DVD/Blu-ray DISCussion (New for 10.5.10)

The Human Centipede (First Sequence) (DVD and Blu-ray)

What's the Deal?
The Human Centipede (First Sequence) marketed itself on its controversy, claiming to be both 100 percent medically actuate and the most disguising horror film ever made. Dutch writer/director Tom Six created this film after joking with his friends and claims his sister and producer Ilona should have punched him when she read the script. A cast of unknowns star in this film.

When travelling in Europe, American tourists Lindsay (Ashley C. Williams) and Jenny (Ashlynn Yennie) are stuck in a forest when their car breaks down. After going to a house in the middle of the forest they are captured and held prisoner by Dr. Heiter (Dieter Laser). With another prisoner, Katsuro (Akihiro Kitamura), the mad doctor plans to a make a creature with a single digestive system. Needless to say, it is not a willing procedure for the participants.

Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 48% (average)
Player Affinity Score: 8.0/10

DISC DETAILS

DVD Special Features: Trailer ; Deleted scene; Behind the scenes; Director interview; Casting tapes; Foley session; Alternate posters; Director commentary

Amazon Price: $14.99 (DVD), $19.99 (Blu-ray)

Score (DVDTalk.com): Content: 1 stars, Video 2 stars, Audio 3 stars, Extras 3 stars, Replay 0 stars (out of 5). Skip It.


The Secret of Kells (DVD and Blu-ray)

What's the Deal?
2009 was a great year for animated films with entries such as Up, Coraline and Fantastic Mr. Fox being nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Film. The Irish film The Secret of Kells was also nominated for that award and it has been a critical darling. Directed by first-timers Tomm Moore and Nora Twomey, The Secret of Kells stars the voice talents of Brendan Gleeson (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire), Mick Lally (Alexander) and Evan McGuire.

The abbey of Kells is under siege by the Vikings. Brendan (Evan McGuire), who lives in the abbey, is taken on an adventure by a mysterious foreign creature, but the young boy has to overcome his fears.

Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 92% (excellent)
Player Affinity Score: N/A

DISC DETAILS

DVD Special Features: Notes from the Master Illuminators: Audio Commentary with the Director, Co-Director and Art Director; Voices of Ireland: Voice Recording Sessions with Brendan Gleeson, Evan McGuire, Christen Mooney and Mick Lally; Director's Presentation of Pre-Production Sketches and Inspirational Images; Pencil To Picture; Early Concept Trailer; Aisling at the Oscars*; Theatrical Trailer

Amazon Price: $21.49 (DVD), $34.99 (Blu-ray)

Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A


Agora (DVD)

What's the Deal?
The Spanish director of The Others, Alejandro Amenabar, has returned to filmmaking after a five year break with a biopic about Hypatia, the female mathematician, philosopher and astronomer from the 4th Century. Rachel Weisz plays the central character with Max Minghella (The Social Network) and Oscar Isaac (Robin Hood).

Anicient Egypt is in the middle of turmoil with Christian fundamentalism on the rise. In the school in Alexandria, Hypatia tries to keep a balance and prevent the conflict from spilling into her work. Her slave Davus (Minghella) is torn between his love for Hypatia and desire for the freedom Christianity offers.

Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 54% (average)
Player Affinity Score: N/A

DISC DETAILS

DVD Special Features: N/A

Amazon Price: $15.99 (DVD)

Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A



Re-Releases
Grindhouse (Blu-ray)

What's the Deal?
Back in 2007, writer-directors and best buds, Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez, released their homage to Grindhouse cinema and exploitation B-movies. The two celebrated filmmakers made the films Death Proof and Planet Terror. The cast in both films is impressive, including Rose McGowen, Michael Biehn, Josh Brolin, Bruce Willis and Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Directors including Edgar Wright (Hot Fuzz) and Rob Zombie (The Devil’s Rejects) made fake trailers for the film, with Robert Rodriguez’s trailer Machete becoming a feature length film. 

Death Proof tells how stunt-driver Stuntman Mike (Russell) targets attractive young women and uses his car to kill them. Planet Terror is a zombie tale when the American military accidentally release a virus in a small Texas town and how the civilians survive, lead by El Wray (Freddy Rodriguez). Both films how clever injokes between both films and the genre they are honouring.

Because Grindhouse flopped in America both films were extended and released separately in foreign markets, but make their way back onto the same Blu-ray today.

Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 82% (good)
Player Affinity Score: 7.7/10

DISC DETAILS

DVD Special Features: Disc One: Planet Terror - Intermission Cards; Werewolf Women of The S.S. Trailer; Don't Trailer; Thanksgiving Trailer; ; Death Proof - Planet Terror Commentary by Writer/Director Robert Rodriguez; Planet Terror Audience Reaction Track; Thanksgiving Trailer Commentary by Director Eli Roth and Co-Writer/Actor Jeff Rendell; ; Disc Two - All New Bonus Features: Robert Rodriguez's 10-Minute Cooking School; The Makeup Effects of Planet Terror; The Hot Rods of Death Proof; The Production Design of Death Proof; The Making Of The Trailers

Amazon Price: $22.99 (Blu-ray)

Score (DVDTalk.com): Content: 5 stars, Video 4 stars, Audio 3 stars, Extras 5 stars, Replay 5 stars (out of 5). DVD Talk Collector Series.


Beauty and the Beast (Blu-ray)

What's the Deal?
The years from 1989 to 1994 were a golden period for Disney with the releases of films such as The Little Mermaid and The Lion King. Beauty and the Beast came in the middle of this period. Combining both traditional animation techniques and revolutionary CGI, Disney’s adaptation of La Belle et al Bete is a beloved classic. Linda Walkerton (The Lion King, Alice in Wonderland) has the main writing credit and Disney veterans Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise direct the film. 

Belle (O’Hara) is a beautiful but bookish young woman who takes the place of her outcasted father to live with the Beast (Benson), a creature with a heart too hard to love. Under Belle’s tutelage, she teaches the Beast that he can feel love. Beauty of the Beast was the first ever animated film to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture.

Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 93% (excellent)
Player Affinity Score: 9.5/10

DISC DETAILS

DVD Special Features: Blu-ray:; Composing a Classic; Broadway Beginnings; All-new music video; Never-before-seen alternate opening; Never-before-seen deleted scene; Disney sing along mode; Audio commentary; Beyond Beauty - the untold stories; Enchanted Musical Challenge game; Bonjour, Who Is? game; Classic dvd bonus features; DVD:; Disney sing along mode; Audio commentary

Amazon Price: £24.99 (Thee-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A


Robocop Trilogy (Blu-ray)

What's the Deal?
When Robocop was first released it was a commercial and critical hit, joining the likes of Blade Runner, Alien and Predator as an example of great sci-fi from the late '70s to the end of the '80s. The first film was so successful that it lead to the creation of two sequels, an animated series and two live-action series. Now the trilogy is getting a Blu-ray release.

Peter Weller and Robert John Burke play the law-enforcement cyborg, with Paul Verhoeven (Total Recall), Irvin Kershner (Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back) and Fred Dekker directing a film each, as Robocop brings law and order to the dystopic future of Detroit. Although the first film is loved, the second two were critically derided (particularly Robocop 3), and drove Frank Miller away from the Movie Industry for 11 years.

Robocop
Critic Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 88% (excellent)
Player Affinity Score: 8.0/10

Robocop 2
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 35% (bad)
Player Affinity Score: 5.0/10

Robocop 3
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 4% (awful)
Player Affinity Score: 3.0/10

DISC DETAILS

DVD Special Features: N/A

Amazon Price: $36.99 (Blu-ray)

Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A


The Exorcist (Blu-ray)

What's the Deal?
The Exorcist is recognized as one of the greatest horror films ever made. Now, the Blu-ray re-release is giving us both the original and director’s cuts. William Friedkin (The French Connection) directs William Peter Blatty’s adaptation of his own novel. Linda Blair, Ellen Burstyn (Requiem for a Dream), Jason Miller and Max von Sydow (The Seventh Seal) star in this religious-based horror film.

Regan MacNeil (Blair) is a sweet-natured 12-year-old girl, but when her behavior dramatically changes and she performs strange psychical feats, it is clear something is wrong. When the child is claimed to be possessed by the devil, Regan’s desperate mother, Chris (Burstyn), turns to a psychiatrist/priest, Father Damien Karras (Miller), to perform an exorcism.

Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 84% (very good)
Player Affinity Score: 9.2/10

