This Week In DVD: The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, Last Chance Harvey
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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 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.
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON(Available as single-disc and 2-Disc Criterion Edition)
David Fincher is a director who's responsible for a number of my all-time favorite films... The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, however, is not one of them. This is a movie that I'd recommend more for its technical merits than its story, which uses its excellent "backwards aging" premise primarily as a gimmick; remove it, and you have yourself a fairly standard 'sprawling' tale of a disabled man's life, as he experiences love, loss, sorrow and all that other wonderful tear-jerky, Oscar-baity goodness. This should come as no surprise, really, given that screenwriter Eric Roth basically just recycled most of the major story beats from Forrest Gump.
Blu-ray? Yes.Notable Extras: There are no extras on the single-disc, while the 2-disc Criterion Edition includes a commentary by director David Fincher and a 4-part The Curious Birth of Benjamin Button documentary.
*Does not include 2-Disc Criterion Edition, which costs $22.99 at each of the listed stores (including Amazon).
LAST CHANCE HARVEY
While I can't say the subject matter sounds particularly appealing (a down-on-his-luck elderly guy meets a woman—romance ensues), you really can't go wrong with the combined acting talents of Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson. Hopefully they provide an interesting enough dynamic to elevate the material beyond your typical love story.
Blu-ray? Yes.Notable Extras: A commentary with writer/director Joel Hopkins, Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson, and a making of featurette.
EXCLUSIVE DEAL:What? Exclusive bonus disc.Where? Target.Other noteworthy DVDs available this week...Wendy and Lucy
NOTE: Some deals may be in-store only.
$19.99 – 30 Rock (Season 2)
$18.99 – Weeds (Season 2)$19.99 – 30 Rock (Season 2), The Tudors (Season 2), Friday Night Lights (Season 2)$9.99 – Burn After Reading, Step Brothers, Traitor, Pineapple Express, There Will Be Blood, and more...