Menu

Blu in Your Face: April 9th, 2013


Non-comprehensively highlighting the week’s top picks in Blu-ray…

merlinblu5.jpg

The Adventures of Merlin: Season 5 – The final season’s out already? I guess Julia isn’t up on all our DVR’ed episodes, or I’d have heard the tears by now that one of her favorite shows is over. Anyway, unlike Smallville, the King Arthur/Merlin origin show eventually incorporated the entire legend, albeit with everyone still being kinda young and dorky looking by the end. Yet they did make the tale more accessible to viewers who might not have otherwise been interested, so let us quote Nicol Williamson from Excalibur when it comes to the show’s ultimate worth: “A dream to some…A NIGHTMARE TO OTHERS!”

Naked Lunch (Criterion Collection) – Peter Weller is William S. Burroughs, sort of, in David Cronenberg’s attempt to film the unfilmable, heroin-infused stream-of-consciousness book. Been a while since I’ve seen it, but i remember insectoid typewriters, weird mutants and a rambling narrative that nonetheless coalesces into one of the best endings of all time. Maybe the commentary track by actor and director will explain more this time around.

The Fast & Furious movies with new matching slipcovers – These have already been out on Blu-ray a while, so knowing Universal I suspect “movie money” might be the lure this time.

Massage Parlor Murders – A lost 1970 grindhouse flick featuring one of the first performances by George Dzundza – Michael Douglas’ schlubby partner in Basic Instinct. Um…sold?

Father’s Day – Not the Robin Williams/Billy Crystal monstrosity, but if this fake grindhouse movie picked up by Troma had starred those two, it would have been amazing. Plot described thusly: “Ahab is a revenge-crazed psychopath/hero fresh out of prison for mistakenly slaughtering the ruthless monster who raped and murdered his father. But fathers are still being violated, dismembered with hacksaws and then set on fire. A teen hustler and a hot young priest search out the reclusive Ahab, determined to finish the job he started years ago and send this degenerate demon back to Hell, literally.”

The Sorcerer and the White Snake – A man inadvertently falls in love with a thousand-year-old white snake, and only sorcerer-monk Jet Li can save him. This kind of thing used to happen all the time in China.

Anything major I missed? Have at it in comments.