September 13th DVD and Blu-Ray Film Releases

Well, we've got some delights in store for us this week! To start off this great list of films it's:

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (dir. Mike Newell, 2010) - Brought to you by Disney, produced by the same people as Pirates of the Caribbean, directed by Newell and stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton and Ben Kingsley to name a few. This is probably one of Hollywood's biggest blockbusters of the year. Plus, being based on a video game and having witty dialogue, high action and special effects bringing the Swords and Sandals genre back to life, the film is going to soar to the top of the charts. Gyllenhaal transformed his body for the role and proved he can play almost any character, as long as he has an attractive co-star to work off of.



Close following this fight filled flick is:

Date Night (dir. Shawn Levy, 2010) - An unusual rom-com based around a typical couple out on their monthly "date night" where they're caught in a bit of a sticky situation after taking someone else's reservation at a table. It's a shame that person's name is on the most wanted list... This is surprisingly action filled with great humour and a cast that work so well off each other. Steve Carell and Tina Fey prove they can bring almost any topic to top levels of comedy, but remain suitable enough for the serious roles. A real fun watch for all the family.



After some silly action, it's down to the more intense themes with:

Unthinkable (dir. Gregor Jordan, 2010) - Working on the fact that there are 3 nuclear bombs placed in 3 cities in America, Henry (Samuel. L. Jackson) has to torture the terrorist Steven (Michael Sheen) to force out of him where these bombs are. You may think this is just another America is great movie, but really is has some flawless acting from Sheen and a topic so sensitive that to base the whole idea of the film around this makes it controversial and therefore an exciting watch. Plus, it's brutal and thrilling making it an all round intense movie.



Moving from scare tactic intense to damn right mind puzzling intense, the next big Blu-Ray release is:

Mulholland Drive (dir. David Lynch, 2001) - Bringing this mind boggling, multiple themed, typical of Lynch film to high definition means we can now sit through and question again what the hell any of it meant. Hopefully this time there will be some clues on the added features or at least a director's commentary, although I'm not sure if that would make it easier or harder to understand coming from one of the most enigmatic film directors out there.



Even more unsettling than this film is the critically accalimed:

Dogtooth (dir. Giorgos Lanthimos, 2009) - Watching the trailer alone will send shivers down your spine, but this sadistic tale of a father who has led his children to live a life with a whole new vocabulary, never allowing them to leave the house will disturb you to your very core. Winning 9 awards, although disgustingly wrong, this film allows you to see the brutality of realism that foreign film provides. With sex as it's main drive of narrative, you can begin to conjure up ideas of where this sickening tale will take you.



On a completely different scale, the last film that should tickle your fancy is:

Kandahar Break (dir. David Whitney, 2009) - A love story turns into a fight when Richard (Shaun Dooley) refuses to let religion come between him and his love in Afganistan. He works as a Mine Clearer Engineer, so similar to The Hurt Locker, the action in this is incredibly unstable meaning one minute you're comfortable and then the next you're left sitting on the edge of your seat. Dooley plays a character very easy to relate with, plus the topic of romance and war coincide together ever so well.



So, it's a mixture of romance, action, confusion and sadistic sex. Oh films, they can take you anywhere... Dogtooth's the one for me this week.

Is Jake Gyllenhaal going to be our next A-Lister?

For Blogomatic3000 - http://www.blogomatic3000.com/2010/09/09/is-jake-gyllenhaal-going-to-be-our-next-a-lister/

Using the films Donnie Darko, Brokeback Mountain, and Prince of Persia as stepping stones to fight your way through Hollywood’s fierce sea of talent is quite an impressive move from Jake Gyllenhaal. He’s gone from Indie Goodness to Heroic Mainstream appealing a varied audience, and considering he’s only 30 I think we’ve got a lot to see from him yet.

If you look at the other films he’s participated in such as Jarhead, The Day After Tomorrow and The Good Girl, he knows how to recognise the blockbusters. But they’re usually demanding characters that have substance to them, rather than playing the soppy lead to make all the girls swoon. Although, that is exactly what he’s doing in this latest feature to be released on DVD, playing the Prince of a incredibly popular computer game. He beefed up for the role and transformed himself, much like Taylor Lautner or Tom Hardy for roles in films they knew would get them noticed. But although he’s playing the good looking, strong prince, he’s also an action role model enticing men to look up to him and want to battle like he does. See? He’s quite the clever actor…

To have such a varied amount of characters in his acting history means producers and directors are going to be very open for him trying new roles. In films currently in post-production or filming now, he’s playing a Senator (Nailed), a free-spirited lead in a romance aside Anne Hathaway (Love and Other Drugs) and a commuter in a Sci-Fi film (Source Code). They couldn’t be more different , unless he was playing a woman which still could happen. He’s really proving himself to be the next big thing, and although some might already see him as that, you don’t get the same reaction to his name like when you say “De Nero” or “Al Pacino”. Why is that?

Maybe because he hasn’t had a scandal in the newspaper which will attract attention to him. Or maybe because he doesn’t have a Hollywood Star as his wife. But doesn’t that make him all the more great? He’s playing these huge, challenging roles that demand so much attention from the film world, yet he still remains pretty grounded. He’s almost like a minor version of Johnny Depp keeping his film world separate from his personal world. It worked out well for Depp, so Jake’s sticking to the right thing.

Lets wait and see until we start naming him Gyllenhaal without the Jake. Then he’s made it big!