07/26/11 Recommended New Releases

There is quite a lot to cover today, and I will begin with yet another reminder that you can still save $5 on any DVD or Blu-ray title priced $14.99+ at Best Buy (including items on sale); this is the last week to do so as the coupon expires on the 31st. Also, the 50% off sale on the Criterion Collection is still going on at Barnes & Noble; over the past two weeks I provided ten recommendations from the collection, which can be viewed in two parts, here and here. Now, on to the new releases for this week:

Source Code (Duncan Jones, 2011) - After making his directorial debut with the outstanding Moon, Duncan Jones follow-up feature is no less spectacular. Jake Gyllenhaal, Michell Monaghan, and Vera Farmiga star in this action thriller about a soldier (Gyllenhaal) who becomes part of an experimental government program aimed at preventing a terrorist attack on a Chicago commuter train.

Format: Blu-ray - The supplements are the same as the DVD version, but it is a title I feel would be better experienced on the Blu-ray format. It is on sale for $18.99 at Best Buy, making it $13.99 after coupon. Should you prefer it, Best Buy also offers an exclusive combo pack that includes the Blu-ray as well as a DVD copy and a Digital Copy of the film for $22.99 ($17.99 after coupon).

Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Apichatpong Weerasethakul, 2010) - From the distributor: "Suffering from acute kidney failure, Uncle Boonmee has chosen to spend his final days surrounded by his loved ones in the countryside. Surprisingly, the ghost of his deceased wife appears to care for him, and his long lost son returns home in a non-human form. Contemplating the reasons for his illness, Boonmee treks through the jungle with his family to a mysterious hilltop cave – the birthplace of his first life…" Uncle Boonmee won the Palme d'Or at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.


Format: Blu-ray - The DVD format was released two weeks ago, but I held off for the following reason: exclusive to the Blu-ray format, which released today, is the original short that served as the inspiration for the film, A Letter to Uncle Boonmee; Amazon originally had it available for pre-order at $20.99, but the price has since jumped to $30.99.

Trust (David Schwimmer, 2010) - Official synopsis: "A suburban family is torn apart when 14-year-old Annie (Liana Liberato) meets her first boyfriend online. After months of communicating via online chat and phone, Annie discovers her friend is not who he originally claimed to be. Shocked into disbelief, her parents (Clive Owen and Catherine Keener) are shattered by their daughter's actions and struggle to support her as she comes to terms with what has happened to her once innocent life."

Format: DVD - Opting for the cheaper format here, as the supplements are identical. Best Buy has it on sale for $14.99, making it $9.99 after coupon.

The Clone Returns Home (Kanji Nakajima, 2008) - From RottenTomatoes: "In this thoughtful science fiction drama from filmmaker Kanji Nakajima, Kohei Takahara (Mitsuhiro Oikawa) is an astronaut who is invited to take part in a top-secret scientific study in which a clone will be created from his DNA and brought to life in the event of his untimely death. Kohei agrees to participate, and when he loses his life as his mission goes awry while returning to Earth, the clone is brought to life. While the "new" Kohei seems healthy and all but indistinguishable from the original, a major flaw is soon discovered -- the clone has no memories past Kohei's childhood, and doesn't comprehend the notion of the astronaut's death. When the clone escapes, it happens to find Kohei's body near the crash site, and is jarred back to a memory of the death of Kohei's twin brother when he was little. The clone is convinced Kohei's corpse is actually the lost twin that died years ago, and he sets out to take the body back to his family" 

Format: DVD - Only available on DVD. Amazon has it available for $18.49. 

Winter in Wartime (Martin Koolhoven, 2008) - From Sony Pictures Classics comes a tale set in Nazi-occupied Holland,1945, where thirteen-year-old Michiel becomes part of the Resistance after aiding a wounded British paratrooper, forcing him to come face-to-face with the grim realities of war.

Format: Blu-ray/DVD Combo - As usual, this Sony Picture Classics release is only available in a combo format. Amazon has it for $27.99

American Grindhouse / Nightmares in Red, White and Blue (Elijah Drenner, 2010 & Andrew Monument, 2009) - Two documentaries bundled together in a double-feature. The first, American Grindhouse, is about the history of American Exploitation cinema; the other, Nightmares in Red, White and Blue, explores the appeal of the horror genre, examining the idea that horror films reflect the times and places in which they are made. 

Format: DVD - Only available on DVD. While Nightmares in Red, White and Blue was released on July 5th, I held off knowing that a double feature containing American Grindhouse was releasing today. Amazon has the duo available for $22.49.










In other news, for those who have been waiting - the final episode of Mortal Kombat: Legacy is out now:



A DVD/Blu-ray release of the series is coming, but there is no release date as of yet. 


Furthermore, the fourth DLC character for Mortal Kombat was unveiled, and it turns out that it is not Reiko, as I expected. In fact, it is not even a Mortal Kombat character, but FREDDY KRUEGER:



Freddy will be available Sunday, August 9th for Xbox 360 and PS3 users.


Finally, here is the MKast Episode for the recent DLC character, Rain: