Blu-ray Picks for the Week of July 21 - Watchmen: Director’s Cut (Review)

By brenden ⋅ July 21, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

It’s two in the morning and I can’t stop watching the Watchmen Blu-ray disc. I got home late from work. Totally bagged. Ready to hit the sack minutes after kicking off my shoes. I had been seriously committed to sleep before finding the Watchmen disc in my mailbox. And now I’m done. I can’t tear myself away. Zack Snyder has me held enthralled, talking at me from the blackened studio of his Maximum Movie Mode, unveiling the secrets of his violent, masked universe. …Continued…

Blu-ray Picks for the Week of June 30 - Tokyo!

By brenden ⋅ July 2, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

This is another one of those weeks where I’m recommending a film that I haven’t yet seen, but am kind of excited to get my hands on. I had forgotten that Tokyo! was hitting the shops this week. It’s a trio of short films directed by a trio of talented guys: Michel Gondry (Be Kind Rewind), Leos Carax (The Lovers on the Bridge), and Bong Joon-ho (The Host).

I’m a huge fan of Gondry’s work and appreciate what Joon-ho accompished with The Host but I’d be lying if I said I was at all familiar with Leos Carax. In fact, I’d be lying if I said I was excited about this film by anything more than Gondry’s involvement. …Continued…

Blu-ray Picks for the Week of June 23 - Last Year at Marienbad

By brenden ⋅ June 24, 2009 ⋅ One comment

What? Stop rolling your eyes! Don’t give me a hard time about this, ok? There’s a reason keep recommending these Criterion Collection titles, you know. It’s because, well, they’re usually the best bets on any given week. The best films. The best transfers and restorations. The best bonus features. Time after time, Criterion beats the rest.

And this week is no exception. Alain Resnais’ Last Year at Marienbad (L’année dernière à Marienbad) plays like a romantic version of The Shining through the lens of David Lynch. Yeah. Imagine that. But instead of focussing on the deteriorating mind of a man, Marienbad paints an ambiguous picture of a man and a woman who may or may not have fallen in love a year ago, told through a surreal fusion of past, present and future. Is this a love story? A ghost story? One thing is for certain, it’s one of the most mysterious and intriguing films to come out of the French New Wave. …Continued…

Blu-ray Picks for the Week of June 16 - The Seventh Seal

By brenden ⋅ June 17, 2009 ⋅ One comment

Yes, it’s another Criterion week! I’m not going to waste your time with another impassioned rant about the quality of their work and why you should be snatching up every single one of their Blu-ray releases. Let’s cut to the chase and talk about Bergman and the Seventh Seal. …Continued…

Blu-ray Picks for the Week of June 9 - Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music Director’s Cut (Review)

By brenden ⋅ June 9, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

What do I know about Woodstock? Yeah…nothing. I’m almost ashamed to admit that, as a musician, I have little interest or investment in any of the acts that played the famous festival. I look at it as more of a curiosity. But this 40th Anniversary Ultimate Collector’s Edition of Michael Wadleigh’s Oscar-winning documentary might just be the artifact that turns me around. …Continued…

Blu-ray Picks for the Week of May 26 - The Sky Crawlers (Review)

By brenden ⋅ May 26, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

I would never count myself among the legion of Mamoru Oshii fans. In fact, I find Ghost in the Shell a hard slog, tough to sit through. Like watching water boil.

All right, I’m exaggerating here. Oshii never fails to deliver beautiful moments and thrilling action in his films but in order to uncover the candy he forces you to suffer the interminable plastic wrapping of verbose philosophical monologues, pretentious classical quotations and ham-fisted expository detail. I’m happy to say that his latest animated film, The Sky Crawlers manages to side step these complications. For the most part.

Blu-ray Picks for the Week of May 19 - 3 Days of the Condor

By brenden ⋅ May 19, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

It’s been almost a year since the great Sydney Pollack passed on. Probably best known for his award winning films, Out Of Africa and Tootsie, Pollack was more than just a talented director. He was also an actor and good, close friend of Robert Redford. After sharing the screen in the 1962 film War Hunt, the two men would go on to make six more films together, not least of which is Three Days of the Condor, available now on Blu-ray. …Continued…

Blu-ray Picks for the Week of May 12

By brenden ⋅ May 11, 2009 ⋅ One comment

KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNN!!!!

Blu-ray Picks for the Week of May 5

By brenden ⋅ May 4, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

The Oscar nominated Benjamin Button comes to Blu-ray this week

Blu-ray Picks for the Week of April 28

By brenden ⋅ April 28, 2009 ⋅ 3 comments

When you can’t choose just one Blu-ray disc to purchase…

Blu-ray Picks for the Week of April 21

By brenden ⋅ April 20, 2009 ⋅ 2 comments

Another Criterion week! Grab your wallets and head out to the shops to pick of The Wages of Fear.

Blu-ray Picks for the Week of April 14

By brenden ⋅ April 14, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

April 14th…what a barren week.

Blu-ray Picks for the Week of Jan. 20

By brenden ⋅ January 20, 2009 ⋅ One comment

Pick Peter Jackson’s King Kong this week. If that doesn’t float your boat, there’s always another Criterion release…

Blu-ray Picks for the Week of Jan. 13

By brenden ⋅ January 13, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

Not much to choose from this week, but if you’ve gotta pick up something, grab a copy of Ed Harris’ Appaloosa.

Blu-ray Picks for the Week of Jan. 6

By brenden ⋅ January 7, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

Pick more Criterion this week in the form of Bernardo Bertolucci’s masterpiece, The Last Emperor

Blu-ray Picks for the Week of Dec. 16

By brenden ⋅ December 15, 2008 ⋅ One comment

This is the week I’ve been waiting for all year - the week Criterion comes to Blu-ray!

Blu-ray Picks for the Week of Dec. 9

By brenden ⋅ December 8, 2008 ⋅ Post a comment

Must-have Blu-ray releases for the week of December 9th.