DISC DETAILS

DVD Special Features: Disc 1:; Commentary by William Friedkin ; Raising Hell: Filming the Exorcist -- set footage produced and photographed by Owen Roizman, camera and makeup tests, and interviews with director William Friedkin, actress Linda Blair, author/screenwriter/producer William Peter Blatty and Owen Roizman. BLU-RAY EXCLUSIVE; The Exorcist Locations: Georgetown Then and Now -- Featuring a tour of the iconic locations where the film was shot. BLU-RAY EXCLUSIVE; Faces of Evil: The Different Versions of The Exorcist -- with director William Friedkin and author/screenwriter/producer William Peter Blatty discussing the different versions of the film and featuring outtakes from the film. BLU-RAY EXCLUSIVE; Trailers:; The Version You've Never Seen; Our Deepest Fears ; TV Spots:; Most Electrifying; Scariest Ever; Returns; Radio Spots:; The Devil Himself; Our Deepest Fears; ; Disc 2:; " Introduction by William Friedkin ; " Commentary by William Friedkin; " Commentary by William Peter Blatty with Special Sound Effects Tests ; The Fear of God: 25 Years of The Exorcist [1998 BBC documentary]; " Additional Interviews with William Friedkin and William Peter Blatty; o The Original Cut; o Stairway to Heaven; The Final Reckoning:; Original Ending; Sketches & Storyboards; Trailers & TV Spots from the 1973 version; Trailers:; Nobody Expected It; Beyond Comprehension; Flash Image; TV Spots:; Beyond Comprehension; You Too Can See The Exorcist; Between Science & Superstition; The Movie You've Been Waiting For

Amazon Price: $23.99 (Blu-ray)

Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A


The Last of the Mohicans (Blu-ray)

What's the Deal?
James Fenimore Cooper’s novel The Last of the Mohicans was considered a unfilmable book. That did not stop Michael Mann from making an adaptation, influenced by the original film from 1936. Daniel Day-Lewis leads this romantic epic supported by Madeleine Stowe (Twelve Monkeys), Steven Waddington (Sleepy Hollow), Wes Studi (Avatar) and Jodhi May (Defiance).

Set at the height of the Seven-Years War, Britain and France are battling each other in North America. Hawkeye (Day-Lewis) is a white man raised by the Mohican tribe and allied with the British. But when Hawkeye saves Cora Munro (Stowe) and her sister Alice (May), he sets himself on a course of love and conflict between Major Heyward (Waddington) and suffering the constant threat from Huron war leader Magua (Studi).

Critics Ratings (Rotten Tomatoes): 97% (excellent)
Player Affinity Score: 8.0/10

DISC DETAILS

DVD Special Features: N/A

Amazon Price: $18.49 (Blu-ray)

Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A


Mad Max (Blu-ray)

What's the Deal?
Before he became known as one of the world's most famous bigots, Mel Gibson was once a respected actor. In 1979, Gibson starred in a little Australian film costing A$400,000 ($388,840 U.S.). It springboarded the careers of Gibson and director George Miller (who was a doctor at the time) and became a cult classic. The film lead to two sequels, with Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior considered one of the best action films ever.

In A Clockwork Orange-style dyspotic future, society is breaking down in Australia. Gangs roam the highways and the police are powerless to stop them. One of best pursuit men is Max Rockatansky (Gibson) and he leaves law enforcement after becoming disillusioned. But a threat from a gang puts him and his family in danger.

The fourth film of the series, Mad Max: Fury Road, is now in production, with Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron starring.

Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 95% (excellent)
Player Affinity Score: 6.5/10

DISC DETAILS

DVD Special Features: Mel Gibson: The Birth of a Superstar Commentary; Mad Max: The Film Phenomenon Featurette; Original Theatrical Trailers; Commentary with Jon Dowding, David Eggby, Chris Murray & Tim Ridge; Road Rants Trivia & Fun Fact Track; Photo Gallery; TV Spots; ; Disc 2 - Blu-ray; Commentary by Jon Dowding, David Eggby, Chris Murray & Tim Ridge; Mad Max: The Film Phenomenon Featurette; ; Closed Caption

Amazon Price: $18.99 (Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A


The Mission (Blu-ray)

What's the Deal?
Despite making Super Mario Brothers and Capacity, Roland Joffe was once a respected director, making The Killing Fields. Legendary screenwriter Robert Bolt (Lawrence of Arabia, A Man for All Seasons) writes The Palme d’Or-winning film, with Jeremy Irons and Robert De Niro in the leading roles.

Father Gabriel (Irons) is a Spanish Jesuit priest in 1750s South America. He sets out to convert the indigenous people to Christianity, but when there are treaty negotiations to transfer the territory to Portugal, the indigenous people are placed under threat and Gabriel turns to ex-soldier Rodrigo Mendoza (De Niro) to help protect them.

Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 69% (good)
Player Affinity Score: 8.0/10

DISC DETAILS

DVD Special Features: N/A

Amazon Price: $16.99 (Blu-ray)

Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A


The Maltese Falcon (Blu-ray)

What's the Deal?
The Maltese Falcon is one of the first examples of film noir, an excellent period of Hollywood cinema from the early '40s to the late '50s. John Huston’s (The African Queen) film is the second adaptation of Dashiell Hammett’s novel and it follows the traits of film noir: a crime filled story, faulted characters and a femme fatale. The Maltese Falcon was one of Humphrey Bogart’s first major roles and he is supported by Mary Astor and Sydney Greenstreet.