DVD/Blu-ray DISCussion (New for 7.6.2010)

Fashion aficionado Tom Ford's debut film A Single Man, Training Day director Anton Fuqua's story of police corruption Brooklyn's Finest and the Swedish film The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo based on the hit Stieg Larsson novel are among today's new releases. On the Blu-ray side of things, there's Jason and the Argonauts, undoubtedly inspired by the success of the Clash of the Titans remake. 


First Releases
- A Single Man (DVD and Blu-ray)
- Brooklyn’s Finest (DVD and Blu-ray)
- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (DVD and Blu-ray)

Re-Releases
- Jason and the Argonauts (Blu-ray)



A Single Man (DVD and Blu-ray)

What’s the Deal?
A Single Man is the feature debut by fashion designer Tom Ford. It was met with critical acclaim and earned its leading actor Colin Firth his first Academy Award nomination. Based on a novel by Christopher Isherwood, A Single Man tells the story of George Falconer (Firth), an English lecturer at a California university. Suffering from grief after the loss of his long term partner (Matthew Goode), George prepares to get his awares in order as he contemplates suicide in this emotionally charged film.

Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 86% (excellent)
Player Affinity Score: 8.0/10

DISC DETAILS

DVD Special Features: Director's Commentary; The Making of A Single Man Featurette

Amazon Prize: $17.99 (DVD), $23.99 (Blu-ray)

Score (DVDTalk.com): Content: 4 stars, Video: 4.5 stars, Audio: 4 stars, Extras: 2.5 stars, Replay: 3 stars (out of 5). Highly Recommended.

Brooklyn's Finest (DVD and Blu-ray)

What's the Deal?
The director of Training Day, Antoine Fuqua returns to the gritty crime genre with a script by first time screenwriter Michael C. Martin. There are three interlinking stories in Brooklyn’s Finest. Narcotics officer Sal Procida (Ethan Hawk) suffers financial problems at home, with his wife pregnant with twins, so he starts to explore the dark side of policing. Clarence "Tango" Butler (Don Cheadle) is an undercover cop who has been in local drug lord Cas’ (Wesley Snipes) organization for so long that his loyalties have become blurred. Eddie Dugan (Richard Gere) is a burnt out cop who is about to retire when his is forced to mentor a rookie on the streets. These officers worlds are about to collide.

Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 43% (poor)
Player Affinity: 7.0/10

DISC DETAILS

DVD Special Features: Audio commentary with director Antoine Fuqua; Chaos & conflict: the life of a New York cop; Boyz n the real hood; An eye for detail: director featurette; From the mta to the wga: writer featurette; Deleted scene

Amazon Prize: $14.99 (DVD), $19.99 (Blu-ray)

Score (DVDTalk.com): Content: 4 stars, Video: 4.5 stars, Audio: 4.5 stars, Extras: 3.5 stars, Replay: 3.5 stars (out of 5). Highly Recommended.


The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (DVD and Blu-ray)

What's the Deal?
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is the first adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s popular Millennium Trilogy. It was hit not just in it’s native Sweden, but around the world. A Hollywood remake is already in the works with David Fincher directing and Daniel Craig staring. Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nvqvist), a disgraced journalist about to be sent to prison and Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace), a young hacker are both asked by the uncle of Harriet Vanger to investigate her disappearance 40 years ago. But as this unlikely pairing dig deeper they find a complex case which puts their lives in danger. Along with Let the Right One In, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo shows that Swedish cinema is alive and kicking.

Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 86% (excellent)

Player Affinity Score: N/A

Amazon Prize: $15.49 (DVD), $19.99 (Blu-ray)

Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A

Jason and the Argonauts (Blu-ray)

What's the Deal?
A quest into far off lands, the meddling of Greek gods and battles with mystical creatures, what more would you want from this classic adaptation of the Greek legend? After Pelias (Douglas Wilmer) usurps the throne of Thessaly it is prophesied that he would be overthrown by the rightful king, Jason (Todd Armstrong). When Jason claims his birthright the gods, Hera (Honor Blackman) gives him a mission to retrieve the magical golden fleece. Jason forms a team of warriors for this dangerous voyage. This fun adventure film is most famous for having some of the best action scenes with stop motion animation handled superbly by Ray Harryhausen. It also great if you are interested in Greek mythology.

Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 95% (excellent)
Player Affinity Score: 8.0/10

DISC DETAILS

DVD Special Features: N/A

Amazon Prize: $20.49 (Blu-ray)

Score (DVDTalk.com): 

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