An interesting side effect of the pre-Oscar winter season is that retail shelves start to get packed with new releases of catalog films banking on the name recognition their stars are currently receiving thanks to fresh awards buzz. Been hearing a lot about Natalie Portman's performance in Black Swan? Oh, hey, Closer is now on Blu-ray. Mark Whalberg is been taken seriously again thanks to The Fighter? Why not remember his goofy professional killer flick, The Big Hit? Sofia Coppola's new film Somewhere is making waves? Here's Lost in Translation on Blu-ray... You get the picture.
This means there's a new rash of catalog films hitting Blu-ray, but unfortunately they're mostly unceremonious releases that carry over the same feature set as previous DVDs and instead only offer new HD transfers. That's not a terrible thing, but if you already own any of the catalog films out this week on DVD, the Blus aren't exactly going to be screaming "BUY ME!".
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
Inception ($17.99, Warner Bros.)
The Movie: When a director swings for the fences like Christopher Nolan regularly does, the normal result is a film that is either instantly loved or hated, yet there's far more middle ground on Inception than recent, high-profile blockbusters from auteur directors. There appears to be a lot of people who have a profound respect for Nolan's ambition and style, but they fall short of embracing the film because of how high-concept, low-character the script is. And yet because they do acknowledge its technical mastery, it's hard to actively dislike the film.
That in-between zone is a tough spot to be in and I think it'll take a few years before there is a wider consensus as to whether or not Inception is an important entry to the sci-fi genre or if it's just an interesting footnote in Nolan's greater career. As it stands right now, I think that it will ultimately end up being an interesting talking point in his filmography, but that it falls just shy of being a new classic in the genre.
The Features: If you're anything like me, the main thing you'll want to dive into on an Inception Blu-ray will be the making-of features. Apparently the producers of this disc disagree, however, as they've made it kind of a pain to actually dive in. Most of the real goodies on the first disc are hidden inside of an "Extraction Mode" that's intended to be watched concurrent with the movie (basically, it interrupts key points in the movie to play the corresponding making-of segment), and while it is possible to access each segment individually, it's not ideal.
The second disc features a rather lengthy feature called Dreams: Cinema of the Subconscious, but there's not much in it that feels new or particularly insightful. It's kind of like an Intro 101 on the psychology of dreams, which is great if you're a freshman psych major, but for the rest of us you'll probably pop it on for a few minutes and get about all you need from it.
Who Should Buy It: Those who out-and-out loved Inception on the big screen. Those of us who want to go a bit more behind-the-screen will probably be best served waiting for another, more comprehensive release down the line.
BUY IT HERE
Videodrome ($29.49)
The Movie: Videodrome is the kind of movie that can't be sufficiently summed up in a brief little blurb in a buying guide like this. It's a brilliant look at media and consumer culture that's much more complex than the basic "it consumes you!" approach that similarly ambitious films most often take. It charts perverse waters in a way that only David Cronenberg can, for that reason alone this belongs on any serious film lover's living room shelf.
The Features: There may be some new features exclusive to this Blu-ray, but even if there aren't, this set retains the myriad of goodies that Criterion Collection gave the film when it released it on DVD a few years ago. And as should be expected from Criterion, those goodies are top notch.
Who Should Buy It: David Cronenberg fans, sci-fi fans, Criterion Collection fans.
BUY IT HERE
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Middle Shelf:
Barry Munday ($21.99)
The Movie: Patrick Wilson plays Barry Munday, a totally ordinary, totally boring, totally simple Dude of a Feller who is a tad obsessed with having sex. Then one day his testicles get amputated by a musical instrument and suddenly his life is not quite the same. If that's not enough of a game-changer for the mundane Munday, he then finds out that one of his random conquests from the past (played by the always great Judy Greer) is actually pregnant.
Yes, the sales pitch is a little tonally strange - it could either be a plot line on Arrested Development or a romcom starring Owen Wilson - but the actual film is funny and genuine throughout. It may not be the funniest movie of the year, mind you, but it's definitely the funniest movie of the year that most people haven't even heard of.
The Features: A commentary, some deleted scenes and outtakes are pretty much it, it looks like.
Who Should Buy It: For most people, Barry Munday should definitely be a rental, but if you're a big fan of indie comedies, you may want to give it a blind buy.
BUY IT HERE
Restrepo ($23.99)
The Movie: A documentary made by two video journalists who were embedded with a platoon stationed at the deadliest outpost in Afghanistan. It consists entirely of footage filmed over the course of the year they spent with the platoon mixed in with some "talking head" retrospective interviews with the soldiers about what their mission was like. Perhaps because the filmmakers simply weren't allowed to disclose key dates and places, Restrepo only feels like half of a documentary, but what it lacks in information it makes up for with an eye-opening, boots-on-the-ground look at combat and what it does to men.
The Features: I'm actually having a hard time finding a complete list of features for this disc.
Who Should Buy It: War buffs and army historians.
BUY IT HERE
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All the Rest:
Closer ($14.99)
And here's another Blu released most likely to capitalize on a new film from one of its stars, in this case Natalie Portman with Black Swan. That's not necessarily a bad thing - it doesn't take anything away from Closer as a film, just don't expect this disc to be much more beyond a high-def transfer and whatever features came on the DVD.
The Big Hit
I've got a soft spot for this '90s hitman flick, but even I can see that
it's really not all that great of a movie. I imagine the only reason
it's hitting Blu this week is to capitalize on the release of The Fighter.
BUY IT HERE
Caged Animal ($26.99)
Ving
Rhames, in a prison, fighting suckers. That's about all you need to
know to know whether or not a straight-to-video movie called Caged Animals is up your alley.
BUY IT HERE
Cronos ($29.49)
I actually haven't seen Guillermo del Toro's breakthrough film, but I've heard nothing but good things about this Spanish-language twist on what it means to be a vampire. Now that it's gotten the Criterion Collection treatment, however, I really should get around to catching up with it.
BUY IT HERE
Harpoon: Whale Watching Massacre ($21.99)
If you're a horror fan, you probably know this Icelandic slasher-on-a-boat as Reykjavik Whale Watching Massacre. I haven't actually seen it, so I can't say whether or not it's actually any good, but genre buffs have been waiting for this film to hit our shores for what feels like forever... the mere fact that we've been waiting probably means it's a rather lackluster film, but at least now it can be easily seen.
BUY IT HERE
Shrek Forever After ($17.99)
I love animated movies, but I really can't stand the Shrek series. I don't find any of its pop culture references particularly clever and its characters are all universally annoying, so I'm probably not the best person to give anyone a recommendation on Shrek Forever After. But, hey, if you liked the first three movies, you'll probably like the fourth.
BUY IT HERE