Here 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.
Every once in a while, an animated film comes along that tries to knock Pixar Animation Studios down a peg. In 2001, it was Shrek besting Monsters Inc.. And when it made its debut this Spring, critics couldn’t help but think if How to Train Your Dragon was another “Pixar Killer.” Then Toy Story 3 came along, obliterating records to become the biggest Pixar hit of all time and fifth-best performing release worldwide. But How to Train Your Dragon is definitely worth your time if you are a fan of animation. The filmmakers enlisted the help of cinematographer Roger Deakins (No Country for Old Men, The Shawshank Redemption) as a visual consultant. It would be hard to pinpoint exactly where Deakins’ expertise came in handy, but if I had to fathom a guess, I’d say the sequence involving the hero, Hiccup (voice of Jay Baruchel), and his pet dragon, Toothless, doing amazing aerial feats as pounding waves hit the coastline while in the distance is a sun-drenched horizon.
Featuring a talented vocal cast (Gerard Butler, America Ferrera, Craig Ferguson, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse), the animated hit is a smart family film, preferring to not settle for cheap laughs and potty humor, and instead offers good characters and a nice message overall. With plenty of action that’s not too intense, this is definitely a film that kids and parents can watch together. Expect Dragon to fill a lot of stockings this holiday season.
Notable Extras: DVD&BD – Filmmakers’ Commentary, Featurettes, Trailers, “Lenged of the Boneknapper Dragon”; BD Exclusives – The Animators’ Corner featurette and Trivia Track
BEST DVD PRICE – Double DVD Pack
Target – $22.99
Best Buy – $17.99
Fry’s – N/A
Amazon – $22.99
BEST BLU-RAY PRICE – 2-Disc Combo Pack
Target – $24.99
Best Buy – $22.99
Fry’s – N/A
Amazon – $22.99
Don’t let the cover fool you, this is not your typical pot comedy. Leaves of Grass had its U.S. premiere in Austin during the 2010 South by Southwest festival. And upon seeing its premiere I’ve been singing its praises ever since. But not all film properties are created equal. While a trashy comedy like Vampires Suck gets at minimum 2500 screens, Leaves of Grass only played on a total of six screens. Most who run across the release will probably do so by accident, looking at the title and then noticing the hippie colors used for the cover. Edward Norton plays dual roles as twin brothers. He is able to effortlessly pull off playing two distinct characters, and play them so well that neither one overshadows the other. One is an educated scholar and professor of Philosophy; the other is a connoisseur of cannabis and has constructed an elaborate hydroponic setup to create the best weed in Oklahoma. Along the way there are issues with a drug kingpin (Richard Dreyfuss) and reconnecting with family (Susan Sarandon). Leaves of Grass is part crime drama, part drug comedy and a Cliff’s Notes account of classic philosophy. All converge to help provide a better understanding of what it means to live a happy life. Fans of the Coen brothers should definitely give this one a try.
