DVD Releases for Week of 3/12/2013
It's a good week for DVDs this week! So sit back and heat up the BluRay and enjoy some very fine films hitting Redbox and the store!!
'Life of Pi' - I finally think Ang Lee can be forgiven 'Hulk' as with 'Life of Pi' he has produced a stunning masterpiece that is not only a treat for the eyes, but one for the soul! Proving that an artistic film can in fact be a blockbuster, Ang Lee has set the tone for how 3D films should be made! Staging each shot to take advantage of the 3D, Lee has produced so vivid a film that the 3D itself becomes integral to the telling of the story. Not since James Cameron's 'Avatar' has the 3D technology so adeptly been used. But even in 2D BluRay, this is a beautiful and spiritual film to be viewed!
'Rise of the Guardians' - Wonderfully animated, smartly written, 'Rise of The Guardians' is a fun filled tale about a group of heroes (think 'The Avengers' for the grade school set) who are tasked with saving the imaginations, the hopes and beliefs of the children of the world. Inventive characters are presented with humor that will delight the old and young alike! The perfect family film rendered even better on BluRay!
'Hitchcock' - While not as insightful as the HBO's 'The Girl', their tale of Hitchcock and Tippi Hendren; 'Hitchcok' is pure fascination for the performances of Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren (who deserved a Best Actress nod for her performance). It does suffer from some inconsistencies in direction, but overall it is a great rental on a blustery early spring night!
'Cirque Du Soleil: Worlds Away 3D' - While I have never seen a Cirque Du Soleil performance live, I would hope that it is much better than this incoherent mess of a movie, rendered even more frustrating in needless 3D. Save your money for a live performance as i tend to think it will have a much better impact.
'Smashed' - Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad) and Mary Elizabeth Winstead (A Good Day To Die Hard) are Charlie and Kate, a young couple bonded by music, laughter and their love of alcohol. When that love of alcohol threatens her teaching career, Kate reaches for sobriety. A harrowing and thoughtful tale of addiction, love, support and the very trials the human spirit can endure. A must see that received very little screen time.
'Skyfall' - Bond in back with a vengeance in the 50th anniversary 'Skyfall' and he has never looked better! Daniel Craig has finally bought us the best Bond yet (not quite eclipsing Sean Connery, but awfully close), a Bond that is starting to feel his age yet is too stubborn to give up the life. This time around, he comes back from the dead to protect 'M' (Judi Dench) from the rouge agent Silva (Javier Bardem, one of the best Bond villians in some time). Director Sam Mendes approach is simple yet elegant, no quick cutting, hand held, vomit inducing shots here. Just simple, well framed and well executed sequences that are a marvel to behold.
'Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts' - A new box set of the series that ran for nearly 10 years, 'The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts' has been finally released for order online and you just might be able to find it at Target or WalMart as well! Previously, it was exclusively a mail order only item; but this hilarious series of classic stars (reportedly liquored up) roasting fellow stars for an hour, is some of the funniest TV ever made. This is the series that inspired the less funny Comedy Central Roasts which generally just rely on filthy trash talking rather than inventive humor. If you buy any box set for yourself, get this one - hours and hours of entertainment!