Oooh, I so want to see this! I don’t care if it gets bad reviews or if it’s cheesy. The Scream movies were big when my husband and I first got together, so one of our first dates was to see Scream in theaters. I have great memories of the first three, and we plan to see this one together too!

I have loved Rachel Bilson since The O.C., and gladly watch any project she’s in. Her latest film, called Waiting for Forever, opened on Friday. I haven’t had a chance to see it yet, but I really want to. It looks like a good one. I’ve never heard of her co-star Tom Sturridge, but his voice has an Owen Wilson quality about it (not really a good thing for me). Anyway, Rachel is the big draw, and I’ll see it because of her. Check out the trailer right here:

I don’t watch very many movies over and over again from beginning to end, but The Blind Side is one of my few exceptions. This is a terrific film that features an absolutely fantastic performance from Sandra Bullock, making it a prime candidate for repeat viewings. Throw in the fact that the film is based on a true story and revolves around football, and I’m definitely hooked — which is why I want to buy The Blind Side Blu-ray as soon as possible.

I’ve been a Blu-ray convert for a while now, and try to buy this format over DVDs whenever I have the opportunity to do so. Blu-rays are a bit more expensive than regular DVDs, but the quality difference is worth the extra money. Anyway, The Blind Side Blu-ray comes with a few bonus features, such as interviews with the real Michael Oher and Leigh Anne Tuohy, an interview with Oscar-winner Sandra Bullock, deleted scenes, and a look at the real-life SEC coaches that appeared in the film.

Right now The Blind Side Blu-ray is on sale at Buy.com, so this would be a good time to order it. Or I can gamble a bit and see if the price drops even lower for Black Friday or Cyber Monday. After all, the holiday is here, which means there are always deals to be had!

Comedy is not a film genre that I particularly like. It’s not that I don’t like to laugh; it’s just that few comedies are truly funny from beginning to end. Most run out of steam about halfway through, and become increasingly boring as the minutes drag on.

But The Hangover struck me as different right from the start. Even though this was marketed as a buddy film for guys, I really enjoyed it and it quickly became one of my favorite movies. That’s why I want to purchase The Hangover Unrated Blu-Ray to add to my collection. I’ve only seen the movie once thus far, so I’m anxious to view it again and pick up on a bunch of details that I missed the first time around!

The unrated Blu-Ray edition comes with a number of extra features that I think will make this purchase totally worthwhile. First, there are about 8 minutes of additional scenes that never made it into the theatrical release, then there are the usual bonuses such as commentaries, interviews, behind-the-scenes looks at production and filming, and a gag reel.

The price is OK right now, but I might wait a little bit to see if it goes on sale soon. After all, the holidays are fast approaching, which means big discounts aren’t too far behind!

The Sound of Music is one of my favorite films of all time. I adore the simple love story that serves as the main plot, and I’ve had all the songs memorized since I was a little kid. This is one of the few movies that I can watch over and over again without getting bored — despite its three-hour length. In fact, I try to view it at least once a year even though my only copy is on VHS tapes.

This year, 2010, is the 45th anniversary of the theatrical release of the film, and to commemorate the event the studio will soon issue this Sound of Music 45th Anniversary Collection. This is a box set that would make any collector proud! It comes with the entire film on Blu-ray, plus a bunch of extras that you can’t get anywhere else. Some of the extras include bonus features on the discs, as well as a 100-page “My Favorite Things Scrapbook, a limited edition hand-painted “My Favorite Things” music box, a reproduction of the 1965 souvenir program, a 45th Anniversary edition of the soundtrack, and more. What true fan of this film could resist this set?

Right now the Sound of Music 45th Anniversary Collection is on sale at Buy.com for just $68.99, which is an excellent price. I absolutely MUST get this set, especially because I want all the treasures that come with it. I’m getting some money in next Friday, so that’s when I plan on ordering this. Good timing, as the collection will be released on November 2!

My husband is a huge fan of the Rambo film franchise. I personally could take or leave violent movies like that, but Jerry thinks they’re great. He actually used to watch these films quite frequently — but his only copies were on VHS tapes and the quality degraded pretty badly over the years. So now I’m thinking about buying him this Rambo Blu-Ray Box Set to update his collection.

The Rambo Blu-Ray Box Set contains the first three installments of the franchise: First Blood, First Blood II, and Rambo III. These movies were released between 1982 and 1988, and really solidified Sylvester Stallone’s place as one of the foremost action stars of that period. Each one comes on its own disc in this box set, and there are a few bonuses tossed in too, such as unused footage and interactive META-features. I’ve read some reviews of the box set in which people absolutely rave about the picture quality, so I can be confident on that front as well.

