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.
The House of the Devil (Blu-Ray)
Release Date: February 2
What it is: A spooky little horror entry about an innocent girl (Jocelin Donahue) whose need for cash leads her to answer a babysitting ad left on a bulletin board on her college campus. She then ends up in a house that is only slightly creepier than its owner (Tom Noonan).
Why you need it: Too many movies set in the 80s think that everyone walked around in parachute pants, juggling Rubik's Cubes, sporting Flock of Seagulls hair at all times. House of the Devil, instead, actually feels like a movie made in the 80s. The pacing, the shot selection—everything feels authentic. It's an homage, but one done without winking. The movie packs a million creep-outs and a killer ending. Definitely a must see.
Planet Hulk
Release Date: February 2
What it is: Marvel Comics' big green meanie partners with Bruce Willis and Sly Stallone to open a series of shitty theme restaurants that charge people $20 for a burger while showing them endless montages of rich people smiling and posing. Oh, OK. It's another direct-to-video animated movie that pits Hulk in an interstellar version of Gladiator.
Why you need it: Marvel's animated movies have been lagging behind their rival DC in terms of overall quality, but we're sensing a trend here: Hulk makes good. Hulk Vs. (the two-hit DVD featuring Hulk taking on Wolverine and Thor in separate adventures) was one of the best things they've done, and Planet Hulk keeps the momentum going. A strange but action-packed story (Hulk gets exiled from earth, ends up fighting for sport on an alien world) is a blast, so here's hoping it does well enough to warrant a sequel that's already been done in comic book form: World War Hulk, where the rampaging beast pretty much pwns the Marvel Universe.
BEST PROMOTION OF THE WEEK (AND IN THE RUNNING FOR ALL TIME)
The folks behind House of the Devil are going to great lengths to play up this whole "lost 80s movie" feel the flick has, but even we weren't prepared for this level of awesome.
