This Weeks New DVD Releases

A mixed bag of new DVD's and Blu-Rays this week.

Fantastic Mr Fox

Wes Anderson's adaptation of Roald Dahl's childrens classic split critics with it's mix of retro stop motion animation and urbane wisecracking.  Nonetheless there is much to delight here, particularly George Clooney's turn as the fantastic Mr Fox.





Blu Ray - Only £16.85
Fantastic Mr Fox [Blu-ray] [2009]

DVD - Only £11.93
Fantastic Mr Fox [DVD] [2009]

Cirque Du Freak - The Vampires Assistant

A speedy DVD release for Universal's attempt to cash in on the Twilight phenomenon.  A talented cast (John C Reilly, Salma Hayek) is wasted on this lifeless tale of a young boy who leaves his normal life behind to go on the road with the titular Cirque Du Freak.

The DVD is however only £7.98 on Amazon
Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant [DVD] [2009]



The American President

Bargain of the week goes to Rob Reiner's 1995 rom-com the American President.  The film stars Michael Douglas as the single President of the United States, who risks his popularity by falling in love with a lobbyist, played by Annette Benning.  Michael J Fox and Michael Sheen take supporting roles.

Despite the somewhat bland description above, the film is surprisingly sharp when it comes to it's dissection of the American political system.  The reason why becomes clear when you realise the script was written by Aaron Sorkin, and in many ways the film served as a dry run for the West Wing.  Echoes of the series can be seen throughout the film, from the quickfire dialogue to the casting of Michael Sheen as a senior presidential aide.

Whilst the DVD is bereft of extras, Amazon is charging only £3.14 for the disc, and at that price it deserves a place in everyone's DVD collection.

The American President [DVD] [1995]