This Week on DVD & Blu-ray (04-03-12)

 

 

Two movies that came out last Christmas are now out, both accused of being overly sentimental. One of them, “War Horse” was directed by Steven Spielberg’s and was nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture, and the other “We Bought a Zoo”, directed by Cameron Crowe, received generally positive reviews. Besides both of these movies being adaptations of novels, they have another connection – Devon, England. The story in “War Horse” starts out in that part of southwest England and the actual real-life zoo that is featured in “We Bought a Zoo” is located in that same location, with the setting changed to California for the movie adaptation. Even though both of those movies go received a good deal of ribbing, I consider them worthy of your time. While there may not be many other worthy selections out this week, there is one that stands out….

 

 

The most notable new-to-Blu-ray title is Roman Polanski’s “Chinatown”, a favorite of mine for many reasons. The film has been sharpened-up visually and updated with optimal sound, but also has some nice extra features as well.  A screen-specific audio commentary with screenwriter Robert Towne and David Fincher seems like it would be worth it, right there.  Also included are two three-part documentaries: Water and Power (The Aqueduct, The Aftermath, and The River & Beyond) , Chinatown (The Beginning and the End), including interviews with Polanski, producer Robert Evans and even Jack Nicholson, Filming (more interviews with Nicholson and Polanski), and The Legacy (with clips from screenings and award shows). Another new addition is Chinatown: An Appreciation, a featurette which offers thoughts from filmmakers like Steven Soderbergh and Kimberly Peirce about the influence “Chinatown” has on them.