07/12/11 Recommended New Releases

A rather decent assortment of titles hitting shelves today. The Best Buy coupon for $5 off any DVD or Blu-ray priced $14.99+ is still valid, and will surely help to ease the burden on the wallet.

*NOTE: Rango will not be released until Friday, July 15th.

[REC] 2 (Jaume Balagueró & Paco Plaza, 2009) - The first installment in this soon-to-be quadrilogy was in high demand after its [inferior] American remake, Quarantine, enjoyed a fairly lucrative run in theaters. For whatever reason, though, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment held off on releasing the original film on DVD in the U.S. until almost half a year after Quarantine hit DVD (by that time, [REC] 2 was only a few months away from making its theatrical debut in Spain). Now, two years later, Sony has finally released the sequel on DVD in the U.S.; a prequel (directed by Paco Plaza) and another sequel (directed by Jaume Balagueró)  are slated for release later this year and sometime in 2012, respectively. At any rate, [REC] 2 picks up fifteen minutes after the end of the first film with a medical officer and a SWAT team sent into the quarantined apartment building to get a handle on the situation that has arisen in the wake of a deadly virus outbreak.

Format: DVD - One of my most anticipated releases of the year. Like the first film, it is only available on DVD for the R1 (U.S.) release. Amazon has it available for $18.99.

The Lincoln Lawyer (Brad Furman, 2011) - an adaptation of the Michael Connelly novel of the same name starring Matthew McConaughey as Mickey Haller, a defense attorney whose Lincoln Town Car doubles as his office. Haller is called upon to defend a wealthy Realtor (Ryan Phillippe) accused of rape in what initially appears to be a straightforward, open-and-shut case. However, as Haller digs into the evidence, he discovers disturbing links to a prior case of his, setting off a treacherous chain of events. Also starring Marisa Tomei, William H. Macy, and Josh Lucas.

Format: DVD - The Blu-ray includes a DVD and a Digital Copy of the film, but nothing exclusive in the way of supplements. Therefore, I opt for the DVD, which is $2 cheaper this week. It is on sale for $15.99 at Best Buy this week; $10.99 with the $5 coupon.

Insidious (James Wan, 2010) - As a die-hard fanatic of the Saw franchise, I will always be curious when a new film from the director of its first installment comes around. The film stars Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne as a Josh and Renai, couple who have just moved into a new house. Soon after one of their sons, Dalton, falls inexplicably into what is assumed to be a coma. However, as a mixture of strange and frightening things begin occurring throughout their new house, Josh and Renai gradually begin to realize that whatever is happening is linked to their comatose son, whose current state represents something far more insidious (oooh, clever no?).

Format: DVD - Once again, the Blu-ray offers nothing exclusive except for BD-Live support, so I opt for saving $2 with the DVD format. It is on sale at Best Buy for $17.99; $12.99 with the $5 coupon.

Rango (Gore Verbinski, 2011) - an animated film about a pet chameleon (voiced by Johnny Depp) who accidentally winds up in the town of Dirt - a Wild West-inspired town out in the desert that is need of water and new sheriff. Also featuring the voices of Isla Fisher, Abigail Breslin, Ned Beatty, Alfred Molina, Bill Nighy.

Format: Blu-ray/DVD/DC Combo - In addition to a DVD and a Digital Copy of the film, the Blu-ray also sports an extended cut (complete with an alternate ending) as well as a few exclusive features. It will be available for $19.99 at Best Buy when it hits shelves this Friday; $14.99 after the $5 coupon.











Finally, today marks the beginning of Barnes & Noble's 50% off the Criterion Collection sale, which will be run through August 1st. If you have a B&N membership, you can save an extra 10% in stores or receive free shipping online (and often lower prices than what you find in stores, too). As promised, I will provide a list of recommended titles for the sale later this week.