Oops. Looks like it finally happened. A late edition of New Release Tuesday. Well there’s no point in dishing out excuses, so we might as well just get right into it. This week has a lot to offer to Hi-Def enthusiasts, including a late Summer hit from last year that managed to offer a fresh and funny jaunt through a Zombie-infested post apocalypse, another animated Marvel adventure, a double dose of Muay Thai action, and at least two bonafide cinema classics. Go beyond the break to see all that and more…

Bobert’s Blu-Ray Pick of the Week…
Bobert Liked It A Lot– ★★★★ out of ☆☆☆☆☆
The Brains… Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, Ruben Fleischer
The Faces… Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson
The Goodies… Commentary, Featurettes, Deleted Scenes
Bobert Says…Horror can truly be one of the most versatile and malleable film genres in cinema, when placed in the right hands at least. The danger of Ruben Fleischer’s ZOMBIELAND treading the same ground as SHAUN OF THE DEAD was always a concern for me as the film’s release approach, but almost from frame one my fears were quickly alleviated (thanks in part to an opening sequence that competes with WATCHMAN for 2009′s best opening credits award). This is a different kind of Zombie-Comedy, brought to us by the screenwriting duo of Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick (slated to script the upcoming DEADPOOL flick), and one seemingly made for folks like me and other like-minded individuals (aka demented cinephiles). Jesse Eisenberg (coming off a stelar year with this and ADVENTURELAND) employs his uber-nerd persona perfectly, and Woody Harrelson easily delivers a performance that will undoubtedly join the pantheon of cinematic Zombie Hunters. The only thing that falls short are the characters played by Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin, relegated to mere plot devices designed to move the story along. At this point I’ve heard all of the other arguments against ZOMBIELAND (i.e. it feels like a TV show, there’s not enough Zombies, that damn cameo is just a big distraction), but none of them have really tempered my enjoyment of the flick. You can either take it or leave it I suppose, and there’s just too much to love about ZOMBIELAND for this guy to not want to revisit it on Blu-ray. Must-Buy of the Week!

The Marvel Animated straight-to-video movies may have been the first on the scene, but the DC Universe flicks have consistently beat them in quality. I don’t forsee PLANET HULK changing that, especially considering what an odd project this appears to be. Based on the comic book series story arc,  the film attempts to meld the world of the purple pants sporting green goliath with a strange Sci-Fi Fantasy Gladiator motif. Who knows, I might be completely off-base and PLANET HULK ends up being the bee’s knees. But I doubt it…

“Hey guys, wanna see a movie tonite? Yeah? Ok, let’s look at whats playing —  oh hey howabout this: A biopic about Amelia Earhart staring Hilary Swank as the titular female aviator of legend, with Richard Gere playing her tycoon husband? Sounds good huh? What do you mean ‘No ‘effin’ way?’ Well fine, guess I’ll wait for the blu-ray then”. So its pretty unlikely a conversation like that ever went down while AMELIA played in theaters late last year, especially after critics pretty much revoked Mira Nair’s director license and grounded the film. It looks to be one of the biggest Oscar bait duds of  2009. Maybe it’ll play better at home on TV…

THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL is a modern Horror flick seemingly obsessed with perpetuating its image as a throwback to old school ’80s Horror. Whether its through the film’s own aesthetic and setting or by a marketing campaign that utilizes tricks like a vintage poster or gimmicky VHS tapes, filmmaker Ti West and the film’s fans appear to be more concerned with this facade than actually discussing any merits it may possess. Yes, HOUSE OF THE DEVIL has a pretty good following, but there also exists a very vocal minority of detractors that just don’t see what the fuss is all about. As a horror fan, I’m obligated to watch this, and look forward to sharing my opinion. But there ain’t no way I’m watching this on a VHS tape (like some folks seem to be championing), it’s blu-ray or the highway for this hi-def enthusiast…

ONG BAK 2: THE BEGINNING has been available on Xbox Live to rent and watch since October of last year (after a long and arduous production that saw numerous delays, creative shuffling, and even the strange scene of the Weinstein Company demanding a refund on the worldwide distribution rights it had previously purchased) but now Tony Jaa’s Muay Thai acrobatics are elbowing their onto Blu-ray. As you most likely ascertained from the title, this is one of those sequels that happen to actually be a prequel. Another factoid for you trivia-happy folks is that martial artist/stuntman/actor Tony Jaa also serves as director this time out, making ONG BAK a true auteur film. From the looks of it (a trailer for ONG BAK 3 has already surfaced online), the film concludes with a cliffhanger (another side effect from the problems that plagued production). Whatever man– as long as I get to see Jaa knee someone in the face at ludicrous speeds and crack his razor-like elbows over someone’s noggin in Hi-Def, consider me a happy customer. For those that like to kick it old school, the original ONG BAK arrives on the shiny blue disc this week as well…

And here’s the rest…

DANTE’S INFERNO: AN ANIMATED EPIC (anyone still think that these quickie Video Game tie-in animated movies are worth your time? No? I didn’t think so)… THE GODFATHER & THE GODFATHER: PART 2 (for all those whiners that refused to pick up the three-film set from over a year ago can now rejoice, you no longer have to consider adding THE GODFATHER: PART 3 to your blu-ray collection)… UNIVERSAL SOLDIER: REGENERATION (a new straight-to-video sequel reuniting DTV “superstars” Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren)… NEW YORK, I LOVE YOU (a collection of 11 short films set in The Big Apple featuring the talents of folks like the aforementioned Mira Nair, Shekhar Kapur, Natalie Portman, Bradley Cooper, and a whole lot more)… And that’s all folks. Until next time, keep those discs spinning!