It was a tight contest between Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Life of Pi to be Entertainment Fuse’s Recommendation of the Week, and the family movie just won out. Who Framed Roger Rabbit is coming out on Blu-ray and this re-release features documentaries, commentaries, and deleted scenes.
First Release
- Life of Pi (DVD and Blu-ray)
- Rise of the Guardians (DVD and Blu-ray)
- Hitchcock (DVD and Blu-ray)
- Sound City (DVD and Blu-ray)
- Smashed (DVD and Blu-ray)
- This Must Be the Place (DVD)
Re-Release
- Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) (DVD and Blu-ray)
- Mulan Double Pack (DVD and Blu-ray)
- Ministry of Fear (1944) (DVD and Blu-ray)
- The Hunchback of Notre Dame Double Pack (Blu-ray)
- Brother Bear Double Pack (Blu-ray)
- The Blob (1958) (DVD and Blu-ray)
Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) (Blu-ray) *Recommendation of the Week*
Directed by Robert Zemeckis
Written by Jeffrey Price, Peter S. Seaman (screenplay), Gary K. Wolf (novel ‘Who Censored Roger Rabbit?’)
Starring: Bob Hoskins, Christopher Lloyd, Charles Fleischer, Stubby Kaye, Joanna Cassidy
Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a classic family movie from the 1980s, one of many highlights in the career of Robert Zemeckis and provided a great technological leap in filmmaker as it mixed animation and live action.
Set in an alternative 1947, humans and cartoon characters (known as toons) live in harmony together. But Private Detective Eddie Valiant (Bob Hoskins) hates toons and he ends up getting hired to investigate whether the wife of a popular toon, Roger Rabbit (Charles Fleischer) is having an affair. But when the man who hired Valiant is found dead Roger Rabbit is the main suspect and the Valiant has to protect him from the vicious Judge Doom (Christopher Lloyd).
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes: 98% (excellent)
Metacritic Rating: 83/100 (very good)
Entertainment Fuse Score: 8.5/10
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: The Roger Rabbit Shorts – Tummy Trouble, Rollercoaster Rabbit, Trail Mix-Up (digitally remastered); Who Made Roger Rabbit mini-documentary hosted by Charles Fleischer, the voice of Roger Rabbit; Audio commentary with filmmakers Robert Zemeckis, Frank Marshall, Jeffrey Price, Peter Seaman, Steve Starkey, and Ken Ralston; Toontown Confidential; Deleted scene; Before And After; Behind The Ears: The True Story Of Roger Rabbit; Toon Stand-Ins featurette; On Set! Benny The Cab; The Valiant Files
Amazon Price: $16.99 (Blu-ray)
As stated the Oscar winning Life of Pi is the big new First Release of the week. Also out this week are Dreamworks’ Rise of the Guardians, the bio-pic Hitchcock and for music fans the documentary Sound City. And for fans of Disney and animation there are three Double Packs to check out.
Life of Pi (DVD and Blu-ray)
Directed by Ang Lee
Written by David Magee (screenplay), Tann Martel (novel)
Starring: Suraj Sharma, Irrgan Khan, Tabu, Adil Hussaisn, Rafe Spall, Gérard Depardieu
Life of Pi was one of the big winners at the 85th Academy Awards, winning four awards including Best Director and Best Visual Effects. Based on Tann Martel’s popular novel, Life of Pi was considered an unfilmable novel. Ang Lee of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Brokeback Mountain fame took on the project, as Pi Patel (Irrfan Khan, The Amazing Spider-man) tells a writer (Rafe Spall, Anonymous) about his upbringing in French India as he explores his faith, intelligent and young love and as a teenager (Suraj Sharma) gets stranded in a lifeboat the middle of the Pacific Ocean with a Bengal tiger.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes: 88% (excellent)
Metacritic Rating: 79/100 (very good)
Entertainment Fuse Score: 8.2/10 (read our review)
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: A Remarkable Vision; Theatrical Trailer; Sneak Peek
Additional Blu-ray Special Features: Tiger, Tiger Burning Bright; Art Gallery; Storyboards
Amazon Price: $16.99 (DVD), $22.99 (Blu-ray), $27.99 (3D Blu-ray)
Rise of the Guardians (DVD and Blu-ray)
Directed by Peter Ramsey
Written by David Lindsay-Abaire (screenplay), William Joyce (story)
Starring: Chris Pine, Alec Baldwin, Hugh Jackson, Isla Fisher, Jude Law
From DreamsWorks Animations Studios is their holiday movie Rise of the Guardians, uniting all popular holiday characters in one movie as the Guardians of Children who have to stop the Boogyman, Pitch (Jude Law) from turning all children’s dreams into nightmares. The only one able to stop him is Jack Frost (Chris Pine).
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes: 74% (good)
Metacritic Rating: 57/100 (average)
Entertainment Fuse Score: 7.0/10 (read our review)
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: A behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film with filmmakers, cast and crew Games, activities and fun for the whole family!
