DVD/Blu-ray DISCussion (New for 4.3.12)

In a light week of DVD and Blu-ray releases there is one clear winner, the re-release of Roman Polanski’s Chinatown. The highly praised neo-noir is a dark detective story whose screenplay is considered must-read material for budding screenwriters.

First Release
- War Horse (DVD and Blu-ray)
- We Bought a Zoo (DVD and Blu-ray)
- Chasing Madoff (DVD and Blu-ray)
- Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey (DVD)

Re-Release
- Chinatown (1974) (Blu-ray)
- London River (2011) (Blu-ray)
- Madonna: Truth or Dare (1991) (Blu-ray)


Chinatown (1974) (Blu-ray) *Recommendation of the Week*

Directed by Roman Polanski
Written by Robert Towne
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston

What’s the Deal?
Chinatown is the last movie Roman Polanski made in America before fleeing the nation after his arrest. This neo-noir movie is considered one of his best, one of the best in the genre, and was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, winning one for Best Screenplay.

Private investigator Jake Grites (Jack Nicholson) has to investigate the mucky world of Los Angeles politics as a conspiracy involving the city’s water supply starts to unfold and a dirty secret involving one of the city’s most powerful families.

Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 100% (excellent)
Player Affinity Score: 10/10

DISC DETAILS

DVD Special Features: N/A

Amazon Price: $18.99 (Blu-ray)

Score (DVDTalk.com): Content: 5 stars, Video 3 stars, Audio 4.5 stars, Extras 4 stars, Replay 5 stars (out of 5). Highly Recommended.


From the kings of emotionally manipulating cinema, Steven Spielberg and Cameron Crowe, are their latest movies, the adaptation of War Horse and the family movie We Bought a Zoo. Documentaries are a major player this week as three come onto DVD and Blu-ray including the critically acclaimed Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey.


War Horse (DVD and Blu-ray)

Directed by Steven Spielberg
Written by Richard Curtis, Lee Hall (screenplay), Michael Morpurgo (novel)
Starring: Jermey Irvine, Emily Watson, Peter Mullan, David Thewlis, Tom Hiddleston, Benedict Cumberbatch, Celine Buckens, Niels Arestrup

What’s the Deal?
War Horse had all the ingredients to be a critical and commercial hit: it was directed by Steven Spielberg, based on a popular children’s novel and play and focused on World War I.  It focuses on the journey of Joey the Horse from Dartmoor in England to  the front lines of the war from the British, German and French sides in an old-fashioned, sweeping epic. War Horse was nominated for six Academy Awards.

Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 77% (very good)
Player Affinity Score: 7.4/10 (read our review)

DISC DETAILS

DVD Special Features: War Horse -- The Look -- Explore The Stunning World Of War Horse - With Its Creative Team

Additional Blu-ray Special Features: An Extra's Point Of View -- Experience The Shoot From The Perspective Of A "Background Artist"; War Horse -- The Look -- Explore The Stunning World Of WAR HORSE With Its Creative Team

Additional Four Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo Special Features: Through The Producer's Lens -- Producer Kathleen Kennedy Shares Photos She Took During Filming; An Extra's Point Of View -- Experience The Shoot From The Perspective Of A "Background Artist"; A Filmmaking Journey -- Join Director-Producer Steven Spielberg For An Unprecedented Look Into The Making Of War Horse, And Learn Why The Film Was Both A Filmmaking Journey...And A Journey Of The Heart; Editing & Scoring -- Steven Spielberg, Editor Michael Kahn And Composer John Williams Discuss The Film's Editing And Music, As Well As The Secret Of Their Forty-Year Collaboration; The Sounds Of War Horse -- Sound Designer Gary Rydstrom Explains The Movie's Sophisticated Sound Design

Amazon Price: $16.99 (DVD), $22.99 (Blu-ray), $24.99 (Four Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A


We Bought a Zoo (DVD and Blu-ray)

Directed by Cameron Crowe
Written by Aline Brosh McKenna, Cameron Crowe (screenplay), Benjamin Mee (book)
Starring: Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Thomas Haden Church, Colin Ford, Maggie Elizabeth Jones

What’s the Deal?
Loosely based on a true story of a man buying and revamping the Dartmoor Zoological Park in England, We Bought a Zoo is a family comedy-drama from the director of Jerry Maguire and stars Damon as Benjamin Mee, a man who just lost his wife and moves himself and his children to a new home. This home also turns out to be a dilapidated zoo that he starts to rebuild it with head keeper Kelly (Johansson).

Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 66% (good)
Player Affinity Score: 4.5/10 (read our review)

DISC DETAILS

DVD Special Features: N/A

Amazon Price: $16.99 (DVD), $22.99 (Blu-ray)

Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A


Chasing Madoff (DVD and Blu-ray)

Directed by Jeff Prosserman
Starring: Bernie Madoff, Harry Markopolos

What’s the Deal?
Chasing Madoff is a documentary based on the 10-year investigation on Bernie Madoff. The director interviews investigators Harry Markopolos, Frank Casey, Neil Chelo, Michael Ocrant and Gaytri Kachroo about Madoff’s ponzi scheme and exposes one of the largest corporate frauds.

Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 48% (average)
Player Affinity Score: N/A

DISC DETAILS

DVD Special Features: N/A

Amazon Price: $22.49 (DVD), $24.99 (Blu-ray)

Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A


Being Elmo: A Puppeteer‘s Journey (DVD)

Directed by Constance Marks
Written by  Phillip Shane, Justin Weinstein
Starring: Kevin Clash, Whoopi Goldberg

What’s the Deal?
Premiering at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey was an audience hit. It won the Special Jury Prize at Sundance and later became an Audience Choice nominee at the Gotham Awards. This documentary looks at the life and of Kevin Clash, the puppeteer behind the beloved Sesame Street character Elmo.

Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 92% (excellent)
Player Affinity Score: N/A

DISC DETAILS

DVD Special Features: Some Thoughts from the Filmmakers; Sundance Premiere Q & A with Kevin and the Filmmakers; Tau Performs in the Macy s Thanksgiving Day Parade; Interview with John Tartaglia Trailer

Amazon Price: $20.99 (DVD)

Score (DVDTalk.com): Content: 3.5 stars, Video 2.5 stars, Audio 3 stars, Extras 3 stars, Replay 2 stars (out of 5). Recommended.


London River (2011) (Blu-ray)

Directed by Rachid Bouchareb
Written by Olivier Lorelle, Rachid Bouchareb
Starring: Brenda Blethyn, Sotigui Kouyate

What’s the Deal?
Premiering at the Berlin Film Festival in 2009, London River is a story of two strangers, Elisabeth (Brenda Blethyn, Pride and Prejudice, 2005) and Ousmane (Sotigui Kouyate, who won the Silver Bear for Best Actor). They come to London after the 2005 terrorist attack to find out what happened to their children.

Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 90% (excellent)
Player Affinity Score: N/A

DISC DETAILS

DVD Special Features: N/A

Amazon Price: $29.95 (Blu-ray)

Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A


Madonna: Truth or Dare (1991) (Blu-ray)

Directed by Alek Keshishian
Starring: Madonna

What’s the Deal?
Last but not least is the re-release of Madonna: Truth or Dare (or known as In Bed with Madonna outside the USA), a documentary movie following the Queen of Pop during her controversial Blond Ambition tour in 1990, on and off the stage. This is a movie that should please Madonna fans.

Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 76% (very good)
Player Affinity Score: N/A

DISC DETAILS

DVD Special Features: N/A

Amazon Price: $9.99 (Blu-ray)

Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A