Kite Runner on DVD

Yeah, I know this is supposed to be a tech blog, but the recent release of Kite Runner on DVD (Official Site, Wikipedia Article) prompted me to post this.  If you didn’t get a chance to see this in the theater, check your local Independent theater to see if they’re still running it.  My wife and I saw this when it first came out and it was breathtaking.  The combination of it being set in Kabul, the characters speaking mainly the Afghan dialect of Dari with English sub titles, and the Afghan music really set this movie apart from anything you’ve seen.  I’m not a big connoisseur of foreign or independent films, but this was such a welcome change from the usual crap on the big screen.  Now that it’s out on DVD, there’s no excuse not to see it, though I will say that the sound and cinematography lend themselves well to a big screen and a surround sound system.  If you don’t have either, try and find it in a theater.  My wife had read the book long before the movie came out and loved it.

One word of caution.  There is a pretty controversial scene in this movie that I would probably not show to my children.  I’m not telling anyone what to do with their children, just wanted you to be aware of this before you bring it home for the whole family to watch.  More details here (due to the title and content of this story, you might not want to read this at work).

If you’re not a Netflix subscriber, you might check out the Redbox site to see if there’s a box near you.  It’s hard to beat $1 / day and pickup / dropoff in your local grocery store.  Note that it’s sooo much easier to select and reserve online than it is to browse titles in the store while people are standing behind you impatiently tapping their feet… not that I’ve done that or anything.