This Week on DVD & Blu-ray (10-09-12)

Ridley Scott’s spinoff/prequel “Prometheus” is finally out on DVD/Blu-ray. However you feel about the film, it’s undoubtedly a beautifully shot, ambitious sci-fi thriller. Unless you have a 3D television at home though, you’re just not going to be able to fully appreciate one of the most divisive films of the year. And then there’s two movies that didn’t do so well, like the film adaptation of the popular musical “Rock of Ages” starring Tom Cruise as a heavy metal rock god and I think I’m ready to catch up with “The Raven” starring John Cusack as Edgar Allan Poe.  Looking at the rest of the releases this week, finds this week to be quite the load.

The Oscar-nominated animated French feature “A Cat in Paris” is finally out as well. It tells the tale of a young Parisian girl whose cat leads a dangerous double life, which causes the girl to get involved in an adventurous mystery all in the course of one night. Told with a unique and distinctive animated style at a delightfully brisk pace. If you’re looking for an enjoyable departure from the animated features we see from the mainstream studios, check out this beautifully rendered, hand-drawn treat.

The Blu-ray releases this week are pretty impressive. The long-awaited release of Steven Spielberg’s “E. T. The Extra-Terrestrial” is finally here on its 30th anniversary! So you grab your flashlight, Reese’s Pieces and sit down and enjoy a timeless classic, in a beautiful restored version. Then there’s the release of 1967 “Magical Mystery Tour“, starring The Beatles. It’s a critically panned mess but die-hard fans will defend it. This release is loaded with special features, like a commentary with Paul McCartney, special interviews and never before seen footage.  Alfred Hitchcock gets some Blu-ray love this week, with the release of both “Strangers on a Train” and “Dial M for Murder“. What else? How bout some cheesy action with 1968’s “Ice Station Zebra” starring Rock Hudson and Ernest Borgnine as well as 1984’s “Red Dawn” a beloved classic for my generation, “Wolverines!” (I haven’t heard any good buzz about the remake). And then there’s the 50th anniversary of “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?“,  a psychological thriller (horror movie, if ya ask me!) just in time for Halloween.

Well now, that’s a pretty solid line-up. Previous reviews are highlighted below. Enjoy the Rundown….

• 12 Dogs of Christmas: Great Puppy Rescue (DVD)
• A Cat in Paris (DVD/Blu-ray)
• Barbie Fairy 3-Pack (DVD)
• Barbie Fairytopia: Mermaidia (DVD)
• The Barrens (DVD/Blu-ray)
• Basket Case 3: The Progeny (DVD)
• Bedevilled(DVD/Blu-ray)
• Being in the World (DVD)
• Bones: The Complete Seventh Season (DVD/Blu-ray)
• Care Bears: The Original Series Collection (DVD)
• The Cottage (2012) (DVD)
• The Courier (DVD/Blu-ray)
• Deadman Wonderland: The Complete Series – Limited Edition (DVD)
• Dead Ringer (Blu-ray)
• Dial M for Murder (Blu-ray)
• The Denzel Washington Film Collection
• Eclipse Series 36: Three Wicked Melodramas from Gainsborough Pictures (Criterion Collection) (DVD)
• E. T. The Extra-Terrestrial (Blu-ray)
• Fireman Sam: Holiday Heroes (DVD)
• Happiness Is Peanuts: Go Snoopy Go (DVD)
• Holliston: The Complete First Season (DVD/Blu-ray)
• Ice Station Zebra (Blu-ray)
• It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Season 7 (DVD/Blu-ray)
• Jeff Dunham: Minding the Monsters (DVD/Blu-ray)
• Kino Classics: Lina Wertmuller Collection (Love & Anarchy, The Seduction of Mimi, All Screwed Up (3-Disc Set) (Blu-ray)
• The League: Season Three (DVD/Blu-ray)
• Little Shop of Horrors (The Director’s Cut) (Blu-ray)
• The Lucy Show: The Official Sixth and Final Season (DVD)
• Magical Mystery Tour (1967) (DVD/Blu-ray & Deluxe Box Set)
• Mancation (DVD)
• Monster High: Ghouls Rule (DVD)
• The Poseidon Adventure (1972) (Blu-ray)
• Prometheus (DVD/Blu-ray)
• The Raven (DVD/Blu-ray)
• Red Dawn (1984) (Blu-ray)
• The Robert Mitchum Film Collection (DVD)
• Rock of Ages (DVD/Blu-ray)
• Shaquille O’Neal Presents All-Star Comedy Jam Live (DVD)
• Something Big (DVD)
• Stranger on a Train (Blu-ray)
• Triad Wars (DVD)
• Truth or Die (DVD)
• Werewolf: The Beast Among Us (DVD/Blu-ray)
• Whitney: Season One (DVD)
• What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (50th Anniversary Edition) (Blu-ray)
• The Who: Live in Texas ’75 (DVD)