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This Week on DVD & Blu-ray (10-04-11)

October 4, 2011
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Each week, the list seems to get longer and longer, and film titles are included that have me scratching my head. I’m sure you could guess at a few down below. So, I focus on what I’ve seen, like “Fast Five”, one sequel that was well-received by its fan-base (unlike “Scream 4”) and the latest Disneynature doc “African Cats”. By now, you may have gotten the idea that I post what I feel are stand-outs, or films I think you should check out, when it comes to Blu-ray releases. This week I have chosen Sicilian director Guiseppe Tornatore’s Oscar-winning film from 1988 called “Cinema Paradiso”, an absolutely wonderful film that gets me choked up each time. It’s okay if you don’t feel the same about this tender, funny, and heartwarming story, but if you haven’t seen it: see it. Also new to Blu-ray is Peter Jackson’s zombie cult flick, “Dead Alive” and two Tarantino classic’s “Jackie Brown” and “Pulp Fiction” (which has some new bells and whistles exclusive to the format). Rounding out the rest of the releases, there’s the recent British film “Submarine” from Richard Ayoade and the latest super-duper re-release from Disney. There’s more goodies to be found in this list, but that’s for you to decide.
As always, reviews for specific films are highlighted below. Enjoy the rundown!

Every now and then a film will pop up on this list, which will have me wondering how I never knew it existed. The title for “I’m a Cyborg, But that’s Okay” (now out on DVD) really grabbed me and then I discovered it was directed by Park Chan-Woo, of “Oldboy” fame and it came out in 2006. Check out this trailer and tell me that wouldn’t be some trippy Friday night viewing…..
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2 Comments leave one →
  1. Matthew Gramitt permalink
    October 5, 2011 1:16 am

    Good Lord! The most vile, disturbing film I have ever seen has just come out on Blu-ray: Pier Paolo Pasolini’s “Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom”. I have a copy on VHS which I used to loan to friends just to shock them. I do recommend it, just know that it will be the most extreme film you will ever see. So if you watch it, don’t blame me – you have been warned! It is a seriously disturbing work of genius. I may just have to buy it!

    The Wikipedia page for the film has some good info about it. Here’s one little snippet:

    “In 1994, an undercover policeman in Cincinnati, Ohio rented the film from a local gay bookstore, and then arrested the owners for “pandering”. A large group of artists, including Martin Scorsese and Alec Baldwin, and scholars signed a legal brief arguing the film’s artistic merit; the Court dismissed the case because the police violated the owners’ Fourth Amendment rights, without reaching the question of whether the film was obscene.”

    Reply
    • David J. Fowlie permalink*
      October 5, 2011 8:03 am

      I certainly know about “Salo” as it was reviewed on http://www.filmspotting.net within the past year or so. I’m not surprised at the film’s Criterion Blu-ray release, seeing as how it has become quite the cult film. I imagine, if I decided to watch such a film, it would have to be in fifteen minute increment breaks which included showering, but then again there’s no way to wash away what you’ve seen with your mind. It’s no surprise to me that Michael Haneke likes it.

      Reply

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