This Week on DVD & Blu-ray (03-13-12)
March 13, 2012
This week is jam-packed with award-winners, award-nominees and award-snubees! Alexander Payne’s latest “The Descendants” won two Golden Globes (Best Picture-Drama and Actor for George Clooney) and one Oscar (Best Adapted Screenplay) is a fine film that’s finally out. Michelle Williams is amazing as Marilyn Monroe in “My Week with Marilyn”, which also stars Kenneth Branagh as Sir Lawrence Olivier, both received Oscar nominations. Two notable award snubs are now out, “The Adventures of Tintin” the Steven Spielberg/Peter Jackson animated action/adventure which received a Golden Globe (Best Animated Feature Film) but was overlooked by the Academy and “Young Adult” the latest collaboration from Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody is a dark comedy with excellent work by Charlize Theron and Patton Oswalt, both received nominations in several award circuits. These four films are all quite different from each other, but any of them are worthy of your time.
Also out this week is George Miller’s animated sequel “Happy Feet 2”, which is fun and visually pleasing, but ultimately quite forgettable. And then there’s Lars Von Trier’s “Melancholia”, a film everyone seemed to love except me. It may have made many year-end lists, but all I could do was appreciate its artistry – that’s about it.
New to Blu-ray this week is Martin Scorsese’s “The Last Temptation of Christ” the controversial adaptation of the novel by Nikos Kazantzakis which strayed from the gospel account of Christ, depicting him struggling with temptations and imagining himself giving into them. It stars Willem Dafoe as Christ, Harvey Keitel as Judas Iscariot, Barbara Hershey as Mary Magdalene (who earned a Best Supporting Actress nom), Harry Dean Stanton as Saul/Paul, and David Bowie as Pontius Pilate. Scorsese received an Oscar nomination for Best Director.
20th Century Fox is releasing a special edition Blu-ray of “Wizards” commemorating the 35th anniversary of the 1977 cult classic. The disc includes special features along with a 24-page book that includes rare artwork from the film and an introduction from animator Ralph Bakshi.
Well, that’s it for this week. Previous reviews will be highlighted below.
Enjoy the Rundown!
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Absentia (DVD)
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The Adventures of Tintin (DVD/Blu-ray)
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The Almighty Comedy Collection (DVD)
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American Pie Presents: Unrated 4-Play Pack (DVD/Blu-ray)
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Breakout Kings: Season 1 (DVD)
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The Bromantic 3-Movie Unrated Comedy Collection (DVD)
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Chiller Night Favorites (DVD)
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The Descendants(DVD/Blu-ray)
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Happy Feet Two (DVD/Blu-ray)
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Hercules: The Legendary Journeys – Season 3 (DVD)
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The History of the World in Two Hours (DVD)
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Killer’s Moon (Remastered Edition) (DVD/Blu-ray)
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The Killing: The Complete First Season (DVD/Blu-ray)
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The Last Temptation of Christ (Criterion Collection) (Blu-ray)
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Melancholia (DVD/Blu-ray)
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The Mummy Trilogy (DVD)
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My Joy (DVD)
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My Week with Marilyn (DVD/Blu-ray)
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Neverland (DVD/Blu-ray)
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Scooby-Doo! Music of the Vampire (DVD/Blu-ray)
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Screwball: The Ted Whitfield Story (DVD)
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Stephen King’s Bag of Bones (DVD)
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Stuck Between Stations (DVD)
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Superjail!: Season Two (DVD)
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Thou Shall Not Kill…Except! (Blu-ray)
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The Three Musketeers (DVD/Blu-ray)
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Titanic: The Complete Story (DVD)
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The Tribe: Series 1, Part 1 (DVD)
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Virgin Witch (Remastered Edition (DVD/Blu-ray)
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Wallace & Gromit’s World of Invention: The Complete 6-Part Series (DVD/Blu-ray)
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Wizards (35th Anniversary Edition)(Blu-ray)
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Xena: Warrior Princess – Season 3 (DVD)
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Young Adult (DVD/Blu-ray)
One Comment
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Loved the Last Temptation of Christ, I had forgotten that David Bowie was PP; how strange? Or maybe not. I must also stand up and be counted as someone who loved Melancholia but I’m not sure why I loved it, that often happens with me and Von Triers films.Sorely sorely tempted by Tin Tin even though animation is not my bag.
Diablo Cody – what a great name!