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Borat, Babel, Casino Royale
January 17, 2007

Happy New Year!

And sorry for the silence. It was busy here over the holidays, and then I took a vacation.

But now I'm back, and we got a slew of high-profile release announcements while I was away.

Fresh off a Golden Globe win, Borat comes to DVD on March 6 (prebook Feb. 7) priced at $29.98. Not surprisingly, Fox's supplementals list includes deleted and extended scenes. A no-brainer, yes, but high potential for more funny.

Sony's Stranger Than Fiction will be released on Feb. 27 (prebook Jan. 25) for $28.95 on DVD and $38.96 on Blu-ray. Saw this one in the theaters, and while it's not the movie that it was marketed to be, it really is a sweet, touching story. Will Ferrell is really different in this movie, and it's good different. I predict this one will become one of those films that will get into people's hearts and they'll watch over and over. An overperformer on DVD.

Warner's The Departed is coming Feb. 13. Just what you need for Valentine's Day--a movie with lots of violence. Ok, I missed this one in the theaters. My husband really wanted to see it, but we didn't find the time. So it'll be a DVD view for us. But judging by the awards buzz -- and Martin Scorsese securing the Golden Globe for Best Director -- the film is sure to get a lot of attention on DVD. Also, thanks to Warner supporting both high-def formats (thank you very much), The Departed will be on DVD ($28.98), HD DVD ($39.99) and Blu-ray ($34.99). Prebook has already passed.

Paramount's Babel, another Globe winner -- Best Motion Picture Drama -- is also bound to score when it arrives on disc on Feb. 20 (prebook Jan. 9). It also will be on all formats (thanks, Paramount), priced at $19.99 MAP on DVD and $39.99 on HD DVD and Blu-ray. Starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, Babel has some name recognition behind it. But for those of you who missed it in theaters – many did as it grossed $20 million – it isn’t an easy movie to watch. This is by no means a feel-good film, and it runs a little long for my taste. Still, curiosity should pull in a lot of renters, especially if it does equally well at the Oscars.

MGM/Sony’s Casino Royale breaks onto DVD ($28.96), PSP ($28.95) and Blu-ray ($38.96) on March 13 (prebook Feb. 8). No news on supplements, but we’re hoping for a boatload. MGM has always done right by their Bond fans. And this movie represents a new era for Bond, so it would behoove the studios to set a good precedent with this DVD. A Bond fan myself, I actually loved this movie, even though I was really skeptical that Daniel Craig would do the character justice. But, even though it’s sad to see the franchise start again, kind of like the other movies are being erased, this new turn is actually really really good. Different, but good. It should do really well on disc. Too bad it’s not on HD DVD too, as my husband and I have the Xbox add-on. Oh well.

And finally, Warner’s For Your Consideration bows Feb. 20 (order now) priced at $27.95 on DVD. This little movie grossed $5.5 million in limited release, but what will really get it attention on shelves is that it’s the newest mockumentary from the group behind Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show and the others. I haven’t seen this new entry, but the others have a core group of fans, and they will no doubt keep the movie turning in video stores.

Posted by Samantha Clark on January 17, 2007 | Comments (1)