This Week in DVD: Vantage Point, Drillbit Taylor, Mad Men, and More
This Week in DVD is a new column on compiling all the latest info regarding new DVD releases, sales, and exclusive deals from stores including Target, Best Buy, Circuit City, and Fry’s.
NOTE: If you watch a lot of TV, be sure to check out some of the amazing sales Best Buy is having on a number of Fox and HBO sets (located under “The Specials” section of the column).
MAD MEN (SEASON 1)
Depicting the societal changes during the 1960s, this critically acclaimed new drama series explores the life of a high-level advertising executive with wit, style, and cynicism. In addition to it winning the Golden Globe for Best Television Series (Drama), it’s also been heavily praised for its character-driven storyline, top notch writing, and slick and detailed recreation of its ‘60s setting. The DVD includes all episodes from the show’s first season, and comes with limited edition lighter packaging.
Blu-ray? Yes.
Notable Extras: Several commentary tracks and documentaries on the advertising industry.
$34.99
$32.99
$34.99
$34.99
EXCLUSIVE DEAL:
What? $5 GiftCard.
Where? Target.
CITY OF MEN
A film version of the popular TV series of the same name (which in itself was a spin-off of a movie I consider to be one of the best of all-time, City of God), this brutal and unflinching tale of two friends who become unwittingly caught up in a vicious gang war further explores the horrors of Brazil’s favela life. It may not be up to the level of City of God, but critics and audiences are in agreement, it does as good a job as you could possibly hope for.
Blu-ray? No.
Notable Extras: A featurette.
N/A
$19.99
$19.99
$19.99
EXCLUSIVE DEAL:
What? Buy with City of God for $25.
Where? Best Buy.
VANTAGE POINT
(Available as single-disc and 2-Disc Deluxe Editions)
Good premises can only take a movie so far, and unfortunately, this film gets lost before it even begins. The whole concept underlying the film is ultimately undermined by its inconsistent execution, constantly cheating by preventing the audiences from seeing what other characters see (which is the whole point of the film) and then eventually abandoning that concept entirely. What could’ve amounted to a high-octane, twist-filled thriller instead devolves into a mess of poor screenwriting and laughable attempts at integrating the “Rashomon effect.” What a shame.
Blu-ray? Yes.
Notable Extras: Found only on the 2-Disc set, there’s an audio commentary, an interview with screenwriter Barry Levy, deleted scenes, and interviews with the cast/crew.
$16.99
$16.99
$13.99
$13.99
*Fry’s pricing DOES include 2-Disc Edition, but the other listed stores do not ($22.99).
DRILLBIT TAYLOR
(Available as single-disc and Extended Survival Editions)
This movie has a number of things going for it, such as the charms of its lead, Owen Wilson, and the strong performances of its two teenage actors, but the script makes it feel like a hodgepodge of a less raunchy, less funny Superbad and recycled material from half a dozen ‘80s teen comedies (like My Bodyguard). This makes sense, seeing as how it’s based on an idea by John Hughes, and the script was co-written by Seth Rogen and produced by Judd Apatow, but disappointingly, the quality normally associated with those names does not shine through here.
Blu-ray? Yes.
Notable Extras: A commentary track (no Apatow or Rogen), deleted scenes, Apatow’s patented “Line-O-Rama” feature, a gag reel, and an interview with Rogen and other co-writer Kristofor Brown. The “Extended Survival Edition” comes with an additional five featurettes on the making of the film.
$16.99
$16.99
$19.99
$16.99
*Pricing DOES include Extended Survival Edition.
MY BLUEBERRY NIGHTS
Grammy-winning singer Norah Jones joins an all-star supporting cast including Natalie Portman, Jude Law, Rachel Weisz, and David Strathairn for the English-language debut of Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai’s visually captivating but contrived and half-baked compilation of artsy nothingness. The bland, overly-chatty storyline involves a woman who takes a cross-country trip across America to get over a break-up.
Blu-ray? No.
Notable Extras: A Q&A session with the director, deleted scenes, and a short making-of featurette.
