DVD/Blu-Ray Picks Of The Week - 5/17/11

Large William's Pick: DEEP RED (Region 1 Blu-Ray; Blue Underground)
Slamdunk. Anyone who knows me, Sammy and Roop included wouldn't have to be The Amazing Kreskin to know that I'm picking Blue Underground's impressive blu-ray release of one of the true masters of genre cinema's (arguably). Say what you will about Bava, but for me, Argento is Gialli, and for those of you unfamiliar with his work or Gialli in general, here's a great jump off point. I've heard great things about the transfer, which does Argento, a visual maestro absolute justice. This one is absolutely a b-u-y.

hugs and kisses in black leather gloves,
William

Links:
Amazon
Diabolik DVD
Blu-ray.com Review and Specs


Matt-suzaka's Pick: BEVERLY HILLS COP (Region 1 Blu-Ray; Paramount)
While I haven’t seen it in more than a decade, a staple of my cinematic youth was 1984’s Beverly Hills Cop, the film that would launch Eddie Murphy’s career into the stratosphere as well as be the influence (for better or worse) for numerous copycat cop comedies to come (that sure is a lot of Cs). Eddie Murphy as the fast-talking, wise-cracking Axel Foley remains one of best comedic performances of all-time, and, all jokes aside, the action and cop elements are simply spot on. As a whole, Beverly Hills Cop encompass the ‘80s as much as any film of the decade, and you are guaranteed to start poppin’ n lockin’ once that synth score hits you like a banana in yer tail pipe.

Links:
Amazon
Blu-Ray.com Review and Specs
High-Def Digest Review and Specs


Samurai's Pick: THE HUSTLER (Region 1 Blu-Ray; 20th Century Fox)
Maybe my favorite Paul Newman performance and definitely my favorite Jackie Gleason performance in a film ever...this film is slow paced and in some ways very bleak but it has stuck with me since the first time I saw it when I was about 8 years old on a recorded beta tape!!! Great direction and George C. Scott fucking owning every scene he is in my friends!!!

Links:
Amazon
Blu-Ray.com Review and Specs


Aaron's Pick: GARGOYLES - European Theatrical Version (Region 1 DVD; Hen's Tooth)
You can't go wrong with any of the above picks, but seeing as I don't own a Blu-Ray player, I had to represent for all the people out there who are too stubborn (or cheap, broke, etc) to upgrade to high-def. My pick this week is the cult made-for-TV movie GARGOYLES. Hen's Tooth Video is releasing the film's "European Theatrical cut", which apparently consists of some extra footage that wasn't aired on American television. GARGOYLES, by today's standards, is pretty cheesy, but when you put it into perspective, it's amazing that some television executive back in the day took a look at this movie and said "Hey, this would make great prime time television!" That being said, I can only imagine the size of the turd I would have unleashed in my pants if I were an unsuspecting child who caught GARGOYLES on TV late one night in the '70s.

Links:
Amazon
Diabolik DVD