Please see the release calendar for releases from countries outside the US.
The Coen Brothers have done it once again – created a theatrical masterpiece that breaks the traditional Hollywood mold – but this time, it was a remake. A John Wayne remake. Yes, in an era when studios shove remake after remake down our throats, it's refreshing to get a remake in True Grit that does more to create an entirely new experience rather than presenting the same story with different actors.
Staff reviewer Martin Liebman commented in his True Grit Blu-ray review , "True Grit is every bit the superior to the already-excellent 1969 film of the same name, and it's arguably better than the source novel, too." He continues, "Paramount's Blu-ray release of True Grit delivers stunning video and audio supported by a balanced assortment of extra content."
With the upcoming theatrical release of Green Lantern, we are being asked to stomach yet another super hero film. And of course, Warner isn't going to miss a beat by releasing Green Lantern: Emerald Knights on Blu-ray leading up to that release in order get the blood flowing in diehard fans.
For the Green Lantern: Emerald Knights Blu-ray review , staff reviewer Kenneth Brown commented, "Green Lantern: Emerald Knights isn't the second coming of animated anthologies, but it is an energetic, action-packed appetizer of cosmic proportions sure to whet comic and film fans' appetites for Green Lantern's theatrical debut in June. And while Warner's Blu-ray release is haunted by banding, its video presentation still stands as a significant improvement over its DVD counterpart, its DTS-HD Master Audio surround mix is excellent and its supplemental package has a number of high-quality special features on tap."
As one of my father's favorite western films, The Long Riders tells the sympathetic story of the infamous Jesse James gang. Earning extra points for originality, the films starts the Keach brothers (James and Stacy) as the James brothers, the Carradine brothers (David, Keith, and Robert) as the Younger brothers, and the Quaid brothers (Dennis and Randy) as the Miller brothers. Yup, even the law is well represented with Christopher and Nicholas Guest featured as – you guessed it – brothers! It's not the greatest western of all time, but it definitely ranks towards the top.
Don't forget about AMERICAN: THE BILL HICKS STORY.
This 2-disc set (finally available in the U.S.) tells the amazing life story of the even more amazing stand-up comedian, Bill Hicks. If you know the man, you should already want to see this. If you don't, you need to check it out anyway and see if it sparks your interest. If so, there's thankfully a plethora of posthumous albums and DVDs showcasing this immense talent that went largely ignored during the man's unfortunately brief lifetime.
Just True Grit and maybe another $6 Blu-ray from Walmart for me this week. Will get the Firefox/Heartbreak Ridge double feature next week maybe. And as far as The Outlaw Josey Wales goes, I'll wait for that one at the right price later on.
Now I just might wait till Sunday to get True Grit for that $14.99 price! I have no problem waiting another 5 days for it. In the meantime, I guess I'll rent it today at Redbox.
True Grit, for sure (next week's Target price sure sounds tempting).
Perhaps the release of the original Death at a Funeral, which was pretty fabulous. Not really sure if I want to replace my HD-DVD, though. I'll wait to see how it's reviewed.
And Apt Pupil looks intriguing. Not sure about it... but if I see it at a worthwhile price I'll probably grab it.
Picked up The Outlaw Josey Wales, Firefox/Heartbreak Ridge, New York New York, and Priscilla. Another Year, True Grit and Hair all in the mail. I did not realize I was going to spend so much this week.
Biggest week for me in awhile. True Grit, Green Lantern, Breaking Bad, Just Go With It, Sanctum, and the biggest ouch Superman. I will be getting Josey Wales eventually. Man I wish I could be more patient.
@ visualOne: Sanctum is not a bad film. I wouldn't rank it as one of the best adventure or suspense films. Some story developments / execution leave something to be desired. But overall it's a tense ride for when you're in the mood for it; if you're interested in it, you should certainly see it.
*
In any case, this week I receive from preorders one of my top films from last year, True Grit (2010), another excellent western called The Outlaw Josey Wales and a movie I adore, Hair. Nice.
I'm definitely eyeing the Superman series and will buy it when the price drops a bit. I'd like to see The Company Men and Another Year, both of which I missed in theaters. And eventually I may pick up New York, New York on sale, if only to add it to my Martin Scorsese collection.
Just got Green Lantern today, will eventually pick up True Grit. I agree with Sopranogl, both great movies, but I think the original JUST edges it out.
I'm getting tired of big box multi-movie sets like this week's Superman orgy. In order to get the one or two films I want I have to pay for a set of lemons as well. In the case of Superman, only 1 & 2 is really worth considering. Ditto for Jurassic Park. With Indy it's 1 & 3. I can't stand number 2 as I'm not into bug-cuisine and voodoo-open heart surgery. It would be nice if the studios would just offer the films individually so that the viewer can pick and choose the ones that interest him/her. Not every sequel is worth buying.
Love True Grit, already ordered. I saw the original film after the remake, and I'm convinced that a lot of reviewers haven't seen the original. I heard all sorts of claims about how the remake follows the book more than the movie, etc., but as a previous poster mentioned, the remake is almost scene-for-scene, word-for-word identical to the original film! I'm exaggerating, but only slightly. It was pretty shocking, made me want to change the word "remake" to "ripoff" really, when thinking of the 2010 film.
But that said, the remake is a lot more watchable because I've always had trouble taking John Wayne seriously. I knew John Wayne through cartoonish impersonations long before I ever actually saw one of his movies, and I think that has forever tainted his stuff for me.
