SPEND YOUR MONEY!

NEW RELEASES

*Blu-Ray prices are in BOLD
BLUE
     
Machete                                                         $17  $22
The Last Exorcism                                          $18   $25
Case 39                                                          $18  $25
Dinner for Schmucks                                       $17  $22

DVD Sale

$7

The Cat in the Hat  (Mike Myers)
He’s Just Not That Into You
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
Horton Hears A Who (CG Animated)

$10

Star Trek (2009)
The Fantastic Mr. Fox
Sherlock Holmes
The Dark Knight


———————————————–

NEW RELEASES

*Blu-Ray prices are in BOLD
BLUE
   
Machete                                                         $16  $26
The Last Exorcism                                          $17   $23
Case 39                                                          $18  $25
Dinner for Schmucks                                       $17  $26    (get Anchorman Blu for $10 when you purchase with Dinner)

DVD Sale

$9.99

The Bigger Loser: Last Chance Workout
The Biggest Loser: 30-Day Jump Start
Bob Harper Cardio
Dance with Julianne: Just Dance
Pussycat Dolls Workout
Dancing with the Stars: Fat Burning Cardio Dance
Billy Blanks’ Tae Bo: Insane Abs
Personal Training with Jackie: Power Circuit

$34.99

Big Love: The Complete Fourth Season

BLU-RAY sale

$9.99

Dumb and Dumber
Happy Feet
Lethal Weapon
The Fugitive

$14.99

2012
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs


TV on DVD SALE

$12.99

Weeds: Season 1

$17.99

Mad Men: Season 1

$18.99

Two and a Half Men: Season 1

$22.99

Deadwood: Season 1
The Sopranos: Season 1

$24.99

Prison Break: Season 1

Video Game
Sales

Target

Sonic Colors: $39 (Wii)
Michael Jackson Experience: $39 (Wii)
Metroid Other M: $39 (Wii)
GoldenEye 007: $39 (Wii)
Lego Harry Potter: $39 (Wii)
Just Dance 2: $37 (Wii)
EA Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11: $39 (360/PS3/Wii)
My Sims Sky Heroes: $39 (Wii)

Best Buy

Your Shape Fitness Evolved: $34.99 (Kinect)
NFL Training Camp: $99.99 (Wii)
EA Sports Active 2: $59.99 (Kinect/PS3/Wii)
Kinect Sports: $49.99 (Kinect)
Dance Central: $49.99 (Kinect)
Zumba: $49.99 (Kinect)
Fighters Uncaged: $39.99 (Kinect)
Motionsports Play for Real: $39.99 (Kinect)
The World’s Biggest Loser: $39.99 (Kinect)
Michael Jackson Experience: $39.99 (Wii)
Gold’s Gym Dance Workout: $19.99(Wii)
Dance Dance Revolution: $59.99 (Wii)
Just Dance 2: $39.99 (Wii)
Halo Reach: $39.99 (360)
Fable III: $39.99 (360)
Mafia II: $29.99 (360/PS3)
Shaun White Skateboarding: $19.99 (360/PS3/Wii)

K-Mart

Just Dance Kids: $19.99 (Wii)
Gold’s Gym Dance Workout: $19.99 (Wii)
Just Dance 2: $29.99 (Wii)
Michael Jackson Experience: $39.99 (Wii)
Dance Central: $39.99 (Kinect)
Your Shape Fitness Evolved: $39.99 (KInect)
Kinect Sports: $39.99 (Kinect)
The World’s Biggest Loser: $39.99 (Kinect)


TOYS R US

– 20% off ALL Clearance games, IN STORE ONLY. Quantities limited, no rain checks
– Save $10 on the following 4 games:
Just Dance (Wii)
Just Dance 2 (Wii)
Just Dance Kids (Wii)
Michael Jackson Experience (Wii)

THIS
WEEK’S DVD REVIEWS at CHUD

Did
you miss a review this week? A lot of titles go unnoticed during the
hectic news days around the site.

