Invictus – Did anyone see this in the theater? I bet it was good…just not as good as all the Oscar winners it was released against.

When in Rome [Blu-ray] – The critics hated this, and despite my massive crush on Kristen Bell, I listened to them and never saw it.

Greatest American Hero: The Complete Series – I think there’s a parallel between this getting released within a week of “Heroes” getting canceled. Both of them started with promise and ended with whackness.

Tokyo Gore Police 1.5 (2pc) (Dub Sub) – This Fantastic Fest favorite gets a “Special Edition” release. This is one of those movies that if you haven’t heard of it, it probably isn’t your thing.

p.s. Also being released today is Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus [Blu-ray], a movie that got a lot of buzz just for the title, but I don’t remember anyone saying they liked it.

Daybreakers [Blu-ray] – I wasn’t bowled over by this movie when I reviewed it at Fantastic Fest but I’m starting to come around after reading some of the positive reviews for it. Sometimes distance can make the mundane seem interesting.

Edge of Darkness – I love revenge movies so when I tell you this movie was “ok” then you should probably avoid it.

Hang Em High (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) [Blu-ray] – This isn’t Clint Eastwood’s best film, but even a mediocre Eastwood film is a great one.

High Anxiety [Blu-ray] – This isn’t Mel Brooks’s best film, but even a mediocre Brooks film is a great one.

History of the World Part 1 [Blu-ray] or Robin Hood: Men in Tights [Blu-ray] – Sometimes I feel like I’m repeating myself.

The Karate Kid [Blu-ray], The Karate Kid, Part II [Blu-ray], or The Karate Kid / The Karate Kid, Part II Boxed Set [Blu-ray] – Of course I have to own the 80’s classic, and if it’s only $10 more for the sequel I suppose I’ll get that, too.

M (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] – When Criterion puts out a classic Peter Lorre and Fritz Lang movie, we should all be compelled to buy it.

Magnificent Seven Collection (4pc) (P&S Ws) [Blu-ray] – One of the most iconic Westerns of all time bundled with three of the most unremarkable sequels of all time.

Rock ‘N’ Roll High School (Roger Corman’s Cult Classics) [Blu-ray] – Roger Corman made the ‘B’ in Budget movie a capital letter, and he included the awesome raw punk power of the Ramones.

Daria: The Complete Animated Series – There’s probably a very narrow age range of potential buyers for this set, and I fit in it.

Nine [Blu-ray] – I love a good musical, and I respect Fellini. I really wish I had seen this in the theater.

Saving Private Ryan [Blu-ray] – Is there any question that the opening scene of this movie is long deserving of the HD treatment?

Doctor Zhivago Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray Book) – Omar Sharif, Alec Guiness, 5 Oscar wins with another 5 nominations, and it comes in a special case with a bunch of extras? Movie geek crack.

Hamlet [Blu-ray] – Doctor Who, Shakespeare, and Star Trek the Next Generation fans are all in the demographic of this 2009 BBC release starring David Tennant and Patrick Stewart.

Fallen, Fallen: The Destiny and Fallen: The Beginning – Tom Skerritt and Bryan Cranston co-star in this trilogy lead by one of the CW’s rising stars, Paul Wesley of “Vampire Diaries”. How can this series that I’ve never heard of before be bad? especially since it was made for TV (ABC Family) and it appears that the sequels are actually cobbled together from a mini-series?

Elektra (2005) (Ws Dir Dub Sub Ac3 Dol Dts) [Blu-ray] – I find it very hard to believe that there is any way to recut this movie so it wouldn’t stink.

District 13: Ultimatum [Blu-ray] or District B13/District 13: Ultimatum 2-Pack [Blu-ray] – The plot for B13’s sequel is weak, but it leaves plenty of opportunity for some action-tastic awesomeness. If you liked the first one for the acrobatic parkour and fighting choreography, you’ll find a lot of fun in this one.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus [Blu-ray] – Set aside the heart-warming fact that Heath Ledger’s friends stepped up to help finish this movie after his tragic death. Set aside how magically Terry Gilliam wove the pieces of this film that was doomed to remain incomplete. Set all that aside, and I think this is exactly the kind of carnival show that we want from Terry Gilliam. It was one of my favorite movies last year and I can’t wait to watch it again.

