This Week on DVD & Blu-ray (02-12-13)

 

 

There are a couple Oscar nominees arriving this week and a couple that some feel may have gotten snubbed by the Academy. “Skyfall” has received five Oscar noms and I’m not alone in hoping that Roger Deakins finally receives a golden boy for his fine cinematography work in the 23rd James Bond film. Last year, writer/director Ben Lewin’s latest film, “The Sessions” made its way around the festival circuit and wound up earning a Best Supporting Actress nomination for Helen Hunt. She plays a sex surrogate hired by a character played by John Hawkes who wishes to lose his virginity. The only problem is, he’s paralyzed from the neck down from polio and is restricted to an iron lung. The film is based on a true story and falls somewhere between comedy and drama. So, what films out this week were snubbed by Oscar?

 

 

Some feel “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” was overlooked and there’s a few out there who even feel “Robot & Frank” was forgotten as well. I haven’t seen either yet, but they’ve both received some great reviews, so my interested in them has increased. Also out this week are two movies that pretty much tanked at the box office, and that’s the American martial arts film “The Man with the Iron Fists” directed by RZA and the horror sequel “Silent Hill: Revelation 3D”. Can’t say I’ll be rushing to see either of them. Also out this week is “Bully”, a 2011 documentary focusing on peer-to-peer bullying in schools across America. Although it has plenty of advocates, it doesn’t really provide many solutions nor does it take the time to understand the mind of bullies.

 

Criterion is releasing “The Kid with a Bike” this week, the latest from the Dardenne brothers, which came out last year. It tells the touching and challenging story of a 12 yr-old boy in Belgium who’s cared for by a kind woman after his father abandons him. It’s a naturalistic film, grounded with two extraordinary performances that turned out to be one of the best films of last year. Seek it out and you won’t be disappointed.

 

That’s it for this week! Previous reviews are highlighted below. Enjoy the Rundown….