Rob Hunter loves movies.  He also loves his job as a CPA who occasionally finds a little mystery thrown his way. These two joys come together in the form of cash money payments that he receives every week and immediately uses to buy more DVDs.  So join us each week as he takes a look at new DVD releases and gives his highly unqualified opinion as to which titles are worth BUYing, which are better off as RENTals, and which should be AVOIDed at all costs.

Click on any of the titles below to magically head over to Amazon.com and pick up the DVD.  And don’t forget to check out Neil Miller’s hilariously titled This Week In Blu-ray column for reviews on the latest high definition Blu-ray releases!

Andy Barker P.I.: The Complete Series

Pitch: The short-lived adventures of a late-night talk show sidekick who gets mistaken for a detective…

Why Buy? Andy Richter is a funny guy, but he’s had more failed TV series than Nathan Fillion. One of those commercial failures featured Richter as a CPA who becomes an amateur detective. With a stellar supporting cast including Tony Hale, Harve Presnell, and Clea Lewis, the show managed to be hilarious each and every episode. Sadly, there were only six episodes… Shout Factory’s new DVD set includes all six along with some impressive extras for such a short-lived series. The gag reel alone is priceless just to see the clean-cut Richter say “fuck!” many, many times.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Commentaries, featurettes, gag reel

Moon (UK)

Pitch: Who knew the Brits would reach the Moon almost two months before the US…

Why Buy? Some of you may be checking your release date calendars right now and wondering what exactly I’m smoking as I write up this column. The US release of Moon (both DVD and Blu-ray) isn’t until January 12th, 2010, but the Brits got it yesterday! The good news is that you can too if you don’t mind a few extra bucks shipping to get it across the ocean. The UK blu-ray is an all-region release meaning it will play on any Blu-ray player including a Playstation3. This is a fantastic little sci-fi debut from writer/director Duncan Jones and anchored by another stellar performance from Sam Rockwell. Neil Miller loved it way back in January (review here), and now you can too.

Blu-ray? This is my Blu-ray Pick of the Week!

Extra Features? Commentary, featurettes

Star Trek

Pitch: For every 1,701 remakes/reboots that get released each year, there’s always at least one that stands out as being even better than the original. This is that film for 2009…

Why Buy? This flick ended up being one of my favorite cinematic surprises this year. There were several better films, but few I expected so little of before seeing. There’s almost universal acclaim for the film from critics (FSR’s review here) and fans alike (KangarooBeStoned being one of the rare exceptions). Sure you can nitpick little details here and there, but there’s just no getting around how damn entertaining the movie is. JJ Abrams has crafted a fantastic piece of pop entertainment that bodes very well indeed for the future of the franchise. (If I hadn’t already picked my Blu-ray of the week above, this would have been it. Check out Neil Miller’s exhaustive Blu-ray review here.)

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Deleted scenes, commentary, featurettes, gag reel

The Steve Coogan Collection

Pitch: Think you’ve seen all of Steve Coogan’s comedic glory? Think again…

Why Buy? Who knew this guy had a career before Tropic Thunder? Kidding. I knew, but I just didn’t realize it was so damn extensive.  This extremely comprehensive set covers pretty much his entire BBC career from Paul & Pauline Calf’s Video Diaries to his most famous creation, talk show host Alan partridge. Eight TV series and several hours worth of bonus material are spread across fourteen (!) dvds guaranteeing even the most devoted Coogan fan will find something new here. Of course, all the content in England wouldn’t matter if it was all shite… luckily Coogan is funny as hell in almost everything he does.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Commentaries, featurettes

Thirst

Pitch: A stylish and bloody vampire film for adults. Kinky, fun-loving adults…

Why Buy? In a world besieged by sparkling vampires that do more moping and sulking than ravishing and blood sucking, Park Chan-wook’s ode to those who crave the sticky red stuff is a breath of fresh air. Park’s style and dark sense of humor are all over this film about a priest who becomes a vampire. As if dealing with a newly discovered thirst for blood wasn’t bad enough, he’s also developed a fairly strong libido… luckily he meets a very attractive married woman. Unluckily she may be even more dangerous than he is. (My review here)

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? None

Bruno

Pitch: A gay, Austrian fashionista comes to America solely to piss off Harrison Ford…

Why Rent? This is an odd bird. I saw a sneak preview of about twenty minutes of footage back at SXSW (here) and it was hilarious. I literally had tears in my eyes from laughing. But when the movie actually released this past summer something had changed. Maybe it was the fact that the scenes we saw had been trimmed down for the feature. Maybe the humor just wasn’t as funny the second time around. Or maybe the film’s overly planned structure and screenplay didn’t feature enough raw and unpredictable moments. Watching the movie now I can only manage a few laughs, but your mileage may vary. The extras add a few more laughs as well, so it’s worth a rental.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Deleted scenes, commentary, featurette

Downhill Racer (Criterion Collection)

Pitch: It’s no Better Off Dead, but it’s still a fascinating look into the world of competitive skiing…

Why Rent? Maybe ‘fascinating’ is a bit too strong, but it is interesting at least. Robert Redford plays a cocky Olympic skier and Gene Hackman is his coach. Both men are incredible actors so you can watch it for them alone, but director Michael Ritchie also manages to make downhill skiing look exciting and dangerous. It’s a movie worth watching, and if you’re going to watch it may as well be the Criterion.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Featurettes

Evilution

Pitch: Zombies and a clever combination of two words mashed together into a brand new one? Irresistible…

Why Rent? Maybe I’m being nicer to this movie than I normally would, but thanks to last night’s arrival of Left4Dead 2 on my PC I’m in a zombie-loving (and zombie-killing) mood. There’s nothing new here, but the zombies and the carnage they wreak look good and bloody. What more could you want? Sure, sure, a better script, better actors, blah blah blah. Just enjoy the zombie mayhem!

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? None

Franklyn

Pitch: Real-world drama concerning three Londoners dealing with depression, loss, and suicidal thoughts. Oh, and there’s a masked vigilante in a Dystopian alternate reality too…

Why Rent? This is an example of great concept/poor execution, but the concept is enough to make it worth watching. The story moves between a London we recognize where we meet a suicidal woman, a depressed man, and an older man searching for his missing son. But there’s also an alternate London, one where religion has become mandatory, atheism is outlawed, and a masked avenger stalks the streets looking to beat the snot out of some club-carrying priests. Interesting, odd, and often beautiful to look at, the film doesn’t manage to to pull it all together cohesively.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? None

It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia: A Very Sunny Christmas

Pitch: The gang explores the meaning of Christmas, and no part of the holiday is safe. Especially Santa Claus…

Why Rent? This show continues to be one of the funniest on TV, and I would normally have recommended any release from it as a Buy… but this lists at $27 for what amounts to a 43 minute extended episode. So rent this one and wait for the next full season DVD release which will most likely include this as well.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? None

My Sister’s Keeper

Pitch: Parents with a dying daughter choose to bring a second child into the world to act as a living organ donor…

Why Rent? I didn’t really like this movie all that much, but the premise is incredibly interesting. Sure it’s played more for the melodrama than the ethical debate, but it’s still a pretty good conversation starter. If you can handle the emotional manipulation and the atrocious acting of Cameron Diaz then you may want to give it a shot. Or as Kevin Carr says in his review (here), you’ll like it if you “looooooooooove tear-jerkers.”

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Deleted scenes

The Open Road

Pitch: A father and son who’ve grown apart embark on a cross-country road trip! Two cliches for the price of one…

Why Rent? Jeff Bridges gives yet another thoughtful and impressive performance here as a famous retired baseball player who had let the game and the fame steer him away from his family. Justin Timberlake isn’t bad as his son trying to get him across the country to see their wife/mother in the hospital. A few laughs and a bit of heart make for an okay little film.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Commentary, featurettes

Rome: The Complete Series

Pitch: Swords and sandals and sex! It was an HBO series after all…

Why Rent? I didn’t catch this show when it actually ran on HBO, but catching up with it now I can finally see what the critical fuss was all about. Engaging characters, fantastic acting, beautiful set design and CGI work, and some very deep and detailed story lines make this a show that will capture your attention.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Commentaries, featurettes

Vampire Party

Pitch: We know the French can do hardcore horror better than most, but how about the horror/comedy…

Why Rent? Turns out they’re pretty good at this too. A group of friends worm their way into a high class party in a large mansion outside of town, but soon discover the revelers are divided into two groups… party guests and party snacks. One guess which group are friends are on. The laughs are solid, the effects are limited but well done, and the great Tcheky Karyo stars as the lead vampire. Side note, the French title translates to The Teeth of the Night which is a lot better than the generic American one.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? None

Basement Jack

Pitch: An abused child grows up to become a serial killer. He gets points for killing sans mask though like most movie psychos…

Why Avoid? But he loses those points two-thirds of the way in when he inexplicably starts wearing a mask anyway. That’s a quibble, but the film’s major flaw that I can’t forgive is the use and abuse of CGI. A stabbing should never be accomplished via CGI, yet every single knife attack here is done with a computer. Knife through the head? CGI. Knife through the chest? CGI. So sad. There’s only a handful of practical effects visible here, and that’s inexcusable Mr. Jack.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? None

Hanger

Pitch: The product of a motel abortion is tossed in a dumpster and comes back for revenge eighteen years later…

Why Avoid? Ugh. The director of one of my least favorite Canadian films (Ryan Nicholson, Gutterballs) returns with another lowest common denominator flick filled with bad acting, explicit behaviors, and solid effects. A prostitute is given an abortion by her pimp, the fetus grows up and goes looking for the pimp, prosthetically ugly people fill the screen… blech. Skip it.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Deleted scenes, commentary, featurettes

Humpday

Pitch: Two guy friends grow bored in their search for the clitoris and decide to go for the easy O instead…

Why Avoid? Two guys ramble on and on to each other. Occasionally other characters join in on the rambling. Miller liked it (review here) a lot more than I did, but that probably says more about him than anything else.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Deleted scenes, commentary, featurette

The Limits of Control

Pitch: A mysterious man meets other mysterious people in Spain. The real mystery though is how this movie could be so incredibly boring…

Why Avoid? Seriously, it’s mind boggling how boring this film is. It’s basically a character going from A to B by way of the rest of the alphabet. (My review here) It looks beautiful thanks to cinematographer Christopher Doyle, and the talent on display is fairly hefty including Bill Murray, John Hurt, Tilda Swinton, and Gael Garcia Bernal. One of the film’s few saving graces is a bespectacled and naked Paz De La Huarte as one of the many oddballs Isaach De Bankole meets as he walks his way towards a somewhat obvious conclusion.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Featurette

Samurai Princess

Pitch: Scantily-clad Asian chick kicks ass. On a budget of $12 US…

Why Avoid? With that pitch above you may be surprised to see me recommend you avoid it. But I have some standards people, and one of them is that a movie shouldn’t look like it’s budget came from the coins found underneath couch cushions.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? None

Taintlight

Pitch: High-brow satire this is not…

Why Avoid? There’s exactly one gag that works in this spoof of the Twilight franchise, and it involves a mime pretending to talk on an imaginary cell phone while driving an imaginary car. It’s funny, and I laughed, but it was a lonely chuckle with nothing but silence and sighs to keep it company for the rest of the run time. That gag aside, the creativity and humor in this amateurish (but sincere) movie starts and stops with the title.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Commentary, featurettes

Train

Pitch: Some American Turistas mistake a moving train for a Hostel…

Why Avoid? Thora Birch is the weakest link on an American wrestling team traveling in Eastern Europe, and when the group misses their train out of town they’re forced to settle for a less luxurious form of rail transport.  Cue massive amounts of blood, gore, and stupidity… the first two are actually the only things this dumb movie has going for it. From the opening credits to the final scenes we’re witness to copious amounts of the red stuff and some very well done practical gore effects. But the characters are impossible to like or care for, the plot is simply Hostel on wheels, and the predictable survivor does so by using an inexplicably effective wrestling move.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? None

Read More: This Week in DVD

What are you buying on DVD this week?

Related Reading:

• This Week in Blu-ray: Where No Man Has Gone Before
• The 17 Must See Movies of Summer 2009
• Oscars Shmoscars! We Pick the 2009 Scream Award Winners
• The Winners and Losers of 2009’s Record Setting Summer
• Boiling Point: 10 out of 10
• 20 Questions with ‘It’s Always Sunny’ Star Kaitlin Olson
• Reject Radio: Episode 9: I Wanted To Meet Roy Schieder
• Kevin Carr’s Weekly Report Card for 07.10.09

Rob Hunter loves movies. He also loves working for the local “retirement home” as head geezer catcher… basically he gets a call whenever one of the elderly residents escapes wanders off in a daze from the home. These two joys come together in the form of cash money payments that he receives every week and immediately uses to buy more DVDs. So join us each week as he takes a look at new DVD releases and gives his highly unqualified opinion as to which titles are worth BUYing, which are better off as RENTals, and which should be AVOIDed at all costs.

Click on any of the titles below to magically head over to Amazon.com and pick up the DVD. And don’t forget to check out Neil Miller’s hilariously titled This Week In Blu-ray column for reviews on the latest high definition Blu-ray releases!

The General (Blu-ray)

Pitch: The story of a man, his train, and a tunnel named Annabelle…

Why Buy? If you’re like me, when you think of high definition you can’t help but also think of silent black & white films from the 1920’s. And when you think about those dialogue-free classics from the heyday of early 20th Century cinema the name Buster Keaton probably comes to mind before anyone else. But none of that really matters here… the real reason I’m recommending this as a Buy is to remind Cole Abaius’ friends that The General is his favorite film and someone should surprise him with this newly remastered and unnecessarily HD version.

Blu-ray? This is my Blu-ray Pick of the Week!

Extra Features? Featurettes, three different musical scores

Justice League: The Complete Series

Pitch: I don’t know how old Supergirl is supposed to be, but she has an unavoidably super rack…

Why Buy? The DC Comics folks have had some pretty poor luck when it comes to film adaptations, but the world of TV is a different story. From “Smallville” to a multitude of animated shows the DC universe has found a home in the idiot box. “Justice League” is one of their more popular and acclaimed shows, and if you’re a fan but don’t have any of the series on DVD then this is the release for you. An embossed exterior tin holds two jumbo clam-shells jam-packed with all ninety-one episodes of the show as well as multiple special features.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Commentaries, featurettes

Up

Pitch: Geriatrics, and boy scouts, and talking canines oh my…

Why Buy? If for no other reason, this is a buy for the incredibly powerful opening ten minutes where we watch one man’s life move from childhood to adulthood to his twilight years, finding and losing a lifelong love along the way. It’s probably one of the more amazing and dramatic bits of animation you’ve seen, and there’s still over an hour of movie to come when it’s finished. It’s not the best Pixar has to offer (that remains Finding Nemo), but it’s a beautiful, funny film for kids and adults alike.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Two animated shorts, commentary, featurettes

Ballast

Pitch: Push Precious down the stairs and pick up this tale of tragedy and redemption instead…

Why Rent? There are no recognizable faces here, but the amateur actors deliver the goods in this drama about family, loss, and survival in the cruel reality of the poor, rural South. The film is slow, but it’s the kind of slow that Landon Palmer refers to in this week’s Culture Warrior post. It’s an intentional pace meant to give the characters life and the film a certain tone.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Featurette

Dawson’s Creek: The Complete Series

Pitch: You can never have enough Joey Potter in your life…

Why Rent? A lead who loves film? An incredibly cute neighbor girl who climbs in his window at night? A best friend who’s never boring and constantly in trouble with the law? A new girl in town experienced in the ways of love and fleshy manipulation? Yeah, this is nothing like my teen years. But I am serious about Joey Potter (Katie Holmes) being a character I never got tired of watching. The show went downhill after season two, but Holmes at least made it worthwhile.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Deleted scenes, featurette, cd soundtrack

The Echo

Pitch: An ex-con discovers ghostly shenanigans in his apartment building. An ex-con discovers ghostly shenanigans in his apartment building…

Why Rent? Will you be surprised by anything in this movie? Not really. The whole thing is perfectly competent, no more no less, and while that’s not exactly high praise it’s still better than most of the direct to DVD shlock these days. Plus, Jesse Bradford is dreamy.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? None

Ink

Pitch: “A film that can stop your heart both with its story and look” Cole Abaius FILM SCHOOL REJECTS – DVD cover blurb

Why Rent? The acting is sometimes poor, the Pathfinder character is often annoying, the movie will leave you with a bunch of unanswered questions when it’s over, and one of the main characters has a dick on his face… but you still need to see this movie. It’s not the second coming of independent cinema that Cole Abaius would have you believe (review here), but it’s an incredibly charismatic film all the same. A couple of the heroines are cute, all of the bad guys are creepy, and there’s more creativity and imagination on display here than in most big-budget Hollywood fantasy films. Check it out people!