WTF?: Four Twenty-One – check out the review on Amazon, “…about how our government used to use young boys to track down aliens…”

K-20: Fiend With Twenty Faces (Ws Sub Ac3 Dol) – I saw this at Fantastic Fest 2010, and loved it. It takes so long for these to reach America, that I’m surprised this is already getting a release. It is Japan’s answer to Batman, and in many ways it’s better.

Collateral [Blu-ray] – I really am trying to avoid Blu-Ray upgrades “in this economy” but the cinematography on this great thriller is worth it. Was this before or after we found out Tom Cruise was crazy?

An Education [Blu-ray] – One of the best movies of last year, I am moved by Carey Mulligan’s performance, and the story is one of those capitol-I Important ones.

Sherlock Holmes (Limited-Edition Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy) – I was not very impressed, which in contrast to my love of the character makes the movie disappointing.

Sports Night: Season One – This is possibly my favorite TV show of all time, but I don’t think I can be suckered into buying it again. How many freaking DVD versions of one cancelled TV show can they make?

Lastly, here are a couple items that popped up on my list that intrigue me, but I can’t bring myself to risk the $ on them: High Kick Girl and Girly (aka Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny and Girly) (1969)

The Blind Side (Limited-Edition Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy) – I loved this movie, and sports fans will be hooked in the first five minutes. That said, Sandra Bullock had a great performance but it wasn’t Oscar-worthy (and I think she knows it.)

Fantastic Mr. Fox [Blu-ray] – The music and artistry in this movie are incredible. I’m looking forward to seeing it again, to see if it holds up.

The Italian Job [Blu-ray] – I picked this up on HD-DVD for $5, so even though it’s been “remastered” I’m not sure that I’m willing to buy it again.

The Men Who Stare At Goats [Blu-ray] – You know how they make those movies that have an incredible cast, but the whole is somehow much less than the parts?

Toy Story (Two-Disc Special Edition Blu-ray/DVD Combo w/ Blu-ray Packaging) and Toy Story 2 (Two-Disc Special Edition Blu-ray/DVD Combo w/ Blu-ray Packaging) – Damn Disney, this is is exactly the kind of upgrade I can’t pass up.

Yojimbo & Sanjuro (Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] – It’s heresy for me to say that I don’t love to watch Kurosawa’s movies. I recognize that he’s one of the most influential film makers ever, and when I watch them I can certainly recognize their importance, but I only have a clinical appreciation for his films. However, since Criterion is going to bundle these two movie in one box set, I think I’ll have to add it to my collection.

Red Cliff (Theatrical Version) [Blu-ray] (or Red Cliff International Version – Part I & Part II [Blu-ray]) – There was a lot of controversy with the American cut of this film, and it probably is only appealing to history buffs.

Astropia – This Fantastic Fest favorite from 2008 is finally getting a DVD release. It should be a big underground hit, if only because it allows nerds to think there is a chance that a non-nerdy hot girl could be converted into a comic-reading game player. Check out video embeds of interviews with the filmmakers with my original review back in 2008.

Zombies of Mass Destruction – Lastly, for my buddy @ThinkZombie is this week’s big zombie movie release.

Ninja Assasin (Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy) – As cartoonishly violent and rock-n-roll fun as the trailer suggests, Rain (Korean pop superstar) was the perfect man to star in this movie.

Vengeance Trilogy (Sympathy for Mr. Vegeance/Oldboy/Lady Vengeance) – If you just can’t wait until June 15th for the Blu-ray version, or if you only have a DVD player, then this is a perfect violent Korean art-house counterbalance to the American-made Korean-starring Ninja Assassin.

The Princess and The Frog (Three Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo with Digital Copy) – I’ve heard so many mixed reviews for Disney’s first traditionally cel-animated movie in decades that I couldn’t bring myself to watch it.

The Twilight Saga: New Moon [Blu-ray] – On top of all the things you can say are stupid about the Twilight series, add that they decided to release their movie on Saturday instead of Tuesday. This reeks of the worst (and most pointless) marketing ideas that exist.

