Category: Blu Monday

Blu Monday: March 8, 2011

Your Weekly Source for the Newest Releases to Blu-Ray

Not a huge week for new Blu-Ray releases, but there are certainly a few of significant noteworthiness… and, Triple H is not one of them. Sorry, to all the wrestling fans out there. Resurrected from the 80’s are the slasher flick THE DORM THAT DRIPPED BLOOD and John Boorman’s EXCALIBUR, an under-appreciated telling of the times of Kign Arthur.

*Perhaps the best documentary of 2010, EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP is an intriguing film about art and artist, and the personality in between, but it’s also an adventure into a world with which few of us have any experience. Charles Ferguson’s INSIDE JOB is a documentary about the recent financial meltdown.

*Indicated that I actually feel it IS the best, but am attempting to be impartial.

Writer/director Jeong-beom Lee’s THE MAN FROM NOWHERE is yet another fine example of the quality filmmaking emerging from South Korea. FOUR LIONS is a dramedy about a man who forms a small terrorist cell, a film Time Magazine has placed on it’s Top Ten Films of 2010 list. Finally, and I know it’s not a “movie” but, AMC’s television series THE WALKING DEAD (based on the graphic novels) is so good, it’s worth mentioning. Plus, the first season was directed by Frank Darabont (SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, THE MIST) so, that counts… right?

Blu-Ray for Tuesday, March 8th, 2011

  1. Triple H drives the bus in THE CHAPERONE (2011)
  2. THE DORM THAT DRIPPED BLOOD (1982)
  3. Liev Schreiber & Carla Gugino in EVERY DAY (2010)
  4. John Boorman’s exquisite EXCALIBUR (1981)
  5. Bansky & More in EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP (2010)
  6. Terrorism gets “funny” in FOUR LIONS (2010)
  7. Financial Crisis Documentary INSIDE JOB (2010)
  8. Hilariously Painful JACKASS 3D (2010)
  9. THE MAN FROM NOWHERE (2010)
  10. Harrison Ford in MORNING GLORY (2010)
  11. Russell Crowe in THE NEXT THREE DAYS (2010)
  12. AMC’s THE WALKING DEAD: The Complete First Season (2010)

DVD for Tuesday, March 8th, 2011

  1. ABDUCTED (2011)
  2. APHRODISIAC: THE SEXUAL SECRET OF MARIJUANA
  3. AROUND A SMALL MOUNTAIN (2011)
  4. BRENDA STARR, REPORTER – Serial (1945)
  5. COLIN & BRAD: TWO MAN GROUP (2010)
  6. EVERY DAY (2010)
  7. FOUR LIONS (2010)
  8. HELENA FROM THE WEDDING (2010)
  9. INSIDE JOB (2010)
  10. JACKASS: Two-Disc Edition w/ 3D (2010)
  11. LETTERS TO FATHER JACOB (2009)
  12. THE MAN FROM NOWHERE (2010)
  13. THE NEXT THREE DAYS (2010)
  14. RAGE [Rabia] (2011)
  15. THE SHRIVEN (2010)
  16. SON OF TERROR (2011)
  17. THE WALKING DEAD: The Complete First Season (2010)
  18. THE ZOMBIE FARM (2009)

Blu Monday: March 1, 2011

Your Weekly Source for the Newest Releases to Blu-Ray

Another big week for Blu-Ray, this time loaded with fresh new films. Danny Boyle’s Oscar-contender 127 HOURS debuts and is certain to have viewers cringing, but also feeling incredibly uplifted. Disney’s beloved animated classic BAMBI steps out from the woods and into your home viewing library; and Steven Soderbergh’s adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s OUT OF SIGHT is now visible. Cher and Christina put on the glitz and get risque in the hit musical BURLESQUE, and if you’re a big fan, go to Best Buy for their exclusive version including Burlesque corsets. Blue Underground is giving Harry Kumel’s stylish 70’s vampire flick DAUGHTERS OF DARKNESS a Blu-Ray day pass, while the PIRATE OF THE CARIBBEAN unite to bring force in numbers to your home-viewing experience.

