New DVD and Blu-Ray Releases to Crave: Super 8, Conan and Spy Kids - Oh My!

By Chris Kavan - 11/22/11 at 01:00 PM CT

Before stuffing yourself with obscene amounts of food before waiting in line at the crack of dawn this week - take a moment to reflect and give thanks for this week's new releases.

1) J.J. Abrams' ode to Steven Spielberg, Super 8 is still one of my favorite films of 2011. It has that sense of adventure, plucky characters, good humor and a lot of heart. It doesn't stray too far into sentimental territory and it still manages to throw in some honest scares along the way. If you are a fan of sci-fi - especially a fan of the 80s, this throwback should not be missed.

2) Speaking of throwbacks to the 80s, humongous human being Jason Momoa attempts to fill the shoes of Arnold Schwarzenegger in Conan the Barbarian. The movie didn't end up getting much love from audiences - as it was one of the weaker remakes of 2011, yet I think it looks enjoyable if a bit gritty for Conan. Still, I'm willing to give it a shot just to see if at least the action is worth it.

3) Audiences were even less enthusiastic about Spy Kids 4: All The Time In The World. Adding a 4D smell-o-vision gimmick did little to improve on what was generally considered the worth film in the series. You can bring in a whole new generation, but if you forget what made these films fun in the first place, don't expect them to be fooled again.

4) Finally, if you're up for seeing double - that is Dominic Cooper x2 - then don't pass up The Devil's Double. It's about Uday Hussein and the unfortunate gentleman who bears an uncanny resemblance to him. It sound intriguing and dangerous and Cooper looks like he does justice to the dual role.

On the Blu-Ray front you can have a lot of fun with the Three Amigos - even if they skimp on the extras. This is a unique, bizarre concept for a comedy, but thanks to Steve Martin, Chevy Chase and Martin Short somehow it works. Some may even can this "Infamous" which is, you know, even more than famous. You can also catch up with Criterion as one of the greatest courtroom dramas makes its debut, and a quirky comedy gets the Blu-Ray treatment for the first time. The new entry is 12 Angry Men with plenty of extras including interviews and the complete 1955 made-for-TV version. The quirky comedy would be Wes Anderson's Rushmore. The extras may have been recycled from the previous release, but seeing this in high definition is totally worth it... assuming you're a fan of this kind of comedy.

There are plenty of other films to explore this week, simply visit the FilmCrave New DVD Releases and FilmCrave New Blu-Ray Releases pages today.

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