New in Home Entertainment
September 18, 2012
Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures
Available on Blu-ray
Fans have much to be excited about with Indie finally hitting blu-ray. Not only is one of the most beloved franchises finally being released in hi-def, but the first film in the series, Raiders of the Lost Ark, has a brand-new frame-by-frame restoration making it look and sound like it could have been made yesterday. Being that I grew up with these films about the Nazi-fighting archeologist (aside from Crystal Skull for which I am one of the few critics who actually enjoyed apparently) I have a very special place in my heart for Indie and love that one of my heroes is able to get such a high-quality release. A+
Cabin in the Woods
Rated R for strong bloody horror violence and gore, language, drug use and some sexuality/nudity
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
This trippy and quirky little horror film from Joss Whedon (The Avengers) tells the story of a group of college friends who go camping in a small cabin in the middle of nowhere. Unbeknownst to them, they are actually part of what seems like an experiment for some white-collar secret government workers with a frightening agenda. Slick and creative, there’s not much horror to this horror pic, but it is a lot of fun and it is at times absolutely hysterical. And the cast, including Chris Hemsworth, Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford, as well as being written by the writer/director of 2012’s highest-grossing film The Avengers, lends the film the necessary high caliber of talent needed to make the film work. B+
Chico & Rita
Unrated but contains nudity, sexual situations, language and violence
Available on DVD and special Blu-ray/DVD/CD Soundtrack Combo
Earlier this year we got quite the surprise when Cars 2 and The Adventures of TinTin were excluded from the Oscar nominations for Best Animated Film and in their place were two foreign projects hardly anyone had heard about. The first of these is Chico & Rita which is getting a grand blu-ray release this week. Jazz pianist Chico meets Rita in their native Cuba when he sees her sing at a local jazz club and falls in love immediately. The love-struck couple encounter a torturous life-long obsession with each other as their careers progress and they each go their separate ways performing around the world. The animation is simple, but fits the film well. What really pops off of the screen though is the amazing music which adds so much to the art of the film. B
Supernatural: The Complete Seventh Season and The Vampire Diaries: The Complete Third Season
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
The CW show that is part-way responsible for setting the trend for all of today’s fantasy television programming is still running strong and this latest season, full of demons and other devastating baddies is surprisingly fresh, or at least fresh enough to come off as an enjoyable guilty pleasure. Also about to start off a new season and out on DVD this week is CW’s The Vampire Diaries which serves as proof that CW is capable of making low-budget yet high quality fantasy and horror programming. Neither are quite up to AMC or HBO standards but then again, their audience is vastly different and I’m sure their advertisers are extremely happy. B
Get a Life: The Complete Series
Available on DVD
Christ Elliot is not for everyone, but if you love truly weird and random comedy that is way ahead of its time, you gotta check this one out. Sharing the adventures of a 30-year-old paperboy who lives at home with his parents, Get a Life was out of place in the 90s but seems rather at home twenty years later. The strange and ridiculous humor pulls laughs seemingly out of nowhere and it becomes quickly obvious why this program has become such a cult classic. A-