Blu-Ray for Tuesday, March 1st, 2011

  1. James Franco in Danny Boyle’s 127 HOURS (2010)
  2. Disney’s BAMBI (1942)
  3. Cher and Christina Aguilera in BURLESQUE (2010)
  4. Jim Carrey in THE CABLE GUY (1996)
  5. Richard Martini’s Hollywood spoof CANNES MAN (1996)
  6. DAUGHTERS OF DARKNESS (1971)
  7. Dwayne Johnson and Billy Bob Thornton in FASTER (2010)
  8. GENIUS WITHIN: THE INNER LIFE OF GLENN GOULD (2009)
  9. Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway in LOVE & OTHER DRUGS (2010)
  10. A MARINE STORY (2011)
  11. Stephen Soderbergh’s OUT OF SIGHT (1998)
  12. PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL (2003)
  13. PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN’S CHEST (2006)
  14. PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD’S END (2007)
  15. PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN Trilogy: 7-Disc Set
  16. WAITING FOR DUBLIN (2007)

DVD for Tuesday, March 1st, 2011

  1. 420 HIGH DESERT WAY
  2. 8.5 HOURS (2011)
  3. ANNELIESE: THE EXORCIST TAPES (2010)
  4. Bai Ling in A BEAUTIFUL LIFE (2008)
  5. Vinnie Jones and Michael Madsen in THE BLEEDING (2009)
  6. Richard Martini’s Hollywood spoof CANNES MAN (1996)
  7. DR. BLACK, MR. HYDE: 35th Anniversary Edition (1976)
  8. Dwayne Johnson and Billy Bob Thornton in FASTER (2010)
  9. GENIUS WITHIN: THE INNER LIFE OF GLENN GOULD (2009)
  10. Claude Chabrol’s JUST BEFORE NIGHTFALL (1971)
  11. Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway in LOVE & OTHER DRUGS (2010)
  12. Claude Sautet’s MADO (1976)
  13. MY GIRLFRIEND’S BACK (2010)
  14. Melissa Joan Hart in SATIN (2011)
  15. Alex Kingston and Emily Blunt in WARRIOR QUEEN (2003)

Blu Monday: February 22, 2011

Your Weekly Source for the Newest Releases to Blu-Ray

There’s a lot to choose from this week. Criterion Collection adds three, two old and one new… Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis star in SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS about a powerful columnist who tries to keep his sister from marrying a jazz musician; SENSO is an Italian classic about a countess and a lieutenant who pursue a self-destructive relationship; FISH TANK tells an edgy, inspirational story of a disadvantaged British girl who longs to be a hip hop dancer. Relish in 80’s buddy cop cinema with Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte in 48 HOURS. Admire the melding of nature and art in RIVERS & TIDES, a documentary about Andy Goldsworthy. Have a frighteningly silly time with the “animals attack” schlockfest fan-fave BIRDEMIC. Robert Duvall shines as an eccentric recluse planning his own funeral party in GET LOW, Vincent Cassell gets dangerous as the French gangster MESRINE: KILLER INSTINCT, and Christopher Nolan’s fascinating mystery MEMENTO gets a 10th anniversary treatment.

Blu-Ray for Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2011

  1. 48 HOURS (1982)
  2. ALIEN VS. NINJA (2010)
  3. Andy Goldsworthy: RIVERS & TIDES
  4. BIRDEMIC (2008)
  5. DUE DATE (2010)
  6. FISH TANK: Criterion Collection (2010)
  7. GET LOW (2010)
  8. GHOST MONTH (2009)
  9. KILLSHOT (2008)
  10. THE LAST UNICORN (1982)
  11. MEMENTO: 10th Anniversary Edition (2000)
  12. MESRINE: KILLER INSTINCT (2008)
  13. SENSO: Criterion Collection (1954)
  14. SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS: Criterion Collection (1957)