Blu-ray? Yes.

Extra Features? Behind the Scenes Featurette, Director’s Commentary, Trailers, the warm fuzzy feeling of not pirating

The Line

Pitch: Andy Garcia, Ray Liotta, Armand Assante, Danny Trejo, Esai Morales…

Why Rent? Can you imagine a film with more dark-haired testosterone than this one? Look at that cast! Liotta plays bounty hunter/assassin hunting down a drug lord (Garcia) and his protege (Morales). Some good twists and some sharp action highlight this dark and gritty little flick where everybody’s dirty in one way or another.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? None

The Merry Gentleman

Pitch: Michael ‘Crazy Eyes’ Keaton plays a hitman. How cool is that…

Why Rent? Keaton also directs, and the result is a quiet little winner of a film that finds the assassin possibly finding redemption in the eyes of woman (Kelly Macdonald) on the run from her own demons. It’s understandable as Macdonald’s eyes and accent could cure all manner of illness. Keaton takes his time with the film and allows several moments to play out without the need for dialogue which leads to a film that’s often beautiful, occasionally contrived, but never boring.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? None

Watchmen: The Ultimate Cut

Pitch: This one DVD/Bluray will replace all four of the releases you’ve bought previously…

Why Rent? Seriously. Folks who bought the theatrical release… then the director’s cut… then the Tales of the Black Freighter… then the Motion Comic… now can get them all in one seamless edition (the motion comic is still seperate of course). To me this is a massive abuse of the fanbase and an obvious cashgrab. But it’s interesting enough to watch once which is why I’ll rate it as a rental.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Commentaries, featurettes, Watchmen: The Motion Comic

The Accidental Husband

Pitch: Uma Thurman is an uptight radio host! Jeffrey Dean Morgan is a lovable fireman! Colin Firth is a nice piece of milquetoast! Wonder what happens here…

Why Avoid? Ugh. Skip this predictable, unfunny, and unromantic tripe and go rent director Griffin Dunne’s far better romantic comedy Addicted To Love instead. It shows that once upon a time he knew how to cast affable leads, nurture funny and sweet performances from them, and create a film that’s actually fun and enjoyable.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Featurette

Spread

Pitch: Mr. Demi Moore learns that all the meaningless sex in LA could never feel as good as true love…

Why Avoid? But he comes close with the hot naked woman sitting on the side of the bathtub asking him to shave her bajango. And even closer with the oral pleasurings he gets from the hot blonde wearing nothing but a football helmet. But then it’s one of those two-steps-forward ten-steps-back kind of things when he shacks up with half lesbian/half alien Anne Heche. The sex and flesh on display are the only things worth watching here, but if that’s what you’re after just turn on Cinemax after 10pm.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Commentary, featurettes

Summer’s Moon

Pitch: Yes, there’s a character named Summer. No, she doesn’t show her ass…

Why Avoid? The idea of a family of serial killers is okay although the Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies take it to a more terrifying levels. And the opening with Stephen McHattie is okay although he’s far better served in a truly creepy and creative film like Pontypool. So that pretty much leaves no reason to watch the movie.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? None

The Ugly Truth

Pitch: The battle of the sexes can be pretty damn funny sometimes. This is not one of those times…

Why Avoid? I had mild hopes for this movie after first seeing the trailer. Sure Katherine Heigl is in it which is pretty much a death knell, but Gerard Butler had a few funny lines so I thought maybe, just maybe… but goddamn this is a bad film. Zero chemistry between the leads, crass and unsuccessful attempts at humor, and an ending that’s not only predictable but also features some terrible effects.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Deleted scenes, commentary, gag reel, featurettes

Read More: This Week in DVD

What are you buying on DVD this week?

Related Reading:

• Drinking Game Double Feature: Up and Watchmen: The Ultimate Cut
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Rob Hunter loves movies.  He also loves working as Roger Thornhill’s personal drycleaner… between the dust-ups and the crop dusters, Thornhill has lots of suits in need of cleaning. These two joys come together in the form of cash money payments that he receives every week and immediately uses to buy more DVDs.  So join us each week as he takes a look at new DVD releases and gives his highly unqualified opinion as to which titles are worth BUYing, which are better off as RENTals, and which should be AVOIDed at all costs.

Click on any of the titles below to magically head over to Amazon.com and pick up the DVD.  And don’t forget to check out Neil Miller’s hilariously titled This Week In Blu-ray column for reviews on the latest high definition Blu-ray releases!

The Edge of Darkness: The Complete BBC Series

Pitch: A dead daughter. A conspiracy that involves murder, corruption, and corporate greed. And a detective with nothing left to lose…

Why Buy? The Hollywood remake is due next month (surprise!) from Martin Campbell and Mel Gibson, and it promises to be damn good. But as well done as it may be, odds are it still won’t be able to touch the original BBC mini-series. Stellar acting from all involved, multiple layers of mystery and intrigue revealed masterfully by a script allowed to take it’s time, and a powerful indictment of government gone bad. What’s not to love?

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Alternate ending, featurettes

Food, Inc.

Pitch: Think you know where your food comes from? Think again…

Why Buy? Before you skip this title with some knee-jerk reaction about it being made by (and for) liberal vegans from the coast (either coast), trust me when I say it’s actually non-partisan. Neither Michael Pollan nor Eric Schlosser are telling you to stop eating meat and eggs, but both men want you to be more aware of what goes into the food on your plate. Their target is the corporate food industry, and the factual information they have to share is often frightening, sometimes shocking, and always interesting.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Deleted scenes, featurettes

North By Northwest (50th Anniversary Edition)

Pitch: A case of mistaken identity sends a normal man on a cross-country run for his life. Sounds like a Hitchcock rip-off…

Why Buy? This is my second favorite Alfred Hitchcock movie (I still say The Birds is his best), and even at fifty years old it continues to hold up extremely well. Cary Grant is the face of the film and excels at portraying a man who alternates between cool and befuddled, and passive and active. Although it’s hard to consider Grant’s tall, tanned, and bisexual debonair self an “everyman” all that matters here is that he’s at the top of his game. The same goes for Hitchcock (the ‘top of his game’ bit, not the tall, tanned, and bisexual part) who never crafted a sharper, more fully-realized film. From the pacing to the camera shots to the musical choices to the excellent supporting cast, North By Northwest is masterful film-making.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Commentary, featurettes

Walt Disney Treasures: Zorro – The Complete First/Second Season

Pitch: Zorro was a hero to all the little boys unsure of how to use their own swords…

Why Buy? If you care at all about Disney’s “Zorro” show then these are the definitive DVD editions you need to buy. They come packaged in sturdy tin cases with the discs themselves in a standard DVD case within. For the tchotchke collectors out there they also come with a pin, postcard lithograph, and a numbered certificate of authenticity. That nonsense aside, the actual content is impressive. All thirty-nine episodes per season are included as well as two rarely seen two-hour Zorro movies, and they’re all remastered to pristine quality.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Rare two-part TV movie, pin, lithograph, numbered certificate of authenticity

The Answer Man

Pitch: A bestselling but reclusive author finally finds a reason to come out from hiding…

Why Rent? Jeff Daniels is fantastic and rarely gets a lead role, so we need to support him when it does happen. Luckily this is actually a pretty good little movie so our support is pain free. Daniels plays the author of a bestselling self-help book from twenty years ago who’s been in hiding since it’s success. He meets a few eclectic people who help open his door and his life to some new possibilities. The supporting cast is excellent including Lou Taylor Pucci and Lauren Graham, but Olivia Thirlby and Kat Dennings are wasted with little to do.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Commentary, deleted scenes, featurette

Beast Within

Pitch: From bird flu to zombies in two easy steps…

Why Rent? No it’s not a remake of the classic ‘boy becomes an evil praying mantis’ movie from the early eighties. This is a European flick about bird flu ravaging a small town by turning the infected into zombies! It’s not a good movie really, but the final twenty five minutes or so include a pretty cool zombie assault on a barricaded house. Worth a watch for fans of the undead.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? None

Before the Fall

Pitch: The bad news is a meteorite will hit Earth in three days and destroy all life on the planet. The worse news is you might not live long enough to see it…

Why Rent? This is an interesting and suspenseful film from Spain that does a great job of turning a global catastrophe into a personal story. Three days away from certain doom, a man and his family are on the run and fighting for their lives when a madman comes looking for misguided vengeance. What would you fight for if you knew it wouldn’t matter in a few days?

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? None

The Botany of Desire

Pitch: Can plants and produce be interesting? Yes, and Michael Pollan proves it with a fascinating look at the apple, marijuana, the potato, and the tulip…

Why Rent? Pollan’s fascinating book makes for an equally interesting PBS special on the history and importance of four essential ingredients in American agriculture. It’s an engaging and enlightening look into how we use plants and how they use us. Sounds boring as hell though doesn’t it? But give it a chance and I guarantee you’ll learn a thing or two and be entertained in the process.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? None

Command Performance

Pitch: “Dying is easy. Rock and roll is hard.” Yes, Dolph Lundgren actually says this awesome line. Of course, he also says “Rock and load.”

Why Rent? This was a risky watch for me. I expected it to be the typical Lundgren direct-to-DVD dreck, and I was going to feel bad suggesting you avoid it when the man was kind enough to record a video bumper for us (here). Happily I can report in good concience that this flick is actually a good time. Lundgren directs as well as stars and the man does not skimp on the blood. People are shot and blood sprays. They’re stabbed and blood sprays. They’re punched and blood sprays… Lundgren looks convincing in his drum playing but even moreso when he’s jabbing a drumstick through a guy’s skull. It’s a fun little action film, and his best movie in years.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Featurettes

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

Pitch: Elite soldiers fight each other in tight leather outfits…

Why Rent? So why would I recommend avoiding Transformers 2but sugegst renting this equally inane CGI explosion? Simple. Michael Bay’s movie was big, stupid, empty, and boring. Stephen Sommers’s popcorn movie is almost as big and equally stupid and empty… but it’s actually kind of fun at times. The chase through Paris, the ninja fight, the bitch fight… I wouldn’t own this movie but I probably wouldn’t mind watching it again. Just not anytime soon…

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Commentary, featurettes

Not Forgotten

Pitch: A young girl is kidnapped and her father will stop at nothing in his quest to find her, even if that means digging up some ghosts from his past…

Why Rent? I love being happily surprised by little films I’d heard nothing about beforehand, and this is one of those films. Simon Baker is fantastic as a family man with a beautiful new wife (Paz Vega), a precocious pre-teen (Chloe Moretz), and a secret (something crazy). The movie does a great job of shifting suspicions once the daughter is kidnapped leaving you unsure who the bad guys and good guys are or if those terms even apply anymore. I’m not entirely sold on the ending, but four-fifths of a really good movie is still better than most of what hits theaters these days. And Baker’s use of a broken and jagged bottle as an interrogation tool is bloody unsettling.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? None

The Taking of Pelham 123

Pitch: John Travolta’s least annoying bad guy ever gives Denzel Washington’s least active good guy a hard time…

Why Rent? I heard such critical comments on this one during it’s theatrical run that I never quite got a round to seeing it until now. And it ain’t half bad people! (Which makes it almost half good…) Travolta usually overplays his villains into the realm of high camp (Swordfish, Broken Arrow), but he manages to keep his hijacker reigned in a bit here. Tony Scott and friends do as good a job as can be expected with a film about a modern-day subway hijacking in NYC even if they offer up little in the way of surprises. The film’s no masterpiece, but neither was the original.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Commentary, featurettes

Aliens In The Attic

Pitch: Raccoon-sized aliens crash land on a family reunion and cause decidedly unraccoon-like havok…

Why Avoid? The two-word reason for skipping this one is simply ‘Ashley Tisdale.’ The longer and more detailed reason list includes it being loud, unfunny, poorly written, lacking in humanity, and starring Ashley Tisdale.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Deleted scenes, alternate ending, featurettes

Dark Mirror

Pitch: Oooh, a horror movie about haunted mirrorzzzz…

Why Avoid? Seriously. Haunted mirrors have become the new cabin in the woods and I’m already bored of them. I’ll stick with Prince of Darkness and Candyman because they were both smart enough to use the mirrors as portals for something scary, not as the actual horror punchline.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Commentary, deleted scenes, featurette

Hardwired

Pitch: Watch Val Kilmer and Cuba Gooding Jr. pay their utility bills…

Why Avoid? The movie gets points for opening with a guy’s head exploding and for a few funny corporate product placements (like the Trojan brand name on the Washington Monument), but the rest of the flick doesn’t work as well. It’s “a few years from now” and corporations rule the world and implant people with virtual advertisements. That’s obviously not a good thing, so Gooding Jr goes about setting things right.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Featurette

I Love You, Beth Cooper

Pitch: A dork’s graduation speech includes an ode to the school’s #1 hottie and leads to an extremely uninteresting movie…

Why Avoid? I give Cole Abaius flack for the inaccuracy of his reviews on a fairly regular basis, but once in a while the bastard gets it right. His review here is one of those times. This movie is absolutely terrible. None of the jokes work. The supposedly ‘hottest girls in school’ range from barely cute at best to chubby idiot at worst. The inevitable ending isn’t even remotely authentic. None of the characters are interesting or redeeming (although the lead’s best friend comes close). And speaking of the the lead, he’s way too geeky for a believable ‘nerd/hot girl romantic comedy.’

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Deleted scenes, alternate ending, featurettes

Star Wars The Clone Wars: The Complete Season One

Pitch: The Star Wars universe comes to life in animated form, and I’d rather be watching “The Star Wars Holiday Special”…

Why Avoid? Obviously the super Star Wars fans will watch and possibly love anything with the Lucas stamp on it, but this animated series is more new trilogy than good trilogy. I can’t pretend to follow the uninteresting characters and slightly annoying animation style, but your mileage may vary (as always).

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Extended cuts, featurettes

Terminator Salvation: The Machinima Series

Pitch: Not enough action in Terminator Salvation for you? It’s all here. In a way…

Why Avoid? This animated tale from the Salvation universe focuses on resistance fighter Blair Williams (voiced by Moon Bloodgood), but fails for two reasons. For one, Bloodgood still doesn’t go topless. But more importantly, the animation is reminiscent of a videogame in a jerky and unimpressive way. Skip this, and rent the upcoming director’s cut of the actual movie.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Featurettes

Read More: This Week in DVD

What are you buying on DVD this week?

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Rob Hunter loves movies.  He also loves working for the BBC where his job entails erasing old show master tapes because they don’t have the foresight to know that people may want to watch them again someday. These two joys come together in the form of cash money payments that he receives every week and immediately uses to buy more DVDs.  So join us each week as he takes a look at new DVD releases and gives his highly unqualified opinion as to which titles are worth BUYing, which are better off as RENTals, and which should be AVOIDed at all costs.

Click on any of the titles below to magically head over to Amazon.com and pick up the DVD.  And don’t forget to check out Neil Miller’s hilariously titled This Week In Blu-ray column for reviews on the latest high definition Blu-ray releases!

