In a new feature at Inside Pulse Movies, we compile all the best deals on new DVD and Blu-ray releases, as well as report on some that are so good they’re criminal. Brick-and-mortar stores include Target, Best Buy, Wal-Mart and Fry’s Electronics. Amazon deals are also in the mix.
Signaling the start of this summer’s blockbuster season, Iron Man 2 opened to big numbers. Robert Downey Jr. IS Tony Stark/Iron Man and he fits the character like a reformed addict should. While the chemistry he had with Gwyneth Paltrow in the first one is lessened, due to new characters and multiple subplots, the banter they have when together snaps and crackles. Building on the success of Iron Man, Marvel spared no expense at littering the screen with a dazzling array of newfangled weapons, Iron Man clones, and of course Mickey Rourke with his gold tooth. The movie was one of the big hits of the summer, but couldn’t match its predecessor in terms of overall quality. I liked the addition of Sam Rockwell in an egomanical role, trying to outperform Tony Stark. The announcement of Scarlett Jo as Black Widow had many fanboys crying foul – wanting someone like Emily Blunt instead – but the way she handled herself against Rockwell’s security goons, while wearing black leather, had doubters going from six to midnight ready to exclaim, “I think I’m in love with her, dude.”
When I originally reviewed Iron Man 2, I complained that fans of the first film might complain that there’s too much exposition and too little action. Plus the dialogue isn’t always pertaining to the movie they are watching. It does a lot to set up The Avengers movie in 2012, so it feels like a two-hour lead-in to a movie that won’t arrive for two more years. Though, all this nitpicking aside, it could be worse. The Iron Man suit could have had nipples.
Notable Extras: DVD&BD – Commentary by Jon Favreau, AC/DC Music Video, Deleted Scenes, Featurettes; BD Exclusives – S.H.I.E.L.D. Data Vault, More Featurettes, More Deleted Scenes, Making-of Documentary, Concept Art Gallery, Theatrical Trailers
BEST DVD PRICE – 2-Disc DVD
Target – N/A
Best Buy – $22.99
Fry’s – N/A
Amazon – $22.99
BEST BLU-RAY PRICE – 3-Disc Combo Pack
Target – $29.99
Best Buy – $24.99 (doorbuster price $21.99 for the first two hours of business on Tuesday, Sept. 28)
Fry’s – N/A
Amazon – $24.99
Coming two years after Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Nicholas Stoller’s Get Him to the Greek is an R-rated comedy about idolism. Well, sort of. It’s more a road trip movie involving a record company intern, Aaron Green (Jonah Hill), who is given the assignment to go to London and chaperone out-of-control rock star Aldous Snow (Russell Brand) back to America to perform a concert at the Greek amphitheater in LA. In terms of R-rated comedies of 2010, Greek is near the top of the list with a good mix of humor and humanity. Brand, who I can’t decide if he is acting or just playing himself, has his Snow character down to an art. Before it was a one-note performance. Here, he is still vulgar, but his interactions with his father (Colm Meaney) and ex-girlfriend (Rose Byrne) help to better establish his character and why he is like he is. Upstaging both the stars, however, is music mogul P. Diddy as Hill’s boss. His shining moment is during a scene in Vegas where everybody involved is completely blitzed. Trying to escape the party, Hill and Brand are huffing and puffing with Diddy right behind them. Pushing for overall effect, Diddy exclaims, “You can’t outrun me! I’m black!”
