DISCussion: New on DVD and Blu-ray (5.20.2014)

George Clooney's war movie about the protection of art, The Monuments Men is Entertainment Fuse's Recommendation of the Week. The DVD comes with two behind the scenes featurettes whilst the Blu-ray has deleted scenes and a documentary. First Release - The Monuments Men (DVD and Blu-ray) - Pompeii (DVD and Blu-ray) -3 Days to Kill (DVD and Blu-ray) - Like Someone in Love (DVD and Blu-ray) - Vampire Academy (DVD and Blu-ray) - About Last Night (DVD and Blu-ray) - In Secret (DVD) Re-Release - Nosferatu The Vampyre (1979) (Blu-ray) - McLintock! (1963) (Blu-ray) The Monuments Men (DVD and Blu-ray) *Recommendation of the Week* Directed by George Clooney Written by George Clooney, Grant Heslov (screenplay), Robert M. Edsel (book) Starring: George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Jean Dujardin, Bob Balaban, Hugh Bonneville, Cate Blanchett Featuring an all star cast, The Monuments Men is the fifth movie that George Clooney has made as a director and was originally set to be released in December 2013 before being pushed back for a February 2014 release. The Monuments Men is based on the true story of the Allies forming a team of art experts to retrieve art masterpieces the Nazis had stolen and save them before they can be destroyed. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 32% (poor) Metacritic Rating: 52/100 (average) Entertainment Fuse Score: 5.0/10 DISC DETAILS DVD Special Features: George Clooney's mission; Marshalling the troops Additional Blu-ray Special Features: Deleted scenes; In their own words; A woman amongst the Monuments Men Amazon Price: $17.99 (DVD), $19.96 (Blu-ray) Score (DVDTalk.com): Content 2.5 stars, Video 4.5 stars, Audio 4.5 stars, Extras 2.5 stars, Replay 2 stars (out of 5). Rent It. Two notorious directors have their latest action movies coming out on DVD and Blu-ray whilst drama junkies have a number of offerings.   Pompeii (DVD and Blu-ray) Directed by Paul W. S. Anderson Written by Janet Scott Batchler, Lee Batchler, Michael Robert Johnson Starring: Kit Harrington, Emily Browning, Kiefer Sutherland, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Jared Harris The historical disaster/action movie Pompeii was Kit Harrington's (Jon Snow from Game of Thrones) first major leading role in big picture. Sadly for him it was a critical and commercial flop. Harrington plays a nameless Celtic man, the last man of his tribe and enslaved by the Romans to fight as a gladiator. When he is sold to fight in Pompeii he ends up meeting the love of his life, Cassia (Emily Browning) but also the man who ordered the massacre of his tribe, Corvus (an extremely hammy Kiefer Sutherland) as Mount Vesuvius is about to blow. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 28% (very bad) Metacritic Rating: 39/100 (poor) Entertainment Fuse Score: 3.0/10 DISC DETAILS DVD Special Features:Filmmakers' Commentary; The Assembly - Cast and characters; The volcanic eruption special effects Additional Blu-ray Special Features: 20 deleted & alternate scenes; The Gladiators - stunts; The journey - Productin Design; The costume shop - Costume Design; Pompeii: Buried in time - Behind the scenes of ancient history's greatest disaster Amazon Price: $14.99 (DVD), $17.99 (Blu-ray), $24.99 (3D Blu-ray) Score (DVDTalk.com): Content 2 stars, Video 4.5 stars, Audio 4.5 stars, Extras 3 stars, Replay 2 stars (out of 5). Skip It. 3 Days to Kill (DVD and Blu-ray) Directed by McG Written by Luc Besson, Adi Hasak (screenplay), Luc Besson (story) Starring: Kevin Costner, Amber Heard, Hailee Steinfeld From Luc Besson's EuropaCorp is the action-thriller 3 Days to Kill, directed by McG (Charlie's Angels, Terminator Salvation). Kevin Costner stars as Ethan Renner, a CIA assassin who quits his work to spend more time with his estranged wife and daughter. But when Ethan has a fatal disease he is offered a possible cure by his old CIA handler (Amber Heard), but has to do one last job to earn it. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 32% (poor) Metacritic Rating: 40/100 (poor) DISC DETAILS DVD Special Features: N/A Additional Blu-ray Special Features: 3 Days to Kill in high definition ; (theatrical version and extended version); The making of 3 Days to Kill; McG's Method; Covert Operation Amazon Price: $14.96 (DVD), $19.96 (Blu-ray) Score (DVDTalk.com): Content 2 stars, Video 5 stars, Audio 5 stars, Extras 1 stars, Replay 2 stars (out of 5). Rent It. Like Someone in Love (DVD and Blu-ray) Written and directed by Abbas Kiarostami Starring: Rin Takanashi, Tadashi Okuno, Ryō Kase From the acclaimed writer/director Abbas Kiarostami is his Japanese set drama about a young escort, Akiko (Rin Takanashi) who ends up having a unusual connection with a