Monty Python: Almost the Truth

Pitch: The surviving members of Python dig up Graham Chapman and talk about the old days…

Why Buy? If you even moderately enjoy the work of Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin, then you will find much to love in this six-part documentary that examines the comedy troupe from their humble beginnings to where they all are now. Highlights include details behind the making of The Life of Brian as well as a televised clash with a bishop in defense of the film. Very funny and occasionally touching, even Python experts are bound to learn a thing or two from this release.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Deleted scenes, interviews, sketches

Night of the Creeps: Director’s Cut

Pitch: “The good news is your dates are here. The bad news is they’re dead…”

Why Buy? To put it simply, this is just an incredibly fun little horror movie. Alien slugs, zombies, axe-wielding maniacs, topless sorority sisters, and Tom Atkins come together for one of the many great horror/comedies of the eighties. This director’s cut restores the original ending that was too confusing for test audiences. It involves an additional scene with Atkins and a space ship…

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Commentary, original ending, featurettes

The Prisoner: The Complete Series

Pitch: Seventeen episodes worth of questions you’ll never see answered…

Why Buy? This is just one of those shows that demands occasional viewing, and fans of “Lost” should definitely enjoy it. Even if you’ve caught the odd episode here or there on TV you’ve probably never seen them all, so why not pick up the DVD (or Blu-ray) and be ready the next time you get the urge to watch science fiction without the constraints of a traditional structure. Will it frustrate you that you’ll get no resolution? Probably… but that’s what AMC’s upcoming mini-series is for.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Commentaries, featurettes

Z (Criterion Collection)

Pitch: Zed’s dead, killed by the machinations of political intrigue and assassination baby…

Why Buy? The people at Criterion know how to put together a solid DVD release. Sure they don’t always pick really worthwhile movies to focus their attention on, but when they do it instantly becomes the film’s definitive DVD edition. So it is with Costa Gavras’ political thriller Z. The film wisely avoids specifying a geographical setting, but explores the assassination of a politician, the ensuing cover-up, and the thwarted will of a falsely democratic society.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Commentary, featurettes

The Achievers: The Story of the Lebowski Fans

Pitch: “Fuck it dude. Let’s go bowling.” And a small percentage of bathrobe-wearing potheads followed…

Why Rent? As far as pop culture sub-cultures go, fans of the Coen Brothers’ The Big Lebowski are a pretty mellow bunch. They’re also fairly entertaining, and as this doc shows, extremely dedicated too. We get to follow some of them around as they attend one of the annual Lebowski Fests, meet cast members, and bowl.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? None

Afterwards

Pitch: John Malkovich knows when you’re going to die…

Why Rent? Malkovich joins “Lost” cutie Evangeline Lilly in this odd little film about our acceptance of death and our readiness for it. Malkovich is a “messenger” who can see when someone is just a few days away from death, and he helps them get their lives in order. He introduces himself to a lawyer who had a near-death experience as a child and explains his ability, but not surprisingly the lawyer is more than a little lost. The movie is beautifully shot, but it feels like a (very) slow and lazy afternoon dream.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? None

Battlestar Galactica: The Plan

Pitch: The Cylons have a plan, and it involves all the BSG nudity you never knew you wanted…

Why Rent? I love BSG. I think the series as a whole is one of the best science-fiction shows to have ever aired. But this stand-alone movie sucks pyramid balls. The only reason I’m placing it under ‘Rent’ instead of ‘Avoid’ is that as a fan of the show there’s no way I couldn’t watch it… and the same will undoubtedly hold true for every other BSG lover too. The effects are occasionally on par with the series but more often than not are more reminiscent of standard SyFy movie junk. And while nudity can be fun do we really need the pan-down-zoom onto the guy’s fleshy viper in the co-ed bathroom scene? And half of the damn movie is recycled footage from the series! On the plus side though there are new scenes with Grace “Boomer” Park.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Commentary, deleted scenes, featurettes

Collision: Christopher Hitchens vs Douglas Wilson

Pitch: An atheist and a theologian walk into a bar…

Why Rent? Hitchens is never less than entertaining with his opinions and beliefs regardless of whether he’s right or wrong, and even though he happens to be right in this instance Wilson is equally engaging in his stance. This documentary follows the two of them along an East Coast tour where they debate both publicly and privately the following question… “Is Christianity good for the world?”

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? None

Fear(s) of the Dark

Pitch: The French horror invasion continues, now in two dimensions…

Why Rent? This flick showcases a handful of French animators with dark and twisted thoughts in their heads and behind their pens. And yes I do mean pens and pencils as these are CGI-free excursions into black-and-white terrors. Some are more successful than others, some creepy, strange, odd, and pretentious, and there are far worse things you spend eighty minutes doing than watching this.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Featurettes

Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

Pitch: Mammals and dinosaurs living together, mass hysteria…

Why Rent? It’s easy to bash this animated juggernaut when comparing it to the Pixar brand (which is inevitably what happens), but taken on it’s own merits it’s a simple tale about friendship. It also happens to be beautifully animated with some of the best hair and water effects I’ve yet seen. The action scenes are fine with a standout being a too-brief aerial dog-fight between pterodactyls, and there’s enough humor for kids and adults to keep both parties interested for the duration of the film. Will it vacate your brain as soon as it’s over? Of course it will.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Featurettes, shorts, games

Il Divo

Pitch: The somewhat true story of Italy’s most infamous Prime Minister…

Why Rent? I’m going to be honest here and admit that I found it incredibly difficult to follow the multiple characters and back-room dealings in this flick. At the same time though I was often mesmerized by director Paolo Sorrentino’s incredible visual and audio style in his cinematography, on-screen text, and score. I’ll probably be watching this one again in the hopes of understanding it a bit better, but as it is I recommend it for fans of real-world political shenanigans.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? None

Orphan

Pitch: I’ll tell you right now, her head doesn’t fall off when the ribbon comes untied. Or does it…

Why Rent? This is two-thirds of a good, creepy little film about a nice little family and the weird Russian girl they invite into their home. Sadly, it’s also one-third recycled episode of “Law & Order:SVU” (and no I won’t tell you which episode). Peter Sarsgaard and Vera Farmiga both give strong performances and director Jaume Collete-Serra knows how to frame a shot… but the big reveal comes with a punchline that just may have you guffawing in your living room.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Deleted scenes, alternate ending

Sauna

Pitch: A sauna hasn’t been this frightening since Viggo Mortensen fought naked in one…

Why Rent? A period horror film you say? Yes, from Finland. If that isn’t enough to make you race out to pick this up then I don’t know what else I can do here. But just in case, this is an incredibly atmospheric and effective chiller that moves at it’s own pace and reveals only what’s necessary through to the end… could be too slow for some, but worth it for those who like uniquely European horrors.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? None

Tales From the Darkside: The Second Season

Pitch: Resting comfortably between the highs of “The Twilight Zone” and the lows of “Monsters”…

Why Rent? 24 episodes of a sometimes cool, sometimes cheesy horror anthology show that are definitely worth a rental. As with all anthologies some of the episodes work better than others, but season two has a few diamonds among the duds including one with Darren McGavin playing a version of himself circa his days on “The Night Stalker.”

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Interview

The Butcher

Pitch: A POV snuff film for people who dislike puppies, cake, and rainbows…

Why Avoid? I’m not one to rail against torture porn (whatever the definition of that may be), but how does this shit not bore people? The high concept with this Korean release is that the entire film is done POV style with cameras attached to the heads of various “characters” so we see what they see and nothing more. This means lots of shaky cam footage as watching a man get raped from his wife’s point of view. The movie gets points for the lead villain wearing a pig’s head mask but little else. It sits somewhere between Hostel and Japan’s Guinea Pig series.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Alternate ending

Stan Helsing

Pitch: The director of Soul Plane tries to out-Friedberg/Seltzer the creators of Epic Movie and almost succeeds…

Why Avoid? Seriously, this is a 2009 release making jokes about The Ring, Titanic and The Notebook. Oh, and some black folks talk through The Blair Witch Project and it’s hilarious! And yes I know Diora Baird is in it and that her midriff is exposed throughout the entire movie, but that’s still not nearly enough to warrant sitting through this dreck.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Commentary, deleted scenes, outtakes

Whatever Works

Pitch: An older man has a psuedo-fling with a much younger woman and kvetches about it the entire time…

Why Avoid? “Curb Your Enthusiasm” is a fantastic and hilarious show, but Larry David is not an actor. Giving him a feature length film where he  plays an even more egotistical and ruder version of his HBO persona is a mistake. Add to that Woody Allen’s stiff, play-like dialogue and scenes and you have a film that’s neither funny nor interesting.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? None

Read More: This Week in DVD

What are you buying on DVD this week?

Related Reading:

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• Weekly DVD Drinking Game: Battlestar Galactica: The Plan
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• Liam Neeson Goes from High Profile to ‘Unknown’
• Reject Radio: Episode 11: It’s a Trap!
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• Join Us for Reject Radio Live Tonight at 10p EST!

Rob Hunter loves movies.  He also loves standing in line at the unemployment office. These two joys come together in the form of cash money payments that he receives every week and immediately uses to buy more DVDs.  So join us each week as he takes a look at new DVD releases and gives his highly unqualified opinion as to which titles are worth BUYing, which are better off as RENTals, and which should be AVOIDed at all costs.

Click on any of the titles below to magically head over to Amazon.com and pick up the DVD.  And don’t forget to check out Neil Miller’s hilariously titled This Week In Blu-ray column for reviews on the latest high definition Blu-ray releases!

Nothing new worth buying this week! Instead, I’ll be renting a bunch and saving my $$ for next week when I pick up Night of the Creeps, The Prisoner: The Complete Series, and Criterion’s release of Z.

100 Feet

Pitch: Disturbia meets Paranormal Activity…

Why Rent? Famke Jansenn kills her mean bastard of a husband, and ends up under house arrest… with the mean bastard ghost of her husband. The film is written and directed by Eric Red which means it automatically warrants a viewing. Sure he’s had more than a few duds in his career, but he’s also the man behind flicks like The Hitcher, Near Dark, and Robert Fure’s favorite werewolf movie, Bad Moon. Here he creates a serviceable haunted house movie worth ninety minutes of your time for fans of the genre.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? None

Black Adder Remastered: The Ultimate Edition

Pitch: Rowan Atkinson spreads laughs, wordplay, and innuendo throughout British history…

Why Rent? I had never seen an episode of “The Black Adder” before checking out the BBC’s new DVD release of the complete series, and I’m happy to say the show’s pretty funny. Established fans will definitely want to pick up this set as in addition to the complete series there’s also multiple specials, features, and commentaries filling six discs.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Featurettes, commentaries

Blood: The Last Vampire

Pitch: A Japanese schoolgirl is actually a thousand year-old vampire hunter. She’s also half vampire herself…

Why Rent? This flick got dumped on a bit during its limited release this past summer, and it really doesn’t deserve it. The girl’s cute, the effects are good as often as they’re bad, the fight choreography is passable, and the girl’s cute. Yes, she’s worth mentioning twice. Ji-hyun Jun also starred in My Sassy Girl and does a solid job with her multiple action scenes. The screenplay sucks and the acting’s even worse, but did I mention the girl’s cute?

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Featurettes

Cheri

Pitch: A retired courtesan begins an affair with a younger man named Cheri. Insert popping jokes here…

Why Rent? I’m not normally a fan of period dramas, but this film has a few things going for it. One, Stephen Frears also made High Fidelity so I’ll watch anything he directs at least once. Two, the characters here display some incredibly entertaining bouts of cruelty. And three, Michelle Pfeiffer (who I’ve never forgiven for breaking poor Fisher Stevens’ heart) gives a very strong performance as a woman past her prime. It’s not Frears’ best work (not even close), but it’s a worthwhile watch all the same.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Deleted scenes, featurette

The Crew

Pitch: A gangster and his pals plan a heist that he hopes will be his last. Yeah, good luck with that…

Why Rent? This is an odd little crime flick. There’s the usual gang of thugs in search of the perfect heist, various twists and violent misfortunes, and of course every other line of dialogue includes “fook you” and “for fook’s sake”… but then there’s the wives having a lesbian affair, the two gangsters with a penchant for forcing doped-up street urchins to wet their willies before beating them half to death, the giant lug who’s also a chubby-chaser and has an accident involving a glass table and a rather large woman’s poop chute… you get the idea. Odd little crime flick.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Deleted scenes, commentary, featurettes

It’s Garry Shandling’s Show: The Complete Series

Pitch: Garry Shandling talks to the audience in a groundbreaking show that nobody watched because it was on Showtime…

Why Rent? I kid, although Showtime’s audience in the 80s was pretty limited. More folks remember Shandling from “The Larry Sanders Show” which was also pretty damn funny at times. Here he plays in a more self-aware version of The Truman Show as his entire life is captured for a TV show. He talks with the audience, interacts with the set and crew, and rarely complains. It’s a funny show, and at the very least Shandling’s hair is always worth watching.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Commentaries, featurettes, outtakes

Monsoon Wedding (Criterion)

Pitch: It’s Father of the Bride and Rachel Getting Married, but Indian style (and better)…

Why Rent? Criterion’s presentation of the film is beautiful as to be expected, but even more precious and visually stunning is the film itself. Director Mira Mair’s look at the players within and about a big Indian wedding is at times sweet, funny, and troubling, but it’s always pretty and interesting. Fans of the film and of Indian cinema will want to pick up this definitive edition, and the rest of you should give it and Nair a chance to dazzle you with heart, color, and dance.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Commentary, featurettes, Nair’s short films

The Tournament

Pitch: The best assassins in the world compete for a giant cash prize, a trophy, and bragging rights…

Why Rent? … although there really isn’t anybody left to brag to once the contest is over. If you enjoy action films then this movie deserves your attention. May not be the smartest flick out there, but the level of fisticuffs, gunplay, and utter mayhem is pretty impressive and loads of bloody fun. And Kelly Hu looks good kicking a large degree of ass. See my full review elsewhere on the site, but again, if you like action movies you owe it to yourself to check out this flick.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? None

The William Castle Film Collection

Pitch: A mixed bag from shlockmaster and master showman William Castle…

Why Rent? I’m making this a rent for two reasons. First, the films included vary in quality and the features aren’t really anything new. Second, the price tag is as crazy as Joan Crawford in Strait-Jacket (included here!) especially when most of these flicks can be picked up individually on the cheap. The Tingler, 13 Ghosts, and Straight-Jacket are probably the best of the bunch here, although the documentary “Spine Tingler!: The William Castle Story” is fun viewing too.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Featurettes, deleted scenes

Love ‘n Dancing

Pitch: Amy Smart falls for her dance partner. This doesn’t sit well with her fiance Billy Zane…

Why Avoid? And that actually would have made this movie more interesting… if Zane became enraged and went all Billy Zane on the dance floor. Alas, that never happens and instead we’re left with numerous dance numbers and some sloppy romantic drama.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Commentary, dance lesson

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Pitch: I’ve said all I need to say about this movie here.

Why Avoid? And much like with Drag Me To Hell’s placement last week I expect a few more comments from folks who’ll “never be taking FSR’s movie advice again!”

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Commentary where you get to hear Bay scream “Awesome!” and “I made it go boom!”, featurettes, extended scenes; Blu-ray includes additional featurettes

Wrong Turn 3: Left for Dead

Pitch: We lucked out with Wrong Turn 2, and lightning won’t be striking twice here folks…

Why Avoid? I enjoyed Eliza’s Dushku in the first Wrong Turn and its direct-to-DVD sequel was also surprisingly fun for the gory excesses and creepy backwoods mutant action, but this third film in the series is utter shit. Of course it’s poorly written and acted, but you can’t even get excited by the gore… in a series known for sweet practical effects, this one accomplishes most of its money shots with poorly done CGI. And if you’re hoping for cool mutants you’re out of luck too. It’s one goddamn mutant causing all the mayhem, and he’s a skinny-ass fool who doesn’t look the least bit threatening.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Deleted scenes, featurette

Read More: This Week in DVD

What are you buying on DVD this week?

Related Reading:

• Weekly DVD Drinking Game: Wrong Turn 3
• Review: The Tournament
• This Week in Blu-ray: Revenge of the Fallen Releases
• Fight Scene From ‘The Tournament’ Kicks Ass For The Lord
• Reject Radio: Episode 15: We’re Being Cancelled
• And The Coolest Trailer Of The Week Is… The Tournament?
• Boiling Point: Yo Joe!
• Review: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

Rob Hunter loves movies.  He also loves working as a delivery driver for Planet Express. These two joys come together in the form of cash money payments that he receives every week and immediately uses to buy more DVDs.  So join us each week as he takes a look at new DVD releases and gives his highly unqualified opinion as to which titles are worth BUYing, which are better off as RENTals, and which should be AVOIDed at all costs.

Click on any of the titles below to magically head over to Amazon.com and pick up the DVD.  And don’t forget to check out Neil Miller’s hilariously titled This Week In Blu-ray column for reviews on the latest high definition Blu-ray releases!

Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas

Pitch: Jim Henson does Gift of the Magi…

Why Buy? I know it’s only October, but this is a Christmas classic up there with the animated How the Grinch Stole Christmas and A Christmas Story. All three are must-owns for any household with children or adults present around the holidays.  Emmet and his friends play a nice little number, but the Riverbottom Nightmare Band will rock your very soul!

