Here’s what’s up for DISCussion for this week:
First Releases
- Shutter Island (DVD and Blu-ray)
- From Paris with Love (DVD and Blu-ray)
Re-Releases
- Caddyshack (Blu-ray)
- The Illusionist (Blu-ray)
Shutter Island (DVD and Blu-ray)
What’s the Deal?
After Martin Scorsese finally won his long overdue Oscar, he decided to adapt Dennis Lehane’s novel Shutter Island. His novels Mystic River and Gone Baby Gone have been made into successful films, so obviously good source material. Set in the 1954, U.S. marshals Teddy Daniels (Leonardo Di Caprio) and Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo) are assigned to investigate the disappearance of an escaped mental facility patient on Shutter Island. But the two soon discover that this was not a simple case at all. There was some early Oscar buzz around this film but the release date was pushed back, prevent it from receiving an nominations. Yet Shutter Island has become Scorsese’s most financially successful film.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 67% (good)
Player Affinity Score: 7.6/10
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Closed Caption
Additional Blu-ray Features: Behind the shutters (hd) and into the lighthouse (hd)
Amazon Prize: $16.99 (DVD), $19.99 (Blu-ray), $24.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A
From Paris With Love (DVD and Blu-ray)
What’s the Deal?
Pierre Morel quickly became a wanted director after the surprise success of Taken and is lined up to direct a new adaptation of Dune. His Taken follow-up was From Paris With Love, an action-comedy where rookie diplomat James Reese (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) has to try and control maverick CIA official Charlie Wax (John Travola) as they have to fight their way through the Parisian underworld. From Paris With Love underperformed at the box-office.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 37% (bad)
Player Affinity Score: 6/10
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Closed Caption; Audio commentary with director Pierre Morel; The making of From Paris With Love; Spies, spooks and special ops: Life under cover; Secrets of spy craft: Inside the international spy museum; Theatrical trailer
Additional Blu-ray Features: Lionsgate live
Amazon Prize: $17.99 (DVD), $24.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): Content: 2.5 stars, Video: 4 stars, Audio: 4.5 stars, Extras: 2.5 stars, Replay: 2.5 stars (out of 5). Rent it.
Caddyshack (Blu-ray)
What’s the Deal?
Caddyshack was the directional debut from Harold Ramis (Groundhog Dog), a veteran from SCTV and National Lampoon. This golf-set caper has some of America’s most well respected comic stars, Rodney Dangerfield, Chevy Chase and Bill Murray, showing how a group of people rebel against the rules of the Bushwood Golf Club. This film ended up being a cult classic and in the American Film Institutes 100 funniest film list.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 75% (very good)
Player Affinity Score: 7/10
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Bio Caddyshack: The inside story comprehensive feature-length 30th-anniversary documentary with the movie's cast and creators ; Caddyshack: The 19th hole retrospective featurette; Theatrical trailer
Amazon Prize: $16.99
Score (DVDTalk.com): Content: 4.5 stars, Video: 3 stars, Audio: 3 stars, Extras: 3 stars, Replay: 4.5 stars (out of 5). Highly Recommended.
The Illusionist (Blu-ray)
What’s the Deal?
Sometimes films are like buses, nothing comes along for ages and then two come at once. In 2006 we got two films about magicians at the beginning of the 20th Century, The Prestige and The Illusionist. Edward Norton plays Eisenheim, a skilled magician from Vienna who’s tricks are too good to be true. Eisenheim quickly becomes the focus of attention of Chief Inspector Uhl (Paul Giamatti) in this tale of love and treachery in the Austro-Hungarian court.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 73% (very good)
Player Affinity Score: 7.6/10
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Feature Audio Commentary by Writer/Director Neil Burger; The Making of The Illusionist Featurette; Jessica Biel on The Illusionist Featurette
Amazon Prize: $18.49
Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A