DVD for Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2011

  1. ALIEN VS. NINJA (2010)
  2. ARMLESS (2010)
  3. BIRDEMIC (2008)
  4. BLACK LIGHTNING (2008)
  5. CARMO, HIT THE ROAD (2008)
  6. CHANGE OF PLANS (2009)
  7. CLOVER (1997)
  8. DUE DATE (2010)
  9. FISH TANK: Criterion Collection (2010)
  10. GET LOW (2010)
  11. GHOST MONTH (2009)
  12. HAUNTED CASINO (2007)
  13. THE KILLING JAR (2010)
  14. KINGS OF PASTRY (2009)
  15. LAST TRAIN HOME (2009)
  16. LEAVING (2009)
  17. LEGACY (1975)
  18. LEMMY: 49% Motherf**ker, 51% Son of a Bitch (2010)
  19. LONDON IN THE RAW (1964)
  20. MASSILLON
  21. MESRINE: KILLER INSTINCT (2008)
  22. MIDSUMMER MADNESS (2007)
  23. ONE WEEK JOB (2010)
  24. Alexander Kluge’s PATRIOT
  25. PURPLE SEA (2011)
  26. ROAD, MOVIE (2009)
  27. SEE WHAT I’M SAYING (2010)
  28. SENSO: Criterion Collection (1954)
  29. SUNNY & SHARE LOVE YOU (2007)
  30. SUSPICION (1987)
  31. SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS: Criterion Collection (1957)
  32. SWORD OF WAR (2009)
  33. THE TEMPTATION OF ST. TONY (2009)
  34. TEN INCH HERO (2007)
  35. TWO IN THE WAVE (2010)
  36. ZAPATISTA (1999)
  37. ZENITH (2010)

Blu Monday: February 15, 2011

Your Weekly Source for the Newest Releases to Blu-Ray

This week, we have some extremely influential films hitting the shelves… Hoffman and Redford get Blu in ALL THE PRESIDENTS MEN, directed by Alan J. Pakula, the story of the two reporters who exposed the details of Richard Nixon and the Watergate scandal. Richard Attenborough’s definitive biopic CHAPLIN gets it’s 15th Anniversary Blu-Ray, with it’s talented ensemble cast led by Robert Downey, Jr. in the title role. A film as controversial as it is fantastic, Bernardo Bertolucci’s LAST TANGO IN PARIS steams up your TV with the legendary Marlon Brando and the seductive Maris Schneider. Norman Jewison’s MOONSTRUCK earned Cher an Oscar, earning you a great Blu-Ray for your home film library. You don’t have to be “mad as Hell” anymore, as Sidney Lumet’s NETWORK is now on Blu-Ray. This week rounds out with a critically-acclaimed new anime feature titled SUMMER WARS, a powerful new documentary in WAITING FOR SUPERMAN, and Woddy Allen’s latest suggests YOU WILL MEET A TALL DARK STRANGER on Blu-Ray.

Blu-Ray for Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2011

  1. ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN (1976)
  2. BIG DADDY (1999)
  3. CHAPLIN: 15th Anniversary Edition (1992)
  4. GAME OF DEATH (2010)
  5. GLORIOUS 39 (2009)
  6. HOODWINKED (2005)
  7. LAST TANGO IN PARIS (1972)
  8. MOONSTRUCK (1987)
  9. NETWORK (1976)
  10. RAIN MAN (1988)
  11. STAG NIGHT (2008)
  12. THE STRANGER (1946)
  13. SUMMER WARS (2009)
  14. SWORD MASTERS: THE WEB OF DEATH (1976)
  15. UNSTOPPABLE (2010)
  16. WAITING FOR SUPERMAN (2010)
  17. WHITE LION (2010)
  18. YOU WILL MEET A TALL DARK STRANGER (2010)

DVD for Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2011

  1. DAYLIGHT ROBBERY (2008)
  2. GAME OF DEATH (2010)
  3. GLORIOUS 39 (2009)
  4. THE LADY HERMIT (1971)
  5. LAST LOVECRAFT: RELIC OF CTHULHU (2009)
  6. LOVE AT FIRST KILL
  7. NATIONAL LAMPOON’S DIRTY MOVIE (2011)
  8. RESPIRE (2009)
  9. STAG NIGHT (2008)
  10. THE STORM WARRIORS (2009)
  11. SUMMER WARS (2009)
  12. SWORD MASTERS: THE WEB OF DEATH (1976)
  13. TIME FOR DRUNKEN HORSES (2000)
  14. WHITE LION (2010)
  15. WOMEN WITHOUT MEN (2009)
  16. YOU WILL MEET A TALL DARK STRANGER (2010)

