New In Blu: 'Avatar', 'A Christmas Carol' & More!

By Peter Hall , Hollywood.com Staff | Tuesday, November 16, 2010

If you're an owner of a 3D-capable HDTV, then today is a hell of a day for you. By my count nine 3D Blu-rays hit story shelves today, which should give you plenty of new content to watch. Some of it's bound to be more of a priority than others - for example, A Christmas Carol is sure to be a more exhilarating watch than Open Season - but if you've spent all that money on a 3D TV, player and glasses, you're probably going to want to stock up on as many 3D titles as possible.

Unless of course one of those titles is The Last Airbender, which has the double-whammy fail of being the worst feature film of the year as well as the worst 3D film of the year. I'm not sure why anyone would want to watch it and I'm even less sure why they'd want to watch it again in 3D.

Even if you don't have a 3D TV, there are still a handful of Blu-ray highlights this week to consider:

Top Shelf - Any elaborate collector's editions or box sets.
Middle Shelf - Standard releases of fairly well known movies available at a reasonable price.
Bottom Shelf - Titles that are either A) suspiciously cheap or B) being released with very little fanfare.

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Top Shelf

A Christmas Carol 4 Disc Set

A Christmas Carol - 4-Disc Combo ($27.99, Disney/Buena Vista)

The Movie: I'm not sure why Robert Zemeckis' take on Charles Dicken's classic tale received such a tepid reaction when it hit theaters last year. It may not be the most restrained adaptation of the story ever made, but that is precisely what makes it so unique. Most adults over the age of, say, 50 are going to look at its motion-capture animation and scoff at how technology gets in the way of good 'ole fashioned storytelling, but that's not who this movie was made for.

Zemeckis' Christmas Carol is made for kids who think every other version of the story is boring. It's full of the kind of whizbang spectacle that entertains kids regardless of the content, and to that end I actually admire Zemeckis' film even more simply because it's the cinematic equivalent of bubblegum flavored toothpaste; it's good for the youngsters and they don't even know it. Plus, on the animation front, the movie simply looks dynamite. Zemeckis' special brand of mo-cap is really coming into its own, even if it's still clear that at this stage it's a stepping stone to bigger and better things.

The Features: Not only can you watch the entire film as it was originally performed in its motion capture environment, but you can watch it as a picture-in-picture with the completed film for immediate comparison AND you can toggle on-and-off a feature length commentary track from Zemeckis explaining exactly how everything was done. It's innovative, customizable special features like this that really showoff how more advanced Blu-rays can be than DVDs.
There's also a more formal Making-Of segment on the disc, which is interesting because it contains input from the actor's perspective a bit more than similar featurettes do. It's not as technically comprehensive as the ones found on Beowulf, but if you have a kid who is interested in filmmaking at all, this should spur their interest even more.

Who Should Buy It: Parents looking to expand their family watching library. The presentation of the film is stunning and it's faithful enough to Dickens' story to make it worthwhile for adults, but it's also just zany enough to keep the kids interested.

Click here to Buy It

Avatar: Extended Collector's Edition ($24.99, Fox)

The Movie: There's nothing I could say at this juncture that will change your mind about Avatar. That's not a dig at how ineffectual the 16 minutes of newly reintegrated footage is, either. I've not seen this new cut of the film, so I can't attest to what exactly constitutes the longer running time. But it's clear that even less than a year after the film's release, people have developed iron clad opinions of James Cameron's bombastic alien adventure that will never, ever rust. It's love it or hate it, simple as that.

The Features: In addition to the 16 extra minutes, this three-disc set is packed with Making-Of supplementals that appear to cover every aspect of the groundbreaking film-- but again, I've not seen anything on this disc, so I can't vouch for how worthwhile they are.

Who Should Buy It: Anyone who loves Avatar, duh. Unlike the original, threadbare release of the film, this set actually has special features. That said, I'd hardly consider it to be the definitive release of the film as I'm sure Fox will be issuing even more feature-packed versions of the Blu-ray in the years to come.

Click here to Buy It

Modern Times Blu-ray

Modern Times ($29.49, Criterion)

The Movie: One of, if not the, most iconic films of Charlie Chaplin, Modern Times is not only very clever filmmaking from a technique standpoint, but it's a very clever (and alarmingly prescient) commentary on what it means to be a literal cog in the machinery that is capitalist business.

The Features: This is a Criterion Collection, which of course means it has more special features than you probably even require. Since this is one of Chaplin's most dissected films, there are a ton of vintage examinations included, but it also sports a number of new features exclusive to this Blu.

Who Should Buy It: Film geeks. Also, Barnes & Noble is currently having one of its 50% off Criterion Collection sales, so your cheapest window to buy it is over the next few days.