Right now the Rambo Blu-Ray Box Set is on sale at Buy.com for just $27.16. That’s an awesome price for three Blu-Ray films, all of which are considered action classics by most fans of the genre. I’m definitely going to have to order these for Jerry soon. With Christmas coming up, there’s really no reason not to!

I’m not a huge Quentin Tarantino fan, but my husband is. I like some of the director’s films, including Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs, but have been only lukewarm on a few others while walking right out of the theater during Inglorious Basterds. But as I said, my husband loves them all, which is why I want to buy this Ultimate Tarantino Collection for him.

The Ultimate Tarantino Collection is a DVD box set containing six of Tarantino’s most popular films. Included in the set are the full-length versions of Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, Jackie Brown, Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2, and Death Proof. All are presented in widescreen on their own discs. I don’t think there are any extras included with the films (like commentary or interviews), but the box set comes with a collectible mini samurai sword like the one Uma Thurman wields throughout Kill Bill. That sounds pretty cool!

Anyway, you’d expect a DVD box set like this to be pretty expensive, and the regular price of $69.99 is rather steep. But right now I can get it through Buy.com for the sale price of just $29.99, which totally appeals to the bargain hunter in me! I hesitate to bring up Christmas in October, but it is getting to be that time of year. This would make a wonderful present, so it’s going on my “To Buy” list!

Memento is one of those films that positively blew me away when I first saw it. Even though it was years ago and I’ve forgotten all the details by now, this sticks in my mind as an excellent movie. It’s one that I’ve been meaning to see again, but for some reason I always end up forgetting about it. That’s why I think it’s time to buy the DVD so I can finally remember what all the fuss was about.

The Memento Limited Edition DVD looks like my best bet. From what I’ve read, it comes with a special “Easter egg” for viewers: the option to view the film in chronological order. If you remember, director Christopher Nolan opted to tell the story backwards, which really made the action difficult to follow. I think it would be great to be able to watch things unfold chronologically and see if the order of the storytelling makes any difference on the overall impact of the film. I’m guessing things will be more understandable in chronological order, but the original backwards version will pack more of a punch.

Anyway, the Memento Limited Edition DVD is currently on sale at Buy.com for just $9.99, which is half off the regular price. That’s a price I don’t mind paying for a movie I already know is great — and free shipping just makes my decision easier. Can’t wait to get this one!

Plot summary (with possible spoilers): Five-year-old Sosuke (voiced by Hiroki Doi) lives in a house high on a cliff with his mother Lisa (Tomoko Yamaguchi) and mostly-absent ship captain father Koichi (Kazushige Nagashima). One day while playing near the shore, Sosuke rescues a goldfish with a human face. He decides to keep her, naming her Ponyo in the process.

Ponyo (Yuria Nara), grateful to Sosuke for saving her, licks a cut on his finger. The finger heals instantly. Ponyo, having tasted human blood, now wants to turn into a human and live with Sosuke and his family. This greatly distresses Fujimoto (Joji Tokoro), Ponyo’s father, who lives under the sea with the rest of the marine creatures.

Fujimoto cannot stand humans because of their polluting ways; plus, he is worried about maintaining the delicate natural balance between humans and nature, which he fears will be thrown out of whack if Ponyo stays human. Nevertheless, he agrees to let her change — provided that Sosuke can lover her unconditionally in whatever form she may take.

The rest of the film then shows Sosuke and Ponyo interacting with each other while a great tsunami ravages the town where they live. This provided a bit of tension, since Sosuke and Lisa didn’t exactly live in a strong steel building, but rather a wooden house precariously balanced on a cliff. To make things worse, Lisa insists on venturing out at the height of the storm to check on the nursing home residents she cares for. When she fails to return, Sosuke and Ponyo set off on a rescue mission — leading to a final mystical encounter with Fujimoto.

Liked:

• The animation was simply stunning. Having recently seen (and loved) Toy Story 3 in all its CGI glory, there’s still something to be said for hand-drawn animation.
• I liked that Lisa wasn’t portrayed as the typical meek, timid Japanese housewife. She drove like a madwoman, got pissed at her husband when he didn’t come home on time, and slugged back beers. That’s much more believable to me!

Disliked:

• There wasn’t any urgency in this story, nor did I really understand what the characters were after. So there was going to be some sort of massive ecological disaster? Why? Because of one tiny goldfish becoming human? Okaaay…. Whatever.
• I didn’t really get into the Ponyo character that much. I’m not sure why, but she didn’t grab my attention like Sosuke did. As a result, I didn’t much care whether she stuck around or not.

Rating:

Overall, I was a bit disappointed by Ponyo (considering that it’s a Miyazaki film) and was definitely expecting a much more heartwarming story with far more lovable, memorable characters. I guess even great directors are allowed a slight misstep once in a while. I give this film 3 stars out of 5.