Watch Oscar nominees on disc
Want to get the most out of Sunday's Academy Awards? Take time out to watch some top nominees on disc. Many already are out on DVD and Blu-ray. Some are due in the next few weeks.
Want to get the most out of Sunday's Academy Awards? Take time out to watch some top nominees on disc. Many already are out on DVD and Blu-ray. Some are due in the next few weeks.
Argo. Ben Affleck's third film as a director is an intense drama about a 1979 CIA operation to rescue six Americans who escaped the embassy in Tehran before militants stormed it, taking 52 Americans hostage for 444 days. It has picked up seven Oscar nods, including best picture and best supporting actor for Alan Arkin. (www.wbshop.com/; $28.98 DVD; $35.99 Blu-ray/DVD combo; rated R)
Beasts of the Southern Wild. Four nominations went to this moving parable set in southern Louisiana, including best picture, best director, and best actress for Quvenzhané Wallis, 9, the youngest nominee ever in that category. (www.foxconnect.com/; $29.98 DVD; $39.99 Blu-ray; PG-13)
Lincoln. Steven Spielberg's presidential biopic, due on DVD March 26, has a leading 12 nominations, including best picture, best director, and best actor for Daniel Day-Lewis. (www.thelincolnmovie.com/; $29.99 DVD; $39.00 Blu-ray/DVD combo; $45.99 Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy combo; rated PG-13)
Life of Pi. Ang Lee's sumptuous adaptation of Yann Martel's novel is a revelatory testament to the possibilities of film. It follows Lincoln with 11 nods, including best picture, best director, and best adapted screenplay. Due March 12. (www.foxconnect.com/; $29.98 DVD; $39.99 Blu-ray; $49.99 Blu-ray 3D; rated PG)
Zero Dark Thirty. Kathryn Bigelow's CIA yarn about the hunt for Osama bin Laden has five nominations, including best picture and best actress for Jessica Chastain. It's due March 19. (www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/; $30.99 DVD; $40.99 Blu-ray/DVD combo; rated R)
Les Misérables. Eight nods go to director Tom Hooper's musical, including best picture, best actor for Hugh Jackman, and supporting actress for Anne Hathaway. Due March 22. (www.universalstudiosentertainment.com/; $29.98 DVD; $34.98 Blu-ray/DVD combo; rated PG-13)
To come. Release dates have yet to be announced for best picture nominees Amour, Silver Linings Playbook, and Django Unchained.
Other top nominees
The Master. Due Tuesday, director Paul Thomas Anderson's thoughtful portrait of '50s post-war America, as seen through the lens of a newly created religion, has three nods, including best actor for Joaquin Phoenix and supporting actor for Philip Seymour Hoffman. (www.anchorbayentertainment.com/; $29.98 DVD; $39.99 Blu-ray; rated R)
Moonrise Kingdom. Unjustly overlooked by the academy, Wes Anderson's critically acclaimed teen love story has only one nomination, original screenplay for Anderson and Roman Coppola (yet it's better than some of the best picture entries). (www.universalstudiosentertainment.com/; $29.98 DVD; $34.98 Blu-ray/DVD combo; rated PG-13)
Flight. Denzel Washington picks up his sixth Oscar nod with this drama about a pilot who saves his passengers in a miraculous feat. (www.paramount.com/; $29.99 DVD; $39.99 Blu-ray/DVD combo; rated R)
Skyfall. James Bond films haven't been big at the Oscars: The first 22 films picked up seven nominations total, winning two statuettes. The 23d, Sam Mendes' Skyfall, has broken the mold with five (!) nominations, including cinematography, original score, and original song for Adele's soulful rendition of the title song. (www.skyfall-movie.com/; $29.98 DVD; $39.99 Blu-ray/DVD combo; rated PG-13)