BluTuesday - July 30, 2013

Arigato! Joseph here, and I’m bringing you the new Bluray releases for July 30, 2013. In this week’s episode, we’ll talk about The Rock, another DC Comics movie, and proof that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. All set? Let’s hop to it.

G.I. Joe: Retaliation (PG-13)

Rotten Tomatoes rating: 28%

First on the list is the pseudo-sequel to 2009’s G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. Framed for crimes against the country, the G.I. Joe team is terminated by the President’s order, and the surviving team members face off against Zartan, his accomplices, and the world leaders he has under his influence. This movie comes in three different flavors: we have a two disc Bluray/DVD + Digital Copy version, a three disc Bluray 3D/Bluray/DVD + Digital Copy version, and a single disc DVD version. Let’s face it, folks: this isn’t a great movie. However, it is a fun movie, so I can recommend it on that alone. Plus, it stars The Rock, so you can’t go wrong with that. Plus, if I say anything untoward about him, he’d snap my neck with his pinky finger, so I’ll be damned if I criticize him.

Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (PG-13)

Rotten Tomatoes rating: N/R

Next on the list is another fine entry to the DC Animated Universe. When time travel allows a past wrong to be righted for Flash and his family, the event’s temporal ripples prove disastrous, creating a fractured, alternate reality where the Justice League never formed, and even Superman is nowhere to be found. Amidst a new world being ravaged by a fierce war between Wonder Woman’s Amazons and Aquaman’s Atlanteans, Flash must team with a grittier, more violent Batman and government agent Cyborg to restore the continuity of Flash’s original timeline. This movie comes in both a two disc Bluray/DVD + Ultraviolet edition and a single disc DVD edition. Regardless of the misses of the DC live action films (I’m looking at you, Green Lantern), the animated films have been nothing short of spectacular. This promises to be another fine entry in the DCAU catalog, and it’s my pick of the week.

Banshee: The Complete First Season

Last on the list is the latest gem from HBO Studios. From Alan Ball, creator/EP of True Blood, this exciting new Cinemax action drama charts the twists and turns that follow Lucas Hood (Antony Starr), an ex-convict who improbably becomes sheriff of a rural, Amish-area town while searching for a woman he last saw 15 years ago, when he gave himself up to police to let her escape after a jewel heist. Living in Banshee under an assumed name, Carrie Hopewell (Ivana Miličević) is now married to the local DA, has two children (one of whom may be Lucas’), and is trying desperately to keep a low profile – until Lucas arrives to shake up her world and rekindle old passions. Complicating matters is the fact that Banshee is riddled by corruption, with an Amish overlord, Kai Proctor (Ulrich Thomsen), brutally building a local empire of drugs, gambling and graft. With the help of a boxer-turned-barkeeper named Sugar Bates (Frankie Faison), Lucas is able to stay on even footing with Kai and his thugs, and even manages to bring a measure of tough justice to Banshee. But eventually, Lucas’ appetite for pulling heists pulls him and Carrie into a dangerous cauldron of duplicity, exacerbated when Mr. Rabbit (Ben Cross), the NY mobster they once ripped off, closes in with vengeance on his mind. This season comes in two different varieties: a five disc Bluray + Digital Copy version and a five disc DVD version. This is Cinemax’s attempt at bringing original programming to their network that doesn’t involve simulated sex, and – whereas it has its fair share of those scenes – it mostly delivers. Give it a look; you might be surprised.

There you have it, folks. Got any questions or comments? Did I happen to miss anything you wanted to talk about? Feel free to hit me up in the comments section below.

Until next time…