N/A
$17.99
$14.99
$14.99
TYLER PERRY’S MEET THE BROWNS
(Available as single-disc and 2-Disc Special Editions)
What is there really left to say about Tyler Perry’s films? He’s a sloppy director and a painfully melodramatic storyteller, but his loyal fanbase continues to support his work regardless. At this point, it’s probably best just to shrug these movies off until audiences finally lose interest.
Blu-ray? Yes.
Notable Extras: Four featurettes.
$16.99
$16.99
$13.99
$13.99
*Fry’s pricing DOES include 2-Disc Edition, but the other listed stores do not ($22.99).
EXCLUSIVE DEAL:
What? Free address book.
Where? Circuit City.
Other noteworthy DVDs available this week…
Heathers (Special Edition) – Get Smart’s Bruce and Lloyd Out of Control – The Closer (Season 3) – Batman: The Movie (Special Edition) – Sex and Death 101 – 30 Days (Season 2) – Shotgun Stories
Exclusive: Free movie cash (up to $7) to see Get Smart with purchase of Get Smart’s Bruce and Lloyd Out of Control.
$7.50 – Batman Begins, The Goonies, Gremlins, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Grandma’s Boy
$17.99 – Sex and the City (Seasons 1-6), Friday Night Lights (Season 2)
Exclusive: 2-Disc Special Edition for Get Smart’s Bruce and Lloyd Out of Control ($22.99). Includes first 2 episodes of the Get Smart TV series.
$16.99 – Futurama (Season 1-4), The Simpsons (Season 1-10), Arrested Development (Season 1-3), King of the Hill (Season 1-6), 24 (Season 1-6), Prison Break (Season 1-2), The Riches (Season 1), Family Guy (Season 1-5), American Dad (Season 1-3), That ‘70s Show (Season 1-8), The OC (Season 1-4), Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Season 1-7), Angel (Season 1-5), Dark Angel (Season 1-2)
$19.99 – Six Feet Under (Season 1-5)
$39.99 – The Wire (Season 1-4), John Adams, The Sopranos (Season 1-6), Rome (Season 1-2), Deadwood (Season 1-3)
$44.99 – Band of Brothers
$14.99 – South Park (Season 1-5)
$24.99 – South Park (Season 6-10)
Exclusive: Free movie cash (up to $7) to see Get Smart with purchase of Get Smart’s Bruce and Lloyd Out of Control.
$16.99 – It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (Seasons 1 & 2)
$19.99 – My Name is Earl (Season 1-2)
$4.99 – The Princess Bride (20th Anniversary Edition), Goodfellas, Platoon, Raging Bull, Airplane, Lucky Number Slevin, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Million Dollar Baby, The Right Stuff, Deliverance, and more…
$6.99 – Made, Jacob’s Ladder, Total Recall, Way of the Gun, First Blood, and more…
$3.99 – The Ice Storm, Kung Pow
$6.99 – The Boondock Saints, The Day After Tomorrow, Independence Day, I, Robot, Cast Away, Man on Fire, There’s Something About Mary, Die Hard, and more…
Gotham Tonight Spotlight On Bruce Wayne
A new featurette has popped up online for The Dark Knight, this one showing a news program, Gotham Tonight, on the GCN (Gotham City News Network). It highlights the life of billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne, and judges whether or not his antics will help propel Wayne Enterprises into the future, or sink Gotham into a deep depression.
Check it out below!
I have never seen viral marketing on this level. Keep it up Warner Bros.! Me likey!
The Sopranos DVD Set for $400? What a Deal!
TV Guide is reporting that the complete series of The Sopranos will be available as a box set on Nov. 11, 2008, with a $400 price tag. That seems like a heckuva deal to me, given that fact that most seasons of any given show cost anywhere from $30 to $60. The individual seasons of The Sopranos sell for $60 each on the HBO Web site, and the complete series was released last year for $515.
