DVDs I Bought This Week - May 27th

Posted by Brian C. Gibson (brian@filmschoolrejects.com) on May 27, 2008

A wise man once said “It’s not just about seeing Star Wars two weeks before everyone else. You’ve gotta plow through crap like Marie Antoinette and Catwoman as well.” I have the fortune of being able to see all of the films that I want, and find out that they are only worth one viewing (or less) before I would willingly pay for the DVD…and subsequently end up hating myself later. But for every The Whoopee Boys there has to be an Indiana Jones, and because of the great films I am able to put myself further in debt every week.

Rambo- The Complete Collector’s Set

Director:

Cast: Sylvester Stallone

Rated: R for Rambo-ness

Synopsis: A man named Rambo enjoys archery, hunting and jugular removal

Why Buy It?: So I hate when you finally decide to buy a set of movies and then like a year later another sequel comes out, though the franchise hasn’t had a film in 20-some odd years. Am I having deja vu here (Rambo, Rocky, Indiana Jones, Die Hard)? Anyways, this set is pretty cool. It includes all of the ultimate editions of the films, and how can you go wrong with Rambo x 4? Be careful how you answer that question, you might come face to face with a mounted Gatling gun in your jeep someday.

Formats: Standard DVD, Bluray

Cassandra’s Dream

Director: Woody Allen

Cast: Colin Farrel, Ewan McGregor

Rated:

Synopsis: So an Irishman and a Scott walk into a bar…Financial difficulties force two brothers into asking their crooked uncle for money, in exchange for a favor.

Why Buy It?: Even though Woody Allen has been able to pour his mind onto paper and receive financing for every page lately, he has produced a couple gems in the process. I thought Match Point was highly underrated, and I can’t wait to see Vicky Cristina Barcelona. So why not take a chance on a film directed by Allen and starring McGregor and Farrel? I know I will. A 7.8 doesn’t come easy on IMDB.

Formats: Standard DVD

Grace Is Gone

Director: James C. Strouse

Cast: John Cusak

Rated: Rated PG-13 for thematic material, brief strong language and teen smoking.

Synopsis: A dad and his two daughters go on a road trip after hearing about their mother’s death.

Why Rent It?: I have to say that I had little to no interest in this film to begin with. However, Neil Miller told me it was fantastic. I don’t know if Neil has a man-crush on Cusak like he does with some other actors, but he did give it a recommendation. I don’t think I will ever see Cusak as a “dad character”, but I do like most of his films. Might be worth a shot. I wonder why, but Rob Reiner was originally set to direct but dropped out before principal photography.

Formats: Standard DVD

The Invaders

Director:

Cast:

Rated:

Synopsis: A non-homeless man is trying to convince people that the end is coming, so that has to be legitimate. Right?

Why Rent It?: This paragraph will start with an apology. Sorry Kevin Carr. Now that the apology is out of the way, I will continue. I had never heard of this show, but that might be because it was airing on television over a quarter-century before I was born (1967). I know I might get flamed by some sci-fi fans, but whatever. I’m sure Kevin would chime in right now, “You’ve never heard of The Invaders? That was my favorite show while I was in college.” I have heard the show is good, so I will check it out.

Formats: Standard DVD

Cleaner

Director: Renny Harlin

Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Eva Mendes, Ed Harris

Rated: Rated R for bloody images, some violence and language.

Synopsis: A former cop is now a crime scene cleaner…what?

Why Avoid It?: Because of Renny Harlin…The man has been standing behind some motion picture train wrecks for years. He almost ruined Die Hard for everyone. Cliffhanger was basically a joke. Deep Blue Sea featured Jam Jackson being eaten by a rogue shark. Driven made me throw up in my mouth. Mindhunters looked cool, and then proved to be a waste. If you ever wondered why Exorcist: The Beginning wasn’t shrouded with curses and strange occurrences like the other films in the series, it is because the devil thought it was a joke. Finally, The Covenant made The Craft look like Citizen Cane.

Formats: Standard DVD

Dario Argento Box Set

Director: Dario Argento

Cast:

Rated:

Synopsis:

Why Avoid It?: Don’t get me wrong, I love Dario Argento. But, c’mon. You might as well call this the “Two Out of Five Ain’t Bad Collection.” If you are going to assemble an Argento set, it should either be an entire film collection or a best of. This is neither. This is two good ones, and three more that only hardcore Argento fans have heard of. I am more a fan of Argento’s earlier films, and most of these are mid, to late in his career. The set features Do You Like Hitchcock?, Phenomena, Tenebre, Card Player and Trauma.

Formats: Standard DVD

Twister

Director: Jan de Bont

Cast: Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton, Cary Elwes, Philip Seymour Hoffman

Rated: Rated PG-13 for intense depiction of very bad weather.

Synopsis: People throwing tin cans at a tornado

Why Avoid It?: So I know that I said I bought this earlier in the month, but not on HD-DVD. Seriously? Is anyone still buying HD-DVD in hopes that it will make a comeback? Well for all 6 of you out there stop playing your Atari Jaguar and buy a Blu-Ray player.

Formats: HD-DVD

Click below for more:

Read more articles by Brian C. Gibson