ON DVD TODAY: December 18, 2007

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Welcome to the first in what will be yet another new weekly feature. With the “ON DVD THIS WEEK” article I hope to bring your attention to the most interesting new DVDs, HD DVDs and Blu-ray releases for the week as well as inform you on any new DVD information you may have missed as well as new titles that have just been added.

Of course I may not always be the one bringing this feature to you, but it will be here so stay tuned. As a matter of fact, if you would be interested in writing this column on a weekly basis drop me a line at [email protected] and we will see what we can do. For now, let’s see what is out there this week.

MUST BUYS

Easily one of the top ten films of 2007 is the indie feature Once if you have not seen this film you are missing out on something extraordinary. This is one of those rare films that manages to tell a story using strong dialogue. It has a beautiful sense of realism to it and the music is absolutely wonderful. Don’t miss out on it. BUY IT AT AMAZON

Stardust may have to go down as the most overlooked film of 2007. I LOVE this film and to think it has been ignored by the public for only God knows what reason is an absolute shame. This fantasy has everything you could possibly hope for and I believe the only reason it failed at the box-office was due to the fact that the story is impossible to summarize in a 2:30 minute trailer. Trust the Certified Fresh rating at RottenTomatoes and buy it today! It is also available on HD DVD ~ BUY IT AT AMAZON

Along with Stardust and Once this is the other MUST BUY this week. The Akira Kurosawa four-film Critierion Package. This bad boy comes with Throne Of Blood, Yojimbo, Seven Samurai and Sanjuro and is specially priced at $109.99 at Amazon. Here’s the key though. Sign up for an Amazon credit card at the same time and knock $30 bucks off and you get these four gems for $80 when the normal list price that you would pay in any store (if you could find them) would be $169.80. Trust me, jump on this one. BUY IT AT AMAZON

THE REST

The Blade Runner Final Cut is sure to be the highlight this week for most avid movie fans. Personally, I don’t really like this movie (I know, strike me down). I understand it is a classic, and for its time it is highly revolutionary, but I find it boring. Nevertheless, Warner Bros. knows there are plenty out there that think differently as they offer up not only a 2-Disc, but a 4-Disc, a 5-Disc and HD DVD and Blu-ray versions of this latest release that has pretty much all you could ever want from a DVD including five different versions of the film depending on whcih version you buy. Take your pick right here and see what each has to offer. BUY IT AT AMAZON

Horror fans are sure to be delighted even though I did not like this film, but let me tell you why. The fatal flaw of this film is that it is called Halloween and the killer is named Michael Myers. Rob Zombie has made a semi-decent film that trashes what made the original so great by giving him the same old cliche reason why every serial killer in the history of man has been a serial killer. There is no originality in this film that would have been much better had it been called anything else since we would have expected so much less, which is exactly what you get. You can read my full review here. BUY IT AT AMAZON

I love Braveheart and don’t understand the new found infatuation with trashing it. However, this latest 2-disc release seems a bit silly, especially since we are entering an age of high-definition video and the HD DVD version has got to be just around the corner. BUY IT AT AMAZON

If you like “The Simpsons” you will like The Simpson Movie. It doesn’t manage to offer up a ton in belly laughs and this DVD is a bit sparse on the special features which actually surprised me, but then I got to remembering that Fox loves to do the double-dip… Expect a “Special Collector’s Edition” next year with all the bells and whistles. BUY IT AT AMAZON

I have not heard a single good thing about this movie. The only direction I can give you is our DVD review in which Domenic basically says if you are under the age of 6 then you may like it. Based on that I would say most should just skip it and forget it ever existed. BUY IT AT AMAZON

For those that aren’t duped into buying Zombie’s Halloween there are better options this week and the first one is Hatchet from director Adam Green. This little flick heads to the Louisiana swamps where you will meet a new monster by the name of Victor Crowley. It is quite a “juicy” horror and sure to impress lovers of the genre. BUY IT AT AMAZON

I have both Volume 1 and Volume 2 of the “Young Indiana Jones” series at my house, but I am yet to have a chance to put either one in the player. However, I can tell you these are some of the most impressive looking sets I have seen in some time. I never saw a single one of these features, but based on the marketing material it seems they are aimed at both entertaining and educating. Apparently Volume 2 focuses on a young Indy during World War I and the adventures that coincide. One of these days I am going to check it out. BUY IT AT AMAZON

The eleventy-gajillionth release of Evil Dead hits stores today. I can only assume that if you are one of the last people on Earth that doesn’t own it then this Ultimate Edition must be the one to buy. BUY IT AT AMAZON

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