I’m going to be tweaking The Special Edition as I start my second year writing the column. I gotta say, it doesn’t feel like I’ve written the column for a full year, but January 22 was my first one and I pumped out 60 columns throughout the year letting you know what cool shit you could look to spend your cash on every Tuesday. Well, I plan on keeping that up in 2008 but I figure you already know about the SHIT that is coming out each and every week and don’t see any reason to really devote too much time to the Delta Farce’s of the world when I can be letting you know about the latest Criterion release or the newest Japanese monster movie you may not have heard about. That’s what I am going to be aiming for and hope to use this space to let you in on some quality gems lost in the crowds of the Rush Hour 3’s.
Unfortunately, the first day of 2008 presents us with almost nothing in the way of quality new releases, so I’ll just talk about a couple of flicks, one good and one not so good and we’ll go from there.
SHOOT EM UP
d. Michael Davis
c. Clive Owen (Children of Men), Paul Giamatti (American Splendor), Monica Bellucci (Brotherhood of the Wolf)
BUY THIS MOVIE FROM AMAZON
- “Ballet of Bullets – Making Shoot ‘Em Up” documentary
- Feature length audio commentary from director and writer Michael Davis
- Deleted scenes with commentary from director and writer Michael Davis
- Scene animatics with commentary from director and writer Michael Davis
- Theatrical trailer
- Addictive TV remix trailer
- Red Band trailer
It is said writer/director Michael Davis sold his script by showing executives animated storyboards with a title card reading: “This is John Woo’s Wet Dream.” While this movie is most definitely not Hard-Boiled, it may be this year’s Crank. There are quite a few nods to the John Woo masterpiece including a shoot-out in the middle of a birth that might bring back memories of the masterful hospital sequence in Hard-Boiled. There is also a shoot-out in a car chase, a shoot-out on a plane, a shoot-out during a sex scene, a shoot-out during a parachute jump and more. The humor is also there with Giamatti hamming it up with gusto as the bad guy in this live action Loony Tunes cartoon. Clive Owen seems to be having a blast after his role in last year’s amazing Children of Men and Monica Bellucci is there to show off her amazing assets. The DVD seems to have some pretty good extras as well, including a documentary and commentary track. It will also be released in Blu Ray.
RESIDENT EVIL: EXTINCTION
d. Russell Mulcahy (Highlander II: The Quickening)
c. Milla Jovovich (Ultraviolet), Oded Fehr (Sleeper Cell), Ali Larter (Heroes)
BUY THIS MOVIE FROM AMAZON
- (Blu Ray Exclusive) Under The Umbrella: Picture-in-Picture Experience – Sony Pictures Home Entertainment’s first immersive Picture in Picture (PIP) experience, which features interviews with the filmmakers and cast; storyboards; production photos and behind the scenes footage that runs concurrently with the movie. The Picture-in-Picture feature is only supported by Profile 1.1 players.
- (Blu Ray Exclusive) Blu-wizard 2.0 – Customize the way you watch Special Features–Watch what you want, when you want and how you want!
- Create your own playlist from the Special Features on the disc
- Let the Blu-wizard do the driving–Watch the movie in real-time and the Wizard will intelligently insert in your selections, always returning you to the film right where you left off!
- A brand new feature, the Blu-wizard will not only remember what you watched, but also what you liked even after you’ve taken the disc out of your player!
- Audio Commentary with Producer/Writer Paul W.S. Anderson and Producer Jeremy Bolt
- 11 Deleted Scenes
- Making of Featurettes:
- Alice Vision: Preproduction
- The Big Bang: Shooting Resident Evil: Extinction
- Bigger, Faster, Stronger: The Undead Evolve
- Vegas Visual Effects: Miniatures
- Sneak Peek at Resident Evil: Degeneration, the first Resident Evil CGI feature film
The movie starts off with a shot of Milla Jovovich nude. When you sit down to watch a brainless monster movie, what better way to start it than that? It’s just too bad the producers of Resident Evil are not out to simply make a brainless monster movie. Faced with the task of keeping the fan boys happy while at the same time make a movie that can be enjoyed by the masses who have never played the video game, the producers have simply made a jumbled mess of what should have been a simple concept. Russell Mulcahy was once a promising director, bringing us the entertaining Highlander movie. Then he went and unleashed Highlander II: The Quickening on the world and lost any credits he had ever raised. After ruining every Highlander fan boys movie, what harm can come with doing the same to the Resident Evil fan? It is also getting a Blu Ray release with some exclusive stuff included on it.
OTHER DVDs OUT THIS WEEK
The Tudors – The Complete First Season
War (Jason Statham and Jet Li)
Seaquest DSV: Season Two
September Dawn (Jon Voight, Terence Stamp)
Weird Science – The Complete Seasons 1 & 2
Solstice (Shawn Ashmore, R. Lee Ermey)
Jimmy and Judy (Edward Furlong, William Sadler)
THE BARGAIN BIN
ONLINE SPECIALS
Amazon.com is having a HUGE Buy 1 Get 1 Free sale on TV DVD sets.
Amazon.com is having a Buy 1 Get 1 Free sale on select HD-DVDs.
