This Week In DVD: Sex And The City, Leatherheads, Run Fatboy Run, The Godfather (The Coppola Restoration), And More
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This Week in DVD is a column that compiles all the latest info regarding new DVD releases, sales, and exclusive deals from stores including Target, Best Buy, Circuit City, and Fry's.
THE GODFATHER COLLECTION (THE COPPOLA RESORATION)(Available as separate 2-Disc releases for each film, or together as a 5-disc Giftset)
As much as I adore The Godfather and The Godfather: Part II, I've always been bothered by the crummy video quality on their DVD releases. It's something that I notice every time I watch them, always acting as a nagging reminder that these classics were made in the '70s and in turn making them feel more dated than the timeless storytelling and pitch-perfect filmmaking techniques would otherwise have you believe. It's a fact that I had regrettably come to terms with, thinking nothing could or would be done about it. How wrong I was. The Coppola Restoration features fully restored editions of Godfather: Part I and II as well as a newly remastered version of The Godfather: Part III. Film lovers everywhere should be shedding a tear of joy right about now.
Blu-ray? Yes.Notable Extras: The 5-disc Giftset includes two discs of special features, the first one housing all the special features from the previous boxset DVD release, and the second including brand new featurettes ('Godfather World', 'The Masterpiece That Almost Wasn't', 'When the Shooting Stopped', 'Emulsional Rescue: Revealing The Godfather', 'The Godfather on the Red Carpet') and four short films on The Godfather ('The Godfather vs. The Godfather: Part II', 'Cannoli', 'Riffing on the Riffing', 'Clemenza').
*Does not include the 2-Disc Editions, which cost $11.99 each at Circuit City, $14.99 each at Best Buy, Fry's and Amazon, and $17.99 each at Target.
EXCLUSIVE DEAL:What? Quote Book.Where? Best Buy.
L.A. CONFIDENTIAL (TWO-DISC SPECIAL EDITION)
A hard-boiled noir thriller that's as smart as it is entertaining, L.A. Confidential is a movie that everyone seems to love yet rarely generates as much discussion as other '90s favorites. I vote to remedy this immediately, and hopefully you'll join me by voicing your thoughts in the comments below. It's one of those stunning pictures where the writing, directing and acting (featuring an ensemble cast that includes Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce) all work overtime together to bring you this flawless work of art, and never at the cost of enjoyability. Attempting to convey how happy I am that this film is finally getting the Special Edition treatment would be impossible. It was long overdue.
Blu-ray? Yes.Notable Extras: A commentary by film critic Andrew Sarris, a music only track, a Whatever You Desire: Making L.A.Confidential documentary, making-of featurettes ('Sunlight and Shadow: The Visual Style of L.A.Confidential', 'A True Ensemble: The Cast of L.A.Confidential', 'L.A.Confidential: From Book to Screen', 'L.A. of L.A. Confidential Hollywood Center Motel'), and the 2000 L.A. Confidential TV pilot.
SEX AND THE CITY: THE MOVIE(Available as single-disc and 2-Disc Extended Editions)
Sex and the City: The Movie is a fans-only affair, so it's not really my place to be discussing it (or for that matter, making fun of it). That said, I don't give a shit. Here's the film's plot to the best of my understanding: three glitzy, sassy old ladies and a horse-faced goblin disguised as a glitzy, sassy old lady enjoy conversations with one another that demonstrate their glitziness and sassiness whilst experiencing the more soap opera-esque complications of life as a glitzy, sassy old lady living in New York. And they also have a lot of sex. (Which, quite frankly, is something I don't even want to imagine Sarah Jessica Parker doing. The thought alone terrifies me to the inner depths of my soul.)
Blu-ray? Yes.Notable Extras: The only extra material on the single-disc edition is a commentary by director Michael Patrick King. The 2-Disc Extended Edition includes that, plus additional scenes, two featurettes ('Fabulous Fashion of Sex and the City', 'Fergie in the Studio'), A Conversation with Sarah Jessica Parker and Michael Patrick King, and a digital copy of the film.
*Does not include 2-Disc Edition, which costs $22.99 at each of the listed stores (including Amazon).
EXCLUSIVE DEAL:What? Deluxe Edition DVD ($22.99). Includes extended film, 38 min. of exclusive bonus content, limited edition packaging and digital copy.Where? Target.EXCLUSIVE DEAL:What? Free $5 Target GiftCard with purchase of both Sex and the City movie DVD and any $15.99 Sex and the City single-season DVD.Where? Target.EXCLUSIVE DEAL:What? Bonus Collectible Packaging (on 2-Disc Special Edition).Where? Best Buy.EXCLUSIVE DEAL:What? Save $5 when you buy Sex and the City: The Movie and soundtrack ($9.99).Where? Best Buy.
LEATHERHEADS
Directed by and starring George Clooney, this '30s-style screwball rom-com about football before it became a legitimate sport captured my interest for one specific reason: John Krasinski. Unfortunately, between this and License to Wed, it seems the hilarious Office star just can't catch a break. Leatherheads opened to mediocre reviews and flopped at the box office with only $30 million of its $60 million budget. Better luck next time.
