Attack the Block (Blu-ray) Criticize This! Pick of the Week – Joe Cornish’s Attack the Block is a fun, B-grade flick about a South London gang under an alien invasion in their apartment complex. It’s basically The Goonies meets Critters and is pure joy for people who dig this style of film. It’s also a perfect flick to get into the Halloween spirit with. The Blu-ray looks and sounds great and is highly recommended. Special features include three audio commentaries, an hour-long making-of documentary, and more. Film **** Blu-ray **** (out of 5 stars).
Winnie the Pooh (Blu-ray) - From the animation to the music, I love everything about Winnie the Pooh and find something even more magical about it with each viewing (my son has requested we watch it about three times since we got it). The movie looks great on Blu-ray and includes deleted scenes, a sing-along option, two animated shorts, and more. A regular DVD of the film is also included. Film **** Blu-ray *** (out of 5 stars).
Captain America: The First Avenger (Blu-ray) – The last origin film before next year’s giant summer blockbuster The Avengers arrives, Captain America is one of the most lowkey superhero film ever made. That doesn’t mean it’s bad, because it’s far from it, but it’s not that exciting either and probably won’t be remembered as anything special. Chris Evans is decent in the role of Steve Rogers/Captain America and Hugo Weaving is also good as villain Red Skull, but there is just nothing that wowed me about the entire film. It is beautifully shot and does look wonderful on Blu-ray, and with a 7.1 DTS-HD sound mix the few battle scenes did blow me away. If you’re into the whole Marvel Universe thing, check it out. Otherwise just wait for The Avengers to get your Captain America fix. Special features include deleted scenes, audio commentary with director Joe Johnston, director of photography Shelly Johnson, and editor Jeffrey Ford, making-of featurettes, and more. A regular DVD and digital copy of the film are included as well. Film *** Blu-ray *** (out of 5 stars).
Jurassic Park Ultimate Trilogy (Blu-ray) – Jurassic Park has arrived on Blu-ray and it’s a groundbreaking, beautiful release that is a must-have for even the slightest fan of the dino franchise. And even if you only really like the first flick, the entire trilogy is worth watching again on Blu-ray. Each film sports a stunning image transfer and sound mix, and the amount of special features is ridiculous. Not only does it include all the bonus materials from the previous DVD releases, but there is also over 2-hours of new material, including brand new interviews with Steven Spielberg and the cast and crew. A digital copy of each film is included as well. Put this at the top of your Christmas list now and you won’t regret it. Box set **** (out of 5 stars).
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Also available this week on DVD and Blu-ray:
Top image: A scene from Attack the Block. Courtesy Sony Home Entertainment.
