Blu-ray and DVD Releases for 6/5/2012

13 Assassins DVD (Animeigo)

June is upon us. There’s not much happening this month in regards to Asian cinema but at least the one film being released is a good one. Meanwhile, Universal continues to shuffle out their back catalog via Blu-ray+DVD+digital combo packs. Here are your Blu-ray and DVD releases for the week of 6/5/12:

ASIAN CINEMA

13 Assassins (The Thirteen Assassins) (DVD) – the great folks from AnimEigo offer this 1963 samurai film on DVD. Yup, this is the movie that Takashi Miike’s recent blood-soaked epic was based on

FOREIGN CINEMA

Desire (DVD) – this 2012 French-language film explores the sexual lives of several twenty-somethings living in a seaside town. Oh, those French. Always so erotic

Tomboy (DVD) – an acclaimed 2012 French film about a 10 year-old girl who is able to pass herself off as a boy when she moves to a new town

Declaration of War (DVD) – in this 2011 French-language movie, a young couple pulls together when they discover their newborn son has a brain tumor

Hate Story (DVD) – a 2012 Bollywood erotic thriller that is said to be based on a true story

Queen of Hearts (DVD) – a 2010 French comedy about looking for love in the big city

Life Ki Toh Lag Gayi (DVD) – this 2012 Indian film follows four people in Mumbai, each with a different mission – some for vengeance, others for love

MAINSTREAM

John Carter (Blu-ray/DVD) – I still contend that this pulp-y, fun, heart-tugging 2012 adventure film is superior to Joss Whedon’s “Avengers.” It didn’t set the box office on fire but maybe it’ll find some love on home formats

Act of Valor (Blu-ray/DVD) – hoo-rah! This 2012 action movie starring real life Navy SEALs comes to home formats

Safe House (Blu-ray/DVD) – this underrated 2012 Bourne-esque thriller starring Ryan Reynolds and Denzel Washington comes to Blu-ray

Machine Gun Preacher (Blu-ray/DVD) – Gerard Butler finds redemption as a machine gun-toting preacher (or something like that) in this 2011 film

U.S. Marshals (Blu-ray) – Tommy Lee Jones, Wesley Snipes, and Robert Downey Jr. star in this 1998 sequel to “The Fugitive.” Man, what I wouldn’t give to see those guys do a movie together now

Bad-Ass (Blu-ray/DVD) – Danny Trejo is one senior citizen you don’t want to $#%& with in this 2012 direct-to-video feature. Inspired by true events!

The Town: Ultimate Collector’s Edition (Blu-ray) – Ben Affleck’s surprisingly great 2010 bank heist flick gets an Ultimate Collector’s Edition

Missing in Action 2: The Beginning (DVD) – Chuck Norris stars in this 1985 action flick that pretends Vietnam never really ended. Be advised that this DVD is not in Widescreen

Act of Vengeance (Blu-ray/DVD) – Danny Glover, Gina Gershon, and Robert Patrick star in this 2010 direct-to-video action/thriller about U.S. anti-terrorist policy

Knockdown (DVD) – this 2012 direct-to-video action/thriller features Casey T. Evans, Tom Arnold, and Bai Ling. The one review on Amazon says the fight scenes are good!

Champion Road: Arena (DVD) – a low-budget 2012 action movie about an underground fighting circuit. The fight choreography looks promising from the trailer

The Color of Money (DVD) – Martin Scorsese directs Paul Newman and a young Tom Cruise in this 1986 pool shark tale

Sea of Love (Blu-ray) – Al Pacino plays a cop who’s in over his head in this steamy 1989 thriller

Blood Work (Blu-ray) – a 2002 thriller from director/actor Clint Eastwood, in which Eastwood plays a retired FBI profiler

Ransom (Blu-ray) – Mel Gibson famously shouts “Gimme back my son!” in this 1996 thriller

REISSUES

Smokey and the Bandit (Blu-ray + DVD) – Universal Pictures gives this 1977 film a re-release for the studio’s 100th anniversary

Spartacus (Blu-ray + DVD) – Stanley Kubrick’s 1960 masterpiece also gets a re-release for Universal’s 100 anniversary

The Mummy (Blu-ray+DVD) – Universal keeps the hits rolling with a re-release of this 1999 summer blockbuster starring Brendan Fraser

The Fast and the Furious (Blu-ray + DVD) – go back to the innocence of the early 00’s with Universal’s re-issue of the 2001 action movie starring Paul Walker and Vin Diesel

Earthquake (DVD) – Universal also offers this 1974 disaster epic starring Charlton Heston, for shame that it’s not in hi-def

The Sting (Blu-ray+DVD) – Robert Redford and Paul Newman team up in this beloved 1973 film

Casino (Blu-ray+DVD) – Martin Scorsese’s 1995 film features Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, Joe Pesci, and a baseball bat

Warrior Quad Volume 1 (DVD) – four martial arts-themed films in one DVD set: “Kung Fu Master,” “The Assailant,” “Wushu Warrior,” and “Fight Night”

Natural Born Killers/Any Given Sunday/JFK (Blu-ray) – it’s a triple threat of Oliver Stone in this 3-film Blu-ray set

CLASSICS

Yellow Submarine (Blu-ray/DVD) – the 1968 animated film from The Beatles gets a hi-def release

Hondo (Blu-ray) – this 1953 Western stars John Wayne and remains a fan favorite

Zorba the Greek (Blu-ray) – Anthony Quinn brings Zorba the Greek to life in this 1964 film, now in hi-def

HORROR

The Awakening (DVD) – Charlton Heston fights off a mummy in this 1980 Egyptian-themed horror flick

Dear God No! (DVD) – with a title like that, how can you go wrong? This grindhouse-style flick promises “Bikers, boobs, blood, and bigfoot”

The Collapsed (DVD) – a 2011 post-apocalyptic film from Anchor Bay about a family trying to escape the confines of the city

Rogue River (DVD) – a direct-to-video torture cheapie starring Bill Mosely of “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2”

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