DISCussion: New on DVD and Blu-ray (12.31.2013)

The final edition of DISCussion for 2013 sees a light week of DVD and Blu-ray releases, with smaller movies like Don Jon, Last Love and CBGB. Joseph Gordon-Levitt made his directional debut with the sex rom-com Don Jon and it has earned the honor of being Entertainment Fuse's Recommendation of the Week. The DVD coming with a short film and the Blu-ray having a making of documentary. First Release - Don Jon (DVD and Blu-ray) - Sweetwater (DVD and Blu-ray) - Last Love (DVD and Blu-ray) - CBGB (DVD and Blu-ray) - Love, Marilyn (DVD)   Don Jon (DVD and Blu-ray) *Recommendation of the Week* Written and directed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore Joseph Gordon-Levitt had a bumper 2012 when he starred in movies like The Dark Knight Rises, Looper and Premium Rush. He followed that activity by making his first foray behind the camera, writing, starring and directing the romantic comedy Don Jon. Jon Martello (Gordon-Levitt) is a bodybuilder from an Italian-American family in New Jersey and a ladies' man. But Jon, nicknamed "Don Jon" by his friends, is a porn addict, which gives him unrealistic expectations about women. This is complicated when he starts a relationship with Barbara (Scarlett Johansson), a beautiful young woman who has her own idealized views on romance. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 81% (very good) Metacritic Rating: 66/100 (good) Entertainment Fuse Score: 6.5/10 DISC DETAILS DVD Special Features: HitRECord shorts Additional Blu-ray Special Features: Closed Caption; Making of Don Jon; Don Jon's origin; Joe's hats!; Objectified; Themes and varations Amazon Price: $14.96 (DVD), $17.99 (Blu-ray) It is a light week of DVD and Blu-ray releases with the other releases being smaller movies like the Western Sweetwater and the drama Last Love. Sweetwater (DVD and Blu-ray)  Directed by Logan Miller Written by Andrew McKenzie, Logan Miller, Noah Miller Starring: Ed Harris, January Jones, Jason Isaacs, Eduardo Noriega, Stephen Root, Jason Aldean Sweetwater is a violence Western starring January Jones (X-Men: First Class) as Sarah Ramirez, a beautiful ex-prostitute who tries to start a new life in New Mexico but ends up clashing with a sadistic cult leader (Jason Isaacs, The Patriot) and finds support from a renegade sheriff (Ed Harris). Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 21% (very bad) Metacritic Rating: 38/100 (poor) DISC DETAILS DVD Special Features: Closed Caption Amazon Price: $12.99 (DVD), $18.98 (Blu-ray) Last Love (DVD and Blu-ray) Directed by Sandra Nettelbeck Written by Sandra Nettelbeck (screenplay), Francoise Dorner (novel "La Douceur Assassine") Starring: Michael Caine, Clémence Poésy Michael Caine stars as Matthew Morgan, an American philosophy professor and a recent widower who in ends up forming an unlikely friendship with Parisian dancing instructor, Pauline (Clémence Poésy, In Bruges). Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 35% (poor) Metacritic Rating: 37/100 (poor) DISC DETAILS DVD Special Features: Deleted scenes; Outtakes Amazon Price: $17.18 (DVD), $27.98 (Blu-ray) CBGB (DVD and Blu-ray) Directed by Randall Miller Written by Randall Miller, Jody Savin Starring: Alan Rickman, Malin Åkerman, Freddy Rodriguez, Stana Katic, Richard de Klerk, Rupert Grint, Justin Bartha, Joel David Moore, Johnny Galecki, Donal Logue, Ashley Greene, Taylor Hawkins, Michey Sumner The last release of the week is the historical music movie CBGB about Hilly Kristal (Alan Rickman), a man who wanted to create a venue for country, bluegrass and blues act, but ends up being home of the New York punk scene. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 8% (awful) Metacritic Rating: 30/100 (poor) DISC DETAILS DVD Special Features: Closed Caption; Deleted scenes; Outtakes; Commentary by the filmmakers Amazon Price: $12.99 (DVD), $21.24 (Blu-ray) Score (DVDTalk.com): Content 2 stars, Video 3.5 stars, Audio 4 stars, Extras 2.5 stars, Replay 2 stars (out of 5). Rent It. Love, Marilyn (DVD) Directed by Liz Garbus Written by Liz Garbus (screenplay), Stanley F. Buchthal, Bernard Comment (book 'Fragments: Poems, Intimate Notes, Letters') Starring: Marilyn Monroe Love, Marilyn is a documentary about the life of Marilyn Monroe, focusing on a series of newly discovered personal papers which are read by celebrities such as Evan Rachel Wood, Uma Thurman and Lindsay Lohan. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes: 62% (good) Metacritic Rating: 51/100 (average) DISC DETAILS Amazon Price: $25.46 (DVD)