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New in Blu: 'Saw' and 'Client 9'
The last Tuesday in January is filled with a number of titles that are quite good, but few releases that demand to be picked up promptly. And that's okay, because it's great to have breather weeks like this every now and then if you're a rabid collector.
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Top Shelf
Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer(Magnolia) $20.99
The Movie: Documentaries about politicians may not sound all that appealing up front - they tend to come across as filmed book reports, for one - but when doing correctly, they can be captivating. Such is the case with Client-9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer. Not only does it convey an unbiased and easily digestible account of Spitzer's political career, but it does so with a verve that makes even the driest material juicy. Of course, it doesn't hurt that Spitzer's story is itself a tawdry one, but not all documentarians can pull off the balancing act between informing and entertaining. Director Alex Gibney (of the fantastic Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room) is thankfully one of those people.
The Features: A commentary track from Gibney; deleted interview footage.
Who Should Buy It: Those who appreciate a good, engaging documentary. If you liked Gibney's The Smartest Guys in the Room, chances are you'll like Client 9 as well.
Click here to buy 'Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer'
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Middle Shelf
Enter the Void (MPI) $21.99
The Movie: There's no 2010 release that I regret not seeing in theaters more than Gaspar Noe's (Irreversible) Enter the Void, a film told entirely through the eyes of an overdosed brother who is watching his sister's life from beyond the grave. Opinion on it is split right down the middle between those who think it's a visually stunning and emotionally staggering film and those who think it's an indulgent, vulgar waste of time. And any time those are pretty much the only two camps on a film, it's definitely something I want to see.
The Features: All that really matters is that this is the full, 160-minute cut of the film that's been blew/beat people's minds on the 2010 fest circuit.
Who Should Buy It: Enter the Void is probably not something anyone will want to blind buy, but the word is that if you like mindf**k movies, you'll love this.
Click here to buy 'Enter the Void'
Red Hill (Sony) $22.99
The Movie: I'd hesitate to call it a renaissance since the standard of quality isn't uniform across the board, but at least the Western is experiencing a bit of a resurgence in popularity these days both in America and abroad. Take Red Hill, for example. This Australian import stars Ryan Kwanten as a newbie police officer in a small town that just so happens to be visited by a blood thirsty escaped convict on his very first day.
It's cliched, simple and straight forward, but it's also beautifully shot, well-acted and has just enough memorable scenes to make it worthwhile.
The Features: I'm having a hard time finding a complete feature set on this, actually.
Who Should Buy It: Diehard fans of Westerns who will watch anything that fits in the genre. For the rest of us, Red Hill is a rental.
Click here to buy 'Red Hill'
Saw: The Final Chapter (Lionsgate) $19.99
The Movie: Is Saw: The Final Chapter really going to be the final film in the seven-part Saw series? No, probably not, but even if it were, that's not reason enough for you to check it out. It's a dreadful mess of a film that completely wipes away any good will that the Sixth entry earned.
Of course, if you loved the previous six films, then you'll no doubt still like this meandering "conclusion" to the series. If you haven't made it this far, however, don't even bother renting The Final Chapter just to see how it ends-- it won't make any sense. Not that having seen all of the films will this scatterbrained soap opera of a horror series make total sense.
The Features: If you've got a 3D Blu-ray player and compatible TV, Lionsgate have issued a separate 3D version of the set, which is certainly appreciated (though I imagine the volume sold on those is going to be pretty slim). Both discs feature the standard Saw set of goodies: deleted/extended scenes, commentary and a music video.
Who Should Buy It: Saw junkies. Anyone who doesn't already have blinders for this series will see it for the bloody bore that it is.
Click here to buy 'Saw: The Final Chapter'
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All the Rest
A Beautiful Mind (Universal) $19.99
Broadcast News (Criterion) $24.99
The Color Purple (Warner Brothers) $23.99
Dead Space: Aftermath (Starz/Anchor Bay) $22.99
Anchor Bay kicks out another animated Dead Space movie to tie into the release of the game's sequel.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Universal) $17.99
Freakonomics: The Movie (Magnolia) $19.99
If you've read the book, skip the movie. It's an omnibus documentary that should have been an ongoing television series instead of a single, jumbled together film.
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest (Music Box) $19.99
Kites (Image) $19.99
Nowhere Boy (Sony) $19.99
Open Season 3 (Sony) $19.99
Red (2010) (Summit)
Secretariat (Disney/Buena Vista)