Blu Monday: February 8, 2011

Your Weekly Source for the Newest Releases to Blu-Ray

There’s a whole lot of everything to choose from this week. Criterion serves up the 2008 Japanese gem STILL WALKING along with a fine dose of Fellini with AMARCORD, while on the opposite end we are graced by the release of Panela Anderson’s BARB WIRE on blu-ray. One of my favorite animated flicks on 2010, HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, hits store shelves and there’s a Samsung 3D starter version of the blu-ray disc available with certain 3D TV purchases. Doesn’t that make you want to run out and throw down $3000? Both versions of I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE hit blu-ray and DVD, but I still prefer my Millennium Edition DVD featuring a commentary by Joe Bob Briggs.  Two “rivers” converge on blu-ray for you viewing pleasure and THELMA & LOUISE get the anniversary treatment.

Blu-Ray for Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2011

  1. AMARCORD: Criterion Collection (1973)
  2. BARB WIRE (1996)
  3. FOR COLORED GIRLS: Blu-Ray/DVD Combo (2010)
  4. HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (2010)
  5. I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE (2010)
  6. I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE (1978)
  7. LIFE AS WE KNOW IT (2010)
  8. MIDDLE MEN (2010)
  9. MY SOUL TO TAKE (2010)
  10. ONG BAK 3 (2010)
  11. PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2 (2010)
  12. A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT (1992)
  13. THE RIVER WILD (1994)
  14. STILL WALKING: Criterion Collection (2008)
  15. THELMA & LOUISE: 20th Anniversary Edition (1991)
  16. UNCLE BUCK (1989)
  17. YOU AGAIN (2010)

Lots of foreign films hit DVD this week, such as BAD DAY TO GO FISHING, an intriguing Spanish film about a former “Strongest Man in the World” become traveling wrestling organizer. Some classics also make it back to DVD for re-release, including Alfred Hitchcock’s STRANGERS ON A TRAIN and Howard Hawks’ BRINGING UP BABY, starring Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant. The 70’s have their moment as well, with DVD releases of RIOT, starring Jim Brown and Gene Hackman, and WUSA, starring Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward.

DVD for Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2011

  1. BAD DAY TO GO FISHING (2009)
  2. BRINGING UP BABY (1938)
  3. THE CELLULOID SALESMAN: Classic Educational Shorts, Vol.4
  4. FOR COLORED GIRLS (2010)
  5. A FRENCH GIGOLO (2008)
  6. THE GIRL (2009)
  7. HIDEAWAY [Le Refuge] (2011)
  8. HIGH LANE (2009)
  9. I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE (2010)
  10. I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE (1978)
  11. IT’S KIND OF A FUNNY STORY (2010)
  12. LIFE AS WE KNOW IT (2010)
  13. MIDDLE MEN (2010)
  14. MY SOUL TO TAKE (2010)
  15. ONG BAK 3 (2010)
  16. PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2 (2010)
  17. RIOT (1969)
  18. SAFE… NOT SORRY: Classic Educational Shorts, Vol.3
  19. STILL WALKING: Criterion Collection (2008)
  20. STRANGERS ON A TRAIN (1951)
  21. TAMARA DREWE (2010)
  22. TESIS [THESIS] Remastered Edition (1996)
  23. UNMADE BEDS (2009)
  24. WUSA (1970)
  25. YOU AGAIN (2010)

Blu Monday: February 1, 2011

Your Weekly Source for the Newest Releases to Blu-Ray

The late, great Blake Edwards’ 10 — starring Dudley Moore and Bo Derek — gets immortalized on Blu-Ray. Two films go from silver screen to Blu-Ray… Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr star in AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER; and Bette Davis stars in ALL ABOUT EVE, just in time for it’s 60th anniversary. Disney’s animated classic ALICE IN WONDERLAND comes out of the vault for a special 60th anniversary treatment. Sticking with the anniversary trend, HIGHLANDER reaches it’s 25th (tentatively) with a special gift set, boxed with HIGHLANDER 2. LET ME IN fills the role as this week’s primary horror release, with HATCHET 2 showing up to the party a day late. My indie Blu-Ray pick of the week goes to the indie sci-fi/drama MONSTERS, a low-budget film which made huge waves on the festival circuit, is being released as a special edition.

