Here’s what’s up for DISCussion this week:
FIRST RELEASES
-The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (DVD and Blu-ray)
-District 13: Ultimatum (DVD and Blu-ray)
RE-RELEASES
-Armageddon (Blu-ray)
-Dune (Blu-ray)
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (DVD and Blu-ray)
What’s its deal?
Director of nearly all the most famously trippy movies out there, Terry Gilliam presents this elaborate fantasy featuring Heath Ledger’s final performance and the three men – Johnny Depp, Colin Ferrell and Jude Law – who stepped up to complete it. As you can expect, the line between fantasy and reality will be distinctly blurred.
Critics’ Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 65% (good)
Player Affinity Rating: N/A
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Commentary with director Terry Gilliam, film introduction by Gilliam, deleted scene with commentary, Heath Ledger wardrobe test, Interview with Heath Ledger, five other featurettes.
Additional Blu-ray Features: Two additional featurettes and theatrical trailer
Amazon List Price: $17.99 (DVD), $22.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDtalk.com): Video = 4 stars, Audio = 4 stars, Extras = 4 stars (out of 5). Rent it.
District 13: Ultimatum (DVD and Blu-ray)
What’s its deal?
No, you didn’t miss some straight-to-DVD District 9 spin-off. This is the sequel to District B13, a politically-charged gang/crime action flick from France. The original was directed by Taken’s Pierre Morel, but his fame forced the franchise to move onward with the sequel.
Critics’ Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 73% (very good)
Player Affinity Rating: N/A
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Making Of Featurette, 30+ minutes of production diary segments, deleted and extended scenes and a music video.
Additional Blu-ray Features: None
Amazon List Price: $14.49 (DVD) $19.49 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDtalk.com): Video = 3.5 stars, Audio = 4 stars, Extras = 4 stars (out of 5). Recommended.
Armageddon (Blu-ray)
What’s its deal?
One of the original save-the-world disaster films that brought a generation of pre-teens down to their knees because of Ben Affleck and Liv Tyler’s romance, the emotional sacrifice of Bruce Willis and Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing.”
Critics’ Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 42% (not good)
Player Affinity Rating: N/A
Special Features: Aerosmith’s music video for “I Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing,” theatrical and teaser trailers.
Amazon List Price: $19.99
Score (DVDtalk.com): N/A
Dune (Blu-ray)
What’s its deal?
The David Lynch sci-fi opera of sorts finally arrives on Blu-ray after being one of the first old-school titles available for Toshiba’s now defunct HD DVD format. Having been released in a couple different versions, just chalk another one up for Dune, which has been discussed as a remake project for quite some time now.
Critics’ Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 62% (good)
Player Affinity Rating: N/A
Special Features: Deleted scenes, Designing Dune, Dune FX, Dune Models & Miniatures, Dune Wardrobe Design, D-Box motion enabled.
Amazon List Price: $18.99
Score (DVDtalk.com): Video = 4.5 stars, Audio = 4 stars, Extras = 3.5 stars (out of 5). Recommended.
