Pan’s Labyrinth (Two-Disc Platinum Edition)

Pan’s Labyrinth ($22), arguably one of the best films of 2006, was recently released on DVD and now the two-disc platinum edition makes its way into stores. The movie, set in 1944 and directed by Mexico-born Guillermo del Toro, centers around 10-year-old Ofelia and does a masterful job of mixing imaginative fantasy and harsh reality. The fact that non-Spanish speakers will have to deal with subtitles is the only thing that detracts from the film, but don’t let that stop you from catching this award-winner if you missed it in theaters.

Scarface (1932)

Most guys have seen the version made famous by Al Pacino, hell, some poor saps still quote lines from the movie like it just came out. There is, however, a Scarface ($11) movie that came out long before that one, shot in 1932, it’s a classic by any measure. The original Scarface lends a lot of its core story to the Al Pacino remake, but it’s got a charm all its own. It has finally found its way onto DVD as of May 22nd and is definitely worth a peek.

The Last King of Scotland

Forest Whitaker is simply amazing as fabled dictator Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland (17$), which was released earlier this week. The movie is about an idealistic, recently-graduated Scottish doctor who seems bored by his life, so he decides to travel to Uganda in the spirit of adventure. There, he is initially charmed into the services of Amin, but the glitter wears off soon enough. Whitaker won an Oscar for his incredible performance in this film, and it was well deserved.

Happy 4/20

It’s 4/20, and you know what that means, it’s a national holiday for pot smokers. If you ever wondered about the origins of this mystical day, you can read up on the 420 Cannabis Culture through Wikipedia. We may not be advocates of smoking up, but let’s face it, there are plenty of people that indulge themselves worldwide. For those of us that don’t, there is always the dual-format HD-DVD/DVD version of Half Baked ($24), starring notorious cannabis aficionado Dave Chappelle, who made the news recently for his marathon six hour standup at the Laugh Factory.