DVD/Blu-Ray Picks Of The Week - 5/24/11

Large William's Pick: PAPILLON (Region 1 Blu-Ray; Warner Home Video)
This was one of the most influential films from my youth; in fact, beyond standard kung-fu and 80's tough tit action, it was my intro to 70's cool. I'll never forget the first time I saw it; I was staying at my Uncle's house for a few weeks in the summer and he was a real Man's man; did time in the Navy, was a highway patrol officer, so you KNOW he fucking loved McQueen. I saw this on a double bill with Escape from Alcatraz, and even at 12 years of age, I dug the shit out of both films.

Now I'm sure most of you have seen Papillon, but this is still a must buy, it's the first time it's been on blu, and if you've not seen McQueen, it's as good a place to start as any. It will remind you how awesome Dustin Hoffman was before he was a Focker in 17 Sequels. It's a movie about friendship, escaping from prison, lepers, and the salty sea. It's based on the best-selling memoirs of one, Henri Charrière, a thief who had the plums to make a move when he could..

This one has something for everyone, and I can't recommend it enough. The only caveat to this, is that the disc is rather barebones, but despite that, it's Mr. Cool and one of the most under appreciated actors of our time, The REAL HOFF, fuck Michael Knight..

smooches and butterflies,
William

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


Samurai's Pick: LE MANS (Region 1 Blu-Ray; Paramount)
Steve McQueen had a passion for racing that was more like obsession. This film is an odd one, almost more of a documentary than an actual film in some ways...there are some quality releases this week but this one is such a unique film that I couldnt pass it up, also look closely for some GGtMC type casting with Luc Merenda....Viva Le Mans!!!

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

Bonus Region 2 Pick Of The Week from Martijn of OMG Entertainment

Martijn's Pick: ONE-EYED JACKS (German Region 2 DVD; Intergroove Media)
My first pick for this section is a movie I've never seen. But I just started reading Alex Cox's "10.000 Ways to Die: A Director's Take on the Spaghetti Western" and the writer considers two movies that had a major influence on that genre: Kurosawa's Yojimbo and Brando's One-Eyed Jacks. So I was quite thrilled to come across this newly digital remastered version, reportedly the best version available worldwide. The trivia for this movie alone is interesting enough. Sam Peckinpah worked on the script but got fired by director Stanley Kubrick, who himself was fired by Brando later on. Brando's first cut is supposed to run over 5 hours long! It's number 20 in a German "forgotten western" DVD series, so maybe there is more to check out.

Links:
Amazon.de DVD