New Releases On Blu Ray & DVD 2/26/13

Yeah, so THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 is the biggest new release today on Blu ray and DVD, but since I’ve not seen any of the TWILIGHT movies (I think this is the first time I've ever acknowledged their existence on this blog), and doubt I will anytime soon, I’m just going to move on. 

A movie I do care about, Paul Thomas Anderson’s THE MASTER is getting a spiffy double disc Blu ray, and a one disc DVD, release today. THE MASTER, which was #1 on my Top 10 of 2012 (my review here), really should’ve been nominated for a Best Picture Oscar (Philip Seymour Hoffman, Joaquin Phoneix and Amy Adams were all nominated but lost), but let’s get past that Academy-approval nonsense and dive into Anderson’s magnum opus, now enhanced with 20 minutes of outtakes and additional scenes scored by Johnny Greenwood. 

The Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD’s special features also include an 8 minute short entitled “Unguided Message,” behind the scenes featurettes, theatrical trailers, and John Huston’s landmark documentary about WW-II veterans “Let There Be Light (1946),” cited by Anderson as a huge influence on his film.

Another film from my Top 10 of 2012, Leos Carax’s HOLY MOTORS, is now available on both one disc Blu ray and DVD editions. This freaky French film stars Denis Levant as a man who dons different outfits and takes on different personas to create strange scenes on the streets of Paris. It’s kind of hard to explain, although I tried in my review, but I bet those seeking challenging movie experiences will more than “get it.” 

Special features include “The Making of ‘Holy Motors,” an almost 50 minute featurette filled with cast/crew interviews, a 13 minute interview with Kylie Minogue, and theatrical trailers.

2012 was such a strong year for documentaries that a solid one like Matthew Heineman and Susan Frömke’s ESCAPE FIRE: THE FIGHT TO RESCUE AMERICAN HEALTHCARE got sadly overshadowed. The probing film, which releases today on DVD, is what I described as a “cool, calm, and collected inquiry into what has been called by many a badly broken system” in my review (which you can read here).

ESCAPE FIRE’s special features include a commentary with Directors Susan Frömke and Matthew Heineman, deleted/extended scenes, and the following featurettes: “The Making of ‘Escape Fire’”, “Sgt. Yates: A Year Later,” “Sundance World Premiere.”

Lastly, the Oscar nominated AIDS Activism documentary HOW TO SURVIVE A PLAGUE, which has been streaming for the last few weeks on Netflix Instant, is out today on DVD. The extremely worthwhile film is packaged with an audio commentary by director David France and a few ACT UP activists, deleted scenes, and a theatrical trailer.

More later...