RA: Renters Anonymous - October 14th, 2008

Posted by Trevor
October 14, 2008

This Week: October 14th, 2008

New Releases

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - 6.8/10 - Trailer
Starring Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett, Karen Allen, Shia LaBeouf, Ray Winstone, John Hurt, Jim Broadbent
During the Cold War, Soviet agents watch Professor Henry Jones when a young man brings him a coded message from an aged, demented colleague, Henry Oxley. Led by the brilliant Irina Spalko, the Soviets tail Jones and the young man, Mutt, to Peru. With Oxley’s code, they find a legendary skull made of a single piece of quartz. If Jones can deliver the skull to its rightful place, all may be well; but if Irina takes it to its origin, she’ll gain powers that could endanger the West. Aging professor and young buck join forces with a woman from Jones’s past to face the dangers of the jungle, Russia, and the supernatural.

1-Disc Special Features:

2-Disc Special Features:

Blu-ray Special Features:

Complete Adventure Collection: (DVD - 5 Discs)

Special Editions:

Crystal Skull Gift Set (Available as 2-Disc DVD and Blu-ray)
DVD - Best Buy (US), Best Buy (CDN)
Blu-ray - Best Buy (CDN)

Steelbook Edition (Available as 2-Disc DVD and Blu-ray)
Trans World [f.y.e., Suncoast] (US)
Future Shop (CDN) - DVD, Blu-ray
HMV (UK) - DVD

Hardcover Book (80pg) (2-Disc DVD)
Target (US)

LEGO Indiana Jones Video Game Mini-Posters:
Kmart, Sears (US)

Concept Art Lithographs:
Circuit City (US)

Recommendation: Buy

War, Inc - 5.8/10 - Trailer
Starring John Cusack, Hilary Duff, Marisa Tomei, Joan Cusack, Dan Aykroyd, Ben Kingsley
War Inc. is set in the future, when the fictional desert country of Turaqistan is torn by a riot after a private corporation, Tamerlane (based on Halliburton), owned by the former Vice President of the United States (Dan Aykroyd, based on Dick Cheney), has taken over the whole country. Brand Hauser (John Cusack), a hit man who suppresses his emotions by gobbling down hot sauce, is hired by the corporation’s head to kill the CEO of their competitors. To do this, he has to have a cover-up which is in the form of a gala wedding by the outrageous Central Asian Superstar Yonica Babyyeah (Hilary Duff). Everything changes when the ruthless killer finds himself head-over-heels in love with a sexy reporter Natalie Hegalhuzen (Marisa Tomei) and developing paternal feelings for the oversexed Yonica.

Recommendation: Rent

Mongol - 7.1/10 -Trailer
Starring Tadanobu Asano, Sun Honglei, Khulan Chuluun, Odnyam Odsuren
Mongol is made by an award-winning Russian filmmaker Sergei Bodrov (Prisoner of the Mountains). In this stunning historical epic, Sergei illuminates the life and legend of Genghis Khan. Based on leading scholarly accounts and written by Bodrov and Arif Aliyev, Mongol delves into the dramatic and harrowing early years of the ruler who was born as Temudgin in 1162. As it follows Temudgin from his perilous childhood to the battle that sealed his destiny, the film paints a multidimensional portrait of the future conqueror, revealing him not as the evil brute of hoary stereotype, but as an inspiring, fearless and visionary leader. Mongol shows us the making of an extraordinary man, and the foundation on which so much of his greatness rested: his relationship with his wife, Borte, his lifelong love and most trusted advisor.

DVD and Blu-ray Special Features:

Recommendation: Rent

Re-releases

The Ultimate Matrix Collection (Blu-ray)
Finally, the complete Matrix film collection is being released on Blu-ray.

Blu-ray Special Features:

Recommendation: Buy (Even if you don’t have a Blu-ray player yet)

Alien - Predator: Total Destruction Collection
The whole “series” is collected together in one DVD package.  Unfortunately, the AVP films are also packaged in this collection.

