New Release Tuesday (6/28/11)!!!

Must Buy DVD of the Week!

ZATHURA (BLU):  Remember when the Internet nearly exploded when Jon Favreau was announced as the director of Iron Man?  I stood back confident.  I knew he was the right man for the job because I had seen the genius that is Zathura, a film that is for my money Favreau's best (fingers crossed that Cowboys & Aliens blows it out of the water) and easily one of the best kid adventure films of the last decade.  I'd put it up there right next to Explorers or The Monster Squad.  And yes, it is infinitely better than that other Chris Van Allburg boardgame fantasy.  Can't wait to see what this looks like on blu with those fantastic Stan Winston Lizards.

Buy!

SUCKER PUNCH (EXTENDED CUT):  I had thoroughly enjoyed all of Zack Snyder's movies leading up to Sucker Punch (yes, even that owl movie is awesome).  But with this girlsplosion fetish-flick he lost me.  There are elements that I like.  The action is cool and the blending of samurais and dragons and robots and WWI demon soldiers is really exciting.  But between those style moments is a lot of boring talkie sequences and a thin plot unable to rise above some really stiff performances.  A shame.  But!  There is enough here for me to continually enjoy and I am putting it on the Blu Ray shelf.  And I'm curious to see the extended cut.

THE LORD OF THE RINGS MOTION PICTURE TRILOGY (EXTENDED BLU RAY EDITION):  I've been going back and forth on whether or not to purchase the blu rays since I already own the extended edition in standard and it's not like I watch them all the time.  I really love the first and second films, but The Return of the King has always left me cold.  I really just don't like the ending, which I won't go on and on about here.  It just doesn't have the oomph that I want it to have.  That being said, I know I'm going to break down and snatch up the blus eventually.  Maybe not this week but I can't resist.

SEASON OF THE WITCH:  No surprise to you folks that have been paying attention, but I love Nicolas Cage movies.  The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.  I take all shades of Cage.  Season of the Witch is nowhere near as awesome as the other 2011 Cage flick Drive Angry, but it's also not nearly as bad as the internet was spewing about this flick in January.  It's fun.  It's got Ron Perlman, and he's in it a lot more than I thought he was going to be.  They are a fun cinematic buddy duo.  That should be worth it for you.

THE WARRIOR'S WAY:  This was a fun movie that nobody seemed to see.  If you like Westerns, or especially Weird Westerns than you really have to check out The Warrior's Way.  Geoffrey Rush and Danny Huston chew a ton of ham and are really a joy to watch.  It is CG heavy, but that's kind of its charm too.  I'm definitely buying it, but you might want to give it a Netflix first.

BLACK MOON:  Haven't seen this one yet.  But everything I've read about this surrealist fantasy has me intrigued   And with the upcoming Barnes and Noble Criterion 50% sale it's even easier to blind buy.  Check out the bizzaro trailer below.

Rent!

THE NESTING (BLU):  Here's another one I've never seen before, but again I've been hearing good things about this seldom discussed 80s horror.  We've got ghosts and a pretty wicked blade.  I'm in.  Eli Roth recently tweeted that it inspired at least one nasty death in Hostel Part II.  "You will not live until you've killed...The Nesting!"

BARNEY'S VERSION:  I've heard mixed opinions on this one, but I love Paul Giamatti and I'm always in the mood for an actor's showcase.  Plus, it's Canadian!

LIVE LIKE A COP DIE LIKE A MAN:  From the demented (and disgusting mind) that brought us Cannibal Holocaust and Jungle Holocaust (two films I really can't stand!) comes this crime story.  I know very little about it other than that.  I dig the title of course, but there have been plenty of terrible Italian movies with great titles.  And maybe, just maybe the gratuitus outrageousness of Ruggero Deodato will work better for me in a police tale than that gore porn stuff he's known for.  Maybe.

THE ITALIAN CONNECTION:  An obvious French Connection knockoff, but this one stars Henry Silva and Woody Strode!  Plus, that poster is awesome!

THE BOSS:  More Henry Silva!

Avoid!

BEASTLY:  Ugh, just ugh.  Please stop with all these Twilight ripoffs.  The Twilights are bad enough.

--Brad