The last week of April 2011 has produced few releases of note, but as a professional who understands your film collection needs, I have found some DVD and Blu-ray releases to report. Terry Gilliam and Johnny Depp fans will be pleased with the Criterion Collection Blu-ray re-release of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, definitely the most noteworthy film this week. Same goes if you are a 50 Cent fan, though I pity you.
First Releases
- Blood Out (DVD and Blu-ray)
- 3 Idiots (DVD)
Re-Releases
- Blow Out (DVD and Blu-ray)
- Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (Blu-ray)
- Don’t Look Back (Blu-ray)
- El Topo (Blu-ray)
- The Holy Mountain (Blu-ray)
- Daylight (Blu-ray)
Blood Out (DVD and Blu-ray)
What's the Deal?
Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson is a terrible rapper and even worse actor, but you got to admire his precedence in trying to make it in the film industry. It is a shame for him that now the only work he can get now is straight-to-DVD junk. The equally terrible Vinnie Jones also stars with Val Kilmer, Luke Goss (Hellboy II: The Golden Army) and AnnaLynne McCord (90210). Producer of straight-to-DVD films Jason Hewitt makes his directorial debut with this film.
Michael Spencer (Goss) is a small-town sheriff whose brother is murdered in the big city. He is stone-walled by detective Hardwicke (50 Cent) so he decides to take matters into his own hands.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): N/A
Player Affinity Score: N/A
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Behind the scenes with Cast and Crew Interviews; Trailer Gallery
Amazon Price: $14.99 (DVD), $20.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): Content: 1.5 stars, Video 3.5 stars, Audio 3 stars, Extras 2 stars, Replay 0 stars (out of 5). Skip It.
3 Idiots (DVD)
What's the Deal?
India has one of the biggest film industries in the world and there are obvious reasons why: India has a population of over a billion people and there are large Indian populations across the world, including in the UK, the US and South Africa. The comedy film 3 Idiots was an award-winning film in India and is one of the highest-grossing Bollywood films of all time. 3 Idiots tells how two longtime friends go on a quest to find their lost buddy and the shenanigans that follow.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): N/A
Player Affinity Score: N/A
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: N/A
Amazon Price: $17.99 (DVD)
Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A
Blow Out (DVD and Blu-ray)
What's the Deal?
Brian De Palma has made some really great films over the years: Carrie, Scarface, The Untouchables, Casualties of War, Carlito’s War and Mission: Impossible. With an 89% Rotten Tomatoes score Blow Out is also a highly respected film, albeit lesser-known. John Travolta, Nancy Allen (RoboCop), John Lithgow and Dennis Franz (NYPD Blue) star in this thriller about a talented audio technician, Jack Terri (Travolta), who accidentally records a car crash that kills a presidential candidate that turns into a political conspiracy.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 89% (excellent)
Player Affinity Score: N/A
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: New restored digital transfer, supervised by director Brian De Palma; New hour-long interview with De Palma, conducted by filmmaker Noah Baumbach; New interview with star Nancy Allen; Cameraman Garrett Brown on the Steadicam shots featured in the film within the film; Select on-set photos from photographer Louis Goldman; Original theatrical trailer; PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by critic Michael Sragow and Pauline Kael’s original New Yorker review.
Amazon Price: $18.99 (DVD), $26.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (Blu-ray)
What's the Deal?
Hunter S. Thompson’s semi-autographical novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is one of his best known works and many directors were attached to the film adaptation including Ralph Bakshi (Fritz the Cat), Martin Scorsese, Oliver Stone, Lee Tamahori (Once Were Warriors) and Alex Cox (Sid & Nancy). Terry Gilliam took on the project and despite the lukewarm reception at the time, his adaptation is now a cult classic. Johnny Depp and Benicio del Toro were cast in the leading roles and there was an ensemble cast in this film, including Tobey Maguire, Christina Ricci, Cameron Diaz, Flea and Mark Harmon.
Journalist Raoul Duke (Depp) and his sidekick Dr. Gonzo (Del Toro) are assigned to report on a motorcycle race in Las Vegas. What eschews is a psychedelic, drug-filled weekend in the city of sin.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 47% (average)
Player Affinity Score: 8.0/10
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Digital transfer, approved by director Terry Gilliam, with a DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack and an optional 5.1 mix; Three audio commentaries: one with Gilliam, one with stars Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro and producer Laila Nabulsi, and one with author Hunter S. Thompson; Deleted scenes, with optional commentary by Gilliam; Selection of Thompson correspondence, read on camera by Depp; Hunter Goes to Hollywood, a short documentary by filmmaker Wayne Ewing; A look at the controversy over the screenwriting credit; Profile of Oscar Zeta Acosta, the inspiration for Dr. Gonzo; Collection of artwork by illustrator Ralph Steadman; Audio excerpt from the 1996 spoken-word CD Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, featuring filmmaker Jim Jarmusch and actor Maury Chaykin; Fear and Loathing on the Road to Hollywood, a 1978 BBC documentary with Thompson and Steadman; Storyboards, production designs, stills gallery, theatrical trailer, and TV spots; PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by critic J. Hoberman and two pieces by Thompson.
Amazon Price: $27.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A
Don't Look Back (Blu-ray)
What's the Deal?
The folk musician Bob Dylan is one of the greatest musicians ever, making songs like “Blowing in the Wind” and “The Times are A-Changing” and popularized the protest song. The War Room director D.A. Pennebaker chronicles Dylan’s tour of England in 1965 in what is seen as a documentary classic.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 100% (excellent)
Player Affinity Score: N/A
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: N/A
Amazon Price: $26.49 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): Content: 4 stars, Video 3 stars, Audio 3.5 stars, Extras 4 stars, Replay 4 stars (out of 5). Highly Recommended.
El Topo (Blu-ray)
What's the Deal?
Alejandro Jodorowsky wrote, directed and starred in his Spanish language Western El Topo, which has earned a re-release this week. Jodorwsky’s fantasy take on the Western genre is a surreal, low-budget affair which has become a cult classic.
El Topo (Jodorowsky) and his six-year-old son are travelling in the desert, burying childhood totems. El Topo is forced into action when bandits slaughter a village and the traveler sets out to avenge the villagers.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 75% (very good)
Player Affinity Score: N/A
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: El Topo original theatrical trailer; Original script excerpts; El Topo photo gallery; On camera Interview with Alejandro Jodorowsky; Feature commentary by Alejandro Jodorowsky; English feature dub track; English, French, Spanish, Brazilian, and Portuguese Subtitles.
Amazon Price: $27.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): Content: 4 stars, Video 3.5 stars, Audio 2.5 stars, Extras 2.5 stars, Replay 4.5 stars (out of 5). Highly Recommended.
The Holy Mountain (Blu-ray)
What's the Deal?
Alejandro Jodorowsky’s second film of the week is The Holy Mountain, another Christian allegory. Jodorowsky stars as The Alchemist, a Christ-like figure who is assembling a wide range of people from all walks of life to represent the planets of the Solar Systems. They go through a series of mystical rites in what is a controversial film.
What's the Deal?