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.
Blue Ruin (Jeremy Saulnier)
92 minutes of taut physical activity, morbid humor, and gruesome violence, Jeremy Saulnier’s Blue Ruin is one of the year’s leanest and most impressive killing machines. Saulnier begins his film with quiet, character-building chapters, but once he sets his resourceful, pleasingly narrow plot in motion, Blue Ruin becomes nothing more than a series of sharp, vicious set-pieces founded on Nash Edgerton-like bursts of violence. The film is a good example of the kind of genre treat that gets points for disposable ambition: Saulnier’s technique is so controlled, and his sequence staging so clever, that nothing else really matters. – Danny K.
The Essential Jacques Demy
Although the summer line-up has been slightly better than expected, if you’re feeling worn out by Hollywood’s offerings, it’s best to curl up with this incredible Jacques Demy set from The Criterion Collection. Featuring Lola, Bay of Angels, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, The Young Girls of Rochefort, Donkey Skin, and Une chambre en ville, there’s also a handful of documentaries, short films and interviews that will have you immersed into the delightful world of one of cinema’s greatest directors. – Jordan R.
The Wind Will Carry Us (Abbas Kiarostami)
For having premiered at the end of 1999 and receiving its U.S. distribution in 2000, The Wind Will Carry Us can be considered one of the finest films from both this century and the last. While it’s fitting that Abbas Kiarostami‘s masterpiece (few three-word combinations are as redundant) should stand at various nexus points — between new and old (this being his final feature shot on celluloid), traditional and radical (this being his final work before venturing on a years-long experimental journey; shades of what was to come are evident here), city and country (its themes concerning oppositions are always clear, if never didactic) — what we have, here, is one of his more singular works. Cohen Media Group do the Lord’s work with a Blu-ray restoration; better yet that their disc includes a conversation between Kiarostami and Richard Peña, in addition to a new essay by Peter Tonguette and audio commentary with Jonathan Rosenbaum & Mehrnaz Saeed-Vafa. If you’ve yet to experience The Wind Will Carry Us, your best opportunity is no more than a few clicks away. – Nick N.
Witness for the Prosecution (Billy Wilder)
He mastered many genres, but one of Billy Wilder‘s highlights is this 1957 courtroom drama. Witness for the Prosecution follows a murder trial in which, as the final voice-over will tell you, is best to go in knowing as little as possible. Featuring a trio of great performances from Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich and Charles Laughton, it’s now available for the first time on Blu-ray. While the special features are a bit weak — the only notable one being a 6.5-minute video of Wilder discussing the project — it’s worth picking up, particularly if you have yet to see this classic. – Jordan R.
Rent:
Recommended Deals of the Week
(Note: new additions are in red)
Adventureland (Blu-ray) – $5.00
The American (Blu-ray) – $6.00
Amelie (Blu-ray) – $6.94
Beyond the Black Rainbow (Blu-ray) – $10.49
The Big Lebowski (Blu-ray) – $9.96
Bronson (Blu-ray) – $9.49
The Cabin in the Woods (Blu-ray) – $7.88
Casino (Blu-ray) – $9.68
City of God (Blu-ray) – $7.88
The Counselor (Director’s Cut Blu-ray) – $9.99
Drag Me To Hell (Blu-ray) – $7.50
Goodfellas (Blu-ray) – $5.99
Gone Baby Gone (Blu-ray) – $6.00
The Grey (Blu-ray) – $7.50
Hanna (Blu-ray) – $9.49
Heat (Blu-ray) – $8.48
High Plains Drifter (Blu-ray) – $9.96
Hot Fuzz (Blu-ray) – $6.99
Hugo (Blu-ray) – $8.49
Jackie Brown (Blu-ray) – $5.00
Jane Eyre (Blu-ray) – $9.99
Killing Them Softly (Blu-ray) – $9.88
Knocked Up (Blu-ray) – $7.50
Looper (Blu-ray) – $9.99
Lost In Translation (Blu-ray) – $9.68
The Master (Blu-ray) – $10.74
Nebraska (Blu-ray) – $9.96
No Country For Old Men (Blu-ray) – $4.70
Not Fade Away (Blu-ray) – $9.99
Office Space (Blu-ray) – $9.99
Pain & Gain (Blu-ray) – $8.39
Public Enemies (Blu-ray) – $7.50
Pulp Fiction (Blu-ray) – $7.88
Reality Bites (Blu-ray) – $9.96
Seven (Blu-ray) – $7.50
Shutter Island (Blu-ray) – $7.99
Source Code (Blu-ray) – $7.88
The Spectacular Now (Blu-ray) – $12.74
Spring Breakers (Blu-ray) – $9.96
There Will Be Blood (Blu-ray) – $9.49
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Blu-ray) – $12.49
The Wolf of Wall Street (Blu-ray) – $11.74
The Wolverine (Blu-ray) – $9.99
What are you picking up this week?