This Week on DVD & Blu-ray (01-08-13)

 

Well, here’s the first load of the year! There’s some overlooked recent gems in the bunch as well as random assortment making their way to Blu-ray for the first time. Many dismissed “Dredd”, considering it a reboot – it is and it’s not –  but this sci-fi action flick has an attitude that’s more loyal t its comic book source. Even if you’re not at all familiar with the character, but appreciate this genre, you have to check this out. “Compliance” is a challenging film to take in, one that many walked out of earlier this year during its theatrical run. It’s one of the most uncomfortable films this year, but it’s well-acted and strategically handles actual events in a thrilling albeit frustrating manner.

 

 

Tim Burton’s “Frankenweenie” is out this week. It’s one that I quite enjoyed, despite not really having any anticipation for. It might not be an all-ages animated feature, but its quirky Burtonesque characters and stylish use of black-and-white make it quite an enjoyable experience. 

 

Other recent releases out this week: the action comedy “Hit and Run” with real-life married couple Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell and the horror flop “House at the End of the Street”, proving that Jennifer Lawrence can’t redeem every film she’s in.

 

One film I’m interested in catching is the documentary “Samsara” which is supposed to be a breathtaking look at life on planet Earth. Filmed over a period of five years in twenty-five countries on five continents, and shot on 70mm film, this dialogue-free travel journal has earned praise from just about everyone who’s seen it.

 

Also of note: Monte Hellman’s 1971 cult-clasic “Two-Lane Blacktop” is now on Blu-ray. I’ve never seen this road movie but I’ll bet the Criterion Collection offers an array of essays and commentaries as to why it’s so well-regarded.

 

That’s enough for this week! Previous reviews are linked below. Enjoy the Rundown….

 

 

 

• Angelina Ballerina: Dance Around the World (DVD)
• Anger Management: Season One (DVD/Blu-ray)
• Archer: Season 3 (DVD/Blu-ray)
• The Assassins (DVD/Blu-ray)
• Barney: Let’s Go to the Moon (DVD)
• The Bone Collector (Blu-ray)
• Cape Fear (1962) (Blu-ray)
• Compliance (DVD/Blu-ray)
• Dallas: The Complete First Season (DVD)
• Dance Moms: Season 2 Volume 1 (DVD)
• Dance Moms: Season 2 Volume 2 (DVD)
• Dredd 3D (DVD/Blu-ray)
• Driving Miss Daisy (Blu-ray)
• Enlightened: The Complete First Season (DVD/Blu-ray)
• Episodes: The Complete First & Second Seasons (DVD)
• Fear (Blu-ray)
• Frankenweenie (DVD/Blu-ray)
• French Kiss (Blu-ray)
• Game Change (DVD/Blu-ray)
• Ghost Trap (DVD)
• Ghoul (DVD)
• The Goode Family: The Complete Series (DVD)
• Grand Hotel (1932) (Blu-ray)
• Guns, Girls and Gambling (DVD)
• Hit & Run (DVD/Blu-ray)
• The Hour: Season Two (DVD/Blu-ray)
• House at the End of the Street (DVD/Blu-ray)
• The Jazz Singer (1927) (Blu-ray)
• Ms. Miniver (1942) (Blu-ray)
• Lapland Odyssey (DVD)
• Monsuno: Destiny (DVD)
• Music From the Big House (DVD/Blu-ray)
• Now is Good (DVD)
• Pathfinder: In the Company of Strangers (DVD/Blu-ray)
• Red Dwarf: X (DVD/Blu-ray)
• Samsara (DVD/Blu-ray)
• Seal Team Six: The Raid on Osama bin Laden (DVD/Blu-ray)
• Sleep Tight (DVD/Blu-ray)
• Smash: Season One (DVD)
• Steven Spielberg Presents Tiny Toon Adventures: Volume 3 (DVD)
• Stone of Destiny (DVD)
• Tiny Toon Adventures: Crazy Crew Rescues! (DVD)
• The Wise Kids (DVD)
• Two-Lane Blacktop (Criterion Collection) (Blu-ray)