Choke arrives on DVD on Tuesday, February 17. Though the movie is from writer Chuck Palahnuik, who is best known for Fight Club, this movie isn’t anything that classic, and as such, fans may be disappointed. Nevertheless, for what it is, it works, offering some entertaining dark comedy about sex addicts and a delusional mother.

You can read my full Choke movie review here. As decent as the movie is, the DVD is nothing to scream about. While at first glance there are a lot of special features, most were made to make it look like the DVD is worth buying. Aside from some deleted scenes and one short featurette on the film’s casting, most of the bonus features are a complete waste of time. (more…)

Loyal readers should know that I’m an atheist. And as an atheist, I’m a big fan of Bill Maher’s documentary Religulous. It’s not that I think the movie is an incredible documentary that will convert believers – after all, believers wouldn’t come within ten feet of this movie – but it makes some pretty valid points…  Most importantly, it makes the point that religion doesn’t make any sense. It never did, and it never will.

Religulous (read my Religulous movie review here) arrives on DVD next Tuesday, February 17, and with it a few bonus features including an audio commentary and a slew of deleted scenes. I haven’t listened to the audio commentary, but plan to: after all, Bill Maher should make for a good commentary. The deleted scenes are actually several deleted segments, each of which focus on a different set of people that were entirely removed from the movie. There are some funny moments found in these segments, though it’s understandable why they were removed from the final picture; some of them aren’t that entertaining, and the others are redundant when placed against existing scenes.

Unfortunately, the polygamist wives segment is surprisingly short; I would have liked to see more of them.

Complementing the deleted scenes are several “Bill Maher rants,” which feature the comedian speaking to the camera about why certain religious facets don’t make sense. Some variations are included in the movie itself, but there are several new segments that raise some good points.

All in all, I was a little disappointed to not find more deleted scenes on the disc; I would have imagined that a lot of good material was cut from existing segments (most notably at Jesus Land or whatever that place was called). Nevertheless, the Religulous DVD offers a decent set of features given the type of movie it is – I wouldn’t have expected much more.

For moderates or the downright non-believers, Religulous is a must-see. As entertaining as it is, it’s not worth purchasing – unless you plan to show it to a bunch of children to spread the truth.

Even though I am hesitant about how the new Sci-Fi Channel drama Caprica is going to be compared to Battlestar Galactica, I must say I’m starting to look forward to the new series. Luckily, we won’t have to wait long to find out if it’s any good, as Sci-Fi announced that the two-hour pilot will be released on DVD months before it is to premiere on television. Caprica isn’t scheduled to debut until 2010, but we’ll get to see what it’s like on April 21, 2009. It will also be available online through specific partners, for a fee.

This move makes sense in so many ways. While Caprica is already highly anticipated, releasing this movie so shortly after the end of Battlestar Galactica allows Sci-Fi to maximize the exposure to its new show, build hype and also make some money off it long before it was ever supposed to. Sci-Fi has done a wonderful job of taking advantage of its viewers’ wallets, as evidenced by their half-season releases of BSG (not to mention that they make advertising dollars off all the other crap they have on the station).

One of my most anticipated movies of 2008, Blindness is directed by Fernando Meirelles, the man behind such visually stimulating films as The Constant Gardener and City of God. Given his stunning resume, Blindness looked like a sure lock for one of the best movies of the year. Starring Mark Ruffalo and Julianne Moore, the movie is about a horrifying virus that spreads throughout the country, causing everyone – except for Moore’s character – to go blind. That’s pretty bad ass.

Unfortunately, Blindness isn’t nearly as good as I was expecting. Decent, yes, but the film never fully clicks. Some of the character reactions and plot points don’t make sense. Most shockingly, the film is visually dull. Maybe all of those protesters outside the theater stating, “Blindness is not bad,” or something could have saved their breath. While I’d still recommend the movie to people who want something different, it’s not nearly as good as it could have been. (more…)

In my continued case to see all things Audrey Hepburn, I popped Funny Face into my DVD player today. Thankfully, Paramount Pictures has been releasing Hepburn films over the last few months under its Centennial Edition banner, and Funny Face is the latest to be re-released. Having just watched Sabrina, Roman Holiday and, of course, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, my expectations were set pretty high – little did I know that Funny Face was an annoying musical that definitely does not stand the test of time.

Funny Face is about a fashion magazine photographer (Fred Astaire) who, in order to get a perfect shot, storms into an old bookstore to perform a photo shoot – taking the poor bookkeeper (Hepburn) by surprise. Though she has a “funny face,” Mr. Astaire sees something in the young women and selects her to be his next model. Hepburn is swept away to Paris for her big premiere, though her intentions are more to philosophize with Parisians than walk down a runway. At the same time, an awkward relationship forms between the two. (more…)

The funny Judd Apatow action-comedy Pineapple Express arrives on DVD this Tuesday, and comes packed with more than just a dime bag of bonus features.

