THIS WEEK ON DVD: February 26th

MediaZEALOT weighs in the top DVDs hitting shelves on February 26th.

While the list of films hitting DVD this week isn't as well-rounded as last week's there are still quite a few good titles worth picking up. Click either the DVD box-art or title to get paged through to Amazon.

30 Days of Night
David Slade's first movie since 2005's Hard Candy is the film adaptation of Steve Niles' horror comic book 30 Days of Night. The film is a decent suspense picture as Slade sets a dark mood and maintains it throughout the visually stylistic film. Josh Hartnett and Melissa George lend good performances while Ben Foster and Danny Huston are great as always. I'll be picking this one up on Blu-ray later today and will post a review as soon as I can.
VERDICT: Buy if you are a suspense fan.

The Darjeeling Limited
I really enjoyed The Darjeeling Limited when I saw it in theatres back in October and have been anticipating its release on DVD. The film's comedic in a way only Wes Anderson can be and feels right at home along with The Royal Tenenbaums and The Life Aquatic. Darjeeling Limited was one of the best overlooked films of 2007 and I hope it gets the attention it deserves on DVD.
VERDICT: Buy if you enjoy Wes Anderson films.


Beowulf
I skipped watching Beowulf in theatres for reasons unknown. I wasn't that interested in the film then but wanted to catch it in Imax 3D. I don't mind Robert Zemeckis as he's a very talented director but I'm not sure this style of CGI filmmaking is for me. However, I will give this unrated DVD a rent and check it out. It's out on HD DVD and, while I don't recommend buying into the failed format, I do think this film would look amazing in HD.
VERDICT: Rent the HD DVD or wait for Blu-ray.

Justice League: The New Frontier
DC's animated adaptation of Darwyn Cooke's 2003 comic event of the same name arrives on DVD today. I haven't heard much about the disc but it looks pretty neat. The art looks like it has captured Cooke's style perfectly, let's hope the story can recreate what made the comic series so great. New Frontier is available as a single-disc, part of a two-disc special edition, or on Blu-ray and HD DVD.
VERDICT: Buy if you're a fan of the DC heroes.


Today's Other Releases:

Death at a Funeral - Frank Oz's comedy about a dysfunctional British family has had mixed reviews. The film stars Matthew MacFadyen, Keeley Hawes, and Alan Tudyk.

Goya's Ghosts - Milos Forman's tale of painted Francisco Goya has flown under the radar after disappointing reviews and a mere $743,000 box office. However, with the recent Oscar win of Javier Bardem the film will most likely earn some attention on DVD. Natalie Portman also stars in the film.

The Last Emperor - Criterion Collection - Bernardo Bertolucci's oriental epic has withstood the test of time over the past 20 years and is well deserving of being a member of the Criterion Collection. The visuals in this film are truly remarkable. The film stars John Lone, Joan Chen, and Peter O'Toole.

That's all for this week. Check back next week for more DVD releases including Awake, Into the Wild, and Things We Lost in the Fire.

Buy a DVD today? Post a comment and tell us what you picked up or what you are planning to buy.

Cheers.

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Gotham Knight DVD Release Date Announced

Batman: Gotham Knight will hit DVD shops on July 8th.

DC and Warner Home Video have announced that their The Dark Knight anime tie-in DVD will arrive in July just over a week before the feature film hits theatres. There will be three versions available come the 8th. A standard one-disc affair, a two-disc special edition, and a Blu-ray version featuring all the content from the special edition. There was no mention of the release of the previously speculated deluxe-edition of Batman Begins.



Unfortunately, it appears that Christian Bale may not voice Batman in Gotham Knight as originally speculated. Apparently it was only a rumour that he was attached to the project and someone else will lend their voice to the character. Let's hope Kevin Conroy (Batman: The Animated Series) is the one voicing the Bat. In an ideal world it would be Bale but Conroy comes a close second.

MediaZEALOT ran a sneak-preview of Gotham Knight earlier this month, click HERE to check it out. Stay tuned as we'll be keeping tabs on this DVD release and will review it come July.

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Terminator Salvation to Open May 2009

The fourth installment of the Terminator film franchise will hit theatres on May 22nd, 2009.

Warner Bros. has announced that it will open McG's Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins in North America on May of 2009. The film will open on the 22nd, the start of Memorial Day weekend. This release date is also occupied by Fox's Night at the Museum 2 which is currently shooting up here in Vancouver right now.



I'm not sure what to think about this flick. I wasn't a very big fan of the last Terminator film and I think it'll just go downhill with McG (We are Marshall, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle) on board. Then again, I am an absolutely huge Christian Bale fan and will watch anything he performs in. He's been choosing nothing but great roles for the last three years and I doubt he'd willingly jump on to what he thought was a sinking ship. Warner Bros. hopes the film will be a new beginning for the franchise and the start of a new trilogy.

In today's other Terminator 4 news, Sony has acquired the international distribution rights for the film.

