I can see Paul Rudd's reaction to chest-waxing in sharper contrast.
5-12-2009 @ 5:03PM
MCW said...
"...seeing Pyle dance like a loon doesn't hurt either."
Almost want to watch it again for that special feature alone (Haven't seen that movie since it's original release). I really don't get to see Missi Pyle enough :( (Though Spring Breakdown is out soon, and I did like SOCCER MOM). Seeing her in a special feature is a treasure in itself.
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5-12-2009 @ 6:11PM
MCW said...
And Monika, I just finished watching Passengers. I don't understand how you can give it a "Skip it" without hesitation. I realize the "At the Movies" crew can dismiss a movie so easily, but Passengers is pretty well done. The last scenes on the plane are horrifying, but still very moving.
To everyone: Rent It.
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