There are a large number of DVD and Blu-ray releases this week. We PAMers are looking at four new releases, two action comedies, a dialogue comedy and a serious drama. We also have ten re-releases this week from a number of genres, including sci-fi such as George Lucas' first, fantasy, comedy and horror.
First Release
- MacGruber (DVD and Blu-ray)
- Killers (DVD and Blu-ray)
- Solitary Man (DVD and Blu-ray)
- That Evening Sun (DVD and Blu-ray)
Re-Release
- Stardust (Blu-ray)
- THX-1138 (Blu-ray)
- Mars Attacks! (Blu-ray)
- The Player (Blu-ray)
- Forbidden Planet (Blu-ray)
- In Cold Blood (Blu-ray)
- Tommy (Blu-ray)
- Hatchet (Blu-ray)
- The Skeleton Key (Blu-ray)
- The Final Destination (DVD)
MacGruber (DVD and Blu-ray)
What's the Deal?
Saturday Night Live sketches have produced many films, some considered excellent such as Wayne’s World and The Blue Brothers and others critical bombs, such as It’s Pat and Coneheads. MacGruber is a parody of the TV show MacGyver (I know it best as The Simpsons characters Patty and Selma’s favorite show). MacGruber was directed by actor Jorma Taccone with Will Forte, who announced his plans to leave the variety show recently, reprising his role as MacGruber. He is joined by fellow SNLer Kristen Wiig (Whip It!), Ryan Phillppe (Crash) and Val Kilmer as the baddy.
MacGruber is one of America’s best secret agents and he is called out of retirement when the evil Dieter Von Cunth (Kilmer) steals a nuclear warhead. There is only one problem: MacGruber is completely hopeless and Lt. Dixon Piper (Phillppe) and Vicki St. Elmo (Wiig) have to keep him out of trouble and ensure the mission is successful. MacGruber was box-office flop, not even making back its $10 million budget. In Britain, it did not make it into the box-office top 10, and outside North America, MacGruber was never going to have instant name recognition.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 47% (average)
Player Affinity Score: 6.0/10
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Feature commentary with cast and crew; Deleted scene; Gag reel
Amazon Price: $17.99 (DVD), $26.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): Content: 4 stars, Video 4 stars, Audio 4 stars, Extras 1.5 stars, Replay 4 stars (out of 5). Recommended.
Killers (DVD and Blu-ray)
What's the Deal?
Not to be confused with the band of the same name, Killers is this week’s other action-comedy offering. Sadly, this was heavily derided by critics. Robert Luketic, the director of Legally Blonde, 21 and The Ugly Truth, helms Killers and Ashton Kutcher (Valentine’s Day) and Katherine Heigl (Knocked Up) take the lead roles.
Heigl plays Jennifer Kornfeldt, who on vacation meets Spencer Aimes (Kutcher). Three years later the two are living in suburban America, but unknown to Jen, her husband is an ex-assassin with a $20-million bounty on his head. This of course leads to the action part of the film.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 12% (awful)
Player Affinity Score: N/A
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Feature commentary with cast and crew; Deleted scene; Gag reel
Additional Blu-ray Features: Killer Chemistry: Behind the Scenes with the Killers Cast and Crew
Amazon Price: $16.99 (DVD), $24.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A
Solitary Man (DVD and Blu-ray)
What's the Deal?
Despite its limited release and minimal box-office take, Solitary Man was at least critically more successful, with Brian Koppelman and David Levien directing the film together and Michael Douglas playing the lead. Douglas is joined by Mary Louise Parker (The Spiderwick Chronicles), Jenna Fischer (The Office), Jesse Eisenberg (Zombieland) and Imogen Poots (28 Weeks Later), just to name a few.
Ben (Douglas) is an ethically-challenged New York businessman. His life starts to fall apart after series of career and personal mistakes in this dialogue-driven comedy.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 82% (very good)
Player Affinity Score: N/A
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Brian Koppelman, Director David Levien and Actor Douglas McGrath; ; Solitary Man: Alone In A Crowd Featurette
Additional Blu-ray Features: Behind the scenes with the cast of Solitary Man; Theatrical Trailer
Amazon Price: $17.99 (DVD), $23.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A
That Evening Sun (DVD and Blu-ray)
What's the Deal:
After success as a short filmmaker, Scott Teems makes his first feature film, writing and directing an adaptation of a short story by William Gay. 82-year-old Hal Holbrook (The Firm) leads the cast that includes Ray McKinnon (Deadwood), Walton Goggins (Predators) and Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland).