So let’s do the math here: Six seasons (TV Guide says seven, but the official HBO site refers to Season Six, Parts 1 and 2, as one season, so we’ll go with that) divided by $400 comes out to $66.66 per season.
And it’s not just ANY TV series. It’s The Sopranos, for gosh sakes, with some cool extras. The 30-disc boxed set will feature all six seasons; an interview with series creator David Chase, conducted by Alec Baldwin; three soundtrack CDs; and two featurettes with the cast sitting down for dinner and reflecting on the series.
The only thing I’m thinking is that the individual seasons have even more extras. Like, for example, Season Two includes a featurette called “The Real Deal,” with critics, psychiatrists, and former FBI agents discussing The Sopranos. Season Five features audio commentaries with directors Steve Buscemi, Peter Bogdanovich, Mike Figgis, and Rodrigo Garcia.
It would be nice if they included all of that in the complete set. And maybe a Satriales coffee mug or Bada Bing flip-flops or something. Then again, maybe we don’t have all the intel yet either. No word on whether the complete set features alternative endings. I’m guessing not. (Rats, now I’ve got Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” playing over and over in my head.)
At any rate, I’ll probably be shelling out the dough. What about you? Will you slap down 400 bucks for this DVD set?
This Week in DVD: New Futurama Movie, 10,000 BC, In Bruges, Spiderwick Chronicles, and More
This Week in DVD is a new column on compiling all the latest info regarding new DVD releases, sales, and exclusive deals from stores including Target, Best Buy, Circuit City, and Fry’s.
FUTURAMA: THE BEAST WITH A BILLION BACKS
Continuing its semi-return from the Fox cancellation grave yard, Futurama finally releases its second direct-to-DVD feature out of four with The Beast with a Billion Backs. It’s not nearly as dramatically compelling or well paced as Bender’s Big Score (that film was so good it had the potential to be made as a theatrical release), but it does up the ante on laughs, which is debatably something the former picture was lacking. Who really cares though? The important thing is that Futurama is back, and personally, I couldn’t be happier to see it return.
Blu-ray? No.
Notable Extras: Audio commentary from the cast and crew, ‘Futurama: The Lost Adventure’ (featuring the cut-scene footage from the Futurama video game), a joke interview with comedian David Cross, deleted scenes, a featurette detailing the history of the game Death Ball, and footage of voice recording outtakes.
N/A
$19.99
$13.99
$13.99
IN BRUGES
This film marks one of those instances where the trailer prepares you for a movie so vastly different than the actual film that the film itself is harder to enjoy because of it. It’s still a solid movie though, so I’ll just warn you to avoid viewing it with the expectation of something Guy Ritchie or Tarantino-esque. Its witty and raunchy dialogue may come across as similar at times, but the movie is also very slowly paced, focusing heavily on existential and religious themes atop all the profane comedy. It’s definitely not your standard hitman film.
Blu-ray? No.
Notable Extras: Deleted and extended scenes, four featurettes, and a gag reel.
$19.99
$19.99
$19.99
$19.99
EXCLUSIVE DEAL:
What? Save $5 when you buy In Bruges with either Charlie Bartlett, Definitely Maybe, or Bonneville.
Where? Best Buy.
THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES
(Available as single-disc and 2-Disc Field Guide Editions)
Starring Freddie Highmore and featuring plenty of fantastical creatures, this movie may seem like it’s simply treading the same water as Arthur and the Invisibles. However, this children’s adventure (based on the popular book series of the same name) has the heart and imagination lacking in that film, and succeeds much more admirably because of it.
Blu-ray? Yes.
Notable Extras: The 2-disc set includes deleted scenes, six making-of featurettes, and Arthur Spiderwick’s Field Guide (which includes reprinted pages from the book while letting you access relevant scenes from the film).
$16.99
$16.99
$13.99
$13.99
*Does not include 2-Disc Edition, which costs $22.99 at each of the listed stores (excluding Fry’s, where it costs $21.99).
EXCLUSIVE DEAL:
What? Free Spiderwick Movie Storybook and bookmark with purchase of single-disc DVD.