Twilight in Forks-Saga of the Real Town – The leeches trying to make money from the Twilight series are perfectly on schedule. (Maybe I’m being unfair. Maybe someone with a good heart really felt strongly about the real town behind the fictional story.)

Bandslam – My wife LOVES any movie that ends in a dance-off or similar situation, and this teen flick does have a freshness rating of !!! 80% !!!, so I bet I get to see it soon.

Billy: The Early Years Of Billy Graham – I was raised in an evangelical church in the `80’s, so this biopic starring Martin Landau, directed by 70/80`s Teen Beat cover boy Robby Benson is a must see.

Smash Cut – I avoided this at Fantastic Fest last year (despite being the Adam Green short lead-in) and the reviews verify that it’s a stinker.

Up in the Air [Blu-ray] – There’s a reason both women were nominated for Best Supporting Actress, the movie was nominated for Best Film and Jason Reitman is no longer a phenom, but an expert director.

Precious: Based on the Novel – I haven’t seen this yet, but sources I trust assure me there is more under the hood than the after-school-special trailer leads you to believe.

The Stoning of Soraya M. [Blu-ray] – I missed this in theaters, but the (based on a true) story of a journalist in a middle east village where a brave woman is willing to tell the truth intrigues me. (This is also available on Netflix’s watch-it-now.)

The Brothers Warner – I love to hear stories about the actual people behind film (or film behemoths) so I’m excited to got to see this.

Gigante A festival film with a 92% freshness rating…and I haven’t seen it. Good thing it’s on Netflix’s watch-it-now.

Scarecrow and Mrs. King: The Complete First Season – I have a friend who is probably waiting at the Best Buy right now so she can rush in and snatch up a copy before they’re sold out.

Where the Wild Things Are [Blu-ray] – Spike Jonze and Dave Eggers really did a number to this classic children’s book. It is not the playful romp, read before bed. It is a deeply beautiful treatise on strongly bonded friendships: making them, keeping them, losing them. It isn’t so much a departure from the book as it is a mature facet of a story that could lie beneath the surface.

We Live In Public – There are so many layers of narcissism in this documentary (about a man who could be credited with inventing the concepts of content for online streaming video) that you may mistakenly accept the underlying conceit that technology will be responsible for the end of privacy. Don’t believe the technophobes and their conspiracy theories.

Bronson – This was received well-enough at Fantastic Fest and it is a fun movie, but I was unimpressed with Tom Hardy’s ability to deliver Shakespeare, which is essential to pull off the grandiose heights the filmmakers were aiming for.

A Serious Man – Even this goy loved this incredibly Jewish movie. Artistically, this is the Coen Brothers’ best movie (though certainly not the funniest.)

Midgets vs. Mascots (Unrated) – I’m not sure how I missed this arthouse gem highlighted be a fistfight between Gary Coleman and Scottie Pippen. It also stars Jason Mewes (who is always funny), that guy from In Bruges who we all thought was Peter Dinklage, and Little Richard.

Zombieland [Blu-ray] – This was the one of the best movies of 2009. It’s funny, well-shot, well-acted. It’s nearly perfect.

Walk the Line [Blu-ray] – Reese Witherspoon delivers one of the best female performances of all time. Is it a reflection of the force of June Carter Cash’s role in Johnny Cash’s life? This is an upgrade I have no trouble making.

Spiral [Blu-ray] – I love Amber Tamblyn, and I think this is Joel David Moore and Adam Green at the top of their game. This goes on the creepy shelf right next to Psycho.

The House of the Devil [Blu-ray] – I made the mistake of seeing Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever the same week I had The House of the Devil on my schedule. After the stinky mess of CF2:SF I couldn’t imaging that THofD was worth seeing, but all the 80’s horror fans love it. I’ll probably catch it streaming online.

Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior [Blu-ray] and Ong Bak 2: The Beginning [Blu-ray] – I hear Ong Bak 2 is pretty bad, and I’m not sure I’m ready to buy Ong Bak a fourth time, even if it’s better quality.

