This Week on DVD and Blu-ray - June 23rd, 2009

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Welcome back, my faithful DVD Towners, to another edition of This Week in DVD & Blu-Ray.

This week should be a joyous occasion for all you film school elitists and fans of artsy fartsy cinema. BTW, I mean that in the nicest way possible. Not content with giving cinemphiles an exceptional new release of Ingmar Bergman's "The Seventh Seal," Criterion releases a pair of films that should be considered textbook examples of arthouse cinema. The first is "Last Year at Marienbad" directed by Alain Resnais ("Night and Fog," "Hiroshima Mon Amour") an enigmatic production about a chance encounter at a hotel that defies traditional narrative structure. The second film is "My Dinner with Andre" which stars the great character actor Wallace Shawn ("Inconcievable!") and playwright Andre Gregory. Exasperating to some, illuminating and enlightening to others, both films should are worth a look for the more discerning eye. "Marienbad" is available on both DVD and while "My Dinner with Andre" is available on DVD only. Our own Chris Long has reviews online for all three releases.

"My Dinner with Andre" not only inspired a gag on "The Simpsons," but it also inspired the late-Andy Kaufman to produce his own take, "My Breakfast with Blassie." Kaufman shares a meal in a diner with WWE Hall of Famer Classy Freddie Blassie, but nothing is ever that simple with the former star of "Taxi." Kaufman injects his own unique flair in the blurring of reality and odd, off-putting humor. Video Watchdog releases this DVD to coincide with Criterion's.

If our first few releases are too high brow for you, you might enjoy this week's lighter, mainstream fare. Watch Steve Martin in his second go-around as the bumbling Inspector Clousseau in "The Pink Panther 2," which hits stores this week on DVD & Blu-Ray. Martin is backed up by an all-star supporting cast that includes John Cleese, Emily Mortimer, Andy Garcia, Jean Reno, and the lovely Aishwarya Rai. I haven't seen the sequel, but I did catch the first one on cable. Let's just say Steve Martin is no Peter Sellers and leave it at that.

Isla Fisher takes the lead in "Confessions of a Shopaholic," a rare film produced by Jerry Bruckheimer which doesn't involve tons of explosions and special effects. "Shopaholic" is the latest in a line of chick-lit adaptations following the tremendous success of "The Devil Wears Prada." It's standard rom-com material and it's released on a single-disc DVD, a 2-disc edition with digital copy, and Blu-Ray. Jim Plath has written reviews for the 2-disc edition as well as the Blu-Ray. Just out of curiousity, am I the only one who keeps getting Isla Fisher confused with Amy Adams?

Brendan Fraser takes a break from fighting mummies to fight literary characters in "Inkheart." Fraser stars with Helen Mirren, Andy Serkis, and Paul Bettany in this film based on a series of fantasy novels. In it, the former Encino Man plays a man who has the ability to bring fictional characters to life. John J. Puccio may not have that superpower (anymore, that is), but he check out "Inkheart" and gave it a tepid review.

I'd like to think I saved the best for last. Sony Pictures releases the Oscar-nominated animated documentary, "Waltz with Bashir." Written and directed by Ari Folman, it is an autobiographical look back on Folman's time in the Israeli army during their invasion of Beirut in 1982. The film's animated quality give it an unforgettable look and add a surreal, dream-like quality as Folman interviews comrades in arms and a renowned journalist in an effort to jog his own memories. This is a powerful film and comes with high recommendations. Sony releases "Waltz with Bashir" on DVD and Blu-Ray and Jim has written reviews for both formats.

That's it for this week. Keep those players clean and your disks scratch-free.

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