Blu-Ray for Tuesday, Feb. 1st, 2011

  1. Blake Edwards’ 10 (1979)
  2. AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER (1957)
  3. Walt Disney’s ALICE IN WONDERLAND: 60th Anniversary Edition
  4. ALL ABOUT EVE: 60th Anniversary Edition (1950)
  5. BEVERLY HILLS CHIHUAHUA 2 (2010)
  6. BIG MAMA’S HOUSE 1 & 2
  7. BOYS DON’T CRY (1999)
  8. CHAIN LETTER (2010)
  9. CONVICTION (2010)
  10. HIGHLANDER: 25th Anniversary Gift Set
  11. LET ME IN (2010)
  12. MONSTERS: Special Edition (2010)
  13. NEVER LET ME GO (2010)
  14. NIGHT CATCHES US (2010)
  15. PLEASANTVILLE (1998)
  16. THE TILLMAN STORY (2010)
  17. WELCOME TO THE RILEYS (2010)
  18. A WOMAN, A GUN AND A NOODLE SHOP (2010)
  19. YOU’VE GOT MAIL (1998)

Blu-Ray for Wednesday, Feb. 2nd, 2011:

  1. HATCHET 2 (2010)

On the DVD platter this week is an eclectic mix spanning genres and eras. 11 HARROWHOUSE is a crime-comedy starring Charles Grodin, Candice Bergan and James Mason; BULLSHOT is a comedy set during WWI starring Alan Shearman and Billy Connolly; being re-released in the British gangster film THE LONG GOOD FRIDAY, starring Bob Hoskins and Helen Mirren; and Stanley Donen’s LUCKY LADY is a comedy about rum-running in the 1930’s, starring Gene Hackman, Liza Minnelli and Burt Reynolds. Going further back is a film noir called THE PROWLER and a pair of pre-code 30’s-era films. (For ya young’uns, that’s before men and women were required to sleep in separate beds on the big screen.) Three smaller films to consider are NEVER LET ME GO, a sci-fi/drama starring Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield and Keira Knightley; NIGHT CATCHES US, a drama set during the Black Panther movement of the 70’s starring Kerry Washington and Anthony Mackie; and WELCOME TO THE RILEYS, a drama about an older man who befriends a younger woman, starring James Gandolfini, Kristen Stewart and Melissa Leo. Finally, my indie DVD pick of the week is RHINELAND, a WWII drama by Chris Grega shot in the Saint Louis area.

DVD for Tuesday, Feb. 1st, 2011

  1. 11 HARROWHOUSE (1974)
  2. BEVERLY HILLS CHIHUAHUA 2 (2010)
  3. BONDED BY BLOOD (2010)
  4. BULLSHOT (1983)
  5. CHAIN LETTER (2010)
  6. THE CLIENT LIST (2010)
  7. CONVICTION (2010)
  8. GIULIA DOESN’T DATE AT NIGHT (2009)
  9. LET ME IN (2010)
  10. THE LONG GOOD FRIDAY (1980)
  11. LUCKY LADY (1975)
  12. MEAN GIRLS 2 (2011)
  13. MONA LISA (1986)
  14. MONSTERS (2010)
  15. NEVER LET ME GO (2010)
  16. NIGHT CATCHES US (2010)
  17. Pre-Code Hollywood Double Feature: HELL HARBOR and JUNGLE BRIDE (1930/1933)
  18. THE PROWLER (1951)
  19. RHINELAND (2007)
  20. SHOPPING (1994)
  21. SKIN (2008)
  22. WELCOME TO THE RILEYS (2010)
  23. A WOMAN, A GUN AND A NOODLE SHOP (2010)

DVD for Wednesday, Feb. 2nd, 2011:

  1. HATCHET 2 (2010)

Blu Monday: January 25, 2011

Your Weekly Source for the Newest Releases to Blu-Ray

The Academy Award-winning Spielberg classic THE COLOR PURPLE makes it’s way to Blu-Ray; Russell Crowe portrays a brilliant, but troubled genius in A BEAUTIFUL MIND, based on a true story; venture outside the box with two creative festival favorites — ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND starring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet, and Gaspar Noe’s visual tour de force ENTER THE VOID; Criterion Collection adds another volume to it’s library in James L. Brooks’ BROADCAST NEWS; get rugby rough with Matt Damon and Morgan Freeman in Clint Eastwood’s INVICTUS, and take your pick of the entire Stieg Larsson Trilogy boxed set, or just the third installment of THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET’S NEST, the final chapter in an extraordinary, critically-acclaimed trio of films from Norway.