widowed client. Like Someone in Love was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 81% (very good) Metacritic Rating: 76/100 (very good) DISC DETAILS DVD Special Features: New digital master, approved by director Abbas Kiarostami; Forty-five-minute documentary on the making of the film; Trailer; Nw English subtitle translation; PLUS: an essay by film scholar and critic Nico Baumbach Amazon Price: $21.21 (DVD), $33.96 (Blu-ray) Vampire Academy (DVD and Blu-ray) Directed by Mark Waters Written by Daniel Waters (screenplay), Richelle Mead (novel) Starring: Zoey Deutch, Lucy Fry, Danila Kozlovsky Based on a popular series of books by Richelle Mead, Vampire Academy is the latest movie which hoped to be the next big hit in the crowded young adult market: and it failed. Rosie Hathaway (Zoey Deutch) is a 17-year-old dhampir (half-human half-vampire) and guardian-in-training. With her best friend is Princess Vaslisia "Lissa" Dragomir (Lucy Fry) the pair have to counter a potential threat to their lives and more importantly, survive the horrors of high school. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes: 10% (awful) Metacritic Rating: 30/100 (very bad) DISC DETAILS DVD Special Features: Alternate opening; Deleted scenes; A conversation with author Richelle Mead Amazon Price: $12.96 (DVD), $14.99 (Blu-ray) About Last Night (DVD and Blu-ray) Directed by Steve Pink Written by Leslye Headland (screenplay), Tim Kazurinsky, Denise DeClue (original movie), David Mamet (play 'Sexual Perversity in Chicago') Starring: Kevin Hart, Michael Ealy, Regina Hall, Joy Bryant The 2014 version of About Last Night is a remake of the 1986 movie of the same name and the David Mamet play Sexual Perversity in Chicago. This movie features an African-American cast, following two couples throughout their relationships. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 69% (good) Metacritic Rating: 62/100 (good) DISC DETAILS DVD Special Features: An un-romantic comedy - a look at making the film Additional Blu-ray Special Features: I Love You? - How saying it first affects the dynamics of modern day relationships; About Last Night Advice - The cast offers tips on making a relationship successful; Word on the street - Complete strangers give advice on romance Amazon Price: $16.99 (DVD), $19.96 (Blu-ray) Score (DVDTalk.com): Content 3 stars, Video 4 stars, Audio 4 stars, Extras 3 stars, Replay 2 stars (out of 5). Rent It. In Secret (DVD) Directed by Charlie Stratton Written by Charlie Stratton (screenplay), Émile Zola (novel 'Thérèse Raquin') Starring: Elizabeth Olsen, Tom Felton, Oscar Isaac, Jessica Lange In Secret is based on the classic French novel Thérèse Raquin. Elizabeth Olsen stars as the title character, a young woman who is stuck in a loveless marriage with her first cousin, Camille (Tom Felton) in 1860s Paris. Soon she meets one of her husband's friends, Laurent LeClaire (Oscar Isaac) and the pair embark on an affair. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 40% (poor) Metacritic Rating: 48/100 (average) DISC DETAILS DVD Special Features: Closed Caption; Deleted scenes; Feature audio commentary with screenwriter/director Charlie Stratton and producers Pete Shilaimon and Mickey Liddell Amazon Price: $14.96 (DVD)   Nosferatu The Vampyre (1979) (Blu-ray) Directed by Werner Herzog Written by Werner Herzog (screenplay), Bram Stoker (novel 'Dracula') Starring: Klaus Kinski, Isabelle Adjani, Bruno Ganz Nosferatu The Vampyre is Werner Herzog's adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula, transferring the action from London to Wismar, Germany where Jonathan Harker (Bruno Ganz, Downfall) sets out to meet a nobleman in Transylvania who plans to sell his castle, despite his wife's (Isabelle Adjani) objections. When Harker meets the nobleman he realizes he put himself, his wife and Wismar in danger. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes: 95% (excellent) DISC DETAILS DVD Special Features: German Language Version With English Subtitles; English Language Version; Audio Commentary With Werner Herzog; Vintage Making Of Nosferatu; Theatrical Trailers Amazon Price: $19.99 (Blu-ray) Score (DVDTalk.com): Content 4.5 stars, Video 3 stars, Audio 3 stars, Extras 3.5 stars, Replay 4 stars (out of 5). Recommended. McLintock! (1963) (Blu-ray) Directed by Andrew V. McLaglen Written by James Edward Grant Starring: John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Patrick Wayne, Yvonne De Carlo The last movie of the week is the re-release of the comedy Western McLintock! John Wayne stars as George Washington "G.W." McLintock, a wealthy cattle baron who has to contend with his estranged wife and his daughter who is in love with the son of one of his enemies. Amazon Price: $19.99 (Blu-ray)