DISCussion: New on DVD and Blu-ray (10.28.14)

While there are some incredible Criterion releases this week, Begin Again receives our distinction as Recommendation of the Week. New Releases: Begin Again – (Blu-ray, DVD and Instant) *Recommendation of the Week* Wish I Was Here – (Blu-ray, DVD and Instant) Life of Crime – (Blu-ray, DVD and Instant) Deliver Us From Evil – (Blu-ray, DVD and Instant) Good People – (Blu-ray, DVD and Instant) Behaving Badly – (Blu-ray, DVD and Instant) The Prince – (Blu-ray, DVD and Instant) Re-Release: The Complete Jacques Tati – (Criterion Blu-ray Box Set) The Vanishing (Spoorloos)– (Criterion Blu-ray)   Begin Again – (Blu-ray, DVD and Instant) *Recommendation of the Week* Directed and written by John Carney Starring: Mark Ruffalo, Keira Knightley, Adam Levine When an out of luck musician (Knightley) connects with an equally downtrodden music executive (Ruffalo), their collaboration promises to make beautiful music. Set in the iconic New York City summer, this cute and inspiring film sports great original music, and strong performances by Ruffalo and Knightley. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 82% (Very Good) Metacritic: 62 (Good) IMDB: 7.5 (Very Good) Entertainment Fuse: 8.5/10 (Read our Review) DISC DETAILS Special Features: The Making of Begin Again featurette, Lyric Music Videos Amazon: $19.99 (Blu-ray); $16.98 (DVD); $12.99 (Instant Buy) Score (DVDTalk.com): Content: 4 stars(out of 5); Video: 4.5 stars; Audio: 4.5 stars; Extras: 2 stars; Replay: 3 stars. Highly Recommended.   Wish I Was Here – (Blu-ray, DVD and Instant) Directed by Zach Braff Written by Adam J. Braff and Zach Braff Starring: Zach Braff, Joey King, Kate Hudson Zach Braff's crowd-funded followup to his beloved Garden State, feels more like a distant sequel than an original film. Braff plays a failing actor dealing with the impending death of his father, financial trouble, and raising his two, whip smart, kids. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 46% (Bad) Metacritic: 43 (Bad) IMDB: 6.9 (Good) Entertainment Fuse: 6/10 (Read our Review) DISC DETAILS Special Features: Deleted Scenes; “Directing While Acting” Featurette with Braff struggling to critique actors while acting himself; Outtakes from the Austin Martin dealership with close friend and Scrubs co-star, Donald Faison; Audio Commentary with the Braff brothers; Audio Commentary with Braff, DP Lawrence Sher, and Editor Myron Kerstein Amazon: $21.98 (Blu-ray); $16.99 (DVD); $14.99 (Instant Buy) Score (DVDTalk.com): Content: 3 stars(out of 5); Video: 4 stars; Audio: 4 stars; Extras: 3.5 stars; Replay: 2.5 stars. Rent It.   Life of Crime – (Blu-ray, DVD and Instant) Directed by Daniel Schechter Written by Elmore Leonard (novel) and Daniel Schechter (screenplay) Starring: John Hawkes, Mos Def, Jennifer Aniston, Tim Robbins A respectable Elmore Leonard adaption with quick witted dialogue and a murky and twist-filled plot. With a great ensemble cast, and competent direction, this mid-range film is elevated to a much higher level. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 66% (Fresh) Metacritic: 60 (Good) IMDB: 5.8 (Okay) Entertainment Fuse: 7/10 (Read our Review) DISC DETAILS Amazon: $15.99 (Blu-ray); $11.99 (DVD); $6.99/$12.99 (Instant Rent/ Buy)   Deliver Us From Evil – (Blu-ray, DVD and Instant) Directed by Scott Derrickson Written by Scott Derrickson (screenplay), Paul Harris Boardman (screenplay), Ralph Sarchie (book) and Lisa Collier Cool (book) Starring: Eric Bana, Edgar Ramirez, Olivia Munn When a New York City cop, Ralph Sarchie (Bana), finds that a series of possessions are terrorizing the town, he enlists the help of an unconventional priest (Ramirez) to combat the evil. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 28% (Very Bad) Metacritic: 40 (Bad) IMDB: 6.3 (Good) DISC DETAILS Special Features: Director commentary; “Illuminating Evil” featurette detailing the real life Ralph Sarchie; “Deliver Un From Demons” featurette where Sean Harris' character, Santino is explored; ; “The Two Sergeants” featurette regarding Derrickson's intentions for the film; and “The Demon Detective” profiling Sarchie once again, but about his work as a “Demonologist” Amazon: $22.96 (Blu-ray); $16.99 (DVD); $14.99 (Instant Buy) Score (DVDTalk.com): Content: 3 stars(out of 5); Video: 4.5 stars; Audio: 5 stars; Extras: 3 stars; Replay: 2.5 stars. Recommended.   Good People – (Blu-ray, DVD and Instant) Directed by Henrik Ruben Genz Written by Kelly Masterson and Marcus Sakey (novel) Starring: James Franco, Kate Hudson, Tom Wilkinson A struggling couple find their tenant dead, and upon clearing out his apartment, they discover a large sum of money. After pocketing the cash, they realize that the man who stole the money is out to get them. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 12% (In the words of George Takei, Oh My) Metacritic: 42 (Bad) IMDB: 5.4 (Bad) DISC DETAILS Special Features: Making of featurette; Trailer Amazon: $18.99 (Blu-ray); $10.99 (DVD); $3.99/$12.99 (Instant Rent/ Buy) Score (DVDTalk.com): Content: 2.5 stars(out of 5); Video: 4 stars; Audio: 4 stars; Extras: 0.5 stars; Replay: 1 stars. Rent It.   Behaving Badly – (Blu-ray, DVD and Instant) Directed by Tim Garrick Written by Tim Garrick (screenplay), Scott Russell (screenplay) and Ric Browde (based on the book “While I'm Dead... Feed the Dog”) Starring: Selena Gomez, Nat Wolff, Mary-Louise Parker A high school guy wants to date some girl, so he “does anything” to get her. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 0% (Hmm) Metacritic: 18 (Hmmm) IMDB: 4.3 (That'll do it, this is officially fodder for the “How Did This Get Made” podcast) DISC DETAILS Amazon: $18.89 (DVD)[wouldn't be worth it for $0.50]; $3.99/$19.99 (Instant Rent/ Buy)   The Prince – (Blu-ray, DVD and Instant) Directed by Brian A. Miller Written by Andre Fabrizio and Jeremy Passmore Starring: Jason Patric, Bruce Willis and John Cusack Another daughter getting kidnapped/assassin father has to find her movie. This one stars Bruce Willis and The Cuse'. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 0% (Two in the Same Day?) Metacritic: 17 (One less than the horny teenager movie) IMDB: 4.5 (Audiences “liked” it a bit more than the teenager movie) DISC DETAILS Amazon: $15.99 (Blu-ray); $11.99 (DVD); $6.99 (Instant Rent)   Re-Release (after those last two, we'll call this the “Palate Cleanser” portion):   The Complete Jacques Tati – (Criterion Blu-ray Box Set) Directed by Jacques Tati Famed French New Wave/ Left Bank director Jacques Tati has been given the Criterion treatment. Though he had a short career, Tati was the master of sight-gag comedy, and is one of the most beloved French directors. The six films include: Jour de fête (1949) Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday (1953) Mon oncle (1958) PlayTime (1967) Trafic (1971) Parade (1974) DISC DETAILS Amazon: $119.99 (Criterion Blu-ray Box Set)   The Vanishing (Spoorloos) – (Criterion Blu-ray) Directed by George Sluizer Written by Tim Krabbé (novel and screenplay) and George Sluizer (adaptation) Starring: Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu, Gene Bervoets, Johanna ter Steege A thoroughly haunting and beautiful thriller, George Sluizer's masterful film follows Rex Hofman (Bervoets) as he tries to find his missing girlfriend. Continuing to receive notes from her “killer” he finds himself on the brink of a mental breakdown as he tries to put her disappearance to rest. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 100% (@ 36 reviews) Metacritic: N/A IMDB: 7.8 (Very Good) Entertainment Fuse: 9.5/10 DISC DETAILS Special Features: New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray; Interview with director George Sluizer; Interview with actor Johanna ter Steege; Trailer; PLUS: An essay by critic Scott Foundas Amazon: $37.98 (Criterion Blu-ray) Score (DVDTalk.com): Content: 4.5 stars(out of 5); Video: 4.5 stars; Audio: 4 stars; Extras: 3 stars; Replay: 4 stars. Highly Recommended.