New DVD and Blu-Ray Releases to Crave: Explore Some Stranger Tides with Larry Crowne

By Chris Kavan - 11/15/11 at 11:13 AM CT

It's a little light on the new releases side of things but Blu-Ray saves the day with some impressive releases sure to please fans.

1) Still, this week has one blockbuster contender in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. Now, while I myself might not have been enamored with this entry, on a global scale it simply dominated - grossing over $1 billion. This means even if the U.S. gross was slightly underwhelming, we're probably going to see more of Jack Sparrow in the future. As for Stranger Tides - it's a fun adventure, just not one I found particularly memorable (well, except for the mermaids - that was just awesome).

2) On the lighter side of things Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks try their hands at a more adult version of the romantic comedy with Larry Crowne. Apparently audiences weren't exactly thrilled to watch two major stars act like mooning teenagers and I have to wholeheartedly agree with them. The world does not need another by-the-books romantic comedy, no matter who might be starring.

3) For a movie with more dramatic take on relationships, and with a bit of comedy thrown in, Ewan McGregor plays a man who finds out his father is dying from cancer... and has taken on a young man as a lover. Now that may sound iffy, but consider Christopher Plummer is his father, Goran Visnjic the young love and Mélanie Laurent stopping by, I think Beginners will turn out just fine. Not normally the type of story I seek out, but flawed characters played by accomplished actors win out every time.

There are quite a few Blu-Ray releases vying for attention and I start with what is one of the few musicals I'm not ashamed to admit I like: West Side Story being released in a 50th Anniversary regular version and a Box Set, for those who really like extras. No matter which version you go with, expect a mountain of extras sure to please fans. Speaking of musicals, you can also check out My Fair Lady, another classic featuring Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison. Probably more of a classic than West Side Story, but I don't feel the same about it. If you're not a fan of musicals (probably not too much of a stretch) perhaps you're a fan of horror. Then lucky for you Evil Dead 2 makes a high definition debut. It's just like the original, but with a better budget after people realized that Sam Raimi is a genius, especially when Bruce Campbell is involved. Finally, respect is due to Infernal Affairs, the Hong Kong film which inspired the Oscar-winning film from Martin Scorsese, The Departed. Many say this original version is even better than the American remake. I can't confirm or deny these allegations, but I think I will put this on my list to watch and judge for myself.

You can find plenty of other film to explore this week on the FilmCrave New DVD Releases and FilmCrave New Blu-Ray Releases pages.