Every week we dive into the cream of the crop when it comes to home releases, including Blu-ray and DVDs, as well as recommended deals of the week. Check out our rundown below and return every Tuesday for the best (or most interesting) films one can take home. Note that if you’re looking to support the site, every purchase you make through the links below helps us and is greatly appreciated.
Dekalog (Krzysztof Kieślowski)
Despite passing away at the all-too-young age of 54, Krzysztof Kieślowski invoked a sense of humanity that even today’s greatest directors might need a lifetime to achieve. What would be his defining masterwork (if he didn’t make a number of films that could also easily fall under the definition), the 10-part Dekalog, has been restored thanks to Janus Films and is now available on The Criterion Collection after touring the country. Also including interviews with those involved and more, it’s one of the most essential releases of the year. – Jordan R.
The Neon Demon (Nicolas Winding Refn)
There were few more divisive films this summer than the latest from Nicolas Winding Refn. While the director is hardly saying anything new when it comes to the artificiality of an industry that relies on beauty, he does indeed do it in his own distinct way. Far funnier than the initial reaction might suggest, I’d recommend a watch mostly for Alessandro Nivola‘s reactions, but also the vivid nightmare Winding Refn subjects us to. There’s also an audio commentary between the director and his star, Elle Fanning, which – judging from the press tour — may prove as divisive as the film itself. – Jordan R.
The Shallows (Jaume Collet-Serra)
The sun is shining on a pristine, secluded beach — a kind of cove consisting of white sand, a coral reef, and an outlying island that looks like a woman in repose. As the tide goes out, a small rock appears from out of the crystal-clear waters, ringed in fire coral and crawling in small crabs. A woman, bleeding and terrified, finds purchase upon this rock and tends to the wound on her leg. In the water surrounding her small slice of sanctuary, a 15-foot great white shark circles, crazed with the scent of her blood, waiting for the rising tide to sweep her back into its domain. The beach is empty, the sun is setting, and no one knows where she is. Such is the refreshingly simple set-up of The Shallows, the newest film from director Jaume Collet-Serra (Non-Stop, Run All Night). There are plot and character details that flesh out the narrative, but the driving force behind the plot is, without a doubt, the simple and timeless tale of man versus nature, man versus mortality. Or, to be more correct, woman versus nature and woman versus mortality. – Brian R. (full review)
Also Arriving This Week
Central Intelligence (review)
The Innocents (review)
Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (review)
Valley of the Dolls and Beyond the Valley of the Dolls
Warcraft (review)
Recommended Deals of the Week
Top Deal: A huge selection of Blu-rays are currently 3 for $19.99 at Amazon.
10 Cloverfield Lane (Blu-ray) – $9.99
The American (Blu-ray) – $7.65
Amelie (Blu-ray) – $7.11
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (Blu-ray) – $8.49
Beginners (Blu-ray) – $6.41
Bone Tomahawk (Blu-ray) – $9.99
The Brothers Bloom (Blu-ray) – $9.99
The Cabin in the Woods (Blu-ray) – $9.99
Carrie (Blu-ray) – $6.50
Casino (Blu-ray) – $9.49
Cloud Atlas (Blu-ray) – $7.72
Creed (Blu-ray) – $7.99
Eastern Promises (Blu-ray) – $6.97
Everybody Wants Some!! (Blu-ray) – $14.99
Godzilla (Blu-ray) – $9.99
The Grand Budapest Hotel (Blu-ray) – $7.99
Greenberg (Blu-ray) – $5.10
Heat (Blu-ray) – $9.96
Holy Motors (Blu-ray) – $10.15
The Informant! (Blu-ray) – $7.90
Inglorious Basterds (Blu-ray) – $6.99
Inherent Vice (Blu-ray) – $10.75
Interstellar (Blu-ray) – $8.99
It Follows (Blu-ray) – $9.96
Jaws (Blu-ray) – $6.99
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (Blu-ray) – $9.99
Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter (Blu-ray) – $9.89
The Lady From Shanghai (Blu-ray) – $8.99
Lincoln (Blu-ray) – $9.94
Looper (Blu-ray) – $7.88
Lost In Translation (Blu-ray) – $9.49
Magnolia (Blu-ray) – $8.49
The Magnificent Seven (Blu-ray) – $7.99
The Man Who Wasn’t There (Blu-ray) – $9.53
Martha Marcy May Marlene (Blu-ray) – $5.26
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (Blu-ray) – $8.99
Michael Clayton (Blu-ray) – $9.85
Moneyball (Blu-ray) – $9.99
Nebraska (Blu-ray) – $8.90
Never Let Me Go (Blu-ray) – $7.00
No Country For Old Men (Blu-ray) – $4.96
ParaNorman (Blu-ray) – $6.99
Persepolis (Blu-ray) – $9.90
The Piano (Blu-ray) – $7.34
Pulp Fiction (Blu-ray) – $8.74
Road to Perdition (Blu-ray) – $8.65
The Searchers / Wild Bunch / How the West Was Won (Blu-ray) – $10.47
Sex, Lies, and Videotape (Blu-ray) – $6.32
Short Term 12 (Blu-ray) – $9.45
Shutter Island (Blu-ray) – $6.79
A Serious Man (Blu-ray) – $5.78
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (Blu-ray) – $6.99
A Single Man (Blu-ray) – $5.80
Somewhere (Blu-ray) – $5.20
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (Blu-ray) – $7.51
There Will Be Blood (Blu-ray) – $5.99
Tinker Sailor Soldier Spy (Blu-ray) – $5.99
To the Wonder (Blu-ray) – $8.21
Volver (Blu-ray) – $5.95
Waltz With Bashir (Blu-ray) – $6.50
Where the Wild Things Are (Blu-ray) – $7.14
The Wolf of Wall Street (Blu-ray) – $9.99
What are you picking up this week?