This Week On DVD and Blu-ray: February 10, 2009

By Brad Brevet

A Time to Kill
I really like this film and have been waiting for an opportunity to buy it since the DVD release has always included the first half of the film on one side of the disc and the second half on the other side, easily one of the most annoying ideas to come out of the early days of DVD. However, now that it is on Blu-ray there is finally a version worth buying and you can believe I will be picking this one up.
Buy A Time to Kill
The Rock Collection

The Rundown / Doom / The Scorpion King
Last night I popped in Doom and watched about 30 minutes or so of it and one thing I noticed, that I hadn’t before, is the high definition picture really made the Rock’s back look sort of weird where they tried to cover up all his tats. I’m not sure if it was make-up or a CG effect, but there was a caked on look and I think it had something to do with the HD picture. Other than that the film actually looked great even though it’s not all that good.

The Rundown is the only one in this collection (which you can also buy individually) and The Scorpion King was actually already released, but is now available in the bundle as well.
Buy The Rundown
Raging Bull
I have been considering doing some sort of weekly/bi-weekly feature talking about movies everyone seems to believe are the greatest and I don’t actually agree. Raging Bull would be a film I would consider for that list. Now, admittedly, I have only seen this film a couple of times, but I have never really enjoyed it all that much. Not sure exactly why, but it’s one I have been thinking about revisiting again just to give it another chance. So often people look at the ’81 Oscars and wonder how Ordinary People could have won Best Picture over Raging Bull. Well, if I had my pick that year The Elephant Man would be my pick over both those features.
Buy Raging Bull
Amadeus (Director’s Cut)
Amadeus isn’t all that bad a flick, it is one that will probably look great in high definition, but I own this movie on DVD and have watched it a grand total of once since owning it. Not sure it’s worth buying.
Buy Amadeus (Director's Cut)
Back to the Future Parts 1-3
Okay, the big deal here is this is the first time all three of these films have been available for purchase separately. However, it seems like a bit of a rip-off if you ask me. You can still buy the complete trilogy at Amazon for only $22.99 while buying each one of these is going to cost you $13.99 each. Just click the Buy Now link below, I have added the trilogy into the link as well so you can compare prices.
Buy Back to the Future (2-Disc Special Edition)
Street Fighter Extreme Edition
I feel so late to the game on this title, but I tried watching the Blu-ray version a couple of nights ago and it is awful. I couldn’t finish it. I hit fast forward just to see what the climactic ending would be like and there is Raul Julia flying around with some hover boots as Van Damme does his best to say words. The picture on the Blu-ray was certainly showing a lot of film grain in the darker spots, but did have a pretty picture in the daytime scenes. However, I would never wish this film on anyone. It is terrible.
Buy Street Fighter Extreme Edition
Pretty Woman
You have been dying to own Pretty Woman on Blu-ray. We both know it so there is no need to lie or try and dance around the issue. I actually reviewed the 15th Anniversary DVD back in 2005 and this release has all the same features outside of the fact it is in high definition, which isn’t much of a reason to upgrade, but if you are doing a complete DVD-to-Blu-ray overhaul and need to pick this one up here yah go. A good movie, I just don’t think it is one that is necessary to upgrade.
Buy Pretty Woman
What Just Happened?
Never saw this movie and have no real desire to. It took this film forever to find a distributer and once it found one it was released to awful reviews and a $1 million domestic box-office take.
Buy What Just Happened?
Nights in Rodanthe
After The Notebook I am not sure if I will ever be able to subject myself to another Nicholas Sparks adaptation and that is the only reason I have avoided Nights in Rodanthe to this point. I am looking just across my living room as I type this and the Blu-ray version is staring at me just begging to be played. However I have the Animator’s Corner of Madagascar 2 playing at the moment so it is just going to have to wait for an even more desperate moment.
Buy Nights in Rodanthe
Blindness
Ugh, I did not like this movie and I don’t really want to get into it here so I will just give you a quote from my theatrical review:

Like Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Babel, Blindness is a well made and a well acted film, but none of that makes up for the bleak future the film offers without any release for the audience watching… Blindness is sensory overload and while the people on screen are suffering the audience is forced to join in or leave the theater. I chose to stay until the end, but I recommend you never sit down.

In short, I did not enjoy this movie at all.
Buy Blindness
Miracle at St. Anna
Yet another stinker from 2008 and a disappointing one at that as I have come to anticipate Spike Lee films, but this one did nothing for me just as it did nothing for Sara who just posted her review of the DVD right here.
Buy Miracle at St. Anna
W.
In my opinion this is a film to see once and never again. It’s neither flattering or hard hitting, it just exists for what appears to be no reason as Josh Brolin delivers a great performance as George W. Bush and folks such as Richard Dreyfuss and Jeffrey Wright also add to the feature, but on a whole it offers very little in way of entertainment.
Buy W.
Soul Men
I never heard anything good about this film, but I did see a few flattering reviews as this is the final feature film for the late Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes. It never looked all that funny to me so I skipped it, which means all I can do is tell you it is coming out and leave you to your own devices.
Buy Soul Men
Frozen River
I am actually quite surprised at the attention this one received at the end of the year including its two Oscar nominations for Best Actress and Screenplay, but it isn’t that great a film and I think the nomination for Courtney Hunt’s script goes to show it was a rather week year in 2008, especially for quality scripts.
Buy Frozen River
Chocolate
Here’s a bust ’em up bruiser that hit limited theaters last weekend and hits DVD and Blu-ray today. The film is fun, but forgettable, you can read my review right here.
Buy Chocolate
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