Click
here to discover some of the latest DVD reviews.

THE REST OF
THE DVDs THIS WEEK

Big Love: The Complete Fourth Season
Bitter Feast
Bizarre Foods With Andrew Zimmern: Collection 4, Pt. 2
Camille
Case 39
Catfish
Cool Dog
Dinner For Schmucks
Dirty Tricks
Edge Of Dreaming
Enemy At The Door: Series Two
Good Neighbor Sam (Jack Lemmon Collection)
Gravitation: Complete DVD Collection
The Guilty (1991)
Gun
Howl
iCarly: Season Two, Vol. 2
Jamie Kennedy: Uncomfortable
Jr. Detective Agency
Koihime Muso: Complete First Season
Last American Cowboy (Animal Planet)
The Last Exorcism
Let Me Die Quietly
Life Unexpected: The Complete First Season
The Lost Boys (Reissue)
Machete
Make It Or Break It: Season One, Vol. 2
Mannix: The Fourth Season
1981
The Notorious Landlady (Jack Lemmon Collection)
Operation Mad Ball (Jack Lemmon Collection)
Phffft! (Jack Lemmon Collection)
The Ricky Gervais Show: The Complete First Season
Rocky And Bullwinkle And Friends: 100% Complete Bull – The Complete Series 1959-1964
The Sarah Jane Adventures: The Complete Third Season
Sci-Fi High
The Shadows
The Showdown
The Supreme Swordsman (Shaw Brothers)
The Sword Of Swords (Shaw Brothers)
Ticking Clock
Touching Home
Tsubasa: OVA Collection – Tokyo Revelations/Spring Thunder
UFC 121: Lesnar Vs. Velasquez
Under The Yum Yum Tree (Jack Lemmon Collection)
Visa Dream
Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! Wubbzy Be Mine
The Yellow Handkerchief

BLU-RAY: IT’S
GETTING CHEAPER

Airline Disaster
Backdraft
Battlestar Galactica (2000s): Season Four
Blade Runner: The Final Cut
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Season Eight Motion Comic (Blu-ray/DVD Combo)
Case 39
Catfish
China Circus: China Circus Elites/China Circus On Ice
Coraline (Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray/DVD Combo)
Dinner For Schmucks
8213: Gacy House
Ever After
Gun
HD Moods: Candles
Hope Floats
Howl (Blu-ray/DVD Combo)
Kurokami The Animation, Vol. 5
L.A. Confidential
The Last Exorcism (DVD/Blu-ray Combo)
Machete
El Mariachi/Desperado (Double Feature)
My Dog Skip
Once Upon A Time In Mexico
The Showdown
Ticking Clock
Tsubasa: OVA Collection – Tokyo Revelations/Spring Thunder
A Walk In The Clouds

Music

Section by Jeb D.

2010 RECAP: THE YEAR IN MY EARS

I’m not much good at this kind of list-making. To start, I’m never comfortable with the idea of “Bests”–to me, the empiricism of “best” suggests science, not art. And I’m acutely aware that there were thousands of albums released this year that I didn’t hear, and that there are probably local bands and writers out there, here and overseas, whose work would knock me out if I ever heard it.

Even the idea of “favorites” is a tricky one, as that can change so much with moods–both mine, and the world’s around me. Looking at the lists below, I’m already wondering how I left off perfectly enjoyable 2010 releases from Bryan Ferry, Teenage Fanclub, Black Dub, Brian Wilson, and dozens more. But somehow I did.

So, for better or worse, here’s the music from 2010 that is probably going to stick with me the most in years to come. It’s a highly personal listing, with no pretensions to definitiveness; hopefully, though, it might point you toward something you’ll enjoy that you hadn’t been aware of.

