Let us sing of this week’s home entertainment virtues: The a capella comedy Pitch Perfect strikes some perfect notes, while Noah’s Arc creator Patrik Ian-Polk delivers a love song to New York with his new ensemble dramedy, The Skinny (above). Meanwhile, Colin Farrell plays lead in the FX-filled remake of Total Recall, and the Gallagher clan jams in Showtime’s Shameless: The Complete Second Season.
UP FIRST: Pitch Perfect stays on key.
Pitch Perfect
($34.98 Blu-ray, $29.98 DVD; Universal)
Up in the Air‘s Anna Kendrick lightens things up with this mash up of Glee and Bring It On, which sees a loner girl come out of her shell by joining an all-girls competitive a capella group. The film spoofs its own cliches, and benefits from a great supporting cast that includes Bridesmaids’ Rebel Wilson and Hairspray‘s Brittany Snow. A bounty of Blu-ray extras include deleted and extended scenes, “Line-O-Rama” improvisation and cast commentaries.
NEXT: The skinny on The Skinny
The Skinny
($24.99 DVD, Breaking Glass Pictures)
In this new release from Patrik-Ian Polk (Noah’s Arc, Punks), a clique of queer, black college pals reunite in New York for a Pride weekend filled with bad-news boyfriends, STD scares and worse. It’s familiar territory for the writer-director, but cameos by Polk regulars Seth Gilliam, Darryl Stephens and Wilson Cruz make it feel more like a family reunion than a rerun. (The soundtrack, which features original songs by the multi-talented Polk, is also a blessing.) The director’s cut DVD includes deleted scenes, commentary by Polk and more.
NEXT: Do you remember the remake of Total Recall?
Total Recall
($40.99 Blu-ray, $30.99 DVD; Sony)
The violent but campy sci-fi gem gets a CGI-enhanced remake starring Colin Farrell as Quaid, an everyman living on a nearly depleted Earth. When he goes in for a virtual vacation Quaid suddenly realizes he’s actually a brainwashed super-agent with false memories. Or is he? The director’s cut Blu-ray includes commentary, a gag reel, behind-the-scenes featurettes and an “Insight Mode” packed with extensive making-of material.
NEXT: Have you no Shameless?
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Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Shameless: The Complete Second Season
($49.99 Blu-ray, $39.99 DVD; Warner)
Before Season Three begins January 13, catch up with the latest antics of the royally dysfunctional Gallagher family. In the show’s sophomore year, frisky teen Ian begins one affair with his best friend’s bad-boy brother, and another with a much older man (Harry Hamlin). We wish we had such an active sex life. The Season Two set includes all 12 episodes plus more than 90 minutes of extras.
ALSO OUT ON DVD:
Liberal Arts
Sleepwalk With Me
The Sarah Silverman Program: Season Three