DVD Outlook: March 2013

While February saw the DVD release of Best Picture Winner Argo, March follows suit with many other Oscar contenders being released for your home-viewing pleasure. Although I was less in love with nominees like Life of Pi (3/12), Les Miserables (3/22) and Hitchcock (3/12), they are still big-named releases this month that will surely catch your eye. Now, on to the films I suggest renting for the month of March.




Zero Dark Thirty - 4 stars out of 4 (Read my full review here)

There was a moment in recent history when every prognosticator believed that Kathryn Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty would win Best Picture. However, in the midst of controversy, the film only walked away with the Best Sound Editing trophy at the Oscars. Controversy aside, Zero Dark Thirty tells the unbelievable true story of a determined CIA operative (played by Jessica Chastain) who embarks on a decade long manhunt to find the Most Wanted fugitive in the world, Osama Bin Laden. Unrelenting, gripping and full of suspense, Zero Dark Thirty is a fantastic and well-rounded film that deserves every bit of your attention during its entire fast-moving two and a half hour running time. (MARCH 19TH)




Lincoln - 2 and a half stars out of 4 (Read my full review here)

Immediately following my initial viewing of Steven Spielberg's Lincoln, I never quite felt "blown away" by the film. Despite being somewhat let down by the heavy dose of dialogue that spans close to three hours, Lincoln has kept crawling back into my brain of late. Perhaps like a fine wine, Lincoln sits better with age. Therefore, I'm very eager to catch a second viewing of Spielberg's Best Picture Nominee later this month, The film mainly focuses on the 16th president's commitment to passing a law that would abolish slavery. Throughout the movie we see the inner workings of political posturing and some of the dirty deeds that float around our nation's capital. Brilliantly acted (including a game-changing turn by Best Actor Winner Daniel Day-Lewis) and phenomenally written, Lincoln is yet another wonderful piece of filmmaking by Steven Spielberg. (MARCH 26th)





This is 40 - 2 and a half stars out of 4 (Read my full review here)

Let me preface by saying that This is 40 is by no means a fantastic film. Overly long and bloated with an abundance of side characters and subplots, there's plenty of blemishes with Judd Apatow's latest work. On the other hand, This is 40 offers continual laugh out loud comedy from start to finish. No one can deny Apatow's unique sense of humor, but the director's obsession with creating a comedy-drama blend has proved problematic in the past (i.e. Funny People). This time around Apatow pushes the envelope a little too far, but enough to ruin the final product. The jokes are regular enough and funny enough to salvage the film. If you're looking for a light and hilarious piece of entertainment this month, look no further than This is 40. (MARCH 22ND)


Honorable Mention: The Oscar-Nominated children's film Wreck-It Ralph (3/5) is now available and horror fans may be interested in checking out Barry Levinson's The Bay (3/5) or The Collection (3/26). Until next month!