This Week In DVD: Killshot, New In Town, Powder Blue
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 and Fry's.Please don't take the commentary on the movies and TV shows too seriously, as they're meant not to be reviews but rather previews that include the general thoughts and ramblings of a twice-committed DVD addict. The categories represent solely the author's intentions towards the DVDs at hand, and are in no way meant to be a reflection on what he thinks other people should rent or buy. So if he ends up putting a movie you like in the "Skip it" section without having seen it, please keep in mind that the time you could spend leaving a spiteful but ultimately futile comment could instead be used for more pleasant things in life. Like buying DVDs.
KILLSHOT
How does this even happen? How does a movie from an Academy Award-nominated director (John Madden, of Shakespeare in Love), starring a slew of incredibly talented actors (Mickey Rourke, Diane Lane, Thomas Jane, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Rosario Dawson), based on a book by Elmore Leonard (Get Shorty, 3:10 to Yuma, Rum Punch aka Jackie Brown), spend over three years in post-production development hell, only to be dumped to DVD after a measly 5-theater run? Surely, the only way this kind of treatment would be warranted is if the finished product somehow ended up being a colossal failure. Or so you'd think. But according to the minimal response the film has received thus far, Killshot's biggest flaw is the obvious way it's been torn apart by the meddling studios over the past few years, resulting in an uneven/messy narrative that remains engaging most of the way through but doesn't quite satisfy on the whole. If you're like me though, the curiosity factor alone is enough of a draw to justify a rental.
Blu-ray? No.Notable Extras: None.
NEW IN TOWN
As if the similarities in plot weren't enough, the marketing department behind New in Town was kind enough to confirm just how unoriginal the film really is. Compare: Poster A, Poster B. It's a pretty sad day for DVDs when the biggest release of the week is a worthless, cheaply made attempt to replicate the success of an already aggressively trite and formulaic rom-com. This one will be forgotten within the week. (That is, if it hasn't already been.)
Blu-ray? Yes.Notable Extras: Cast/crew commentary, deleted scenes, and 3 featurettes ("Making New In Town in Winnipeg Canada", "The Folk Art of Scrapbooking", "Pudding's Delicious Role in New In Town").
POWDER BLUE
If Powder Blue wasn't said to be such a piss-poor retread of ideas and plot elements we already saw done much better in movies like Magnolia, I'd probably feel bad for all of the cast/crew who likely invested so much time and energy into getting it made. After all, the moment Jessica Biel agreed to appear nude in the film, its fate was sealed to forever be remembered as "that one flick where Biel shows her tits." (Not unlike "that one flick where Anne Hathaway shows her tits"... aka Havoc) But since the movie apparently does suck, I feel absolutely no remorse in saving you the trouble of having to drudge your way through the dull stuff by linking to following video (which, let's be honest, you've probably already seen): WARNING – NSFW
Blu-ray? Yes.Notable Extras: Audio commentary with director Timothy Linh Bui and producer Tracee Stanley, and a making-of featurette.
Other noteworthy DVDs available this week...Forever Strong – Falling Down (Deluxe Edition) – Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus – The Ramen Girl
NOTE: Some deals may be in-store only.
$6.99 – Sunshine, 28 Weeks Later, Fight Club