Home video releases this week run the gamut from the musical (Joyful Noise and George Harrison: Living in the Musical World), mind-blowing action (Haywire), rom-com (New Year’s Eve), historical (W.E.) and a classic finally arrives on Blu-Ray (Clueless).
Haywire: Gina Carano announced herself as a action star to be reckoned with in this thriller from director Steven Soderbergh. The film features an all-star cast including Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender and Channing Tatum. If you appreciate action-packed films and the work of Soderbergh, than with Haywire… you are in heaven. Carano works for a private security company and is one of their best field agents. When her company turns on her, they probably wish they hadn’t!
Joyful Noise: Dolly Parton and Queen Latifah combine to make beautiful music in Joyful Noise. The story of a southern church choir and their effort to win a national competition is surprisingly fun. The music soars and Parton and Latifah have fantastic chemistry. Among the extras highlights are Leading Ladies, a look at Parton and Latifah at work, as well as a feature called the Inspiration of Joyful Noise.
George Harrison: Living in a Material World: Martin Scorsese directs a stellar documentary about the late, great Beatle and his immense impact on the world. In Scorsese’s hands, this film rivets and shows that even fans of the “quiet” superstar will learn something new about the music icon.
Clueless: A classic finally arrives on Blu-Ray. The film made Alicia Silverstone a star and even features a young Paul Rudd at his most dashing. Also in don’t-miss roles is Suburgatory star Jeremy Sisto, Brittany Murphy, Brekin Meyer (Franklin and Bash) and Donald Faison. The Blu-Ray has over an hour of additional features including a new Clue or False trivia game, a fashion featurette and a look at the acting class of 1995 highlighted above.
New Year’s Eve: Sure, it has a superstar cast, but few found New Year’s Eve worth a party. Yet, it is a romantic comedy featuring some of the world’s biggest stars including Oscar winners Robert De Niro, Halle Berry and Hilary Swank -- and Lea Michele breaks out of the Glee mold in one of her first features. The film failed to ignite a spark when it arrived at the close of 2011, perhaps it will find an audience on home video in 2012.
W.E.: Madonna directed this story of the star-crossed lovers who almost brought down an empire. The true tale of the affair of King Edward VIII and American Wallis Simpson is told with an intertwining story of a modern romance between a Russian security guard and a married woman.