Notable Extras: DVD&BD – Gag Reel, Line-O-Rama, Deleted Scenes, Commentary, three documentaries, five music videos, TV interviews; BD exclusives – Karaoke, Cast Auditions, Musical performances from Aldous Snow on The Today Show and VH-1 Storytellers, more deleted scenes
BEST DVD PRICE – 2-Disc DVD
Target – $22.99
Best Buy – N/A
Fry’s – N/A
Amazon – $22.99
BEST BLU-RAY PRICE
Target – $24.99
Best Buy – $26.99
Fry’s – $24.97
Amazon – $24.99
Other noteworthy DVD (and Blu-ray) releases this week…
The Killer Inside Me – [DVD / BD]
The Thin Red Line – [DVD / BD]
Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence – [DVD / BD]
Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky – [DVD / BD]
Good – [DVD / BD]
Frozen – [DVD / BD]
Suck – [DVD / BD]
Superman/Batman: Apocalypse – [DVD / 2DVD / BD]
WWE: Breaking the Code – Behind the Walls of Jericho – [DVD]
CSI: The Tenth Season – [DVD]
The Cleveland Show – [DVD]
Scrubs: The Complete Ninth and Final Season – [DVD]
Scrubs: The Complete Series – [DVD]
Secret Agent AKA Danger Man: Complete Collection – [DVD]
Noteworthy Blu-ray-specific releases this week…
King Kong
Hero
Patton 360: The Complete Season One
Battle 360: The Complete Season One
Retailer Specials
Exclusive: Get Him to the Greek / Forgetting Sarah Marshall Blu-ray 2-Pack ($29.99)
Exclusive: Legendary (BD) – $24.99
Exclusive:Free Superman figurine with the purchase of Superman/Batman Apocalypse on Blu-ray ($19.99)
New Releases (available 09/28/10):
The Cleveland Show (Season 1) – $29.99 (Get $5 off when you buy The Cleveland Show and Family Guy: PToE)
Family Guy: Partial Terms of Endearment – $9.99 (Get $5 when you buy Family Guy: PToE and The Cleveland Show)
Scrubs (Season 9) – $19.99
Scrubs (The Complete Series) – $129.99
Superman/Batman Apocalypse (DVD) – $12.99
Legend of the Seeker (The Complete 2nd Season, DVD) – $34.99
$17.99 Blu-rays: The Blind Side, Sherlock Holmes, Where the Wild Things Are, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
2 for $20 Blu-rays: The Incredible Hulk, Casino, Waterworld, Grumpy Old Men / Grumpier Old Men, Dirty Dancing, Major League, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Resident Evil, Scary Movie, The Waterboy (More in-store and on-line)
Save $15 when you buy two of these movies on Blu-ray: Killers, Death at a Funeral (remake) – $24.99 ea., Robin Hood, Kick-Ass, Date Night, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Why Did I Get Married Too?, When in Rome, Repo Men, MacGruber – $29.99 ea.
Save $10 when you buy two of these movies on DVD: Killers, Death at a Funeral (remake), Robin Hood, Kick-Ass, Date Night, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Why Did I Get Married Too?, When in Rome, Repo Men, MacGruber – $19.99 ea.
Exclusive: Iron Man 2 3-Disc combo pack in a collectible metal case ($36.99)
Get $5 Off: Purchase select superhero flicks on DVD/BD (The Dark Knight, The Incredible Hulk, etc.) AND Iron Man 2 on DVD, Blu-ray or combo pack
New Releases (available 09/28/10):
The Cleveland Show (Season 1) – $24.99 (Get $5 off when you buy The Cleveland Show and Family Guy: PToE)
Family Guy: Partial Terms of Endearment – $9.99 (Get $5 when you buy Family Guy: PToE and The Cleveland Show)
Superman/Batman Apocalypse (standard DVD) – $12.99
Superman/Batman Apocalypse (2-disc DVD) – $16.99
Superman/Batman Apocalypse (Blu-ray) – $24.99
Die Hard Collection (Blu-ray) – $29.99
Prince of Persia (BD/DVD/Digital Copy) – $26.97
Tinkerbell and the Great Fairy Rescue (BD/DVD) – $22.97
Kick-Ass (BD/DVD/Digital Copy) – $19.97
The Crazies (remake (BD) – $13.97
The Natural (BD) – $9.99
3:10 to Yuma (BD) – $7.99
The Simpsons (13th Season, DVD) – $19.99
Mad Men (Seasons 1-3, BD or DVD) – $18.99 ea.
$4.99 DVDs: It’s Complicated, Back to the Future, Barbie in a Mermaid Tale, The Big Lebowski: 10 Year Anniversary, Inglorious Basterds (single disc), To Kill a Mockingbird (single disc), 9, The Land Before Time
3-Pack Blu-ray Disc Sets – $21 ea.
Alvin and the Chipmunks / Ice Age / Ice Age 2
Jumper / The Transporter / The Transporter 2
Patton / Behind Enemy Lines / Rescue Dawn
For Your Eyes Only / From Russia with Love / Thunderball
Nim’s Island / The Princess Bride / Big
Night at the Museum / Eragon / Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium
The Omen / The Amityville Horror / The Fly
Hitman / Street Kings / Man on Fire
New Releases (available 09/28/10):
Family Guy: Partial Terms of Endearment – $9.95
Ray Harryhausen Collection (BD) – $49.99 (sale ends 10/02)
Die Hard Collection (BD) – $29.99
Dr. Strangelove (BD) – $13.99
Mona Lisa (BD) – $9.99