Ten From 2010 To Return To, Over and Over (with Amazon links)

Afrocubism. What first obsessed me on this one was the dazzling interplay of cross-cultural musical styles. What keeps me coming back again and again is the rich, passionate vocals of Eliades Ochoa, and the ongoing sense of discovery that each layer of instrumentation reveals. I mean– these dudes stole “Guantamera” back from Pete Seeger, and that takes some doing.

Antifogmatic, Punch Brothers. Traditional instrumentation is never a barrier to good contemporary thinking, or intriguing songwriting. From the frenzied breakdown that kicks off “Don’t Need No” to the wry fuckup’s confession of “Next To The Trash,” the album matches instrumental mastery with verbal wit, culminating in the lovely benediction of “This Is The Song (Good Luck).”  And just so you don’t think they’ve forgotten where all this stuff came from, they can tell you everything you need to know about “Rye Whiskey.” Plump the extra couple of bucks for the 2-CD edition, and feel your jaw drop at the instrumental virtuosity, always in service of thematically irresistible material.

Good Things, Aloe Blacc. Retro-soul and contemporary R&B got closer and snugglier than ever this year; for me, Blacc’s album was the standout in the field for having something besides nookie on its mind: a voice with the gritty silk of Marvin Gaye looking the American experience straight in the eye, and demanding “I Need A Dollar.” That might be the catchiest one, but the bitter “Miss Fortune,” “Politician,” and “Life So Hard” lay it on the line. And “Mama Hold My Hand” transcends questions of race and class to face the inevitability of age’s infirmity, and the burden it places on both young and old. Plus a Velvet Underground cover!

Guitars From Agadez, Vol. 3, Group Inerane. Over the past few years, the music of the various regions of the Sahara has been discovered by everyone from the BBC to Carlos Santana, and as a consequence, recent releases from leading groups like Tinariwe have had to carry something of the responsibility of cultural ambassador and preservationist. What caught my ear about this album was that it reminded me of the first time I heard the “desert blues:” raw, wild, and unfettered, with its hypnotic droning guitars and vocals that come from the heart of the nomad experience.

Harlem River Blues, Justin Townes Earle. I wonder if it’s due to the uncertainty of the times–political, economic, cultural–that American gospel music was a growing element in so much Western pop music this year: it’s not necessary to hold Christian beliefs (fundamental or otherwise) to long for art that expresses faith in something. Earle combined his natural country musician’s heritage with a quiet revivalist’s spirit to portray an America certain only of its weaknesses, but looking hopefully for its strengths.

Jasmine, Keith Jarrett and Charlie Haden. Jarrett’s mannered presentation has always annoyed me. It still does; among other things, his unnecessary vocalise can be maddeningly distracting in places on this album. But paired with Haden’s taste and intelligence, he delivers performances that are understated without being inexpressive, and this time demonstrates his technical mastery with emotional range, rather than dynamic.

Junky Star, Ryan Bingham. From his previous work, and the music in Crazy Heart, I’d expected some Joe Ely-style ruminative roadhouse, but this ragged masterpiece has even deeper roots: Hank Williams is here, but so are Woody Guthrie and Dave Van Ronk, Ewan MacColl and Josh White and Mississippi John Hurt. Bingham sings in a voice with the rawness of early Dylan, but with what feels like decades of hard living behind it. Maybe it’s the timing–this is the perfect moment for emotional insight into the hard facts of life for America’s underclass–but if I had to pick an album of the year, it’d be this one.

Songs From The Road, Leonard Cohen. I suppose I should have opened up this spot for something new-this is, after all, a live album with no new songs, and Cohen’s second in two years. But I can’t help the fact that I keep coming back to it: one of the great songwriters of American popular music making what is likely his last, definitive statement on a body of work nearly unparalleled in its empathy and bleak understanding of what makes us all too human.

What We Lose In The Fire, We Gain In The Flood, The Mynabirds. When I’m not listening for review purposes, I tend to leave my mp3 player on shuffle, and again and again during 2010, songs from this album–“LA Rain,” “Wash It Out,” “Let The Record Go”– would pop out of the mix and pull me up short with the variety and perfection of the arrangements, the alternately smooth and soulful vocals of Laura Burhenn, and the sheer aural bliss of hook after hook.