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? None

Futurama: The Complete Collection

Pitch: It’s the entire series encased in Bender’s head…

Why Buy? This is obviously for big fans of the show only, but as we discovered a few months back when the Hellraiser films were released in an actual Lemarchand’s Cube I’m a sucker for nifty packaging. It helps that the show is damn funny and that the Asian girl is cute. Yes, the cartoon Asian girl.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? A numbered letter from Matt Groening

The Stepfather

Pitch: Terry O’Quinn steps up to show that stepdads can be just as wicked as stepmothers…

Why Buy? This is simply a classic little film about a man stuck in the fifties who’s forced to accept a family from the eighties. He doesn’t accept them for long of course, and instead he kills them and moves on to the next. It’s most notable for O’Quinn’s excellent performance and Jill Schoelen’s excellent shower scene.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Featurette

Adoration

Pitch: A simple tale of a boy and his terrorist parents…

Why Rent? Atom Egoyan is a fascinating filmmaker even if he is a Canadian. His best films remain Exotica and The Sweet Hereafter, but his later films are still usually worth watching. This one takes a look at terrorism and cultural values/identities through the eyes of a teenager whose parents were involved in a terrorist attack. It’s low-key but engaging.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Deleted scenes, featurettes

American Violet

Pitch: Race relations, civil rights, and corruption…

Why Rent? Will Patton doesn’t get enough screen roles, so I recommend supporting anything he’s in strictly for him. Luckily this movie about corrupt officials and illegal drug sweeps in a small Texas town is pretty good even when he’s not on screen. There’s nothing fancy going on here, but Patton, Tim Blake Nelson, and newcomer Nicole Beharie all give strong performances.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? None

Hardware

Pitch: Dylan McDermott gives a head to his girlfriend…

Why Rent? This is one of two releases this week that I really hated when I first watched them years ago. I’m not sure if it’s the uncut version that won me over or the fact that my tastes may have changed in the past decade, but I’m now pretty intrigued by this flick. There’s sex and violence, which is always a good thing, but there’s also something to be said about technology and big brother in the bedroom… it’s not always said successfully but it’s still pretty interesting.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Deleted scenes, commentary, featurettes, short films

The Haunted Airman

Pitch: The prequel to Twilight finds Edward living as a WWII veteran haunted by visions…

Why Rent? Okay, it’s not really associated with Twilight, but don’t tell the DVD’s marketing department that. Look at that cover! Robert Pattinson is pretty good here as a wheelchair bound vet suffering from delusions and possible insanity. It’s a BBC movie so don’t expect much in the way of big budget effects, but if you go in looking for a small, low-key chiller you’ll probably walk away satisfied.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? None

Infestation

Pitch: You can’t go wrong with giant bugs and Ray Wise…

Why Rent? Seriously, giant bug movies (and Ray Wise) are almost always entertaining. This one succeeds for two reasons. One, the effects are pretty damn cool. And two, it’s actually pretty funny at times. It’s also pretty unfunny at times though which is why you probably won’t be watching this more than once. And side note, it’s written and directed by Kyle Rankin… remember him from Project: Greenlight?

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Commentary

Jack Brown Genius

Pitch: Peter Jackson and Timothy “Dead Alive” Balme reunite…

Why Rent? Fans of Jackson will definitely want to check this one out, but it’s more of an oddity than a worthwhile feature film. Balme plays a man possessed by a dead monk who needs him to prove men can fly… cue effects both impressive and less so, pratfalls and slapstick, and a peculiarly New Zealand-ish sense of humor. Just keep in mind that this is from 1994…

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? None

Jackass: The Lost Tapes

Pitch: Fairly obvious I would think…

Why Rent? You either find this stuff entertaining or you don’t, and nothing anyone says will ever change that opinion. I myself am ashamed to say that while I usually don’t laugh at the Jackass crew’s hi-jinx, I am still often mesmerized by their stupidity and willingness to do anything. I prefer the stunts to the gross-out gags, and you get both here.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Outtakes, show intros

The Killing Room

Pitch: Four strangers enter a room for a psychological experiment…

Why Rent? And they won’t all be leaving. A solid cast including Timothy Hutton, Clea Duvall, Chloe Sevigny, and Peter Stormare lead the way in this interesting and often surprising little flick. It’s also director Jonathan Liebesman’s first good movie.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? None

Land of the Lost

Pitch: A movie for the college student in all of us…

Why Rent? Is this a good movie? No. But it is occasionally amusing and therefore worth a Netflix rental (that way you don’t feel like you’re actually paying for it). The effects are a mix of impressive and total shit, but to hear them tell it that was an intentional choice. The laughs are sparse, and the best one (”Matt Lauer can suck it!”) was in the trailer but you’ll find a few other lines and gags worth a chuckle.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Deleted scenes, featurettes (Blu-ray features include additional deleted scenes, more featurettes, and commentary

Natural Born Killers: Director’s Cut

Pitch: Mickey and Mallory are annoying. Oh, and they’re mass murderers too…

Why Rent? And this is the second release this week that I absolutely hated when I first watched it many years ago. I didn’t like the stylized presentation by director Oliver Stone, and I hated the two leads. Watching it again the only hatred I have left is for Juliette Lewis… I cannot stand that woman. Terrible actress, terrible face, just do not like her. Irrational sure, but I figure it matches the utter chaos and insanity that is this movie. Everyone plays it over the top and I now see it for the anarchist comedy that it is.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Commentary, deleted scenes, featurette

New World Order

Pitch: 9/11 was an inside job! And other punchlines…

Why Rent? The fact that some people believe everything in this documentary is almost as entertaining as the doc itself. (But it’s a lot scarier too). The Truthers state their case that the collapse of the Twin Towers was either planned by our government or at least allowed to happen, but their evidence is decidedly unimpressive. More interesting are the actual characters who’ve made this their life work… for now anyway.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? None

Objectified

Pitch: It’s about industrial design, and it’s interesting…

Why Rent? There’s no good reason why a doc about industrial design should be this entertaining, and yet it is. It’s a fun and enlightening look into the design of everyday objects and how those same objects come to mean so much to us not just as consumers but as people. Still sounds boring, I know, but give it a shot anyway.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? None

The Proposal

Pitch: A bitchy boss and her put-upon assistant fall in love. Didn’t see that coming…

Why Rent? Did I just ruin the ending of the movie for you? Hopefully not, but honestly if you don’t already know how this ends then you’ve got a whole primer list filled with romantic comedies you need to start watching (Notting Hill, When Harry Met Sally, Love Actually, etc). As predictable as this is the movie is actually pretty funny at times thanks to Ryan Reynolds and the always hilarious Betty White. Sandra Bullock holds her own but it’s her naked body that impresses more than her comedic skills here.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Deleted scenes, outtakes, commentary

Drag Me To Hell

Pitch: A woman is cursed by a gypsy, but at least she won’t have to watch this movie ever again…

Why Avoid? I know I’m in the minority here, but as a white, vegetarian, atheist male in America I’m used to it. This movie fails as a horror movie… it isn’t scary (gross out scenes and loud sound cues don’t equal scary), and it fails as a comedy… it isn’t funny (again, gross outs aren’t that funny and with the exception of Justin Long and the kittie scene there’s nothing intentionally funny here worth laughing about). I watched it the first time back in March and mistakenly went in expecting a horror film. I gave the flick a second chance last week, and even going in expecting a comedy it still failed. My full review is here, and for balance, Cole’s misguided fanboy review is here.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Featurette

Horror In The Wind

Pitch: Low budget satire about conservatives, homosexuals, and science…

Why Avoid? There’s a kernel of a good idea here in this comedy about conservative scientists who accidentally reverse everyone’s sexuality, but the movie just can’t pull it off. It’s not edgy enough or funny enough to make it worthwhile. President Pat Robertson is a nice touch though…

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? None

Read More: This Week in DVD

What are you buying on DVD this week?

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Rob Hunter loves movies.  He also loves working as a TV producer who sets up friends and strangers alike on blind dates with unwitting actresses. These two joys come together in the form of cash money payments that he receives every week and immediately uses to buy more DVDs.  So join us each week as he takes a look at new DVD releases and gives his highly unqualified opinion as to which titles are worth BUYing, which are better off as RENTals, and which should be AVOIDed at all costs.

Click on any of the titles below to magically head over to Amazon.com and pick up the DVD.  And don’t forget to check out Neil Miller’s hilariously titled This Week In Blu-ray column for reviews on the latest high definition Blu-ray releases!

Audition: Collector’s Edition

Pitch: Shows why celibacy is better than risking a blind date

Why Buy? Not only is this slowburn creepfest one of Takashi Miike’s best films, it’s also his most restrained and mature work to date. Understand though that “restrained” in Miike’s world still allows plenty of room for psychos, fever dreams, and poor souls tied up in in burlap sacks.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Commentary, featurette

The Children

Pitch: When good children go bad all hell breaks loose

Why Buy? This was one of two films at this year’s Fantastic Fest that I demanded all FSR writers on-hand go see. They all went, and they all really enjoyed it. Creepy, suspenseful, and beautifully shot, this is one of the best ‘killer kid’ movies in quite some time. The ending’s pretty damn sweet too.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Deleted scenes, featurettes

Not Quite Hollywood

Pitch: A behind the scenes peek into the mad, mad world of Australian filmmaking

Why Buy? This documentary looks at Aussie filmmaking at the height of it’s creative output and is divided into three categories… horror, sex, and action. All three are filled with crazy-ass scenes that you’ll be wanting to see more of almost immediately, so do yourself a favor and watch this one with a pen and paper handy so you can find these titles later on Netflix. This is also awesome as background fun during a party… people will be entertained and fascinated by what they’re seeing onscreen.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Commentary, deleted scenes, featurettes, tons of trailers

Trick ‘r Treat

Pitch: Everything you’ve heard is true, this is the best horror anthology since Creepshow

Why Buy? Equal parts eerie, cool, creepy, and darkly humorous, this flick is fun from start to finish. Buy it so WB sees how much they could have made if they had released it into theaters… and also because it’s a damn fine film you’ll want to watch more than once. (If you’re a Blu-ray owner then you’ll want to pick up the HD version. Not only is the picture sharper, but the extras are a lot more impressive as well.)

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Featurette (Blu-ray features include commentary, deleted scenes, and more)

Ally McBeal: The Complete First Season

Pitch: The first and best season of the show responsible for that stupid dancing baby

Why Rent? This David Kelly show isn’t as fondly remembered today as it should be because people forget it actually started out pretty good. Calista Flockhart was the perfect pug-nosed pixie for the title role, the writing was sharp, and the fantasy bits were creative and inspired.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? None

Anvil: The Story of Anvil

Pitch: The most famous heavy metal band you’ve never heard of

Why Rent? An alternately sweet and sad doc about the band that time forgot and Canadian-style persistence. It’s not my particular melodic cup of tea, but this is worth watching for Lips’ antics, emotions, and goofy smile when something finally goes the bands’ way.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Deleted scenes, commentary, interview

The Assassination of a High School President

Pitch: “An intelligent, sexy high school movie.”

Why Rent? Who wants to see a less dramatic and more traditionally funny version of the masterful Brick?  Okay, all three of you should go rent this movie. Don’t tell Miller this but it’s a bit of a stretch to call this ‘intelligent’ or ’sexy’ (although it does take place in high school), so instead you should watch it for the very funny Bruce Willis.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Commentary, deleted scenes, cover quote from Neil Miller

Bones: Season Four

Pitch: A show I’ve never watched gets a pass simply because Zooey Deschanel’s sister stars in it

Why Rent? That’s right, I’ve never watched this forensics-based crime show starring a Deschanel and an Angel. But I’ve heard good things…

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Deleted scenes, gag reel, featurettes

Chinese Odyssey 2002

Pitch: Romantic comedy, Chinese new year style, with laughs, romance, mistaken identity, and two incredibly cute women

Why Rent? I’ve been a sucker for Faye Wong and Vicki Zhao since Chungking Express and Shaolin Soccer respectively. Luckily this light-hearted New Year’s movie has more going for it than just their pretty faces. There’s romance, comedy, action, and even some terribly misguided musical numbers (it’s not a perfect film…)

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? None

Dark Country

Pitch: Thomas Jane and his new wife run over a pedestrian in the middle of nowhere and realize too late they should have kept on driving

Why Rent? This is almost a Rental purely for what could have been if Jane was able to follow through on his 3-D wishes for the film, but as it stands we’re left with a funny looking 2-D movie that doesn’t feel complete. Jane and Lauren German are both good (and she looks good) in this mildly interesting Twilight Zone retread. I’ll be curious to see what Jane can do as a director with more money.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Commentary, featurette

The Gate: Monstrous Special Edition

Pitch: Stephen Dorff discovers zombies, hallucinations, and stop-motion demons living in his backyard

Why Rent? I just watched this movie again for the first time in over a decade, and it’s really not that great. It’s non-sensical, death is an empty threat, and all but one aspect of the special effects look less than mediocre. But that one aspect? Those little demon bastards still look damn good! The combination of stop-motion and dudes in suits works flawlessly. Plus you get a young Stephen Dorff before he unlearned his limited acting abilities.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Commentary, featurettes

Mirageman

Pitch: An awkward Chilean becomes an amateur superhero whose special power is a flying scissor kick

Why Rent? The same team (both in front and behind the camera) just released Mandrill onto the film festival circuit to rave reviews. Catch up with them here in a lesser film but a fun film all the same. It’s pretty funny and the action courtesy of star Marko Zaror is solid.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? None

See You After School

Pitch: A bullied teenager is challenged to a fight after school by the toughest kid in class and he tries everything he can to avoid it

Why Rent? Remember that awesome eighties movie called Three O’Clock High? About the kid who accidentally pisses off the school bully and then has until the end of the day before the bully plans on kicking his ass after school? It’s a funny and visually creative flick… that the Koreans have ripped off beautifully. To be fair, they’ve added quite a bit to their version to make it stand apart (including sex appeal).

Blu-ray?

Extra Features? None

The Thaw

Pitch: Val Kilmer discovers the only way to make people care about the environment is to kill them

Why Rent? This is basically a mash-up of Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth and the “Ice” episode of The X-Files. Some poor CGI mars the otherwise good effects, the acting is fine, and the story is timely!

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Featurette

Year One

Pitch: Michael Cera plays straight man to Jack Black’s buffoon through the beginning of recorded history

Why Rent? This is a borderline Avoid for me, but as often happens with these types of movies the DVD extra features push in into Rental mode. It follows two cavemen who travel through the Bible, stars a ton of very funny people, and yet still manages to be less entertaining than Dudley Moore’s Wholly Moses! But the film’s occasional laugh and the disc’s gag reel make it worth a peek.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Commentary, deleted scenes, gag reel, featurette

It’s Alive

Pitch: A woman gives birth to a carnivorous baby ninja

Why Avoid? I have nothing against killer babies, but I just don’t find them all that threatening.  The aftermaths of this little guy’s outbursts are bloody and impressive, but we don’t get enough of him actually doing anything. He’s poorly done effects-wise when he is visible, and the actors around him do a pretty good job of acting with a straight face.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? None

My Life In Ruins

Pitch: Nia Vardelos discovers she has absolutely zero chemistry with Greek men

Why Avoid? Unless you’re one of the millions of women who loved Vardelos’ big Greek wedding it’s probably safe to suggest you avoid this romantic comedy stinker. And to be honest, even you wedding fans may want to skip this one too. It’s not nearly as entertaining as Mamma Mia which is saying something…

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Commentary, deleted scenes, featurette

Offspring

Pitch: A tribe of cannibalistic neanderthals goes grocery shopping in a small rural community

Why Avoid? Ugh. On the plus side the movie is pretty damn bloody and gory at times. On the downside is everything else… from the terrible acting, the horrible fight/action choreography, the inconsistent appearances of the cave people, the inane script, and the costumes bought on sale at Spencers Gifts.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Commentary, featurettes

Seventh Moon

Pitch: Amy Smart travels to China to continue her quest to have sex in public on every continent

Why Avoid? I like Smart, but this movie crawls along the corpse of her once promising career. Even the scene where she fornicates in front of a gaggle of Chinese is a boring one.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Commentary, featurettes

Staunton Hill

Pitch: Inbred hillbillies don’t take kindly to trespassers

Why Avoid? I know George Romero likes it, but unless the director is your son too I’d recommend avoiding this snooze fest. You’ve seen it all before and better.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? None

Read More: This Week in DVD

What are you buying on DVD this week?

