This Week in DVDs: November 9, 2010
Check out this week’s crop of DVDs, Blu-rays, and collector’s edition ultimate mega sets.
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.
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (Blu-ray)
Release Date: November 9
What it is: A comic book adaptation that takes its visual clues from classic video games and also features heavy doses of music, anime, and straight up romantic comedy, Scott Pilgrim is like nothing you’ve seen before. And that’s what makes it awesome.
Why you need it: Forget the dismissive box office numbers (c’mon, we can name 10 amazing movies off the top of our head that were “flops”) and take Scott Pilgrim on its own merits. You won’t be disappointed. Director Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) keeps things fast, funny, and fisticuff-y, and the cast is flawless. The DVD/Blu-ray combo comes loaded with special features, including deleted scenes (“Nega Scott” originally had a bigger role, it seems), and alternate ending (with Pilgrim choosing a very different romantic path), and loads of other material that will keep you popping in the disc again and again. This movie was kind of destined to be a cult movie, so what better time than now to get that cult started?
Need more enticement? How about you enter to win this sweet Scott Pilgrim Giveaway Package?
To entice you even further, check out what went into turning a cast of scrawny light comedy vets into martial arts masters.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FS7CDKNU9hI
Ocean’s 11: 50th Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray)
Release Date: November 9
What it is: It hardly seems like half a century since George Clooney and Brad Pitt took on Vegas, you know? Oh, right¿this is actually the original version of Ocean’s 11, starring a few scrappy young unknowns named Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr, Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop.
Why you need it: New to Blu-ray, Ocean’s 11 isn’t so much a “great movie” as it was an excuse for Frank and the boys to run around Sin City under the guise of “working.” But at least it was a gorgeously photographed but of self-indulgence, and Blu-ray really drives that point home. The interactive “Map of Vegas” is a great additional feature too¿it gives you access to film clips and interviews about some of the long-torn-down but still iconic Vegas landmarks. A beautiful transfer and a fun, if slow paced and often nonsensical, movie. Pour yourself into something comfortable and check it out, baby.