Finally, after weeks of slim pickings, we have a plethora [that’s right – a plethora] of releases on DVD.
Pinocchio – Walt Disney’s masterpiece is 70 years old and getting the special edition treatment and is a must have for any collection. I remember seeing this movie in theatres when I was child, and how scared I was when the children turned into donkeys. I don’t care what anyone says, that was frightening as a child. Like most Disney DVD’s, I’m looking forward to the transfer and restoration to make Pinocchio shine even more [I’m sure it looks even better on Blu-Ray].
Milk – Winner of 2 Academy Awards [Best Actor and Best Original Screenplay], Milk is the first of the 5 Best Picture nominees to be released on DVD. The film got solid reviews, and even the critics who did not like the film, all agreed that Sean Penn was excellent in the lead role.
Role Models – This movie did not win any awards, but did something even more astounding. It made the band KISS cool. I’m serious. Seann William Scott and Paul Rudd have a lot of fun with their roles, and it has a lot of memorable scenes [especially the Dungeons and Dragons type battles]. It’s juvenile, but it’s good for a laugh. Check it out.
South Park: The Complete 12th Season – This DVD set includes the very memorable episode where Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny deal with what Steven Spielberg and George Lucas did to the Indiana Jones franchise. You’re either a fan of the show, or you’re not. There’s no middle ground.
Transporter 3 – Jason Statham returns to his most popular character in a sequel that does not live up to its predecessors [not that I’m a huge fan of the first two films to begin with]. It contains possibly the worst performance by an actress of 2008, but it’s fun in a bad way.
Let The Right One In – This Swedish horror film got universally excellent reviews. I know, it’s both Swedish and a horror film, and it’s supposed to be good? Be the judge yourself. An American remake of the film is in the works. If the poster alone doesn’t creep you out and make you want to pick this film up, then nothing else will.
Synecdoche, New York – Charlie Kaufman’s first directorial effort polarized audiences when it debuted at Cannes. It had problems finding a distributor. It was eventually released, but it still polarized critics and audiences. If you’re a fan of Kaufman’s work [Adaptation, Being John Malkovich, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind], then you’ll be interested. I’ve read you’ll either turn this off a couple of minutes in, or want to re-watch the film immediately after the film ends. A mind-bender to say the least.
Rachel Getting Married – Anne Hathaway got an Oscar nomination for her performance, and it was great to see a new film from Jonathan Demme [he hasn’t made a dramatic film since The Manchurian Candidate in 2004]. Like Milk, Rachel Getting Married got rave reviews for the performance of Anne Hathaway, so it’s worth checking out.
Other notable releases:
The Boy In The Striped Pajamas
Cadillac Records
Happy-Go-Lucky
Sleeper Pick of the Week
Howard the Duck – It is one of the most hated films of the 80’s, but it comes out on special edition DVD today. It has some special features [A Look Back at Howard the Duck, Releasing the Duck, Archival featurettes, and Teaser trailers]. I’ve never seen the film, but I want to check it out to see how bad it is
