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.
Master of the House (Carl Theodor Dreyer)
Before he turned to the story of Joan of Arc, the Danish cinema genius Carl Theodor Dreyer fashioned this ahead-of-its-time examination of domestic life. A deft comedy of gentle revenge, it is the story of a housewife who, with the help of a wily nanny, turns the tables on her tyrannical husband. In it, Dreyer combines lightness and humor with his customary meticulous craft and sense of integrity. Master of the House, an enormous box-office success in its day, is a jewel of the silent cinema. – Criterion.com
Riot in Cell Block 11 (Don Seigel)
Early in his career, Don Siegel made his mark with this sensational and high-octane but economically constructed drama set in a maximum-security penitentiary. Riot in Cell Block 11, the brainchild of producer extraordinaire Walter Wanger, is a ripped-from-the-headlines social-problem picture about inmates’ rights that was inspired by a recent spate of uprisings in American prisons. In Siegel’s hands, the film, shot on location at Folsom State Prison, with real inmates and guards as extras, is at once brash and humane, showcasing the hard-boiled visual flair and bold storytelling for which the director would become known. – Criterion.com
Sorcerer (William Friedkin)
After a long, long wait, one of William Friedkin‘s best films — if not the best — is making its way to Blu-ray thanks to a newly remastered version under the supervision of the director himself. A loose remake of the classic Wages of Fear, the film tracks Roy Scheider and more on a treacherous journey transporting nitroglycerin. Gripping from start to finish, the Blu-ray includes a few special features (including a 40-page book and a foreword from the director), but the treat here is a beautiful transfer of a film begging to be rediscovered. – Jordan R.
Rent
Recommended Deals of the Weeks
(Note: new additions are in red)
The 40-Year-Old Virgin (Blu-ray) – $7.50
Adventureland (Blu-ray) – $5.00
Almost Famous (Blu-ray) – $9.96
The American (Blu-ray) – $4.97
Amelie (Blu-ray) – $7.57
Blue is the Warmest Color (Criterion Blu-ray) – $16.26
The Cabin in the Woods (Blu-ray) – $7.88
Caddyshack (Blu-ray) – $7.88
Capote (Blu-ray) – $9.97
Casino (Blu-ray) – $9.68
City of God (Blu-ray) – $7.88
Collateral (Blu-ray) – $7.88
Dark City (Blu-ray) – $7.98
The Departed (Blu-ray) – $8.99
Drag Me To Hell (Blu-ray) – $7.50
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Blu-ray) – $9.99
Goodfellas (Blu-ray) – $8.99
The Great Escape (Blu-ray) – $5.99
The Grey (Blu-ray) – $7.50
Halloween (Blu-ray) – $9.50
Heat (Blu-ray) – $8.48
Hot Fuzz (Blu-ray) – $7.50
Hugo (Blu-ray) – $4.99
Inside Llewyn Davis (Blu-ray) – $14.99
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 and 2 (Blu-ray) – $10.47
Knocked Up (Blu-ray) – $7.50
No Country For Old Men (Blu-ray) – $5.00
Public Enemies (Blu-ray) – $7.50
Once Upon a Time in the West (Blu-ray) – $8.83
Pulp Fiction (Blu-ray) – $7.80
Raging Bull (Blu-ray) – $8.69
Reality Bites (Blu-ray) – $9.96
Seven (Blu-ray) – $4.99
Shutter Island (Blu-ray) – $7.99
Source Code (Blu-ray) – $7.88
Spring Breakers (Blu-ray) – $9.96
The Sting (Blu-ray) – $8.25
There Will Be Blood (Blu-ray) – $7.86
The Town (Blu-ray) – $9.96
Tropic Thunder (Blu-ray) – $6.98
The Truman Show (Blu-ray) – $8.98
Vacation (Blu-ray) – $8.99
The World’s End (Blu-ray) – $14.99
What are you picking up this week?