There are multiple big and big-ish titles of note this week, each of which has their merits: The Ghost Writer, A Prophet, Kick-Ass, and even Diary Of A Wimpy Kid (which retains a lot of the charm of its source material). There’s also a slew of back catalog titles being reissued on DVD and Blu-ray this week, including Henry Selick’s marvelous adaptation of Roald Dahl’s James & The Giant Peach. But the below-the-radar release that cinephiles should seek out is The Patterns Trilogy And Other Short Films, a collection of young filmmaker Jamie Travis’s funny, creepy, arty work. (RIYL: Directors with the first name “David” or “Todd.”)
After.Life
Starz/Anchor Bay, $29.98; Blu-ray, $34.98
The Allnighter
Universal, $14.98
Blood Done Sign My Name
Image, $27.98; Blu-ray, $29.98
Blood Simple
MGM Blu-ray, $24.99
The Breakfast Club
Universal Blu-ray, $26.98
Bull Durham
MGM Blu-ray, $24.99
Cross My Heart
Universal Blu-ray, $14.98
Death Sport/Battle Truck
Shout! Factory, $14.93
Diary Of A Wimpy Kid
20th Century Fox, $29.98; Blu-ray, $39.98
The Dungeon Masters
FilmBuff, $19.98
Eclipse Series 23: The First Films Of Akira Kurosawa (Sanshiro Sugata/The Most Beautiful/The Men Who Tread On The Tiger’s Tail)
Criterion, $59.95
Elvis On Tour
Warner, $19.98; Blu-ray, $34.99
Escape From New York
Lionsgate Blu-ray, $24.99
Fargo
MGM Blu-ray, $24.99
Finding Bliss
Phase 4, $29.99
The Ghost Writer
Summit, $26.99; Blu-ray, $40.99
Going Beserk
Universal, $14.98
The Great Waldo Pepper
Universal, $14.98
The Greek Tycoon
Universal, $14.98
Happiness Runs
Strand, $24.99
Hawaii Five-O: The Ninth Season
Paramount, $49.99
Henson’s Place: The Man Behind The Muppets
Henson, $14.98
Heroes: Season Four
Universal, $59.98; Blu-ray, $79.98
Humanoids From The Deep
Shout! Factory, $19.93; Blu-ray, $26.97
James And The Giant Peach
Walt Disney Blu-ray, $39.99
Kalifornia
MGM Blu-ray, $24.99
Kick-Ass
Lionsgate, $29.95; Blu-ray, $39.99
The Kim Novak Collection: Picnic/Jeanne Eagels/Bell, Book And Candle/Middle Of The Night/Pal Joey
Sony, $39.95
The Living Wake
Breaking Glass, $21.99
Mercy: The Complete Series
Universal, $44.99
Metalstorm: The Destruction Of Jared-Syn
Universal, $14.98
Nerdcore For Life
IndiePix, $24.95
‘Night Mother
Universal, $14.98
Open House
Lionsgate, $26.98; Blu-ray, $29.99
The Patterns Trilogy And Other Short Films By Jamie Travis
Zeitgeist, $29.99
Piranha
Shout! Factory, $19.93; Blu-ray, $26.97
A Prophet
Sony, $27.96; Blu-ray, $28.96
Road To Perdition
Dreamworks Blu-ray, $29.99
Sweetgrass
Cinema Guild, $29.95
TCM Spotlight: Errol Flynn Adventures (Desperate Journey/Edge Of Darkness/Northern Pursuit/Uncertain Glory/Objective Burma)
Warner, $49.98
To Save A Life
Sony, $24.96; Blu-ray, $34.95
Towards Zero
Zeitgeist, $29.99
Woodstock
Warner Blu-ray, $24.98