Consider this: in a week where the best options include a BBC Christmas special and the story of a runaway train that ain’t never comin’ back, I’ve chosen to spotlight as my pick of the week a Blu-ray release that I haven’t even held in my own hands yet. It’s a rather sad week, indeed. So sad that I felt the need to delay my column by two days with the hope that a copy of Network would magically arrive at my doorstep. It didn’t, but I’m still making the recommendation. Why? Because I’m mad as hell and it’s time to review this week’s selection of Blu-ray releases! That’s why. Network We have ourselves a first — a blind pick for the best release of the week. I did not receive a copy of Network to review, but you can be damned certain that I will be picking one up at some point this week. Especially after reading the review from High Def Digest, who praised the transfer and the supplements. I’m mad as hell that I don’t already have this in my collection, and I’m refusing to take it any longer. Please join me in getting up out of your chairs… oh, you get the idea. With a quality transfer, this one is a sure winner.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine’s Day yesterday, and by that I mean I hope you all went about your business as if it was just another Monday. I know my girlfriend certainly did. The holiday has never held much appeal for me, regardless of my relationship status at the time, aside from the fact that it’s a perfect excuse to settle in for a double feature of Closer and Notting Hill. Granted, I do that a couple times per year anyway, but there’s something special about watching these two films right after another on Valentine’s Day… and it works to completely different effect depending on which order you watch them in too. Will Julia Roberts find happiness or will she be emotionally devastated? You hold the power in your hands. But let’s move on to this week’s DVD releases. Surprisingly there are no romantic comedies hitting shelves today, although my pick of the week probably comes closest. Summer Wars A teenage geek is asked by a very cute classmate to accompany her home and pretend that he’s her boyfriend. The visit gets off to a bumpy ride as he meets her wise grandmother and the rest of her extended family, but things take an even worse turn when a cyber attack in Japan’s biggest online world (think Second Life, only popular) causes havoc in the real one and he’s accused of causing it. Anime isn’t something that normally appeals to me for various reasons, but if there are [Due to Content Scraping and Theft, we have been forced to try abbreviated feeds. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and woud very much appreciate you clicking through to view the full article on FilmSchoolRejects.com]

Don’t call it a comeback for Wesley Snipes and director Abel Ferrara, they’ve been here for years…