While it might be a little early to start putting together a collection of Nolan's work — his highest-profile film to date, The Dark Knight Rises, doesn't come out until July — but that doesn't mean that the Christopher Nolan Director's Collection ($35) isn't worth picking up. Included in the collection are Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, Inception, Memento, and Insomnia, or more than enough cinematic goodness to hold you over until it's time to watch Batman's final big-screen showdown.
Given the studios' penchant for double-dipping, you wouldn't think that it would take a centennial celebration to see the Blu-ray release of a classic like this. Yet here we are, staring at the "Universal's 100th Anniversary" edition of Jaws ($21). This re-release of Spielberg's seminal sea-faring thriller has been fully restored and remastered from the original 35mm print, and features a new DTS-HD Master 7.1 soundtrack to make John Williams' legendary score that much more powerful. Also included are a slew of bonus features, as well as DVD and Ultraviolet copies of the film. Arriving in August.
War movies come and go — we've seen more Vietnam-based films than we care to admit — but few can match the introspective fury of Full Metal Jacket ($26). Celebrating its 25th anniversary, Kubrick's classic is being reissued on Blu-ray with a 44-page book including a personal letter and behind-the-scenes photos, a new bonus disc featuring the 60-minute documentary Stanley Kubrick's Boxes, and the obligatory non-traditional packaging.
It's happening slowly, but we're surely finding out that Pixar's brain trust of animation auteurs have just as many chops when it comes to live-action fare. Take Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol ($22) for example. Helmed by Brad Bird, this fourth installment in the M:I franchise finds Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt and the rest of his squad — including Jeremy Renner and Simon Pegg — implicated for a terrorist attack, sending them across the globe to clear their names and save the world. Sure, not the most realistic, but definitely fun — and isn't that why we watch movies in the first place?
Behold the awesome old school goodness of these vintage-printed, buttery-soft Homage T-Shirts. They turn back the clock with shout outs to eclectic moments and personalities in sports, music, politics and popular culture. From Bruce Lee to Larry Bird, the tees tell stories of triumph, individualism and hustle. Pay Homage.
We're always a little skeptical of foreign film remakes — after all, subtitles aren't that irritating — but when you've got names like David Fincher, Daniel Craig, and Christopher Plummer attached, you can view with confidence. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo ($20) is based on Stieg Larsson's book of the same name, which was made into a 2009 Swedish film that also pre-dates this latest version. A murder mystery at heart, the film is anchored by a breakout performance by Rooney Mara, who plays the mysterious Lisbeth Salander to perfection as she and Craig's Mikael Blomkvist work to uncover the truth. Oh, and the Reznor/Ross soundtrack doesn't hurt, either.
Not completely thrilled by this year's crop of Oscar nominees? Skip the New Releases section and cozy up with a cinematic classic like The Deer Hunter ($15). Nominated for nine Oscars and winner of five — including Best Picture and Best Director for Michael Cimino — this terrific Vietnam drama is helped along by fantastic performances by Robert De Niro, Meryl Streep, John Cazale, and Christopher Walken, who picked up Best Supporting Actor for his efforts.
"Bring out your dead!" Dead DVDs, that is, as Monty Python and the Holy Grail ($13) is ready to make its debut on Blu-ray. Along with a host of special features brought over from prior releases, it includes a remastered, HD version of the film, a 5.1 DTS-HD MA soundtrack, 30 minutes of new special features including Lost Animations from Terry Gilliam and extended scenes and outtakes, and compatibility with a second screen iPad app called The Holy Book of Days that packs in special background content from each of the 28 days of filming. Alas, it seems the Day in the life of the Killer Rabbit documentary didn't make the cut this time.
They're certainly not the most intelligent movies of the last decade, but when it comes to giving your home theater an audio/visual workout, there's little fare better than the Transformers Trilogy ($90). This seven-disc set includes all three of Michael Bay's robot-on-robot battles, including Transformers, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and Transformers: Dark of the Moon, all packaged in a trophy display along with a movie plaque signed by the infamous director himself.
Immerse yourself in the HD awesomeness of Ishiro Honda's 1954 classic Godzilla ($20). Presented here in definitive Criterion form, this legendary flick features Japanese audio, English subtitles, new interviews with actor Akira Takarada and Godzilla performer Haruo Nakajima, and original theatrical trailers. Gojira!
Sure, he's kind of an asshole, but you still love him. And you need all of him. To celebrate the golden anniversary of his secret agentness, MGM and Fox are releasing Bond 50 ($200), a gigantic collection that includes all 22 Bond films (and 6 James Bonds) along with over 130 hours of bonus features, all in Blu-ray quality.
"Nothing spreads like fear" — a fitting tagline for both the GOP presidential primary and for Contagion ($23). Directed by all-around badass Steven Soderbergh and featuring an all-star cast that includes Matt Damon, Marion Cotillard, Jude Law, Lawrence Fishburne, and Gwenyth Paltrow, it rises above the typical disease outbreak fare to achieve a Traffic-like blend of suspense and intrigue, which isn't surprising considering Soderbergh was behind the camera for that one as well.
Don't be fooled by the baseball backdrop — oh, sure, Moneyball ($20) is technically about Billy Beane and his work as GM of the Oakland A's, using sabermetric principles to build good teams for little money. But what's it's really about is taking risks, and how to see them through once you've made your bet. Which doesn't sound like all that interesting a movie, unless of course that movie contains some under-hyped, legitimately good performances from Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. In which case, it's pretty damned entertaining, even if you're not a fan of the game itself.