Blu-Ray for Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2011

  1. THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET’S NEST (2009)
  2. A BEAUTIFUL MIND (2001)
  3. BROADCAST NEWS: Criterion Collection (1987)
  4. THE COLOR PURPLE (1985)
  5. ENTER THE VOID (2009)
  6. ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS (2004)
  7. FUEL (2009)
  8. INVICTUS (2009)
  9. MALCOLM X (1992)
  10. MOSCOW, BELGIUM (2008)
  11. NOWHERE BOY (2010)
  12. QUIET DAYS IN CLICHY (1970)
  13. RED: Special Edition (2010)
  14. SANTA SANGRE (1989)
  15. SAW 3D: THE FINAL CHAPTER (2010)
  16. SECRETARIAT (2010)
  17. WHITE WEDDING (2009)
  18. The Stieg Larsson Trilogy Blu-Ray Box Set

Sam Taylor-Wood’s NOWHERE BOY — starring Aaron Johnson and based on the early life and rise of John Lennon — finds it’s fans on both Blu-Ray and DVD. Also making their DVD debut are… Giorgos Lanthimos’s festival favorite DOGTOOTH — an odd Greek dramedy about three teenagers confined to a secluded country estate; Michael Oblowitz’s indie thriller THE TRAVELER — starring Val Kilmer; ChusyHaney-Jardine’s ANYWHERE, USA — a comedy about American manners, prejudices, and family dynamics in three segments; Michael Matzdorff’s FEED THE FISH — a comedy about a burnt out childrens’ author, starring Tony Shalhoub; Baltasar Kormákur’s indie drama/thriller INHALE features Dermot Mulroney and Sam Shepard; and WHICH WAY HOME is a documentary about unaccompanied child immigrants. Finally, Alejandro Jodorowsky’s 1989 psychological horror SANTA SANGRE gets new life on Blu-Ray and DVD.

DVD for Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2011

  1. ANYWHERE, USA (2008)
  2. THE BIRD CAN’T FLY (2007)
  3. BROADCAST NEWS: Criterion Collection (1987)
  4. DOGTOOTH (2011)
  5. ENTER THE VOID (2009)
  6. FEED THE FISH (2011)
  7. INHALE (2010)
  8. NOWHERE BOY (2010)
  9. OPEN SEASON 3 (2011)
  10. RED: Special Edition (2010)
  11. SANTA SANGRE (1989)
  12. SAW: THE FINAL CHAPTER (2010)
  13. SECRETARIAT (2010)
  14. The Stieg Larsson Trilogy Box Set
  15. THE TRAVELER (2010)
  16. WHICH WAY HOME (2011)
  17. WHITE WEDDING (2009)

Blu Monday: January 18, 2011

Your Weekly Source for the Newest Releases to Blu-Ray

Perhaps the most anticipated release this week is Rodrigo Cortes’ BURIED, a groundbreaking indie thriller starring Ryan Reynolds who wakes up to find himself buried alive, but much more is at play in this ingenious film. David Michod’s ANIMAL KINGDOM — about a 17-year old coping with life in a criminal family —  was also a festival favorite on the indie scene; FREAKONOMICS is an anthology from six innovative documentary filmmakers that explores the hidden side of everything; and two classics from director Samuel Fuller — NAKED KISS, a film noir about a prostitute who finds redemption; and SHOCK CORRIDOR, about a journalist who commits himself to a mental institution to solve a strange murder — get the Blu-Ray treatment from Criterion Collection.

