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.
Frank (Lenny Abrahamson)
There’s no definitive path on the unwieldy journey that is the creative process. We’ve seen countless films tackle various approaches in an attempt to find an answer, but it’s never quite been done in the vein of Lenny Abrahamson‘s peculiar, occasionally aimless, and ultimately resonant Frank. While the initial draw is perhaps Michael Fassbender in the role of our strange title character, loosely based on the late Chris Sievey, our focal point is that of Jon (Domnhall Gleeson), whom we meet as an aspiring musician who can’t seem to conjure any worthwhile lyrics. – Jordan R. (full review)
Guardians of the Galaxy (James Gunn)
The opening scene of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy is decidedly Earth-bound; a young boy sits in the waiting room of a late 90’s hospital, listening to 10cc’s “I’m Not In Love.” A few emotional moments later—after the whole world has changed for the lad—he runs outside and is caught in the blinding spotlight of a gargantuan spacecraft that hovers above him, breaking the calm of an otherwise silent summer night. It’s an image more fitting of an old pulp magazine or Golden Age sci-fi novel than a modern comic book, and it’s an inviting peek into the headspace of James Gunn’s take on the wilder side of the Marvel Universe. – Nathan B. (full review)
Safe (Todd Haynes)
Todd Haynes‘ long-out-of-print Safe is no longer relegated to any sort of “rare” status, and that, I think, is enough reason to laud Criterion’s latest efforts. Dig into the disc a bit more, though, and you’ll find that this (unsurprisingly, given the company’s pedigree) is a nice compendium for the writer-director’s admirers: a never-before-released short film, a conversation between he and Julianne Moore, and a new commentary track. Ooh, Heaven is a place on Earth. – Nick N.
Also Available This Week
Calvary (review)
I Origins (review)
The Night Porter
The Strange Color Of Your Body’s Tears (review)
Recommended Deals of the Week
(Note: new additions are in red)
21 Jump Street (Blu-ray) – $9.99
Alien Anthology (Blu-ray) – $24.96
The American (Blu-ray) – $7.29
Amelie (Blu-ray) – $6.74
Animal Kingdom (Blu-ray) – $7.08
Atonement (Blu-ray) – $7.55
Beginners (Blu-ray) – $6.49
Black Swan (Blu-ray) – $9.49
Bronson (Blu-ray) – $10.91
The Cabin in the Woods (Blu-ray) – $7.88
Captain Phillips (Blu-ray) – $11.99
Casino (Blu-ray) – $8.99
Cloud Atlas (Blu-ray) – $7.99
Do the Right Thing (Blu-ray) – $7.00
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Blu-ray) – $10.49
The Fly (Blu-ray) – $6.99
Gangs of New York (Blu-ray) – $7.50
Gattaca (Blu-ray) – $8.99
Goodfellas (Blu-ray) – $8.54
Good Will Hunting (Blu-ray) – $7.88
Gravity (Blu-ray) – $9.99
The Great Gatsby (Blu-ray) – $7.99
The Grey (Blu-ray) – $8.99
Haywire (Blu-ray) – $5.99
Hot Fuzz (Blu-ray) – $8.99
Hugo (Blu-ray) – $6.99
Inglorious Basterds (Blu-ray) – $8.49
Inside Llewyn Davis (Blu-ray) – $9.99
In the Loop (Blu-ray) – $9.19
Jackie Brown (Blu-ray) – $7.70
L.A. Confidential (Blu-ray) – $8.69
Looper (Blu-ray) – $9.96
Lost In Translation (Blu-ray) – $8.49
MacGruber (Blu-ray) – $6.85
No Country For Old Men (Blu-ray) – $4.87
Observe & Report (Blu-ray) – $9.29
Office Space (Blu-ray) – $8.99
Only God Forgives (Blu-ray) – $10.29
Persepolis (Blu-ray) – $7.56
Prisoners (Blu-ray) – $7.99
Public Enemies (Blu-ray) – $7.99
Reality Bites (Blu-ray) – $8.99
Titanic (Blu-ray) – $10.29
The Shining (Blu-ray) – $7.99
Skyfall (Blu-ray) – $7.99
Sorcerer (Blu-ray) – $12.96
The Secret In Their Eyes (Blu-ray) – $7.88
A Serious Man (Blu-ray) – $8.25
Seven (Blu-ray) – $6.99
sex, lies, and videotape (Blu-ray) – $6.99
Shutter Island (Blu-ray) – $5.99
A Single Man (Blu-ray) – $5.94
Snowpiercer (Blu-ray) – $9.99
The Social Network (Blu-ray) – $9.99
Spring Breakers (Blu-ray) – $9.96
Source Code (Blu-ray) – $5.00
Synecdoche, New York (Blu-ray) – $7.99
Taxi Driver (Blu-ray) – $9.99
There Will Be Blood (Blu-ray) – $8.69
The Truman Show (Blu-ray) – $7.99
This is the End (Blu-ray) – $9.96
True Detective: Season 1 (Blu-ray) – $29.99
Valhalla Rising (Blu-ray) – $11.47
Vanilla Sky (Blu-ray pre-order) – $8.54
Volver (Blu-ray) – $6.09
Waltz With Bashir (Blu-ray) – $7.31
We Own the Night (Blu-ray) – $6.91
The Wrestler (Blu-ray) – $6.99
Zero Dark Thirty (Blu-ray) – $9.96
Zodiac (Blu-ray) – $6.99
What are you picking up this week?