Filed under: New Releases, DVD Reviews, New on DVD, Home Entertainment

This month has been absolutely dismal for new movie DVD releases. In revolt, I’m giving you two re-issues of great, classic flicks.

Groundhog Day – 15th Anniversary Edition
It’s hard to believe that that comedy came out 15 years ago. Coincidentally, it came at the end of Harold Ramis’ 15-year reign in comedy — starting with Animal House in 1978, and following with the likes of Meatballs, Caddyshack, Stripes, and Ghost Busters. Bill Murray stars as a weather man who was sent to cover the whole Groundhog Day phenomenon and finds himself in a day loop where he keeps living the same day by and by and by again. It could’ve been bland, as the man learns how to be a better person, but with Murray’s exasperation and snark, it was a sweet and beloved comedy that’s even ranked on IMDb’s Top 250 Films (#184).

The DVD features imports from the last disc offered to fans, plus a featurette about Ramis’ recollections about the film, deleted scenes, and a feature on the marmot.

DVD Particulars from Christopher Campbell | Buy the DVD

Monty Python’s Life of Brian — The Immaculate Edition
Ah, Monty Python. It’s John Cleese before Wine for the Confused, Terry Gilliam before

Parnassus, Eric Idle before Not the Messiah…you get the picture. One of the Python classics, which Idle’s recent live performance piece comes from, Life of Brian handles the story of the Jew named Brian who is born in a stable right next to the big JC. Later, he joins the People’s Front of Judea, gets in trouble, and gets out of it by faking religious chatter and becoming a reluctant, and cursed, Messiah. Graham Chapman’s Brian, the classic and insidiously catchy “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” — it’s all good, even 29 years later.

The 2-disc edition holds a ton of features (both new perks and old ones from the Criterion edition) including — an animated menu, deleted scenes, an hour-long documentary, 2 commentaries featuring the likes of Gilliam, Idle, Jones, Palin, AND Cleese, radio spots, and a script read-through from 1977.

DVD Particulars from Scott Weinberg | Buy the DVD

Other New DVD Releases (January 29)

El Cid — 2-Disc Deluxe Edition or Collector’s Edition
The Invasion
King of California
Trade
Bordertown
The Nines
Rocket Science
The Comebacks
Canvas

Check out Peter Martin’s Indies on DVD for even more new releases.

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Original post by Monika Bartyzel