New in Home Entertainment – February 5, 2013

Flight
Rated R for drug and alcohol abuse, language, sexuality/nudity and and intense action sequence
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
Denzel Washington puts on an Oscar-nominated performance in this film about a pilot addicted to alcohol and drugs who is investigated after making a dangerous maneuver that ended up saving the lives of most of the people on his plane.  While he is most definitely a hero for his actions, he has demons that so deeply effect him that its hard not to have mixed emotions on how you feel about his character.  Personally I found myself really disgusted by him but really wanting him to wake up and do right and live up to his potential.  To follow his character’s arch is extremely painful but highly rewarding.  So while this is not an easy film to watch, it certainly is a powerful piece of cinema worth checking out.  A

Paul Williams Still Alive
Rated PG-13 for drug references and brief strong language
Available on DVD
Fascinated with the life of Paul Williams, the multiple Oscar and Grammy award winning songwriter and 70’s icon, filmmaker Stephen Kessler set out to discover more about his life and death.  But then he discovered that he was actually still alive.  Following him around for a lengthy period of time, Kessler attempts to dive deep into what made Williams famous to begin with and what his life is like now.  While I had seen his face and heard his music, I had no idea who Paul Williams actually was before watching this documentary and I became very quickly fascinated.  His career took a nose-dive after years of alcohol and drug abuse but due to being sober for almost 20 years, his life has turned around and he is a much better human being, helping others who have been in similar situations.  It feels more like a television special than a theatrically released motion picture, but I do think it will be an enjoyable and nostalgic ride for many of his fans.  B-

Peter Pan: Diamond Edition
Rated G
Available on Blu-ray and DVD
The 1953 Disney classic is finally getting the hi def treatment in this new blu-ray release.  Following the adventures of Peter Pan, Tinkerbell, Wendy and her brothers as they face the sinister Captain Hook, the movie obviously looks better than ever in this new crisp and clean edition.  Somewhat disappointing is the new documentary about what it was like to grow up with the Nine Old Men (the nicknames given to the infamous Disney artists).  There are some nice new features such as the artwork that frames the movie on your widescreen television.  B+

Side by Side
Available on DVD and Blu-ray
For those cinephiles out there that really want to know what the directors and cinematographers think about digital vs traditional film, this documentary is for you.  Keanu Reeves takes us on a journey interviewing filmmakers like James Cameron (Avatar), David Fincher (Social Network), George Lucas (Star Wars) and many other top names to get their takes on new vs old when it comes to capturing images for our movies.  For the right crowd, this is a fascinating and entertaining documentary.  For the other 90% of people out there – it will be nothing more than a boring and nerdy film class.  B+