06/07/11 Recommended New Releases

Here we are in June, with the first week in what is sure to be a long month filled with spectacular films making their way to DVD and Blu-ray.

True Grit (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2010) -  The Coen Brothers' masterful remake of the classic John Wayne western - starring Jeff Bridges, Hailee Steinfeld, Matt Damon, and Josh Brolin - hits shelves today. The film received ten Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Jeff Bridges), Best Actress (Hailee Steinfeld), and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Format: Blu-ray/DVD/DC Combo - The combo pack includes the Blu-ray version of the film (along with a slew of exclusive features), as well as a DVD copy and a Digital Copy of the film. Best Buy has it for $18.00, while Amazon has it for a penny less. Most other retailers have it on sale for a comparable price, too.

Exorcismus (Manuel Carballo, 2010) - from IFC Midnight comes the tale of Emma Evans, a rebellious fifteen-year-old girl who becomes the victim of demonic possession, driving her to seek help from her uncle - a Catholic priest who has been suspended from his duties in the aftermath of an exorcism that ended with the death of the possessed. You can read my review of the film here.


Format: DVD - Only available on DVD, as is currently the norm for most IFC films, it appears. Wal-mart.com has it for $16.49 (before tax), while Amazon has it for $22.49.


 

The Housemaid (Im Sang-soo, 2010) -from IFC Films, a remake of a 1960 film of the same name (one that is highly regarded as among the greatest Korean films of all time), this South Korean thriller is about a housemaid who becomes involved in a love triangle while working for a wealthy family, inviting devastating consequences. The film competed for the Palm d'Or at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.

Format: DVD - Only available on DVD. Wal-mart.com has it for $16.49 (before tax), while it is $22.49 at Amazon.

Another Year (Mike Leigh, 2010) - a drama that chronicles the lives of a happily married couple over the course of the four seasons in a year, detailing their relationships with one another, colleagues, family, and friends. The film, like The Housemaid, competed for the Palm d'Or at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival; it also received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay.

Format: Blu-ray/DVD Combo - As was the case with The Illusionist, Sony Pictures Classics has opted to only release the film in a Blu-ray/DVD combo for Region 1. Amazon seems to have a slightly lower price than most places, offering it for $26.99.







On a final note, there is no new episode of Mortal Kombat: Legacy this week, which I suspect is due to the Electronics Entertainment Expo (E3) being currently underway.