JBO: Joystiq Box Office, July 20 - July 31
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.
We had to skip the Joystiq Box Office last week, due to the fact that Comic-Con took over this particular writer's duties (if interested, you can see some of what went on both here and over on Cinematical). Luckily, a lot of good stuff has come out in the meantime, and we're back!
Recommendation of the Week:
Watchmen: The End is Nigh The Complete Experience
(Blu-ray: $49.99 SRP): You probably figured this one was coming. What you might not have figured on is the incredibly amazing Maximum Movie Mode that this Blu-ray brings to your player. It's a great way of presenting special features, with the director giving commentary on the screen, while the movie plays behind him on one panel, with the features unfolding on the other. Sensory overload, in the best possible way. Plus, you get 25 extra minutes of footage in the director's cut, and Parts 1 and 2 of the Watchmen: The End is Nigh game. Not a bad package.
Read for the full list on a system-by-system basis just after the break. As usual, we'll see you at the popcorn st ... well, actually we won't see you at all. But you catch our drift. Plus, be sure to tell us what you'll be watching, or what you've seen recently that bowled you over.
Xbox Live Video Marketplace
(240
to rent, SD only)
How awesome is Terence Stamp? He's gone up against Superman in Superman II, worn drag in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, outperformed Tom Cruise in Valkyrie, and provided the voice of Mankar Camoran in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. So give him a spin in The Limey, Steven Soderbergh's revenge-noir movie set in Los Angeles, where he gets to kick a lot of ass.
Netflix Watch Instantly (PC or Xbox Live)
Yonkers Joe (PC or Xbox Live, subscription required: starts at $4.99 per month)
I'm not sure why movies about con men are so appealing, but Yonkers Joe is on par with a long line of movies like The Grifters, The Spanish Prisoner, and House of Games. Chazz Palminteri plays a bottom-feeding con artist who rigs dice games, and dreams of going bigtime one day in Vegas. It's a great summer distraction flick, if you can ignore the saccharin sweet ending that feels a bit tacked on, and it'll have you trying to back-palm dice for weeks.
PlayStation Store
All The President's Men
($4.50 HD or $2.99 SD to rent, $9.99 to own SD)
A boatload of new content was recently added to the PlayStation Store, including a new Fast & Furious collection, but we're going old-school with this one. All The President's Men is one of the best political movies ever made, features a young Dustin Hoffman and a young Robert Redford, and teaches more history about Watergate than a college semester. It also teaches you a lot about journalism, and is highly recommended.
Blu-ray Disc
Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series
($349.98 SRP
If you've been waiting to get into the Sci-Fi Channel's reboot of Battlestar Galactica, you don't really have a reason to wait any longer. The entire series, plus the TV movie Razor, are all now available in one huge package, complete with a Cylon Centurion action figure. It's loaded with extras, looks gorgeous in HD, and is something no Battlestar enthusiast should be without. The only thing that could make this set more perfect would be if it included the Battlestar Galactica: The Plan TV movie that's due out on Blu-ray on October 27th.
What will you be watching?