BEST BUY
Resident Evil: Extinction – $16.99 *
Resident Evil: Extinction Blu-Ray – $26.99 *
Resident Evil Trilogy Blu-Ray – $58.99
*Best Buy Exclusive: Free tote bag instantly when you purchase ANY version of Resident Evil: Extinction
WAR – $16.99
WAR Blu-Ray – $29.99
Lord Of War – $9.99 *
Total Recall / Terminator 2 : Judgment Day Double Feature – $9.99 *
Black Mask / Police Story Double Feature – $9.99 *
*Get any of the 3 marked titles above for only $5 with the purchase of WAR
Shoot ‘Em Up – $17.99 *
Shoot ‘Em Up Blu-Ray – $29.99
Running Scared – $9.99 *
Domino – $9.99 *
Knockaround Guys – $9.99 *
*Get any of the 3 marked titles above for only $5 with the purchase of Shoot ‘Em Up
Ratatouille – $14.99
The Heartbreak Kid – $14.99
Stardust – $14.99
Jungle Book: 40th Anniversary Edition – $14.99
We Are Marshall – $14.99
Hot Rod – $14.99
1408 – $14.99
Hot Fuzz – $14.99
Hostel: Part II – Unrated Director’s Cut – $14.99
Reign Over Me – $14.99
Grindhouse Presents: Planet Terror – Extended & Unrated (2 DVDs) – $14.99
Mariah Carey: The Adventures Of Mimi – $19.99
Justin Timberlake: FutureSex / LoveShow: Live From MSG – $19.99
HD-DVD Discs are Buy Three & Get TWO Free on ANY HD-DVD:
Free Discs must be of equal or lesser value // $34.99 or less
HD-DVD Starter Packs // 3 HD-DVD Movies In Each :
Best Buy HD-DVD Starter Packs Are $44.99 EACH:
The Warriors / Aeon Flux / Payback
Four Brothers / Shooter / Italian Job
Tom Raider / Sky Caption & World OF Tomorrow / Sleepy Hollow
Anchorman / Blades Of Glory / Old School
Blu-Ray DVDs:
Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World’s End – $19.99
Superbad: Unrated, Extended Edition – $19.99
Spider-Man 3 – $19.99
The Departed – $19.99
Ocean’s Thirteen – $19.99
Ratatouille – $19.99
Happy Feet – $19.99
High School Musical 2: Extended Edition – $19.99
Casino Royale – $19.99
300 – $19.99
Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause – $19.99
Harry Potter & Order Of The Phoenix – $24.99
Live Free Of Die Hard – $24.99
Night At The Museum – $24.99
Fantastic 4: Rise Of The Silver Surfer – $24.99
The Patriot: Extended Cut – $24.99
Wild Hogs – $29.99
The Prestige – $29.99
Ultra Violet – $29.99
$4.99 DVDs: Zoolander, Eddie Murphy: RAW, Without A Paddle, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, School Of Rock, Road Trip: Unrated, Eurotrip: Unrated, Airplane: Don’t Call Me Shirley Edition, How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days, Old School: Unrated, Mean Girls, Jackass: Special Edition / Unrated, Anchorman, What Women Want, Envy
$9.99 DVDs: Flags Of Our Fathers, The Condemned, Dream Girls, Titanic: 10th Anniversary Edition, Hatchet: Unrated Director’s Cut, BUG, Delta Face, Braveheart (1st Pressing), Babel, Freedom Writers, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Tombstone, Step Up
$14.99 DVDs: Get a Free $5 Gift Card Instantly When You Buy any 2 Of The DVDs in This Section: The Last King Of Scotland, Pathfinder: Unrated Edition, Night At The Museum, A Good Year, The Sound Of Music: 40th Anniversary Edition, Epic Movie, Reno 911!: The Movie – Unrated
Disney DVDs:
Buy 2 and Save $5:
Buy 3 and Save $15:
The Sword & The Stone – $14.99
Cinderella – $19.99
Cinderella II: Dreams Come True – $19.99
Cinderella III: A Twist In Time – $19.99
Aladdin: Platinum Edition – $19.99
Alice In Wonderland – $19.99
Aladdin II & III Collection – $26.99
The Little Mermaid – $19.99
Peter Pan – $19.99
Robin Hood: Most Wanted Edition – $19.99
Mulan – $19.99
The Fox & The Hound: 25th Anniversary Edition – $19.99
Meet The Robinsons – $19.99
Chicken Little – $19.99
Beauty & The Beast: Belle’s Magical World – $19.99
DVD Sets:
The Tudors: Season 1 – $27.99
Sea Quest DSV: Season 2 – $39.99
LOST: Season 1 / 2 – $29.99 each
Desperate Housewives: Season 1 / 2 – $29.99 each
Family Guy: Volume III / IV / V – $32.99 each *
Family Guy: Volume I / II – $40.99 each *
*Save $10 Instantly on any one Volume of Family Guy when you preorder Family Guy Presents: Blue Harvest // $5 Deposit Required
TARGET
Resident Evil: Extinction – $16.99
Resident Evil: Extinction Blu-Ray – $29.99
WAR – $16.99
WAR Blu-Ray – $29.99
WAR / Black Mask 2 Pack – $22.99
Shoot ‘Em Up – $19.99
The Tudors: Season 1 – $29.99
High Definition DVDs – $29.99 EACH:
Free Target $5 Gift Card With Purchase of Any Of THESE 8 High Definition Titles:
Transformers HD-DVD
The Bourne Ultimatum HD-DVD
Harry Potter & The Order Of The Phoenix HD-DVD
Hairspray Blu-Ray
Ratatouille Blu-Ray
Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World’s End Blu-Ray
Live Free Or Die Hard Blu-Ray
Superbad: Unrated Extended Edition Blu-Ray
$6.50 DVDs: Snatch (Red Cover Shown), Caddyshack (1st Pressing Shown), Love Actually, Shawshank Redemption (1st Pressing Shown)
$10.00 DVDs: The Riddick Trilogy, Facing Giants, Resident Evil / Resident Evil: Apocalypse 2 Pack, Van Damme Collector’s Set: Kickboxer / Replicant / Universal Soldier