Universal Soldier: Regeneration [Blu-ray] – After the phenomenal JCVD my hopes were up that this reunion of Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren would be at least tolerable, but this movie sucks hard.

Jack Ketchum’s The Girl Next Door [Blu-ray] is nothing like that other The Girl Next Door movie. The latter is a cheap comedy about an empowered porn star and her underage peeping-tom neighbor. The former is a master-crafted (based on a true) story about a girl who is abused and tortured. This is one of those films that draws the line for how a really well made movie can be almost unwatchable due to the nature of the story.

The Music Man [Blu-ray] – I loves me a good musical, and this is one of my top five favorites.

The Oscar winner release season continues with several movies that don’t really interest me:

The Godfather – The Coppola Restoration Giftset (The Godfather / The Godfather Part II / The Godfather Part III) [Blu-ray] (also available individually as The Godfather (Coppola Restoration) [Blu-ray] and The Godfather Part II (Coppola Restoration) [Blu-ray]) – I’ve never been a fan of the gangster genre, but I’d be remiss to not mention the best of them all is coming out this week. There were three Oscar wins for the original (Best Actor: Marlon Brando; Best Picture; Best Writing) with eight additional nominations, and six wins (Best Actor: De Niro; Best Art Direction; Best Director; Best Original Score; Best Picture; Best Writing) for the sequel plus five additional nominations.

Mystic River [Blu-ray] – This won two Oscars (Best Actor: Sean Penn; Best Supporting Actor: Tim Robbins) and four additional nominations.

Gangs of New York (Remastered) [Blu-ray] – It didn’t win any awards, but it had an impressive ten nominations.

Atonement [Blu-ray] Being nominated in 2008 — the year of No Country for Old Men and There Will be Blood — was a harsh buzz kill to many films. Saoirse Ronan was nominated for Best Supporting Actress (and she’ll be nominated for best actress this year for The Lovely Bones, no doubt.) The screenplay, art direction and costumes were nominated. It had amazing cinematography in a year that every nominee deserved to win a cinematography award. I will be cross-grading my HD-DVD to Blu-Ray for this.

Whip It [Blu-ray] – I was disappointed in the lack of rock-n-roll girl power in this movie, but the quiet things it says about girls finding empowerment at the same time they’re meeting boys is worth telling. (Boo on Barrymore for filming this Austin-based story in Detroit.)

Michael Jackson: This Is It [Blu-ray] – Is the 80% freshness rating for this doc on the 80’s icon’s last show prep worth it? or is it a sympathy rating? I’ll rent it to find out.

Paris, Texas [Blu-ray] – Criterion is really pulling at my purse-strings releasing a Sam Shepard storied, Texas based, Harry Dean Stanton starring, Ry Cooder music’d movie. I think I’m required by several regulations to buy this.

Pride & Prejudice [Blu-ray] – Nominated for four Academy Awards, including then-new-comer Keira Knightley for Best Actress, this is another must-own.

Fame [Blu-ray] – The classic 80’s musical comes to Blu-Ray. It was nominated for six Academy Awards, and it won two.

Soul Power [Blu-ray] – I haven’t seen it, but I hear great things about one of the greatest soul concerts in history.

Bright Star – I’m down with costume period dramas, particularly when they have an 83% freshness rating. I didn’t know this movie existed, but I’m adding it to my NetFlix queue.

The Boys Are Back – Another movie I haven’t heard about, and it only has a 73% freshness rating, but I’ll add it to my NetFlix queue and let it sit at the bottom for a rainy day.

The Donner Party – Crispin Glover starred in a movie based on the classic true American cannibalism story?!? and I missed it at Austin Film Festival?!?

Hard Revenge Milly: Hyper Violence Collection (two Hard Revenge Milly movies) – I saw this double feature at Fantastic Fest. If you like the hyper-violent crazy-weapon style of Japanese chop-socky exploitation then you’ll like this movie. I felt it would have made a better pair of short films, since I don’t need to really feel the character’s motivation.

Pontypool – This was shown during the Fantastic Fest sponsored midnight shows for SXSW, and it is highly reviewed. Fans of independent zombie films should be excited.

