DVD’s I Bought This Week: July 28th
Posted by Rob Hunter (rob@filmschoolrejects.com) on July 28, 2009
Rob Hunter loves movies. He also loves working as a delivery driver for Pizza Planet even though the Toyota pickup he drives is in pretty rough shape. 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!
Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series
Pitch: The most brilliant science fiction series ever packed neatly in a decapitated Cylon head.
Why Buy? If you’re a fan of the show, like me, and you have yet to pick up any of the individual season releases on DVD, also like me… then this is the set that you and I have been waiting for. The original mini-series, Razor, and all of the episodes together with hours of supplemental features make this an absolute must-own. Action, drama, humor, and at least one incredibly hot Cylon (Boomer!) make Battlestar Galactica a show worth watching again and again.
Blu-ray? Yes
Extra Features? Commentaries, deleted scenes, featurettes
Bad Lieutenant: Special Edition
Pitch: Who wants to see Harvey Keitel naked? Who hasn’t…
Why Buy? The movie isn’t for everyone (and if you’ve seen it you know how much of an understatement that is), but at the centerpiece of this tale about a morally bankrupt cop and his unlikely redemption is an incredible performance by Keitel. The sexual humiliation, violence, nun rape, and crack smoking are just extra toppings on this naked Keitel sundae.
Blu-ray? No
Extra Features? Commentary, featurettes
Angel of Death
Pitch: A hitwoman with a conscience… yeah, not the most original plot…
Why Rent? Unoriginal yes, but the action more than makes up for it. Zoe Bell (Deathproof) stars and most likely does all of her own stunts as an assassin whose brush with the wrong end of a butcher knife gives her a new outlook on life… and death. The movie originally aired as a series of webisodes from creator Ed Brubaker, and if nothing else shows that he deserves a shot at a real feature film with a real budget.
Blu-ray? No
Extra Features? Commentary, featurettes
Dollhouse: Season One
Pitch: Is this the most ethically-challenged show on TV? Besides “So You Think You Can Dance?” I mean…
Why Rent? Joss Whedon’s latest creation is a sexy hybrid of “Quantum Leap” and “Charlie’s Angels” and involves people programmed with personalities then rented out to billionaires. Oh, and group co-ed showers. Sure it takes a few episodes to really get rolling but it’s worth the slow build. As a bonus this set includes the un-aired thirteenth episode. The show was recently renewed for a second season so catch up now before it starts again this fall.
Blu-ray? Yes
Extra Features? Commentaries, unaired 13th episode
Eagles Over London
Pitch: The real reason the eagles couldn’t simply fly the ring to Mt. Doom… they were busy over London.
Why Rent? It’s no Inglorious Bastards, but this is still a pretty fun flick from the sixties. It’s also never been officially available on DVD in the US before, which makes it an even more exciting find. Some good battle scenes mixed with some cheesy performances equal a rousing adventure that Quentin Tarantino may or may not re-imagine in a few years.
Blu-ray? Yes
Extra Features? Commentary, featurette
Green Lantern: First Flight
Pitch: Who knew Hal Jordan’s (voiced by Christopher Meloni) first mission involved sweater fondling and dick cream?
Why Rent? If you have yet to see any of DC Comics’ animated adventures I recommend starting here. It’s a fantastic, action-oriented story that never bores, and it’s a great introduction to the Green Lantern character that will be hitting theaters in a year or two. If DC hopes to stand a chance against Marvel in the realm of feature films they should consider using the writers behind these animated movies.
Blu-ray? Yes
Extra Features? Featurettes
The Middleman: The Complete Series
Pitch: ABC Family Channel is still on the air?
Why Rent? Secret organizations and secret agents fight unknown evils and bloodsucking cows. Sharp dialogue and committed acting from a strait-laced Matt Keeslar as the title character help raise “The Middleman” above the crowd. Sadly, this was a good show on an invisible network and never stood a chance. That’s the beauty of DVD I guess.