We'll see come May 22nd, 2009 whether or not Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins will be worth the wait. Check back to MediaZEALOT leading up to its release as we'll keep you up to date on the film.

Cheers.

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Statham Back for Transporter 3

It looks like The Transporter franchise is looking to become a trilogy.

Jason Statham has signed on to do a third Transporter film which will shoot later this year in Russia and France. Francois Berleand (The Transporter) and Robert Knepper (Prison Break) have also been cast in the shoot-'em up action flick.

While I haven't seen the first Transporter film I unfortunately had the discomfort of sitting through the horrid sequel. The second film is a total disaster and, while it made $85-million worldwide, it was easily one of the worst films of 2005.



Thankfully Louis Leterrier, the director of the first two movies, will not be returning to helm the third. However, his replacement isn't very qualified either. Fox has named French director Oliver Megaton as Leterrier's replacement. Megaton has done some French TV work here and there and was Xavier Gens second-unit director on Hitman. It'll be interesting to see what the rookie director can do with his first big feature film, although I don't expect much. There has been no word on whether or not Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen will return to write the third film.

I will most likely be skipping this film come its unannounced 2009 release date. The second film was a terrible mess and I have every reason to believe the third will share the same fate.

Am I being too harsh on The Transporter franchise? Post a comment and let me hear all about it.

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Be Kind Rewind Review

Be Kind Rewind is a visual treat and a great film.

Be Kind Rewind, contrary to the trailer and popular belief, is not about two young men recreating famous films in an effort to save a VHS rental shop. Nor is it an over-the-top Jack Black comedy. The film, however, is about two men establishing a place in their environment and finding a passion for filmmaking along the way.



Jerry and Mike are two characters stuck in a rut. Mike, played by Mos Def, is an employee at a small-time VHS shop in an under-developed end of town. His friend Jerry, portrayed by Jack Black, is a slightly-delusional mechanic who lives in a trailer a block away. The two lack any sort of motivation but that all changes when the VHS shop's owner, Danny Glover, leaves town. Due to an event I won't spoil in this review Jerry becomes magnetized. VHS tapes and magnets don't mix and when Jerry enters the shop all the rentals go blank. Struggling to keep the store above water while the boss is away the duo start "Sweding" recreations of each film over its erased tape. The videos start generating a buzz and soon the shop is attracting more customers than ever.



The film's story may read as your typical "save the business" film but it's far from it. Director Michel Gondry has created a practical visual masterpiece that is far from traditional filmmaking. It jumps around as you wouldn't expect and at no time does it feel like you're in familiar territory or a moment borrowed from another film. It's such a joy to see what the French director pulls out of his bag of tricks and it never disappoints. While some will say Be Kind Rewind is not as visually stimulating as Gondry's past work it is still quite an artistic accomplishment.

Another complaint I've heard from a few critics is that the "Sweded" scenes in Be Kind Rewind break up the flow of the film and take you out of the experience. I disagree. Watching Mike and Jerry recreate scenes from Ghostbusters, Rush Hour 2, King Kong, and more is hilarious and kept me entertained throughout the film. It didn't break the fourth wall nor did it remove me from my element.



The acting in Be Kind Rewind is well worth a second look. Mos Def really delivers a terrific heartfelt performance in a breakout role. Jack Black is also quite good in the film. I'm not a fan of his but I have to admit he comes quite a long way with his performance. His character is rounded and develops naturally as the movie progresses, something not seen from Black before this film. Danny Glover is also terrific in the limited amount of scenes he's in. His has a very respected presence but doesn't fail to capture the comedic side of his character. Mia Farrow, Melonie Diaz, and Irv Gooch are also great in the film.

I really enjoyed Be Kind Rewind. It's not as tightly polished as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind but is still an excellent film. Michel Gondry is quickly becoming the most original visionary working in the business and it's a joy to see what he'll put on screen in every new feature film or music video he directs.

One Sentence Review: A complete treat of a film. | 8.1/10

Have you seen Be Kind Rewind? Post a comment and let me know what you thought of it.

Also, if you haven't seen it already, Michel Gondry Sweded a the film's trailer and posted it on YouTube a few days ago. Check it out below:



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Indiana Jones Mighty Muggs Revealed

Hasbro has released images of an Indiana Jones Mighty Mugg line.

Hasbro has released images of a Indiana Jones Mighty Muggs line to go along with their already released Star Wars and Marvel vinyl figures. I have been completely won over by the whole concept of Mighty Muggs and every new figure Hasbro shows off is just begging to end up on a shelf somewhere in my house.



The Indiana Jones Mighty Mugg lineup features Indy, Henry Jones, Mola Ramm (with beating heart accessory), Cairo Swordsman, and Monkey Man. Indy is arguably the best looking Mugg so far in my opinion and Sean Connery's likeness is spot on with the Henry Jones figure. I'll most likely pick up Indy, Henry, and the sweet Mola Ramm Muggs.



Hasbro hasn't yet announced the release date of these Muggs but one can speculate they'll hit shelves this summer.

Cheers.

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