This week on the home video front, we don’t quite have the assortment we’ve been used to of late, but there are still some very solid options out there for Blu-Ray/DVD purchasing. Consider this a time to catch up on all of the recent home viewing goodness if none of these options tickles your fancy. I’m fairly confident something this week will have appeal to you all, so let’s get started. For my PICK OF THE WEEK, I went with what was clearly the best option for me. It’s also one of the finest documentaries of the year. You shouldn’t have any trouble guessing this one. It’s:
Project Nim
Sadly snubbed by the Academy, this hauntingly sad tale of what happens when you try to make an animal human won’t be competing for the Best Documentary Feature Oscar, but it’s still a very fine flick that’s well worth your attention. While not the best that filmmaker James Marsh has ever done, it’s still an incredibly effective piece of cinema. It didn’t quite catch on as the “must see” documentary of 2011 like some had thought/hoped it would have, but now that it’s available to view in the comfort of your own home, I assume many of you will give it a shot and see what you missed. In my humble opinion, you’ll be making a fine selection.
-Of course, the new Twilight flick is out this week as well, but I haven’t seen it, so I can’t say if The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 is worth your time or not, but I’ll hazard a guess that it’s likely not. I’m sure you already know if you’re getting this or not, so I’ll simply move on to the rest of the selections…
-Also out this week we have the mildly humorous comedy sequel A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas, the mediocre costume conspiracy drama Anonymous, the bland drama Fireflies in the Garden, as well as the documentary Knuckle and the romantic drama A Warrior’s Heart, both of which I haven’t seen. There’s also the direct to video release of Rebound, which is potentially worth a look. I can’t quite recommend anything here, but if you’re interested in any of them, don’t let me stop you. Go for it and report back!
-My Vintage pick, in honor of this week’s release of Rampart (my Early Review from before its qualifying run last year can be found here), is Oren Moverman’s last collaboration with Woody Harrelson. It’s The Messenger, and that was a surprisingly beautiful flick about soldiers delivering the worst news possible to military families. Ben Foster and Harrelson were nomination worthy (with the latter getting the honor), not to mention Samantha Morton. It’s a tough film, but one worth watching/watching again. I’ve only grown to appreciate the movie more since it opened in the shadow of The Hurt Locker (an admittedly superior film) that year. Moverman and Harrelson’s new work is a solid yet somewhat flawed tale of a crooked cop, and as my review states, it’s worth seeing. Make it a home/at the theater double feature, perhaps?
-What will you be watching on DVD this week? Discuss on the Forum!
Joey Magidson
February 7, 2012 at 6:28 pm
Not the most amazing week, but far from a bad one…
Joey Magidson(Quote) (Reply)
Jessie Makowski
February 9, 2012 at 5:32 pm
A few interesting things, and no, Twilight is not included.
Jessie Makowski(Quote) (Reply)
Joey Magidson
February 10, 2012 at 3:12 am
No, not at all.
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