Set in Tennessee, Abner Meecham (Holbrook) escapes from a retirement home to reclaim his farmstead. But he finds that his old home is now leased to his enemy Lonzo Choat (McKinnon). When Abner saves Choat’s daughter (Wasikowska) from her drunken father, events spiral out of control. That Evening Sun is dedicated to Dixie Carter, who performed in her last film role.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 79% (very good)
Player Affinity Score: N/A
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Feature Anti-Commentary with Scott Teems, Rodney Taylor and Travis Sittard ; "That Tennessee Sun..." The Making of "That Evening Sun" ; The Art and Craft of "That Evening Sun" ; Cast Interviews ; Crew Interviews ; Trailer
Amazon Price: $15.49 (DVD), $26.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): Content: 4 stars, Video 0 stars, Audio 0 stars, Extras 0 stars, Replay 4 stars (out of 5). Highly Recommended.
Stardust (Blu-ray)
What's the Deal?
When Layer Cake director Matthew Vaughn walked away from directing X-Men: The Last Stand because of its rushed production, he set out to adapt Neil Gaiman’s novel of the same name. He worked with Jane Goldman (who was then best known as Jonathan Ross’ wife) to write the script. Vaughn hired an ensemble cast that included Claire Danes, Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sienna Miller and Peter O’Toole, but it was young actor Charlie Cox that led the piece.
In rural Victorian England, the town of Wall has a magical walled border to the kingdom of Stormhold. When a star falls from the sky, Tristan Throne (Cox) promises to win the heart of Victoria (Miller) by proving his love by means of retrieving it, but he ends up on the adventure of a lifetime with princes and witches wanting the star for themselves.
Stardust has everything: action, adventure, magic, fantasy and comedy. A fun film for all the family.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 76% (very good)
Player Affinity Score: 8.0/10
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Commentary by Writer and Director Matthew Vaughn and Writer Jane Goldman; Crossing the Wall: The Making of Stardust; Nothing is True...; 5 Deleted Scenes; Blooper Reel; Theatrical Trailer HD
Amazon Price: $19.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): Content: 4.5 stars, Video 3.5 stars, Audio 4.5 stars, Extras 3 stars, Replay 5 stars (out of 5). Highly Recommended.
THX 1138 (Blu-ray)
What's the Deal?
Before Star Wars, George Lucas' first attempt into sci fi was a dark film, which was an extension of his student film THX. Robert Duvall stars as the title character, with Donald Pleasence (The Great Escape), Don Pedro Colley and Maggie McOmie.
Set in a dark vision of the future when humanity is forced in an underground city, people are watched through cameras, emotions are regulated by drugs and a robotic police force enforces the law. But THX 1138 starts to feel emotions when his wife LUH 3417 (McOmie) switches his pills. THX 1138 becomes a criminal to society.
It is interesting to see Lucas make a dark film and he shows signs of his ability to direct an action set-piece. But many of the ideas of the film were lifted from great dyspotic novel like 1984, A Brave New World and We.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 89% (excellent)
Player Affinity Score: 7.0/10
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Commentary by George Lucas and Walter Murch; Theatre of Noise Experience: Isolated Sound Effects Track; Master Sessions: Docupod Gallery Showcasing Murch's Pioneering Work; 2 Documentaries: A Legacy of Filmmakers: The Early Years of American Zoetrope and Artifact from the Future: The Making of THX 1138; Electronic Labyrinth THX 1138 4EB: Luca's Original Student Film; Vintage Production Featurette Bald; Theatrical Trailers
Amazon Price: $19.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A
Mars Attacks!
What's the Deal?
In 1994, Tim Burton paid homage to Ed Wood, the worst director ever, with his biopic staring Johnny Depp -- Mr. Burton's best film in my opinion. Burton's follow-up was an homage and parody of the '50s sci-fi B-Movies he grew up with. Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski (Ed Wood) wrote the script, with Tim Burton and Jonathan Gems going uncredited writing work. The ensemble cast includes Jack Nicholson, Pierce Brosnan, Sarah Jessica Parker, Danny DeVito and Natalie Portman.
