What to rent: New DVD releases for 4/8/08

A couple of big titles come out this week, plus another Jane Austen movie. Also a nice addition to the HD-DVD lineup which is pointless now.

So let’s get into it before I drink YOUR MILKSHAKE!

There Will Be Blood

I gave this movie high marks in my review of it and it’s definitely something worth seeing if only to check out Daniel Day Lewis’ Oscar winning performance.

There is a two-disc collector’s edition and a normal one. No high-def release though.

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

I thought this movie was pretty good for what it tried to do, but it just wasn’t as funny as some of the other Apatow films in 2007, like Superbad or Knocked Up.

It’s out on Blu-Ray for you lucky dawgs out there.

Sense & Sensibility (BBC, 2008)

This mini-series on the BBC got rave reviews and is another re-telling of the classic Jane Austen novel. This story was also done in 1995 in a classic movie starring Hugh Grant, Kate Winslet and Emma Thompson, and even got a Best Picture nomination.

I’m not sure this BBC version can compare, but it does have an 8.2 rating on IMDB.

There is also a collector’s version as well.

Reservation Road

I didn’t see this film, and really didn’t hear much about it, and in looking at the cast, you have to wonder why: Joaquin Phoenix, Jennifer Connelly and Mark Ruffalo. It didn’t make much money, didn’t create much buzz despite a pretty stellar lineup of actors.

The story is about a hit and run accident where one of the parties flees the scene and a young boy is killed. I suppose the subject matter is heavy enough to deflect most of the average movie going public elsewhere.

Also it got a 6.9 on IMDB and and 36% on Rotten Tomatoes, so that could be another reason.

Lions for Lambs

Meryl Streep, Robert Redford and Tom Cruise make a pretty awfully reviewed film (27% on RT) here and it was pretty surprising. It’s about political activism and the war in Iraq, and perhaps people not really in the mood to watch films about war right now, coupled with Cruise’ low popularity, likely killed this movie.

More

• The Water Horse - A kids story about the Loch Ness Monster.
• Matlock: Season 1 - Good ol’ Andy Griffith…never saw an episode of this show.
• The Cosby Show: Season 7 and 8 - One of the greatest, family-friendly sitcoms of all time.
• I Am Legend (HD-DVD combo) - Cool I guess, but anything still coming out on HD-DVD is strange to me.

Blu-Ray

• The 6th Day  (Sony)
• The Adventures of Baron Munchausen  (Sony)
• Sharkwater  (Warner)
• Space Ace (Digital Leisure)
• Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story  (Sony)
• The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep  (Sony)
• Yukikaze (Bandai Visual)