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Rob Hunter loves movies.  He also loves working as a server at the Alamo Drafthouse Theater carrying $5 shakes, black-bean burgers, and root-beer flavored cookies to happy, cinema-loving patrons. These two joys come together in the form of cash money payments that he receives every week and immediately uses to buy more DVDs.  So join us each week as he takes a look at new DVD releases and gives his highly unqualified opinion as to which titles are worth BUYing, which are better off as RENTals, and which should be AVOIDed at all costs.

Click on any of the titles below to magically head over to Amazon.com and pick up the DVD.  And don’t forget to check out Neil Miller’s hilariously titled This Week In Blu-ray column for reviews on the latest high definition Blu-ray releases!

42nd Street Forever Volume 5: Alamo Drafthouse Edition

Pitch: A fantastically offensive collection of trailers from some of the craziest movies ever to grace the Alamo Theater’s screens…

Why Buy? This is the kind of disc you play on a loop during a party or a wake to keep people entertained. The Alamo plays the sleaziest, nuttiest, and wackiest movies ever made on a weekly basis, and this set collects over fifty of their best trailers including the ultimate talking vagina flick Chatterbox.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Featurette

Away We Go

Pitch: A young couple discovers a baby living in their uterus and take a fantastic cross-country trip to find out what to do with it once it escapes…

Why Buy? John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph shine as a young married couple on a quest for adulthood. Their adventure is up and down, filled with laughs and tears, and their love is unaffected by Hollywood conventions. This is one of my favorite movies of the year (review) and one of the best romantic comedies to hit screens in quite some time. It’s also an extremely unconventional rom-com, which is part of the appeal, alongside a hilarious and charming supporting cast including Allison Janney, Melanie Lynskey, Chris Messina, and Maggie Gyllenhaal.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Commentary, featurettes

Baader Meinhof Complex

Pitch: The true story about a group of Germans who decide it would be fantastic if they started bombing and killing in the name of political change…

Why Rent? Sure it’s too long and maybe not entirely accurate historically, but the movie is still an interesting look into a group of domestic terrorists that you’ve probably never heard of before. There’s some solid action set-pieces and interesting characters on display as well.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? None

Chaim Soutine: 20th Century Expressionist Artist

Pitch: I once dated a girl who loved Soutine’s fantastic animal carcass paintings…

Why Rent? Soutine was an interesting guy and his abstract works range from portraits to still life paintings of dead animals. He escaped from the Nazis, his paintings have sold for millions of dollars in record-breaking auctions, and he died at the age of fifty.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? None

The Girlfriend Experience

Pitch: A fantastic porn star takes the inevitable next career move and becomes a high-priced call girl…

Why Rent? Steven Soderbergh goes low budget in this slight look at the nitty gritty of capitalism through the eyes of a prostitute. Sasha Grey does okay in her first dramatic role, but she probably shouldn’t quit her day job. There’s a lot of talking and a few interesting points about making it in America, but I doubt anyone will be watching this movie a second time so it’s a rental at best.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Commentary, featurette

The Hills Run Red

Pitch: The scariest horror film ever made has disappeared and been replaced by this fantastically average one…

Why Rent? Some folks go looking for a legendary lost horror film and find more than they expected. The movie as a whole is just okay, but the killer (and the killer’s mask in particular) is pretty damn creepy at times.  Horror author David Schow wrote the film and while there are a few few smart takes on the genre there’s also a lot of predictability.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Commentary, featurette

How I Met Your Mother: Season 4

Pitch: A man is telling his kids funny and fantastic stories from his youth, and if the kids are still listening four seasons in then maybe you should be too…

Why Rent? The cast here consists of many recognizable faces including Jason Segal, Sarah Chalke, and Neil Patrick Harris, and they’re bringing their funny chops in each and every episode. The mystery behind the unidentified mother of the title continues although reportedly it may be revealed in the upcoming season.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Commentaries, gag reel, featurettes

Life On Mars: The Complete Series

Pitch: A present day cop falls backward through time and wakes up in a fantastically rendered 1970’s…

Why Rent? No one will say this US series is better than the UK original, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t any good. A solid cast including Harvey Keitel and Michael Imperioli and an interesting storyline propel the show towards a divisive but still satisfying conclusion.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Deleted scenes, bloopers, commentaries, featurettes

Filth & Wisdom

Pitch: The materialistic girl shares her fantastically profound insight into incredibly boring and unlikable characters…

Why Avoid? Madonna wrote and directed this bland film about a cross-dressing male dominatrix and his two female roommates. They’re boring people in a boring movie. Her Sex book was more exciting than this amateurish mess of a movie, and that book wasn’t interesting at all.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? None

Flesh, TX

Pitch: Hmm, what can we do with these fantastic leftover test shots from the DVD cover of Rest Stop…

Why Avoid? Seems like every week a new straight-to-DVD horror movie about inbreeds hits the shelves, and every week I say to ignore it and go watch Wrong Turn or it’s sequel instead. Guess what… skip this movie and go watch Wrong Turn or it’s sequel instead.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Outtakes, deleted scene

Management

Pitch: A comedy about a stalker and his fantastic cross-country road trip to convince or kill the woman he thinks he loves…

Why Avoid? I kid about the ‘kill’ part, although that angle would have at least made this movie a little more bearable. I like both Jennifer Aniston and Steve Zahn, but they’re both so incredibly bland and unbelievable here that it’s almost painful to have to watch this whole movie.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Deleted scenes, gag reel, commentary

Monsters vs Aliens

Pitch: Aliens invade the Earth and only some truly fantastic (and incarcerated) monsters can stop them…

Why Avoid? Too loud, too fast, and too heartless. It starts and ends and you won’t care even if the animation does look pretty cool at times. And seriously, an Axel F audio gag?

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Commentary, featurettes

The New York Ripper: Special Edition

Pitch: Lucio takes Manhattan in this trashy and not-so-fantastic flick about a killer stalking the streets of NYC…

Why Avoid? Lucio Fulci’s directorial “skills” work best in horror movies like The Beyond and Gates of Hell. They don’t work nearly as well in the real-world settings found in slasher films. This movie is poorly acted, scripted, and directed, and all the uncut violence aren’t enough to make it worth watching.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Featurettes

Read More: This Week in DVD

What are you buying on DVD this week?

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Rob Hunter loves movies.  He also loves writing bestselling mystery novels and helping hot detectives capture evil-doers. These two joys come together in the form of cash money payments that he receives every week and immediately uses to buy more DVDs.  So join us each week as he takes a look at new DVD releases and gives his highly unqualified opinion as to which titles are worth BUYing, which are better off as RENTals, and which should be AVOIDed at all costs.

Click on any of the titles below to magically head over to Amazon.com and pick up the DVD.  And don’t forget to check out Neil Miller’s hilariously titled This Week In Blu-ray column for reviews on the latest high definition Blu-ray releases!

30 Rock: Season 3

Pitch: Just won the Emmy for Best Comedy Show.  Again. Proves that even the establishment gets it right once in a while. Again. (Three times in a row actually.)

Why Buy? They don’t just hand Emmy’s out like candy you know… but even if they did it doesn’t diminish the quality of this show. Tina Fey along with her fellow actors and writers shine each week with humor of all kinds including wordplay, sight gags, social commentary, and the occasional gross bit. And as good as they all are at making us laugh, Alec Baldwin is even better.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Commentaries, deleted scenes, featurettes

Castle: The Complete First Season

Pitch: A hilarious and smart mystery writer helps a smart and beautiful detective solve crimes… sounds like it should suck doesn’t it?

Why Buy? Call it a man-crush if you must, but Nathan Fillion is one of the funniest guys on TV (next to Alec Baldwin of course). Stana Katic plays the hard-edged female detective who tries to keep him on a short leash. They’re an intereesting and entertaining duo. The mysteries themselves aren’t always up to their standard, but they’re still pretty solid.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Commentaries, bloopers, featurettes

Hot Fuzz: Ultimate Edition (Blu-ray)

Pitch: Neil delivers an excellent monthly Blu-ray column here, but I’ve decided to poach one release per week that I’d recommend as a Buy…

Why Buy? Some days I lean towards Shaun of the Dead as Edgar Wright’s best film but usually not. Instead, it’s Hot Fuzz that hits all the right notes in both laughs and action. Whether he’s drop-kicking the old lady, shooting at a priest, or chasing a goose, Simon Pegg nails the role of big city cop cliche stranded in a small town. This new Blu-ray edition is comprised of all the special features previously available on the three-disc DVD edition but cleaned up for your high definition enjoyment. If you have a Blu-ray player but don’t have that DVD special edition then this is the release you need to buy this week.

Blu-ray? This is Rob’s Blu-ray Pick of the Week!

Extra Features? Everything. Seriously… hours and hours worth of quality deleted scenes, commentaries, outtakes, featurettes, and more

Adam Resurrected

Pitch: Jeff Goldblum plays an emotionally scarred Holocaust survivor who entertains the Nazis with twitches, quirks, and quotes from Jurassic Park. Basically what Cole Abaius would do in the same situation.

Why Rent? Goldblum is an actor worth watching. He always manages to make his characters interesting even when the film around them isn’t. Here he’s once again better than the film he’s in, but that doesn’t mean the movie’s bad… he’s just that good. It’s a story about survival from both real world terrors and the scarred memories of someone who’s been manhandled by Willem Dafoe. (Dafoe plays a Nazi commandant.)

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Commentary, deleted scenes, featurettes

Clive Barker’s Book of Blood

Pitch: A young man who pretends to talk to the dead is turned into a bloodied human notepad by vengeful spirits looking for somewhere to write their grocery list.

Why Rent? Barker’s awesome six-volume collection of short stories includes some incredible tales, so I’m not sure why producers would choose this one (actually two stories) to adapt. That said, it’s a passable tale of a haunted house, psychic shenanigans, and skin merchants, and is worth a watch. At the very least any attention this movie gets will help ensure that more and better Barker adaptations get produced.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Featurette

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past

Pitch: The classic Charles Dickens tale gets an update courtesey of Matthew McConaughey’s abs.

Why Rent? This really should have been terrible, but somewhere along the line this story of an emotionally stunted Lothario who finally realizes he loves a single woman and wants her to love him back actually gets pretty sweet. McConaughey’s joined by Jennifer Garner and Michael Douglas as a playful riff on a Hugh Hefner-type. It’s very light-hearted entertainment and it’s worth a one night stand at least.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? None

The Haunted World of El Superbeasto

Pitch: See what Rob Zombie sees when he’s not limited by the constraints of reality.

Why Rent? A masked wrestler who makes adult films on the side. A villain named Dr. Satan who’s looking for his bride-to-be with whom he’ll rule the world. An ass-kicking pirate chick (not really a pirate but she does have an eye patch) who enjoys pummeling Nazis. All animated and over the top. And it all still makes more sense than Zombie’s latest Halloween movie.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Deleted scenes

Law & Order SVU: The Tenth Year

Pitch: Christopher Meloni’s best role remains the sweater fondler in Wet Hot American Summer. This show is a close second.

Why Rent? The fact that this is still on the air is amazing, but it’s even more incredible that the show is still an engaging one to watch after so long. Meloni and the (still) beautiful Mariska Hargitay may have exhausted the drama in their characters’ private lives but the twisted crimes and criminals continue to disturb. Solid show, fantastic acting, creepy guest stars.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? None

Loose Change 9/11: An American Coup

Pitch: You probably already know that the 9/11 attacks were orchestrated by Bush and Obama right? Oh, you didn’t know that? Well here’s the “proof.”

Why Rent? I’m a fan of conspiracy theories for two reasons. The intricacies and explanations fascinate me, and crazy bastards entertain me. This DVD features both. The refusal on the part of “truthers” to accept logical explanations is both astonishing and sad, but at the same time they do raise the occasionally interesting question.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Featurettes

Lymelife

Pitch: Look, it’s another movie about the burdens and trappings of suburbia! This time with ticks!

Why Rent? There’s not much new here storywise, so consider this more of an acting showcase. Alec Baldwin, Timothy Hutton, and a couple Culkins all give strong, human performances that help ground this little film about suburban angst and infidelity.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Commentary, deleted scenes

The Mentalist: The Complete First Season

Pitch: Am I wrong or is this basically a less comedic and bigger budgeted mash-up of Monk and Psych. Still a fun show though.

Why Rent? A “psychic” loses his family toa  vengeful serial killer and decides to devote his cold-reading skills to catching criminals instead of fleecing gullible citizens. Simon Baker is a casually appealing actor, the show is solid but lightweight entertainment, and the search for his family’s killer is suspenseful (even if not enough time is spent on it).

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Deleted scenes, gag reel, featurettes

Terminator The Sarah Connor Chronicles: The Complete Second Season

Pitch: Hot robot chick + 90210 alum + hot mom + whiny future hero = a pretty good show.

Why Rent? Robots and time travel are just cool, period, but when they’re combined with sexy ass-kicking ladies you end up with something special. Special enough to buy and watch over and over again? No… but defintnitely worth enjoying at least once. The show deserves recognition as well for being the rare TV show that exceeds the latest in the film series. Damn you McG!

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Commentaries, featurettes, deleted scenes, gag reel

Albino Farm

Pitch: If you guessed this flick is a sensitive portrait of children born with too little melanin pigment, you’re wrong.

Why Avoid? Four friends get lost, hear about a daedly little town filled with mutants who like to disembowel unexpected visitors, decide to go check it out, and die. Oh and they meet WWE superstar Chris Jericho along the way. Seriously, if you’re a fan of inbred backwoods hillbillies go watch Wrong Turn instead. Hell, even Wrong Turn 2 is far superior to this turd.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Commentary, featurettes

Battle for Terra

Pitch: Well, it’s not quite Delgo, but…

Why Avoid? Meh. CGI animated space battles look okay I guess, but the story about humans invading a peaceful alien planet sounds like a rip-off of James Cameron’s Avatar…

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Deleted scenes, featurettes

Ghost Whisperer: The Fourth Season

Pitch: I’m a fan of Jennifer Love Hewitt’s cleavage, but this season saw her heaving breasts get buried under mountains of ridiculousness.

Why Avoid? I won’t pretend I’ve watched this show faithfully since the beginning, but my lady friend enjoys it so I’ve seen a  few episodes here and there. Catching up on season four though I realized that the things I did like about the show were no longer present. Older episodes were smarter, creepier, and stood alone as single stories, but this season saw the death of a main character, his return in a new body but played by the same actor, the introduction of Jamie Kennedy, and more convoluted stories about watchers, books, and the future! Oh, and the cleavage is less in my face as well.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? None

Howling Trilogy: Collector’s Edition Tin

Pitch: Check out the small print so you know it doesn’t include the original film. Or even part two with Sybil Danning’s wardobe malfunction.

Why Avoid? If this was a set of the first three films for under $15 I’d say buy it, but it isn’t. So don’t. Instead, it contains films three through five in the series. The Marsupials is actually a fairly entertaining flick due mostly to the it’s cheapness and complete disregard for concern or common sense, but The Rebirth and The Freaks are both werewolf poop at best.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? It’s in a tin!

Observe and Report

Pitch: A mentally ill mall security guard deals with his alcoholic mother and the idiots, assholes, and perverts around him.

Why Avoid? You can argue all you want about how this was a darker, edgier comedy than people expected, but the bottom line is it fails as a comedy of any kind. I smiled once or twice but never laughed, I didn’t care about a single character, and in fact I actively disliked most of the characters. Childish, crass, and unfunny are three reasons not to bother with this one. The fat guy’s flapping weiner is another.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? None

Scooby Doo: The Mystery Begins

Pitch: It’s a sad day indeed when even Matthew Lillard can’t hang onto a role he was born to play.

Why Avoid? Like you have to ask. The first two Scooby features were terribel and they had the benefit of real recognizable actors faces. This straight to DVD entry has newcomers who bear even less resmblance to the cartoon series and CGI that looks shoddy at best, hand-drawn by a drunken and retarded monkey at worst.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Like it would matter.

Ugly Betty: The Complete Third Season

Pitch: I don’t know if it’s a Latino thing or not, but I just don’t get the appeal of this show.

