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DVD/Blu-ray DISCussion (New for 4.12.11)

There are only four new releases and two re-releases this week, but a lack of quantity does not mean a lack of quality. One of Player Affinity’s favorite films of 2010, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, is released this Friday and will be a wanted product for Harry Potter fans. Whilst on the re-release front there is The Incredibles and the classic French heist film Le Cercle Rouge.

First Releases
- Country Strong (DVD and Blu-ray)
- White Material (DVD and Blu-ray)
- A Summer in Genoa (DVD)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (DVD and Blu-ray) (Release date 4/15)

Re-Releases
- The Incredibles (Blu-ray)
- Le Cercle Rouge (Blu-ray)


Country Strong (DVD and Blu-ray)

What's the Deal?
Jeff Bridges won his long awaited Oscar in 2010 after starring in Crazy Heart. A year later Gwyneth Paltow had a go with a drama film set in the country music scene: but whilst Crazy Heart was met with a lot of praise, Country Strong had a negative critical response. Written and directed by Shana Feste (The Greatest), Country Strong was produced by Tobey Maguire. Tim McGraw, Garrett Hedlund (Tron: Legacy) and Leighton Meester (The Roommate) co-star with Paltow.

Kelly Canter (Paltow) is a six-times Grammy winner who has just left rehab and had an affair with an orderly/aspiring singer-songwriter Beau (Hedlund). Kelly husband/manager James (McGraw) checks her out early so Kelly can have comeback tour. Things become more complex when Beau and former beauty queen turned singer Chiles (Meester) are added to the line-up and entourage.

Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 21% (poor)
Player Affinity Score: 5.0/10

DISC DETAILS

DVD Special Features: 
Country Strong Soundtrack; "Shake That Thing" - Extended Performance; Original Ending; Deleted Scenes; "Country Strong" by Gwyneth Paltrow - Music Video; "A Little Bit Stronger" by Sara Evans - Music Video

Amazon Price: $15.99 (DVD), $19.99 (Blu-ray)

Score (DVDTalk.com):
Content 1 stars, Video 4 stars, Audio 4.5 stars, Extras 2.5 stars, Replay 0 stars (out of 5). Skip It.


White Material (DVD and Blu-ray)

What's the Deal?
Claire Denis is a highly regarded director in France and well-regarded in the art-house scene, making films like 35 Shots of Rum and Beau Travail. Isabelle Huppert (The Piano Teacher, I Heart Huckabees), Christopher Lambert (Connor MacLeod from the Highlander series) and Nicolas Duvauchelle star in this drama about a white farmer in Africa, Maria (Huppert), as their nation descends into civil war. Maria refuses to give up her plantation, even if it puts her loved ones in danger.

Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 87% (excellent)
Player Affinity Score: N/A

DISC DETAILS

DVD Special Features:
New digital transfer, supervised and approved by director Claire Denis and cinematographer Yves Cape; New interviews with Denis and actors Isabelle Huppert and Isaach de Bankolé; Short documentary by Denis on the film’s premiere at the Écrans Noirs Film Festival 2010 in Cameroon; Deleted scene; Theatrical trailer; New and improved English subtitle translation;  PLUS: A booklet featuring a new essay by film writer Amy Taubin

Amazon Price: $19.99 (DVD), $27.99 (Blu-ray)

Score (DVDTalk.com):
Content: 4 stars, Video 4.5 stars, Audio 4.5 stars, Extras 2.5 stars, Replay 4 stars (out of 5). Highly Recommended.


A Summer in Genoa (DVD)

What's the Deal?
Michael Winterbottom has had a varied career as a director making films like Welcome to Sarajevo, 24 Hour Party People and The Killer Inside Me. A Summer in Genoa has had a long route to being released in the United States, having been filmed in 2007, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2008 and now having a direct-to-DVD release. Colin Firth, Catherine Keener (Being John Malkovich), Hope Davis (About Schmidt) star in this film as a British university professor takes his two daughters to Genoa, Italy after the death of their mother. The youngest daughter starts to see the ghost of her mother, whilst the older one discovers her sexuality.

Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 79% (very good)
Player Affinity Score: N/A

DISC DETAILS

DVD Special Features: N/A

Amazon Price: $10.99 (DVD)

Score (DVDTalk.com):
Content: 3.5 stars, Video 3.5 stars, Audio 3.5 stars, Extras 2.5 stars, Replay 3 stars (out of 5). Recommended.


Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (DVD and Blu-ray) (Release date 4/15)

What's the Deal?
We are coming to the end of the Harry Potter series with the penultimate film being released onto DVD and Blu-ray and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 coming in July. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows had so much in it that the producers decided to make it into a five-hour epic released it in two parts. A cynic may say that they are trying to milk as much money as they can. David Yates will finish the series and will have directed five of the Harry Potter films. Pretty much everyone from the series will return for the final part and Bill Nighy and Rhys Ifans (Notting Hill) join in.

Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) are left with a seemingly impossible task, to find and destroy the Horcruxes that keep Voldermort (Ralph Fiennes) alive. But they do not know where to start and everything is made worst when the Death Eaters take over the Ministry of Magic and force the trio on the run.

Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 79% (very good)
Player Affinity Score: 9.0/10

DISC DETAILS

DVD Special Features:
Deleted Scenes; Behind the Soundtrack

Additional Blu-ray/DVD Combo Special Features:
Maximum Movie Mode; The seven Harrys; On the green with Rupert, Tom, Oliver, and James; Dan, Rupert, and Emma's running competition; Additional scenes; Behind the soundtrack

Amazon Price: $14.99 (DVD), $16.99 (Blu-ray), $22.99 (Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

Score (DVDTalk.com):
Content: 4.5 stars, Video 3.5 stars, Audio 4.5 stars, Extras 5 stars, Replay 5 stars (out of 5). Highly Recommended.


The Incredibles (Blu-ray)

What's the Deal?
Pixar has dominated the animated feature genre since 1995 with the release of Toy Story. Nearly all their films push the boundaries of the previous films. The Incredibles is a personal favorite of mine from Pixar and this is one of the few times the studio recruited outside directing talent. Brad Bird (The Simpsons, The Iron Giant) wrote and directed this superhero film and got a great voice cast: Craig T. Nelson (who was perfect as Mr. Incredible), Holly Hunter, Jason Lee, Samuel L. Jackson and Elizabeth Peña.

Bob and Helen Parr, AKA Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl were two of the greatest superheroes of their generation and were forced to retire after superheroes were constantly sued. In the present day they live a quiet live in suburban with their super powered children. But Bob longs for the glory days and is given an approach to be a hero again. But an old enemy wants to get revenge against him.

Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 97% (excellent)
Player Affinity Score: 10/10

DISC DETAILS

DVD Special Features:
The Incredibles Revisited: Filmmakers Roundtable; Paths to Pixar: Story Artists; Studio Stories: Gary's Birthday; Ending With a Bang!: Making the End Credits; Interactive! "The New Nomanisan" Island: A Top Secret Redevelopment Plan; Plus classic DVD features

Amazon Price: $22.99 (Blu-ray)

Score (DVDTalk.com):
Content: 5 stars, Video 4.5 stars, Audio 4.5 stars, Extras 5 stars, Replay 5 stars (out of 5). DVD Talk Collector Series.


Le Cercle Rouge (Blu-ray)

What's the Deal?
Last but not least is the Blu-ray re-release of the French film Le Cercle Rouge (AKA The Red Circle). Directed by Jean-Pierre Melville (Army of Shadows, Le Samourai), Le Cercle Rouge is a crime film that tells the story an unlikely trio, recently released master thief, Corey (Alain Delon), a notorious escapee Vogel (Gian Maria Volonte) and ex-cop Jansen (Yves Montand), who attempt a tough jewel heist.

Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 95% (excellent)
Player Affinity Score: N/A

DISC DETAILS

DVD Special Features:
Restored, complete, uncut version, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack; Excerpts from Cinéastes de notre temps: “Jean-Pierre Melville”; Video interviews with assistant director Bernard Stora and Rui Nogueria, the author of Melville on Melville; Thirty minutes of rare on-set and archival footage, featuring interviews with director Jean-Pierre Melville and stars Alain Delon, Yves Montand, and André Bourvil; Original theatrical trailer and 2003 Rialto Pictures rerelease trailer; PLUS: A booklet featuring essays by film critics Michael Sragow and Chris Fujiwara, excerpts from Melville on Melville, a reprinted interview with composer Eric Demarsan, and an appreciation from director John Woo

Amazon Price: $27.99 (Blu-ray)

Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A

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