Amazon Price: $14.99 (DVD), $21.99 (Blu-ray), $18.99 (Blu-ray Limited Edition), $24.99 (3D Blu-ray)
Hitchcock (Blu-ray/DVD Combo)
Directed by Sacha Gervasi
Written by John J. McLaughlin (screenplay), Stephen Rebello (book ‘Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho’)
Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, Scarlett Johansson, Toni Collette, Danny Huston, Jessica Biel, James D’Arcy, Michael Wincott
Hitchcock was one of two movies made about Alfred Hitchcock made in 2012. Hitchcock was a theatrical release focusing on Alfred Hitchcock's efforts to make his classic horror-thriller Psycho, fighting against a studio system who refused to adapt a controversial novel. Luckily Hitchcock was supported by his wife, Alma Reville (Helen Mirren). Anthony Hopkins played the famous director and was nominated for an Academy Award.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 63% (good)
Metacritic Rating: 55/100 (average)
Entertainment Fuse Score: 5.8/10
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Deleted Scene; Becoming the Master: From Hopkins to Hitchcock; Obsessed with Hitchcock; Sacha Gervasi's Behind the Scenes Cell Phone Footage; Hitchcock Cell Phone PSA; The Story; The Cast; Danny Elfman Maestro; Hitch and Alma; Remembering Hitchcock; Commentary with Sacha Gervasi and Stephen Rebello; Theatrical Trailer
Amazon Price: $21.99 (Blu-ray/DVD Combo)
Sound City (DVD and Blu-ray)
Directed by Dave Grohl
Written by Mark Monroe
Dave Grohl is best known as frontman of the Foo Fighters and the former drummer of Nirvana. He has now turned to documentary filmmaking, making Sound City which looks at the history of the Sound City Studios in Los Angeles and how digital technology has changed the music industry.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 100% (excellent)
Metacritic Rating: 76/100 (very good)
DISC DETAILS
Amazon Price: $13.88 (DVD), $19.88 (Blu-ray)
Smashed (DVD and Blu-ray)
Directed by James Ponsoldt
Written by James Ponsoldt, Susan Burke
Starring: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Aaron Paul, Octavia Spencer, Nick Offerman, Megan Mullally
Premiering at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival the dramedy Smashed won the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Prize for Excellence in Independent Film Producing. Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Aaron Paul are young married couple, Kate and Charlie Hannah, who enjoy drinking. But when Kate decides that she needs to get sober it forces the pair to face some harsh home truths.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes: 84% (very good)
Metacritic Rating: 71/100 (good)
DISC DETAILS
Amazon Price: $16.99 (DVD), $19.99 (Blu-ray)
This Must Be the Place (DVD and Blu-ray)
Directed by Paolo Sorrentino
Written by Paolo Sorrentino, Umberto Contarello (screenplay), Paolo Sorrentino (story)
Starring: Sean Penn, Frances McDormand
This Must Be the Place is an independent movie starring Sean Penn as Cheyenne, a retired rock star who returns to New York to see his dying father and ends up having to go on the hunt for former SS Commander who taunted his father and has found refuge in America.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 68% (good)
Metacritic Rating: 61/100 (good)
DISC DETAILS
Amazon Price: $14.99 (DVD), $18.86 (Blu-ray)
Mulan Double Pack (DVD and Blu-ray)
Mulan (1998)
Directed by Tony Bancroft, Barry Cook
Written by Rita Hsiao, Phillip LaZebnik, Chris Sanders, Eugenia Bostwick-Singer, Raymond Singer (screenplay), Robert D. San Souci (story)
Starring: Ming-Na, Eddie Murphy, BD Wong, Miguel Ferrer, Harvey Fierstein, Beth Folwer, George Takei, Pat Morita
Mulan II (2004)
Directed by Darrell Rooney, Lynne Southerland
Written by Michael Lucker, Chris Parker, Roger S.H. Schulman
Starring: Ming-Na, B.D. Wong, Mark Moseley, Lucy Liu, Harvey Fierstein, Sandra Oh, Geddie Watanbe, Lauren Tom, Jerry Tondo, Pat Morita, George Takei
The Mulan Double Pack is the first of three Double Pack to be released by Disney this week. It has been 15 years since the release of Mulan, Disney’s version of the famous Chinese legend as a young woman disguises herself as a man to take her father’s place in the Chinese Army who are trying to repel a Huns invasion. It is considered a fine movie from Disney’s filmography: but the less said about the Straight-to-DVD sequel the better.