Life on Mars contacts Earth, claiming to come in peace. But after a misunderstanding, the Martians declare war. Mars Attacks! is set in three parts of America: Washington D.C. involving the political and military response, Las Vegas with people who are not concerned about the invasion and Kansas, following the brother of a solider.
Upon it’s initial release, Mars Attacks! was seen as a parody of Independence Day: but both films were development at the same time and their releases were coincidental.
Critics Ratings (Rotten Tomatoes): 50% (average)
Player Affinity Scores: 5.5/10
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: N/A
Amazon Price: $18.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): N//A
The Player (Blu-ray)
What's the Deal?
The Player was written by Michael Tolkin, adapting his own novel with Robert Altman (Gosford Park) directing this satirical film. Tim Robbins (The Shawshank Redemption) takes the lead role and 60 Hollywood celebrities have cameos as themselves in this critically lauded comedy.
Robbins plays Griffin Mill, a studio executive who is responsible for approving and rejecting scripts. But Griffin ends up on the wrong side of one writer who starts to send the executive threatening postcards and threatens to blackmail him. And to top it all off, Griffin’s job is threatened by a young upstart ready to take his place.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 98% (excellent)
Player Affinity Score: 7.0/10
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: N/A
Amazon Price: $18.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A
Forbidden Planet (Blu-ray)
What's the Deal?
The 1950s were considered a great period for sci fi with films such as The Day the Earth Stood Still, Invasion of the Body Snatchers and War of the Worlds being made. Forbidden Planet by popular consensus stands along side those films and was influenced by William Shakespeare’s The Tempest. Fred M. Wilcox directed the film and Walter Pidgeon, Leslie Nielsen and Anne Francis starred.
Set in the 23rd Century, an expedition is sent to find out what happened to the colony on Altair-4, lead by Commander John Adams (Nielsen). Only two people are alive on the planet, Dr. Morbius (Pidegon) and his daughter Alta (Francis). On this strange planet an alien race had destroyed itself, leaving all its technology but also a strange monster on the planet.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 97% (excellent)
Player Affinity Score: N/A
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Deleted Scenes and Lost Footage; 2 Follow-Up Vehicles Starring Robby the Robot: Feature Film The Invisible Boy; The Thin Man TV Series Episode Robot Client; ; TCM Original Documentary Watch the Skies!: Science Fiction, the 1950s and Us; ; 2 Featurettes: Amazing! Exploring the Far Reaches of Forbidden Planet ; Robby the Robot: Engineering a Sci-Fi Icon; ; Excerpts from The MGM Parade TV Series; Theatrical Trailers of Forbidden Planet and The Invisible Boy
Amazon Price: $17.49 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): Content: 4.5 stars, Video 4 stars, Audio 3.5 stars, Extras 4 stars, Replay 5 stars (out of 5). Highly Recommended.
In Cold Blood (Blu-ray)
What's the Deal?
Based on Truman Capote’s non-fiction book of the same name, In Cold Blood earned Academy Award nominations for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. Richard Brooks (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof) writes and directs the film, with Robert Blake (The Greatest Story Ever Told), Scott Wilson (The Great Gatsby), John Forsythe (Charlie Angels) and Paul Stewart (Kiss Me Deadly).
In Cold Blood tells the story about the brutal murder of a wealthy and respected Kansas farmer and his family. The murderers were drifters Perry Smith (Blake) and Dick Hickok (Wilson), two mindless men who showed no remorse. This film looks at the inner workings of the criminal mind.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 88% (excellent)
Player Affinity Score: N/A
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: N/A
Amazon Price: $14.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): Content: 4.5 stars, Video 4.5 stars, Audio 4 stars, Extras 0 stars, Replay 4 stars (out of 5). Highly Recommended.
Tommy (Blu-ray)
What's the Deal?
