This week brings us two milestone DVD battles; first we have Robert Downey Jr. vs Jamie Foxx for acting supremacy in The Soloist, and then Ali Larter vs. Beyonce for sexiest smackdown in Obsessed. Maybe Lindsey Lohan vs. reality is the third battle as her career scrapes along the ground after blasting off with Mean Girls a few years ago.
Pick of the Week
The Soloist
A powerful character drama featuring Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx leads this week with a bullet and you can check out my detailed review here.
Obsessed
The idea of Ali Larter fighting Beyonce over a man was enough to make this film a moderate success, although I am sure Ali playing an evil seductress with a penchant for shedding clothes had its role in the success as well. Sadly, only the Blu-ray comes with a Digital Copy for those who want a chick-fight to go.
Race to Witch Mountain (Two-Disc Extended Edition + Digital Copy)
The loose sequel to The Game Plan in that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson once again muscles up a Disney film for Box Office gold. The DVD is a little weak on features with a complete bare bones single-disc release and the 2-Disc really only adds a digital copy to go with deleted scenes and a Gag Reel. If you grab the Blu-ray you get a bonus feature on hidden references to the original films and an extra Standard DVD as is Disney’s tradition.
Labor Pains
Lindsey Lohan’s failed movie turned made-for-TV property about a woman who fakes a pregnancy to keep her job comes out on DVD. The movie is not likely to be very good, but the scenes featuring Chris Parnell and Cheryl Hines may have comedic promise.
Mutant Chronicles 2-Disc Collector’s Edition
A low-budget Sci-Fi/Horror film based on the role playing game that somehow was able to cast Thomas Jane, Ron Perlman, and John Malkovich. If you have a high tolerance for sloppy filmmaking you may really enjoy this post-apocalyptic horror mayhem.
Fragments
People give Crash a lot of heat for being scattershot and overly self-serious, but its real sin if there was one was spawning cheap ensemble films like this one on the influence a massacre has on the people who survived. But if you just love seeing movies chock full of Actors you can do worse then Forest Whitaker, Guy Pearce, Dakota Fanning, Kate Beckinsale, Embeth Davidtz, Jeanne Tripplehorn, and Jennifer Hudson.
TV and Reissues
Flight of the Conchords: The Complete Second Season
This may be the last season of the show, although it hasn’t been cancelled by HBO. Given that the stars have to write an album worth of songs and then write a show around those songs they may choose not to return from their break for another season. HBO is known for patience though as they constantly wait on Larry David for new seasons of Curb Your Enthusiasm and took enormous breaks between seasons of Sopranos.
Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!: Season Three
Ten Episodes of awkward sketch comedy from the Adult Swim cult favorite show. It also continues a trend of horrendous DVD cover art which can turn your stomach.
The Last Starfighter 25th Anniversary Edition
The cult hit is released to commemorate its 25th birthday with a Making Of featurette and a Director’s Commentary.
The Tigger Movie
Another Anniversary DVD arrives although this one is a lowly ten years old. This DVD comes with two new to DVD Tigger tales and a digital copy.
Daffy Duck’s Quackbusters
I grew up a huge Daffy fan, and so this movie’s first appearance on DVD is a big deal for me. Although I can imagine I may be alone in anxious anticipation for this 1988 classic.
John Heffron: Middle Class Funny
The Last Comic Standing winner releases his first DVD special to follow up his popular CD Good Kid, Bad Adult.