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DVD & Blu-ray

UK DVD & Blu-ray Picks: Monday 3rd December 2012

DVD & BLU-RAY PICKS

The Dark Knight Rises (Warner Home Video): The opening of most anticipated blockbusters of the summer was overshadowed by a tragic shooting incident and a slightly less-than-stellar critical reception. Nonetheless, whilst it may not quite have scaled the heights of The Dark Knight, director Christopher Nolan managed to bring his customary intelligence and technical skills to the comic book genre. Like the previous two Blu-ray releases this disc comes with a lot of extras, with the option of watching them ‘in film’. Full technical details can be found at DVD Beaver and I’ll write some longer thoughts about the film soon. [Buy on DVD or Blu-ray at Amazon UK]

Luck: The Complete First Seasonย (Warner Home Video): Another project that was overshadowed by unfortunate events was this HBO crime series set amidst the world of US horse racing. Created by David Milch, and executive produced by Michael Mann (who directed the pilot), it was ultimately cancelled after three horses died during production. Solid reviews and the pedigree of the participants (Dustin Hoffman, Dennis Farina, Nick Nolte and Michael Gambon) might make this a cult favourite in years to come. [Buy on DVD or Blu-ray at Amazon UK]

Umberto D. (Argent Films): One of the greatest Italian films to emerge in the post-war period is this classic 1952 neo-realist drama. Directed by Vittorio De Sica (who also madeย Bicycle Thieves), it explores the struggles of an old man in Rome and his trusty dog Flike (called ‘Flag’ in some subtitled versions of the film). Masterfully written, directed and edited, in light of recent European austerity this deceptively simple tale takes on a new resonance sixty years on. It also features perhaps the greatest performance by a dog in cinema history.ย [Buy on DVDย at Amazon UK]

> DVD and Blu-ray Picks from April to November 2012
> The Best DVD and Blu-rays of 2011