This Week on DVD & Blu-ray (08-14-12)

First, let’s just get it out of the way – “The Hunger Games” is coming out on DVD, Blu-ray and a variety of outlets this Saturday! The wait is over! This release has been advertised since May, when it was announced it would come out on August 18th. At least now we won’t have to see ads for it, now that it’s out. Now, I found believe it or not there are other releases out this week – shocker!

 

Okay, that’s outta the way, so what else rises to the top of the list this week? Well, the movie that started the term ‘summer blockbuster’ has finally made it to Blu-ray! That’s right, Steven Spielberg’s classic “Jaws” is now available, just in time for Shark Week.

 

While there are many fervent fans of the film (like myself), it still seems like it’s underappreciated. So, go check it out! If that’s not bloody enough for you, then here’s two films which should deliver. Ben Wheatley’s British horror film “Kill List” is finally out on DVD and Blu-ray. It’s a film that still resonates as one of he more disturbing viewings this year. Another equally disturbing film (if not morseo, since it’s based on actual events) is “The Snowtown Murders” from Australia. It’s a harrowing look at a bullish and violent charismatic man who wins over a family and a small community in Southern Australia and the fatal ramifications that follow. Both films are bleak and quite a challenge to watch, but “Snowtown” is just brutal.

 

And then there’s the Indonesian action flick, “The Raid: Redemption” directed by Welshman Gareth Evans, which is considered one of the most violent movies this year. I haven’t caught up with it yet, but I look forward to seeing if it lives up to all the hype.

 

Also out this week is the Spanish-Cuban zombie horror comedy “Juan of the Dead” directed by Alejandro Brugués, which has been making the film festival rounds for almost a year now. “Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory” is now out as well. It’s the 2011 Oscar-nominated documentary and sequel to the films “Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills” and “Paradise Lost 2: Revelations”, which have all earned awareness and support for the West Memphis 3. I haven’t seen any of these films yet, but I plan on it.

 

Two critical favorites by The Dardenne Brothers are getting the Criterion treatment. Their latest film “The Kid with the Bike”, released earlier this year, is wonderful and quite touching, but has no DVD/Blu-ray release date yet. So, until then, you can catch up with 1996’s “La promesse” (“The Promise”) and 1999’s “Rosetta”, which won the Palme d’Or at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival.

 

That’s it for this week! Previous review are highlighted below. Enjoy the Rundown!