DVD Releases!

Tetro - This is the latest from director Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather, Apocalypse Now), and is said to be his most personal film to date. While I've heard this film has its fair share of problems, it also seems to be beautifully shot in black-and-white, and very interesting as well.
Rating: 4 out of 5

Leap Year - This Amy Adams romantic comedy seems to be lacking on originality and quality. Definitely not for me.
Rating: 1 out of 5

Nine - Like many critics, I was not very impressed with this film when i saw it in theaters. While I found some of the musical numbers to be impressive, along with great performances from (the always great) Daniel Day-Lewis and (recently impressive) Marion Cotillard, I thought the overall film was convoluted. If its your thing, you might enjoy it, otherwise I would advise you to avoid this one.
Rating: 2 out of 5

Tooth Fairy - This one falls in the category of "I can't believe this movie actually exists". But, it does feature the long awaited screen debut of Ryan Sheckler (OMG!!!!) In all seriousness, I don't want to see this.
Rating: 0 out of 5

So, what will you be renting this weekend?

DVD Releases!

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus - This is a film that had much buzz surrounding its release because, not only was it Heath Ledger's last film, but also because Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Ferrell all stepped in to take over the role after his death. All that being said, I was not too terribly impressed with this film. It seemed to drag on through the first half of the film, and while it got better in the second half, the plot just did not seem to make a whole lot of sense. The visuals were very compelling, though, and I am open to the idea of seeing it again.
Rating: 3 out of 5

Five Minutes of Heaven - This is a decently reviewed film starring Liam Neeson that is apparently about the potato famine in Ireland. The film is said to be a very good actor's showcase, which gives me some interest even though the plot doesn't appeal to me.
Rating: 3 out of 5

It's Complicated - This romantic comedy would normally have no appeal for me, but I am a huge fan of Steve Martin and I like Alec Baldwin's recent acting. I have heard some good things about this film, so I may have to see it eventually.
Rating: 2 out of 5

Transylmania - This parody of recent tween vampire flicks just looked incredibly dumb. I'll pass.
Rating: 1 out of 5

The Descent: Part 2 - This direct-to-DVD film is one I would like to pretend doesn't exist. As some of you may know, this film has two endings(SPOILERS for The Descent). The one shown in theaters in the states ended with the idea that the main character possibly escaped the cave, but it seemed open for interpretation. The other ending, however, makes it clear that the main character died in the cave, which is the ending that made the film very smart and enjoyable for me. This film has the main character returning to the caves, which makes my interpretation completely obselete. The best thing for me to do is to pretend this film does not exist.
Rating: 0 out of 5

So what do you plan on renting this week?

DVD Releases!

Hey guys! Here's a look at what is coming out on DVD this week, starting with my pick of the week.

Crazy Heart - This movie, featuring the Academy award winning performance of Jeff Bridges as washed-up country music singer Bad Blake, was a fine film in my opinion. While I thought the story line was a bit dry and typical, I thought the acting performances carried the film from average to quite good. I was a bit dissapointed in it (I was hoping for something along the lines of The Wrestler, but it wasn't of that quality), but I still feel like this is one to see if you haven't.
Rating: 4 out of 5

Avatar - This doesn't actually come out until Thursday, but it is still worth mentioning, since it is the highest-grossing film of all time, after all. I thought this film was visually stunning and a triumph on that level, but the story was severly lacking as was the acting. This is not one I particularly liked, but it is one that would be worth picking up if you own a nice TV, a Blu Ray Player, and a hell of a sound system.
Rating: 3 out of 5

The Lovely Bones - Peter Jackson's newest film was one that was often regarded as a dissapointment in critics' circles. While I have not seen it, I'm not too intruiged based on the critism I have heard. Still, I would like to see it eventually because of the cast, but I am in no hurry.
Rating: 2 out of 5

The Young Victoria - This was a film that, rather surprisingly, came out of nowhere to be a minor player in the awards season, even winning an Oscar for costume design. Emily Blunt's performance was heavily praised, even resulting in a few nominations. While I hear this is good for a period film, the subject matter doesn't really appeal to me at all. If it does for you, however, I encourage you to check it out.
Rating: 2 out of 5

