It’s all about suspense this week on the DVD and Blu-Ray front. New to home video is Ryan Gosling’s riveting Drive, the Sam Worthington starring Texas Killing Fields, Richard Gere and Topher Grace do battle in The Double and a quiet little music flick called Janie Jones will steal your heart.
Drive: Gosling is a mechanic and stunt driver by day and a getaway driver by night in this thriller that is one of the best films of 2011. Albert Brooks steals the show as a gangster who even puts Ron Perlman in his place on more than one occasion. They say there’s a chase on for Hollywood’s next action star and after his turn in Drive, we nominate Gosling! The Blu-Ray and DVD bonus features are highlighted by five behind-the-scenes features: Drive Without A Driver: Talking with Director Nicolas Winding Refn, I Drive, Under The Hood and Driver and Irene and Cut To The Chase.
Transformers Dark of the Moon 3D: Michael Bay went to town for the four-disc Ultimate Edition Blu-Ray 3D, Blu-Ray and DVD combo pack for Transformers Dark of the Moon. Movie Fanatic practically broke our arms picking up the package. Of course we’re kidding, but the sentiment is true. There is so much on here to marvel in, we don’t know where to begin. Bay takes his 3D magic he produced onscreen and packages it brilliantly for 3D viewers at home. The bonus features are dazzling as well. The four discs contain the film, a series of shorts called Above and Beyond: Exploring Dark of the Moon, a killer doc entitled NASA’s Future Then and Now and Bay taking audiences inside how he destroyed Chicago in the film in another stellar featurette.
The Double: Richard Gere and Topher Grace are spies on the hunt of an international assassin. The pair has sparks, but the story does not. A half-hearted spy adventure that gives away all its secrets in the first 20 minutes is not one to endear yourself to.
Janie Jones: An inspiring film about a father and the daughter he never knew. Janie Jones is not only the title of the film, but also the name of Abigail Breslin’s character. The young actress establishes herself as a marvel. And Alessandro Nivola’s singing is divine. The film arrived in limited release in theaters and will hopefully find a following on home video.
Texas Killing Fields: Sam Worthington, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Jessica Chastain and Chloe Grace Moretz star in this film based on true events. A serial killer is loose in an area of Texas called the Texas Killing Fields. Long before the murderer left his victims on the Lone Star landscape, it had that moniker. Creepy! The film is the feature movie debut of director Ami Mann (daughter of Michael Mann). Don’t miss our interviews with Mann and screenwriter Don Ferrarone below. Their commentary on the film’s Blu-Ray and DVD also add an entirely new dimension to the thriller.
