This Week on DVD & Blu-ray (11-12-13)

This week offers quite a variety of viewing to choose from. For a change, all of the three movies that rise to the top are movies  I’ve actually seen. DreamWorks Animation has a had a great year with “The Croods” this past Spring and “Turbo” which came out this past July. In no way did I expect a movie about a snail who longs to go super fast to be any good, but it was actually quite fun and surprisingly entertaining, as far as racing snail movies go. On the opposite size of the animal kingdom there’s “Blackfish” a documentary about an orca at Sea World in Orlando who’s killed three whale trainers. The film takes a look at how killer whales are captured and kept in captivity, all for our entertainment, by looking at true facts and interviewing former whale trainers. And then there’s Zach Snyder’s “Man of Steel”, the most divisive superhero movie of the year. Snyder tries to give the iconic hero a heavier sci-fi roots and an artistic take on the origin. While it had a great soundtrack and some fine design work, I didn’t really care for this brooding, violent and irresponsible take on Superman.

Just how divisive was “Man of Steel”? Well, it was the only movie we reviewed twice here at Keeping It Reel. You could read my review here and Matt Streets here.

Noah Baumbach’s latest “Frances Ha” is getting the Criterion treatment this week. Greta Gerwig stars as a twenty-something millennial dancer who experiences a state of adjustment when her best friend movies out of their New York City apartment. Gorgeously shot in black and white, Baumbach benefits from having the appealing Gerwig as a protagonist. It’s also currently available on Netflix streaming. The 2012 drama “Barbara” is also streaming on Netflix. Taking place in 1980 East Germany, the film follows Barbara, a doctor who is reassigned to a small rural hospital as punishment for trying to find work in the West. Biding time until her lover can help her defect, Barbara begins to suspect that her new boss knows of her plans.

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