Discs:

  1. Alien 20th Anniversary
  2. Aliens Long Version
  3. Alien 3
  4. Alien Resurrection
  5. Predator
  6. Predator 2
  7. Alien vs Predator Unrated
  8. Alien vs Predator 2 Unrated

Recommendation: Buy (And maybe pitch the AVP films)

Halloween: 30th Anniversary Commemorative Set
Starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasence, Nick Castle, Nancy Loomis, P.J. Soles, Charles Cyphers, Kyle Richards, Brian Andrews
The year is 1963, the night; Halloween. Police are called to 43 Lampkin Ln. only to discover that a 17 year Judith Myers had been stabbed to death, by her 6 year-old brother… After being institutionalized for 15 years, Myers breaks out just days before Halloween. No one knows nor would wish to find out what would happen on October 31st 1978, besides Myer’s physciatrist Dr. Loomis. He knows Michael is coming back to Haddonfield, but by the time the town realizes it, it’ll be to late for many people.

Special Features:

Recommendation: Buy (for Horror Fans, and people with small faces who want a cheap Halloween costume)

The New World: The Extended Cut - 8.1/10
Starring Colin Farrell, Q’Orianka Kilcher, Christopher Plummer, Christian Bale
When 17th century explorer John Smith and a few men go up the river to trade with the Indians, he befriends the princess Pocahontas and they fall in love. While in love, Smith must obtain his duties as president of Jamestown fort and challenges to himself what is the better path for himself to take: stay with the fallen apart colony or go up the river and love Pocahontas in the wild. The Indians realize that the English do not mean to leave, so they attack. A few men at the fort decide to capture Pocahontas as a hostage so the Indians will not attack them. Smith is ordered to leave Jamestown by the King, and John Rolfe, a wealthy tobacco planter arrives at the fort. Pocahontas, now living there adapts to the English cultures and falls in love with Rolfe. She falls apart deciding who she is dedicated to, Smith or Rolfe

Special Features:

Recommendation: Rent

Now a slew of first time Blu-ray releases

American Gangster (Blu-ray) - 7.6/10
Starring Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Josh Brolin, Lymari Nadal, Ted Levine, John Hawkes, RZA, Carla Gugino, Armand Assante, Cuba Gooding Jr., Ruby Dee
Following the death of his employer and mentor, Bumpy Johnson, Frank Lucas establishes himself as the number one importer of heroin in the Harlem district of Manhattan. He does so by buying heroin directly from the source in South East Asia and he comes up with a unique way of importing the drugs into the United States. As a result, his product is superior to what is currently available on the street and his prices are lower. His alliance with the New York Mafia ensures his position. It is also the story of a dedicated and honest policeman, Richie Roberts, who heads up a joint narcotics task force with the Federal government. Based on a true story.

Blu-ray Features:

Recommendation: Rent

Casino (Blu-ray) - 7.1/10
Starring Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Sharon Stone, Frank Vincent, Don Rickles, Pasquale Cajano, James Woods, Kevin Pollak, Alan King
Sam ‘Ace’ Rothstein, a mob-connected casino operator in Las Vegas, attempts a civilized lifestyle with his money-conditional wife, Ginger. Nicky Santoro, a boyhood friend of Ace and now a Made-Man of the Mafia, arrives in town with an ambitious agenda of his own that soon disrupts Ace’s life. Before long, Ginger and her long-time leeching lover Lester, along with Nicky’s mistakes, causing problems.

Blu-ray Features:

Recommendation: Rent

Eastern Promises (Blu-ray) - 7.4/10
Starring Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts, Vincent Cassel, Armin Mueller-Stahl
In London, the Russian pregnant teenager Tatiana arrives bleeding in a hospital, and the doctors save her baby only. The Russian descendant midwife Anna Khitrova finds Tatiana’s diary written in Russian language in her belongings and decided to find her family to deliver the baby, she brings the diary home and ask her uncle Stepan to translate the document. Stepan refuses, but Anna finds a card of a restaurant owned by the Russian Semyon inside the diary and she visits the old man trying to find a lead to contact Tatiana’s family. When she mentions the existence of the diary, Semyon immediately offers to translate the document. However, Stepan translates part of the diary and Anna discovers that Semyon and his sick son Kirill had raped Tatiana when she was fourteen years old and forced her to work as prostitute in a brothel of their own. Further, Semyon is the dangerous boss of the Russian mafia “Vory v Zakone”, jeopardizing the safety of Anna and her family. Meanwhile, Semyon’s driver Nikolai Luzhin gets close to Kirill and Semyon, climbing positions in the criminal organization, but he helps Anna, her family and the baby

