They really
do have Blu-ray release timing down to a science, don’t they? Four of the most
Oscar-winning films from just 48 hours ago hit Blu-ray last week or today,
February 24th. So, we thought we’d pull them out of the in-process
Home Entertainment Consumer Guide and highlight them specifically, also letting
you know when and where to find all of this year’s Oscar nominees and winners
on Blu-ray in a list at the bottom with links to buy your own copies.
“Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of
Ignorance”
Winner of
Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Cinematography
on Sunday night, Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s “Birdman” became one of the most
divisive films of the awards season when it surpassed critical darling “Boyhood”
and popular favorite “American Sniper” to become the clear frontrunner about
ten days ago. Sure, there were some who still thought “Boyhood” could sneak in
but when almost all of the Guilds started citing “Birdman” as the best of the
year, its Oscar wins became inevitable. How will “Birdman” stand up over time?
That’s the only real question now. Winning Best Picture can be a curse, as some
solid films become punchlines by cynical viewers unwilling to accept the idea
that a big Oscar winner could actually be a great film. So many more people
dismiss “Argo” and “The Departed” now than ever would if they had actually gone
home empty-handed. And so the legacy for “Birdman” becomes one of the unique
ones now. One that will always be associated with this year’s Oscars. I’m
curious to see how “Birdman” holds up in a year, five years, a decade. It’s
such a unique film. And I do wish that the Blu-ray offered a bit more insight
into its production, such as a commentary or more detailed appreciation. It
feels like this release was thrown off the assembly line as quickly as possible
to capitalize on the Oscars, and given the film’s relatively low box office, I
can respect that. Get the film to as wide an audience as possible. Then we’ll
see if it holds up well enough for a special edition down the road.
Special
Features
A
conversation with Michael Keaton and Alejandro G. Inarritu
“Birdman”:
All-Access
Gallery:
Chivo’s on-set photography
“Whiplash”
Winner of
Best Supporting Actor, Best Editing, and Best Sound Mixing, this Sundance Grand
Jury and Audience Award winner hits Blu-ray, DVD, and On Demand services today.
You’ve probably seen so many clips of J.K. Simmons’ terrifying performance by
now that you think you’ve seen the movie. More than any other recent film, I’ve
talked to a shocking number of people who think they know exactly what “Whiplash”
is even without seeing it. They don’t. And I’m even amazed at the different
responses I’ve heard to the film from those who did bother to view it before
making up their mind. It’s easily one of the most divisive films of the year,
with people I respect on either side of the aisle. And that’s one of the things
I love about it. We need more films that provoke conversation in the market and
“Whiplash” was a cinematic talking point from Sundance to the Oscars and now it
will continue to be so on Blu-ray and DVD. My review says everything I need to
about how I feel about the movie itself. As for the Blu-ray, this one is a bit
less of a rush job to capitalize on what happened this week with more detailed
special features, including the short that preceded the existence of this film
and from which it was adapted, and the excellent Sony HD video and audio
treatment. They’re one of the best for new releases. And “Whiplash” is a movie
that needs to be watched in a dark room and loud. And, preferably, with someone
to argue with about it when it’s done.
Special
Features
“Timekeepers”
– Famous drummers discuss their craft and passion for drumming
“Whiplash”
– Original Short Film with Optional Commentary
Deleted
Scene
Commentary
with Writer/Director Damien Chazelle and J.K. Simmons
An Evening
at the Toronto International Film Festival with Miles Teller, J.K. Simmons and
Damien Chazelle
This week’s
Best Actor Oscar winner came out on Blu-ray last week and I’m sure audiences
will be catching up with it this week as, like most of this year’s winners, it
wasn’t exactly a box office juggernaut. Also, like most of this year’s winners,
it was highly divisive. Me, I’m not a fan. I like James Marsh’s work in
general, especially his entry in “The Red Riding Trilogy,” but I find the
approach here too predictable, too cookie cutter, too filtered through a manipulative TV movie lens. After a promising opening act, “The Theory of Everything” doesn’t
do anything substantial, especially in the way it fails to truly capture one of
the most important thinkers of the last century. Redmayne isn’t bad but it’s
not in the same league as David Oyelowo in “Selma,” Jake Gyllenhaal in “Nightcrawler,”
or Brendan Gleeson in “Calvary.” Observant Oscar fans will note none of those
three men were even nominated so, yeah, I had some issues with Best Actor this
year. I like Redmayne in general and he seems to be just about the nicest guy
in the world, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the history books are more
surprised that THIS is the film he won for than anything else.
Special
Features
Deleted
Scenes
Becoming the
Hawkings
Feature
Commentary with Director James Marsh
Another
disappointing pick on Sunday night was that for “Big Hero 6,” a cute, sweet,
Marvel/Disney movie (Is this the first non-technical Oscar for Marvel?) that
certainly isn’t bad but is nowhere near the artistic achievement of “The Tale
of the Princess Kaguya” (also new to Blu-ray and which I’ll cover tomorrow in
the HECG) or even “The LEGO Movie.” Having three small kids, I’ve seen “Big
Hero 6” several times. It’s fun. Don’t get me wrong. And the Blu-ray is
FANTASTIC, as most new Blu-rays for Disney movies end up. This one gets special
points for including two Oscar winners as the Best Animated Short “Feast” is
also included on the disc. “Feast” rules. And if you’re a Disney collector, you
should pick this up for it alone. As for the feature, it starts strong but I
don’t love that it ends up teaching kids that their way through grief is to
turn into an action movie. Again, not a bad movie, but it feels like the wrong
choice for Oscar.
Special
Features
“Feast”
Theatrical Short
The Origin
Story Of “Big Hero 6”: Hiro’s Journey – Discover how the filmmakers
turned a whimsical comic book into a true Disney animated super hero adventure.
Hosted by actor Jamie Chung (Go Go).
Big Hero
Secrets – Find this Easter egg about Easter eggs!
Big Animator
6: The Characters Behind The Characters – Meet the artists who bring the
movie’s colorful, quirky team to life.
Deleted
Scenes – Includes alternate openings and an intro by the directors
Want to know
when the other Oscar winners and nominees are available on Blu-ray? Check out
the handy cheat-sheet below and click on the link to all of them to buy or
pre-order.
2015 Oscar Nominee Blu-ray/DVD Release
Dates
AVAILABLE NOW
Begin Again
Beyond the
Lights
Big Hero 6
Birdman or (The
Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
The Boxtrolls
Boyhood
Captain
America: The Winter Soldier
Dawn of the
Planet of the Apes
Finding Vivian
Maier
Gone Girl
The Grand Budapest
Hotel
Guardians of
the Galaxy
How to Train
Your Dragon 2
Ida
The Judge
Last Days in
Vietnam
The LEGO Movie
Maleficent
Nightcrawler
The Tale of
the Princess Kaguya
The Theory of
Everything
X-Men: Days of
Future Past
Whiplash
3/3/15
Foxcatcher
3/17/15
Song of the
Sea
3/24/15
The Hobbit:
The Battle of the Five Armies
Into the Woods
Unbroken
3/31/15
The Imitation
Game
Interstellar
Wild
TBA
American
Sniper
Citizenfour
(now airing on HBO)
Glen
Campbell…I’ll Be Me
Inherent
Vice
Leviathan
Mr. Turner
The Salt of
the Earth
Selma
Still Alice
Tangerines
Timbuktu
Two Days,
One Night
Virunga
(available on Netflix)
Wild Tales
