July has officially arrived and we're entrenched in the dog days of summer. And as far as the DVD prospects landing on shelves this month, there aren't any groundbreaking titles like I mentioned June, but there are definitely a few enjoyable selections. Here are the top three DVD releases for the month of July:
Cuban Fury - 3 stars out of 4 - (Read my full review here)
Although leading star Nick Frost's re-tweet of my review immediately boosted Cuban Fury to the most visited post of the year on my site, I give you my word that there is no bias to this selection. Cuban Fury is a legitimate laugh out loud comedy backed by stellar performances and a hilariously penned screenplay. After the arrival of their attractive new female boss (played by Rashida Jones), co-workers Bruce (Frost) and the overly confident Drew (Chris O'Dowd) compete for her affection through salsa dancing. With affable characters and a breakthrough supporting turn from Kayvan Novak that spews non-stop hilarity, Cuban Fury is an entertaining comedy that begins and ends without a hiccup. (July 29th)
Blue Ruin - 3 stars out of 4 - (Read my full review here)
Having missed an opportunity to catch Jeremy Saulnier's Blue Ruin at the 2013 Philadelphia Film Festival, I pounced on the opportunity at Sundance in January. Macon Blair stars as Dwight, a homeless recluse who re-opens a dark past when he seeks vengeance on a recently paroled man. Gripping, tense and well-shot, Blue Ruin dishes out all the essential ingredients to a successful revenge movie. Elements of gore and violence are tastefully used throughout this well-paced and slow burning thriller. It surely isn't a film intended for all types of audiences, but fans of the genre will consider Macon Blair's fine performance and the entire feature as a welcome addition. (July 22nd)
Noah - 2 and a half stars out of 4 - (Read my full review here)
Please allow me to preface my recommendation by clearing up the fact that Darren Aronofsky's Noah is a completely off-kilter and bizarre interpretation of the biblical tale. In many ways this story of Noah incorporates a surprising amount of fantasy reminiscent of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. It's peculiar and odd as well as unique and imaginative. After a good-hearted and honest man named Noah (Russell Crowe) receives visions of a flood meant to destroy the evils of mankind, he and his family begin to build an ark in hopes of surviving the storm and preserving life on earth. I found the film to be a bit divisive and almost a combination of two separate movies. While the first half breeds a strange vision of the age-old story, the second half of the feature explores what happens after the flood, a captivating journey into the psyche of these few survivors. Darren Aronofsky's Noah is worth a try if you're open to an unpredictable twist on the well-known biblical tale. (July 29th)
Honorable Mention: Other titles arriving to DVD this month include a few that I haven't seen but look forward to viewing, such as Jonathan Glazer's sci-fi mystery Under the Skin (7/15) starring Scarlett Johansson, Richard Shepard's crime comedy Dom Hemingway (7/22) starring Jude Law, and even the critically panned directorial debut from Wally Pfister Transcendence (7/22) with Johnny Depp. Action junkies will be thrilled to hear that The Raid 2 hits shelves on 7/8, and a few mediocre titles that were enjoyed by others include Jason Bateman's spelling bee comedy Bad Words (7/8) and the chick-flick The Other Woman (7/29) with Cameron Diaz and Leslie Mann.
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