Today is a big day for DVD releases if only because we finally get my favorite movie of the year so far. There’s also a cute romantic comedy, a concert, a kids fantasy film and more.

I’ve changed the format for the DVD picks up a bit. I’ve been getting comments about missing certain movies that are coming out, and that’s mainly because I don’t want to see them and therefore wont necessarily recommend them.

So now I have a “Mike’s recommendations” section, followed by “What you’ll probably end up seeing“, because no matter how many good movies I tell you to watch, most of you will go with the easy, mainstream choice. I can tell you to check out There Will Be Blood, but you’ll grab Chuck and Larry instead and be kicking yourself later.

It never fails. So anyways, let’s get right to it!

(Mike’s Recommendations)

In Bruges

To me, this is the first awesome movie of 2008 to hit the video store shelves, so you must run out and get it this weekend. You can read the review I did back in March to get a more detailed look at the movie, but it’s funny, violent and stars Colin Farrel and Brenden Gleeson, with Ralph Finnes appearing later on in the film.

Definitely not a kids movie, there is a ton of swearing in it, and some good blood and guts, but it’s one of the funniest films I’ve seen in awhile and reminds me a lot of Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Not so much in the way Gut Ritchie created multiple storylines that all came together at the end, but in the funny-violent-Irish-comedy type of production. (Amazon)

Check it out!

Definitely, Maybe

Okay, this is a chick-flick big time, but it was one of the more enjoyable ones I’ve seen in recent years, plus it had a unique story that kept you guessing until the end.

Ryan Reynolds stars along with Elizabeth Banks, Isla Fisher, Rachel Weisz and little Abigail Breslin.

Very funny movie, a standard romantic comedy, but done in a fresh way. (Amazon)

The Hammer

I’d never have thought I’d recommend a movie starring Adam Carrolla from The Man Show, but I’ve heard nothing but good things about this movie. Joel McHale from The Soup plugged it weekly, and it has a 74% on Rotten Tomatoes. This is the RT consensus:

Crass and curiously low-energy, The Hammer ultimately perseveres as both an above-average sports comedy and a perfect starring vehicle for Carolla. (Amazon)

Live From Texas – ZZ Top

I’m no ZZ Top fan at all, but that doesn’t mean I wont recommend this Blu-Ray Concert that Shawn reviewed for us a few weeks back. He summed it up this way:

If you are not familiar with ZZ Top’s music, or if you are an old fan, I think you will enjoy this video. It’s accessible to new fans because it contains a lot of ZZ Top’s hits that are probably be familiar to many people. For the die-hard Top fans, this will end up being a great addition to your collection. This is almost as good as being there.

(Amazon)

Persepolis

I honestly don’t know much about this film, but it’s an animated drama rated PG-13 and the reviews for it have been awesome. Rotten Tomatoes has it at 95%, which is obscenely good. This is the description from IMDB:

Poignant coming-of-age story of a precocious and outspoken young Iranian girl that begins during the Islamic Revolution

It’s a French film, so I’m not sure if you’ll have subtitles or not, but I’m pretty sure you will. (Amazon)

(What you’ll probably end up seeing…)

10,000 B.C.

I heard nothing but horrible things about this film, including our own review by Jason where it got a 2.5 rating out of 10 possible points.

Yikes.

But it’s got action, cool CGI and people are likely going to rent it anyways.

The Spiderwick Chronicles

Not heard much either way on this one, but it’s a kid’s fantasy and might be worth checking out if you are looking for a family movie this weekend. It’s PG, but that’s just for scary scenes and some violence.

Heck, it also has Andrew McCarthy in it from Pretty in Pink!

Coming out in Blu-Ray:

• 10,000 B.C. (Warner)
• House of Fury (Tai Seng)
• National Geographic: Sea Monsters (National Geographic)
• Persepolis (Sony)
• The Spiderwick Chronicles (Paramount)
• Step Into Liquid (Lionsgate)
• ZZ Top: Live in Texas (Eagle Rock)

Let’s jump right in.

It’s.all.about.Jason.Bourne.

The Bourne Ultimatum

Maybe it’s because the movie is still fresh in my mind, but I honestly felt this was the best of the bunch. The first was good, and perhaps I need to watch both again to get a feel, but I was utterly blown away by the greatness of Ultimatum and the acting chops of Matt Damon.

The scene in the crowded mall area, whatever it was, with Bourne trying to guide a guy through it without getting him killed was thrilling. The rooftop chase that ends up going through windows, doorways and more roofs, was some of the best choreographed action sequences I’ve ever seen.

Like Richard Roeper said on At The Movies this weekend, Bourne is right up there with Bond for me as the action hero of our time.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Wow, another blockbuster released this week. I liked this “episode” in the series of Potter films a lot, thinking the acting was much better and the entire feel was so much darker than the others. A ton of good stuff in this flick.

Also, all of the Harry Potters get released in HD this week, on both formats, plus some major boxed sets.

Lost: Season Three

Frak me, the awesome keeps on coming. The third season of Lost started out slow, with the ridiculous network idea to have a six episode arch at the start, and then take like a million years off before they finished the season.

Ugh, it didn’t work very well at all, and most people were scratching their heads wondering where the show they loved had gone.

A bunch of episodes later, the season finale finished and people were scratching at their heads again. Not because it sucked, but because their noggins had just been BLOWN AWAY by the shocker of an ending that spun you all in circles and made you sick to your stomach that the following season wouldn’t start until February!

Well, this is the one season of all of them I’d like to watch again, just to get a recap of what happened in prep for season four.

Here are some other releases this week that are interesting, including HD releases:

DVD (buy below titles at Amazon)

• Interview – Not seen it yet, but there have been a lot of good things said about this film with Steve Buscemi and Sienna Miller doing an interview. A movie I want to see for sure.
• The Jason Bourne Collection – Get all three in a sexy package
• High School Musical 2 – not for me, but I know some of you crazy people out there loved this movie.
• Beverly Hills 90210: Seasons 1-3 – Wow, here you go, relive all the Brenda and Dylan drama!

High Definition

A ton of HD releases this week (source: EngadgetHD)

Blu Ray (buy below titles at Amazon)

• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Warner)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Warner)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Warner)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Warner)
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Warner)
• Harry Potter Years 1-5 Giftset (Warner)
• High School Musical 2 (Walt Disney)
• The Legend of Zorro (Sony)
• Lost: The Complete Third Season (Disney)
• Rent (Sony)
• SOS! Tokyo Metro Explorers: The Next (Bandai Visual)

HD DVD (buy below titles at Amazon)

• The Bourne Ultimatum (Universal)
• Freedom: 3 (Bandai Visual)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Warner)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Warner)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Warner)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Warner)
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Warner)
• Harry Potter Years 1-5 Giftset (Warner)
• Picture This (Ally Distribution)