BLU-RAY RELEASE OF THE WEEK

It's the week of Robert Rodriquez apparently. El Mariachi and Desperado were released as one, along with Once Upon a Time in Mexico--completing Rodriguez's El Mariachi trilogy.

Rodriguez famously made El on a $7000 budget--raising the money with help from a friend, as well as participating in medical research studies. The film amazingly won the Audience Award at the 1993 Sundance Film Festival, and now he's a millionaire. While helming the adaptation of Sin City, Rodriguez renounced his Director Guild Association membership so he could collaborate with Sin creator Frank Miller. Because of that, he's no longer eligible to receive a lot of the main stream awards (see: Oscars).

Personal history finished, I'm going with his newest film Machete as the release of the week. In 2007, Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino joined forces to create the exploitation film Grindhouse--a throwback to earlier films of the same look and feel. Some fake trailers were produced in between the two features, including Hobo with a Shotgun, and Thanksgiving. Another one was Machete: a former Mexican Federale who becomes a renegade. In 2010, it became a full-length picture starring perennial scare provider Danny Trejo, Jessica Alba, Jeff Fahey, Robert DeNiro, Michelle Rodriguez and Lindsay Lohan (in between rehab stints, no doubt) among others.

There's many reason to watch Machete: Jessica Alba nude in the shower, Trejo inducing nightmares, Fahey (Frank, from television's LOST) being awesome. Hard though to pick against Mayra Leal, who a) is extremely good looking, and b) kicks Trejo's ass (while nude), then pulls a cell phone out of her vagina to make a call.