Mulan (1998)
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 86% (excellent)
Metacritic Rating: 71/100
Entertainment Fuse Score: 7.5/10
Mulan II (2004)
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 0% (awful)
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Disc 1 - 11 Deleted scenes; 15 Backstage Disney Featurettes - Journey behind the scenes with the filmmakers and cast; 6 Music Videos featuring Christina Aguilera, Stevie Wonder, 98 Degrees, Jackie Chan; Audio Commentary; ; Disc 2- Mulan Feature Film + Bonus; Mulan - 7 Deleted Scenes; 2 Backstage Disney Featurettes; 5 Music Videos featuring Christina Aguilera, Stevie Wonder, 98 Degrees, Jackie Chan; Audio Commentary; ; Disc 3- Mulan ll Feature Film + Bonus; Mulan ll - 4 Deleted Scenes; 1 Backstage Disney Featurette; Music Video Performed by Atomic Kitten
Amazon Price: $17.99 (DVD), $24.99 (Blu-ray)
Ministry of Fear (1944) (DVD and Blu-ray)
Directed by Fritz Lang
Written by Seton I. Miller (screenplay), Graham Greene (novel)
Starring: Ray Milland, Marjorie Reynolds
Based on a novel by Graham Greene, Ministry of Fear tells the story of Stephen Neale (Ray Milland), a man released from a mental asylum after spending two years incarnated. On the way to London during World War II Stephen stumbles across a spy ring he does not know where to turn for help. Ministry of Fear was directed by Fritz Lang, the legendary German director of Metropolis and M.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 100% (excellent)
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: New 2K digital restoration; New interview with Fritz Lang scholar Joe McElhaney; Trailer; PLUS: An essay by critic Glenn Kenny
Amazon Price: $14.99 (DVD), $23.86 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): Content 3.5 stars, Video 4 stars, Audio 3.5 stars, Extras 2.5 stars, Replay 3.5 stars (out of 5). Recommended.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame Double Pack (Blu-ray)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
Directed by Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise
Written by Tab Murphy, Irene Mecchi, Bob Tzudiker, Noni White, Jonathan Roberts (screenplay), Victor Hugo (novel)
Starring: Tom Hulce, Demi Moore, Tony Jay, Kevin Kline, Paul Kline, Paul Kandel, Jason Alexander, Charles Kimbrough, Mary Wickes, David Ogden Stiers
The Hunchback of Notre Dame II (2002)
Directed by Bradley Raymond
Written by Flip Kobler, Cindy Marcus, Jule Selbo
Starring: Tom Hulce, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Haley Joel Osment, Demi Moore, Kevin Kline, Michael McKean, Jason Alexander, Charles Kimbrough, Jane Withers
The Hunchback of Notre Dame is Disney’s animated adaptation of Victor Hugo’s classic novel. This adaptation focuses Quasimodo (Tom Hulce), a physically deformed man in 15th century Paris who defies his adopted father to help a Gypsy dancer and try and defend her people. Even people who did not like the movie would still admitted it is one of the best looking animated movies ever. The straight-to-DVD sequel sees a massive drop in quality of animation and storytelling.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 74% (good)
Entertainment Fuse Score: 7.0/10
The Hunchback of Notre Dame II (2002)
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 30% (poor)
DISC DETAILS
Amazon Price: $24.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): Content 3.5 stars, Video 4 stars, Audio 4 stars, Extras 3.5 stars, Replay 2.5 stars (out of 5). Recommended.
Brother Bear Double Pack (Blu-ray)
Brother Bear (2003)
Directed by Aaron Blaise, Robert Walker
Written by Tab Murphy, Lorne Cameron, David Hoselton, Steve Bencich, Ron J. Friedman
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Jeremy Suarez, Rick Moranis, Dave Thomas, Jason Raize, D.B. Sweeney
Brother Bear 2 (2006)
Directed by Ben Gluck
Written by Rich Burns
Starring: Patrick Dempsey, Mandy Moore, Jeremy Suarez, Rick Moranis
The last Disney re-release of the week is the Brother Bear Double Pack. Set in North America after the Ice Age, both movies follow Kenai (Joaquin Phoenix and Patrick Dempsey), a young Inuit man who is turned into a bear as punishment for needlessly killing a bear.
Brother Bear (2003)
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes: 38% (poor)
Metacritic Rating: 48/100 (average)
Entertainment Fuse Score: 6.5/10
Brother Bear 2 (2006)
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes: 57% (average)
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Disc 1 - Brother Bear; Deleted song; Deleted scenes; Hilarious Animated Outtakes; Sing-Along Songs; Music Video; The Making of Brother Bear; ; Disc 2 - Brother Bear; Hilarious Animated Outtakes; Sing-Along Songs; ; Disc 3 - Brother Bear 2; Behind the Music of Brother Bear 2
Amazon Price: $24.99 (Blu-ray)
The Blob (1958) (Blu-ray)
Directed by Irvin Yeaworth
Written by Kay Linaker, Theodore Simonson (screenplay), Irving H. Millgate (story)
Starring: Steve McQueen, Aneta Corsaut, Earl Rowe, Olin Howland
The other movie from the Criterion Collection this week is the 1958 version of horror-sci-fi movie The Blob. Set in a small town in America, a monster from outer space starts to attack and a teenage rebel, Steve (Steve McQueen) has to try and warn the residents.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes: 69% (good)
Entertainment Fuse Score: 6.0/10
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: New high-definition digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack; Two audio commentaries: one by producer Jack H. Harris and film historian Bruce Eder and the other by director Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr. and actor Robert Fields; Trailer; Blobabilia!, a gallery of collector Wes Shank’s rare trove of stills, posters, props (including the blob itself!), and other ephemera; PLUS: An essay by critic Kim Newman
Amazon Price: $26.99 (Blu-ray)
