In Case You Missed It – February 2014
2014 kicked off its DVD release in style with a wide selection of notable titles in January. Now that the Oscar Nominations have been handed out, February and March should continue to offer many of the year’s finest on DVD and Video On-Demand. In fact, my top three picks of the month all land in my Top 10 Films of 2013.
#1. About Time
Somewhat mislabeled as a romantic comedy, About Time is a charming drama set on reinforcing an appreciation for every-day life. Love Actually director, Richard Curtis, has publicly stated that this will be his last feature and he truly goes out on top with a remarkably sincere and effectively sentimental piece of work. Fast-rising star Domhnall Gleeson and the always wonderful Bill Nighy give tender performances as a son and father who share a family secret that they can travel in time. You’ll experience every range of emotion in this hilarious and earnest tale of love and family, justifying About Time as one of the finest films of 2013. (February 4th)
By now everyone is aware of just how good Matthew McConaughey is in the Best Picture Nominee, Dallas Buyers Club. McConaughey was My Personal Pick for Best Actor of the year with a gripping performance as Ron Woodroof, a Texas bull rider whose lifelong history of partying and drugs catch up to him when he discovers he has HIV. The revelation and will to live set him on a mission to smuggle unapproved prescription drugs from Mexico into the U.S. to combat the effects of the illness. Jared Leto also gives an unforgettable supporting turn as Woodroof’s unlikely sidekick. (February 4th)
#3. Gravity
Closing out my Top 10 Films of 2013 and #1 on Greg Rouleau’s List was Alfonso Cuaron’s space adventure, Gravity. Cuaron has found himself at the head of the Best Director class for his examination of a routine space repair mission that ends up going terribly wrong at the hands of fast-flying and destructive debris. Floating around and lost in space, astronaut Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) struggles to survive this nightmarish ordeal. Definitely a film intended to be witnessed on the big screen, it’s still worth settling on the at-home experience in order to see one of 2013’s most talked about films. (February 25th)
Honorable Mention: Two independent selections from the Philadelphia Film Festival include Best Picture Nominee Nebraska (2/25) and the survival tale All Is Lost (2/11), both of which landed in my honorable mention for the cinematic year. Although I haven’t seen Thor: The Dark World (2/25) or Ender’s Game (2/11), both seem to interest the action-junky in me. Also, it’s worth noting the box-office flop from Ridley Scott, The Counselor (2/11), and Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or Winner foreign film Blue Is the Warmest Color (2/25) also are available.
