06/14/11 Recommended New Releases

Before I begin, I will make you aware of a most exciting Best Buy coupon:

Save $5.00 on ANY DVD or Blu-ray priced $14.99 and up.

This coupon will worked on ANY title priced $14.99 and up - including items that are on sale. It is valid through the end of July, so save the link and print as many as you like. I have been reading that some customers have had success using multiple coupons in one transaction (ie., buying three movies and using one coupon for each), though your chances will likely vary from store to store. Nonetheless, it is a stellar offer that will certainly come in handy over the course of the next several weeks. 


Sadly, the major releases for today are Battle: Los Angeles and Red Riding Hood, but luckily I am here to fill you in on what films hit shelves today that might actually be worth your time, as the aforementioned two are most assuredly not:

Kill the Irishman (Jonathan Hensleigh, 2011) - from the director of the 2004 remake of The Punisher comes the true story of Danny Greene (portrayed by Ray Stevenson), an Irish mobster who begins a turf war with the Cosa Nostra in Cleveland, Ohio during the mid 1970s. Also starring Christopher Walkin, Vincent D'Onofrio, Val Kilmer, Paul Sorvino, and Linda Cardellini.

Format: DVD - I see no reason to pay the extra cash for the Blu-ray format, as the lone supplement - a documentary about the real Danny Greene - is included with both. Amazon has the DVD for $17.99.

Kingdom of War Parts 1 and 2 (Chatrichalerm Yukol, 2007) - The first two parts of a historical epic about the ruler who liberated the Siamese from the control of Burma during the late 16th century, King Naresuan the Great. A third installment was released this March in Thailand; I suspect it will be making its way Stateside on DVD and Blu-ray in due time.


Format: Blu-ray - It is distributed by Magnet releasing, so as expected the Blu-ray format sports no exclusive content, but Amazon is selling it for $17.99, which is significantly cheaper than the DVD version.

Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen (Andrew Lau, 2010) - from the director of the Infernal Affairs trilogy (on which Martin Scorsese's The Departed was based), the film stars Donnie Yen as Chen Zhen (a role previously played by Bruce Lee in Fist of Fury and Jet Li in Fist of Legend), who returns to China after fighting alongside the Allied forces in Europe during World War I, intent on hindering the Japanese and their plans to dominate the country.


Format: Collector's Edition DVD or Blu-ray - The features are limited, but identical for both formats. Best Buy has the Collector's Edition DVD for $19.99, while Amazon has the Collector's Edition Blu-ray for the same price. However, you can use the $5.00 coupon I linked to at the beginning of the post to make the DVD $14.99 at Best Buy.





Finally, I should note that the director of the Mortal Kombat: Legacy series has decided that he will premier episode nine during the San Diego Comic Con, which takes place from July 21st-24th. Whenever the episode is available for me to post, I will be sure to do so.