"Belle"
What's It About? This 18th century English romance is about Dido Belle (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), a biracial woman raised by her aristocratic great uncle and aunt, Lord and Lady Mansfield. She grows up alongside her cousin Elizabeth (Sarah Gadon) as equals and best friends, but as they come of age, their differences become all too apparent -- to each other and to their would-be suitors. Meanwhile, Lord Mansfield (Tom Wilkinson) is facing a trial as Lord Chief Justice of England that could change the future of slavery. Will Dido find love on her own terms?
Why We're IN: It's an elegant period piece perfect for Jane Austen fans, and it's a subtle but effective examination of the intersection of class and race in 18th century England. Mbatha-Raw is fantastic, and director Amma Asante has an excellent eye for detail.
Moviefone's Top Blu-ray of the Week
"All That Jazz (Criterion)"
What's It About? Director Bob Fosse used his own incredible life for the basis of this film. Roy Scheider stars as Joe Gideon, a choreographer and director who spends his days maxing his body out with sex, drugs, and Broadway. Gideon's forced to face his own mortality and his past as his body rebels against years of abuse, but with the sort of flair we associate with the Great White Way. Jessica Lange, Leland Palmer, and Ann Reinking co-star.
Why We're IN: The wild spectacle of "All That Jazz" has never looked better, and you also get extra goodies like the Fosse doc "Portrait of a Choreographer," audio commentary by Scheider, and more.
New on DVD & Blu-ray
"Blended"
What's It About? Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore star in this farce about two people who have a terrible blind date, then somehow end up on a vacation in Africa together with all their kids.
IN or OUT: No.
"The Double"
What's It About? Jesse Eisenberg does double duty as a nerdy cubicle drone named Simon and his cooler doppelganger James in this adaptation of the Dostoyevsky novella. James shows up in Simon's life and begins taking credit for all of Simon's hard work, but what's worse is that he starts wooing Simon's crush Hannah (Mia Wasikowska), a smart and outspoken co-worker.
IN or OUT: Writer/director Richard Ayoade's take on Dostoyevsky is droll, intelligent, and downright weird, from the baffling, "Brazil"-like office Simon works in to the kooky soundtrack comprised of '60s Japanese pop. One of the best of the year.
"Haven: The Complete Fourth Season"
What's It About? FBI agent Audrey Parker (Emily Rose) heads to Haven, Maine, for what's supposed to be a normal investigation. Instead, she finds that everyone in Haven has strange powers referred to as "The Troubles" - and it's entirely possible Audrey's got a case of 'em as well.
IN or OUT: Stephen King and/or sci-fi fans might want to check this out, but diehard fans will be especially excited for all the extras, including thirteen featurettes about the town of Haven, interviews, commentary, and even highlights from the panel from Comic-Con.
"The League: The Complete Season Five"
What's It About? You don't have to know anything about fantasy football to enjoy the pretty un-PC (and semi-improvised) adventures of this group of friends who will do tons of horrible/hilarious things to win. Mark Duplass, Stephen Rannazzisi, Nick Kroll, Paul Scheer, Jon Lajoie, and Katie Aselton star in this semi-improvised show.
IN or OUT: If you like "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," you owe it to yourself to check out "The League." This is maybe not the best season of its run so far, but hey, it's better than winning the Sacko.
"Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return"
What's It About? Dorothy, well, returns to Oz to save it from a new big baddie known as the Jester in this 3D animated musical. The voice-acting cast includes Lea Michele, Dan Aykroyd, Kelsey Grammer, Jim Belushi, Hugh Dancy, Oliver Platt, Megan Hilty, and Martin Short.
IN or OUT: Pass.
"The Love Punch"
What's It About? When Richard (Pierce Brosnan) discovers his nest egg has been plundered, he recruits his ex-wife Kate (Emma Thompson) to help him get revenge on the guy who embezzled him. Can Richard and Kate chill out long enough to carry through their diamond-stealing scheme?
IN or OUT: Thompson and Brosnan can't make up for Joel Hopkins' mediocre script.