LOST Unraveling the Mystery – I’m not so much of a Lost fan that I’d watch this and play the included “mystery game”, but sometimes I wish I was.

Pawn Stars: The Complete Season 1 – There’s not much replay-ability in this tv show, but watch for the NetFlix release and add it to your Instant Queue. This show, about a family in Las Vegas that runs a pawn shop, is surprisingly educational while it entertains.

Unquestionably, this is one of the best movies I saw last year. Due to the juggling of release dates and distribution points, I don’t know if it would qualify for any Academy Awards, but it is phenomenal and deserves numerous awards.

This is probably the most beautiful film made last year. Any war time film is painful, and like most good war movies this one is not always about physical violence. It will be nominated for several Academy Awards, and it’s currently my favorite for cinematography and sound editing and design.

It’s Fellini’s greatest film. It’s hard to step back from this, and decide if non-cinephiles would like it.

I love this movie. It’s not perfect, but in the vein of romantic long-con films it is wonderful.

If you didn’t order the UK region-free release, now you can get a copy here in the U.S. Another great film with Oscar written all over it in invisible ink. Will Sam Rockwell be nominated for best actor, or will he be up for best supporting actor with Kevin Spacey taking an actor nom?

There was a lot of critical love for this — 95% freshness rating on RT — but I’m not a fan of the frenetic story, nor what I see as the unfunny parts of British comedy. Still, it was great to see Anna Chlumsky in a big movie, and I can’t stop using the line “difficult, difficult, lemon, difficult”.

Patton Oswalt is, stand-alone, one of the funniest people I’ve seen, and this movie has an 88% freshness rating, so I can only blame it’s very short theatrical release for my not seeing it.

I still haven’t seen last year’s Academy Award winner for Foreign Film. I guess now I have no excuse (other than the potential depressing story line.)

After being so well-received at a number of festivals, and being nominated for several awards, and having an 87% freshness rating, I should have seen this too before it came out on DVD. Now, I’ll get my chance.

I’m only listing this because it seems so bizarre: a 1980 film, made in Italy, set in the USA, about prostitutes who help a man open a truck stop. Has this ever shown at Weird Wednesday? It seems like exactly the kind of thing they’d enjoy showing.

Starring Austin’s own Wiley Wiggins (who is a regular at Weird Wednesday) and directed by the Zellner brothers (childhood friends of my wife) this is another movie that I’ve taken too long to find a copy. If Best Buy carries it, this will be in my shopping cart tomorrow.

This is one of my favorite teen comedies of all time. It probably isn’t worth the upgrade to Blu-Ray, but I’m a sucker.

I probably should have bought the series box set that came out in July. I’ll probably line Universal’s pockets by upgrading all my individual seasons one at a time like this.

I didn’t see this is in the theater, and I’ll probably not buy it until circular polarization 3D is available in the home, but I may rent it before then.

This was not good unless all you wanted was the incredulous chain-reaction death scenes, and (again) without being able to do circular polarization 3D at home it will lose the minuscule amount of theatrical magic it might have had to begin with.

A documentary about the science and art of origami? Yes, I’m dorky enough that I’m dying to rent this.

I have never heard of this movie. It has no ratings on Rotten Tomatoes. I’ve never heard of the male star, and the female star has done such blockbusters as Disturbia, The Grudge 2, and Wristcutters: A Love Story. …but it has a supporting cast with the likes of Snoop Dog, Rachael Leigh Cook, Joe Pantoliano, Mimi Rogers, Annette O’Toole and Ajay “Nagheenanajar, Nag-hee-na-na-jar, it’s pronounced like it’s spelled” Naidu. …and I’m pretty sure I can pick it up real cheap.

This was detested by genre fans at Fantastic Fest 2008. I skipped seeing it that year (which seems like a good thing), but I’m sure the boobies look great in HD.

Lastly, the quirky movie Adam isn’t out on retail DVD until 2/2, but you can rent it starting tomorrow. I haven’t seen it but I was intrigued by the trailers, and it has a 65% freshness rating.