BluTuesday: August 28th, 2012

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G’day mates! Joseph here with some fresh picks on BluRay for August 28, 2012. Like last week, there weren’t a lot of choices in movies, but I was able to pick out a few interesting ones for y’all. So, with that in mind, here are some new entries for your collection.

 

Think Like a Man (PG-13)

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 53%

This movie was released on April 20, 2012 to a bit of skepticism. The common question was how could a movie based on a self-help book work? It also helped to divide people into two camps: those who like Steve Harvey, and those who are sane (guess which camp I fall in?). Anyway, the gist of the story is that there are four couples plus Kevin Hart, and the guys find out that their women are reading Steve Harvey’s book Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man – although, I add parenthetically, I don’t know why. The guys decide they aren’t fans of that, so they try to turn the tables on them…with predictable results. Despite the mixed reviews it got from critics, it did very well at the box office; so well, in fact that it knocked last week’s entry The Hunger Games from the #1 spot in the box office. It held on to that spot for two weeks until The Avengers came along and obliterated ALL.THE.THINGS. At the time of this writing, it has pulled in almost $90 million, and that is an impressive haul, considering its budget was only $12 million. If you enjoyed this movie, it can’t hurt to check it out again.

 

Monsieur Lazhar (PG-13)

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 97%

Receiving a limited release on April 13, 2012, this film received an Academy Award Nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. The film is about an Algerian immigrant named Bashir Lazhar who becomes a substitute teacher for a Montreal elementary school after the original teacher committed suicide. The thing is, Mr. Lazhar is struggling through his own personal tragedy. Through learning more about the students, he learns more about himself, and they both begin to move on from their own personal hells. This movie was never designed to be a big money bringer, and it shows. At the time of this writing, it has only pulled in a little over $1 million in its eight weeks. However, it does seem to have its charms about itself. So, in that vein, it’s worth giving it a go.

 

Headhunters (R)

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 90%

Released on April 27, 2012, this Norwegian-German pseudo-arthouse thriller was a real crowd pleaser at the 2011 Austin Fantastic Fest. It tells the story of a man named Roger Brown who is a headhunter by day, but a highly talented art thief by night. However, his latest attempt thrusts him into a world he wasn’t ready to experience, when the person who hires him has plans of his own. This movie received a limited release, and at the time of this writing, is still in theaters. It hasn’t really pulled a lot of money at the box office; in fact, it hasn’t broken $1 million yet. However, if you’re in for a gritty thriller – and you don’t mind reading subtitles, this is the film for you.

 

Battleship (PG-13)

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 34%

Poor Taylor Kitsch. Released on May 18, 2012, this movie was supposed to be Hasbro’s next big thing after Transformers, and Taylor Kitsch was supposed to be the next big thing in Hollywood. Oops. Obstensibly, the movie stars Taylor Kitsch as a Naval slacker officer (y’know, the most popular kind), who has to rise up and prove his worth when the USS John Paul Jones on is attacked by aliens bent on world domination…or something like that. The movie opened at #2 in the Top 5, and it sunk like a rock afterwards. It cost $209 million to make, and it made a grand total of $60 million domestic. It squeaked pased $260 million worldwide, but it was considered a bomb domestically. As a Naval veteran, I’m gonna pass on this one. However, I won’t begrudge you if this is for you.

 

 

TV Shows:

 

The Walking Dead - Season 2 | Boardwalk Empire - Season 2 | Once Upon a Time - Season 1 | Sons of Anarchy - Season 4 | Homeland - Season 1 |

 

Well, that’s a wrap for this week. As always, if you have any questions or other recommendations, please feel free to let me know in the comments below.

 

Until next time…