Blu-ray releases for the week of August 12
(Credit:
High-Def Digest)
This week we have Oliver's Stone's The Doors, with Val Kilmer's riveting portrayal of a volatile 60s icon, another Jean-Claude Van Damme film to add to the many other films in his cinematic canon, and Smart People, starring Ellen Page; you know, that actress who starred in that unknown, Oscar-winning indie film (sarcasm) called Juno.
- 7 Seconds (Sony)
- Beat the Devil (Blu-ray Only)
- Belly (Lionsgate)
- CJ7 (Sony)
- The Doors (Lionsgate)
- Elvis: Viva Las Vegas (CMT)
- Felon (Sony)
- Half Past Dead (Sony)
- Kiss of the Spider Woman (City Lights)
- Last Time I Saw Paris (Blu-ray Only)
- Maximum Risk (Sony)
- Prison Break: Season Three (Fox)
- The Secret (2008) (Walt Disney)
- Smart People (Walt Disney)
- xXx: State of the Union (Sony)
As High-Def Digest mentions, "[Oliver Stone] is more concerned with capturing the attitude of a legendary figure and the tone of an era than simply filming a by-the-numbers recreation of someone's life" in The Doors. Even if you aren't a fan of the music, it's worth catching Val Kilmer as Jim Morrison. As High Def Digest concludes, "Like George C. Scott in 'Patton' and Heath Ledger in 'The Dark Knight,' Kilmer fully commits himself to his role, virtually disappearing into the third-act scruffy beard of Morrison's inebriated face."
The only reason to watch a Jean-Claude Van Damme is for the laughs--and possibly to include outrageous Van Damme's one-liners in a drinking game (but not with alcohol of course). Like you, we're not sure why this is being released on Blu-ray. What? The Saturday replay value on TNT doesn't already savor our B-movie appetite? Nonetheless, here's a brief synopsis of Maximum Risk: Cop finds out that he has a brother who is murdered. Cop travels to America to find out who killed his brother. The Russian mob, crooked FBI agents, a Brian Bosworth-looking hit-man are all involved, leading up to a high-octane big shootout in an abandoned warehouse. Uh, yeah. Let the drinking games begin.
Lastly we have another so-called indie film to add to our collection, brought to you by the Mickey Mouse company. Smart People is a comedy, starring Dennis Quaid, Sarah Jessica Parker, Ellen Page and Thomas Haden Church. The troupe are involved in your typical courtship film; Quaid plays a depressed, arrogant English professor and meets a cute, sympathetic doctor (Parker), eventually falling in love. A love triangle subsequently forms, involving the brother (Church) of Quaid's character. Page stars as the alienated daughter in the middle of this boy-meets-girl charade. The film may not offer any surprises or received any accolades (some critics have panned it as a Juno rip-off), but it might be worthwhile film to add to your Netflix queue to charm your significant other.
(Source: High-Def Digest)
DVD looks better every day.