Seth Rogen and James Franco star as two potheads who become involved in a murder plot, forcing them to go on the run and, eventually, to attack the drugdealers who are hunting them head on. The pairing is a match made in heaven, as Rogen once again shows he has great comic timing and Franco turns in a Golden Globe-nominated performance (no kidding) with stupid grins and paranoid delusions. A great supporting cast also helps.

The movie itself benefits from the influence of an indie director, as it doesn’t become an idiotic pothead movie a la Dude, Where’s My Car? Instead, Pineapple Express is an authentic action-comedy that just happens to be about a bunch of idiotic characters. You can read Robert Bell’s Pineapple Express movie review, though I liked the picture a little more than he did. (more…)

Hi everyone. I just created an RSS feed for upcoming DVD release dates. This upcoming DVD release list does not include all those garbage direct-to-DVD releases, and not even all the new TV season DVD releases that you’ve never heard of. This RSS feed includes indie and mainstream DVD releases that are coming out over the next month or two, and of course updates automatically each and every week.

Subscribe now to my upcoming DVD release date RSS feed. Of course, you can also just visit my upcoming DVD release date page, which lists all upcoming releases currently known to me.

Other movie RSS feeds can be found here.

Four new movies are coming to DVD today, January 22, 2008. These DVD releases range from pretty decent to downright terrible, and here’s your guide to each:

Recommended DVD Releases

The Game Plan (2007)

The Rock stars in Walt Disney’s The Game Plan, a family film about a pro quarterback who, while on the run for the championship game (not called the Superbowl here) discovers that he has an eight-year old daughter named Peyton and has to quickly become a father… and learn ballet. The movie is entertaining enough for what it is, and as far as Disney family films go, it’s pretty decent. Kids should find it pretty funny and parents will find it amusing. The movie is rated PG, but I didn’t notice much offensive stuff in the film whatsoever – even the facts about how The Rock ended up with a daughter he didn’t know about is covered, so all you Christian conservatives can breathe easily.

DVD features include bloopers, deleted scenes, a Sportscenter interview with The Rock on how he learned to play quarterback, a behind-the-scenes featurette and some makeover-madness set-top activity that I didn’t watch. The DVD also includes a fictitious Sportscenter biography of The Rock’s character, hosted by Stuart Scott.

The Game Plan movie details | The Game Plan movie review

The Hunting Party (2007)

A politically charged movie that isn’t quite a real thriller or a comedy but a unique blend of the two genres, The Hunting Party stars Richard Gere, Terrence Howard and Jesse Eisenberg as three reporters who go searching for a notorious war criminal. The movie is pretty entertaining, though it never reaches its full potential. Recommended for people who like something slightly off the beaten track, even though the film is pretty mainstream in many ways.

The Hunting Party is rated R; it has some violence, a fair amount of language, a little bit of sexual material and some brief moments of nudity.

The DVD includes a feature commentary, deleted scenes, interviews with the real group of journalists who inspired the movie, a making-of featurette and the original Esquire article, “What I Did on My Summer Vacation”.

The Hunting Party movie details | The Hunting Party movie review

Not Recommended DVD Releases

Saw IV (2007)

The fourth film in the Saw franchise, Saw IV is the worst as the bunch. Starring a bunch of actors we don’t care about who play characters we care about even less, the movie is just a jumbled mess and offers little in the way of clear narrative. It is clear the writers have run out of ideas and are now simply adding confusing and unnecessary layers to the stories that have already been done. I’ve never liked the Saw movies, but even fans of the franchise have to admit that Saw 4 falls short in many ways.

Saw IV is rated R, of course, for the usual: torture and gore.

For those of you who do brave the movie, the DVD includes: director’s commentary, producers’ commentary, a video diary, a music video, a deleted scene and a couple featurettes that look at the traps and props of Saw IV.

Saw IV movie details | Saw IV movie review

Sydney White (2007)

Amanda Bynes stars in this college-oriented version of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, about a tomboy but pretty freshman who, after being kicked out of the top sorority for not being polished enough, teams up with a frat full of dorks to take the sorority queen down via student body elections. The movie really has nothing to do with Snow White and is about as dull and unoriginal as they come; Bynes doesn’t do many good movies, but this is one of her not-so-good ones.

Sydney White is rated PG-13; it has some minor language, teen drinking and partying and a little bit of sexual humor, but compared to most PG-13 movies it is pretty mild. I would give it an NC-17 for stupidity, though.

DVD special features include deleted scenes, a gag reel and a few other uninteresting features.

Sydney White movie details | Sydney White movie review