Blu-ray Highlights for 7/20/10

What does it say about the week’s new Blu-ray release slate that the biggest movie on the list acknowledges right in the title that it’s about a bunch of losers? It doesn’t bode well, I’ll tell you that. Follow us after the break for a look at what’s new in stores today.

So, here’s what’s coming out this week:

Truth be told, it’s not that bad. I’ve seen ‘The Losers‘, which is the shameless ‘A-Team’ knockoff based on a comic book that nobody’s ever heard of. Honestly, it’s a fairly decent little timewaster. Jeffrey Dean Morgan makes a fine leading man. The movie has a breezy, light-hearted tone (save for the part where a bunch of children get blown up; that scene just doesn’t jibe with the rest of the picture). It’s stupid, but not insultingly so. I wouldn’t buy it, but it’s a perfectly fine rental. The Blu-ray looks and sounds great.

I haven’t seen ‘Repo Men‘ (which is not a sequel to cult classic ‘Repo Man’) yet, but have generally heard much the same about it. Nate reviewed the Blu-ray (follow the link above) and didn’t care much for it, though. I’ve got a screener copy that I’ll be reviewing for my other job, and plan to watch it later this week.

Kevin Smith’s latest attempt to sell out to the mainstream, ‘Cop Out‘, made almost $45 million at the box office earlier this year. That would make it the director’s highest-grossing film to date. Which is another way of saying that, for a movie that cost $37 million and stars Bruce Willis, it was a bomb. (After marketing costs, movies need to gross at least 2.5 times their production budgets just to break even.) I can’t stand any of Smith’s allegedly “good” films, so there’s no chance in hell I will ever touch this one. Nate didn’t think much of it when he reviewed the Blu-ray either.

The Runaways‘ is that musical biopic starring Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning as early ’80s rockers Joan Jett and Cherie Currie. Everything I’ve heard about this movie is that it’s awful, awful, awful. Run run, run run away…

Did Edward Norton’s stoner comedy ‘Leaves of Grass‘ even get a theatrical release? I don’t remember seeing it open anywhere near me, and I live in a pretty big metropolitan market. The words “Edward Norton” and “stoner comedy” really don’t belong in the same sentence together, do they? Oddball character actor Tim Blake Nelson (‘O Brother, Where Are Thou?’) wrote and directed. I’m actually not certain whether it’s supposed to be a comedy, drama, or some weird fusion of both. From all accounts, nobody who did see it can figure that out either.

Of more interest is the Korean drama ‘Mother‘, from Joon-ho Bong, director of ‘The Host‘. It’s about a strong-willed, overprotective woman whose mentally-impaired son is imprisoned for murder. She refuses to believe his guilt, and undertakes her own investigation of the crime. I was pretty underwhelmed with ‘The Host’, personally, but I really loved the director’s earlier ‘Memories of Murder’. Supposedly, this movie is more like that one. I have a screener sitting here and am looking forward to watching it soon.

Finally, the Criterion Collection comes through with high-def restorations of the Powell & Pressburger classics ‘Black Narcissus‘ and ‘The Red Shoes‘. Now would be a really great time to scoop them up in that Barnes & Noble 50% off sale. Hint, hint.

2 comments

  1. I see two rentals for me, The Runaways and Tin Man. Which will make my roommate happy, she gets annoyed with my constant ordering of movies from Amazon (although truthfully, its none of her business). The others don’t intrest me in the least. On the bright side, its a good week to catch up on my Netflix que!

  2. besch64

    I’ve got the Runaways, Black Narcissus and Red Shoes in my Netflix queue.

    Any weakness currently present in the weekly lineups of BD releases is going to be made up for in the coming months by Criterion’s incredible lineup. Paths of Glory, House (Hausu), The Thin Red Line… ahhhh. I need a second job.