Since we know time is money, here's a quick handy reference guide to recent DVD releases that should be on your radar and, in many cases, on your shelf. Immediately.
44 Inch Chest
Release Date:April 20
What it is: An unusual British gangster flick from the writers of Sexy Beast, 44 Inch Chest stars Ray Winstone as a jilted husband exacting revenge on his wife's lover with the help of his crew (Tom Wilkinson, Ian McShane, Stephen Dillane, and John Hurt).
Why you need it: With its minimal action and confined setting, 44 Inch Chest is more like a play than a movie. Lucky thing, then, that the acting and the dialogue is this good. These veteran hard-case actors trade barbs like shotgun blasts, with Hurt's acidic "Peanut" by far the stand-out. Even though things wane a bit in the script's final leg, fans of this crew (and there are a lot of them, ourselves included) or anyone looking to brush up on their Brit slang should definitely check this out. Also worth a look are the unused "epilogues" included in the bonus features, for those who just can't get enough.
Crazy Heart
Release Date:April 20
What it is: Crazy Heart stars Jeff Bridges as Bad Blake, a broken-down country singer seeking redemption. You may remember it as the role that finally snagged The Dude his Oscar.
Why you need it: Like a lot of Oscar-worthy movies, you probably missed it in theaters. While you'll agree that Bridges delivers a sad, gripping performance and deserved his golden statue, you may find yourself thinking this is just The Wrestler with country music. And it is. Still, the performances make up for the largely formulaic storyline. The DVD contains a few deleted scenes that help flesh out the country music world a bit, but are mostly disposable. Hence why they were disposed of in the first place.
COMING SOON:
Avatar (Blu-Ray)
In order to take full advantage of Earth Day, Fox is releasing Avatar as a Blu-Ray/DVD combo this Thursday. We'll have a full review then. In the meantime, remind yourself why you can't wait to return to Pandora.