09/13/11 Recommended New Releases

There's quite a bit to cover this week, so let's get right to it:

Thor (Kenneth Branagh, 2011) - Another of the recent Marvel Comics films that serves as one of many precursors to the much-anticipated Avengers film slated for release next summer. Chris Hemsworth stars as Thor, who is cast out of Asgard by his father, Odin (Anthony Hopkins), after his actions result in a long-standing truce being broken between the Asgardians and the Frost Giants of Jotunheim. Exiled to earth until he can prove himself worthy to return home, Thor finds himself in the company of an astrophysicist named Jane (Natalie Portman), her assistant Darcy (Kat Dennings), and her mentor Erik (Stellan Skarsgård). Meanwhile, in Asgard, Thor's devious brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) ascends to the throne after Odin falls into the "Odinsleep." Discontent with this chain of events, a group of Asgardian warriors make their way to earth to assist Thor in his return, though not without Loki doing everything within his power to prevent it.



Format: Blu-ray - The standard Blu-ray release comes in the form of a 2-disc combo that includes a DVD copy of the film as well; it is on sale at most retailers for $22.99 this week.

Incendies (Denis Villeneuve, 2010) - From Sony Pictures Classics, the film - adapted from the play Scorched by Wajdi Mouawad - is about a pair of twins who, upon their mother's death, discover that their father - believed to be dead - is still alive and that they have a brother whom they have never met. Fulfilling their mother's last wishes, the two siblings travel to the Middle East to unravel the mystery shrouding their family history. Incendies received an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film (Canada).

Format: Blu-ray/DVD Combo - The combo format is the only option for this release; Amazon has it available for $28.99.

Meek's Cutoff (Kelly Reichardt, 2010) - The official synopsis reads: "The year is 1845, the earliest days of the Oregon Trail, and a wagon train of three families has hired mountain man Stephen Meek to guide them over the Cascade Mountains. Claiming to know a shortcut, Meek leads the group on an unmarked path across the high plain desert, only to become lost in the dry rock and sage. Over the coming days, the emigrants face the scourges of hunger, thirst and their own lack of faith in one another's instincts for survival. When a Native American wanderer crosses their path, the emigrants are torn between their trust in a guide who has proven himself unreliable and a man who has always been seen as a natural born enemy."

Format: DVD - A 'making-of' featurette and the theatrical trailer are the only special features, unfortunately, so I opt for the cheaper format. Still, despite the lack of significant supplemental features, Oscilloscope deserves some praise for their gorgeous cardboard packaging (which is typical of their releases). Amazon has it available for $18.99; Wal-Mart has it available in stores for $13.00, but keep in mind that their version of the release comes in a standard DVD case.

Conan O'Brien Can't Stop (Rodman Flender, 2011) - A documentary covering the "Legally Prohibited From Being Funny On Television Tour" that Conan embarked upon after departing from NBC's Tonight Show.

Format: DVD - The cheaper format is the best option here, in my opinion. Wal-Mart has it available on their website for $10.00, which you should be able to price-match at your local Best Buy. The next best option appears to be Amazon, which has it for $15.99.

Spartacus: Gods of the Arena (2011; created by Steven S. DeKnight) - This six-episode miniseries - which serves as a prequel to the first season of the show, Spartacus: Blood in the Sand - came about when production of the second season was put on hold due to the lead actor, Andy Whitfield, being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Though he recovered, he suffered a recurrence shortly thereafter, forcing him to abandon the role of Spartacus (which will be filled by Liam McIntyre); he passed away just two days ago on Sunday, September 11th, 2011.

Format: Blu-ray - In addition to the supplements accompanying the DVD release, the Blu-ray format contains extended cuts of the episodes (12 minutes of extra footage, so roughly 2 minutes extra per episode), audio commentaries for each episode, and a 3D battle sequence. Most retailers have the Blu-ray on sale for $24.99 this week.

Citizen Kane: 70th Anniversary Edition (Orson Welles, 1941) - Hailed as perhaps the greatest film of all time, Orson Welles' monumental masterpiece finally hits Blu-ray in the form of a 70th anniversary boxed set.

Format: Blu-ray - The boxed set includes a Blu-ray copy of Citizen Kane, restored from original nitrate elements in 4K resolution and remastered in high definition, a DVD copy of the 1995 Best Documentary Oscar nominee The Battle Over Citizen Kane, a DVD copy of the 1999 film RKO 281, a 20-page 1941 souvenir program reproduction, a 48-page hardcover book with photos, storyboards, and behind-the-scenes info, 10 reproductions of studio memos and correspondence, and 5 one-sheet/lobby-card reproductions. Amazon has the boxed set available for $39.99, as well as an exclusive version that comes with a DVD copy of Orson Welles' The Magnificent Ambersons (which has never been released on DVD, making this currently the only way to own it on the format), priced at $55.99. For those who are intrigued by the boxed set but have not indulged in the Blu-ray format, there is a DVD version available for $31.99. Finally, if you simply want Citizen Kane on Blu-ray and can do without the extra fluff, Best Buy has an exclusive Blu-ray book available for $29.99 that includes a Blu-ray copy of Citizen Kane and a DVD copy of The Battle Over Citizen Kane.

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NOTE: Star Wars: The Complete Saga will be released on Friday, September 16th.
 Star Wars: The Complete Saga (George Lucas [episodes I-IV], Irvin Kershner [episode V], and Richard Marquand [episode VI]) - The epic saga that has inspired generations makes its Blu-ray debut this week, though it is being met with skepticism and disdain due to the lack of the theatrical cuts for the Original Trilogy (OT). Even still, Star Wars fans should have no problem finding a lot to love about this immense boxed set, which is loaded with a plethora of new features and several new documentaries (though, strangely enough, Star Wars: Empire of Dreams - which accompanied the DVD release of the OT - is absent). If you are a die-hard that is curious to see all of the various changes made to the films from their original theatrical releases up to this Blu-ray release, DVDActive has an exhaustive four-part editorial covering it all.

Format: Blu-ray - Many fans may hate the Prequel Trilogy (PT), but I would still recommend picking up The Complete Saga as opposed to the individual trilogy releases, as the former is the only way to gain access to all of the new supplemental features (the individual releases contain only audio commentaries for each film). Most retailers have The Complete Saga on sale for $79.99 this week (Best Buy is throwing in a free t-shirt), and the individual trilogy releases are on sale for $39.99.

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And for video games this week:

God of War: Origins Collection (developed by Read at Dawn & Sony Computer Entertainment Studios Santa Monica; published by Sony Computer Entertainment) - In case you missed the opportunity to play these stunning entries into the God of War series when they were on the Playstation Portable (PSP), they are now available together on one disc for the Playstation 3, remastered in HD and featuring Trophy support. Chains of Olympus serves as a prequel to the original God of War, while Ghost of Sparta bridges the gap between the first and second installments. The collection retails for $39.99.

K-Mart is offering a $15 Gaming Coupon* for Shop Your Way Rewards members (which is free to join) with purchase; you may be able to price match this deal at your local Best Buy for a $15 gift card instead.







*Gaming Coupons are issued with your receipt and are generally valid beginning on the following Sunday for a set period of time (one to two months). Furthermore, as the name implies, they are only valid on gaming products.