New DVD Releases to Crave This Week: Asses Will Be Kicked, Ghosts Will Write

By Chris Kavan - 08/03/10 at 01:10 PM CT

Finally, something I'm actually excited about owning. Making up for a few disappointing weeks (for me anyway) there are releases that I will be happy to watch.

1) No doubt, the movie that has my full attention is the super-zero action / comedy Kick-Ass. I saw it in theaters and liked what I saw. It didn't exactly burn up the box office, but a sequel in already in the works. I love the unconventional characters, Nicolas Cage weirder than ever and, of course, the foul-mouthed Hit Girl played to perfection by Chloe Moretz. Plus plenty of violence. You get a decent amount of extras, including commentary, art and origin.

2) Want something a little more cerebral? Then get a hold of Roman Polanski's The Ghost Writer. Writing a memoir has never been this trilling. Ewan McGregor leads the cast and extra features include interviews with Polanski and cast members.

3) Families will be happy with the release of Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Bases on the best-selling novels by Jeff Kinney, this faithful adaptation (but never quite as good) is a good sit-down film for the whole house. It's fun enough to entertain younger kids, but has enough drama to keep older kids hooked as well.

4) Feel like taking in some foreign cinema? Hit up the French film A Prophet. Strong story, tough images and never takes the easy road. But then when you're talking about prison, kingpins and drugs - nothing is ever easy.

5) Finally, part mystery, part drama, the indie film After.Life sounds like it would be an interesting watch. Liam Neeson plays a mortician and Christina Ricci plays the recently deceased... or is she? Therein lies the mystery - an the eerie vibe permeates the film.

On the blu-ray front there are some decent releases as well, led by my favorite of the John Hughes films, The Breakfast Club (25th Anniversary Edition). You have the Tom Hanks depression-era drama Road to Perdition and the underrated animated James and the Giant Peach.

You can find information on all these movies plus many more at our New DVD Releases page.