09/20/11 Recommended New Releases

Before I begin, allow me to indulge in sharing my excitement concerning a relatively recent occurrence: I am now an 'In-the-field' writer for Film International, which primarily entails writing reviews of films currently in theaters. Most - if not all - theatrical reviews I compose in the future will be published on the Film International website, as opposed to here. My first review - which is of Apollo 18 - is up now; you can read it here. While visiting the site, be sure to check out the other wonderful reviews written by the other 'In-the-field' writers as well!

Furthermore, I have been (and still am) writing other reviews which are to be published in print issues of Film International; the first of these is of Revanche (Criterion Collection), which you can find in the current issue (Volume 9 Issue 3). While I have not posted any reviews here in several months (or much else aside from my weekly recommendations), I intend to change that in the near future with more news updates, articles, and the occasional DVD or video game review.

Now, on to the recommendations; keeping it short and sweet this week - one new DVD release and one (major) video game release:

The Kennedys (Jon Cassar, 2011) - The recent television miniseries about the iconic Kennedy family, focusing on Joseph Kennedy, Sr. (Tom Wilkinson) and his sons, John (Greg Kinear) and Robert (Barry Pepper). The series chronicles events from the presidential election of November 8th, 1960 through Robert's assassination on June 6th, 1968, with flashbacks to earlier years interwoven throughout. You can read a more detailed synopsis here. The series received 10 Emmy Nominations; Barry Pepper won the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie.

Format: DVD - The only supplement is a 45-minute 'making-of' featurette, so I opt for the cheaper format. Amazon has it available for $16.99, but if Blu-ray is your preference, they have it for just $2.00 more.









And for video games, today marks one of the biggest releases of the year:

Gears of War 3 (developed by Epic Games; published by Microsoft Studios) - The third (and final for the current story-arc) entry in the popular third-person shooter is out today exclusively for the Xbox 360, and to commemorate the occasion Epic Games and Microsoft have banded together to provide you with a slew of options for purchasing the game, and I have the scoop on what deals are being offered at various retailers:

+Standard Edition - This is the $59.99 stand-alone version of the game; nothing unique about it.









+Limited Edition - This is the mid-tier edition, priced at $79.99; it includes alternate packaging for the game disc, a replica of the Octus Service Medal awarded to Adam Fenix for his work on the Hammer of Dawn (which is engraved with a unique code to unlock him as a playable character in multiplayer), a fabric COG flag, and a handful of memorabilia items (including the last will and testament of Adam Fenix, a Hammer of Dawn schematic, and a few other documents).

Limited Edition (Click to enlarge).

+Epic Edition - This is the most expensive edition, priced at $149.99; it includes everything from the Limited Edition as well as a collectible PVC statue of Marcus Fenix, a hardcover artbook by Tom Bissell, and a code to unlock the 'Infected Omen' weapon skins pack for use in multiplayer.

Epic Edition (Click to enlarge).

That isn't the end of the line, though, as there is even a Gears of War Xbox 360 bundle available for $399.99, too. It includes a custom Xbox 360 console sporting the Gears of War colors and logo as well as custom sounds when you power on/off the console and open the disc drive, a detachable 320gb HDD, 2 limited edition Gears of War-themed controllers, an Xbox 360 headset, and a copy of the standard edition of Gears of War 3 (which includes the 'Infected Omen' weapon skins found in the Epic Edition).

Gears of War Console bundle (Click to enlarge).

 
Finally, the limited edition controllers that come with the bundle can also be purchased separately for $59.99 (and also includes the 'Infected Omen' weapon skins).

Gears of War controller (Click to enlarge).

And now, here are what the various retailers are offering:

Amazon - Receive $20 Amazon gaming credit w/purchase of Gears of War 3 (appears to be for the standard edition only; credit can only be used on gaming purchases); receive $40 Amazon credit w/purchase of the Gears of War Xbox 360 console bundle (credit can be used on anything at Amazon).

Best Buy - Save $20 on a 12-month Xbox Live Gold subscription w/purchase of Gears of War 3 (any edition, including the console bundle); save 15% on the Gears of War 3 strategy guide w/purchase of Gears of War 3 (any edition, including the console bundle; works on both the standard guide [$19.99] and the limited edition guide [$34.99]); receive an extra 40% on any games traded in towards the purchase of Gears of War 3.

K-Mart - Shop Your Way Rewards members (free to join) may receive a $20 Gaming Coupon* w/purchase of Gears of War 3 (any edition); Save $30 on a 12-month Xbox Live Gold subscription w/purchase of Gears of War 3 (any edition); receive the Gears of War Triple Pack (includes Gears of War, Gears of War 2, and the DLC content for the latter) w/purchase of the Gears of War Xbox 360 console bundle.

Target - Receive a $40 gift card w/purchase of the Gears of War Xbox 360 console bundle; receive a $10 gift card when you purchase Gears of War 3 AND place a $1 pre-order for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

Toys R Us - Save $20 on a 12-month Xbox Live Gold subscription w/purchase of Gears of War 3 or the Gears of War Xbox 360 console bundle; receive a Gears of War 3 action figure 2-pack w/purchase of Gears of War 3 or the Gears of War Xbox 360 console bundle; receive a $10 gift card w/purchase of a Gears of War-themed Xbox 360 controller.

It would appear that K-Mart has the best deal(s) this week (which is not surprising, as they have been making a huge push in their video game department all year long, offering spectacular deals almost every week). Still, you may be able to match any of these deals at your local Best Buy, depending on how they interpret their policy (which in my experience is very lenient).






*K-Mart 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.