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DVD New Releases – 9/15/2009

Every week I make a list of notable discs being released so I can figure out what I “need” to buy. ;) There’s only one completely new release this week along with several High Def upgrades of older releases, but there is a truly disturbing flick from last year’s Fantastic Fest.

• X-Men Origins: Wolverine – I didn’t see this on due to its atrocious reviews — 36% is the final tally at Rotten Tomatoes. It’ll be a big seller, but I’ll catch it when it streams on Netflix.
• Deadgirl – This story about teenage boys who find a live girl chained to a table in the basement of an abandoned asylum is hard to watch, destroying the envelope of acceptable behavior. I would probably buy it except that during the Q&A the filmmakers called it “every guy’s dream”. I have never dreamed of having a girl helplessly tied to a steel surgical trolley in the basement of an abandon asylum — actually I’m repulsed by the idea — and I’m not sure I can support someone who does dream for that.
• Hero – The first in a series of martial arts films (re)released today in Blu-Ray format. Many of them will be buried by this bulk release, but Hero is the best cinematography of the bunch, so it’s probably worth the upgrade.
• Iron Monkey – The second of the bulk martial arts releases. This one will surely get looked over as it is the least known, but it’s part of this set of “Quentin Tarantino Presents” discs so some hard-core fans will pick it up.
• The Legend of Drunken Master – The third of the bulk martial arts releases. Since it is one of Jackie Chan’s best, and his face graces the cover, it will probably see the most purchases.
• An American Werewolf in London – An Oscar winner (Best Makeup) and possibly the penultimate monster movie.
• Army of Darkness – Bruce Campbell’s third (but possibly not last) forray into Ash’s hilariously gory and silly fight against evil.
• Child’s Play – Chucky before he got franchised.
• Wrong Turn and Wrong Turn 2 – We saw the first one to support a BTVS alumnus, and the second one because Fantastic Fest forced it on us. I would only recommend the former…but only a little bit.
• Varsity Blues – Is it necessary to buy the upgraded version of a movie about Texas high school footbal just for a few seconds of Ali Larter in a whip cream bikini? I believe so.
• The Hannibal Lecter Anthology – Only one of these films is an Oscar winner, and they’re hoping you’ll buy the others in some belief that they don’t suck when they’re seen as a group.
• Casablanca – It’s won an Oscar. It’s a classic. It comes in an overpriced box set and if you wait a couple months you can get it cheaper in a stand-alone version.

• Misery – Lastly, another Oscar winner. Considering all the films that led up to this, who thought a Stephen King movie could produce an Oscar?

Blu-ray:

DVD:

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