DVD & BLU-RAY PICKS
Project Nim (Icon Home Entertainment): Outstanding documentary from director James Marsh (Wisconsin Death Trip and Man on Wire) about a chimpanzee raised as a human being during the 1970s. Brilliantly assembled from various archive materials, it provides an extraordinary journey through various layers of human society that interact with Nim. [Read our full review] [Buy it on DVD]
In a Better World (Axiom Films): Drama which intercuts the role of a doctor (Mikael Persbrandt) in a Sudanese refugee camp with a parallel drama in Denmark involving his young son (Markus Rygaard) and a friend (William Jรธhnk Juels Nielsen). Directed by Susanne Bier, it won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film earlier this year. [Buy it on DVD or Blu-ray]
Boardwalk Empire – Season 1 (Warner Home Video/HBO): The acclaimed HBO series set during the Prohibition era was written by Sopranos scribe Terence Winter and co-produced by Martin Scorsese (who directed the pilot). Focusing on Atlantic City treasurer Enoch ‘Nucky’ Thompson (Steve Buscemi), his right-hand man Jimmy (Michael Pitt) and various supporting characters it fuses history with fiction. The first season was nominated for 18 Emmys and won 8, including Outstanding Directing for Martin Scorsese. [Buy on DVD orย Blu-ray]
ALSO OUT
Arena (Sony Pictures Home Ent.) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Cell 211 (StudioCanal) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Colombiana (EV) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Faces in the Crowd (Metrodome Distribution) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Inglorious Bastards (1978 Version) (StudioCanal) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Rio (20th Century Fox Home Ent.) [Blu-ray / Normal]
The Big Picture (Artificial Eye) [Blu-ray / Normal]
The Legend of Bruce Lee (Revolver Entertainment) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Troll Hunter (Momentum Pictures) [Blu-ray / Normal]
Up (Walt Disney) [Blu-ray / 3D Edition with 2D Edition]
Whisper of the Heart (Optimum Home Entertainment) [Blu-ray / with DVD]
> Recent UK cinema releases
>ย The Best DVD and Blu-ray releases of 2011