DISCussion: New on DVD and Blu-ray (2.24.2014)

Gravity is considered one of the best movies of 2013, loved by both critics and audiences and is Entertainment Fuse's DISCussion Recommendation of the Week. The DVD and Blu-ray releases come with a variety of behind the scenes documentaries about the making of this technical marvel. First Release - Gravity (DVD and Blu-ray) - Thor: The Dark World (DVD and Blu-ray) - Nebraska (DVD and Blu-ray) - Blue is the Warmest Color (DVD and Blu-ray) - Mr Nobody (DVD and Blu-ray) - The Crash Reel (DVD and Blu-ray) Re-Release - Breathless (1960) (DVD and Blu-ray) - Tess (1979) (DVD and Blu-ray) - King of the Hill (1993) (Blu-ray) - The 300 Spartans (1962) (Blu-ray) Gravity (DVD and Blu-ray) *Recommendation of the Week* Directed by Alfonso Cuarón Written by Alfonso Cuarón, Jonás Cuarón Starring: Sandra Bullock, George Clooney After a seven year absence, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Children of Men director Alfonso Cuarón returned with his highly ambitious science-fiction movie Gravity. Gravity has been nominated for ten Academy Awards and already won six BAFTAs. In space orbiting Earth Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) is an astronaut on her first mission and Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) is one his last. Whilst adding equipment to the Hubble Space Telescope disaster strikes when the debris of a Russian satellite speeds around the globe and Stone and Kowalski have to race to another space station and to get Earth safely before the debris strikes again. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 97% (excellent) Metacritic Rating: 96/100 (excellent) Entertainment Fuse Score: 9.2/10 (read our review) DISC DETAILS DVD Special Features: Experience the meticulous innovation necessary to create the world of Zero-G.; Witness the physical and emotional demands Sandra Bullock endured on set.; Journey with Alfonso Curarón through four years of filmmaking to the farthest boundaries of cinema. Amazon Price: $16.99 (DVD), $22.99 (Blu-ray), $27.99 (3D Blu-ray) Score (DVDTalk.com): Content 4.5 stars, Video 4.5 stars, Audio 4.5 stars, Extras 4.5 stars, Replay 4.5 stars (out of 5). DVD Talk Collector Series. There are many art-house movies coming out onto DVD and Blu-ray this week with the likes of Nebraska, Blue is the Warmest Color and Mr Nobody all coming out. Thor: The Dark World flies the flag for blockbusters and the Criterion Collection offers three Blu-ray re-releases. Thor: The Dark World (DVD and Blu-ray) Directed by Alan Taylor Written by Christopher Yost, Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely (screenplay), Don Payne, Robert Rodat (story), Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, Jack Kirby (comics) Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Natalie Portman, Christopher Eccleston Thor: The Dark World was the second Marvel movie of 2013 and the second movie in the Thor series. Thor: The Dark World takes place two years after the events of The Avengers and Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and his comrades have been resorting order across the nine realms. On Earth Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) makes a discovery of a gravity anomaly in London and ends up inflected by a strange substance known as The Aether. When Thor takes Jane to Asgard to try and save her an old enemy of the Asgardians, Malekith the Accursed (Christopher Eccleston, Doctor Who), awakens and he wants revenge and the Aether as a weapon. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 65% (good) Metacritic Rating: 54/100 (average) Entertainment Fuse Score: 6.3/10 (read our review) DISC DETAILS DVD Special Features: Exclusive look - Marvel's Captain America: The Winter Soldier - take a spectacular first look at the highly anticipated new Captain America feature film and a mysterious enemy from the past... the Winter Soldier!; Deleted scene Additional Blu-ray Special Features: Marvel one-shot: All Hail the King - an all-new Marvel short film!; A brothers' journey: Thor & Loki - explore two of the most iconic characters in the Marvel Universe with stars Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston; Never-before-seen extended and deleted scenes!; Check out the hilarious gag reel!; And more! Additional 3D Blu-ray Special Features: Scoring Marvel's Thor: The Dark World with Brian Tyler - go behind the scenes with the filmmakers and acclaimed composer Brian Tyler for a look at the creation of the movie's stunning original score.; Audio commentary- with director Alan Taylor, producer Kevin Feige, actor Tom Hiddleston and cinematographer Kramer Morgenthau. Amazon Price: $17.99 (DVD), $19.99 (Blu-ray), $22.99 (3D Blu-ray) Score (DVDTalk.com): Content 3.5 stars, Video 5 stars, Audio 5 stars, Extras 3.5 stars, Replay 2.5 stars (out of 5). Recommended. Nebraska (DVD and Blu-ray) Directed by Alexander Payne Written by Bob Nelson Starring: Bruce Dern, Will Forte, June Squibb, Stacy Keach, Bob Odenkirk Nebraska is the latest movie from Sideways and The Descendants director Alexander Payne. Nebraska has been nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Original Screenplay and was nominated for the Palme d'Or. Woody Grant (Bruce Dern) is a elderly man who finds out that he has won a million dollars from a sweepstakes. Despite being estranged from his son David (Will Forte) and he believes it's a scam David agrees to go to Nebraska with his father to claim his prize. