The two films lead the pack of new releases out this week.
The Washington Post
The following films are available this week on home video:
“Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol” – Hand it to Tom Cruise: Even on the cusp of 50, he still does his own stunts, looks studly in a suit and has perfect hair. “Ghost Protocol” possesses the requisite number of expertly choreographed how’d-they-do-that scenes, as well as some terrific supporting performances from “Mission: Impossible” veterans and newcomers. Cruise can actually act, especially when he convincingly plays Ethan convincingly playing a Russian general and then engages a Kremlin guard in some absurdly clever misdirection. The frenetic action, gargantuan scale and furious scurryings to save the world take their toll - on the audience if not the protagonists, who have managed to barely to break a sweat. DVD extras: Behind-the-scenes production featurettes, deleted scenes. Also, on Blu-ray, “Mission Accepted: Heating Up in Dubai” and “Vancouver Fisticuffs” featurettes, and alternate opening. A three-disc Blu-ray version adds more featurettes, including footage on location in Prague and Dubai, “Shooting in IMAX” and a profile of the composer.
“Born to Be Wild 3D” – The 40-minute film tells the parallel stories of primatologist Birute Galdikas, who rescues orphaned orangutans in Borneo, and Daphne Sheldrick, savior of Kenya’s motherless elephant calves. While there’s an important story here - how these women take in endangered animals with the intention of later releasing them back into the wild - the main attraction is the general adorableness. The primates wrap their spindly arms around their caretakers for a loose hug; a playful elephant pokes its trunk into its sleeping keeper’s belly as a wake-up call; the pachyderms trot in single file down a dirt path the way kids in preschool might. While so many movies offer a seemingly pointless 3-D element, “Born to Be Wild” has some spectacular moments. Thanks to an economical run time and a touching story line, “Born to Be Wild” feels like a ready-made afternoon of family fun. Extras: None on DVD; Blu-ray has several short making-of featurettes; a 3D version also is available.
“Shame” – In director Steve McQueen’s mournful portrait of an addict hitting rock bottom, Michael Fassbender plays a man seeking self-annihilation through the compulsive pursuit of sex. Fassbender plays Brandon, a successful New Yorker who may be able to make it anywhere, but even when he’s with another person he’s alone. That changes with the sudden arrival of his little sister, Sissy, still wearing a hospital bracelet. Sissy upsets Brandon’s rituals, which, it becomes clear, emanate from a wound deep in their shared past. “Shame” leaves motivations and back stories up to the viewer’s imagination and focuses with unblinking frankness on the depths of Brandon’s most self-loathing behavior. Whether “Shame” is worth the gloomy descent into Manhattan’s scurviest recesses depends on the viewer’s tolerance for movies that offer no grand narrative or explicit meaning and instead simply provide a snapshot character study for audiences to ponder on their own. Contains explicit sexual content. DVD extras: making-of featurettes, including spotlights on Fassbender and McQueen,” and “Fox Movie Channel Presents: In Character With Michael Fassbender.”
“Buck Privates: Universal 100th Anniversary Collector’s Series” – Comedy legends Bud Abbott and Lou Costello cemented their place in film history with this hilarious wartime comedy classic. After spending years on stage in burlesque and on radio perfecting classic routines such as “Who’s on First?,” the duo transitioned to motion pictures at Universal in 1940. In their first leading roles, Abbott and Costello play con artists who accidentally enlist in the U.S. Army to avoid going to jail. Making matters worse, their no-nonsense drill sergeant turns out to be the cop who tried to arrest them. Featuring classic routines such as “Drill,” “Dice Game” and “You’re Forty, She’s Ten,” the film also starred the popular singing group The Andrews Sisters performing the Academy Award-nominated song “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.” DVD extra: “Abbott and Costello Meet Jerry Seinfeld.”
Also: “Frozen Planet” (BBC/Discovery), “Treme: The Complete Second Season,” “Bill Moyers: Capitol Crimes,” “Suspicion,” “Bob’s Burgers Season One,” “Crew 2 Crew,” “Alambrista!” (1977, Criterion Collection), “American Translation,” “The Divide,” “Secret War,” “The Presidents,” “Robotropolis,” “Domain” (2009, France), “Eight Is Enough: The Complete First Season (1980-81),” “Ernie Kovacs: The ABC Specials,” “Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns: Season 5,” “American Dad Volume 7” and “Yo Gabba Gabba: Super Spies.”