While there were a few good Blu-Ray releases last week, nothing could top The Amazing Spider-Man, which has dominated the Blu-Ray sales charts since it became available for pre-order (Filmbug). It was closely followed by The Mel Brooks Collection, which includes the hilarious Star Wars spoof Spaceballs, and this week’s featured Blu-ray Brave, which sold enough exclusive pre-orders to nab the third bestselling spot.
This week, Brave gets its official home release, The Watch brings aliens to a suburban neighborhood, and cinematic history’s most excellent adventure gets a refit.
Ready for this week’s Blu-Ray releases? Then read on.
Release Date: November 13th, 2012
Starring: Kelly MacDonald, Julie Walters, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Kevin McKidd, and Craig Ferguson.
Directors: Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman
From Pixar Animation Studios and Walt Disney Pictures comes this computer-animated fantasy adventure film that’s sure to be a hit with every child in your household.
Plot: In the Scottish Highlands, a young girl of royal blood named Merida (Macdonald) refuses to adhere to her family’s traditional ways and spends more time with her archery than her royal responsibilities. After a bitter argument with her mother, Merida consults a witch for help, but her family becomes cursed and Merida must race to undo the spell before everything that she loves is lost.
My Thoughts:Â I still haven’t seen this one yet, but I plan to because Pixar makes great films. When I’m ninety years-old and chasing after nurses in the retirement home, if Pixar is still around, then I’ll still be watching their movies.
Check out our review of Brave and let us know what you think. If you’re also a Pixar fan, then be sure to head on over to our own Jonathan R. Lack’s article Ranking The Films Of Pixar Animation Studios.
Release Date: November 13th, 2012
Starring: Taylor Kitsch, Aaron Johnson, Blake Lively, Salma Hayek, Benicio Del Toro, and John Travolta.
Director: Oliver Stone
From influential film icon Oliver Stone, and based on the novel of the same name by Don Winslow, Savages is a crime thriller film that received mixed reviews from critics.
Plot: Laguna Beach entrepreneurs Ben (Johnson) and Chon (Kitsch) run a very profitable pot-growing business while enjoying a near-idyllic lifestyle with their shared girlfriend Ophelia (Lively). When the Mexican Baja Cartel moves in and demands that the three work for them, they discover the lengths that some people will go to in order to protect what’s theirs.
My Thoughts:Â Again, another film that I have yet to see. While some critics panned the latter half of the film, Stone has enough of a reputation that I’d suggest giving it a watch if nothing else catches your eye.
Check out our Savages review if you’re still curious about this one.
Release Date: November 13th, 2012
Starring: Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill, Richard Ayoade, Rosemarie DeWitt, and Will Forte.
Director: Akiva Scaffer
A science-fiction comedy for the geek in all of us, the ensemble cast and often-hilarious one-liners will guarantee at least a few laughs for any viewer.
Plot: Four men (Stiller, Vaughn, Hill, Ayoade) form a neighborhood watch group as a way to get out of their day-to-day family routines, but find themselves defending the Earth from an alien invasion.
My Thoughts:Â Unlike many other film critics out there, I liked this film. It may not be the smartest comedy, and many of the jokes are juvenile, but sometimes it’s what you’re in the mood for. As the de-facto leader of the neighborhood watch, Ben Stiller did a bang-up job. I was also very impressed with Richard Ayoade, who I’m told is absolutely brilliant on The IT Crowd, and I hope we see him again on the big screen in the future.
Check out our review of The Watch if you didn’t get a chance to catch it in theaters this summer.
Release Date: November 13th, 2012
Starring: Peter O’Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn, Jack Hawkins, Omar Sharif, José Ferrer.
Director: David Lean
This epic cinematic 1962 classic makes its long-anticipated Blu-ray debut this week, bringing with it an excellent cast and splendid visuals.
Plot:Â The dramatic portrait of the famed British officer’s journey to the Middle East, Lawrence of Arabia is one of the most critically acclaimed films of all time. Assigned to Arabia during World War I, Lawrence (O’Toole) courageously unites the warring Arab factions into a strong guerrilla front and leads them to brilliant victories in treacherous desert battlefields, where they eventually defeat the ruling Turkish Empire.
