DISCussion: New on DVD and Blu-ray (5.27.2014)

How to Train Your Dragon is considered one of Dreamworks' best animated movies. As well as being re-released the it is also Entertainment Fuse's Recommendation of the Week. First Release - Endless Love (2014)(DVD and Blu-ray) - Journey to the West (DVD and Blu-ray) - Gambit (2012)(DVD and Blu-ray) - Cheap Thrills (DVD and Blu-ray) - A Birder's Guide to Everything (DVD) - The Trials of Cate Mccall (DVD) Re-Release - The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) (Blu-ray) - Red River (1948) (Blu-ray) - How to Train Your Dragon (2010) (Blu-ray) - Endless Love (1981) (Blu-ray) How to Train Your Dragon (2010)(DVD and Blu-ray) *Recommendation of the Week* Directed by Chris Sanders, Dean DeBlois Written by Will Davies, Dean DeBlois, Chris Sanders (screenplay), Cressida Cowell (novel) Starring: Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferera, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, T.J. Miller, Kristen Wiig, David Tennant How to Train Your Dragon 2 is about to hit theaters, so the highly regarded original movie is being re-released onto DVD and Blu-ray. Based on Cressida Cowell's series of children's book How to Train Your Dragon was helmed by Lilo & Stitch creators Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois. The island of Berk is constantly plagued by dragon attacks that burn down the villagers homes and eat their livestock. All villagers are trained from a young age to fight dragons. Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) is a intelligent inventor yet attempts to please his father (Gerard Butler) joins the dragon training program. But in the forest Hiccup discovers an injured dragon and sees that they are misunderstood creatures. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 98% (excellent) Metacritic Rating: 74/100 (good) Entertainment Fuse Score: 8.6/10 (read our review) Amazon Price: $16.99 (DVD), $26.08 (Blu-ray) Score (DVDTalk.com): Content 4.5 stars, Video 4.5 stars, Audio 5 stars, Extras 4 stars, Replay 4.5 stars (out of 5). Highly Recommended. Many movies are being released and re-released onto DVD and Blu-ray, including both versions of Endless Love, the Hong Kong action comedy Journey to the West and two re-releases from the Criterion Collection. Endless Love (2014)(DVD and Blu-ray) Directed by Shana Feste Written by Shana Feste, Joshua Safran (screenplay), Scott Spencer (novel) Starring: Alex Pettyfer, Gabriella Wilde The 2014 version of Endless Love is the second adaptation of Scott Spencer's novel of the same name, following a privileged girl, Jade Butterfield (Gabriella Wilde, The Three Musketeers, 2011) and a charismatic boy, David Elliott (Alex Pettyfer) fall for each other, despite their families' objections. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 15% (awful) Metacritic Rating: 30/100 (poor) DISC DETAILS DVD Special Features: The Making of Endless Love Additional Blu-ray Special Features: Digital Copy of Endless Love (Subject to expiration. Go to NBCUCodes.com for details.); Includes UltraViolet (Subject to expiration. Go to NBCUCodes.com for details.); Extended Ending; Deleted/Extended/Alternate Scenes Amazon Price: $17.99 (DVD), $22.99 (Blu-ray) Score (DVDTalk.com): Content 3.5 stars, Video 5 stars, Audio 4.5 stars, Extras 3 stars, Replay 4 stars (out of 5). Recommended. Journey to the West (DVD and Blu-ray) Directed by Stephen Chow, Derek Kok Written by Stephen Chow, Chi-kin Kwok, Xin Huo, Yun Wang, Fung Chih Chiang, Lu Zheng Yu, Lee Sheung Shing, Y.Y. Kong Starring: Huang Bo, Shu Qi, Wen Zhang, Show Luo, Chrissie Chau Stephen Chow is best known for work on Kung Fu Hustle and Shaolin Soccer. He seats in the director's chair with Derek Kok for the action-comedy Journey to the West, following Tang Sanzang (Wen Zhang), a Buddhist who has to protect his village from three demons. