Colors Collector's Edition

Do you even care to know how "gorgeous" the 1080P or 2/4 K scan transfer looks, or how cool the extra features are? By now, you are well-versed in what transfers look like and you know what's coming with the release. You're (hopefully) here because you want to know the experience I had watching this/these film(s).

New on Blu is a column from film pundit Chase Whale (that's me!), exploring studio, arthouse, underground, exploitation and cult cinema released on Blu-ray and DVD from some of the most cutting-edge independent distributors around the U.S. He talks about the movie and whether it's worth a buy or rent, not how amazing the transfer looks because you already know this system.

Director: Dennis Hopper
Cast: Sean Penn, Robert Duvall, Maria Conchita Alonso
Rating: ★★★
Buy/Rent: BUY

Colors...Colors...Colors...Colors -- Sorry, got carried away into the theme song of the film, which is also the music for the DVD menu. If you can't find the remote and accidentally leave it on while on an important phone, this song will never leave you. Ever.

I remember when I was younger, and this movie terrified me. Anything film with gang violence made my head spin -- Higher Learning, Boyz n da Hood, Menace II Society, and Blood In Blood Out to name a few. As an adult, it's not as intimidating, but with the late, great Dennis Hopper behind the wheel, this should have been more bonkers.

Colors is still entertaining for its time. Less violent than the aforementioned, but Robert Duvall does a superb job leading the pack of young recruits (Sean Penn and people who are now probably in finance) to justice and, for us, entertainment.

There's an Easter Egg in Colors. I'm not going to spoil the fun and tell you (free pun for you), but lookout for it.

Man Down

Director: Dito Montiel
Cast: Shia LaBeouf, Jai Courtney, Gary Oldman, Kate Mara, Clifton Collins Jr.
Rating: ★★
Buy/Rent: RENT FOR SHIA

Man Down is not a good movie, but the reward is watching Shia. Since he went a bit nuts, he stepped up his acting game and always delivers a super performance. Always.

Aside from just being a bad movie, one of Man Down's biggest missteps -- or smartest marketing moves depending on which side of the fence you're on -- is the trailer: it's misleading. If you haven't seen the movie, the trailer leads you to believe Shia's character witnesses something in war and is talking to a superior about it, played by Gary Oldman. Yeah, that happens in the movie, but it's a very tiny part of the ambitious and ugly plots.

If you like Shia, rent this and just watch him. If you don't, we can't be friends and don't listen to a word I just wrote in the first sentence of this paragraph.

Officer Down

Director: Shawn Crahan
Cast: Kim Coates, Tyler Ross, Meadow Williams, Alison Lohman, Glenn Howerton
Rating: ★★
Buy/Rent: Rent (If you get high regularly)

If you take a lot LCD or PCP, or smoke crack, Officer Downe is the perfect movie for you. Based on the graphic novel, it's directed by one of the guys in Slipknot, it's ultra-violent, the villains wear animal masks (perhaps a nod to the director's band trademark), lead Kim Coates gets Robocop'd, kills a lot of people, and performs cunnilingus on a woman (twice!), and there's an orgasm counter, and the majestic Glenn Howerton from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia randomly pops up with a British accent.

This, my friends, is Officer Downe in a nutshell. If you hit up you local Redbox and rent this, have your bong handy and loaded. You'll need it.