New DVD Releases to Crave This Week: Dates, Death and Joneses

By Chris Kavan - 08/10/10 at 10:06 AM CT

As long as you're in the mood for comedy, this week should be a pretty good one for released.

1) I'm interested to see how well two comedic pros can match up on the big screen. I'm talking about Steve Carell and Tina Fey in Date Night. I don't think it will be the best comedy ever, but I do like both of the actors so it should at least be worth a watch.

2) On a different comedic note is Death at a Funeral. Now, I've seen the original version, and since I'm a fan of the dry kind of British humor, I found it very well done. This American remake takes the same approach, but changes it to a primarily African-American cast. Still, they have talent with Chris Rock, Tracy Morgan, Zoe Saldana, Danny Glover and Loretta Devine. Plus Peter Dinklage reprises his role. I would see it just to compare the two films.

3) Want a bit more cerebral comedy? Then keep up with The Joneses. David Duchovny and Demi Moore headline this film about a too-perfect family that moves into a posh neighborhood and immediately starts trend-setting. But their family is a facade as it's all a marketing ploy designed to sell - until real feelings get in the way. Sounds a bit complicated for a comedy, but I'll at least give Duchovny a by - I still have a soft spot for former agent Mulder.

4) Something that is not a comedy would be Triage. This is the film where Colin Farrell dropped like 40 pounds to play a war photog in Kurdistan who returns home but find the past is haunting him. Heavy indeed - the reason I highlighted the Blu-Ray release is that it happens to be cheaper than the DVD.

5) I'm not into sappy films, but if you want a quick pick-me-up than go out and get Letters to God. Just reading the description is enough for me to go into diabetic shock, it's so sweet. If you happen to be of the Christian persuasion, you'll probably find some kind of uplifting message to it all. Me? I think I'll stick to Love Thy Neighbor by not forcing anyone else to watch this one.

On the Blu-Ray front, more comedy! The one-two punch of National Lampoon's Vacation and National Lampoon's European Vacation lead the charge. The best two vacation movies should an addition to any collection. Wally World and Paris and, of course, the Griswolds, what could be better? The high-end film lover will be pleased with The Criterion Collection release of Crumb. Focusing on the somewhat deviant underground cartoonist, this documentary/biography is quite informative. The extras are of course exceptional, including two commentaries (one recorded specifically for the Criterion release), deleted scenes, a booklet and more.

For all the information about these and all other releases, visit the FilmCrave New DVD Releases page.