It is another big week of DVD and Blu-ray releases. The first releases of the week are action-comedies The Losers and Cop Out. There's also the indie film The Runaways as well as re-releases of two British classics. And to coincide with the upcoming release of Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore a Blu-ray re-release of the original Cats and Dogs.
First Release
- The Losers (DVD and Blu-ray)
- The Runaways (DVD and Blu-ray)
- Cop Out (DVD and Blu-ray)
Re-Release
- The Red Shoes (DVD and Blu-ray)
- Black Narcissus (DVD and Blu-ray)
- Cats and Dogs (Blu-ray) 
The Losers (DVD and Blu-ray)
What's the Deal?
Before the release of The A-Team and eventually The Expendables, this comic book adaptation was the first film of 2010 to offer action involving a team of wronged special forces who must use their abilities to clear their names. The Losers features a talented cast including Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Watchmen), Zoe Saldana (Avatar, Star Trek) and Chris Evans (Sunshine and the future Captain America) and was written by James Vanderbilt (Zodiac) and Peter Berg (Friday Night Lights). With a low budget of $25 million this film offered action and comedy and a short-term fix until the big boys came out to play.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 47% (average)
Player Affinity Score: 7.0/10
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Zoë and the Losers: How Zoë Saldana Held Her Own and Relished Mixing with the Adrenaline-Junkie Guy Cast
Additional Blu-ray Features: Band of Buddies: Ops Training; Intensive training sessions by military advisor and ex-navy seal Harry Humphries; Close-up look at the intense action sequences; Transforming Puerto Rico as a stand-in for several global locations; The Losers: Action style storytelling; The Losers writer Andy Diggle and artist Jock on how they developed the hugely popular original comic series; Deleted scene; Sneak peak - Batman: Under the Red Hood; Get a first look at DC universe's new original animated movie; Plus: Zoë and The Losers;
Amazon Price: $16.99 (DVD), $19.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A
The Runaways (DVD and Blu-ray)
What's the Deal?
After some success with a little series called Twilight, Kristen Stewart and former child star Dakota Fanning (War of the Worlds) aimed to flex their acting muscles in this indie tale of rock-and-roll with Stella Maeve (Harold) and Scout Taylor-Compton (Halloween 2007). Based on the memoirs of Cherie Currie, The Runaways is a biopic of the '70s rock band of the same name.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 65% (good)
Player Affinity Score: 7.0/10
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Go on the road with The Runaways with a rockin' commentary with Joan Jett, Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning and a behind-the-scenes look at making the film
Amazon Price: $16.99 (DVD), $19.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): Content: 0.5 stars, Video 3.5 stars, Audio 4.5 stars, Extras 3 stars, Replay 0 stars (out of 5). Skip it.
Cop Out (DVD and Blu-ray)
What's the Deal?
Kevin Smith, the writer/director of Clerks and Dogma seems to be on a mission to torch his career after the flop Zack and Miri Make a Porno. Smith ranted against critics who gave negatives to Cop Out; the same people who built up his career in the first place. Bruce Willis and Tracey Morgan (30 Rock) are NYPD detectives who end up on the hunt to recover a rare baseball card to pay for Willis' daughter’s wedding. But they end up getting side tracked by petty criminals and gangsters on the way.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 19% (very bad)
Player Affinity Score: 3.0/10
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Additional Scenes
Additional Blu-ray Features: Over an hour of never-before-seen extended scenes and outtakes; Picture-in-picture moments with Kevin Smith and Seann William Scott ; Walk-ons by Kevin Smith; Wisdom from the s bandit; Factoids about the movie and other information you may find helpful or totally useless
Amazon Price: $16.99 (DVD), $19.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): Content: 3 stars, Video 3.5 stars, Audio 3.5 stars, Extras 4.5 stars, Replay 2.5 stars (out of 5). Recommended
The Red Shoes (DVD and Blu-ray)
What's the Deal?
Martin Scorsese considers the British classic The Red Shoes as one of his favorite films and with his long-time editor Thelma Schoonmaker they have painstakingly remastered this technicolor film. Adapted from Hans Christian Anderson’s fairy tale of the same name, The Red Shoes is an ambitious yet simple tale about the power of ballet, with all its glamour and pitfalls. Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s tragic film has passed the test of time.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 97% (excellent)
Player Affinity Score: N/A
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: New digital transfer supervised by director of photography Jack Cardiff; Audio commentary by film historian Ian Christie, featuring interviews with Marius Goring and Moira Shearer, Jack Cardiff, composer Brian Easdale, and Martin Scorsese; Jeremy Irons reads excerpts from Powell and Pressburger's novelization of The Red Shoes and the original Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale "The Red Shoes"; Martin Scorsese's collection of The Red Shoes memorablilia; Rare publicity and behind-the-scenes production stills; "The Red Shoe Sketches," animated film of Hein Heckroth's painted storyboards, with a comparison to "The Red Shoes" ballet as an alternate angle ; Theatrical trailer; Powell and Pressburger filmography with clips and stills; English subtitles for the deaf and hearing-impaired; Optimal image quality: RSDL dual-layer edition
Amazon Price: $35.99 (DVD), $29.49 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A
Black Narcissus (DVD and Blu-ray)
What's the Deal?
Another classic of British cinema from Powell and Pressburger, Black Narcissus has also earned a re-release. Based on a novel by Rumer Godden, Black Narcissus is a dark tale set in a isolated Anglo-Catholic missionary as the nuns of the order slowly descend into madness.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 100% (excellent)
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Video Introduction by Filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier; ; Audio Commentary featuring Powell and Director Martin Scorsese; ; The Audacious Adventurer, a Video Piece in which Tavernier discusses the film and Powell; ; Profile of "Black Narcissus," a Documentary featuring members of the Archers' Production Team; ; Painting with Light, a Documentary on Cardiff's Oscar-winning work in Black Narcissus; ; Original Theatrical Trailer; Plus: a Booklet featuring an Essay by critic Kent Jones
Amazon Price: $27.99 (DVD), $35.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): Content: 5 stars, Video 5 stars, Audio 2.5 stars, Extras 3 stars, Replay 5 stars (out of 5). Highly Recommended
Cats and Dogs (Blu-ray)
What's the Deal?
With the upcoming release of Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore, Cats and Dogs is being released on Blu-ray for the first time. This family film shows the eternal battle between man’s most beloved pets in their own world of high-tech espionage. Lou (voiced by Tobey Maguire) is an innocent beagle puppy who gets thrown into the middle of this battle as an evil Persian cat named Mr. Tinkles (voiced by Sean Hayes) plans to steal a formula to end dog allergies created by Professor Brody (Jeff Goldblum). This is a film more for dog lovers then cat fans.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 53% (average)
Player Affinity Score: 5,0/10
DISC DETAILS
DVS Special Features: Commentary by director Lawrence Guterman, producer Chris DeFaria and production designer James Bissell; 5 furry-ously fun featurettes:; Hbo first look: the making of cats & dogs; Teaching a new dog new tricks; Mr tinkles' audition tape; Dogs Rule; Mr Tinkles' speech; Storyboard comparisons; Concept sketches
Amazon Price: $18.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A