Where? Target.
EXCLUSIVE DEAL:
What? Free “The Field Guide” book.
Where? Best Buy.
EXCLUSIVE DEAL:
What? Free Spiderwick Chronicles trading cards.
Where? Circuit City.
PERSEPOLIS
With a 95% ranking on Rotten Tomatoes and an 8.1 rating on IMDB, Persepolis (based on Marjane Satrapi’s bestselling graphic novel) is by far one of the year’s most celebrated animated films. Shot in black-and-white, the movie uses its inventive visuals as a way of setting the tone for the deeply compelling coming-of-age story ahead. The plot explores a young Iranian girl’s attempt at finding her place in the world during the Islamic Revolution.
Blu-ray? Yes.
Notable Extras: Commentary on select scenes, a 30-minute documentary, a making-of featurette, and a Q&A from the film’s 2007 Cannes Film Festival Press Conference.
$16.99
$19.99
$19.99
$16.99
CHARLIE BARTLETT
A mixed bag overall, Charlie Bartlett is an uneven yet oftentimes hilarious teen angst comedy about a wealthy teenager finding his place in the social hierarchy by becoming an unofficial school psychiatrist. It also stars Robert Downey Jr. in a supporting role, and as a rule I like to force myself to see every movie he’s in. You might want to consider doing the same, because with the filmmography he’s been building recently it’s really starting to pay off.
Blu-ray? No.
Notable Extras: Three audio commentaries, featurettes, deleted scenes, and restroom confessionals.
$19.99
$17.99
$19.99
$19.99
EXCLUSIVE DEAL:
What? Save $5 when you buy Charlie Bartlett with either In Bruges, Definitely Maybe, or Bonneville.
Where? Best Buy.
10,000 BC
Favoring a focus of style over substance (and logic for that matter), director Roland Emmerich’s epically stupid journey into the prehistoric era is both bland and frustrating to watch. The film doesn’t even make an attempt at being historically accurate, and the lack of effort shows. It might be so-bad-it’s-good were it actually entertaining.
Blu-ray? Yes.
Notable Extras: An alternate ending and 10 minutes of deleted scenes.
$16.99
$14.99
$13.99
$13.99
EXCLUSIVE DEAL:
What? 2-Disc Special Edition ($22.99).
Where? Best Buy.
Other noteworthy DVDs available this week…
Definitely, Maybe – The Hammer – Honeydripper – Xanadu (Magical Music Edition) – Trailer Park Boys (Season 7) – Bonneville – The Tattooist – Early Edition (Season 1)
$17.99 – Arrested Development (Seasons 1, 2, or 3), The Simpsons (Seasons 7 or 8), Monk (Seasons 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5), Weeds (Seasons 1 or 2), Flight of the Conchords (Season 1), The Office (Season 1), The Boondocks (Season 1), and more…
$13.99 – The Incredibles, National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets, Finding Nemo, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, Toy Story (10th Anniversary Edition), Toy Story 2 (2-Disc Special Edition), and more…
$14.99 – Da Ali G Show (Seasons 1 or 2), American Gangster (2-Disc Unrated Extended Edition), I Am Legend, Semi-Pro, Juno, The Bucket List, Be Kind Rewind, The Bourne Ultimatum, and more…
Buy one, get one free ($9.99) – Blade, Speed, Cast Away, Sideways, This is Spinal Tap, Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny, Master and Commander, The Replacements, and more…
$6.99 – The Bourne Identity, King Kong, Jurassic Park, 300, Troy (Director’s Cut), Full Metal Jacket, Children of Men, School of Rock, Sleepy Hollow, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Shark Tale, Chicken Run, Flushed Away, Madagascar, Over the Hedge, Antz, Shrek 2, and more…
$3.99 – Big Trouble in Little China, Cocoon, Great Expectations, and more…
$4.99 – Dumb and Dumber, Frequency, and more…
$6.99 – 28 Days Later, Edward Scissorhands, Alien, Aliens, True Lies, From Hell, and more…