"The Normal Heart"
What's It About? Mark Ruffalo stars as writer/activist Ned Weeks in this HBO adaptation of Larry Kramer's Tony-winning play. Weeks and other activists like Bruce Niles (Taylor Kitsch), Tommy Boatwright (Jim Parsons), and Dr. Emma Brookner (Julia Roberts) band together to bring attention to the growing HIV/AIDs crisis facing New Yorkers in the '80s, although they have radically different approaches to activism. Matt Bomer plays Weeks' closeted lover Felix Turner.
IN or OUT: Grab a box of Kleenex and tune in to HBO on demand to catch this Emmy-nominated drama.
"Portlandia: Season 4"
What's It About? The dream of the '90s is alive in this funny sketch comedy show from Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen. This season boasts all sorts of cool cameos, from Jello Biafra of the Dead Kennedys to Kim Gordon.
IN or OUT: If you love "Portlandia," you love "Portlandia," so you'll probably want to snag this for your DVD collection.
"Revenge: The Complete Third Season"
What's It About? Emily Thorne (Emily VanCamp) is hungry for, well, revenge against the fancy Hamptons people who framed and betrayed her late father, who was murdered in prison when she was a wee gal. Madeleine Stowe, Henry Czerny, and Gabriel Mann co-star.
IN or OUT: This collection includes extras like bloopers, commentary, and deleted scenes, so diehard fans will probably want pick this up.
"Sons of Anarchy: Season Six"
What's It About? Kurt Sutter's drama about a motorcycle gang reached new heights of mayhem in the sixth season. Charlie Hunnam, Katey Sagal, Maggie Siff, and Ron Perlman co-star.
IN or OUT: The box set comes with commentary on the first and last episodes of the season, plus deleted scenes and a gag reel. Yeah, a gag reel! Buy it now, even though you'll probably also buy the inevitable box set of the entire show after it ends next season.
"Trust Me"
What's It About? Clark Gregg stars as a desperate Hollywood agent trying to snag a teen actress destined for stardom. Gregg also wrote the script and directs. There are a ton of great actors in the cast, like Sam Rockwell as a devilish fellow agent, Felicity Huffman as a producer, and Amanda Peet as a potential love interest.
IN or OUT: Despite the cool cast, this indie isn't really worth your time.
"The Walking Dead: The Complete Fourth Season"
What's It About? The various "Walking Dead" factions are shambling towards the supposed safe haven of Terminus, but they've got to deal with some rather nasty humans along the way. Andrew Lincoln, David Morrissey, Norman Reedus, Steven Yeun, Lauren Cohan, and Danai Gurira star in AMC's popular zombie drama.
IN or OUT: Fans will come for the gruesome drama and stay for the DVD extras.
New on Blu-ray
"High School Confidential"
What's It About? Jack Arnold's cheesy '50s drama is a pulpy movie about a high school bad seed who wants to break into the drug-dealing biz. Russ Tamblyn, Jan Sterling, John Drew Barrymore, Mamie Van Doren, Jackie Coogan, and Michael Landon star.
IN or OUT: If you're into movies that are so bad they're good, "High School Confidential" is the Razzie flick for you.
"The Legend of Hell House"
What's It About? A mysterious millionaire hires Dr. Lionel Barrett (Clive Revill) to spend a week in the infamous Belasco mansion, which is supposedly riddled with ghosts. His wife Ann (Gayle Hunnicutt) joins the fun, along with a young psychic named Florence (Pamela Franklin) and a survivor of previous Hell House hijinks named Ben (Roddy McDowall). Richard Matheson wrote the screenplay based on his novel of the same name.
IN or OUT: Critics were split on this spooky flick, but genre fans will want to pick up Shout Factory's Blu-ray release.
"What's New Pussycat?"
What's It About? Ladies love Michael James (Peter O'Toole), and it seems no one can help - not his shrink Dr. Fassbender (Peter Sellers), not his friend Victor (Woody Allen), and certainly not his fiancée Carole (Romy Schneider). Paula Prentiss and Ursula Andress are just a few of the hotties in this comedy.
IN or OUT: There doesn't seem to be a ton of extras, but this louche '60s comedy will make you purr.
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