Blu-Ray for Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2011

  1. ANIMAL KINGDOM (2010)
  2. ARMY OF CRIME (2010)
  3. BURIED (2010)
  4. DEATH RACE 2: Blu-Ray/DVD Combo Pack (2011)
  5. DOWN TERRACE (2010)
  6. FREAKONOMICS (2010)
  7. LEBANON (2010)
  8. THE NAKED KISS: Criterion Collection (1964)
  9. NOMAD: THE WARRIOR (2005)
  10. SHOCK CORRIDOR: Criterion Collection (1963)
  11. TAKERS (2010)

John Curran’s STONE — starring Edward Norton and Robert DeNiro — and John Luessenhop’s TAKERS — an urban crime drama — both hope for better DVD sales than they received at the box office. Writer-director Ben Wheatley’s British crime-dramedy wants to catch your private home-viewing eye; Samuel Moaz’s critically-acclaimed LEBANON — about a single tank and parachute platoon in the first Lebanese War — releases on both Blu-Ray and DVD; while Roger Corman sees five more of his sci-fi/cult classics dug up and dusted off for a whole new generation to enjoy on DVD.

DVD for Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2011

  1. ANIMAL KINGDOM (2010)
  2. ARMY OF CRIME (2010)
  3. DEATH RACE 2 (2011)
  4. DOWN TERRACE (2010)
  5. FREAKONOMICS (2010)
  6. LEBANON (2010)
  7. THE NAKED KISS: Criterion Collection (1964)
  8. Roger Corman’s Sci-Fi Classics — ATTACK OF THE CRAB MONSTERS/WAR OF THE SATELLITES/NOT OF THIS EARTH (1957/1958/1957)
  9. SHOCK CORRIDOR: Criterion Collection (1963)
  10. STONE (2010)
  11. TAKERS (2010)
  12. UP FROM THE DEPTHS / DEMON OF PARADISE: Roger Corman’s Cult Classics Two-Pack (1979/1987)

Blu Monday: January 11, 2011

Your Weekly Source for the Newest Releases to Blu-Ray

Blu-Ray for Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2011

David Fincher’s Best Picture contender THE SOCIAL NETWORK hits store shelves today. Two modern classics — Kevin Costner’s western DANCES WITH WOLVES and Martin Scorsese’s RAGING BULL,  adapted from Jake La Matta’s memoir — receive special anniversary special editions. Criterion Collection releases two classic films on Blu-Ray: John-Pierre Melville’s ARMY OF SHADOWS — a WWII story about the French Resistance, set in 1942 and thick with realism — and Byron Haskin’s ROBINSON CRUSOE ON MARS — a fascinating sci-fi story about an astronaut stranded on Mars with only a monkey as his companion, he must find someway to survive with limited water and oxygen.

  1. ARMY OF SHADOWS: Criterion Collection (1969)
  2. DANCES WITH WOLVES: 20th Anniversary Edition (1990)
  3. ENDLESS SUMMER (1966)
  4. THE GREAT DEBATERS (2007)
  5. ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA (1984)
  6. PIRANHA (1978)
  7. RAGING BULL: 30th Anniversary Edition (1980)
  8. ROB ROY (1995)
  9. ROBINSON CRUSOE ON MARS: Criterion Collection (1964)
  10. THE SOCIAL NETWORK (2010)

DVD for Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2011

Debuting solely on DVD are a few indie films worth checking out, including Katie Aselton’s THE FREEBIE — the story of a couple who decide to give each other the night off, no questions asked; CANDY MAN — a documentary about the rise and fall of David Klein, the man behind the Jelly Belly jelly bean; Louis CK’s HILARIOUS — the comedian’s latest comedy concert and a huge hit at Sundance 2010; and A LONG RIDE FROM HELL — Camillo Bazzoni’s spaghetti western about two brothers serving prison time for a train-robbery, starring Steve Reeves.

  1. CANDY MAN (2010)
  2. DANCES WITH WOLVES (1990)
  3. THE FREEBIE (2010)
  4. GREEN HORNET, THE: 75th Anniversary Original Serials Collector’s Set
  5. HAPPILY EVER AFTER (1993)
  6. HEARTBREAKER (2010)
  7. LOUIS C.K.: HILARIOUS (2010)
  8. HOW TO GET AHEAD IN ADVERTISING (1989)
  9. A LONG RIDE FROM HELL (1968)
  10. THE SOCIAL NETWORK (2010)