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. If we were provided screener copies, we’ll have our own write-up, but if that’s not the case, one can find official descriptions from the distributors. Check out our rundown below and return every Tuesday for the best 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.
Note: The 400 Blows and The Night of the Hunter are both getting the Dual-Format upgrade on The Criterion Collection this week and are must-owns.
A Touch of Sin (Jia Zhangke)
Jia Zhangke’s films often depict an easy overlap between politics and pop culture, whether it be the entertainers of Platform or The World, or the seeming overabundance of accessibility in Unknown Pleasures. This certainly holds true for A Touch of Sin, which — while loosely based on four real stories of violence fuelled by capitalism in contemporary China — plays with the tropes of past popular cinema as many characters come to embody modern Wuxia knights, the brandishing of Zhao Tao’s knife easily recalling the heightened sword strokes of King Hu. But as a public opera of one these classic Wuxia stories directly poses at the end, “Do you understand your sin?” As easy as it may sometimes prove to cheer on these acts of violence, every one comes with their own set of repercussions. – Ethan V.
While I wouldn’t count it among the upper echelon of Billy Wilder‘s films, Sabrina is proof that he can make a light romantic comedy spark with the talents of Humphrey Bogard, Audrey Hepburn and William Holden. Hitting Blu-ray for the first time today with a handful of extras, it’s certainly one to pick up if you haven’t seen. The official synopsis reads, “Bogie and Holden are the mega-rich Larrabee brothers of Long Island. Bogie’s all work, Holden’s all playboy. But when Sabrina (Hepburn), daughter of the family’s chauffeur, returns from Paris all grown up and glamorous, the stage is set for some family fireworks as the brothers fall under the spell of Sabrina’s delightful charms.” – Jordan R.
Rent
Recommended Deals of the Weeks
(Note: new additions are in red)
The 40-Year-Old Virgin (Blu-ray) – $7.50
Adventureland (Blu-ray) – $5.00
Almost Famous (Blu-ray) – $9.96
The American (Blu-ray) – $6.00
Amelie (Blu-ray) – $7.57
Before Midnight (Blu-ray) – $14.49
The Cabin in the Woods (Blu-ray) – $7.88
Caddyshack (Blu-ray) – $7.88
Capote (Blu-ray) – $9.98
City of God (Blu-ray) – $7.88
Collateral (Blu-ray) – $7.88
Cool Hand Luke (Blu-ray) – $7.88
Dark City (Blu-ray) – $7.98
The Departed (Blu-ray) – $8.99
Drag Me To Hell (Blu-ray) $7.50
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Blu-ray) – $9.99
Goodfellas (Blu-ray) – $7.99
Gravity (Blu-ray) – $14.99
The Grey (Blu-ray) – $7.50
Halloween (Blu-ray) – $9.50
Heat (Blu-ray) – $8.48
Hot Fuzz (Blu-ray) – $7.50
Hugo (Blu-ray) – $8.99
Inside Llewyn Davis (Blu-ray) – $14.99
Knocked Up (Blu-ray) – $7.50
Looper (Blu-ray) – $9.99
No Country For Old Men (Blu-ray) – $5.00
Public Enemies (Blu-ray) – $7.50
Once Upon a Time in the West (Blu-ray) – $8.99
Pulp Fiction (Blu-ray) – $7.80
Raging Bull (Blu-ray) – $8.46
Shutter Island (Blu-ray) – $7.99
Source Code (Blu-ray) – $7.88
Spring Breakers (Blu-ray) – $9.96
There Will Be Blood (Blu-ray) – $7.86
This is the End (Blu-ray) – $14.99
The Town (Blu-ray) – $9.96
Tropic Thunder (Blu-ray) – $8.76
The Truman Show (Blu-ray) – $8.98
Vacation (Blu-ray) – $8.99
The World’s End (Blu-ray) – $14.99
What are you picking up this week?