I guess I've never quite understood why some DVDs come out on Fridays. I guess it's to make them seem all special, like you have to make a separate trip to the grocery store just to pick up that fancy Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part II DVD. I don't like it, but then, I am terminally lazy. On the other hand, I also quite honestly cannot remember the last time I bought a DVD from anywhere other than Amazon, so I guess I shouldn't really talk so much. Anyway, Harry Potter. It's really good, you should check it out.
Also of note: the 104-disc super-extra-massive collector's set of Law & Order: The Complete Series, just in case you wanted to study the history of the most lurid crimes of the last 20 years in America but don't actually feel like reading a book. Also, goddamn would that take a long time to watch through. Still, even at Amazon's bargain price of $450 dollars, that's still like 22.5 bucks a season or something. Hardly a bargain, in other words, even if I just used that same word in the last sentence. So not really even "in other words." I'm trapped in these sentences and I'm going to use a new paragraph to break free.
Are you planning on picking anything up this week? Let us know in the comments!
 | 1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II This is another one of those fancy-pants movies that has to go and get released on a Friday instead of a Tuesday like all the rest of the plebeian films that come out. Still, it was pretty rad, so I'll be happy to check it out from Netflix whenever it's available. |
 | 2. The Change-Up You know what's apparently not pretty rad? The Change-Up, according to Alex's review. I'm mildly concerned that Jason Bateman is going to flare up and burn out with a string of shitty-to-OK comedies over the string of a few years, but here's hoping he makes some better choices soon. |
 | 3. Atlas Shrugged: Part I That "Part I" was such a threat when this movie was first announced, but it looks like Part II might actually materialize at some point. I'm sure that the DVD sales on this baby will tell the producers whether or not to proceed, as they should, being the indicator of the invisible hand of the free market. |
 | 4. Life in a Day Sure, you could buy this, or you could just stream it over Youtube in HD. Up to you, really. I guess. |
 | 5. Salvation Boulevard God only knows how a movie with Pierce Brosnan, Jennifer Connelly, Ed Harris, Greg Kinnear, and Marisa Tomei can barely get a theatrical release, but then again: it's apparently pretty bad. So that helps explain it. |
 | 6. 13 I guess this is a remake of a movie about a steadily-escalating game of Russian Roulette. Although it has Jason Statham and Ray Winstone and Mickey Rourke, it apparently took almost a year and a half to get a limited theatrical run, and is now coming out on DVD less than two weeks later. With an 8% RT meter, I think I know why. |
 | 7. Mortal Kombat: Legacy I...I don't think I could ever bring myself to buy a Blu-Ray copy of a web series. I mean, it's right there on the web, right? |
 | 8. In My Sleep This is like a movie version of a Law & Order episode, as a man wakes up to discover that he's apparently been sleepwalking and murdered someone! Which, by the way, is like the ultimate get out of jail free card, right? I mean, someone actually managed to use the sleepwalking defense to get a not guilty verdict when he drove 14 miles to kill his in-laws. I'm surprised someone didn't make a movie about something like this earlier, although I'm not surprised that the movie that was eventually made isn't very good. |
 | 9. The Perfect Age of Rock 'n' Roll Jason Ritter, I don't particularly like you still! The Event didn't really do much for me, either. Sorry, bud. |
 | 10. Putty Hill "At a neighborhood karaoke bar, friends and family gather to remember a young man who passed away. Knowing little about his final days, they attempt to reconstruct his life." Someone made a movie about my life before I even died! Creepy! |
 | 11. Law & Order In television DVDs, you can now buy the entire Law & Order: The Complete Series for 700 dollars? Alright! Also in TV DVDs: Doctor Who, Series Six, Part 2, as well as the Band of Brothers/The Pacific box set for all your grandfatherly Christmas needs. |
So literally 1 good movie and the rest shit?
Its hard to explain the complete series of West Wing to people. How to you explain 104 discs of Law and Order?
450 dollars! That's only 4,3 bucks pr Law and Order DVD :O
Ah hell. When I read "8% RT meter" I read that as 8% retweet.
In the "Better than that stuff up there - though HP7P2 is pretty good" category (all of these are making their Blu debut):
Blue Velvet (1986) - Look, I don't have to convince you that you should own a copy of this, do I? How's "50 minutes of never-before-seen lost footage" for you? Yes? Good.
Little Big Man (1970) - Arthur Penn directs Dustin Hoffman in a super movie that touches on lots of western history and lore ending in a great version of the battle at Little Big Horn.
Mutiny on The Bounty (1962) - Marlon Brando is probably the weakest cog in this film (it is considered by many - including me - to be the beginning of the long decline), but it's still quite good. I've always wondered why "the" is never capitalized in the title, since the ship is "The Bounty" which always takes a capital T when written out (unless I've forgotten my grammar rules) - of course the solution for this is on the poster where everything is in all caps.
Criterion Corner (and this is the best film out this week, period. Also a Blu debut):
Fanny and Alexander (1982) - Both versions (the Theatrical presentation and the five hour miniseries). This looks like a straight upgrade from the original Criterion DVD version. 7 out of 5 stars for this one.
Other TV:
Doctor Who Colony in Space (Story 58) - Pertwee vs. The Master! My favorite Doctor! Woo!
Mr. Magoo - The Television Collection - Somebody probably wants this, though I found Magoo tiring after one or two of the shows back in the day.
Hey look! It's a documentary:
Superheros (2011) - People who put on masks and try to be superheros in real life are... interesting...
Oh, my:
Frankenhooker (1990) - Look, I'm not going to try to convince you that this is a good movie... but when you want to save your girlfriend who's been killed by lawnmower and all you have is her head, sourcing the rest of the parts from the seedy part of town might not be the best way to go, but it's an option.
$450?! That's insane! I can't imagine ever spending that much on a DVD set in one order...
Probably going to buy the Blu-ray only version of the final HP movie so I can complete my collection.
I'd love to get that Law & Order box set... as soon as the price goes down about 200 dollars.
You could serve the maximum jail sentence of a year and still not have gone through those Law and Order DVDs. As long as nobody does the math on that, it could totally be true. 24 1 hour episode seasons times 20 seasons. Er. Not even close. In any case, 28,800 minutes (480 hours) is a long time. You could get your bartender's licence in that time. So do that instead, everyone.
@OldGuy said:
thanks for mentioning this stuff. also want to say LITTLE BIG MAN is one of the most overrated films of all time.
i am eagerly awaiting LIFE IN A DAY. and HARRY POTTER is awesome of course.