Director Robert Rodriguez has spent his entire career creating films that fail to conform to Hollywood's pre-conceived notion about what an action film should look like. Thankfully, he doesn't seem to have any desire to stop. His latest film
Machete, which is out on Blu-ray today, continues the same style of filmmaking that Rodriguez (along with close friend and fellow director Quentin Tarantino) has developed into a major drawing power for Hollywood's elite actors and diehard fans alike.
Staff reviewer Casey Broadwater commented in his
Blu-ray review of Machete, "Machete is a summer action movie done right—it's pulpy and visceral, but it also has an ironic, tongue-in-cheek tone that lies somewhere between spoof, satire, and homage. The Blu-ray disc is a winner as well—with a striking high definition transfer and a strong audio track."
Also available today on Blu-ray is Rodriguez's so-called "Mexico Trilogy" – a double feature release of
El Mariachi / Desperado and
Once Upon a Time in Mexico. The three films show the amazing 10-year transformation of the director from the low-budget ($7,000)
El Mariachi to the epic conclusion that is
Once Upon a Time in Mexico. If you are a fan of Rodriguez's work, these are three films you definitely can't miss.
A remake of the French film
Le Diner de cons (The Dinner Game),
Dinner for Schmucks stars comedic powerhouse Steve Carell alongside fellow Apatow-alumni Paul Rudd in an office challenge to see who can bring the biggest weirdo to dinner. Galifianakis even shows up to play himself. Directed by Jay Roach of
Austin Powers and
Meet the Parents fame, the laughs are familiar, but it ultimately failed to achieve the same level of box office success.
For the
Blu-ray review of Dinner for Schmucks, staff reviewer Martin Liebman commented, "The film is a bit overlong and overwrought in a few places, but the finale makes the whole thing worth while, as do two of the best Comedic performances in recent years courtesy of Steve Carell and Zach Galifianakis. Paramount's Blu-ray release of Dinner for Schmucks yields a quality technical presentation and a few extras."
Horror fans get a taste of Blu-ray love today with the release of
The Last Exorcism, a film that is an amalgam of historic horror premises thrown together in a cliché, if entertaining fashion. Produced by new-wave horror icon Eli Roth, the film documents the last exorcism performed by Reverend Cotton Marcus. When he arrives at the family farm, he discovers that the possessed young girl is much more possessed than any case before. Yes, you've seen this film before, but maybe not done as well.
In the
Blu-ray review of The Last Exorcism, staff reviewer Jeffery Kaufman concluded, "The Last Exorcism revisits Blair's faux documentary setup, but this film actually delivers some palpable thrills and chills along the way, instead of just hinting at them. Yes, you've seen large swaths of this film before in various other progenitors, but writers Huck Botko and Andrew Gurland deserve kudos for playing against expectations rather smartly a lot of the time. Fabian and Bell are excellent in the leads, and the entire film bristles with the best kind of lo-fi indie horror energy."