This Week on HD DVD and Blu-ray: October 23, 2007

The Shining Blu-rayWhether you’ve made the choice and actually picked a side in this format war, one thing can be agreed upon by all sides—this is a good week for high-definition.

It so happens that Warner Home Entertainment has yet to pick a side in this battle of video/audio quality—a decision that, when the time comes, could end the war for good. For now, however, they are throwing down some pretty good releases to please everyone, and this week is no exception.

The late Stanley Kubrick, idiosyncratic director of some of America’s most cherished cinema, is honored this week with the release of a few classics in dual format—finally, we can all see Jack Torrance’s nose hairs as he axes the hotel door and screams his classic “Here’s Johnny!” After all, Halloween is quick approaching, and a high-def copy of The Shining might make the perfect late-night creepfest. And if horror is your bag, both formats have some decent titles this week. Check the full list after the jump.

Click to continue reading This Week on HD DVD and Blu-ray: October 23, 2007


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Box Office Breakdown:  Silver Surfer Scores the Gold

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Silver Surfer

Like Ocean’s Thirteen, critics rated Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer better than its predecessor.  And like Ocean’s, Fantastic found its way on top of the ever-revolving box office heap.  With help from a more family-friendly rating (down from PG-13 to a PG), the superhero clan raked in $2 million more in its opening weekend than its 2005 turnout.

But it takes more than just a PG to win viewers over—it apparently takes Jessica Alba in a skin-tight outfit…and the prim and proper Nancy Drew had to learn that the hard way.  The latest incarnation of the beloved character only placed 7th despite the numerous times Julia Roberts’ name had been dropped these past few weeks.  BTW—I feel incredibly bad that daddy Eric Roberts has been continuously trumped by his more famous sister.  Emma is HIS daughter after all.

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Box Office Breakdown:  Lucky Number 13

Oceans 13

Having exhausted all their sequel choices, theater patrons quickly moved on to the latest offering:  Ocean’s Thirteen.  Despite general indifference for the series’ second movie, Steven Soderbergh and friends faced down the unlucky number and rolled the dice again.  Their gamble paid off well this weekend when they took down Captain Jack Sparrow and his mates

Of course, viewers who crave the comfort of familiarity can still manage to have discerning taste.  Eli Roth’s Hostel: Part II only rounded enough voyeurs to rank a mediocre 6th place.  Here’s to hoping that the era of grisly horror movies is once again over…

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Box Office Breakdown:  Knocked Up Delivers A Winner

Knocked Up

Viewers in dire need of some raunch helped make Knocked Up a strong 2nd this weekend.

Katherine Heigl’s stomach bumped past several family-friendly sequels of late and brought a fresh dose of adults-only fun into the box office.  Although it didn’t surpass the strong swashbucklers in Pirates, Knocked has already grossed enough money to cover its entire production budget.  Something few other movies on this list could probably say.  With strong word of mouth, director Judd Apatow (40 Year Old Virgin) may soon be adding another summer sleeper to his bedpost.

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