Tuesday, January 11, 2011

New DVD Tuesday

The Social Network (2010) - Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake
The mostly-true tale of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and the tainted way in which he rose to power, so to speak. This is hitting shelves early, barely three months after its theatrical debut, in an attempt to remind viewers (and more importantly, voters) just how good this film really is. If given an Academy Award vote, I think I'd go "Inception" first, "True Grit" second, and "Social Network" third for Best Picture but honestly, I don't think I could dispute any of those films taking home the prize. This is an outstanding film.

Alpha and Omega (2010) - Justin Long, Hayden Panettiere, Dennis Hopper
Two wild wolves (Long and Panettiere) are relocated to a state park to repopulate the area. Yeesh. Seriously, this is a terrible idea and I'm shocked that no one in the movie-making process stopped to consider just how terrible it really is. "Alpha" made the top 5 on my list of bad movies I didn't see this year.

Piranha (2010) - Jerry O'Connell, Elisabeth Shue, Richard Dreyfuss
Basically, Girls Gone Wild meets "Jaws." That's pretty much it, right? B-movie fans seemed to enjoy this sucker. The rest of us stayed away. Wisely.

New to Blu Ray
Dances with Wolves 20th Anniversary Edition (1990) - Kevin Costner, Graham Greene, Mary McDonnell
Fun fact: "Dances with Wolves" was nominated for 50 awards when it came out. FIFTY. That's insane. Weird fact about me: I have a ridiculous love for all things Kevin Costner. I don't really understand it but I actively root for his success when even his mother has lost interest in him. But, "Dances" doesn't really do much for me. It's sprawling and epic and masterfully shot and I get why it garnered so much attention, it's just not my thing. I might have to give it another shot on Blu Ray, however.

Once Upon a Time in America (1984) and Raging Bull (1980) - Robert De Niro
Just got rent these movies and relive a time when Robert De Niro mattered and wasn't relegated to rubbish like "Little Fockers." Such a great actor who hasn't been seriously misused for the last 15 years. Pity.

Blu Ray Pick of the Week or Whenever I Feel Like It
Rob Roy (1995) - Liam Neeson, Tim Roth, Jessica Lange
Overshadowed by the much more popular "Braveheart" which opened just a few weeks after this, "Rob Roy" is an excellent film that deserves more attention than it has received. I caught the last half of it on HBO last week and was reminded of its strength. Neeson is always great but the real selling point here is Roth who gives one of the great villainous performances of the last 25 years. Check it out.

1 comment:

  1. Rob Roy is one of my favorites. Jessica Lange and Brian Cox also turn in great performances in this one.

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