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Life of Pi I don't always include the 3-D Blu-ray version when I put together this column, but with Life of Pi that's sort of the whole point right? I mean, if anyone talks about this movie the first, and sometimes only, thing they talk about are the visuals. Personally it was only an "okay" movie that I didn't really think amounted to much, but I expect it will have a rather impressive life on the home video market following its Oscar wins.

 

The Blob (Criterion Collection) Blu-ray I watched this Blu-ray on Sunday night and listened to the commentaries yesterday on and off throughout the day. This isn't exactly a feature-rich release and we're talking about more of a classic sci-fi film from the late '50s with a nostalgia factor for some and a certain level of intrigue from cinephiles, but is it a "must buy"? The commentary...

This week: Ang Lee's "Life of Pi," a spiritual survival tale about a boy and a tiger lost at sea on a lifeboat, took home more Oscars (four) than any other movie this year, including Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects and Best Original Score.

Also new this week is the making-of-"Psycho" biopic "Hitchcock" starring Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren, the animated kids' flick "Rise of the Guardians" and the sobering dramedy "Smashed" with Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Aaron Paul.

'Life of Pi'

Box Office: $117 million

Rotten Tomatoes: 88% Fresh

Storyline: Ang Lee directs this existential adventure based on the book by Yann Martel that tells the story of Pi Patel, the son of an Indian zookeeper who hitches a ride with his family aboard a freighter bound for Canada to begin a new life there. When a brutal storm hits and the ship goes down, Pi...

Moviefone's New Release of the Week "Life of Pi" What's It About? The best-selling novel about Pi, a 16-year-old boy who survives a shipwreck and is stranded in the ocean with a hyena, orangutan, wounded zebra, and Bengal tiger, is finally brought to the screen by Ang Lee. See It Because: While an ambitious undertaking, Lee's masterful storytelling and spellbinding cinematography made believers out of even the most devout "Pi" fans -- and it's easy to see why Lee and the movie's visual artists were rewarded with heaps of Oscars. Watch Ang Lee talk about working with a real tiger, in an exclusive clip from "Life of Pi" (video at the top of this post). Moviefone's Blu-ray of the Week "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" 25th Anniversary Edition What's It About? Disney's landmark Hollywood noir -- set in 1940s "Toon Town" -- is just as madcap and amazing to watch now...

DVD Playhouse—March 2009

By

Allen Gardner

Let The Right One In (Magnolia) An awkward 12 year-old boy, ignored by his mother and the target of bullies, finds himself drawn to his new neighbor: a girl his own age who only appears at night, and seems herself to be as lonely an outcast as he. Haunting film from Sweden is best described as The 400 Blows meets Nosferatu, and contains some of the most haunting imagery of any film in recent memory. Truly a unique and memorable work. Bonuses: Deleted scenes; Featurette; Photo and poster gallery. Widescreen. Dolby 5.1 surround.

Paramount Centennial Collection Paramount offers two more classic titles, restored, remastered and loaded with extras. Alfred Hitchcock’s To Catch A Thief stars Cary Grant as a retired jewel thief trying to enjoy his sunset years on the French Riviera with a minimum of drama, until he catches the eye of a high-maintenance heiress (Grace Kelly,...