Peacock - This is a direct-to-DVD film that has quite a bit intrigue for me. It features a cast of Cillian Murphy, Ellen Page, Susan Sarandon, and Josh Lucas, and it is about a train accident in rural Nebraska that causes an interesting turn of events. While I cannot vouch for the quality of this particular film (there are no reviews released), I will say that one effect the economic recession has had on the movie industry is the quality of direct-to-DVD films has improved. This is a result of many independent film production companies folding, forcing them to release their films this way. This famously almost happened to Slumdog Millionaire, which, as we all know, found another distributor and went on to win Best Picture. I did rent this film, and I will let you know what I think after I watch it.
Rating: 3 out of 5

So what do you plan on renting this week?

DVD Releases!

Hey everyone! Here's the list of what comes out on DVD this week!

Pirate Radio - This is a film that got some questionable reviews, but the people that liked it seemed to adamantly stick by it. It's not one I've had the chance to see yet, but due to the cast and the interesting subject matter, I am definitely looking forward to checking it out.
Rating: 4 out of 5

Defendor - This superhero movie starring Woody Harrelson got a very limited theatrical release earlier in the year, and now it is showing up on DVD. The premise is interesting, but, from what I'm hearing, the film doesn't quite live up to it. Nonetheless, I am interested.
Rating: 3 out of 5

The Slammin' Salmon - This one is the newest from the comedy Troupe Broken Lizard (Supertroopers, Club Dread, Beerfest), and I've heard it does a decent job at being a brainless comedy full of potty humor, and apparently Michael Clarke Duncan turns in a memorable performance.
Rating: 3 out of 5

So what are you renting this week?

DVD Releases!

Hey guys, kind of a quiet week on the DVD front with only two feature films, but one of those happens to be one of my favorites from last year. So, here they are!

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans - As stated earlier, I thought this was a fantastic film. It made my list at #6, and as most of you know, I was very fond of last year in film. This one has an interesting style, since it is directed by Werner Herzog, and it features Nicolas Cage in a very crazy, yet memorable role, along with various reptiles and a breakdancing ghost. If any of those intrigue you, or if you just want to watch something refreshingly different, I highly advise you to check this one out.
Rating: 5 out of 5

The Collector - While I know very little about this film, I hear that, while it is very problematic and far from a great film, it is still enjoyable if you like horror movies. With that description, I am a bit intrigued.
Rating: 2 out of 5

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (Blu Ray) - For most of you, yes, the time is finally here. The Lord of the Rings trilogy has finally arrived on Blu Ray, so I know most of you with HD TVs and Blu Ray players will be very excited about this release.
Rating: 3 out of 5 

So what are you checking out this week?

This week's DVD releases!

In my opinion, this is just not a very exciting week for DVD releases. While I'm sure this is not the case for most of you, none of the releases really appeal to me that much. But, without further ado, let's get right into it, starting with my pick of the week and working from there.

The Baader Meinhof Complex - This is a film that has been available to rent and to watch instantly on Netflix for quite some time now, but now it is available for purchase. This film looks quite interesting, especially from the trailer (here), but the fact of the matter is that I may not get around to seeing it, especially with its 2 and a half hour run time. I hope to one day, though.
Rating: 4 out of 5

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel - I literally shutter every time I see the title of this movie. And no, I never plan on seeing a movie that terms itself as a "squeakquel". As you may have noticed, I rate these on a 1-5 scale, meaning I don't acknowledge a 0 rating. However, for certain, rare occasions, you will see a 0 rating appear on this blog, and that is reserved for those movies I will actively avoid seeing. Here is the debut of that rating.
Rating: 0 out of 5

An Education - This was a film that was well made and well acted on every aspect, it just really didn't appeal to me. However, if you are into British social comedy/dramas involving interesting relationships that cross age and class barriers, this film is one of the better ones out there, but again, that doesn't really appeal to me personally.
Rating: 3 out of 5