You Are Not Alone, Mavis Staples. Jeff Tweedy takes the handoff from T-Bone Burnett and runs with it. As with Cohen, this is the sound of an iconic American voice taking a look back at a lifetime of musical service to a higher being: that Cohen’s was our collective imperfect humanity, while Staples’ is a supposedly perfect savior, separates them by less than you might imagine. Tweedy matches her magnificent voice with perfect material and timeless instrumentation.

20 More From 2010 That Made Life Worth Living (with Amazon links)

The Archandroid, Janelle Monáe. Not only is she prettier than Bowie, this flight of sci-fi R&B fantasy is significantly funkier than Diamond Dogs. Makes more sense, too.

Band Of Joy, Robert Plant. Without Alison Krauss to fall back on, Plant has to reach around and find alien characteristics like subtlety and taste; and damn if he doesn’t do just that! What’s that about an old dog and tricks…?

The Big To-Do, Drive-By Truckers. On the one hand, Shonna Tucker’s writing will never fit as smoothly between Hood and Cooley as her ex-hubby did. On the other hand, her “(It’s Gonna Be) I Told You So” and “You Got Another” get just as straight to the point as “This Fucking Job.” Toss in song after song of the quality of Hood’s scary “The Wig He Made Her Wear” and Cooley’s “Birthday Boy” and you’ve got another hour of riveting listening from the toughest, smartest rock and roll band working today.

Contra, Vampire Weekend. Not much left to say about these guys (one of the most enjoyable second albums I’ve heard in years); this is what Sting might sound like if he was still fun.

Dark Eyes, Tomasz Stanko. Jazz from Eastern Europe doesn’t get a lot of exposure over here, so this haunting masterpiece is doubly welcome. 

Deleted Scenes From The Cutting Room Floor, Caro Emerald. Smoky nightclubbing, slinky jazz, bossa nova, James Bond guitar and irresistible contemporary dance beats all mixed in together in the form of a one-woman “Verve Remixed” album. Youtube her video of “That Man.”

Dream Attic, Richard Thompson. Thompson’s decision to record a new album of original material in a live setting had mixed results: on the one hand, some of the time spent on the logistics of travel, rehearsal, sound checks and the like might have been better spent polishing some of the lesser songs. On the other hand, the live sound is vivid, the ensemble playing is exhilarating, and as is typical for him in concert, Thompson stretches out masterfully on his Strat. Call it a win.

Here’s The Tender Coming, The Unthanks. Jaw-droppingly gorgeous, brutally unsentimental modern British folk from two sisters who harmonize like angels… but angels as familiar with sin as with salvation.

I Bring What I Love (Soundtrack), Youssou N’Dour. The remakes are fuller and tidier in sound than the original versions, but the vocals enlighten the originals with a lifetime’s refusal to abandon hope.

I Learned The Hard Way, Sharon Jones And The Dap-Kings.  Another delicious album of retro-soul from Jones and company; I like the fact that she’s relying less on James and Aretha, and adding some of the righteous fury of Nina Simone.

I’m Having Fun Now, Jenny And Johnny. Societal and financial crisis as metaphor for fractured romance, set to gorgeous, swooning power pop from Jenny Lewis and Johnathan Rice.

The Kudzu Ranch, Southern Culture On The Skids. Rick Miller’s tongue in cheek white trash songwriting and Dick-Dale-Meets-John Fogerty guitar, combined with Mary Huff’s seductive vocals and supple bass playing, combine for one helluva party, and the surf-guitar mashup of “Come As You Are” and “Lucifer Sam” is my fave cover of the year.

Lady Killer, Cee-Lo Green. Given the degree to which “Fuck You” became the topic of conversation, that single would have overwhelmed lesser albums, but the astonishingly rich and varied musical palette on display had the opposite effect: I keep forgetting that “Fuck You” is even on here.

