DISCussion: New on DVD and Blu-ray (2.4.2014)

The sci-fi rom-com About Time won a close contest to be Entertainment Fuse's Recommendation of the Week for DISCussion. The DVD and Blu-ray release of the Richard Curtis film comes with a commentary, deleted scenes and a Ellie Goulding music video. First Release - Dallas Buyers Club (DVD and Blu-ray) - Escape Plan (DVD and Blu-ray) - About Time (DVD and Blu-ray) - DCU Justice League: War (DVD and Blu-ray) - Free Birds (DVD and Blu-ray) - Romeo & Juliet (2013) (DVD and Blu-ray) - Cutie and the Boxer (DVD and Blu-ray) - Blood Brothers (DVD) Re-Release - Death Wish (1974) (Blu-ray) - Million Dollar Baby (2004) (Blu-ray) - Stop-Loss (2008) (Blu-ray) About Time (DVD and Blu-ray) *Recommendation of the Week* Written and directed by Richard Curtis Starring: Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams, Bill Nighy, Lydia Wilson, Lindsay Duncan, Tom Hollander Richard Curtis has a long and esteemed career in the UK, writing shows like Blackadder, Mr Bean and The Vicar of Dibley and writing and directing Love Actually. His latest rom-com is also a sci-fi movie, focusing on Tim Lake (Domhnall Gleeson, Dredd), a 21-year-old man who is told by his father (Bill Nighy) that all men in their family can travel back to any point in their lifetime. When Tim moves to London he ends up using his new found abilities to win over an attractive American, Mary (Rachel McAdams). Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 69% (good) Metacritic Rating: 55/100 (average) Entertainment Fuse Score: 7.3/10 DISC DETAILS DVD Special Features: Deleted Scenes with Intros by Director Richard Curtis;  Blooper Reel: Making Movies Is a Serious Business; “The Luckiest” Music; Ellie Goulding “How Long Will I Love You?” Music Video; Feature Commentary with Director Richard Curtis and Cast Members Domhnall Gleeson, Bill Nighy, Vanessa Kirby, Lydia Wilson & Tom Hollander Amazon Price: $17.99 (DVD), $22.99 (Blu-ray) Score (DVDTalk.com): Content 4 stars, Video 4.5 stars, Audio 5 stars, Extras 3 stars, Replay 4 stars (out of 5). Highly Recommended. The other contender for Recommendation of the Week was the highly praised drama Dallas Buyers Club. Also out this week are the Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger team-up Escape Plan and the DC animated movie DCU Justice League: War. Whilst movies like Death Wish and Million Dollar Baby are being re-released onto Blu-ray. Dallas Buyers Club (DVD and Blu-ray) Directed by Jean-Marc Vallée Written by Craig Borten, Melisa Wallack Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, Jared Leto Dallas Buyers Club is a critically praised movie and one of this award season's strongest contenders, earning six Academy Award nominations, including for Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor. In 1985 Ron Woodroof (Mathew McConaughey) is a electrician, rodeo cowboy and stereotypical homophobic redneck. But when he is diagnosed with HIV Ron ends up working smuggling HIV drugs from Mexico and distributes them to HIV and AIDS sufferers. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 93% (excellent) Metacritic Rating: 84/100 (very good) Entertainment Fuse Score: 8.0/10 DISC DETAILS DVD Special Features: Deleted Scenes; A Look Inside Dallas Buyers Club Amazon Price: $19.96 (DVD), $22.99 (Blu-ray) Score (DVDTalk.com): Content 4.5 stars, Video 4.5 stars, Audio 4.5 stars, Extras 1 stars, Replay 3.5 stars (out of 5). Highly Recommended. Escape Plan (DVD and Blu-ray) Directed by Mikael Håfström Written by Miles Chapman, Jason Keller (screenplay), Miles Chapman (story) Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jim Caviezel, Curtis Jackson, Vincent D'Onofrio, Amy Ryan Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger were action stars and rivals in the 80s and 90s: now they have finally united to star in Escape Plan. Stallone stars as Ray Breslin, a professional escape artist who tests the security of prisons. Ray is hired to test the try and escape out of a top-secret CIA prison: but after he takes the job he is set up. To escape Ray has to team up with one of the inmates, Emil Rottmayer (Schwarzenegger). Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 49% (average) Metacritic Rating: 49/100 (average) Entertainment Fuse Score: 6.0/10 DISC DETAILS DVD Special Features: Closed Caption; Audio commentary with director Mikael Håfström and co-writer Miles Chapman; "Executing the plan: the making of escape plan" featurette Additional Blu-ray Special Features: Maximum security: the real-life tomb" featurette; "Clash of the titans" featurette; Deleted scenes Amazon Price: $14.96 (DVD), $19.99 (Blu-ray) Score (DVDTalk.com): Content 3 stars, Video 4.5 stars, Audio 4.5 stars, Extras 3 stars, Replay 3 stars (out of 5). Recommended. DCU Justice League: War (DVD and Blu-ray) Directed by Jay Oliva Written by Heath Corson (screenplay), Geoff Johns, Jim Lee, Scott Williams (graphic novel) Starring: Alan Tudyk, Jason O'Mara, Michelle Monaghan, Christopher Gorham, Justin Kirk, Shemar Moore, Sean Astin Warner Premier's latest animated movie is an adaptation of Geoff Johns and Jim Lee's Justice League: Origin arc, following the creation of the Justice League when Earth is being invaded by the forces of Darkseid (Steven Blum). DISC DETAILS DVD Special Features: A sneak peek at DC Universe's next animated movie: Son of Batman Additional Blu-ray Special Features: Creating heroes: the life and art of Jim Lee; Justice League: War Act D - from animatic to pencil test; From the DC Comics vault - 4 vintage cartoons; Plus: deconstructing war with Jay Oliva and Jim Lee; Amazon Price: $12.99 (DVD), $18.96 (2-Disc DVD), $16.99 (Blu-ray) Free Birds (DVD and Blu-ray) Directed by Jimmy Hayward Written by Jimmy Hayward, Scott Mosier (screenplay), David I. Stern, John J. Strauss (story) Starring: Owen Wilson, Woody Harrelson, Amy Poehler The other movie from the world of animation is the critically panned Free Birds. Reggie the Turkey (Owen Wilson) is a very lucky turkey when he is given a Presidential Pardon and saved from being a Thanksgiving meal. But Reggie is dragged into a scheme by another turkey, Jake (Woody Harrelson) to go back in time and stop the first Thanksgiving. Yet they ignore the atrocity of Christmas. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes: 18% (awful) Metacritic Rating: 38/100 (poor) DISC DETAILS DVD Special Features: Closed Caption; "Shake a Tail Feather" music video Additional Blu-ray Special Features: Birds flipping history; Animating Free Birds: the main course; Winging it: animators in action; Talking turkey with composer Dominic Lewis; Amazon Price: $19.99 (DVD), $24.99 (Blu-ray) Romeo & Juliet (2013) (DVD and Blu-ray) Directed by Carlo Carlei Written by Julian Fellowes (screenplay), William Shakespeare (play) Starring: Douglas Booth, Hailee Steinfeld, Damien Lewis, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Ed Westwick, Paul Giamatti Romeo & Juliet is one of William Shakespeare's most famous plays and this adaptation was scribed by Downton Abbey's Julian Fellowes and features an ensemble cast, including the likes of Hailee Steinfeld, Damien Lewis, Paul Giamatti and Stellan Skarsgård. This new adaptation takes the play back to its original 16th century setting as two teenagers, Romeo (Douglas Booth, Pillars of the Earth) and Juliet (Steinfeld) who fall in love, but are victims of the conflict between their family. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 21% (very bad) Metacritic Rating: 41/100 (poor) DISC DETAILS DVD Special Features: Closed Caption; Romeo & Juliet featurettes; Cast and crew; The filmmaker's vision; Creating the look; Hair and makeup Amazon Price: $14.99 (DVD), $17.99 (Blu-ray) Cutie and the Boxer (DVD and Blu-ray) Directed by Zachary Heinzerling Starring: Noriko Shinohara, Ushio Shinohara Cutie and the Boxer is an award winning movie, winning the Best Director prize at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and is nominated for Best Documentary at this year's Academy Awards. Cutie and the Boxer follows Noriko and Ushio Shinohara, a married couple of over 40 years and their life in the New York Art World. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 95% (excellent) Metacritic Rating: 82/100 (very good) DISC DETAILS Amazon Price: $16.46 (DVD), $26.99 (Blu-ray) Blood Brother (DVD) Directed by Steve Hoover Written by Phinehas Hodges, Steve Hoover, Tyson VanSkiver Starring: Rocky Braat, Steve Hoover The other documentary film of the week is Blood Brother, winner of the U.S. Grand Jury Prize at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. Blood Brother is about Rocky Braat, an American man who gave up his life and job in Pittsburgh to work in an AIDS hostel for children in India. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 74% (good) Metacritic Rating: 71/100 (good) DISC DETAILS DVD Special Features: Closed Caption; Additional footage; Trailer Amazon Price: $27.98 (DVD) Death Wish (1974) (Blu-ray) Directed by Michael Winner Written by Wendell Mayes (screenplay), Brian Garfield (novel) Starring: Charles Bronson, Hope Lange, Vincent Gardenia, William Redfield, Steven Keats It has been 40 years since the release of the controversial movie Death Wish and to celebrate the movie has earn a Blu-ray re-release. Charles Bronson stars as Paul Kersey, an architect and bleeding heart Liberal whose opinions change when his wife is murdered and his daughter is raped, turning the man into a vigilante and sets out to rid New York of its criminal scum. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 67% (good) Entertainment Fuse Score: 7.5/10 DISC DETAILS DVD Special Features: Original theatrical trailer Amazon Price: $14.96 (Blu-ray) Million Dollar Baby (2004) (DVD and Blu-ray) Directed by Clint Eastwood Written by Paul Haggis (screenplay), F.X. Toole (story) Starring: Clint Eastwood, Hilary Swank, Morgan Freeman Million Dollar Baby was an award winning film, earning seven Academy Award nominations and winning the awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor. Clint Eastwood directs and stars as Frankie Dunn, a grieving boxing trainer who reluctantly agree to be trainer for a young amateur boxer, Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank) who wants to turn pro. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes: 91% (excellent) Metacritic Rating: 86/100 (excellent) Entertainment Fuse Score: 8.5.10 DISC DETAILS DVD Special Features: Two all-new special features take you inside the ring with the filmmakers and cast:; Million Dollar Baby: On the Ropes - like Hilary Swank's relentless boxer, Million Dolar Baby had to fight for its life.; Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman and Swank reveal how this uncompromising story overcame incredible odds to become a milestone in cinema history; Commentary by producer Albert Ruddy; Plus James Lipton Takes on Three; Born to Fight; Producers Round 15; And more! Amazon Price: $14.96 (Blu-ray) Stop-Loss (2008) (DVD and Blu-ray) Directed by Kimberly Peirce Written by Kimberly Peirce. Mark Richard Starring: Ryan Phillippe, Channing Tatum, Abbie Cornish, Timothy Olyphant, Rob Brown The final re-release of the week is the military drama Stop-Loss from Boys Don't Cry director Kimberly Peirce. Sgt. Brandon King (Ryan Phillippe) is a decorated Iraq War veteran who with his friend, Steve (Channing Tatum) return home to Texas after servicing their tour of duty. But as Brandon readjusts to civilian life the army call him back to serve in Iraq under the controversial Stop-loss policy. Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 65% (good) Metacritic Rating: 61/100 (good) Entertainment Fuse Score: 7.0/10 DISC DETAILS DVD Special Features: Commentary by director Kimberly Peirce and co-writer Mark Richard; The making of Stop-Loss; 11 deleted scenes (with optional commentary); A day in boot camp Amazon Price: $12.96 (Blu-ray)