It’s a desolate Tuesday as Andrew stares down the DVD shelves. DRAW:
Grab ‘Em Right Away:
The Man With No Name Trilogy Blu-ray
Directed by: Sergio Leone
Written by: Sergio Leone
Starring: Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef & Eli Wallach
Why should you buy this? Because you’re a man (or a woman) dammit. It’s one of those brilliant trilogies that if you’ve never seen you must never admit and quickly hide and go watch. It’s been referenced so much in modern cinema it borders on parody. Containing the films A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More and The Good, The Bad and The Ugly it’s a box set that you have to have. Clint Eastwood plays his career-defining “man with no name.” If you saw Gran Torino and scratched your head wondering why an 80-year-old grandpa could kick so much ass, then you need to see these films.
Check It Out:
Burn Notice: Season Three
Created by: Matt Nix
Starring: Jefferey Donovan, Gabrielle Anwar, Bruce Campbell & Sharon Gless
Why should you rent this? Because it’s one of the most fun procedural shows out there today. I know what you’re thinking: “Andrew is recommending a TV show that isn’t on HBO!?” Yes, there are shows out there on basic cable that are good. When this CIA operative’s (Donovan) left for dead in Miami, he has to make ends meet doing odd jobs for anyone with the right cause and the money to pay expenses and even then the money’s not always required. He does all this while always trying to find out more as to why he got ‘burned’. The show moves forward not so much by the action or the story but rather the colorful characters and their interaction. Sometimes Donovan‘s ridiculous accents can get annoying but he knows it’s so over-the-top that you usually laugh at it. Bruce Campbell shines as the older, more-situated spy that will always find a a divorcee’s bed to rest his head in.
Alice in Wonderland (2010)
Directed by: Tim Burton
Written by: Linda Woolverton & Lewis Carroll
Starring: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Mia Wasikowska & Anne Hathaway
Why should you rent this? Because as horrible a theatre experience as it was, I’m sure the fun addition to the classic tale will be entertaining at home in 2D. Even though Tim Burton‘s ‘weird’ cinematic hang-ups are all prevalent here, any huge fans of his work will be right at home. I did find Depp‘s performance to be interesting, even though he always randomly breaks into a deep Scottish accent. It was so interesting from moment to moment to see how Burton took the world of an already screwy imagination and made it even more darker and screwier. It definitely isn’t worth an addition to the DVD shelf, but definitely worth a watch if you still haven’t seen it.
Avoid Like the Plague:
The Wolfman – Check out our review here
Directed by: Joe Johnston
Written by: Andrew Kevin Walker & David Self
Starring: Benecio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt & Hugo Weaving
Why should you run in the other direction? Because it’s a horror throwback of a story that was done wrong. Yes, I was kind of loving the old school live-action wolfman with prosthetics and makeup for a bit. It’s ridiculously gory at times and looks like it’s going to end up being one of those ridiculously bad horror films that you love for the body count. However, filled with poorly structured reveals and bad acting from Emily Blunt and Benicio Del Toro it isn’t that interesting a movie. I did kind of like Anthony Hopkins in the film, but I think it was because it felt like he was the only one which knew from the get-go that he was in a bad movie and played up all the ridiculous aspects of his character. A good idea gone wrong again by some fault in the Hollywood machine process.
Jordan’s Blu-ray Pick of the Week
Cool Hand Luke [$11.99]
The Rest
Rescue Me: The Complete Fifth Season
The Red Baron
Stranger
Blu-ray
War of the Worlds
Bad Boys
Absolute Power
The Rookie
Pale Rider
What are you watching this week?