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Notable New Releases

The Brothers Bloom
This underrated gem is con man classic that needs to find an audience on DVD. Rian Johnson's follow up to Brick is so funny and sweet it will absolutely win you over. Adrien Brody and Mark Ruffalo have great chemistry as the titular siblings and Rachel Weisz is absolutely adorable as the sheltered, naive Penelope. The catchy score by Nathan Johnson is also a highlight.

Extras include:

  • Commentary
  • Deleted Scenes
  • In Bloom: Behind The Scenes
  • 'From Sketch to Celluloid' featurette
  • Image Gallery

Moon
It's smart sci-fi that's also heartbreaking drama. Sam Rockwell gives an amazing Oscar-worthy performance and the score by Clint Mansell is emotionally devastating. The subtle visual effects are superb and never get in the way of the storytelling. The less you know about the plot the better.

Extras include:
  • Producer and Director Commentary
  • Crew Commentary
  • The Making of Moon
  • Creating the Visual Effects
  • Science Center Q&A with Director Duncan Jones
  • Filmmaker's Q&A At the Sundance Film Festival
  • 'Whistle' a short film by Duncan Jones

The Hurt Locker
Missed it in theaters, but have heard great things and can't wait to see director Kathryn Bigelow's comeback.

Extras include:
  • Commentary
  • The Hurt Locker: Behind the Scenes
  • Image Gallery
[READ MORE...]
In The Loop
I love British comedy and can't wait to check out this government satire, which got amazing reviews.

Extras include:
  • Deleted Scenes
  • Featurette

Big Fan
Robert Siegel, who wrote The Wrestler, makes his directorial debut with this dark comedy which earned Patton Oswalt critical acclaim for his lead performance.

Extras include:
  • Outtakes and Bonus Footage

  • Q&A with Patton Oswalt and Robert Siegel from Chicago's Music Box Theatre
  • Kevin Corrigan Recalls His Own Big Fan Experience with Robert De Niro
  • Oswalt and Siegel Interview on NPR's 'Fresh Air with Terry Gross'
  • Downloadable Quantrell Bishop Poster

The Simpsons: Season 20
This season saw them make the jump to high definition and is being released on Blu-ray for the first time. Unfornately they decided to not include the usual extras like commentaries this time, even though they have even more room on BD. WTF Fox?

Extras include:
  • Featurette - 'The 20th Anniversary Special Sneak Peek by Morgan Spurlock'

8 1/2 Blu-ray
One of my all time favorites and the inspiration for Nine gets the high-def treatment. You get all the stuff from the original Criterion edition plus a new feature The Last Sequence, which details the story of the elaborate conclusion that Fellini had initially planned for the film.

Extras inlcude:
  • Commentary
  • Introduction by director Terry Gilliam
  • Fellini: A Director's notebook
  • The Last Sequence documentary
  • Nino Rota: Between Cinema and Concert
  • Sandra Milo interview
  • Lina Wertmuller interview
  • Vittorio Storato interview
  • Photographs by Gideon Bachmann
  • Stills Gallery
  • A 30-page illustrated booklet containing an excerpt from I, Fellini, a series of interviews with the director by Charlotte Chandler; essay by Tullio Kezich's essay "When He Became I"; Alexander Sesonske's essay "A Film with Itself As Its Subject"; and "I, Fellini (reprise)"

Cliffhanger Blu-ray
Stallone. Harlin. HD. Buy it.

Extras include:
  • Introduction from Director Renny Harlin
  • Commentary
  • Technical Commentary
  • Deleted Scenes
  • Stallone on the Edge: The Making of Cliffhanger
  • Special Effects featurette
  • Storyboard Comparisons

4 comments:

Alea said...

I was rather underwhelmed when watching The Brothers Bloom (I saw this on dvd a few months ago so is this just the blu-ray release?) The best scene in the movie was when Rachel Weisz shows off all her hobbies!

This is a great feature! I always check the Sunday ads to see what's coming out but they miss a lot of the lesser known releases, thanks!

Joshua dos Santos said...

yes juggling chainsaws! it was one of those rental windows where it was available for rent but not for purchase until now.

Alea said...

Oh weird! Thanks for letting me know, that was going to bug me!

Karen said...

Moon and Big Fan are on my list! I've heard good things about both.