My Thoughts:Â I recently took the time to sit down and finally watch this film from beginning to end (it’s a whopping three and half hours long) and I’m still talking to my friends about it. While Peter O’Toole does a fantastic job of bringing the viewer along on Lawrence’s journey of self-discovery, nothing compares to seeing Sir Alex Guiness (the original Obi-Wan Kenobi) handle the role of Prince Feisal like…well…like a Jedi Master with a lightsaber.
The Postman Always Rings Twice
Release Date: November 13th, 2012
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Jessica Lange, John Colicos, Anjelica Huston.
Director: Bob Rafelson
The 1981 remake of the famous forties film noir, itself based on the 1934 novel of the same name by James M. Cain.
Plot: The sensuous wife (Lange) of a lunch wagon proprietor and a rootless drifter (Nicholson) begin a sordidly steamy affair and conspire to murder her Greek husband (Colicos).
My Thoughts:Â This film received mostly negative reviews from film critics at the time, who felt that it didn’t meet the standard set by the 1946 original. I happened to enjoy it, but have to agree that the ending didn’t have the same intensity as the original. For your useless-movie-trivia pile: the film is widely known for the love scene that takes place on a kitchen table, which is so intense that many of the film’s viewers at the time thought that Jessica Lange and Jack Nicholson were really having sex on camera…and that’s why you should always ring twice.
Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure
Release Date: November 13th, 2012
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, and George Carlin.
Director: Stephen Herek
One of the first science-fiction comedies that I had ever seen, this 1989 cult classic showcases a young Keanu Reeves before he could move in bullet-time.
Plot:Â In the film, Bill (Winter) and Ted (Reeves) have spent so much time forming their rock band, The Wyld Stallyns, that they’re flunking history. When Ted’s dad threatens to send him away to military school, Bill and Ted realize it could mean the most heinous end of The Stallyns! Luckily, a guardian angel from the future, Rufus (Carlin), has come to them with a solution: a time-traversing phone booth to take them into the past to learn about the world from some of history’s most influential personalities.
My Thoughts:Â I love this film and if you’re an eighties child who hasn’t seen it then I don’t think we can be friends. It’s great fun and wonderfully retro. Surprisingly, it was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film in 1991. Whoa!
Friends (The Complete TV Series)
Release Date: November 13th, 2012
Starring: Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer.
Director: Various
The complete series of the popular US sitcom that aired from 1994 to 2004 is yours to own on deliciously vivid Blu-ray. Come for the jokes but stay for the ever-stunning Jennifer Aniston.
Plot:Â Six friends struggle to deal with growing into their thirties in Manhattan. In each episode, they find the companionship, comfort, and support from each other to be the perfect solution to the pressures of everyday life.
My Thoughts: I wasn’t a huge fan of the show when it first aired, but I definitely enjoyed it. It won a ton of awards and continues to find a loyal fan base in syndication to this very day. Little known fact: it was initially called Insomnia Cafe when it was in development.
Doctor Who Series 7 Part One
Release Date: November 13th, 2012
Starring: Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, Arthur Darvill, and Alex Kingston.
Director: Various
The first half of the seventh season of the hit BBC science-fiction show lands with geeky applause. Sit back and enjoy the time-wobbly ride of your life.
Plot: Daleks? Dinosaurs on a spaceship? Interstellar cowboys? The long-awaited, much talked-about seventh series features five episodes and a wild array of new thrills-and dangers. While the eleventh Doctor continues his time-travelling adventures, it’s the final farewell for Amy and Rory.
My Thoughts:Â I’m a super-fan of Doctor Who, so I promised myself that I wouldn’t go overboard talking about it. Let’s just say it’s the best science fiction show of all time. Ever. Once you finish watching the last episode of Part One (episode 5) check out our review and head on over to WGTC Radio for an in-depth discussion on the series mid-season finale.
That’s all for this week folks but be sure to check back next week to see what you can stock your film collection with.
Are you a fan of any of this week’s releases? Let us know in the comments below.
Published: Nov 12, 2012 05:09 pm