05/31/11 Recommended New Releases

As usual, the holiday week has proven to be lacking in the way of new releases. Only two caught my eye this week, but rest assured that the rest of the month is ripe with quality films making their way to DVD and Blu-ray, with over a dozen noteworthy titles coming over the course of the next four weeks. Furthermore, Next Monday is also the beginning of the Electronics Entertainment Expo (E3), where the latest in gaming will be unveiled. Anyways, on to the new releases:

Biutiful (Alejandro González Iñárritu, 2010) - Receiving Oscar nominations for Best Foreign Film and Best Actor (for Javier Bardem), many have declared this to be renowned director Iñárritu's best film to date. Bardem stars as Uxbal, "a man on the wrong side of the law who struggles to provide for his children on the dangerous streets of Barcelona. As fate encircles him, Uxbal learns to accept the realities of life, whether bright, bad - or biutiful..." (quote taken from the DVD packaging).

Format: DVD - The supplements are the same for both formats, and the DVD is five bucks cheaper - $17.99 - at Amazon. Stores carrying the title should have it on sale for roughly the same price (such as Best Buy and MovieStop).

Prey (Antoine Blossier, 2010) - From IFC Midnight comes this French thriller. "One night, several deer inexplicably hurl themselves against the electric fence of a farm. Discovering deep bites on the animals bodies, the farmer and visiting family members (who have gathered for a tense reunion) penetrate deep into the surrounding forest. They carry guns, expecting to encounter wild predators, but what they are bewildered to find is an environment ravaged by a mysterious evil force. And as the sun slowly sinks away, howling resounds through the forest. The hunters have become prey! This modern-day horror film blends elements of The Descent, Jaws and Deliverance into an original picture of human nature scarier than the darkest woods," (taken from the Amazon.com synopsis).

Format: DVD - Only available on DVD. Amazon has it for $17.99.







Finally, here is the penultimate episode of Mortal Kombat: Legacy:

05/24/11 Recommended New Releases

Not much today, but thankfully Criterion has us covered:

The Great Dictator (Charles Chaplin, 1940) - Synopsis from the Criterion webpage for the release: "In his controverisal masterpiece The Great Dictator, Charlie Chaplin offers both a cutting caricature of Adolf Hitler and a sly tweaking of his own comic persona. Chaplin, in his first pure talkie, brings his sublime physicality to two roles: the cruel yet clownish “Tomainian” dictator and the kindly Jewish barber who is mistaken for him. Featuring Jack Oakie and Paulette Goddard in stellar supporting turns, The Great Dictator, boldly going after the fascist leader before the U.S.’s official entry into World War II, is an audacious amalgam of politics and slapstick that culminates in Chaplin’s famously impassioned speech."

Format: DVD - Like many others, my Criterion collection began on DVD, and for the time being I see no reason to upgrade. For this release, the only noteworthy distinction between formats is that the Blu-ray sports an uncompressed monaural soundtrack. The DVD is $20.99 at Amazon.

Solaris (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1972)* - Originally released by Criterion in 2002, the film has been re-released to correct an issue with the black-and-white scenes in the film, which were supposed to be tinted blue. Synopsis from the Criterion webpage for this release: "Ground control has been receiving mysterious transmissions from the three remaining residents of the Solaris space station. When cosmonaut and psychologist Kris Kelvin is dispatched to investigate, he experiences the same strange phenomena that afflict the Solaris crew, sending him on a voyage into the darkest recesses of his consciousness. With Solaris, the legendary Russian filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky created a brilliantly original science-fiction epic that challenges our conceptions about love, truth, and humanity itself."

* - Not to be confused with the 2002 Steven Soderbergh remake starring George Clooney.

Format: DVD - As with The Great Dictator, the only noteworthy difference between formats is the uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray. The DVD is $21.99 on Amazon.




Finally, here is episode seven of Mortal Kombat: Legacy: