Blu Ray Releases for 1/20/09 Previewed Briefly By Blue

* 13 Going on 30 (Sony) - Jennifer Garner does the Big thing. Less pedestrian than most romantic comedies, and somehow she manages not to look like a horse the entire movie! Quite an achievement!

* Amusement (Warner) - A horror movie shelved for a long while by Warner Bros, ala Trick'r'Treat. Is this one any good? Well, it's new horror, so I'm guessing no. But it was shelved by a greedy corporation so we should all pretend it is. Yeah! No kind of deception like self deception!

* Antwone Fisher (Fox) - Denzel Washington's directorial debut. Never saw it, don't care to.

* The Deal (2008) (Peace Arch) - A movie from last year starring Meg Ryan and William H. Macy that I never heard of. Is it any good? Well, it's about the behind the scenes antics of a movie production. So no, no it is not. Movies in that genre have a lower success rate than even horror movies.

* Domino (Warner) - I sort of liked this, sort of disliked it. I thought Keira Knightley was good(and hot) in it, but the plot is bizarre. Considering it's based on a true story I'd like to have seen it hew more closely to reality without the lame caper storyline.

* El Norte (Criterion Collection) - Some movie I've heard of but know nothing about. Plot sounds depressing though.

* Election (Paramount Entetainment) - Part 3 of Matthew Broderick's trilogy of awesomeness(including Wargames and Ferris Bueller's Day Off)

* The Express (Universal) - ANOTHER football movie. Yawn.

* Henry Poole is Here (Anchor Bay) - Years-later sequel to a movie I never saw.

* Igor (MGM) - Animated film about Frankenstein's assistant. Probably looks great. Not Pixar or Disney or Dreamworks so I know nothing about it, having not been beaten over the head about it like I am with their films.

* King Kong (2005) (Universal Entertainment) - A fascinating movie about a cabin boy named Jimmy and his education by the black first mate of the ship he's on. Their relationship is touching, as the first mate gives him life advice such as "Jimmy, you gotta get yourself an education! Gotta get yourself off this boat, Jimmy!". Unfortunately the movie is ruined an hour into it when some giant monkey shows up and takes over the movie for the next two hours. We sadly never see the Jimmy/first mate relationship resolved! I say sequel. Leave the monkey out this time.

* Max Payne (Fox) - A fellow I know who was a big fan of the Hitman movie HATED this. Said it was the worst movie he'd ever seen. I repeat again, someone who LIKED Hitman said THIS was shit. What does that tell you?

* The Notebook (Limited Edition Giftset) (Warner) - Boring chick romance movie gets a money wasting special edition.

* The Pink Panther (2006) (Sony) - Steve Martin remake of the original. Steve Martin can somehow make bad comedies ala Eddie Murphy without it staining his reputation. An impressive feat.

* Poison Ivy 4: The Secret Society (Warner) - The previous three movies had copious amounts of nudity, so hopefully this one does as well. But really, this will be on cable soon enough.

* Repo! The Genetic Opera (Lionsgate) - A horror rock opera starring Giles from Buffy with an extended cameo by Paris Hilton, from the director of Saw III and Saw IV. Yet I will watch this. Oh yes, I will. Do I hate myself? Most likely.

* Saw V (Lionsgate) - Speaking of Saw, this one wasn't so bad. Unfortunately unless you've seen the previous four(and who but me would) it won't make any sense. I'm a little stunned such a continuity-heavy horror series is continually successful. Never count out movies that give teenage boys a chance to feel up their scared girlfriends, I guess.

* Unfaithful (Fox) - Richard Gere, Diane Lane. Sex drama. I was like thirty years too young to see this when it came out. Diane Lane is hot, though.