Must Buy DVD of the Week!
TRON LEGACY/TRON THE ORIGINAL CLASSIC (FIVE DISC BLU RAY COMBO): Haters out there will have you believe that Tron Legacy was a total bore, but they be wrong cuz Legacy perfectly captures (and in many cases improves upon) the mythology and world of The Grid. Garrett Hudland is so-so, but Bridges Zen warrior is plenty fun and I was shockingly impressed by Olivia Wilde's child-like wonder as program Quorra. And if you're going to snatch up Tron Legacy you have to go with the Five Pack so you can finally snag the original, long out-of-print film.
Buy!
TAXI DRIVER (BLU): Seems like a long time coming, but Martin Scorsese and Paul Schrader's brilliant film of isolation and depression finally hits Blu ray. Fun Times! Honestly, I have to be in a very particular kind of mood to pop Taxi Driver into the player. It's a great movie and whitoutadoubt Robert De Niro's finest hour, but it is such an oppressive flick and I need some serious downtime after each viewing. Watch Taxi Driver and then follow it up with something feel-gooder like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
A.I. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (BLU): Despite the last ten minutes or so, A.I. is an absolutely fantastic futuristic vision concocted by Steven Speilberg through the memory of Stanley Kubrick. Haley Joel Osmet really was a phenomenon; this crack'd Pinocchio tale revels in its dark, twisted set design and Jude Law nearly steals the show as Gigolo Joe. If not for that irritating closing scene, Spielberg had himself a Science Fiction masterpiece. And Teddy is Badass.
ROGER CORMAN'S ACTION-PACKED COLLECTION (GEORGIA PEACHES, THE GREAT TEXAS DYNAMITE CHASE, SMOKEY BITES THE DUST): Okay, so I haven't seen a single one of these supposed Roger Corman Cult Classics but I have absolutely loved every single one of The Shout Facotry's Corman releases and I'm gonna trust them with this too. Not to mention that Georgia Peaches stars Dirk Benedict of the original Battlestar Galactica and A-Team fame. I'm there.
Rent!
ROPE OF SAND: I love Burt Lancaster. Sweet Smell of Success. The Professionals. The Train. These are some seriously cool performances. And Rope of Sand also has a nifty Casablanca reunion with Claude Rains, Peter Lorre, and Paul Henreid. Unfortunately, Rope of Sand is rather dull. Definitely worth a rent for the fans out there but not really worth owning. FYI, it's on Netflix Instant right now.
THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA - THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER: This actually doesn't hit shops till April 8th, but I'm curious to get my hands on it now. The first film was so-so, but I found myself really enjoying Prince Caspian, although not as much to get my butt in the theater for the third outing. Still, animals and Brian Cox's involvement are enough to get a few dollars outta me.
I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS: Although I'm not a huge fan of his comedy, Creepy Stalker Jim Carrey (Cable Guy, The Number 23) seems to always be a safe bet. And an awkward prison love story with Ewan McGregor...interesting.
Avoid!
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST - A DARK TALE: Seriously, another Beauty and the Beast story? We need this Direct-to-DVDer about as much as we need another Robin Hood or Three Musketeers movie. Yeash.
LITTLE FOCKERS: I once tricked myself into thinking that Meet The Parents was a funny movie, but those days are long gone and we sure as hell don't need to shell over our hard earned cash to this bankrupt franchise when there are cheezy Roger Corman greats to be had. Please, just stay away cuz the rest of America sure didn't seem to.
--Brad
AI would have been a near perfect film if it had just ended with Haley Joel Osmet at the bottom of the ocean wishing to be a real boy.
ReplyDeleteYep, I always remember seeing this in the theater waiting for the credits to roll with the kid under sea...and then the movie kept going, crushing a perfect climax.
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