It was tough to pick out a Recommendation of the Week because there were two very worthy candidates this week. I have decided you horror fans needed a little love and recommended Insidious, the supernatural horror by James Wan. The other candidate was the animated film Rango. Also out this week are a number of new releases, mostly dramas, and both re-releases are from my home nation Great Britain (best country ever).
First Releases
- Insidious (DVD and Blu-ray)
- The Lincoln Lawyer (DVD and Blu-ray)
- Miral (DVD and Blu-ray)
- Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (DVD and Blu-ray)
- My Dog Tulip (DVD)
- Rango (DVD and Blu-ray) (Release Date July 15 )
- Arthur (DVD and Blu-ray) (Released Date July 15)
Re-Releases
- Brazil (Blu-ray)
- Naked (Blu-ray)
Insidious (DVD and Blu-ray) *Recommendation of the Week*
What's the Deal?
In recent years the “Saw” and “Paranormal Activity” franchises have become major rivals, yet their creators James Wan and Oren Peli have made their own supernatural horror movie. Wan sits in the director’s chair whilst Peli is a producer. Patrick Wilson (Watchmen), Rose Byrne (X-Men: First Class) and Ty Simpkins (Little Children) star in a film that was written by Saw writer Leigh Whannell. Insidious is one of Player Affinity’s best reviewed films so far this year and is number three on the Top 5 Movies of 2011 So Far list.
Insidious is another horror film set in the perils of suburbia as it affects a middle-class family. Josh and Renai Lambert (Wilson and Byrne) are a happily married couple who move to a new home with their children when a demonic force seems to be dominating it. But the truth is worse than they imagined.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 67% (good)
Player Affinity Score: 8.2/10
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Horror 101: The Exclusive Seminar ; On set with Insidious; Insidious entities
Amazon Price: $16.99 (DVD), $19.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): Content 4 stars, Video 4 stars, Audio 4.5 stars, Extras 2.5 stars, Replay 3.5 stars (out of 5). Highly Recommended.
The Lincoln Lawyer (DVD and Blu-ray)
What's the Deal?
Michael Connelly is seen by some in the literary world as a slightly gritty version of John Grisham and has created a world of characters in Los Angeles. The adaptation of his novel The Lincoln Lawyer was considered one of the most surprising films of 2011, but my colleague Julian was a little more skeptical. Matthew McConaughey plays a lawyer for the third time in his career, the other times were in A Time to Kill and Amistad. Providing support are Ryan Phillippe, Marisa Tomei (The Wrestler) and William H. Macy.
Mickey Haller (McConaughey) is a skilled lawyer who goes around Los Angeles to find scumbags to defend. Haller is offered a major case, to defend the heir to a property empire (Phillippe), accused of killing an escort. The case seems simple but as Haller investigates he discover a much deeper conspiracy.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 83% (very good)
Player Affinity Score: 6.5/10
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Making The Case: Creating the "Lincoln Lawyer"; Michael Connelly: At Home On The Road; One On One with Matthew McConaughey and Michael Connelly; Deleted Scenes
Amazon Price: $15.49 (DVD), $17.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): Content 3.5 stars, Video 4.5 stars, Audio 4.5 stars, Extras 2.5 stars, Replay 3.5 stars (out of 5). Recommended.
Miral (DVD and Blu-ray)
What's the Deal?
Both Julian Schnabel and Freida Pinto were coming back off of two successful films, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly and Slumdog Millionaire, so there was a lot of anticipation for their next film Miral. Sadly it was considered a real disappointment. Author Rula Jebreal adapted her own novel and Miral also features Hiam Abbass (Munich), Willem Dafoe and Vanessa Redgrave.
Based on the true story of the Dar Al-Tifel institute and orphanage in the Palestinian half of Jerusalem, Miral starts with its formation after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War by Hind al-Hussein (Abbass). Miral (Pinto – weirdly getting an Indian actress to play a Palestinian) is orphaned at the age of seven, sent to the orphanage and is safe from the outside world. Slowly Miral becomes politically active because of the Israeli occupation but Hind believes education is the best way to achieve peace.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 16% (awful)
Player Affinity Score: N/A
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Deleted Scenes; The Making Of Miral; Julian Schnabel Studio Tour; Filmmaker Q&A; Feature Commentary With Director Julian Schnabel And Producer Jon Kilik
Amazon Price: $19.99 (DVD), $25.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): Content 3.5 stars, Video 4.5 stars, Audio 4.5 stars, Extras 5 stars, Replay 3 stars (out of 5). Recommended.
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (DVD and Blu-ray)
What's the Deal?
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives was the the big winner at the Cannes Film Festival in 2010, winning the Palme D’Or. Directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul (Syndromes and a Century), Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives is renowned for being a very surreal movie. Uncle Boonmee (Thanapat Saisaymar) is suffering from kidney failure and decides to go spend his last days in the countryside when me meets the ghosts of his loved ones and examines his past lives.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 89% (excellent)
Player Affinity Score: N/A
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Deleted Scenes; Interview with Director Other Trailers from Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Additional Blu-ray Special Features: A Letter to Uncle Boonmee (Short Film that inspired the feature)
Amazon Price: $18.99 (DVD), $25.49 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A
My Dog Tulip (DVD)
What's the Deal?
