New DVD and Blu-Ray Releases to Crave This Week: Gnomes Take On Number Four

By Chris Kavan - 05/24/11 at 11:51 AM CT

A pint-sized kid-friendly retelling of Romeo and Juliet and some aliens with Twilight appeal fight for your approval this week.

1) The idea of a bunch of garden gnomes doing their best to emulate The Bard sounds a might ridiculous, but none-the-less Gnomeo & Juliet did pretty well at the box office. I'm predicting the outcome of this story isn't going to be as tragic but then when you're aiming for a much younger audience, that's to be expected.

2) On the other hand I have even less interest for I Am Number Four, which tries to put a Twilight twist on an alien story. It isn't romantic enough for the ladies and doesn't have enough action for the guys so it fails on both counts and looks to be a muddled mess to me.

3) Criterion releases another film that has truly become an icon - Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator. The Little Tramp takes on fascism as Adenoid Hynkel - putting Hitler in his place. A comedy about the most infamous figure in history is a bold move, but Chaplin not only pulls it off, he manages to send a message. There are plenty of extras too - commentary, a documentary, visual essays and even some rare footage on set.

Blu-Ray fans better be in the mood for war this week. Leading the pack is the highly-regarded Vietnam saga Platoon. It's one of my dad's favorites and as he experienced the war himself, I take him at his word. The Civil War offers up two entries: Gettysburg along with Gods and Generals - both in extended director's cut editions. While I consider this films to be a bit on the dry side, they at least get the historical aspects correct. If you aren't into war, hopefully you have a soft spot for Steve McQueen as he stars in two other releases: the personal project racing film Le Mans and the escape-at-all-costs Papillon. I have yet to see Papillon, but rest assured it is on my list.

There are plenty of other films to check out this week so visit the FilmCrave New DVD Releases and FilmCrave New Blu-Ray Releases pages today.