"Ever since I was a young boy I played the silver ball, from Soho down to Brighton I must have played them all, but I ain’t seen nothing like this in any amusement hall: that deaf dumb and blind can sure play a mean pinball." The Who is one of the greatest rock bands ever. The band's concept album Tommy was the inspiration for this film that was directed by Ken Russell (The Devils). The Who lead singer Roger Daltrey plays Tommy and there is an ensemble cast of actors and musicians such as Oliver Reed, Eric Clapton, Jack Nicholson and Elton John in this all-singing opera
After seeing his mum and step-dad having sex as a young boy, Tommy ends up becoming blind, deaf and dumb. With his family desperate to find a cure from using acid to seeking doctors, but Tommy miraculous recovers and ends up a cult figure. Tommy is basically an extended music video.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 87% (excellent)
Player Affinity Score: 5.0/10
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: N/A
Amazon Price: $15.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): Content: 5 stars, Video 3.5 stars, Audio 4 stars, Extras 0 stars, Replay 5 stars (out of 5). Highly Recommended.
Hatchet (Blu-ray)
What's the Deal?
Adam Green writes, directs and produces an old-fashioned slasher film with comedy. With a sequel on the way, Hatchet has earned a Blu-ray release, with a cast that includes Joel Moore (Avatar), Tamara Feldman (Perfect Stranger), Mercedces McNab and stuntman Kane Hodder.
In Louisiana, college boy Ben (Moore) ditches his friends planning to go to Mardi Gras and instead go on a tour of a haunted swamp (smart move). But the mix of people on the tour become the target of a deformed killer named Victor Crowley (Hodder) who suffered from a horrific hatchet injury.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): N/A
Player Affinity Score: N/A
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: N/A
Amazon Price: $20.49 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): Content: 4 stars, Video 4 stars, Audio 4 stars, Extras 4 stars, Replay 4 stars (out of 5). Highly Recommended.
The Skeleton Key (Blu-ray)
What's the Deal?
The Skeleton Key is another horror film set in Louisiana, this time in New Orleans. English director Iain Softley (K-Pax) works with a script by Ehren Kruger (Scream 3, The Ring). The Skeleton Key hired a big-name cast that includes Kate Hudson, John Hurt and Peter Sargaard.
Caroline Ellis (Hudson) is a hospice nurse who answers a wanted ad and ends up working a stroke victim Ben (Hurt). Caroline is a given a skeleton key to every room in the house in Ben’s old house, leading her to discover the house’s mysterious past.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 38% (poor)
Player Affinity Score: N/A
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: N/A
Amazon Price: $22.49 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A
Final Destination Collection (DVD)
What's the Deal?
Based on an idea by Jeffery Reddick (The X-Files), Final Destination has ended up being a commercially successful horror series. It follows the same formula, that a group of kids cheat death by somehow avoiding their fates and Death ends ups not being happy about it. Death sets out to wipe out the kids one by one in more elaborate, if rather humourous ways.
The series has attached two directors: James Wong (The One) and David R. Ellis (Snakes on a Plane) and a number of actors, including Ali Larter (Heroes) who was in two films. The fourth film was made in 3D and Final Destination 5 is due to be released in August 2011.
Final Destination
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 31% (bad)
Player Affinity Score: 6.5/10
Final Destination 2
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 47% (average)
Player Affinity Score: 6.0/10
Final Destination 3
Critic Rating (Rotten Tomatoes); 45% (average)
Player Affinity Score: 5.0/10
The Final Destination
Critic Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 27% (bad)
Player Affinity Score: 2.0/10
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Closed Caption; Final Destination:; Director/writers/editor commentary; Cast commentary; 5.1 isolated score audio track with commentary by composer Shirley Walker; Additional scenes and alternate endings; 2 Featurettes: test screenings and premonitions; 2 Games: death clock and psychic test; Theatrical trailer; Final Destination 2 includes:; Director/producer/Screenwriters commentary; Deleted/alternate scenes; Selectable fact track with intriguing making-of friends-all as you watch the movie; 3 Featurettes thbe terror gauge, cheating death: beyond and back and bits & pieces: bringing death to life; Theatrical trailer; Final Destination 3 includes:; 2 Editions of the film: original movie and the choose their fate! version where you control the character's outcomes; Director/writers/cinematographer commentary; The Final Destination:; Additional scenes
Amazon Price: $11.49 (DVD)
Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A