Why Avoid? I don’t watch telnovelas except for the occasional excert that shows up on The Soup, so maybe I’m missing the satirical spin that this show reportedly puts on them. Regardless, I’m just not interested in these people, their problems, their love lives, or their wardrobes. ABC cancels Pushing Daisies but keeps this?

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Commentary, deleted scenes, bloopers, featurette

Read More: This Week in DVD

What are you buying on DVD this week?

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Rob Hunter loves movies.  He also loves slinging hash and pouring stout at The Slaughtered Lamb. These two joys come together in the form of cash money payments that he receives every week and immediately uses to buy more DVDs.  So join us each week as he takes a look at new DVD releases and gives his highly unqualified opinion as to which titles are worth BUYing, which are better off as RENTals, and which should be AVOIDed at all costs.

Click on any of the titles below to magically head over to Amazon.com and pick up the DVD.  And don’t forget to check out Neil Miller’s hilariously titled This Week In Blu-ray column for reviews on the latest high definition Blu-ray releases!

An American Werewolf In London: Full Moon Edition

Pitch: Who knew werewolves, hot nurses, and Nazis could be this entertaining? Actually that does seem fairly obvious…

Why Buy? I really shouldn’t have to tell you this but this movie belongs in your collection. Scary, funny, gory, surprising… it’s John Landis’ best film and one of the best werewolf movies you’ll find.  Griffin Dunne is hilarious, Jenny Agutter is sexy, and the Dr. Pepper guy doesn’t sing or dance.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Commentary, featurettes, outtakes

Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood

Pitch: Sometimes being a virgin just isn’t enough to save you from a masked psycho killer…

Why Buy? No, I’m not claiming this is a great movie, but I just really love the decision to mess with the formula by adding a girl with telekinetic powers. She’s still the traditional good girl who abstains from sex and drugs, but her mental abilities add a whole new layer of cheese to this slasher. They also make an effort to give the protagonist a back story which is yet another rarity.  A great movie? No. But a fun movie and slasher oddity? Most definitely.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Commentary, deleted scenes, featurettes

It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia: Season Four

Pitch: Four friends, eight assholes, and shitloads of laughs. (Math is not one of my strengths.)

Why Buy? I’m a late convert to this show, and I would advise you all to follow my lead. Buy it, rent it, watch it on Amazon.com, or even catch it when it airs regularly on FX… but definitely watch it. Hilarious, ridiculous, rude, and highly unconventional in it’s approach to the usual sitcom structure, this is the reason basic cable is dying.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Featurettes, bloopers

Treeless Mountain

Pitch: Heartbreak and hope collide in the desolation of rural Korea and in the innocent faces of two young sisters.

Why Buy? A woman leaves her two daughters with their gruff aunt and tells them she’ll be back by the time they’ve filled their brand new piggy bank. The porcelein porker fills, the children’s hopes are raised, and their mom still hasn’t returned. This is a beautiful film in so many ways… from the imagery and cinematography, to the inexperienced but heart-wrenching acting of the two young leads, to the lessons about life, love, and family… there’s no real action in the film yet it’s still highly suspenseful.  It’s in Korean, but the language barrier can’t prevent you from feeling so close to these little girls.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Commentary, deleted scenes, featurettes

Visitor Q+

Pitch: Lactation fans… this one’s for you.

Why Buy? This is one of my favorite Takashi Miike films, and it’s due to a lot more than just the explicit sex with the hot Japanese girl. Behind the incest, abuse, and necrophilia is a fantastic family drama and black comedy. It’s a much harsher and less whimsical take on the importance of family than Miike gave us in (the also excellent) Happiness of the Katakuris.  Don’t watch this one with little ones running around (children, not midgets), but definitely give it a chance if you like oddball dramas done Japanese style. (This new “+” edition adds nothing new to the movie itself, so if you already own the earlier edition of the movie there’s no need to double dip.)

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? None

Army of Darkness: Screwhead Edition

Pitch: I don’t want your book, I don’t want your bullshit. Just send me back to my own time, pronto, today. Chop chop!

Why Rent? This is a good movie, but as with the previous two films in the Evil Dead trilogy, new editions are seemingly released every other week.  (Granted, this one was delayed by about six months.) Bruce Campbell takes Ash from the supermarket aisles and cabin in the woods to a zombie adventure in medieval times, and he has a fun time doing it. Just remember kids, there were no utensils in medieval times, so there are no utensils at Medieval Times. Now who wants a refill on their Pepsi?

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Commentary, featurettes, alternate ending

The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Second Season

Pitch: A hot chick hanging out with a bunch of nerds… are all sitcoms based on fantasy?

Why Rent? I won’t pretend I watched any of this show’s first season, but it’s apparently not required in order to enjoy season two. The show’s smartly written and well-cast, and that’s saying something for a network sitcom these days. This is actually a good pairing with How I Met Your Mother… funny, light, and a strong ensemble.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Featurettes, gag reel

Easy Virtue

Pitch: Jessica Biel cleans up nice for this Noel Coward adaptation. I would have offered to help with her nooks and crannies…

Why Rent? Biel doesn’t quite rise to the level of her supporting cast which includes Colin Firth and Kristin Scott Thomas, but she doesn’t embarrass herself either. Director Stephen Elliott’s take on Coward’s 1924 play is a funny and smart tale of culture clash and misguided love that fans of period comedies should enjoy.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Commentary, deleted scenes, bloopers, featurette

Fear Itself: The Complete First Season

Pitch: Anything Showtime can do, NBC can do better! Yeah, even NBC doesn’t believe that.

Why Rent? NBC’s short-lived horror series was the latest attempt (after Masters of Horror) at reviving a Twilight Zone or Outer Limits type show with stand alone episodes each week and guest writers/directors. As with any anthology show there are just as many (or more) misses as hits here, but it’s worth working your way through the episodes to find the gems… the highlights include Eater, Spooked, and New Year’s Day.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Featurettes

Full Battle Rattle

Pitch: Are you no longer surprised with where are tax dollars go? That just may change after watching this…

Why Rent? Fake Iraqi villages have been built in the American Midwest (think Synecdoche, Mojave Desert), complete with US soldiers, Iraqi villagers, and insurgents. Iraqi-Americans roleplay as Iraqis, US soldiers masquerade as terrorists, and the fate of the free world rests on what happens there. Okay, that’s a slight exaggeration, but this artificial reality is used to train thousands of US soldiers on how to fight and win the hearts and minds of Iraqi citizens. Funny and depressing at the same time…

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Deleted scenes, featurette

Grace

Pitch: A woman’s fetus dies in utero, but she decides to carry it to term anyway… is that still technically a pro-life stance?

Why Rent? This is a somewhat nasty little shocker worth a watch for fans of the red stuff, but it’s one-note enough to prevent any desire for a repeat viewing.  It might be fun to watch with a pregnant woman though.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Commentary, featurettes

Primeval: Volume Two

Pitch: The UK’s illegal alien problem continues with new creatures from the Earth’s past and future.

Why Rent? Season three in the UK becomes volume two in the US as the show winds it’s way towards another cliffhanger finale… that may get resolved in a feature film?  This final season is missing a key character from volume one.  I won’t say who to avoid any possible spoilers… but let’s thank Jeebus it wasn’t the hot little blonde chick.  The CGI is slightly less impressive this season and the characters seem a little more prone to stupidity, but if you liked the earlier shows than you’ll most likely enjoy these final ones too.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Commentary, featurettes

PVC-1

Pitch: A kidnapping. A ransom. An explosive deadline. All done in real time… and in one single take.

Why Rent? Imagine the movie Speed, but instead of a bus wired to explode there’s just a woman. Her family has been asked for a ransom they could never afford and a deadline they could never meet. Co-writer/director Spiros Stathoulopoulos ratchets up the tension even further in this indie thriller by shooting the whole thing in one uninterrupted camera take. Very suspenseful filmmaking done on the cheap.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? None

Triangle

Pitch: Three Hong Kong directors join forces in a tale of greed, stupidity, and a heist gone wrong.

Why Rent? The directors involved here (Johnnie To, Ringo Lam, and Tsui Hark) all have some good films to their names, and even though this collaboration isn’t nearly as good as their individual best films it’s still something worth watching for fans of the genre or Hong Kong films.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Featurettes

Camille

Pitch: It’s a mix of Ghost and lamesauce.

Why Avoid? James Franco is a dick who marries Sienna Miller for reasons other than love… until she dies and he falls madly (and inexplicably) in love with her.  I recommend you avoid this flick in honor of the recent passing of Patrick Swayze.  He would have wanted it that way.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? None

Crash: Season One

Pitch: Take one mistaken Oscar winner (no, not Marisa Tomei) and turn it into a series on a channel no one watches…

Why Avoid? The original Crash (Paul Haggis’ anti-racism flick, not David Cronenberg’s anti-normal sex flick) was a pretty good movie that got swept up in a wave of white liberal guilt and somehow made it all the way to the Oscars. It’s not as good as it’s win would suggest, but it’s also not as bad as the backlash would imply. It sits somewhere in between… and it’s still a lot better than this misguided TV series filled with characters, plots, and themes we just don’t care about.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Featurettes

CSI Miami: Complete Seventh Season

Pitch: A crime-solving ginger in Miami? No thanks.

Why Avoid? I enjoyed the first few seasons of the original CSI, but NY and Miami just never clicked for me. I never got around to watching the former and I actively avoided the latter because… well, I’m biased against red-heads. It’s a problem, and I’m seeking help for it, but for now I just can’t condone you watch a show where David Caruso fights crime and wise cracks from behind sunglasses and SPF-220 sunblock.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? None

Deadgirl

Pitch: What do you do when you find a living dead girl tied up in an abandoned factory basement? You rape her of course.

Why Avoid? Two unlikable friends stumble across a naked girl and after deducing that she’s technically dead but still somehow alive they decide to use her as a sex toy. The movie can be viewed in a few different lights. At it’s core it’s a story about white, male teenagers feeling alienated and alone and stumbling along unsure of their place in the world they’ve been born into, the two friends representing dueling parts of the mind with one as id and one as ego… but the scenes with the title character are too cringe-worthy to care. It doesn’t help that neither of the two leads act very well.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Commentary, featurette

Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan

Pitch: It took seven films before Jason decided his heart belonged to Broadway and that he’d never forgive himself if he didn’t take a shot at a career on the stage.

Why Avoid? I’m aware that I applauded Part VII’s severe deviation from the slasher formula, so you may wonder why I wouldn’t do the same here… Jason leaving Camp Crystal Lake is a pretty big deal after all. But a geographic change isn’t as dramatic, interesting, or cheesy as a girl with telekinesis.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Commentary, deleted scenes, gag reel, featurette

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Pitch: It’s the origin of Wolverine from before he joined the X-Men!

Why Avoid? I wanted to like this movie for the simple fact that it was beat to hell upon release at the beginning of summer.  It starts off pretty strong and does a fine job of introducing the main characters throughout the opening credits, but it quickly devolves into nothing more than a series of convoluted plot points, repetitive action scenes, and embarrassingly bad CGI work. And yes, I’m intentionally forgetting to mention the “amnesia” bullets…

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Commentaries, deleted scenes, featurettes

Read More: This Week in DVD

What are you buying on DVD this week?

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Rob Hunter loves movies.  He also loves competing against the Dunder-Mifflin Paper Company with his own paper company called Disemboweled Trees Inc. These two joys come together in the form of cash money payments that he receives every week and immediately uses to buy more DVDs.  So join us each week as he takes a look at new DVD releases and gives his highly unqualified opinion as to which titles are worth BUYing, which are better off as RENTals, and which should be AVOIDed at all costs.

Click on any of the titles below to magically head over to Amazon.com and pick up the DVD.  And don’t forget to check out Neil Miller’s hilariously titled This Week In Blu-ray column for reviews on the latest high definition Blu-ray releases!

Bedknobs and Broomsticks: Enchanted Musical Edition

Pitch: A sexy (relatively speaking) Angela Lansbury shows how she polishes bedknobs and broomsticks.

Why Buy? Alternate WWII history, Walt Disney style… Sure, this is no Mary Poppins, but it’s still a good example of Disney’s golden age skills at mixing live action, animation, and music. Lots and lots of music… but that’s okay. Pop it in if you have little ones running around, and they’ll soon be mesmerized by the colors, dance numbers, and magical shenanigans.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Featurettes

Homicide (Criterion)

Pitch: Two Jews walk into a grocery store. One gets shot dead. The other controls all of the world’s banks.

Why Buy? Bobby Gold (Fat Tony) is a Jewish detective assigned to a seemingly simple murder case that will question and envelope his friends and his heritage… This isn’t my favorite David Mamet-directed film (that would be House of Games), but it’s still a great one. A simple detective story grows beyond the genre to become something bigger and more powerful.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Commentary, gag reel, featurette

The Office: Season Five

Pitch: Five seasons in and Dunder-Mifflin is still the only office I’d ever want to hire me.

Why Buy? Surely you’ve seen The Office by now, but if you haven’t then you should probably start with the first season. Work your way up through all five and you’ll see one of the most consistently funny comedies in years.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Deleted scenes, commentaries, gag reel, featurettes

Battle of the Warriors

Pitch: Have fun storming the castle!

Why Rent? A historical epic of Chinese warfare follows efforts to assault a well defended fortress… Originally titled Battle of Wits, but the Weinsteins apparently thought it needed more oomph. The original is actually more accurate though as the battles, well done as they are, take a backseat to the planning and strategy. Plus, megastar Andy Lau is in it!

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Commentary, featurette

Fringe: The Complete First Season

Pitch: The real Pacey Witter wouldn’t be so hesitant to get involved in mysteries and intrigue…

Why Rent? A sharp increase in mysterious and paranormal activity around the world doesn’t bode well for society, so an FBI agent teams up with a deranged scientist and his disgruntled son to stop it… I’m not entirely sold on this show as a whole, and I don’t find the main story arc all that engaging, but in a world without the X-Files it’s a fairly decent substitute.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Commentaries, deleted scenes, featurettes

Harper’s Island: The DVD Edition

Pitch: Snap, crackle, pop, cancelled…

Why Rent? Friends descend on Harper’s Island for a wedding, but soon they all start lining up for their funerals… I didn’t catch this show when it aired on TV earlier this year, but apparently no one else did either. Robert Fure called it “something fresh” and he doesn’t just hand out compliments willy-nilly you know. It’s a pretty nifty thirteen-episode arc with some solid acting, writing, and kills. And no, I don’t know why this is called ‘The DVD Edition’ instead of simply ‘The Complete Series.’

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Commentary, featurettes

The Human Condition (Criterion)

Pitch: Who’s up for (almost) ten hours of black & white post-war Japanese cinema?

Why Rent? Post-war Japan seen through the life of one man… I’d be lying if I said I watched this in one sitting (or two or three even). It’s a challenging and rewarding anti-war movie (well, three movies actually), but it’s length precludes me from suggesting it as a buy. Will you really want to watch it again anytime soon? Probably not, but I do recommend fans of epic and intimate character dramas give it a chance. Just be sure to set aside a few days…

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Featurettes

Important Things With Demetri Martin: Season One

Pitch: From Comedy Central to Ang Lee in one easy step.

Why Rent? Like most comedians, Martin’s bits aren’t all winners, but enough of them are to make his TV show worth watching. He mixes sketch comedy with stand-up and props, and each episode features at least a few good laughs.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Commentary, deleted scenes

Parks and Recreation: Season One

Pitch: From the people who brought you The Office! Comes a show not quite as good!

Why Rent? Amy Poehler may be the star name here, but the rest of the cast is what makes the show as good as it is (Paul Schneider and Aubrey Plaza in particular). The first season is only six episodes long, so checking it out won’t require much of a time investment on your part either.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Commentary, deleted scenes

Sleep Dealer

Pitch: Best Mexican science fiction movie ever made. (It’s the only one… right?)

Why Rent? You don’t see a lot of low-budget science fiction movies for a reason. Most folks think sci-fi means effects, action, and grand set-pieces, but it’s really about the ideas. Smart writing can make up for lack of budget every time (Pi is probably the most obvious example). Sleep Dealer’s strength is its social backbone and the story that grows out of it. It’s in Spanish, and the effects aren’t all that great, but the story and the implications are as interesting and entertaining as most bigger movies playing theaters today.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Commentary, featurette

Crank 2: High Voltage

Pitch: Chev Chelios is the Energizer Bunny sans personality and charm.

