It's that time of the week where I hijack my own website in the name of commercialism and link to a bunch of DVDs and Blu-Rays that I think are worth your time and money. It's probably one step away from internet panhandling, but hey, I don't have the government dropping billions of dollars in my lap to bail me out.
Shockingly, this week is all movies and no TV show box sets. If you break it down, there's only three DVDs I'm recommending this week, the rest is all things that are finally hitting Blu-Ray.
Shockingly, this week is all movies and no TV show box sets. If you break it down, there's only three DVDs I'm recommending this week, the rest is all things that are finally hitting Blu-Ray.
IRON MAN was a surprise hit at the box office this summer. I haven't seen it yet, but I plan on watching it soon. Supposedly this is a really good movie and adaptation, which is a rarity. I've never like IRON MAN as a character or really bought any of his own comics series. I'd be exposed to him through other titles and guest-appearances. That having been said, even *I* want to see this movie. IRON MAN comes in three flavors:
IRON MAN (Two-Disc Special Collectors' Edition) DVD for those of us who still haven't sunk the money into sweet hi-def disc goodness.
IRON MAN (Single-Disc Edition) DVD, for those of you like me, who know you'll only watch a few of the special features once and never watch them again or at all.
IRON MAN (Ultimate Two-Disc Edition) [Blu-ray] for those of you who splurged and have gone Blu.
If a well-adapted comic book movie isn't your cup of tea, maybe you'd prefer a bad adaption?
IRON MAN (Two-Disc Special Collectors' Edition) DVD for those of us who still haven't sunk the money into sweet hi-def disc goodness.
IRON MAN (Single-Disc Edition) DVD, for those of you like me, who know you'll only watch a few of the special features once and never watch them again or at all.
IRON MAN (Ultimate Two-Disc Edition) [Blu-ray] for those of you who splurged and have gone Blu.
If a well-adapted comic book movie isn't your cup of tea, maybe you'd prefer a bad adaption?
FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL: This movie was a bit hard to watch because I cringed most of the time I spent watching it. That's not a comment on the quality of the movie. You see, having been through a horrible, at least it was horrible on my side, break up back at the end of 2000, I spent most of 2001 wallowing in utter despair and misery. Then I got over it. (Time + distance + perspective = shoulder shrug.) So years later watching a movie character behave that way for two hours is like having some sort of mirror strapped to a time machine for me. But hey, it has Kristen Bell and the guy who plays Marshall on HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER. So of course I had to watch it, and for the most part I enjoyed it. I figure it's one to pop in anytime I want to torture myself in an amusing way. Sort of like popping in a video of me playing in my band from when I was in high school and had gigantic heavy metal hair.
Like IRON MAN, there are three versions of this movie...
FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL (Three-Disc Unrated Collector's Edition) DVD with all of the extras that you'll probably watch once and then find yourself asking why you didn't just get the single disc release?
FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL (Widescreen) DVD is that single disc release for the cheapskate in all of us.
FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL [Blu-ray] for you hi-def snobs. Oh, how I want to be one of you.
That's not all. Universal is using Judd Apatow producing this movie as an excuse to re-release two of his hits on Blu-Ray. I'm being just as clever (read: greedy) and plugging them here.
THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN [Blu-ray]: In my opinion, the best of the Judd Apatow movies finally hits Blu-Ray (after multiple DVD releases and an HD-DVD release). This movie was lightning in a bottle, and if you ask me, all the other movies with Apatow's name on it that have come out after VIRGIN have been coasting on how good this movie is. They're pretty good movies, but this is the peak.
KNOCKED UP [Blu-ray]: I like this movie. Just not as much as VIRGIN. It's a little more serious, and probably a bit too long, even more overly long in the extended edition. I have a hard time watching things with Katherine Heigl considering how often I read about how unpleasant she is off-screen, which shouldn't really matter but for some reason I can almost see her bitchiness on the screen.
Like IRON MAN, there are three versions of this movie...
FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL (Three-Disc Unrated Collector's Edition) DVD with all of the extras that you'll probably watch once and then find yourself asking why you didn't just get the single disc release?
FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL (Widescreen) DVD is that single disc release for the cheapskate in all of us.
FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL [Blu-ray] for you hi-def snobs. Oh, how I want to be one of you.
That's not all. Universal is using Judd Apatow producing this movie as an excuse to re-release two of his hits on Blu-Ray. I'm being just as clever (read: greedy) and plugging them here.
THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN [Blu-ray]: In my opinion, the best of the Judd Apatow movies finally hits Blu-Ray (after multiple DVD releases and an HD-DVD release). This movie was lightning in a bottle, and if you ask me, all the other movies with Apatow's name on it that have come out after VIRGIN have been coasting on how good this movie is. They're pretty good movies, but this is the peak.
KNOCKED UP [Blu-ray]: I like this movie. Just not as much as VIRGIN. It's a little more serious, and probably a bit too long, even more overly long in the extended edition. I have a hard time watching things with Katherine Heigl considering how often I read about how unpleasant she is off-screen, which shouldn't really matter but for some reason I can almost see her bitchiness on the screen.
