Welcome back! Well, to some of you, anyway. To the rest of you, glad you decided to stop by and I hope that this humble column helps you navigate the stacks of new releases each week. My goal is to point you toward titles of interest and warn you away from those films that seek to do nothing but leech away your time and give you nothing in return.Full disclosure: I have not seen many of these titles and what follows are not necessarily reviews. It is my opinion based upon what I know of the titles I pluck from the new release lists that I peruse. The opinions I give based on the new releases are my own, and my recommendations upon them are based on my personal interest. In any case, I hope you enjoy and perhaps find something you like or a title to point me towards.
Looney Tunes - Golden Collection, Vol. 6. The hits just keep on coming. There is no denying the amount of effort that Warner Brothers puts in these collections. Each set contains four disks filled with classic cartoons, commentaries, music and sound effects tracks, bonus toons, and featurettes. I have loved each one of these collections. Disk one is an All-Star set featuring shorts with Daffy, Bugs, Sylvester, and others. The second disk focuses on patriotic themed shorts that were made in wartime. Disk three is comprised of old shorts from before the Looney Tune name came into being. The final disk contains a variety of oddities including "Horton Hatches the Egg." I am looking forward to getting my hands on this. (BUY, RENT, SKIP)
The Incredible Hulk. I am not completely sure this is a pure reboot, I still get the impression that it could fit in with the Ang Lee film continuity. I guess it really doesn't matter. This new take is actually pretty good, it is plenty of action and just delivers the goods. Still not quite sure how it ranks against the Lee film (which I liked), but it does stand on its own favorably. This also happens to be the second film released that was produced in house by Marvel Entertainment, with it comes the start of an internal continuity that it shares with Iron Man and, presumably, future comic entries. (BUY, RENT, SKIP)
Family Guy: Volume 6. Love it or hate it, it does not appear that this series will be going anywhere anytime soon. Frankly, I think it is a fantastic success story and an indicator of the power that DVD sales could have. I am not sure it is as funny as it was in the beginning, but more often than not I find myself laughing out loud. (BUY, RENT, SKIP)
Expelled: No Intelligence Required. This could be interesting. I missed it on the big screen, so hopefully I will be able to catch up with it now. The movie, if nothing else, has certainly sparked some strong reactions. Ben Stein is at the center of the film that purports to look at the debate between evolution and intelligent design. Many see it as a propaganda piece masquerading as a documentary, which it may well be. (BUY, RENT, SKIP)
The Strangers. Looking for something really creepy? This movie will definitely do it for you. Speedman and Tyler are a convincing couple going through a rough patch, only to be faced with this senseless act of violence. This will have you turning on all the lights at night, checking each room of your home, searching for uninvited guests. Yes, I liked it. (BUY, RENT, SKIP)
Sold Out: A Threevening with Kevin Smith. Somehow, I have managed to not see either of the previous Kevin Smith discussion releases, although I guess I should. I am a fan after all and find him to be an entertaining person. (BUY, RENT, SKIP)
Casino Royale:40th Anniversary Edition. It's not the Daniel Craig film, but the original film. This Bond film is a spoof that is not a part of the long running series. It also brought together a host of stars including Peter Sellers, David Niven, Woody Allen, and Orson Welles, plus actual Bond star Ursula Andress. I guess it is about time to add this to my collection. (BUY, RENT, SKIP)
Trailer Park of Terror. Bloody, over the top horror starring Trace Adkins? Go figure. I cannot speak to its quality, but the trailer actually looks like a lot of fun. I am going to have to give this a go around. (BUY, RENT, SKIP)
The Last Man on Earth. I like this film a lot. It was the first filmed version of the I Am Legend story. Vincent Price stars as a man responsible for a virus outbreak that turns people into zombie-like vampires. It is a bleak isolating film that is all about the atmosphere. This release is a colorized version, and I cannot get behind that. However, it does have a restored black and white version. Does anyone know if it looks better than the MGM Midnite Movies release? If so, I will need to get it (for the black and white version only, of course). (BUY, RENT, SKIP)
Bride of the Monster. A release much like the above, it has color and black and white versions. I may need to get this just to have this Ed Wood/Bela Lugosi team-up. (BUY, RENT, SKIP)
Anaconda 3: Offspring. Wow, this has got to be amazing. I mean it is a third film in a highly suspect franchise, not to mention featuring David Hasselhoff in the lead. How can you go wrong? Sounds like a surefire classic. (BUY, RENT, SKIP)
TNA: Ultimate Matches. Despite my rather cold interest in wrestling, there is no denying that I could get into watching some of these wild matches. TNA has some very talented performers and a collection of their matches could be worth having around. (BUY, RENT, SKIP)
Dr. No, From Russia With Love, Thunderball, Live and Let Die, For Your Eyes Only, The Living Daylights, Die Another Day. With another Bond film on the horizon, it is time to start pulling these films out of the vault. I believe these are the same two disk editions that were out a few years ago, only released individually. I may need to pick a few of these up. In addition to individually, they will be available in a pair of box sets and also on Blu-ray. (BUY, RENT, SKIP)
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