Why Avoid? I know this movie (as well as the first one) has it’s defenders, but it just doesn’t do it for me. The best thing Neveldine and Taylor have done remains Pathology which they wrote but (not coincidentally) was directed by someone else… The Crank films are just too stupid and unnecessarily kinetic for their own good. And yes, I hated Shoot ‘Em Up too.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Commentary, bloopers

Hell House: The Book of Samiel

Pitch: Demons, tarot cards, and stupid teens oh my!

Why Avoid? Seriously, skip this mediocre movie, and go watch The Legend of Hell House instead. Roddy McDowall rules and the movie’s actually got some good scares, solid writing, and a strong ending.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Commentary, deleted scenes, featurette

Click below for more:

What are you buying on DVD this week?

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Rob Hunter loves movies.  He also loves training friends and strangers alike in the deadly and mystical way of Jewish martial arts. These two joys come together in the form of cash money payments that he receives every week and immediately uses to buy more DVDs.  So join us each week as he takes a look at new DVD releases and gives his highly unqualified opinion as to which titles are worth BUYing, which are better off as RENTals, and which should be AVOIDed at all costs.

Click on any of the titles below to magically head over to Amazon.com and pick up the DVD.  And don’t forget to check out Neil Miller’s hilariously titled This Week In Blu-raycolumn for reviews on the latest high definition Blu-ray releases!

Kapap Combat Concepts: Martial Arts of the Israeli Special Forces

Pitch: They will look for you. They will find you. And they will kill you. Or for a small fee they’ll teach you how to kill instead.

Why Buy? If you’re interested in learning about self defense why not go with a team that’s proven their abilities time and again? Sure a few bystanders may get bruised up a bit in one of their kerfuffles, but when these guys go in no bad guys come out.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? An “I kick ass for the Lord!” bumpersticker. (That’s not true, but it sure would have been cool).

Sin Nombre

Pitch: A young, Honduran girl travels north for a better life… a young, Mexican gangbanger runs north to save his life… together they put a very human face on illegal immigration and tell a fascinating story at the same time.

Why Buy? “Sweet, severe and haunting, Sin Nombre is a story about hope for people that shouldn’t even know the word.” FSR’s Cole Abaius said that (review here), and while I usually just laugh and then immediately rinse my eyes after reading his awkward and flowery words, this time he’s not actually not too far from the truth.  Director Cary Fukunaga’s debut feature is filled with drama, heart, and suspense, and if you walk away feeling anything less than impressed you’re probably a heartless, racist illiterate. (I kid of course, you’re entitled to your own incorrect opinion. Welcome to America!)

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Deleted scenes, commentary

Earth

Pitch: Disney’s Nature division tries to out-discover The Discovery Channel with this doc about animal families and flesh-eating.

Why Rent? Fantastic visuals and images are hampered by a terrible script so this is a great film to watch on mute with your own symphonic score accompanying it from a cd/mp3 player. Or better yet, just check out Planet Earth instead… it’s a much longer BBC series that this film was culled from.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Featurette

Good Dick

Pitch: Giving hope to stalkers everywhere…

Why Rent? The story about an oddball videostore clerk who becomes obsessed with an equally odd, porn-loving customer could have gone terribly wrong. Luckily, first-time writer/director/star Marianna Palka turns the premise into something a little bit sweet and a little bit smart.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? None

State of Play

Pitch: Deadlines, corruption, and murder… just an average week at Reject HQ.

Why Rent? FSR’s Cole Abaius hated it (review here) because it reminded him of a childhood spent potty-training on spread-out newspapers (to be fair, he has a few other reasons too), but the movie’s actually a pretty good little thriller about mid-level political corruption and journalism. Russell Crowe carries his paunch well and there’s at least one unexpected twist, so it’s worth a rental on a slow night.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Deleted scenes, featurette

Sugar

Pitch: Minor league dreams meet immigrant ambitions by way of small-town America.

Why Rent? I’m no fan of baseball, but this little movie is about much more than the sport. It gives insight into the minor leagues as well as the importation of foreign (Dominican Republic) players into the game. It’s less of a “big game climax” kind of movie and more about the characters, the struggles, and the challenges of this lifestyle. Not a great movie, but still a hell of a lot better than the directors’ wildly overrated Half Nelson.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Deleted scenes, featurettes

Supernatural: The Complete Fourth Season

Pitch: It’s The Hardy Boys for a new millennium but with horror instead of greedy land-developers (same amount of hair spray/gel though).

Why Rent? This is basically a nice little monster-of-the-week show that’s developed a solid mythology along through its four season run so far. The pretty-boy actors can actually act, the effects are often impressive for TV, and the stories are fairly interesting. You’ll want to start with the first season to get the ongoing back story straight, and you’ll also have the pleasure of watching a show actually get better with age.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Deleted scenes, commentaries, gag reel, featurette

Take Out

Pitch: Will give you something to think about next time you order Chinese food for delivery. Of course, you’ll be wanting to think of something else thirty minutes later.

Why Rent? Very indie (in the truest sense of the word, not the soundtrack sense), very dark, and pretty good, the movie looks at the slightly exaggerated daily grind of a modern day illegal immigrant living and working in NYC. It’s not fun, and only parts are truly entertaining, but worth a watch for fans of low-budget cinema.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Commentary, deleted scenes, featurette

America

Pitch: Rosie O’Donnell saves America one child at a time. Or she just saves one child named America. Either way… Rosie O’Donnell.

Why Avoid? It’s a Lifetime movie, so you really shouldn’t expect much. Add in O’Donnell, an incredibly bleak storyline, and a not so subtle indictment of the foster care system, and you have a movie that just may drive you to suicide. Of course then you run the risk of O’Donnell being assigned to be your therapist…

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? None

Bring It On: Fight To The Finish

Pitch: Cheerleaders belong in R-rated movies, not PG-13 ones. This same rule applies to Asian girls, lesbians, nurses, ninjas, teachers, and piano teachers.

Why Avoid? There are those among us (Fure and Abaius I think) who dig this series, and then there are those of us with taste. Maybe it’d be better if they didn’t completely recycle the same storyline each installment. Maybe it’d be better if the cheerleaders took more showers together. I don’t know, but as it stands not even master thespian Christina Milian can save this.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Deleted scenes, featurettes

Drifter: Henry Lee Lucas

Pitch: The Bold and the Beautiful and the Transient and the Deadly

Why Avoid? If you feel compelled to watch a movie about this particular real-life serial killer, just rent Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer instead. It’s still done on the cheap, but it’s also done a lot better. And it probably goes without saying, but Michael Rooker is a far more convincing actor than Antonio Sabato Jr.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? None

Heroes: Season Three

Pitch: Mix too many characters, too many storylines, and too little writing talent, and what do you have? Heroes: Season Three.

Why Avoid? I was on the Heroes freight train all through the first season until the piss-poor finale and the ridiculous season two premiere. It all went downhill from there, and this season continues the trend. Plotlines that start and disappear, characters that seemingly change personalities every episode or so based on a writer’s whim, and an overall sense of deja vu as the same stories and decisions are repeated again and again.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Commentaries, deleted scenes, featurettes

Tennessee

Pitch: Mariah Carey is an abused waitress who takes flight with two brothers on a road trip looking for bone marrow. Yeah.

Why Avoid? Carey is an easy enough target here, but she’s only part of the movie. And not really the worst part either. That’d be the script. (Carey comes second).

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? None

Click below for more:

What are you buying on DVD this week?

Related Reading:

• This Week in Blu-ray: A High Definition Army of Darkness
• Reject Radio: Episode 24: That Mockingbird is Gonna Sail Away
• Win a Copy of Supernatural: Season Four on DVD!
• Exclusive: Brea Grant Talks Halloween 2
• The 10 Sexiest Gangster Girlfriends of All Time Ever
• TV Review: Heroes – An Invisible Thread
• Kevin Carr’s Weekly Report Card for 04.24.09
• Fat Guys at the Movies Ep. 112 – Obsessed with Fighting Fat Guys

Rob Hunter loves movies.  He also loves working as the owner of a Hank Moody’s neighborhood liquor store.  These two joys come together in the form of cash money payments that he receives every week and immediately uses to buy more DVDs.  So join us each week as he takes a look at new DVD releases and gives his highly unqualified opinion as to which titles are worth BUYing, which are better off as RENTals, and which should be AVOIDed at all costs.

A quick (and fairly obvious) disclaimer:  The main purpose behind this column is to highlight the various new DVD releases each week.  The division of the titles into Buy, Rent, or Avoid categories is based on many things… the quality of the movie or show, the quality of the extra features, and the replay value of the content overall.  The common thread here is that all of these criteria are based on Hunter’s opinion.  If you agree, great.  If you disagree, great.  He’s just letting you know what was released, not what to do about it.

Click on any of the titles below to magically head over to Amazon.com and pick up the DVD.  And don’t forget to check out Neil Miller’s hilariously titled This Week In Blu-ray column for reviews on the latest high definition Blu-ray releases!

Californication: The Complete Second Season

Pitch: Heart, soul, and semen… the secrets behind Showtime’s best show.

Why Buy? After the disasterous final minute of Season One it wasn’t clear if the show would recover, but you should never bet against the Moody. David Duchovny continues to excel and just because he finally got all he ever wanted doesn’t mean the zany conflicts have to end. The addition of Callum Keith Rennie’s character injects even more humor, heart, and hedonism into the mix.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Featurette

Red Velvet

Pitch: A serial killer who models his look after Frank the Bunny… creepy.

Why Buy? Sometimes you just gotta take a chance, and if you’re a fan of surprising and odd horror comedies I recommend you take one here. Henry Thomas stars as a reclusive and easily annoyed writer who tells a tale to his neighbor about a madman slaughtering her actual friends. The story builds in an interesting way, the movie is shot with style, and Thomas does fantastic work as a possible nutjob.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Commentary, featurettes

Scrubs: The Complete Eighth Season

Pitch: Imagine having to choose between these folks or the sex-maniacs from Grey’s Anatomy… would you feel safe with either group?

Why Buy? I’ll be the first to admit this show has suffered a steep decline in quality, and the first half of season eight was pure shit… but not only did it recover in the second half but it also closed the series with a strong mix of laughs and heart. (And yes I know it’s returning for a ninth season but it’s in a gutted and bastardized form, so for me, season eight is the final.)

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Deleted scenes, bloopers, featurette

Adventureland

Pitch: Nostalgia and nut-punches meet, but Kristen Stewart is still the best part of the entire flick.

Why Rent? This coming-of-age comedy from the director of Superbad was marketed as being more of the same, but it’s the lesser of the two films in every area. The comedy is milder, the hijinx are tamer, the characters are more cliched and less endearing… but it’s still a pretty good little movie and well worth a little under two hours of your time. Jesse Eisenberg and Ryan Reynolds both hold their own, but Stewart expands her range and steals the movie.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Commentary, deleted scenes, featurette

American Son

Pitch: Nick Cannon’s momma is so fat her blood type is Ragu.

Why Rent? Is this basically a low-rent version of Spike Lee’s The 25th Hour with a guy heading to Iraq instead of jail? Sure, but it’s still a pretty good film with some surprising performances including Cannon himself. Less about politics than it is about life.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Commentary, deleted scenes, featurette

Billy Jack

Pitch: The first (and only?) Native American kung-fu master.

Why Rent? A classic of morally superior lowbrow cinema if there ever was one, Billy Jack stars Tom Laughlin in the title role as an easily angered Green Beret. He may be half-Indian, short, and ensconced in denim, but you do not want to piss him off. For example, I’d suggest not rolling a little Indian kid in flour…

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Commentary

Boot Camp

Pitch: Mila Kunis helps pitch a tent.

Why Rent? This flick isn’t quite what the DVD case cover would have you believe… meaning it’s not a sexy slasher (or am I the only one expecting that?) Instead we basically have one of those “tough-love” camps where parents send their misbehaving little rugrats. What they don’t know is that the man behind the place is a little extreme, although the fact that he’s played by Peter Stormare should have tipped them off…

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? None

Duplicity

Pitch: Corporate espionage plus romantic comedy equals a less than stellar film.

Why Rent? Tony Gilroy’s follow-up to the superior Michael Clayton is entertaining but severely hampered with confusion and a lack of any real weight. Julia Roberts and Clive Owen are always worth watching though Paul Giamatti and Tom Wilkinson almost steal the whole flick from them. And while a lot of people have griped about the ending I think it’s actually the best and ballsiest part of the movie.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Commentary

Goodbye Solo

Pitch: One taxi driver who wouldn’t last a day working for Louie De Palma.

Why Rent? Strong performances, one from a face you’ve seen many times before and one from a newcomer, highlight this simple tale of finding friendship in the most unexpected places. Sounds boring I know, but it isn’t. Slow maybe…

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Commentary

Rudo y Cursi

Pitch: Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna trade in the old lady for a soccer ball…

Why Rent? This is a reunion of sorts for Bernal and Luna after their successful Y Tu Mama Tambien. They don’t get as raunchy here, but they do have more fun as a couple of brothers sparring with unexpected fame and each other.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Commentary, deleted scenes, featurette

Second Skin

Pitch: Do you live in Azeroth? This documentary is about you.

Why Rent? This is an interesting look at people who live much of their real lives in make believe places online. Most of them are exactly what you’d expect, but more than a few of them may surprise you. Unless you are one of course… you can sense each other’s avatar right?

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Commentary, deleted scenes, featurette

Stunt Rock

Pitch: “It’s super human, super music, super magic, and super amazing.”

Why Rent? That pitch above is the actual pitch from the film’s super awesome trailer. Director Brian Trenchard-Smith doesn’t really make good movies, but he does make incredibly entertaining ones. (Turkey Shoot and The Man From Hong Kong being two I highly recommend…) This flick is a psuedo-doc about an Australian stunt man who comes to LA and finds work with a rock band that mixes music with magic on stage. Super amazing indeed.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? None

Sunshine Cleaning

Pitch: Imagine Curdled as a comedy/drama with better actresses…

Why Rent? Amy Adams and Emily Blunt play sisters who work cleaning up crime scenes (after the police are done obviously). Alan Arkin is their dad, and together they all come to terms with life, loss, and blood stains. Actually a good movie that deserves a much wider audience than it got in it’s aborted theatrical run.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Commentary, featurette

thirtysomething: The Complete First Season

Pitch: The show that proved adults could be as whiny as their children…

Why Rent? Love or hate these characters and their sometimes dramatic but often trivial issues, there’s no denying the quality of acting and writing on display here. It’s an interesting look into mundane suburban life without the artificial drama of most Sam Mendes films.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Commentaries, featurettes

Booker: Collector’s Edition

Pitch: Richard Grieco apparently makes appearances in Cole Abaius’ dreams. A lot.

Why Avoid? Grieco’s Dennis Booker from “21 Jump Street” was easily the show’s second weakest character (sorry Officer Doug Penhall), but he somehow managed to get his own spin-off series… which lasted all of one season. This set includes all but two of the show’s episodes, and thanks to expensive music rights issues those missing eps will probably never see the light of DVD. Stick with the first two seasons of the original show.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? None

Fighting

Pitch: Channing Tatum works out his daddy issues by beating the shit out of other punks. A lot.

Why Avoid? Fans of a shirtless Tatum will have something to love in this flick, but the rest of you need not apply. The fighting is more brawling than anything else, and while it gets somewhat brutal at times it never really entertains. Levin calls the plot “one big, over-calculated phony” (review here), and he’s still being too generous.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Deleted scenes

Green Street Hooligans 2

Pitch: Irresponsible and violent twats go to jail where they spend their days fighting other equally violent and irresponsible twats. A lot.

Why Avoid? The original film starring Elijah Wood was a passable piece of entertainment with good acting and an interesting look inside the concept of Britain’s hooligans… the unemployed, alcoholic assholes who cause wanton violence and destruction under the guise of sports team loyalty. The sequel finds a bunch of them tossed in jail where against all odds they continue to be assholes.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Featurettes

The Informers

Pitch: Amber Heard gets naked and fornicates. A lot.

Why Avoid? Can you imagine a movie that features a constantly naked Amber Heard… and yet is still painful to watch? Well imagine no more, as this is that movie. Bret Easton Ellis gives us one more reason to mistrust his memories of the 1980’s in a movie filled with drugs, sex, boredom, and lots and lots of bad acting.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Commentary, featurette

Onechanbara: Bikini Samurai Squad

Pitch: Hot Asian chick in a bikini fights zombie hordes with a sword. A lot.