BEST DVD PRICE
Target – N/A
Best Buy – $13.99
Fry’s – N/A
Amazon – $13.49
BEST BLU-RAY PRICE
Target – N/A
Best Buy – $13.99
Fry’s – $16.49
Amazon – $13.49
Other noteworthy DVD (and Blu-ray) releases this week…
The Darjeeling Limited: Criterion Collection – [DVD / BD]
The Magician: Criterion Collection – [DVD / BD]
Jonah Hex – [DVD / BD]
Lost Boys: The Thirst – [DVD / BD]
I Am Love – [DVD / BD]
S&Man (Sandman) – [DVD / BD]
Dollhouse (Season 2) – [DVD / BD]
The Hangover (Extreme Edition) – [DVD / BD]
Dexter’s Laboratory (Season One) – [DVD]
In Treatment (The Complete Second Season) – [DVD]
Essential Bugs Bunny – [DVD]
WWE – Wrestling’s Highest Flyers – [DVD]
Noteworthy Blu-ray-specific releases this week…
Three Kings
Retailer Specials
Dexter (Seasons 1-4, BD) – $94.99 (sale ends 10/16)
The Hannibal Lecter Collection (BD) – $27.99
Iron Man 2 (2-Disc BD, DVD+Digital Copy) – $19.99
Fight Club (BD) – $13.99
Let the Right One In (BD) – $12.99
Friday the 13th, Part 2 (BD) – $12.99
Friday the 13th, Part 3 (BD) – $12.49
Dr. Strangelove (BD) – $12.49
The Fountain (BD) – $9.99
Exclusive: Free Kid’s Movie Ticket to Megamind (in theaters 11/5) when purchasing either the How to Train Your Dragon Double Pack DVD or Blu-ray
New Releases (available 10/12/10):
Jonah Hex (BD+DVD, $29.99 – DVD, $19.99)
Lost Boys: The Thirst (BD+DVD, $29.99 – DVD, $15.99)
The Hangover: Extreme Edition (BD, $29.99)
Three Kings (BD, $19.99)
The Tudors (Final Season) – $29.99
Dollhouse (Season 2, DVD) – $34.99
Dollhouse (Season 2, BD) – $39.99
CSI: Miami (Season Eight) – $39.99
$9.99 Horror BDs: Orphan, Saw VI (bonus, includes the first Saw), Resident Evil: Extinction, Pandorum [More titles in-store and on-line]
$34.99 TV on DVD: The Simpsons (Season 13), Modern Family (Season 1), House (Season 6)
$29.99 TV on DVD: Ugly Betty (Final Season), How I Met Your Mother (Season 5), 30 Rock (Season 4), It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (Season 5), The Office (Season 6)
Eastbound & Down (Season 1, DVD) – $17.99
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (Season 5, BD) – $34.99
Modern Family (Season 1, BD) – $39.99
The Simpsons (Season 13, BD) – $39.99
Glee (Season 1, BD) – $44.99
Alice in Wonderland (1 Disc DVD) – $15.99
Iron Man 2 (BD + DVD + Digital Copy) – $29.99
Iron Man 2 (DVD) – $19.99
New Releases (available 10/12/10):
Lost Boys: The Thirst (BD+DVD, $24.99 – DVD $14.99)
The Tudors (Final Season) – $24.99
$10 DreamWorks Animation DVDs: Monsters vs. Aliens, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, Kung-Fu Panda, The Penguins of Madagascar – Operation: DVD Premiere (Selected others also available)
$22.99 BDs: Iron Man 2 (Single Disc), Letters to Juliet, The Back-Up Plan, Just Wright, Babies, Marmaduke
$19.99 BDs: Killers, Kick-Ass
$16.99 DVDs: Iron Man 2 (Single Disc), Letters to Juliet, The Back-Up Plan, Just Wright, Babies, Marmaduke, Killers, Kick-Ass
Friends (Season 12) – $12.99
The Big Bang Theory (Season 2) – $16.99
The Simpsons (Season 13) – $24.99
Dexter (Season 4) – $19.99
New Releases (available: 10/12/10)
The Hangover: Extreme Edition (BD, $29.97)
Jonah Hex (BD+DVD, $29.97)
$24.99 BDs: James and the Giant Peach, Alice in Wonderland, The Princess and the Frog, Old Dogs, Marmaduke, Just Wright, Our Family Wedding, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
$8.99 BDs: Bad Lieutenant, The Blair Witch Project, Hard Candy, Edward Scissorhands, Open Water/Open Water 2: Adrift, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Wonderland, Planet Hulk
$4.99 DVDs: The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Ultimatum, Serenity, Forgetting Sarah Marshall (1-Disc), Mulholland Dr.
Robocop Trilogy (Blu-ray) – $28.97
Beauty and the Beast (BD/DVD/Digital Copy) – $24.97
The Karate Kid (BD/DVD/Digital Copy) – $22.97
The Last of the Mohicans (BD) – $14.97)
Dollhouse (Season 1, DVD) – $24.99
Family Guy: Partial Terms of Endearment – $9.97
Sons of Anarchy (Season 1, DVD) – $19.99
Sons of Anarchy (Season 2, DVD) – $27.99
