It’s been more than 11 years since The Blair Witch Project brought a new kind of independent horror film to a new generation of viewers. I remember the hype that surrounded that film and I strongly remember that I, a much younger horror fan at the time, lapped it up like a plate of nachos. I also have memories of the film ending, the theater lights coming on, and being able to hear plenty of people around me saying something like “Wow, that’s the worst movie I’ve ever seen!”

This weekend, I sat and watched The Last Exorcism – the latest do-it-yourself horror film to rise from humble beginnings and to be showcased on multiplex screens – and again found myself feeling the same kind of excitement that arose from Blair Witch. I’ve already reviewed the film and, in short, I found myself fascinated by the film’s portrayal of religion and the powerful performances by Patrick Fabian and Ashley Bell that kept it rolling). But as the film ended, I heard the same disgusted reactions from people around me.

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Runtime: 67:04 - Download >Subscribe with iTunes >

Special Guests

This episode’s special guest: Actor/comedian Mike Nelson – Click HERE to check him out!

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Overall, it’s a pretty slow week for physical media, but Netflix more than makes up for it. Their new agreement with the premium cable channel EPIX kicks off on September 1st; resulting in things like all the Indiana Jones movies, the Star Trek movies, and Iron Man available to instantly stream to your computer, gaming console, smartphone, and whatever else you may own. For $9 a month and being able to have a DVD out at the same time – it’s a steal, in my opinion.

What’s new to the Blu-ray and DVD Release Schedule This Week?

Harry Brown (DVD & Blu-ray)

How would you rank it amongst the best thrillers of all time?

Flickchart Ranking: #5438

Times Ranked: 559

Win Percentage: 66%

How Many Top-20′s: 0 Users

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Michael Caine in an awesome looking old-man-turns-into-a-vigilante movie.

Red Riding Trilogy (DVD & Blu-ray)

How would you rank it amongst the best crime movies of all time?

Flickchart Ranking: #7728

Times Ranked: 167

Win Percentage: 79%

How Many Top-20′s: 0 Users

buy dvd on amazon Netflix

3 movies: In the Year of Our Lord: 1974, In the Year of Our Lord: 1980 and In the Year of Our Lord: 1983. It’s a series of movies following a harrowing British crime across three investigators and nine years. They’re drawing very favorable comparisons to Zodiac. All three are also already available on Netflix’s Instant Streaming service via the link above.

Marmaduke (DVD & Blu-ray)

How would you rank it amongst the best animal movies of all time?

Flickchart Ranking: #14254

Times Ranked: 120

Win Percentage: 12%

How Many Top-20′s: 0 Users

buy dvd on amazon Netflix

Owen Wilson in a movie about a big dog. Bonus trivia: Bear Grylls (maybe the greatest man alive right now, even if his show is staged) named one of his kids “Marmaduke.”

Why Did I Get Married Too? (DVD & Blu-ray)

How would you rank it amongst the best comedies of all time?

Flickchart Ranking: #14174

Times Ranked: 25

Win Percentage: 45%

How Many Top-20′s: 0 Users

buy dvd on amazon Netflix

Tyler Perry’s latest film. It also has Black Dynamite himself, Michael Jai Whitel.

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I have encountered naysayers in the past who scoff at the notion that anything productive can arise from comparing movies from different genres or eras, or whatever else.  “An Italian neorealist social drama vs.  Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen?  Are you off your gourd, sir?!”, they might thoughtlessly jeer.  How I pity those wretches and their sad, dark existence.  In one of my previous User Showcase posts, Comments: Stepping Up Your Game, I discussed the insights than can be achieved by comparing and commenting on seemingly nonsensical matchups.  What I didn’t consider at the time, though, was that doing so was but only one aspect of a greater philosophy geared toward attaining true cinematic enlightenment.

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Do any of these movies have a chance of becoming the best movie you’ve ever seen?

The Last ExorcismTrailer

Another in a long line of movies based on “found” footage.

Now that you’ve seen it, do you need help ranking it? Directly rank it against these similar movies of varying quality to see where it ranks amongst the best horror movies of all time:

Vs. The Blair Witch Project
Vs. Paranormal Activity
Vs. The Exorcism of Emily Rose

TakersTrailer

With the great Idris Elba (The Wire) and Hayden Christensen’s hat

Now that you’ve seen it, do you need help ranking it? Directly rank it against these similar movies of varying quality to see where it ranks amongst the best heist movies of all time:

Vs. Armored
Vs. The Italian Job
Vs. The Losers

Avatar: Special EditionTrailer

The movie didn’t make enough money the first time, go see it again.

Now that you’ve seen it, do you need help ranking it? Directly rank it against these similar movies of varying quality to see where it ranks amongst the best Sci-Fi movies of all time:

Vs. The Empire Strikes Back
Vs. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
Vs. Waterworld

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