Blu-ray? Yes.Notable Extras: A commentary (with George Clooney and producer Grant Heslov), featurettes ('Football's Beginning: The Making of Leatherheads', 'No Pads No Fear: Creating the Rowdy Football Scenes', 'George Clooney: A Leatherheaded Prankster'), deleted scenes, and a feature on the visual effects sequences.
RUN FATBOY RUN
Speaking of actors with bad luck, British star Simon Pegg (who has done phenomenal work in Spaced, Shaun of the Dead, and Hot Fuzz) seems to be having trouble getting off the ground in American cinema. Not unlike Leatherheads, Run Fatboy Run (a film about a man who jilts his pregnant fiancée on their wedding day and tries to win her back by running a marathon) received mediocre reviews and did poorly at the box office, and I'd be surprised if the same didn't happen with his awful-looking upcoming film, How to Lose Friends & Alienate People. Fortunately, we need only wait until 2009 to see the star truly shine, as that's when J.J. Abrams' Star Trek reboot (in which Pegg plays Scotty) will be hitting the big screen.
Blu-ray? Yes.Notable Extras: A commentary track (with Simon Pegg, Thandie Newton, director David Schwimmer, and Pegg's mother Gill), deleted scenes, outtakes, and footage of a practical joke played on Simon Pegg.
PATHOLOGY
Despite getting handed a shitty 46-theater theatrical release and receiving a 47% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, I still find myself compelled to see this movie. Starring Heroes' Milo Ventimiglia and written by the wonderfully twisted minds that brought us Crank, Pathology is a sex and violence-filled exploitation film about a group of medical students who devise a game testing which of them can commit the perfect murder. Hey, sounds like fun to me.
Blu-ray? No.Notable Extras: A commentary (with director Marc Schoelermann and writers/producers Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor), a Conversation with Pathologist Craig Harvey, and deleted/alternate scenes.
EXCLUSIVE DEAL:What? Buy with Deception ($19.99) and save $5.Where? Best Buy.
DECEPTION
"What's this? A movie starring Hugh Jackman and Ewan McGregor that I haven't even heard of? Why the hell aren't they marketing this more?" I can remember myself asking that a couple weeks before Deception was released. Then the movie came out, received an embarrassingly bad 11% on Rotten Tomatoes and grossed less than $5 million at the box office. Not even a day later, the film had completely vanished from my mind. Now, over five months later, we get a reminder in the form of a shitty DVD release. Enjoy!
Blu-ray? Yes.Notable Extras: A commentary (with director Marcei Langenegger), 2 featurettes ('Exposing Deception: The Making Of Deception', 'Club Sexy'), and deleted scenes.
EXCLUSIVE DEAL:What? Buy with Pathology ($19.99) and save $5.Where? Best Buy.Other noteworthy DVDs available this week...Mother of Tears – Two and a Half Men (Season 2) – Boston Legal (Season 4) – Brothers and Sisters (Season 2) – Friday The 13th: The Series (Season 1) – Samantha Who? (Season 1) – This American Life (Season 1)Discuss: What are you planning to rent or buy this week?
NOTE: Some deals may be in-store only.
Exclusive Retail: The Foot Fist Way ($19.99)$9.99 – Seven (New Line Platinum Series), Boogie Nights (New Line Platinum Series), A Clockwork Orange (2-Disc Special Edition), Citizen Kane (2-Disc Special Edition), The Shawshank Redemption (2-Disc Special Edition), Once Upon a Time in America (2-Disc Special Edition), Purple Rain (2-Disc Special Edition), Doctor Zhivago (2-Disc Special Edition)
$6.99 – The Untouchables, Crank, Carlito's Way, Donnie Brasco, Gangs of New York, Training Day, Inside Man, Almost Famous, Love Actually, The Break-Up, Clueless (Whatever Edition), Breakfast at Tiffany's, Music and Lyrics, Bring It On, What Women Want, and more...$14.99 – Jericho (Season 2), Tin Man$16.99 – Curb Your Enthusiasm (Season 1 – 5), The Closer (Season 1 – 2)$19.99 – Pushing Daisies (Season 1), Californication (Season 1), Dexter (Season 1 or 2), Flight of the Conchords (Season 1), Weeds (Season 1 – 3), Family Guy (Volume 3 – 5), and more...$24.99 – Mad Men (Season 1), Heroes (Season 2), The Office (Season 2 or 3), House (Season 1 – 3), Rescue Me (Season 1 – 4), Damages (Season 1), Burn Notice (Season 1), 30 Rock (Season 1)$39.99 – Lost (Season 3), Desperate Housewives (Season 4), and more...
$3.99 – Jeepers Creepers, City Slickers, The Howling, Benny & Joon, Legally Blonde, The Thomas Crown Affair, and more...$9.99 – Be Kind Rewind, The Orphanage, August Rush, and more...