Click here to Buy It

The Night of the Hunter

The Night of the Hunter ($36.49, Criterion)

The Movie: Night of the Hunter is one of those glaring gaps in my film education, unfortunately. I've heard nothing but spectacular praise for Charles Laughton's film about a familial interloper. Maybe now I'll get around to seeing it.

The Features: Again, this is a Criterion release, so it's stuffed with more goodies than I can list.

Who Should Buy It: Lovers of fine cinema.

Click here to Buy It

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Middle Shelf

The Kids Are All Right Blu Ray

The Kids Are All Right ($27.99, Universal)

The Movie: On paper, The Kids Are All Right probably doesn't sound like something you should seek out immediately. It was a critical darling at this year's Sundance, a label most associate with pretentious filmmaking, and it's plot revolves around a lesbian couple (Julianne Moore and Annette Bening) being forced to deal with their kids (Mia Wasikowska and Josh Hutcherson) wanting to get to know their sperm donor father (Mark Ruffalo). But Lisa Cholodenko's film isn't the issue-pandering button pusher it sounds like.

This is a superbly acted comedy that deftly taps into a whole host of issues and not just the difficulties a same-sex couple faces when raising children. It's a funny, painful (if occasionally predictable) look at modern families without being the overbearing drama it initially appears to be.

The Features: In addition to a commentary track from Cholodenko, Universal's disc also features a number of informative features that chronicle the production process from writing to completion-- which was a process that spanned some five years.

Who Should Buy It: People who regularly shop at Whole Foods and consider themselves champions of issue-aware films will likely get the most out of The Kids Are All Right, but even if neither of those traits applies to you, I still say give it a shot. You may be surprised, as I was, by how much you like it.

Click here to Buy It

Mutiny on the Bounty BLu-ray

Mutiny on the Bounty ($25.99, Warner Bros.)

The Movie: Winner of the 1935 Best Picture Oscar, Mutiny on the Bounty is an elaborate and masterful telling of the true story of the HMS Bounty and how a band of British seamen finally decided to stick it to the increasingly exploitative navy that had essentially enslaved them. Considering its journey spans the globe, the story of the HMS Bounty and its crew is an ambitious one to put to film no matter the time period, but it's hard not to appreciate the complexity of its 75-year old production. There are a few elements that are amusingly antiquated in this day-and-age (the natives the mutinous crew fall in love with on Tahiti are comically inauthentic, for one), but for the most part it holds up quite well as historical drama.

The Features: Unfortunately the special features are kind of lackluster. There are two vintage news reels that serve as nice, brief time capsules, but the absence of more updated special features is disappointing. It does come in Warner Bros. familiar Digi-Book packaging, which of course includes a lovely little booklet on the film, so it'll look as good sitting on the shelf in your collection as it does when it's actually playing on your television.

Who Should Buy It: Fans of pre-CGI historical epics, collectors of Best Picture winners.

Click here to Buy It

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Bottom Shelf

The Tournament

The Tournament ($16.99, The Weinstein Company)

The Movie: Every seven years a pack of assassins descend upon a predetermined town to take part in a to-the-death tournament to determine who is the greatest assassin in the world. This year's competition appears to be business as usual save for two things: 1) Ving Rhames' character, the current champion, is out for revenge against whoever performed the hit on his wife, and 2) a priest (Robert Carlyle) has been inadvertently entered into the tournament after a combatant cuts out his own tracking device and sneaks it into the innocent man's body. Lots of blood and chaos and bloody chaos ensue.

It's ending isn't nearly as badass as its opening, but even with a dull finisher, The Tournament is a no-holds-barred, kill-everyone action movie so shockingly violent that it makes every other action flick this year (including The Expendables) look tame. Yes, this went straight-to-video in the States, but don't let that fool you: this movie (and it's kick-ass cast) are not messing around when.

The Features: Pretty minimal, but the movie is fun enough to compensate.

Who Should Buy It: Anyone who appreciates an action movie that's not afraid to have a bloodbath in a strip club.

Click here to Buy It

Children of the Corn

Children of the Corn ($12.99, Anchor Bay)

The Movie: Syfy's remake of Stephen King's Children of the Corn is one of the worst movies I've seen in years. It features two characters that are so unlikable you'll wish the stop button on your remote control could actually murder them-- and they're the heroes! Movies like this are the reason Syfy has a reputation as a crap factory.

The Features: I can't find any listed online. Even if there are any, I can't imagine why anyone would want to watch them.

Who Should Buy It: No one. I don't care if you're friends with the director; this movie is atrocious and should not be rewarded.

Click here to Buy It