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 anspd is greatly appreciated.
The Hunt (Thomas Vinterberg)
Although he’s got more than a few intriguing films to his name, Thomas Vinterberg’s The Hunt is a revelation, a textured artwork with everything in proper measure. The story is simple yet poignant, telling the moving tale of Lucas, a Danish schoolteacher whose community and friends turn against him due to a child’s obviously manufactured accusation. This subject matter often lends itself to detached, icy sermonizing or flat, matter-of-fact tv movie dramatics, but Vinterberg and his star Mads Mikkelsen navigate the pitfalls and deliver a film that is both moving and often deep in its sincerity. While Mikkelsen’s performance is one of the year’s best, he’s matched in excellence by every other aspect of the production. A masterful exploration of how concepts of social “truth” shape our relationships, The Hunt is the most affecting film I’ve seen this year. – Nathan B.
Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Project
Established by Martin Scorsese in 2007, the World Cinema Project expands the horizons of moviegoers everywhere. The mission of the WCP is to preserve and present marginalized and infrequently screened films from regions generally ill equipped to preserve their own cinema history. This collector’s set brings together six superb films from countries around the globe, including Senegal (Touki bouki), Mexico (Redes), India and Bangladesh (A River Called Titas), Turkey (Dry Summer), Morocco (Trances), and South Korea (The Housemaid). Each is a cinematic revelation, depicting a culture not often seen by outsiders on-screen. – Criterion.com
Rent: Berberian Sound Studio, Fast & Furious 6, Man of Tai Chi, Post Tenebras Lux
Recommended Deals of the Weeks
(Note: new additions are in red)
2001: A Space Odyssey (Blu-Ray) – $8.49
The Adventures of Robin Hood (Blu-ray) – $7.99
Alfred Hitchcock: The Essentials Collection (Rear Window, Vertigo, North by Northwest, Psycho and The Birds) (Blu-ray) – $32.49
The American (Blu-ray) – $4.99
Anna Karenina (Blu-ray) – $11.99
Blue Valentine (Blu-ray) – $8.79
Children of Men (Blu-ray) – $9.57
Cloud Atlas (Blu-ray) – $9.99
Cool Hand Luke (Blu-ray) – $7.88
Contact (Blu-ray) – $6.49
Contagion (Blu-ray) – $8.49
Dark City (Blu-ray) – $6.98
Enter the Void (Blu-ray) – $11.48
Eyes Wide Shut (Blu-ray) – $8.49
Gone Baby Gone (Blu-ray) – $6.00
Goodfellas (Blu-ray) – $9.96
Halloween (Blu-ray) – $7.88
Heat (Blu-ray) – $8.49
Killing Them Softly (Blu-ray) – $11.99
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (Blu-ray) – $7.49
Memento (Blu-ray) – $8.99
Midnight in Paris (Blu-ray) – $9.67
Moneyball (Blu-ray) – $9.58
Once Upon a Time in the West (Blu-ray) – $8.99
No Country For Old Men (Blu-ray) – $7.32
Paranorman (Blu-ray) – $10.69
Pineapple Express (Blu-ray) $7.49
Pulp Fiction (Blu-ray) – $6.96
The Rules of the Game (Criterion Collection Blu-ray) – $15.49
Source Code (Blu-ray) – $7.88
Terminator 2: Judgement Day (Blu-ray) – $7.79
There Will Be Blood (Blu-ray) – $7.86
The Tree of Life (Blu-ray) – $10.49
Tropic Thunder (Blu-ray) – $8.87
The Truman Show (Blu-ray) – $8.99
The Usual Suspects (Blu-ray) – $8.99
Wanderlust (Blu-ray) – $7.56
Zodiac (Blu-ray) – $9.49
What are you picking up this week?