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Blu-ray Today: Schwarzenegger and Stallone, Batman and Superman, Witches and Demons


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Justice League: War Hey, I don’t know if you’ve heard, but WB and DC are finally getting their cinematic act together! Yeah, first they’re putting Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and others in a movie together, then they’re going to have a sequel already in the works, and begin a shared cinematic universe just like Marvel!

Except it’s direct to Blu-ray and animated. That other thing you were thinking of? Who knows when we’ll ever see it.

Facepalming, Head-desking. Wondering why WB can’t just look at their animated DC stuff and realize they can do this kind of thing in non-cartoon form too.

Anyway, yeah, this is the beginning of a shared continuity.

Napoleon Dynamite: 10th Anniversary Edition – It’s a frickin’ rip-off you shouldn’t sink your talons into, despite the fake Liger fur on the cover, with less special features than previous versions. Including the short-lived animated series would have been a no-brainer here, but it seems the chickens at Fox video do not have large talents.

Death Wish: 40th Anniversary – On the other hand, I never cared much for this movie, though that could be simply a function of it being a product of its time, and the fact that Charles Bronson’s voice in this sounds like a Simpsons supporting character. If you’re used to today’s action movies, it’s both unusually paced and occasionally amusingly dated (check out how easily he brings a gun on a plane, openly and with no problem whatsoever because it’s a gift). More interesting as an artifact than an evening’s entertainment, especially since it features Jeff Goldblum’s first major role as a street thug. This original is trying to make a point, riffing on that whole notion of a conservative being a liberal who’s been mugged, and whether a good man with a gun can overstep his bounds to become a bad man with a gun without knowing it. The sequels turned it into more unapologetic B-level pulp.

The White Queen, Season 1 – I’ve actually never heard of this before, but apparently it’s a Game of Thrones-style take on England’s War of the Roses, as told from a female point of view. As my wife is watching The Tudors now (WTF is up with a thin and handsome Henry VIII the whole way through?), I’m sure this will have a place in our player shortly.

Escape Plan Sylvestuh and Ahnuld, sittin’ in a prison. K-I-L-L-aneurysm. First comes bromance, then the plan hatch phase, then comes Schwarzie with a gun and catchphrase.

I dug it. You might too.

Night of the Demons and Witchboard – Two ’80s cult hits from director Kevin Tenney that offer you options for your occult horror movie. Do you prefer a slower pace, more subtle scares and a ouija board, or unrated blood and gore when demons emerge at a seance? I imagine you can guess from the titles which is witch, er, which.

About Time I gather from the preview that this about a dude who keeps going back in time to have sex with Rachel McAdams. If we’re honest about it, that seems like a more practical use of those powers than preventing a future war or something.

And those are my picks for today. What can you add?