Filed under: Home Video News

ON DVD TODAY: September 16, 2008

A Coen brother classic and that's about it folks

One quick note since a release date has not yet been announced, Blu-ray.com tells us Fox will release The X-Files: I Want to Believe as its first Blu-ray title with BD Live features. The feature will be called “The X-Files Dossier” and will allow users to create a special-agent avatar that can browse through Agent Dakota Whitney’s case files on clairvoyance and post their own notes and theories. Viewers will also have the ability to help Agent Drummy solve several forensic challenges. These challenges are expected to be posted weekly for first few weeks of release.

In addition to the above mentioned BD-Live and BonusView features, the disc will also include an interactive timeline featuring more than 80 video clip segments from the franchise’s archives.

Now to today’s titles…

Blood Simple (Director’s Cut)
Here it is, the only DVD releasing this week worth talking about and MGM has basically buried it. I would even venture a guess that no one even knows it is coming out. I know I didn’t know there was a director’s cut of the Coen brothers’ fantastic debut feature let alone the fact it was coming out today and only costs $10.99 at Amazon. If you haven’t seen this film yet don’t hesitate, just click the Buy Now button below and thank me later.
Buy Blood Simple (Director's Cut)
Risky Business (25th Anniversary Edition)
Here is probably the only other release this week even worth discussing and even then I don’t care about this film to any great extent. I love Tom Cruise, but Risky Business is just another one of those movies you can watch whenever it may show up on cable. Granted it is an R-rated flick and television is likely to edit out the good stuff, but it isn’t as if we are talking about Oscar worthy entertainment here. Come to think of it, why exactly is the 25th anniversary of Risky Business worth celebrating? The film is decent at best.
Buy Risky Business (25th Anniversary Edition)
Beetlejuice (20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)
I don’t know what people see in this film, but I know there is a rather large following out there. I mean, why else would Warner release a 20th anniversary edition if there wasn’t? However, all interest is lost on me, but if you are interested go ahead and click on the link below and buy yourself a copy, it is available on both DVD and Blu-ray.
Buy Beetlejuice (20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)
88 Minutes
I have the Blu-ray edition of this one sitting on my desk and it has been there for about two weeks. My original idea was to do a live blog as I watched it and just sit back and make fun of it the whole time. 88 Minutes is a truly awful film and the only way to really enjoy it would be to make up some sort of drinking game for it and end up hammered by the end. Other than that I recommend this be the last time we refer to this movie in any form of real criticism.
Buy 88 Minutes
Snow Angels
I have not yet seen Snow Angels, but despite being relatively ignored upon its theatrical release I have heard Kate Beckinsale gives a pretty good performance, a performance I have also heard she one ups in Nothing but the Truth, a film I have also heard a minor Oscar rumble over. As for Snow Angels it is directed b David Gordon Green who also directed Pineapple Express and it also stars Sam Rockwell who is pretty much always good. I have added it to the NetFlix queue and hopefully will have a chance soon enough to judge for myself.
Buy Snow Angels
Speed Racer
I just received the Blu-ray edition of Speed Racer a day ago so I haven’t yet had a chance to give it a watch, and to tell you the truth I don’t have much interest in ever seeing it again, but it may be worth the revisit. In theaters I had absolutely no love for this film. If it had been about 15 minutes long and involved race scenes only it would have told a fantastic story and would have been exciting the entire time. Unfortunately the scenes in between the race scenes do nothing for the story. To put it plainly, it just isn’t very good.
Buy Speed Racer
The Mist (2-Disc Collector’s Edition)
Wow, another film I really didn’t like. As a matter of fact I thought the end of this film was endlessly stupid. I know some of the reviewers out there will try and tell you that Frank Darabont was being extremely bold with his ending to this film, but in my opinion he basically wasted over two hours of my life watching characters to stupid to live. The ending wasn’t ballsy, but it would have been had it been earned.
Buy The Mist (2-Disc Collector's Edition)
Made of Honor
It seems this week is dumping ground for mediocre films of 2008 as Made of Honor also makes that list. This is a movie I wouldn’t have minded had it not worked the misunderstanding card so many times. Romantic comedies hinge on misunderstandings and their resolution, but Made of Honor has about 18 of them and by the time the ridiculous ending comes around you had already given up 30 minutes earlier.
Buy Made of Honor
The Love Guru
Apparently this week isn’t only about dumping the mediocre films, it’s about dumping the downright awful. This is another Blu-ray that landed on my doorstep, but I have so far avoided it as if it were radioactive. However, there is something we can learn from this film. On the front and back cover of the artwork we find a quote from Kevin Steincross of Fox TV calling the film “Hysterical!” and on the back we have a quote from Jim Ferguson of KGUN 9 ABC saying the film is “Hilarious!” There are now two more people you can add to your “Never Trust Again” list.
Buy The Love Guru
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