Full Release: DVD/Blu-Ray

This is a weird week for DVD and Blu-Ray releases. I mean, it’s not just slow, it basically boils down to one movie you’ve heard of  and avoided like the plague at the theater and  two that are more or less straight to video. That doesn’t mean I haven’t found something for you to rent at the Redbox this week, but you’ll have to trust me, okay? It’s never necessary to tell me that you think I’m right. We’ll just… assume it.

Robin Hood – Sit back down, I’m sure the store will still have a couple left on the shelf by the time you finish reading this. No need to go running out the door all willy nilly, no matter what all the commercials during the football games this past Sunday said. One of the biggest disappointments of this past summer, for all sorts of reasons, many of which were our own fault. For one, I never really saw anyone connected to the production come out before it started filming and say, “Oh yeah, we’re doing a remake where Russell Crowe will play the Sheriff of Nottingham as the good guy and Robin Hood will be the bad guy,” and yet that’s what the rumor going around was and everyone was excited for. Then, when production started and the trailers started rolling out, it was Robin Hood: Same Ol’, Same Ol’ and no one showed up. They marketed it the only way anyone could to make money: “From the team that brought you Gladiator!” Still, no one cared. Oh well, don’t take this as my standing up for, because I don’t care about it either.  Russell Crowe plays Robin Hood, Cate Blanchett is Maid Marion, and it’s the same crap you’ve seen a dozen times before, just this time clocking in at a smooth 130 minutes. Check out the trailer here.

Ondine – The story of an Irish fisherman that captures a woman in his net and believes that she is a mermaid. Written and directed by Neil Jordan (Interview With the Vampire), it’s a magical tale that stars Colin Farrell in his native land. Sounds like a family friendly film, but be careful. It’s rated PG-13, because I believe ol’ Colin checks to see if Ariel is still Flipper “everywhere” out of water, if you know what I’m saying. The life of a fisherman is a lonely life, me boyos. Take a dip in the trailer here.

The Experiment – Your pick of the week! From Paul Scheuring, the creator of the TV show Prison Break, comes this film based on the infamous Stanford Prison Experiment. 26 men sign up for a psychological study where they will participate as either guards or prisoners in roles that quickly spiral out of control. Featuring an outstanding supporting cast (Clifton Collins Jr., Fisher Stevens, Maggie Grace), the two truly outstanding performers are Adrien Brody and Forest Whitaker. Brody (The Pianist) plays Travis, a pacifist who has signed up for the paycheck and is given the roll of prisoner. Whitaker (Panic Room)  is Barris, who buddies up to Travis on the outside but once given a guard’s uniform is committing brutality likes it’s going out of style. Seriously, watch the trailer and then try to convince yourself that you don’t want to watch it.