Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (Blu-ray) Criticize This! Pick of the Week - Seeking a Friend for the End of the World stars Steve Carrell as Dodge, a man trying to figure out where his life went wrong as the final days of civilization are counted down. He decides to visit an ex-girlfriend that he believes is his one true love and sets out on a road trip with his fluttery neighbour, Penny (Keira Knightley). While on the road the two find themselves, and a reason to celebrate, as the asteroid that’s about to destroy Earth gets closer and closer. Directed by Lorene Scafaria, the film has a humanity to it matched by no other work in this genre while being absolutely hilarious and sweet. The Blu-ray features a great 1080p image and 5.1 DTS-HD sound mix and is well worth checking out. Special features include audio commentary with Scafaria, making-of featurette, outtakes, and more. A regular DVD of the film is also included. Film **** Blu-ray **** (out of 5 stars).
Secret of the Wings (3-D Blu-ray) – Disney’s latest straight-to-home Tinker Bell film is surprisingly very well made and features some top-notch animation and brilliant use of 3-D. Best of all though is that the film is enjoyable and I found I was just as interested in it as my kids and wife were. Timothy Dalton, Anjelica Huston, Lucy Liu, and Mae Whitman all lend their voices. The 3-D Blu-ray looks and sounds amazing and is worth putting on the Christmas list for the young ones. Special features include games, a music video, and more. A regular Blu-ray copy, a DVD copy, and a digital copy of the film is also included. Film *** 3-D Blu-ray **** (out of 5 stars).
The Campaign (Blu-ray) - Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis star in this silly, yet fun, political satire about a dimwit (Galifianakis) trying to oust a congressman (Ferrell). Directed by Jay Roach (Meet the Parents), the film has some funny moments and Ferrell and Galifianakis play off each other perfectly. Overall though, The Campaign is not a film you need to run out and see and if you’re not a fan of either of the stars you might want to avoid it altogether as they get very annoying. The Blu-ray is decent, but is definitely not something you need to add to your collection. Special features include an extended cut of the film, deleted scenes, and more. A regular DVD is also included. Film ** Blu-ray ** (out of 5 stars).
[REC]3: Genesis (Blu-ray) – As a fan of the first two films in the [REC] series I was very excited to see where the third part would go. Sadly, it went downhill and didn’t come close to being as scary or exciting as the first two. If you just want to see some zombie gore, go for it. If you expect something comparable to the previous films, skip it. The Blu-ray has a clean 1080p image transfer and the 5.1 surround mix is nice, but the film does not deserve to be watched in high-def. Special features include a making-of featurette, deleted scenes, and more. A regular DVD of the film is included as well. Film ** Blu-ray *** (out of 5 stars).
Also available to Watch @ Home this week is the Channing Tatum stripper film Magic Mike, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, the ballet doc First Position, and the Criterion Blu-ray of Rosemary’s Baby is finally here.
Top image: A scene from Seeking a Friend for the End of the World. Courtesy eOne Films.