Based on the book by J.R. Ackerley, My Dog Tulip is a critically well received animated film by Paul Fierlinger and has the likes of Christopher Plummer and Lynn Redgrave offering their voices. My Dog Tulip is a simple tale from Ackerley’s memoirs about his 16-year relationship with his pet Alsatian.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 89% (excellent)
Player Affinity Score: N/A
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: N/A
Amazon Price: $26.99 (DVD)
Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A
Rango (DVD and Blu-ray) (Release Date 15th July)
What's the Deal?
Gore Verbinski rejected the chance to direct the fourth “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie so he could direct the first film to be animated by the special effects company Industrial Light & Magic. It turned out to be a very wise move because Rango is one of the best reviewed animated movies of 2011 so far, featuring great animation and a topnotch voice cast, including the likes of Isla Fisher (Confessions of a Shopaholic), Abigail Breslin, Alfred Molina, Bill Nighy, Ned Beatty (Toy Story 3), all led by Jack Sparrow himself, Johnny Depp.
Rango (Depp) is a pet chameleon who is suffering from an identity crisis, mainly because of the species he is. But when Rango stumbles into the desert town Dirt, Rango redefines himself as a brave hero, despite being a coward. But Rango is forced into becoming a hero to save the town from outlaws and its water crisis.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 89% (excellent)
Player Affinity Score: 7.6/10
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Experience the Never-Before-Seen Ending; Uncover 10 Deleted Scenes; Meet the Real Creatures of Dirt; Filmmakers’ Commentary
Additional Blu-ray Special Features: Watch with Storyboard Reel Picture-in-Picture; Go Behind the Scenes with Cast and Crew (HD); Take an Interactive Trip to Dirt
Amazon Price: $15.99 (DVD), $19.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): Content 3.5 stars, Video 5 stars, Audio 5 stars, Extras 4.5 stars, Replay 3 stars (out of 5). Recommended.
Arthur (DVD and Blu-ray) (Release Date 15th July)
What's the Deal?
I really dislike Russell Brand. I find him to be an unfunny, annoying man whose comedy is based on shock value rather than anything intelligent. Still there are people in Hollywood who want Brand to break into America and gave him the remake of Arthur as a star vehicle for him. Helmed by Modern Family director Jason Winer, Brand is joined by Helen Mirren, Jennifer Garner and Greta Gerwig (Greenberg).
Arthur Bach (Brand) is a giant man child who happens to be a billionaire heir. He lives in New York with his nanny, Hobson (Mirren). His life of wealth is under threat unless he marries another wealthy person, Susan (Garner). But Arthur really wants to be with tour guide Naomi (Gerwig).
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 27% (poor)
Player Affinity Score: 5.5/10
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Deleted Scene
Additional Blu-ray Special Features: Arthur Unsupervised!; Gag Reel
Amazon Price: $14.99 (DVD), $24.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): Content 2 stars, Video 3.5 stars, Audio 4 stars, Extras 2.5 stars, Replay 0 stars (out of 5). Rent It.
Brazil (Blu-ray)
What's the Deal?
Terry Gilliam is a great director, making films like Twelve Monkeys and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Brazil is considered one of his greatest films, his dark-comic, surreal version of 1984, starring his Monty Python buddies Jonathan Pryce and Michael Palin, as well as Robert De Niro, Bob Hoskins, Ian Holm (The “Lord of the Rings” Trilogy), Kim Greist (Manhunter) and Katherine Helmond (Who’s the Boss).
Sam Lowry (Pryce) is a bureaucrat in a dystopic world. He is a man who dreams he can fly and be with the woman of his dreams. Sam soon goes down a risky path as he discovers an innocent man, Harry Buttle, was mistaken for terrorist Harry Tuttle (De Niro).
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 98% (excellent)
Player Affinity Score: 8.0/10
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: N/A
Amazon Price: $19.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): Content 4 stars, Video 4 stars, Audio 4 stars, Extras 0 stars, Replay 3.5 stars (out of 5). Recommended.
Naked (Blu-ray)
What's the Deal?
Last but not least is a dark comedy-drama by Mike Leigh (Vera Drake) starring David Thewlis (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban), Lesley Sharp (The Full Monty) and Katrin Cartidge (From Hell).
Johnny (Thewlis) is a man who runs away from Manchester to London after he rapes a woman in this social satire.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 91% (excellent)
Player Affinity Score: N/A
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised and approved by director; Audio commentary by Leigh and actors David Thewlis and Katrin Cartlidge; Exclusive video interview with director Neil LaBute; An episode of the BBC program The Art Zone where Will Self interviews Leigh; “The Short and Curlies,” a short comedy from 1982 directed by Leigh; Original theatrical trailer; PLUS: A booklet featuring essays by film critics Derek Malcolm and Amy Taubin
Amazon Price: $27.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A