Blu-ray Features:

Recommendation: Rent

The Gangster Gift Set (Blu-ray)

Contains:

Recommendation: Buy (If you love all of the films, otherwise just purchase the ones you enjoy)

Constaintine (Blu-ray) - 6.5/10
Starring Keanu Reeves, Rachel Weisz, Shia LaBeouf, Tilda Swinton, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Djimon Hounsou, Gavin Rossdale, Peter Stormare, Nicholas Downs
The story of irreverent supernatural detective John Constantine, who has literally been to Hell and back. When Constantine teams up with skeptical policewoman Angela Dodson to solve the mysterious suicide of her twin sister, their investigation takes them through the world of demons and angels that exists just beneath the landscape of contemporary Los Angeles. Caught in a catastrophic series of otherworldly events, the two become inextricably involved and seek to find their own peace at whatever cost.

Blu-ray Features:

Recommendation: Rent

Romancing the Stone (Blu-ray) - 6.6/10
Starring Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, Danny DeVito, Alfonso Arau, Manuel Ojeda
Joan Wilder, a mousy romance novelist, receives a treasure map in the mail from her recently murdered brother-in-law. Meanwhile, her sister Elaine is kidnapped in Colombia and the two criminals responsible demand that she travel to Colombia to exchange the map for her sister. Joan does, and quickly becomes lost in the jungle after being waylayed by Zolo, a vicious and corrupt Colombian cop who will stop at nothing to obtain the map. There, she meets an irreverent soldier-of-fortune named Jack Colton who agrees to bring her back to civilization. Together, they embark upon an adventure that could be straight out of Joan’s novels.

Blu-ray Features:

Recommendation: Pass

The Jewel of the Nile (Blu-ray) -5.6/10
Starring Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, Danny DeVito
This is the sequel to “Romancing the Stone” where Jack and Joan have their yacht and easy life, but are gradually getting bored with each other and this way of life. Joan accepts an invitation to go to some middle eastern country as a guest of the sheik, but there she is abducted and finds her- self involved with the “jewel”. Jack decides to rescue her with his new partner Ralph. They all go from one adventure to another… What is the story of this “jewel”?

Blu-ray Features:

Recommendation: Pass

Poltergeist: 25th Anniversary (Blu-ray) - 7.4/10
Starring Craig T. Nelson, JoBeth Williams, Beatrice Straight, Dominique Dunne, Oliver Robins, Heather O’Rourke
A young family are visited by ghosts in their home. At first the ghosts appear friendly, moving objects around the house to the amusement of everyone, then they turn nasty and start to terrorise the family before they “kidnap” the youngest daughter.

Blu-ray Features:

Recommendation: Buy (for Horror fans, otherwise Pass)

The Unrated Blogger’s Cut

This week I’ll be purchasing the new Indiana Jones film, mostly to complete the series although I did find it somewhat entertaining.  If the Alien-Predator collection didn’t come with the AVP films then I would have probably picked it up.  And if I knew I was going to be getting a Blu-ray player and full hi-def setup in the near future than I definitely purchase The Ultimate Matrix Collection on Blu-ray.  Both Mongol and War, Inc look interesting but I don’t know if I’ll be renting much this week because I have to catch up on a lot of other films and tv shows.

What is everyone picking up this week?

Coming up next week:
New: The Incredible Hulk*, The Strangers*, Stone Angel, Birds of America, Vice, Linewatch
Re-release: Casino Royale (SE), Casino Royale (Original), James Bond Blu-ray Vol 1**, James Bond Blu-ray Vol 2**, Sweeny Todd**, Diary of the Dead**
* denotes separate DVD and Blu-ray releases
** denotes Blu-ray only release

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DVD Releases, Movies, New Releases, Renters Anonymous, Renting

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