OSS 117: CAIRO, NEST OF SPIES is a French movie that's a dead-on parody of the Connery-era Bond flicks. The lead actor's mannerisms, even the way he fights are perfectly aped from Connery in the first five Bond movies. The sets, the action sequences, everything looks like an early 60s Bond movie. Squint and you might think you're watching an unreleased movie from that era. Of course, then you'd have a really hard time reading the subtitles. I've been waiting for a good region 1 release of this for awhile now.
Now, since Halloween is coming, the studios are digging into their back-catalog and hitting the Blu-Ray market with some older titles.
THE THING [Blu-ray]: One of my favorite movies of all time. Isolation (especially in cold temperatures), freaky shape changing alien monster, Kurt Russell in a Carpenter flick, bleak ending. What more can you ask for?
THE SIXTH SENSE [Blu-ray]: I only enjoyed this movie the first time I saw it, upon subsequent viewings I've found it gloomy and boring. But my mom seems to love this movie, and so did a lot of people before we all got bored with M Night.
THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE [Blu-ray]: The original from 1973, not the big budget studio remake from a few years ago. I'm curious how this looks transferred to hi-def, since I'd imagine bad picture quality is one of this movie's selling points. A cleaned up TCSM just doesn't seem like it would look "right" to me. On the other hand I was shocked by how great the original DAWN OF THE DEAD looked on Blu-Ray when my brother showed it to me.
DAWN OF THE DEAD (Unrated Director's Cut) [Blu-ray]: I really liked this remake. I went into it watching to hate it, and was surprised that it was a good movie. Some people, like my brother, refuse to give this one a chance because of their love for the original. This is an entirely different movie and not a remake. Only the name, and idea of zombie surrounding the outside of a mall where survivors are holed up, are the the common factors between the two. Had the producers called it something else, people would've said they were ripping off the original DAWN. So it was a can't win situation. I've got this on DVD and it's a definite future upgrade for me.
LAND OF THE DEAD (Unrated Director's Cut) [Blu-ray]: For those of you who only want your zombies from Romero. I saw this back when it came out in theaters, and a few times since, and it's my least favorite of the Romero zombie movies. There's just some missing factor that I can't put my finger on. Still, given enough viewings it might wear me down. It took a long time for me to warm to DAY OF THE DEAD, which surprised me considering how much I enjoyed it's two predecessors.
One last DVD, one to avoid...
PULSE 2: AFTERLIFE (DVD). The first PULSE movie, the one with Kristen Bell, wasn't all that great. This direct to video sequel isn't worth the time unless you're some sort of completist. Not even the presence of Jamie Bamber (Apollo on BATTLESTAR GALACTICA) could get me to like this movie.
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Now, since Halloween is coming, the studios are digging into their back-catalog and hitting the Blu-Ray market with some older titles.
THE THING [Blu-ray]: One of my favorite movies of all time. Isolation (especially in cold temperatures), freaky shape changing alien monster, Kurt Russell in a Carpenter flick, bleak ending. What more can you ask for?
THE SIXTH SENSE [Blu-ray]: I only enjoyed this movie the first time I saw it, upon subsequent viewings I've found it gloomy and boring. But my mom seems to love this movie, and so did a lot of people before we all got bored with M Night.
THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE [Blu-ray]: The original from 1973, not the big budget studio remake from a few years ago. I'm curious how this looks transferred to hi-def, since I'd imagine bad picture quality is one of this movie's selling points. A cleaned up TCSM just doesn't seem like it would look "right" to me. On the other hand I was shocked by how great the original DAWN OF THE DEAD looked on Blu-Ray when my brother showed it to me.
DAWN OF THE DEAD (Unrated Director's Cut) [Blu-ray]: I really liked this remake. I went into it watching to hate it, and was surprised that it was a good movie. Some people, like my brother, refuse to give this one a chance because of their love for the original. This is an entirely different movie and not a remake. Only the name, and idea of zombie surrounding the outside of a mall where survivors are holed up, are the the common factors between the two. Had the producers called it something else, people would've said they were ripping off the original DAWN. So it was a can't win situation. I've got this on DVD and it's a definite future upgrade for me.
LAND OF THE DEAD (Unrated Director's Cut) [Blu-ray]: For those of you who only want your zombies from Romero. I saw this back when it came out in theaters, and a few times since, and it's my least favorite of the Romero zombie movies. There's just some missing factor that I can't put my finger on. Still, given enough viewings it might wear me down. It took a long time for me to warm to DAY OF THE DEAD, which surprised me considering how much I enjoyed it's two predecessors.
One last DVD, one to avoid...
PULSE 2: AFTERLIFE (DVD). The first PULSE movie, the one with Kristen Bell, wasn't all that great. This direct to video sequel isn't worth the time unless you're some sort of completist. Not even the presence of Jamie Bamber (Apollo on BATTLESTAR GALACTICA) could get me to like this movie.
Want to get your Amazon orders faster? Sign up for a free trial of Amazon Prime. I've had it for years and I love it. I also get a small commission if you do that. Do it! I command you!
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