This Week In DVD & Blu-Ray: Up In The Air, Precious, The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day, And More

By Adam Quigley/March 9, 2010 9:41 am EST

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As a drama, Up in the Air offers the best of both cinematic worlds; it contains all the heart and intimacy of a thoughtful indie, and all the pure entertainment value of a mainstream crowd-pleaser. Every scene, every line of dialogue offers either something to laugh at, reflect on, or further engage you in the lives of these characters. It’s one of those movies that’s so immediately watchable, I’m genuinely surprised to find out that there are people who dislike it. It might not be the most daring of cinematic endeavors, but it gets all of the important details right—smart writing, slick filmmaking, tight storytelling, terrific acting, etc.—and explores themes that anybody can relate to, asking the question: Which of these do you want to define your life: your job or your relationships? The answer may seem obvious, but Up in the Air tackles it in a way that refrains from leaving audiences with an easy answer.

Available on Blu-ray? Yes.Notable Extras: DVD – Commentary by writer/director Jason Reitman and others, a Shadowplay: Before The Story featurette, and deleted scenes. Blu-ray – Includes everything on the DVD, as well as 8 additional deleted scenes, a “Help Yourself” music video by Sad Brad, storyboards, and a American Airlines Prank feature.

PRECIOUS

Available on Blu-ray? Yes.Notable Extras: DVD & Blu-ray – Audio commentary by director Lee Daniels, featurettes (“From Push to Precious”, “A Precious Ensemble”, “Oprah and Tyler: A Project of Passion”), a conversation with author Sapphire Daniels and director Lee Daniels, a Gadbourey Sidibe screen test, and a Fluorescent Beige feature.

THE BOONDOCK SAINTS II: ALL SAINTS DAY

“I’m so fucking smart, I make smart people feel like they are retarded.” I wonder if Julie Benz experienced any sense of conflict or regret when writer/director Troy Duffy tasked her with reading that line without the slightest inkling of comedic irony. Never before have I seen a movie so self-satisfied—so pleased with its own brand of contrived idiocy. The assured nature with which Duffy delivers his derivative, clumsy attempts at coolness makes the experience of watching the film legitimately embarrassing—made doubly uncomfortable by the painful overacting from nearly everyone involved. There are a couple of almost creative sequences to be found, but they’re buried beneath 2 hours of agonizingly dull and unfunny cinematic diarrhea. Don’t waste your time.

Available on Blu-ray? Yes.Notable Extras: DVD – Filmmaker & cast commentaries, deleted scenes, and 2 featurettes (“Unprecedented Access: Behind the Scenes”, “Billy Connolly and Troy Duffy: Unedited”). Blu-ray – Includes everything on the DVD, as well as 3 additional featurettes (“Inside the Vault: The Weapons”, “The Cast Confesses: Secrets from the Set”, “The Boondock Saints Hit Comic-Con”), and a sneak peak of the motion comic.

CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY

I have as little interest in sharing my views on politics as I’m sure you do reading them, so I generally avoid discussing political documentaries, where the message overshadows the filmmaking and storytelling—and rightly so. Admittedly, this is less true of Michael Moore documentaries, as they tend to be designed to entertain almost as much as they are to inform. For the sake of avoiding a futile debate in the comments though, I’m going to stick to my above rule, and instead just tell people what they already know: See it if you like Moore, don’t see it if you don’t. Brilliant solution, no?

Available on Blu-ray? Yes.Notable Extras: DVD – Over 80 minutes of bonus material including deleted scenes, extended interviews, and featurettes. Blu-ray – Includes everything on the DVD, as well as an exclusive featurette, and a digital copy.

OLD DOGS(Blu-ray available as single-disc and 3-Disc Edition)

Usually the release of this blatantly awful a film results in a permanent red mark imprinted on my forehead from repeated acts of face-palming, but between the Faces of Old Dogs gag site, the death of Wild Hogs 2, and a 6% Rotten Tomatoes score, Old Dogs has brought us (almost) enough moments of joy and hilarity to compensate for the release of the movie itself.

Available on Blu-ray? Yes.Notable Extras: DVD – Commentary by director Walt Becker and others, deleted scenes, and bloopers. Single-disc Blu-ray – Includes everything on the DVD, as well as an “Every Little Step” music video performed by John Travolta and Ella Bleu Travolta. 3-disc Blu-ray – Includes everything on the single-disc Blu-ray, as well as a copy of the standard definition DVD, Young Dogs Learn Old Tricks featurette, a “You’ve Been A Friend To Me” music video by Bryan Adams, and a digital copy of the film.

PLANET 51

Be honest: Who else forgot this movie existed until just now?

Available on Blu-ray? Yes.Notable Extras: DVD – Extended scenes, featurettes (“Planetarium – The Voice Stars of Planet 51”, “The World of Planet 51 – Explore the Sights and Sounds of Planet 51”, “Life On Planet 51”), a music video montage, animation progression reels, and games. Blu-ray – Includes everything on the DVD, as well as a copy of the standard definition DVD and a digital copy of the film.

Other noteworthy DVD (and Blu-ray) releases this week…

The Stoning of Soroya M. [DVD / Blu-ray] – Hachi: A Dog’s Tale [DVD / Blu-ray] – Ninja [DVD / Blu-ray] – Evangelion: 1.11 You Are Not Alone [DVD / Blu-ray] – Paris [DVD / Blu-ray] – The Wedding Song – Gigante – The Memory Thief

NOTES: Some deals may be in-store only. All deals are for DVDs unless otherwise noted.$9.99 – Blu-ray sale: Primal Fear, Sunshine Cleaning, Dumb and Dumber$12.99 – Blu-ray sale: Quantum of Solace, Goldfinger, Die Another Day, Never Back Down$14.99 – Blu-ray sale: Knowing, Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, Casino