Sherlock Holmes - I thought this film was fun to watch, featuring Robert Downey Jr. in a fun role, accompanied by Jude Law and (a very attractive) Rachel McAdams. This movie definitely had its flaws and pointless scenes, but I think the characters and the action were fun enough to carry this film. I especially enjoyed the relationship of Holmes and Watson (see if you can sense a certain subtle undertone in their relationship).
Rating: 3 out of 5

Alice in Wonderland (Special Un-Anniversary Edition) - Finally, we have Disney re-releasing the original animated version from the vault (Note, this is not the Tim Burton edition in theaters). Its always an exciting thing when these classics are released, however, I've just never really had much of an interest in Alice in Wonderland.
Rating: 3 out of 5

So, what are you renting this week?

New! Tuesday's DVD release feature!

Hello everyone!

Today marks the beginning of my newest feature, which will involve all of the movies being released on DVD that given week.This feature will consist of me listing the movies (the titles will link to their IMDb page), giving a short summary of the movie and my thoughts and anticipations about them, and a rating of 1-5 depending on my level of anticipation for their release. Unlike my new theatrical release series, I won't have a title for each of my number ratings, because there are too many ways to anticipate DVDs, for instance, I will have either seen or not seen these films, so I will have a different type of anticipation for each title, so it is important to look at the sentence following.

Also of note: DVD releases can be tricky. Sometimes movie companies have different contracts with different companies, so a film may be released to rent one week, and released to buy months later. Since this can get confusing, my source for these movies will be none other than comingsoon.net.

Without further ado, here are this weeks releases!

Fantastic Mr. Fox - This was actually one of my favorite films of the year (#4 on my list to be exact), so its obviously one I've been anticipating for a long time. This is Wes Anderson's foray into animation, and what a successful one at that. I found this movie to be very entertaining and charming, and, while I have only seen it once, I couldn't help but feel like this is one that will continue to get better with multiple viewings.
Rating: 5 out of 5

The Blind Side - I'm sure most of you know everything about this movie, because it was a tough one to miss due to its box office success and its surprise best picture nomination. Personally, I wasn't too big of a fan of this film.While I thought it was entertaining and a good story overall, I found it very cliched and flawed. Sandra Bullock gave a decent, albeit overrated performance, but the biggest problem to me was the performance of newcomer Quinton Aaron, which made Michael Oher seem almost mentally challenged in my opinion. While I didn't hate it, I think the one time I saw this film was enough for me.
Rating: 2 out of 5


Brothers - This one had some buzz surrounding it during its initial theatrical release, but it kind of faded once it hit the big screen. This is the Iraq drama featuring Tobey Maguire and Jake Gyllenhaal, with Natalie Portman playing Maguire's wife. Again, while I didn't find it terrible, I thought it was a bit melodramatic and cliched. I was, however, impressed with Gyllenhaal, even though Maguire is the one that received some awards buzz. If you are dying to see it, go for it, and I doubt you will be too dissapointed. For me, the one viewing in theaters was enough.
Rating: 2 out of 5

The Men Who Stare at Goats - I am finding out more and more that this is a film I enjoyed a lot more than most people did. This one has a great cast featuring George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Kevin Spacey, Stephen Root, and Jeff Bridges about a secret portion of the military that fights using psychological tactics. I found this movie to be rather clever, and I am anticipating being able to watch it a second time.
Rating: 4 out of 5

Red Cliff - This is a film I have not heard about until just now, but it a Chinese period piece directed by John Woo. I'm not too familiar with the work of Woo or have any interest in Ancient China, but I hear it's a great film if you are into that.
Rating: 2 out of 5


After Dark Horrorfest 4 - Normally I don't do straight to DVD releases or Boxed Sets, but this is an exception. Every year they release an After Dark Horrorfest, which compiles 8 independent horror films. While these aren't the cream of the crop, they can be entertaining, and some of them can be quite good if you can rent them or find them for cheap.
Rating: 3 out of 5

So what do you think? What will you be renting this week?