Why Avoid? I know, two movies in a row where the ‘pitch’ sounds tailor-made for me and yet I put them in the Avoid category. What’s not to like about hot Asian chicks in bikinis you ask? Nothing , obviously, but you can get that for free online and without this movie’s absolutely terrible special effects and lack of anything resembling character, wit, scares, or quality action. Digital blood is never a good thing, but it’s used so much here that the movie is basically half animated.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Commentary

Click below for more:

What are you buying on DVD this week?

Related Reading:

• This Week in Blu-ray: A Trip to Adventureland
• Culture Warrior: 80s on Film
• Another Fast and Furious Reject Report
• 13 Films You Should Be Excited to See at Sundance 2009
• Sundance Preview: 2009 Premieres Lineup
• This Week in Blu-ray: Where No Man Has Gone Before
• Californication 3.3 Review – Verities & Balderdash
• Recaps: Californication Season 3, Episodes 1 and 2

Rob Hunter loves movies.  He also loves working as a trailer park handyman and playing the Starfighter arcade game in his spare time.  These two joys come together in the form of cash money payments that he receives every week and immediately uses to buy more DVDs.  So join us each week as he takes a look at new DVD releases and gives his highly unqualified opinion as to which titles are worth BUYing, which are better off as RENTals, and which should be AVOIDed at all costs.

A quick (and fairly obvious) disclaimer:  The main purpose behind this column is to highlight the various new DVD releases each week.  The division of the titles into Buy, Rent, or Avoid categories is based on many things… the quality of the movie or show, the quality of the extra features, and the replay value of the content overall.  The common thread here is that all of these criteria are based on Hunter’s opinion.  If you agree, great.  If you disagree, great.  He’s just letting you know what was released, not what to do about it.

Click on any of the titles below to magically head over to Amazon.com and pick up the DVD.  And don’t forget to check out Neil Miller’s hilariously titled This Week In Blu-ray column for reviews on the latest high definition Blu-ray releases!

The 5 Deadly Venoms

Pitch: Centipede, lizard, scorpion, snake, and toad?  One of these things is not like the other…

Why Buy? This movie is probably responsible for creating more martial arts action fans than any other before or since. It’s considered a classic of the genre for many reasons… the fighting, the mystery, the atmosphere… if you love martial arts movies and haven’t seen this one then you can’t go wrong buying this new release from Dragon Dynasty sight unseen. And if you already have the movie the odds are it’s in crappy VHS or low-quality DVD so you should pick this one up too.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Commentary

Dexter: The Third Season

Pitch: The Dark Passenger says buy this dvd set or else…

Why Buy? If you’ve been following Dexter from season one then you know he’s trying hard to become a more normal member of society. If only the crazies and the killers around him would give him a break… Season three is actually a step up from the previous one, most notably due to the absence of that annoying as hell British chick.  Jimmy Smits joins the cast and brings a truly interesting character to life, and the returning cast is awesome as usual (especially the dirty-mouthed sister played by Jennifer Carpenter).

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? None

The Last House on the Left

Pitch: Bad things happen to good people. Worse things happen to bad people.

Why Buy? I’m no fan of rape, and the one here is brutal enough that I never plan on watching it again… but that’s why the Japanese invented the fast-forward button. This is one of the best revenge thrillers I’ve seen in recent years complete with terrible and slimy bad guys who more than earn a terrifying and painful comeuppance. And damn do they get it. Great acting, slick violence and bloodletting, and an extremely cathartic finale.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Deleted scenes, featurette

The Last Starfighter: 25th Anniversary Edition

Pitch: Ask for a death blossom the next time you’re in a massage parlor. You’ll thank me later.

Why Buy? An all-around fun movie that’s pure wishful escapism. Who wouldn’t love a visit from an alien race in need of your video-gaming skills? Sure they could have sent a sexier representative, but that’s just nit-picking. Great characters, fantastic space action (rendered on Amiga computers I believe), and some entertaining banter highlight this flick. Definitely a keeper.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Commentary, featurettes

Absurdistan

Pitch: No sex for you!

Why Rent? Fans of the absurd (and the stan) should enjoy this almost dialogue-free comedy about the women of a small village who decide to withhold sex from the men until their decrepit and broken underground plumbing is fixed. It’s played for laughs but they can’t hide the sly social commentary bubbling underneath.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? None

The Adventures of Tintin: Volumes 1-5

Pitch: Bigger in Japan than Alphaville, bigger in Germany than Hasselhoff… prepare to meet… Tintin.

Why Rent? Seriously though, the Tintin adventures are big throughout the world and barely known here in the States. Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson hope to change that with their upcoming Tintin movies, but before then you can familiarize yourself with the characters by checking out these animated adventures.  They’re good clean fun for families, mystery fans, and animation lovers.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? None

Eli Stone: The Complete Second Season

Pitch: It’s not a tumor! It’s a gift from god.

Why Rent? The 2nd season of this show was also it’s last. That’s a shame because it was one of the few shows on TV with consistently interesting characters, funny dialogue, a positive view on faith, and dance numbers. I myself am not a man of faith, but I’m a sucker for shows like this (and Quantum Leap and Journeyman) that require the characters and the viewers to believe there’s a reason and a purpose behind the madness. Add both seasons to your Netflix queue and just enjoy them one disc at a time. You’ll be sad to see it end.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Deleted scenes, bloopers, featurettes

The Simpsons: The Complete Twelfth Season

Pitch:Yes the show’s still on, and yes the show’s still funny. (Just not as often as it’s on…)

Why Rent? The Simpson clan has seen better days and better seasons, but the show is still quite funny and pointed sometimes. It’s good and sharp often enough to warrant a rental anyway.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Deleted scenes, commentaries, featurettes

Sons of Anarchy: Season One

Pitch: “Black Boys On Mopeds,” by Sinead O’Connor is a powerful song. White boys on Harleys is a different experience all together.

Why Rent? I didn’t catch on to this show right away mostly due to the incessant cheerleading for it by Neil Miller. His Michael Bay obsession has taught me to avoid the things he loves. But then someone else recommended it… and someone else… and I eventually watched it. And guess what… Miller was right. Fantastic characters and gritty action abound.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Deleted scenes, featurettes

The Strangeness

Pitch: Tentacle Grape indeed.

Why Rent? I won’t pretend this is a classic by any means, but it’s a cool little old-school monster flick from the eighties worth a rental for fans of the genre. A tentacled creature living in a long abandoned mine has been freed to kill again… good fun for nostalgic horror fans. And at the very least the dvd is cheaper than the $50 VHS tapes floating around Ebay…

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Commentary, short films, featurette

Tyson

Pitch: Who knew Mike Tyson was a real human being?

Why Rent? Sure the guy has done some terrible things, and sure he tries to bob and weave around the culpability for those things, but this one man show is still incredibly engrossing.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Commentary, featurettes

Dirty Sexy Money: The Complete and Final Second Season

Pitch: Awesome show title and fantastic actors… so there’s that.

Why Avoid? Does “The Final Second Season” even make sense? And couldn’t they have stopped at the first season? Some great actors here being wasted in silly roles and generic storylines.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Deleted scenes, bloopers, featurettes

The Golden Boys

Pitch: Three fantastic character actors join forczzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Why Avoid? I wanted to like this, I really did. Rip Torn, Bruce Dern, and David Carradine are all likable actors, but this movie moves slower than these old guys’ bowels. I don’t actually know if that’s true, it’s just a saying I picked up last time I was in Austin.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? None

Hannah Montana: The Movie

Pitch: I’m really not the target audience for this. Perhaps Kevin Carr is…

Why Avoid? Again, not my cup of tea exactly, but those of you who enjoy watching teen girls who sound like Kathleen Turner act in dual roles while singing and dancing her way into America’s heart should definitely seek this out.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Deleted scenes, featurettes, outtakes

Hardbodies Collection

Pitch: I have fond memories of this movie’s fondled mammories.

Why Avoid? I still remember watching this flick over and over again on VHS until my mom caught me ogling Teal Roberts’s perfect ta-tas. Naturally I shifted blame and told her that Dad had recorded it off HBO… watching it again now that I have access to the internet and much better movies I realize that it is indeed a shitty movie. (And don’t even get me started on the sequel that’s also included in this set… mostly because I haven’t seen it).

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? None

Surveillance

Pitch: Bill Pullman and Julia Ormond are looking for a killer. They should be looking for a better agent.

Why Avoid? I recently reviewed A Perfect Getaway and spoke about how even with an extremely obvious twist the movie is still a lot of fun.  Jennifer Lynch’s new movie is an example of how that scenario doesn’t work. The twist here is also quite obvious, but unlike A Perfect Getaway where it was just one more piece of the plot, this one is meant to be the entire sum of the finale. It just doesn’t work at all. Too bad as the movie has some effective and creepy scenes early on before it collapses completely.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Deleted scenes, featurette

Click below for more:

What are you buying on DVD this week?

Related Reading:

• This Week in Blu-ray: Catching Up, Again
• Exclusive: ‘New Moon’ Screenwriter Talks Adapting Empty Pages and ‘Eclipse’ Additions
• SDCC: Killer New Dexter Trailer Slices Up the Web
• The Dark Knight Wins Big At Saturns
• Blu-ray Report: Benjamin Button, Serial Killers and Tons of Travolta
• Giveaway: Simpsonize Mother’s Day With Marge’s Book!
• Boiling Point: Stick to your Time Table
• After Beating Hannah Montana, Anvil Rolls Out Across the U.S.

Rob Hunter loves movies.  He also loves working as an English teacher at a school for wayward girls in Seoul, South Korea.  These two joys come together in the form of cash money payments that he receives every week and immediately uses to buy more DVDs.  So join us each week as he takes a look at new DVD releases and gives his highly unqualified opinion as to which titles are worth BUYing, which are better off as RENTals, and which should be AVOIDed at all costs.

A quick (and fairly obvious) disclaimer:  The main purpose behind this column is to highlight the various new DVD releases each week.  The division of the titles into Buy, Rent, or Avoid categories is based on many things… the quality of the movie or show, the quality of the extra features, and the replay value of the content overall.  The common thread here is that all of these criteria are based on Hunter’s opinion.  If you agree, great.  If you disagree, great.  He’s just letting you know what was released, not what to do about it.

Click on any of the titles below to magically head over to Amazon.com and pick up the DVD.  And don’t forget to check out Neil Miller’s hilariously titled This Week In Blu-ray column for reviews on the latest high definition Blu-ray releases!

The Class

Pitch: These little French bastards should be tossed into District 13 where they’ll either have to learn parkour or die trying.

Why Buy? This Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Film really impressed me when I first watched it this past May (review here), and it’s just as compelling and engaging the second time around. A Parisian teacher and his class meet throughout a semester, and they all walk away with gains, losses, and lessons learned.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Commentary, featurettes

Alien Trespass

Pitch: A one-eyed monster invades a small town… and half of the people reading this just thought about a giant schlong.

Why Rent? This homage to alien invasion flicks from the fifties was made with a very small budget and a lot of heart. Director RW Goodwin clearly loves the genre and style and the cast is game for some old-school film-making as well. Terrible effects, but intentionally so…

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Featurettes

Apres Lui

Pitch: A woman endures the death of her son by “befriending” her son’s friend… good thing her dog didn’t die.

Why Rent? Catherine Deneuve is often remembered solely for her stunning beauty, but people need to remember that she’s also a damn good actress. She’s quite good here as a grieving mother and a lonely woman, and drama fans should find time for this one.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? None

Are You Being Served? The Complete Collection

Pitch: Retail jobs are filled with abuse and absurdity regardless of which side of the Atlantic you happen to live on.

Why Rent? There are almost seventy episodes of this show in the set and I’m obviously not recommending you rent them all.  But give the first couple of discs a try and see if you don’t see the humor in this classic British sitcom. It’s not one of my favorites, but it still offers some fantastic characters, fast dialogue, and plenty of laughs.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Featurettes

I Love You, Man

Pitch: I refuse to mention the term coined previously but used endlessly to describe this flick about a guy looking for a guy friend.

Why Rent? Robert Fure felt it was “a pretty sweet, relaxed buddy flick” (review here), and while I wouldn’t go that gay I would agree the movie had some laughs. Sadly, it was no where’s near as funny as I hoped or expected. Thankfully the DVD extra features make up for that deficiency with some very funny deleted/extended scenes and outtakes. Watch the flick then watch these extras and you’ll get your money worth.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? Commentary, deleted scenes, outtakes, featurettes

Paris 36

Pitch: Lady Di was thirty-six years old when she died in the Paris car crash. This film has nothing to do with that.

Why Rent? I’m no fan of musicals (I can count the ones I like on one hand), but something about this pseudo-musical just clicks. It’s a charming and vibrant love story about a group of oddballs in pre-war Paris that simply feels good. Give it a try and maybe you’ll be as surprised as I was.  Or not.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Commentary, featurettes

The Tiger’s Tail

Pitch: Catch a tail by the tiger, take the horns by the bull. A bird in need is a friend indeed, so pull the eyes over the wool.

Why Rent? Brendan Gleeson gives two strong performances here as a ruthless and rich Irish businessman and his doppelganger. The movie has some things to say about the class divide in Ireland, but it also works as a straight-forward little thriller. (Bonus points for the person who recognizes that pitch.)

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? None

17 Again

Pitch: The opposite of Big. In every possible way.

Why Avoid? Kevin Carr’s thoughts on the flick include mentioning Zac Efron’s complete lack of chest hair and calling him an “androgynous man-child” (review here), and while that’s all Carr requires to recommend a movie I have slightly higher standards. The plot is recycled from half a dozen movies from the eighties, Efron has no personality, the comedy isn’t funny, and Matthew Perry is barely in it.

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? None (but if you really want some Efron extras the Blu-ray is the way to go)

90210: The Complete First Season

Pitch: Kids you won’t like doing things you’ll never do in a place that doesn’t really exist.

Why Avoid? Not a fan of the ‘teen drama’ genre. Although if I was there are much better options available like Privileged and Gilmore Girls. And yes I realize those are probably more ‘teen dramedy’ but you get the point.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Commentaries, featurettes

Donkey X

Pitch: Donkey from the Shrek films demands respect by any means necessary including protests, violence, and bow ties.

Why Avoid? This is the first of two cheap knock-offs of animated blockbusters this week. Sure the story’s substantially different, but look at that damn donkey! Looks just like Eddie Murphy doesn’t it?

Blu-ray? Yes

Extra Features? None

Gigantic

Pitch: Zooey Deschanel, John Goodman, and Zach Galifianakis have all had better roles this year alone. Watch them instead.

Why Avoid? Some highlights from Cole Abaius’ review (here): “a middle schooler can make quirky characters, but it takes talent to give them depth… You named your main character Happy Fucking Lolly… Somehow, you’ve managed to create a film with no story that has plot holes… A piece of art that has no soul, no heart, and has to make up for it by using flashy misdirection.”  You get the idea.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Commentary, deleted scenes, featurette

Road Trip: Beer Pong

Pitch: Maybe if it had hot chicks playing beer pong with their bajangos…

Why Avoid? Seems like there’s one of these every week doesn’t it? A sex comedy that’s far from sexy and even farther from funny. (Hey editor, please confirm my usage of ‘farther’ instead of ‘further.’)  Seriously, these guys aren’t even trying.

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? Deleted scenes, outtakes, featurettes

What’s Up: Balloon To The Rescue!

Pitch: An old man, a precocious child, and a flying balloon house… hmmm, why does that sound familiar?

Why Avoid? Too easy to knock this for being a cheap and inferior knock-off of Pixar’s last movie, so instead I’ll just share the official synopsis: “Packed with magic and eye-popping animation, the movie takes off with a bang when the brilliant, but befuddled Dr. Crumb discovers a magical stone that turns his house into a hot air balloon. The discovery allows Crumb – and his trusted brainiac companions – to pursue a heroic career of monster-chasing. But soon, the criminal-minded Jean-Pierre hatches a particularly diabolical plan which sends this airborne voyage into a new level of turbulence! Without the magic stone, will the scientists crash land, or will they be able to save the world by using their own ingenuity?”

Blu-ray? No

Extra Features? A miniature replica of the brass balls required to produce such an incredibly blatant rip-off

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