DVD/Blu-ray DISCussion (New for 6.1.10)
Here’s what’s up for DISCussion for this week:
First Release
- Alice in Wonderland (DVD and Blu-ray)
- The Wolfman (DVD and Blu-ray)
Re-Release
- Bad Boys
- War of the Worlds
- "The Man with No Name" Trilogy
Alice in Wonderland (DVD and Blu-ray)
What’s the Deal?
Alice in Wonderland is only the sixth film to break the $1 billion barrier with its worldwide box-office, but this DVD release was met with controversy when Disney planned to release 13 weeks after its cinema release instead of the usual 17 weeks. Britain’s three main cinema chains even threatened a boycott. Alice in Wonderland is the biggest release of 2010 so far and another success for 3-D films. This was Tim Burton’s sequel to the novel, telling a how an older Alice (Mia Wasikowska) returning to Wonderland joining forces with the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp) to over the tyrannical Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter).
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 51% (average)
Player Affinity Rating: 5.5/10
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: The Mad Hatter; Finding Alice; Effecting Wonderland
Additional Blu-ray Features: The futterwackken dance; The red queen; Time-lapse: sculpting the red queen; The white queen; Making Wonderland:; Scoring wonderland; Effecting wonderland; Stunts of wonderland; Making the proper size; Cakes of wonderland; Tea party props
Amazon Price: $15.99 (DVD), $19.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): Content: 2.5 stars, Video: 5 stars, Audio: 4.5 stars, Extras: 3 stars, Replay: 2.5 stars (out of 5). Rent it.
The Wolfman (DVD and Blu-ray)
What's the Deal?
The original The Wolfman was a popular hit back in 1941 and became part of the Universal Horror Monsters group. The Mummy in 1999 was a very successful remake and showed there was life in the monster property. But the remake went through terrible production troubles, with the original director Mark Romanek (One Hour Photo) leaving at the last minute and Joe Johnston (Jurassic Park III) replacing him. The film went through 40 days of re-shoots (the equivalent of half a film shoot) and the release date was pushed back several times. Benicio Del Toro plays Lawrence Talbot, an actor returning home to Victorian England who gets infected with the werewolf virus, causing panic and mayhem whilst he tries to discovery what happened to his brother.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 33% (bad)
Player Affinity Rating: 6/10
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Deleted and Extended Scenes
Additional Blu-ray Features: More Exclusive Features That Show How They Brought The Wolfman To Life
Amazon Price: $17.99 (DVD), $26.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): Content: 2.5 stars, Video: 4.5 stars, Audio: 4.5 stars, Extras: 4.5 stars, Replay: 2.5 stars (out of 5). Rent it.
Bad Boys (Blu-ray)
What's the deal?
Michael Bay’s first feature was a popular hit in 1995, making a handsome profit from it’s $19 million budget. Giving Will Smith and Martin Lawrence their first staring roles in a major film, they play Marcus Burnett and Mike Lowrey, a chalk and cheese cop partnership who are on the hunt for a drug kingpin in Miami in this action comedy.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 41% (weak)
Player Affinity Score: 5/10
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Commentary with director Michael Bay; Putting the boom & bang in the Bad Boys (documentary); Music videos:; 69 Boyz "five-o, five-o (here they come)"; Diana King "thy guy"; Warren g "so many ways"
Amazon Prize: $16.99
Score (DVDTalk.com): Content: 4 stars, Video: 3.5 stars, Audio: 3.5 stars, Extras: 2 stars, Replay: 4 stars (out of 5). Recommended.
War of the Worlds (Blu-ray)
What's the deal?
Steven Spielberg updates the classic H.G. Wells novel, changing the setting from 19th Century Britain to the 21st Century east coast America. With this summer blockbuster smash, Spielberg tells how one single father played by Tom Cruise has to protect his children from an alien force invading Earth. There are brilliant action scenes and juicy moments of terror throughout this fun film.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 74% (very good)
Player Affinity Score: 8/10
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Revisiting the invasion; The H.G. Wells legacy ; Steven Spielberg and the original War of the Worlds ; Characters: the family unit; Previsualization; Production galleries; Designing the enemy: tripods and aliens; Scoring War of the Worlds; We are not alone; Galleries; Theatrical teaser trailer
Amazon Price: $19.99
Score (DVDTalk.com): Content: 4 stars, Video: 4.5 stars, Audio: 4 stars, Extras: 4 stars, Replay: 4 stars (out of 5). Highly Recommended.
"The Man With No Name" Trilogy (Blu-ray)
What’s the Deal?
Considered to be one of the finest film trilogies ever to be made (with good reason), Sergio Leone rebooted the Western genre, bringing in more violence and an adult tone. With this loose linking trilogy Clint Eastwood became one of the coolest actors ever to have lived and Leone was quickly recognised for his talent. Yet despite the trilogy’s quality it was met with controversy when Akira Kurosawa and Ryuzo Kikushima successfully sued after proving A Fistful of Dollars was a re-make of Yojimbo. Quentin Tarantino has considered The Good, the Bad and the Ugly to be the best film ever to be made and the series has constantly referenced in film and television.
A Fistful of Dollars
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 97% (excellent)
Player Affinity Score: 10/10
A Few Dollars More
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 92% (excellent)
Player Affinity Score: 9/10
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 98%
Player Affinity Score: 10/10
Amazon Price: $54.99
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features:N/A
Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A
