This Week On DVD and Blu-ray: January 6, 2009

By Brad Brevet

The Tudors – The Complete Second Season
I don’t know what happened between last year and this year, but I re-watched the first season of “The Tudors” in anticipation of plugging in ten episode second season, but I’ll be damned if I just wasn’t interested and I never did. I guess it surprised me considering I loved the first season (read the review here) and have been looking forward to the second. I have a feeling if I pop it in I will finish all ten off in one stretch. Who knows… Perhaps just writing this will motivate me to do so because I did thoroughly enjoy what amounts to an R-rated soap opera the first time around and with Peter O’Toole joining the cast for the second season how could I not enjoy this one?
Buy The Tudors - The Complete Second Season
Battlestar Galactica: Season 4.0
Now this one I actually did put in the player, but as I watched a few of the season four episodes online I couldn’t find the right place to start so I took out the disc and still haven’t returned to it. This one, however, I plan on definitely giving a watch because I have invested three seasons already and don’t plan on giving up before I find out who that final Cylon is. This is the first half of the fourth season (hence the 4.0) and holds the first 10 episodes of the season as well as the previously released TV mini-series “Razor” in its unrated and rated form as well as all the bonus features to go with it. The season itself holds some behind-the-scenes features and the traditional podcast commentaries.
Buy Battlestar Galactica: Season 4.0
The Last Emperor (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]
I already gave this one an extensive review so give that a peek for the full opinion, but here is a snippet from the end if you aren’t up for it:

From a visual perspective I think this film is a must have, but the film itself has those up and down moments I am not sure how often I will return to it. However, when building a collection it doesn’t hurt to have a film of this caliber on your shelf. I guess what I am saying is that I leave this one up to you, but I wouldn’t consider it a blind buy if you have not yet watched it. It’s available on Netflix, give it a test run and see what you think. If you like it, add it to your birthday wish list.

Buy The Last Emperor (The Criterion Collection)
Bangkok Dangerous
Lionsgate has been up-and-down in sending me screener copies of their DVDs and Blu-rays. In this case they actually sent me this on 2-Disc DVD, but I have yet to give it a spin. However, I did watch Moonstruck last night and I got to wondering just what Nicolas Cage was acting in that movie and in movies such as Leaving Las Vegas? It’s not the same Cage we see in other movies, that’s for sure, because the Cage in Moonstruck and Vegas is actually pretty damn good. I like Cage in Adaptation and when it comes to crazy Cage you can’t do better than Face/Off. However, he seems to have been pegged as some sort of an action star when his better performances have all been dramatic roles. I am going to try and find the time to give this one a watch because I like the Pang brothers enough, but I don’t have high hopes.
Buy Bangkok Dangerous
Babylon A.D.
I am not sure if Fox loathes this movie or director Mathieu Kassovitz more, but the fact they are finally done with this film once the DVD and Blu-ray hit the shelves I am sure has them breathing a sigh of relief. However, the best thing I noticed about the packaging on this disc is how it is referred to as “Raw and Uncut” as it comes in at 101 minutes. The theatrical version was 90 minutes and from what I understand there is a 161-minute cut of the film out there. I wonder just how “raw” that version must be.
Buy Babylon A.D.
Pineapple Express
This movie was mildly funny in my opinion, but as anyone that follows my opinion on movies knows I am not that big on the studio style comedies. I am not a huge Judd Apatow fan and like my comedy more like In Bruges, even though I did find Tropic Thunder hilarious. So, I would have to say my opinion on these kinds of comedies is pretty much worthless to general audiences. Then again, if I don’t like it perhaps that means you most certainly will. See, there is a way around all discrepancies.
Buy Pineapple Express
Righteous Kill
I listed my Most Surprising film of 2008 as The House Bunny, but this one came dangerously close as I expected this film to be 100% awful but was pleasantly surprised to find out Bobby D and Al Pacino didn’t make an entirely awful movie. I gave it a C+. In my book, that’s a rental.
Buy Righteous Kill
The Wackness
The Juno loving crowd dug this flick whereas it was yet another C+ review from 2008. I don’t buy into these little niche indie features as much as so many do. However, I will say it got me listening to some old school songs I hadn’t played for some time so it is good for a refresher if you grew up in the days of Biggie as I expect this film will be a better tribute to B.I.G. than that upcoming Notorious feature.
Buy The Wackness
Dexter – The Complete First Season (Blu-ray Disc)
I was all pumped and ready to review this release after the first time I saw the first season of “Dexter” was via my Netflix Roku Player and the special features provided a great angle into getting into the review after the debacle with the Paramount “E-Bridge” feature on the Season 2 DVD set. Then, Paramount went and screwed me over by releasing the first episode of the Diablo Cody-scripted Steven Spielberg-produced “United States of Tara” online at Sho.com. You see, this Blu-ray comes with a BD-Live feature that includes the first two episodes of “Tara” as well as the first episode of “Dexter” season 3, but what good was talking about it if other people had already seen it? And for free!? You may be thinking it would still be a cool thing to mention… True, unfortunately the BD-Live feature isn’t activated yet and I couldn’t access any of it. So, I would just be telling you I loved the first season of “Dexter”, it looks great in Blu-ray outside of some noticeable grain in each episode and I think this is definitely a television series everyone should be watching. So there, I said it, now go buy it!
Buy Dexter - The Complete First Season (Blu-ray Disc)
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