Living Proof, Buddy Guy. In a pretty decent year for the blues, an old master shreds the competition: Muddy Waters needed a comeback to sound this vital; Guy’s never gone away. “I been around the world / Everywhere is home / Drank wine with kings / And the Rolling Stones.“

Majesty Shredding, Superchunk. The breathless thrill of a sheer wall of guitar sound, and harmonies that skew from the expected in a way that wakes up and refreshes the ear. The playing is sharp and joyous; song after song becomes an instant anthem, with inescapable choruses, and moments like the “one moooore tiiiime” of “Slow Drip” or the “oh-ooohh-oooohhhh!” of “Digging For Something” will lodge in your brain like a happy summer memory.

Sea Of Cowards, The Dead Weather. Compositionally, White may be spreading himself a bit thin these days, but this was among the most glorious sheer noise albums of the year.

The Soft Pack, The Soft Pack. Their name is now softer (they used to be The Muslims), but they rock harder. Nice. Plus: California secedes! “Don’t butt heads! / Cut out the Feds!“

Street Songs Of Love, Alejandro Escovedo. The last True Believer got off his deathbed a few years back and has since delivered his most potent music yet. Choose from “Faith” (his duet with Bruce Springsteen), the beat-heavy title song, or the huge guitar hook that opens the album, and his open-hearted declaration “I’m in love with love!“

Tin Can Trust, Los Lobos. Easily their most varied and kinetic since Colossal Head, from the intensity of “Burn It Down” to the frantic workout of “Do The Murray” to the offhand, black-comic imperialist cartoon of “27 Spanishes.”

Volume 2, She & Him. She’s still our wide-eyed 21st-century Carole King, he’s still the lo-fi Brian Wilson. Like the first album, the pop is irresistible, and Deshcanel’s writing is rescued from the nostalgic sweep by its lack of melodrama, and the matter-of-factness in her voice. The Persephone metaphor may be a bit of a reach, but as a piece of advice, “be kind to yourself” is refreshingly useful for pop music.

