It’s a slow week for DVD releases, but there’s a little something for everyone this time out. We’ve got profane comedies, psychological thrillers, science fiction thrillers, European shorts, cartoons and (you knew it was coming) obligatory TV season box sets.
The lion’s share of sales will doubtless go to Knocked Up, last summer’s comedy runaway hit from the team who produced The 40 Year Old Virgin. It’s being released in no less than three versions: the theatrical version, the unrated version and the unrated two-disc collector’s edition. That’s not even counting widescreen and full screen versions, and an HD DVD edition. Of course, all the versions come with their own unique special features, tailored for specific profanity thresholds. I say go for broke.
William Friedkin’s Bug was wrongly marketed as a horror movie when it was released. Depending on your point of view, it’s either a brilliant psychological thriller with Kafkaesque overtones, or a jumbled, unwatchable mess with nary a bug in it. Either way, it’s a perplexing film that’s destined to become a cult classic.
There’s little danger of that happening with Next. The latest in a string of movies allegedly based on Philip K. Dick’s works, Next features Nicholas Cage as a magician who can see two minutes into the future. Somehow, it turns into a typical action picture, replete with terrorists and babes.
Cinema 16: European Short Films is a largely fascinating collection of short films by European filmmakers. This latest installment of the series, besides showcasing up and coming directors, features early works by Chris Nolan and Ridley Scott.
If you hurry, you might be able to pick up The Unit: The Complete Second Season before the series about US Special Forces and their families begins its third season tonight. Catching up with the action, though, may be a little tricky.
As I said, this week offers something for everybody. As proof, here’s the long list:
Action/Adventure
Boardwalk Poets
Eat My Dust
Eliot Ness: An Untouchable Life
Final Contract
Furia
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