Blu-ray? No
Extra Features? Commentaries, featurettes
Repulsion (Criterion)
Pitch: Is Catherine Deneuve crazy? Or is she just crazy?
Why Rent? I’m not entirely convinced this is a good movie, but if you haven’t seen it and want to check it out then Criterion’s new disc is the way to go. I’ve watched it twice now, once years ago and again just recently, and the best thing I can say about it is that it’s a visually interesting portrait of one woman’s descent into madness. And Deneuve is pretty cute too… at least for a little while.
Blu-ray? Yes
Extra Features? Commentary, featurettes
Torchwood: Children of the Earth
Pitch: One day all the children on Earth stopped moving… and parents worldwide rejoiced.
Why Rent? I haven’t seen any of Torchwood’s regular episodes, but if this five part mini-series is any indication of the show’s overall quality I’ll be catching up sometime soon. Solid sci-fi, interesting characters, and some surprising humor blend together in an engaging and interesting story.
Blu-ray? Yes
Extra Features? Featurette
Animalada
Pitch: A man in an unhappy marriage. A sheep in a drafty barn. Together they’ll make more than a sweater… they’ll make love.
Why Avoid? Could a good movie be made about a man who fornicates with a sheep? Obviously, but this is not that movie.
Blu-ray? No
Extra Features? None
Big Man Japan
Pitch: The surprisingly boring real-life story behind a gigantic Japanese super hero.
Why Avoid? Such promise in this premise! And while it does provide a few laughs, the movie is way too slow for way too long. The documentary style works at times, but too many segments drag on as neither interesting nor funny.
Blu-ray? No
Extra Features? Featurette, deleted scenes
Combat Shock: 25th Anniversary Edition
Pitch: Have some depressed enemies? Send them this movie.
Why Avoid? Nihilism is one thing, but an entire film filled with unrelenting and bleak grimness is another.
Blu-ray? No
Extra Features? Director’s cut, commentary, featurettes
Dragonball: Evolution
Pitch: An animated adventure about a dragon with one testicle starring the voice talent Lance Armstrong.
Why Avoid? Yeah, that was pretty lame yet still a lot more entertaining than this movie. All the misguided hate that people spewed towards the recent Street Fighter flick is more than warranted here. Terrible effects, ridiculous acting, forgettable story… and no Chris Klein to make it all worthwhile.
Blu-ray? Yes
Extra Features? Deleted scenes, featurettes, workout video
Fast & Furious
Pitch: Fast cars. Plastic women. Cardboard men.
Why Avoid? I love action movies, but this shit is just stupid. Big and dumb doesn’t just describe the film’s stars and story, it applies to the entire franchise. And that’s before we even get to the ridiculous CGI cars…
Blu-ray? Yes
Extra Features? Commentary, gag reel, featurettes, short film by Vin Diesel
Jim Breuer: Let’s Clear The Air
Pitch: Aren’t comedians supposed to be funny?
Why Avoid? Because he isn’t.
Blu-ray? No
Extra Features? A laugh track would actually have been nice here.
Miss March
Pitch: Want to see a realtively new and funny movie about friends on a wild quest for sex? Watch Superbad, Sex Drive, Fired Up, etc.
Why Avoid? Yet another sex comedy that’s neither sexy nor funny… how crap like this gets a theatrical release when so many far better movies get tossed straight onto DVD is a mystery to me.
Blu-ray? Yes
Extra Features? Featurettes
Streets of Blood
Pitch: Madmartigan and Fitty Cent take on post-Katrina corruption in a mildewed New Orleans.
Why Avoid? I’m not sure how much longer I can go on being a Val Kilmer supporter if he keeps starring in crap like this. Mealy-mouthed 50 Cent fits right in with the poor writing, careless directing, and paycheck acting from everyone else. And for once he isn’t the worst thing about a bad movie… that honor here goes to Sharon Stone. Ugh, how was this woman ever an A-list actress?
Blu-ray? No
Extra Features? None
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What are you buying on DVD this week?
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