JBO: Joystiq Box Office, June 29 - July 3
We can't be gaming all the time, despite our best efforts, and from time to time we'll actually take advantage of the movie-playing abilities on our gaming systems. JBO features our top picks for XBL, PSN, Netflix's Watch Instantly, and Blu-ray each week.
Recommendation of the Week:
Sunshine
(Blu-ray: $29.99): We all know about Danny Boyle and Slumdog Millionaire; winning a few Oscars will do that to your movie, particularly if it's great. However, his sci-fi masterpiece Sunshine is severely underrated and underwatched. The Sun becomes an ominous character in this taut thriller, which, granted, has a plot point that could be completely jettisoned to make for a perfectly streamlined film. However, the sound, the action, and the attention to detail in this movie make this a must see in HD.
Read for the full list on a system by system basis just after the break, this time with a bent toward the upcoming Independence Day holiday this Saturday. As usual, we'll see you at the popcorn st ... well, actually we won't see you at all. But you catch our drift.
Xbox Live Video Marketplace
The Shadow
(360 MS points to rent HD, 240 to rent SD)
Alec Baldwin plays the titular hero from the days when radio and pulp novels ruled the imagination. He's got psychic powers, wields twin pistols, and sports a massive, flowing coat and a giant fedora. Why was this never made into a video game? This movie didn't set the box office on fire, but it's surprisingly good. It does feature Sir Ian McKellen in an extremely terrible performance, but an over-the-top Tim Curry makes up for it.
Netflix Watch Instantly (PC or Xbox Live)
The Detective (PC or Xbox Live, subscription required: starts at $4.99 per month)
What's more American than watching Frank Sinatra enter a world of sex and drugs in gritty New York City as a private detective, hot on the trails of a juicy case? The answer is: when you toss in Jack Klugman of Quincy and The Odd Couple fame. And when you have Lee Remick in it. Mix up some cocktails, invite some friends over, and watch Ol' Blue Eyes go to work. And no, it's not a musical ... thankfully.
PlayStation Store
Independence Day
($4.50 HD or $2.99 SD to rent, $9.99 to own in SD)
The PlayStation Store is offering up a slew of patriotic movie and television shows, and you have to go with the heavy hitter here: Independence Day. I mean, it has the White House being annihilated by an alien superweapon, some classic Jeff Goldblum, a stripper who kicks ass, Will Smith, Randy Quaid, Bill Paxton, and Data from Star Trek.
Other PSN holiday-themed choice include: Born on the 4th of July, National Treasure, ThePatriot, The Great Escape and Rocky. You can't deny Sly wrapped in the American flag.
Blu-ray Disc
Do The Right Thing
($29.98)
It's been 20 years since Spike Lee's incendiary indie film about race relations in Brooklyn came out, and it's never looked so good. Lee provides a brand-new feature commentary, a DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless track, and angry Danny Aiello. If you've never seen this movie, it's high time you did. Lee's film making has come a long way since, but it hasn't lost any of its relevance in the past 20 years. R.I.P. Radio Rahim.
What will you be watching?
