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.
I Vinti (Michelangelo Antonioni)
Fans of Michelangelo Antonioni — an especially presumptuous part of me would like to think that simply constitutes “fans of cinema” — should consider this Blu-ray treatment of I Vinti one of the year’s most important releases. In addition to a high-definition look at his less-than-widely-available picture, the disc offers a treasure trove of features: an extended portion largely unseen since the 1953 Venice Film Festival; his rare short Tentato Suicidio; interviews with cast and crew; and a well-adorned booklet containing an informative essay from Italian cinema scholar Stefania Parigi. This is one to celebrate. – Nick N.
Jodorowsky’s Dune (Frank Pavich)
The what if’s are astounding in Frank Pavich’s hilarious and fascinating Jodorowsky’s Dune, existing at the intersection of art history and an alternative history of what might have been. Concept art from what would have proven a visually stunning telling of Dune by cinema’s master of the absurd, Alejandro Jodorowsky, would go on to influence the production design of sci-fi classics Star Wars and Alien. An essential film for sci-fi geeks and film lovers, Pavich has crafted a generous peek behind the curtain, combining present-day interviews — including with Jodorowsky‘s friend, Nicolas Winding Refn — with archival materials and visual renderings. Jodorowsky, known for his psychedelic mix of the sacred and the profane, was ultimately deemed too risky for the studios, and, like many ambitious passion projects, it fell apart in pre-production. – John F.
Nymphomaniac (Lars von Trier)
Once the dust has settled, the posturing ceased, and both parts made readily available, those who appreciated Nymphomaniac on an initial go-round can more fully see it as one of Lars von Trier’s great achievements. A breezy four hours might feel to contain the world entire — from Bach to Bond to parallel parking to… well — but it never strays from the writer-director’s well-worn tortured-woman narratives, proving how much ecstasy he can truly harness when at the peak of his powers. It feels like it’s been too long since we received something truly essential from his end — this is at least the man’s best film since Dogville, though I, for comparison’s sake, might be inclined to go back as far as Breaking the Waves — but, no matter where he goes next, there will always be Joe’s sexual odyssey. And Rammstein. – Nick N.
Recommended Deals of the Week
(Note: new additions are in red)
The 40-Year-Old Virgin (Blu-ray) – $7.50
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) – $10.28
City of God (Blu-ray) – $7.88
The Counselor (Unrated Director’s Cut Blu-ray) – $9.99
Drag Me To Hell (Blu-ray) – $7.50
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Blu-ray) – $9.99
Goodfellas (Blu-ray) – $9.99
Gone Baby Gone (Blu-ray) – $6.00
The Grey (Blu-ray) – $7.50
Hanna (Blu-ray) – $9.49
Heat (Blu-ray) – $6.88
High Plains Drifter (Blu-ray) – $9.96
Hot Fuzz (Blu-ray) – $7.00
Hugo (Blu-ray) – $8.49
Inglorious Basterds (Blu-ray) – $9.99
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) – $9.24
The Master (Blu-ray) – $9.92
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (Blu-ray) – $7.49
Nebraska (Blu-ray) – $9.96
No Country For Old Men (Blu-ray) – $5.00
Office Space (Blu-ray) – $9.99
Pain & Gain (Blu-ray) – $8.17
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
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) – $11.99
The Wolverine (Blu-ray) – $9.99
What are you picking up this week?