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 92% (excellent) Metacritic Rating: 86/100 (excellent) Entertainment Fuse Score: 7.5/10 DISC DETAILS DVD Special Features: Closed Caption Additional Blu-ray Special Features: The making of Nebraska Amazon Price: $16.99 (DVD), $19.99 (Blu-ray) Score (DVDTalk.com): Content 4 stars, Video 4.5 stars, Audio 4 stars, Extras 3 stars, Replay 4 stars (out of 5). Highly Recommended. Blue is the Warmest Color (DVD and Blu-ray) Directed by Abdelliatif Kechiche Written by Abdelliatif Kerchiche, Ghalia Lacroix (screenplay), Julie Maroh (graphic novel) Starring: Adèle Exarchopoulos, Léa Seydoux The French movie Blue is the Warmest Color was the winner of Palme d'Or at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, the FIPRESCI Prize and Best Foreign Language Film award at the Golden Globes and BAFTAs. Blue is the Warmest Color follows Adèle (Adèle Exarchopoulos), a high school student who embarks on her first love and sexual awakening when she has a same-sex relationship with an older art student, Emma (Léa Seydoux, Inglorious Basterds). Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 91% (excellent) Metacritic Rating: 88/100 (excellent) Entertainment Fuse Score: 9.0/10 DISC DETAILS DVD Special Features: Trailer; TV spot Additional Blu-ray Special Features: New digital master, approved by director Abdellatif Kechiche, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack; New English subtitle translation; PLUS: an essay by critic B. Ruby Rich Amazon Price: $14.96 (DVD), $18.96 (Blu-ray) Mr Nobody (DVD and Blu-ray) Written and directed by Jaco Van Dormael Starring: Jared Leto, Sarah Polley, Diane Kruger, Linh Dan Pham, Rhys Ifans, Natasha Little, Toby Regbo, Juno Temple Mr Nobody is a cult sci-fi movie that currently boasts a 7.9/10 rating on IMDB. In the year 2092 Nemo (Jared Leto, Requiem for a Dream, Dallas Buyers Club) is a 118-year-old man and the last mortal on Earth. Whilst on his deathbed he is interviewed by a journalist and he looks back on all the decisions in his life. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes: 71% (good) Metacritic Rating: 63/100 (good) DISC DETAILS DVD Special Features: The Making of Mr. Nobody; Deleted Scenes; AXS TV: A Look at Mr. Nobody; Trailer Amazon Price: $12.96 (DVD), $16.96 (Blu-ray) Score (DVDTalk.com): Content 3.5 stars, Video 4.5 stars, Audio 4.5 stars, Extras 3.5 stars, Replay 3.5 stars (out of 5). Recommended. The Crash Reel (DVD and Blu-ray) Directed by Lucy Walker Written by Pedro Kos, Lucy Walker Starring: Kevin Pearce, Shaun White The Crash Reel is a documentary about Kevin Pearce and Shaun White, two of the world's best half-pipe snowboarders in the world and childhood friends. But as they challenge each other to perform more dangerous tricks during the run up to the 2010 Winter Olympics White suffers a near fatal accident and is determined to return to the sports. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 96% (excellent) Metacritic Rating: 79/100 (very good) DISC DETAILS DVD Special Features: Closed Caption; Deleted and extended scenes; Theatrical trailer Amazon Price: $16.99 (DVD), $15.29 (Blu-ray) Breathless (1960) (Blu-ray) Written and directed by Jean-Luc Godard Starring: Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Seberg Director Jean-Luc Godard is one of the best known filmmakers of French New Wave cinema. His feature debut Breathless is considered one of the best examples of the artistic movement. Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg play Michel and Patricia, two lovers on the run after Michel kills a police officer and steals a car. On the streets of Paris the two try and make money so that they can escape to Italy in a film that is both a crime film and an uncontroversial romance. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 96% (excellent) Entertainment Fuse Score: 8.0/10 DISC DETAILS DVD Special Features: Archival interviews with Director Jean-Luc Godard and actors Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Seberg, and Jean-Pierre Melville; Interviews from 2007 with Coutard, Assistant Director Pierre Rissient, and filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker; Two video essays: filmmaker Mark Rappaport's Jean Seberg and critic Jonathan Rosenbaum's "Breathless" as Criticism; Chambre 12, Hôtel de Suède, an eighty-minute French documentary about the making of Breathless, with members of the cast and crew; Charlotte et son Jules , a 1959 short film by Godard featuring Belmondo; French theatrical trailer; Plus a booklet featuring an essay by scholar Dudley Andrew writings by Godard, François Truffaut's original treatment, and Godard's scenario Amazon Price: $29.96 (Blu-ray) Tess (1979) (Blu-ray) Directed by Roman Polanski Written by Gerald Brach, John Brownjohn, Roman Polanski (screenplay), Thomas Hardy (novel 'Tess of the d'Urbervilles') Starring: Nastassja Kinski, Peter Firth, Leigh Lawson Tess is Roman Polanski's adaptation of Thomas Hardy's Tess of the d'Urbervilles. Polankski's adaptation won three Academy Awards and nominated for three more, including Best Film. In the fictional county of Wessex in Victorian England a simple farmer, John Durbeyfield (John Collin) finds out that he is really the descendant of an aristocratic family which no longer existed because the male heirs died out. John sends his daughter Tess (Nastassja Kinski) to work on the estate of the d'Urberville family believing there is a possibility of claiming an inheritance. But Tess soon becomes to center of affections for two men. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 82% (very good) DISC DETAILS DVD Special Features: New 4K digital restoration, supervised by director Roman Polanski, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray; Once Upon a Time..."Tess," a 2006 documentary about the film; Three programs on the making of the film - From Novel to Screen, Filming "Tess," and "Tess": The Experience - featuring interviews with Polanski, actors Natassja Kinski and Leigh Lawson, producer Claude Berri, costume designer Anthony Powell, composer Philippe Sarde, and others; Interview with Polanski from a 1979 episode of The South Bank Show; Forty-five minute documentary shot on location for French television during the making of the film; Trailer; One Blu-ray and two DVDs, with all content available in both formats; PLUS: a booklet featuring an essay by critic Colin MacCabe Amazon Price: $34.99 (Blu-ray) Score (DVDTalk.com): Content 4 stars, Video 4 stars, Audio 4 stars, Extras 3.5 stars, Replay 4 stars (out of 5). Highly Recommended. King of the Hill (1993) (Blu-ray) Directed by Steven Soderbergh Written by Steven Soderbergh (screenplay), A. E. Hotchner (memoir) Starring: Jesse Bradford, Jeroen Krabbé, Lisa Eichorn, Karen Allen, Spalding Gray, Elizabeth McGovern The final movie from the Criterion Collection this week is the re-release of Steven Soderbergh's first Hollywood movie, King of the Hill. Based on the memoir A.E. Hotchner King of the Hill was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival. Jesse Bradford stars as Aaron, a young boy who is forced to fend for himself during the Great Depression in a small hotel when his mother is taken to a sanatorium to get treatment for tuberculosis and his father has to take a job as a travelling salesman. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes: 96% (excellent) Metacritic Rating: 85/100 (excellent) DISC DETAILS DVD Special Features: New interviews with Soderbergh and source memoir author A. E. Hotchner Against Tyranny, an new visual essay by filmmker :: kogonada exploring Soderbergh's unique approach to narrative The Underneath (1995), Soderbergh's follow-up feature to King of the Hill, with a new interview with the director Trailers Amazon Price: $29.96 (Blu-ray) Score (DVDTalk.com): Content 4 stars, Video 5 stars, Audio 4.5 stars, Extras 4 stars, Replay 3.5 stars (out of 5). Highly Recommended. The 300 Spartans (1962) (Blu-ray) Directed by Rudolph Maté Written by George St. George, Gian Paolo Callegari, Remigio Del Grosso, Giovanni d'Eramo, Ugo Liberatore Starring: Richard Egan, Ralph Richardson, Diane Baker, Barry Coe, David Farrar 300: Rise of an Empire is set to hit theaters next month so now is a great time for The 300 Spartans (the movie that influenced 300) to be re-released onto Blu-ray. In 480 BC the Persian Empire with largest army ever seen at the time invades Greece and many Greek states fall or surrender. The warrior state of Sparta, led by King Leonidas (Richard Egan) refuses to bow and with a small force of 300 soldiers he plans to hold the Persians at the pass of Thermopylae so he can give the Greek states a chance to organize their defence. Entertainment Fuse Score: 7.5/10 DISC DETAILS DVD Special Features: Original theatrical trailer; TV spots Amazon Price: $13.39 (Blu-ray)