April 12, 2010

DVD Pick of the Week: A Nightmare on Elm Street

Welcome back! Well, to some of you, anyway. To the rest of you, glad you decided to stop by and I hope 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, but opinions based upon what I know of the titles I pluck from the new release lists I peruse. The opinions I give based on the new releases are my own, and my recommendations 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.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (Blu-ray). I am not sure how good the transfer will be, although I hope it is a good one. It is the pick o the week just because I love the film and it is debuting in high definition just in time to prepare for the remake, which I am actually looking forward to. This movie introduced to the final third of the big 3 80's slasher monsters, joining Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees. Despite not being introduced to any of them until much later, Freddy fast became my favorite. This film gives us the first look at the man in your dreams, the butcher of your sleep, the man with the razor fingers. Robert Englund became an icon of horror overnight with this role, in a film that helped further Wes Craven as a firt rate voice of the nightmarish. Looking forward to giving thi a look!

Apollo 13 (Blu-ray). I always enjoyed this film and think it will look fantastic in high definition. I do have to admit that I am not as big a fan as I once was. I think it is that Ron Howard is more and more striking me as a mediocre director. Still, this is a great story and it is hard to deny Tom Hanks. I suspect I will be more apt to rent this than to purchase.

Pirate Radio (also Blu-ray). This is a fun movie. It has some entertaining performances and a lot of great music. It is based on a true story of a time when rock and roll was banned from English airwaves and the pirates who took to the seas to deliver said rock and roll. It is not the best movie, but it is certainly one to be enjoyed. It features Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Rhys Ifans, Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, and Nick Frost for director Richard Curtis.

Defendor. I am looking forward to checking this out. The film stars Woody Harrelson as a guy who dresses up like a superhero and fights crime. The trailer looks like a lot of fun. I only wonder how it will look in the face of the upcoming film Kick-Ass? Kat Dennings co-stars.

The Slamin' Salmon (also Blu-ray). For some reason I thought this was going to get a big screen release. This comes from the Broken Lizard crew who also delivered Super Troopers, Club Dread, and Beer Fest. This time they are working a restaurant where wild and wacky things happen. I have heard it is funny. I just hope it is better than the Beer Fest debacle.

Three Kingdoms. I was not aware of this film before I saw it pop up on the release schedule. It hails from China and tells of the country's past when three kingdoms were trying to unite China under their rule. The film stars Sammo Hung, Andy Lau, Maggie Q, Andy On, and Rongguang Yu star for director Danel Lee. I have not seen one bit of footage, but based on the cast and setting, plus the pronise of fights, I am very interested.

Beast King Golion: Complete Chronology. I am a fan of Voltron from way back. Sadly, I have few specific memories, but I would love to revisit those DVD sets that have come out. This set goes all the way back to the original version of the series that aired in Japan. I think this could be very interesting.


Bookmark and Share

0 comments:

Post a Comment