DVDs to Crave This Week: Crazy Olympian Time Machine!

By Chris Kavan - 06/29/10 at 10:25 AM CT

Up for a little horror, a wacky comedy or a movie based off a popular series for young adults (hint: not Harry Potter) then you're in luck - plus some gems that shouldn't be missed.

1) As an ardent horror fan, I can't help but put The Crazies as my most anticipated movie. The original was fun in a cheesy 70s way, I'm expecting this updated remake to be a bit more visceral. Plus commentary and the all-important makeup featurette - I love to see how they make things more bloody.

2) Hey, remember the 80s? I have a hazy recollection, as I was born in '79, but with Hot Tub Time Machine I can pretend I'm back in time. Although it only garnered mediocre reviews and box office, I'm still interested to see how they portray an age not long ago when cell phones, Internet and even CDs and DVDs were still years away. And, hey, John Cusack was in some of the best 80s films - maybe he can relive the glory days?

3) I'm a fan of Michael Haneke, even though I've only seen Funny Games (and the more recent remake). Still, I'm looking forward to The White Ribbon. This engrossing black-and-white drama about a small village in Germany where strange things happen has all the right components for being a memorable, slightly off-kilter experience. I have a backlog of Haneke films I want to see - this tops my list.

4) Who doesn't want to think they have a little of the gods flowing through their veins? If you happen to be Percy Jackson, you just may be in luck. While Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief didn't quite measure up to the standards set by such young adult fare as Harry Potter and Twilight, it seems to be a step above other such adaptions - time will tell if this franchise will take off. Still, a sustainable family film with enough action to keep adults at least somewhat entertained.

5) I'm not a huge documentary fan, but when said documentary is about the greatest Canadian rock band ever, well, maybe I can make an exception. Rush - Beyond the Lighted Stage lets to explore the depths of the prog rockers Rush in all their glory. As long as I get to hear me some Tom Sawyer, I'll be happy.

Other than the above mentioned films, not much on the Blu-ray front. Best I can offer is Predator (Ultimate Hunter Edition). Granted, the film is bloody good fun. Much better than the sequels and probably offered not since Predators is coming out in theaters soon. If you want to Arnold and crew in high def glory (note - this is a new edition, fixing the problems the original release suffered from - with all the extra features intact). So if you like action, check it out.

Anything you're craving this week? Let me know.