101 More Albums From 2010 That Are Definitely Worth Your Time

The Age Of ADZ, Sufjan Stevens
Ain’t Got No Troubles, Eden Brent
Airtight’s Revenge, Bilal
Ali & Toumani, Ali Farka Toure & Toumani Diabate
American VI: Ain’t No Grave, Johnny Cash
Astro Coast, Surfer Blood
Bandadois, Gilberto Gil
Barbara, We Are Scientists
Be My Thrill, The Weepies
Be Yourself, Kenny Burrell
Better Listen, Johnny Flynn
Biters and It’s OK To Like Biters, Biters
The Black Dirt Sessions, Deer Tick
Blue Eyed Black Boy, Balkan Beat Box
Broken Bells, Broken Bells
Brothers, The Black Keys
The Brutalist Bricks, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
California Hitchhike, Iggy Pop
Chiaroscuro, Ralph Towner and Paolo Fresu
Cookin’ In Mobile, Robert Cray
Country Music, Willie Nelson
Crazy For You, Best Coast
Dakar-Kingston, Youssou N’Dour
Dark Night Of The Soul, Sparklehorse And Danger Mouse
Darker Circles, The Sadies
Diamonds In The Dirt, Joanne Shaw Taylor
Doo-Wops & Hooligans, Bruno Mars
Downtown Church, Patty Griffin
Esta Bueno, Texas Tornados
Everything Under The Sun, Jukebox The Ghost
False Priest, Of Montreal
The Family Jewels, Marina And The Diamonds
Feed My Soul, The Holmes Brothers
For The Ghosts Within, Robert Wyatt
Forgiveness Rock Record, Broken Social Scene
Genuine Negro Jig, Carolina Chocolate Drops
Gift, Eliza Carthy & Norma Waterson
Go, Jonsi
Goodbye Killer, Pernice Brothers
Green Blimp, Dwight Twilley
Grinderman 2, Grinderman
Hands, Dave Holland And Pepe Habichuela
Head First, Goldfrapp
Heaven Is Whenever, The Hold Steady
Hickory Wind: Live At The Gram Parsons Guitar Pull, Charlie Louvin
High Violet, The National
How I Got Over, The Roots
I Am What I Am, Merle Haggard
I Will Be, Dum Dum Girls
III / IV, Ryan Adams And The Cardinals
I’m New Here, Gil Scott-Heron
Intriguer, Crowded House
It’s A Good Day, Asleep At The Wheel With Leon Rausch
Judy Sucks A Lemon For Breakfast, Cornershop
Keep Calm And Carry On, Stereophonics
King Of The Beach, Wavves
Lisbon, The Walkmen
Live At Itunes Festival, Mumford & Sons, Laura Marling, And Dharohar Project
Love & Its Opposite, Tracey Thorn
Maximum Balloon, Maximum Balloon
Mayhem, Imelda May
Medicine Show No. 3: Beat Konducta In Africa, Madlib
Midnight Souvenirs, Peter Wolf
Mirror, Charles Lloyd Quartet
Mojo, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
The Monitor, Titus Andronicus
Moon, Queen Of Night On Earth, Jonathan Richman
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Kanye West
National Ransom, Elvis Costello
Never Stop, The Bad Plus
Northern Aggression, Steve Wynn And The Miracle 3
Nothing’s Impossible, Solomon Burke
Old Devils, Jon Langford and Skull Orchard
Out Of Our Minds, Melissa Auf Der Maur
Pictures, The Len Price 3
Praise & Blame, Tom Jones
Propellor Time, Robyn Hitchcock
Read About Love, Belle and Sebastian
Reckless, Steeldrivers
Red Dog Speaks, Elvin Bishop
Rise & Shine, Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars
Rock Dust Light Star, Jamiroquai
Romance Is Boring, Los Campesinos!
The Secret Sisters, The Secret Sisters
Sidewalks, Matt & Kim
Small Craft On A Milk Sea, Brian Eno
Sophisticated Ladies, Charlie Haden Quartet West
Star Tiger Star Ariel, Delays
The Suburbs, Arcade Fire
Swanlights, Antony and the Johnsons
Ten, Jason Moran
This Is Happening, LCD Soundsystem
Through Low Light & Trees, Smoke Fairies
Together, New Pornographers
Trans-Continental Hustle, Gogol Bordello
Travelling Like The Light, V.V. Brown
True Love Cast Out All Evil, Roky Erickson And Okkervil River
The Way Of The World, Mose Allison
We Walk This Road, Robert Randolph And The Family Band
Welder, Elizabeth Cook
The Winter of Mixed Drinks, Frightened Rabbit

2010’s Top Reissues, Repackagings, and Regurgitations

Bitches Brew 40th Anniversary Collector’s Edition, Miles Davis
The Bootleg Series Volume 9: The Witmark Demos 1962-1964, Bob Dylan
CTI Records – The Cool Revolution, Various Artists
James Brown at the Garden, James Brown
Live On The Sunset Strip, Otis Redding
Next Stop Soweto, Volumes 1-3, Various Artists
The Promise, Bruce Springsteen
Rare Genius: The Undiscovered Masters, Ray Charles
Rev. Gary Davis At Home & Church (1962-1967), Rev. Gary Davis
West Coast Seattle Boy, Jimi Hendrix

LOST IN SHADOW
Hudson Soft
Wii
1/4
MSRP: $39.99

CLICK TO BUY FROM AMAZON!!

The only problem I foresee with Lost In Shadow is the fact that Hudson Soft hasn’t exactly been a brand of quality since their games involve fat dudes riding skateboards around islands while chucking boomerangs at dinosaurs, and if you know of what I refer, thank you for being ancient with me, you fuckers. Either way, the studio involved is the only questionable aspect in what looks like a genuinely innovative, creative title with a so-obvious-of-course-nobody’s-thought-of-it-till-now gimmick that pretty much has the week all to itself. Well, that, and the fact that it’s on the goddamned Wii.

OOOHHHH: ON THE DLC TIP

ilomilo
Southend Interactive
XBox Live
1/5
800 MS pts

ilomilo reminds me of this little budget title called Cookie and Cream that came out for PS2 and DS long ago. It’s not a bad comparison, since it’s got the same combo of charm, and extremely fun co-op. ilomilo just involves less pink. Feel better, macho men?

ROCK BAND TUESDAY

Johnny Cash Pack 01 ($13.49/1080 MS pts)

• Cry, Cry, Cry
• Don’t Take Your Guns to Town
• Five Feet High and Rising
• Folsom Prison Blues
• I Got Stripes
• I Walk the Line X
• Tennessee Flat Top Box X
• The Ballad of Ira Hayes

Rock Band Free Pack 01 (FREE!)

• Abnormality – Visions
• Anarchy Club – Get Clean
• Bang Camaro – Night Lies
• Breaking Wheel – Shoulder to the Plow
• Libyans – Welcome to the Neighborhood
• The Main Drag – A Jagged Gorgeous Winter
• Speck – Conventional Lover
• The Sterns – Supreme Girl
• That Handsome Devil – Rob the Prez-O-Dent

$1.99/160 MS pts per track
X-Pro Guitar and Pro Bass expansion available for 99 cents/80 MS pts

That Johnny Cash pack is required downloading. Not even negotiable. Yes, that means you’re screwed, bassists and drummers. DEAL WITH IT. It’s Johnny fucking Cash. Objections should be not be raised about getting to play Folsom Prison Blues in any format ever.

The Rock Band Free pack should look familiar. No idea why these weren’t exportable from the RB2 disc, but regardless, Harmonix still has us all covered. Having said that, there’s a few catchy bits in there, but Rob The Prez-O-Dent’s the MVP in that list. Such the awesome tune. Visions, on the other hand, is the kind of thing you hope somebody’s serving hard time for pressing onto a disc.

The Week of January 4th, 2011

GROUP EDITED by: TROY ANDERSON

DVD/BR
SECTION by: Troy Anderson

MACHETE

Directors: Robert Rodriguez and Ethan Maniquis
20th Century Fox

CLICK HERE TO BUY IT AT AMAZON!

Special Features

• Audience Reaction Track
• Deleted Scenes

Machete took
a strong fake trailer and turned into a feature that was entirely driven by exposition. While I love Rodriguez and his modern tech driven B-movies, I can’t help but wonder if it wasn’t fair to let Trejo in on the joke. Alba, Johnson, Sabara and the others seemed to get that they were making the kind of movie that Cannon Films used to shit out like so much brown water. But, there was something else going on in this feature. Danny Trejo was bringing his A-game and he carried every scene that he was in. Which is a shame, since everybody else in the film felt like they were seconds away from a Dom DeLuise spit take. FOX didn’t really stack this release which leads me to believe that a Rodriguez fueled special edition could be around the corner.

CATFISH
directors: Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman

CLICK HERE TO BUY IT AT AMAZON!

Special Features 

Catfish was the first in an onslaught of films that left me floored by the end of 2010. Clearly it’s the best film about Facebook released in 2010, as it shows you what having an extended social reach does to people. The content moves past the casual white lies and shows off a world that’s being redefined by over-reaching access to all individuals. When you finally arrived at the much hyped secret in the film, you aren’t that surprised. The viewer becomes just as guilty for turning this sad journey into a voyeuristic jaunt. Fincher’s The Social Network hits Home Video next week and I can’t think of a finer double feature than those two flicks.

THE RICKY GERVAIS SHOW: SEASON 1
creator: Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant and Karl Pilkington

CLICK HERE TO BUY IT AT AMAZON!

SPECIAL FEATURES