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 92% (excellent) Metacritic Rating: 68/100 (good) DISC DETAILS DVD Special Features: Stunts & special effects; Cast & characters; Director Stephen Chow; The laughs; Production design; Choreography; Theatrical trailer Amazon Price: $12.96 (DVD), $17.99 (Blu-ray) Gambit (2012)(DVD and Blu-ray) Directed by Michael Hoffman Written by Joel Coen, Ethan Coen (screenplay), Sidney Carroll (story) Starring: Colin Firth, Cameron Diaz, Alan Rickman, Tom Courtenay Gambit is a remake of the 1966 Michael Caine movie of the same name. This version was written by the Coen brothers; unfortunately it was one of their weakest movies. Harry Deane (Colin Firth) is a art curator for the arrogant business tycoon Lord Lionel Shabander (Alan Rickman) and he plans to get revenge by stealing his Monet painting. He plans an elaborate heist, teaming up with Texan cowgirl, PJ Puznowski (Cameron Diaz). But Harry is not as suave or as competent as he thinks. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 19% (awful) Metacritic Rating: Fuse Score: 3.0/10 Amazon Price: $14.99 (DVD), $17.99 (Blu-ray) Cheap Thrills (DVD and Blu-ray) Directed by E.L. Katz Written by Trent Haaga, David Chirchirillo Starring: Pat Healy, Sara Paxton, Ethan Embry, David Koechner Premiering at the 2013 South by Southwest film festival Cheap Thrills is a black comedy thriller about Craig (Pat Healy), a father just been made unemployed who agrees to take on a series of twisted dares for money. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes: 85% (excellent) Metacritic Rating: 63/100 (good) DISC DETAILS DVD Special Features: Digital download of feature; Cast/Crew Interviews; Behind-the-scenes Featurette Amazon Price: $16.96 (DVD), $21.21 (Blu-ray) A Birder's Guide to Everything (DVD) Directed by Rob Meyer Written by Rob Meyer, Luke Matheny Starring: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Alex Wolff, Katie Chang, Ben Kingsley David Portnoy (Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Road) is a 15-year-old boy and birding enthusiast who believes he had made an amazing discovery and goes on a run trip with his best friend to prove it. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 90% (excellent) Metacritic Rating: 61/100 (good) Amazon Price: $22.98 (DVD) The Trials of Cate Mccall (DVD) Written and directed by Karen Moncrieff Starring: Kate Beckinsale, Nick Nolte, Clancy Brown The Trials of Cate Mccall is a legal drama about Cate Mccall (Kate Beckinsale), a lawyer with massive personal problems who agrees to take on the appeal of a woman falsely convicted of murder. Amazon Price: $12.96 (DVD) The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) (Blu-ray) Directed by Wes Anderson Written by Wes Anderson, Noah Baumbach Starring: Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Cate Blanchett, Anjelica Huston, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Michael Gambon, Bud Cort From the Criterion Collection is the Blu-ray re-release of Wes Anderson's comedy-drama The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou as famed oceanographer and documentarian Steve Zissou (Bill Murray) sets out to prove the existent of the Jaguar Shark. Critics Rating (Rotte Tomatoes): 55% (average) Metacritic Rating: 62/100 (good) Entertainment Fuse Score: 7.5/10 Amazon Price: $25.99 (Blu-ray) Score (DVDTalk.com): Content 4.5 stars, Video 5 stars, Audio 4.5 stars, Extras 4.5 stars, Replay 4 stars (out of 5). DVD Talk Collector Series. Red River (1948) (Blu-ray) Directed by Howard Hawks Written by Borden Chase, Charles Schnee (screenplay), Borden Chase (story) Starring: John Wayne, Montgomery Clift, Walter Brennan Joanne Dru The other re-release from the Criterion Collection is the re-release of the Western Red River about Thomas Dunson (John Wayne) and his adopted son  Matt Garth (Montgomery Cliff) who must go on a dangerous cattle drive and the pair clash with each other on the way. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 100% (excellent) Amazon Price: $33.96 (Blu-ray) Score (DVDTalk.com): Content 4.5 stars, Video 4.5 stars, Audio 4 stars, Extras 4 stars, Replay 4 stars (out of 5). Highly Recommended. Endless Love (1981)(DVD) Directed by Franco Zeffirelli Written by Judith Rascoe (screenplay), Scott Spencer (novel) Starring: Brooke Shields, Martin Hewitt As well as the new version, the 1981 original version of Endless Love as 15-year-old Jade Butterfield (Brooke Shields) and 17-year-old David Axelrod (Martin Hewitt) fall for each other and want to stay together despite their families objections. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes: 25% (very bad) Amazon Price: $12.73 (DVD)