BluTuesday: October 16, 2012

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Ahoy! Joseph here, and I’ve got the freshest of the fresh in Bluray for October 16, 2012. This week’s episode has blue aliens, stupid white people going places they know good and hell well they shouldn’t be going, wild animals on the loose, a cautionary tale of shedding tears on the diamond, a wicked prison, and a man who loves his drink. Let’s jump right in, shall we?

Avatar (3D Bluray Collector’s Edition) (PG-13)
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 83%

I’ve made no secrets about my disdain for this movie, but we’ll get through this anyway. Originally released on December 10, 2009, the film is set in the mid-22nd century, when humans are mining a precious mineral called unobtanium on Pandora, a lush habitable moon of a gas giant in the Alpha Centauri star system. The expansion of the mining colony threatens the continued existence of a local tribe of Na’vi—a humanoid species indigenous to Pandora. This movie gets a brand-spankin’ new 3D Bluray release, using state-of-the-art 3D technology to plunge the viewer deep into Cameron’s crazy toy box of planetary ecosystems and high-tech machinery. If you have a 3D TV and somehow missed the multiple releases of this movie, go ahead and give this a try.

 

 

Chernobyl Diaries (R)
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 21%

Released to theaters on May 25, 2012, Chernobyl Diaries tells the harrowing tale of six tourists who hire an extreme tour guide who takes them to the abandoned city Pripyat, the former home to the workers of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor. During their exploration, they soon discover they are not alone. Listen, I have a fundamental flaw with horror movies like this: if someone makes a mention of going somewhere you’re not supposed to, somewhere possibly haunted, I’m gonna need people to wise up and say, “You know what? I’m good. I’m gonna go to Amsterdam so I can get high and get laid.” Anyway, this movie comes to Bluray in two different flavors: a Bluray only copy and a Bluray/DVD + Ultraviolet Digital Copy. If you’re a horror aficionado, or you like watching stupid people die in horrible ways, go for it. Otherwise, you’re free to skip this one.

 

Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted (PG)
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 75%

This inevitable addition to the Madagascar franchise roared (see what I did there?) into theaters on June 8, 2012. Starring Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Sascha Baron Cohen, this new addition to the series features Alex (Ben Stiller), Marty (Chris Rock), Gloria (Jada Pinkett Smith) and Melman (David Schwimmer) as they continue the fight to get home to their beloved Big Apple. Their journey takes them through Europe where they find the perfect cover: a traveling circus, which they reinvent - Madagascar style. This is the first in the franchise to be released in 3D, and it happens to be one of the offerings for home media: we have a 3D Bluray/Bluray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy + Ultraviolet Digital Copy, a DVD only version, and a Bluray/DVD Combo+ Digital Copy + Ultraviolet Digital Copy - with a rainbow wig! FUN! This was the most well-received movie in the franchise, and if you have little ones who love the series, pick this one up for them. They’ll get tons of laughs - and lots of agility as they fight for the rainbow wig.

 

 

A League of Their Own (PG)
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 82%

Released to theaters on July 1, 1992, Tom Hanks, Geena Davis and Madonna star in this major-league comedy from the team that brought you Big. Hanks stars as Jimmy Dugan, a washed-up ballplayer whose big league days are over. Hired to coach in the All-American Girls Baseball League of 1943, while the male pros are at war, Dugan finds himself drawn back into the game by the heart and heroics of his all-girl team. Jon Lovitz adds a scene-stealing cameo as the sarcastic scout who recruits Dottie Hinson (Geena Davis), the baseball dolly with a Babe Ruth swing. Teammates Madonna, Lori Petty and Rosie O’Donnell round out the roster, taking the team to the World Series. Based on the true story of the pioneering women who blazed the trail, on the fields and off, for generations of athletes. This movie makes its triumphant debut to Bluray, and it will come with the standard fare of special features. I love this movie; if it’s on TV, I stop what I’m doing and watch. Without a doubt, this movie is my pick of the week.

 

 

 

Alcatraz: The Complete Series (TV-MA)

J. J. Abrams has had a good run of bad luck as of late. First, there was “Undercovers,” a show I actually liked, and then there was this. The premise of the show is that both the prisoners and the guards disappeared in 1963 and have abruptly reappeared in modern-day San Francisco, where they are being tracked down by a government agency. The series comes in a 2-Disc Bluray edition and a 5-Disc DVD edition. I never got a chance to watch this, but if you’re a J. J. Abrams fan, it’s worth giving it a go.

 

 

 

Mad Men: Season Five (TV-MA)

Season Five of Mad Men, four-time Emmyr winner for Outstanding Drama Series and winner of three consecutive Golden Globesr, plunges into the seductive and intriguing world of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. Jon Hamm and the rest of the award-winning cast continue to mesmerize as they adapt to changing times, social revolution, and a radical world. Lust is back. Adultery is back. Deception is back. Sexy is back…oh, wait; that’s a Justin Timberlake song. Sorry. Anyway, this season comes in a 3-Disc Bluray edition and a 4-Disc DVD edition. If you’re a fan of the show, this is a box set for you.

 

 

So, that’s the end of this week’s episode. Got any questions or comments? Did I miss anything that you may like? Please let me know in the comments below.

Until next time…