New DVD Releases: Harry Potter, Public Enemies, Julie and Julia

There is a lot of good stuff coming out on DVD this week as an array of summer flicks hit the shelves.

A new Harry Potter arrives on DVD for only the third-to-last time ever, Michael Mann’s latest film starring Johnny Depp, Public Enemies comes out with a two-disc set and an early Oscar contender, Meryl Streep in Julie & Julia, adds to the excitement.

Plus, there’s a chance to catch up on “LOST” with the fifth season now available and a pair of indie darlings also hitting DVD.

Check it all out below…

FEATURE FILMS

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

If there is one cultural icon that absolutely owned this decade it was surely Harry Potter.

Billions at the box office, millions of books sold in just one night.  Nobody could come close to the sort of cultural dominance enjoyed by JK Rowling’s boy wizard creation.

And now the movies are almost at an end. This is the third-to-last installment (as the final book will be split in two) and the end is rapidly approaching for the young wizard’s decade of dominance. The question remains – can it be replicated? Twilight is certainly trying, but it has nowhere near the acclaim or widespread appeal of Potter. If anything, it’s a cheap imitation of the greatest source of entertainment this decade.

It seems unlikely that in this increasingly fractured pop culture world we all inhabit, that anything will ever be able to unite so many fans under one entertainment roof. So enjoy it, this Harry Potter could be the last true pop culture phenomenon that gets through to everybody.

You can celebrate Harry’s decade of dominance by purchasing Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince on DVD. Or you can get all six movies in one set.

Public Enemies

We officially need a term for massive trailer letdown.

The trailer for Public Enemies made it seem like breakthrough in the period gangster genre.  A slickly filmed epic that would finally update the tired genre with modern techniques that would make it feel alive again.

The reality?  Pretty much a run-of-the-mill period gangster piece that couldn’t decide between character study and pulse-pounding caper flick.  Sure, there was plenty of handheld cameras shooting the period costumed cast, but this was not the adrenaline rush promised by the trailer.

So what do we call the act of being victimized by an amazing trailer?  Getting Hancocked.  Remember Hancock?  Remember the trailer for Hancock?  Remember when it looked like an amazing anti-superhero comedy?  Then you went to the movie to see some preposterous tale of fallen angels who seemed to have nothing of a sense of humor.

That could be the biggest difference between trailer and actual result ever.  So trailer victimization must now be known as being Hancoked.

So when you buy the DVD for Public Enemies maybe watch the trailer after your first viewing.  It could lessen the blow of being Hancocked by this film, or at least show you how great the difference between the film and trailer are.

Julie & Julia

It isn’t very often that you get the chance to enjoy a surefire Oscar nominee in the comfort of your own home so early in December, but now Julie & Julia gives movie fans that chance as it comes to DVD.

Meryl Streep is as sure a thing as anybody at this year’s Oscars – giving her the rare chance to snag a nom for a film that doesn’t come out in the last few days of the year.

This rare occurrence is our gain.  Now you can start catching up on Oscar early without having to spend hours in the cinema, running down a checklist.

So if you want to get an early jump on your nominee watching, buy the DVD.

Also:

• The Cove – Learn More – Buy Now
• World’s Greatest Dad – Learn More – Buy Now

TV ON DVD

“LOST” – Season 5

Now is the perfect time to get into this show.  Why?  Because there is no more waiting.

Yes, for those who don’t know, “LOST” ends this year, with the new season starting in about two months.  That gives the uninitiated plenty of time to catch up on what they’ve missed and get ready for the end.

The best part?  You completely eliminate the terrible months-long wait between each season.  Now it’s possible to catch up with no wait between episodes, no more cliffhangers, no more nothing and get primed for the final season of maybe the most addictive TV drama of all time.

So if you want to catch up you can buy season five.  Buy the first five seasons, or, if you already love “LOST”, there is a Dharma Initiative Orientation Gift Set available.

Also:

• “The Dog Who Saved Christmas” – Buy Now
• “Doug”: Season 3 – Buy Now
• “The Fugitive”: Season 3, Vol. 2 – Buy Now
• “Get Smart”: Season 5 – Buy Now
• “The Jerry Lewis Show”: Best-Of Collection – Buy Now
• “Perry Mason”: Season 4, Vol. 2 – Buy Now
• “Rescue Me”: Season 5, Vol. 2 – Buy Now
• “Spongebob Squarepants”: Season 6, Vol. 1 – Buy Now