Footloose (Blu-ray) Criticize This! Pick of the Week – As a hardcore fan of the original Footloose I had my doubts about the remake and figured it would be an annoying mess. Thankfully, writer-director Craig Brewer is also a Footloose fan and handled the material with care, in turn making one of the most solid movies about dancing I’ve seen since Kevin Bacon cut loose in the original. Kenny Wormald, Julianne Hough, Dennis Quaid, and the rest of the cast are all excellent in their respective roles, and the dance sequences are spectactular. Even the soundtrack is quite awesome and combines rock, rap, and country perfectly. Watch it with an open mind and have fun with it and you’ll most likely be surprised how much you enjoy it too. The Blu-ray release has a great image and sound mix and is highly recommended. Special features include making-of featurettes, deleted scenes, commentary with Craig Brewer, and more. A regular DVD and digital copy of the film are included as well. Film **** Blu-ray **** (out of 5 stars).
Like Crazy – Anton Yelchin and Felicity Jones star in this truly depressing tale of love between two people who must live worlds apart. It’s a raw and emotional portrait of their struggles to be together that will tear your heart out and make you numb. The acting is superb though, and the realistic shooting style director Drake Doremus went with is powerful in telling the story. Keep the tissues nearby and if you’ve recently gone through a break-up, avoid Like Crazy until you’re stable again. Special features on the DVD include audio commentary with Drake Doremus, deleted scenes, and more. Film **** DVD *** (out of 5 stars).
Immortals (Blu-ray) – Like 300, Immortals is more about the wild effects and battle scenes than the plot. Strictly looking at it that way, it is an awesome flick that will get your adrenaline pumping when you crank the surround sound and let it abuse your senses. The story revolves around Theseus (Henry Cavill), a mortal chosen by Zeus (Luke Evans) to fight the mad King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke) who is on a hunt to find a super weapon. For the most part it’s a rush to watch and if you dug 300, you will enjoy Immortals just as much. The Blu-ray is hands down the way to go for this movie as the high-def visuals and 5.1 DTS-HD sound mix are absolutely stunning. Special features include deleted scenes, an alternate opening and ending, and more. A regular DVD and digital copy are included as well. Film *** Blu-ray **** (out of 5 stars).
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Also available on DVD and Blu-ray this week:
Top image: A scene from Footloose. Courtesy Paramount Home Entertainment.
