‘Juno’
This tale, nominated for four Academy Awards, centers around a social misfit pregnant teenager (Ellen Page) who wants to give her baby up for adoption. Diablo Cody’s Oscar-winning script is made even better in the hand’s of director Jason Reitman (“Thank You For Smoking”) who adroitly keeps the picture from falling either into low-level sarcasm or becoming awash in sentimentality. The project is helped by a deep cast: Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Allison Janney, Michael Cera, and JK Simmons. (Fox) ‘There Will Be Blood’ 2-Disc Collector’s Edition Daniel Day-Lewis is an Oscar-winning tour-de-force as Daniel Plainview who transforms himself from a down-and-out silver miner raising a son on his own into a self-made oil tycoon incendiary on the frontier of California’s turn-of-the-century petroleum boom. Inspired by Upton Sinclair’s 1927 novel, “Oil!” the picture also won for Robert Elswit’s cinematography. Extras include: a “fishing” sequence, trailers, and a silent film chronicling the oil business of the 1920s. (Paramount) ‘A Passage to India’ Collector’s Edition Based on EM Forster’s classic novel, this Golden Globe Best Picture adventure drama explores the hidden racism in both locals and tourists alike. The film, which also won two Academy Awards, was directed by David Lean with the same epic feel of his finest films: “Lawrence of Arabia” and “The Bridge on the River Kwai.” Many extras include profiles of director Lean; location shooting in India; interviews with cast and crew as well as the casting director. (Sony) ‘Black Widow’
A fine bit of film noir starring Ginger Rogers, Van Heflin, Gene Tierney, and George Raft. Part of that style from the ‘40s and ‘50s known for dark themes, stark camera work and contrasting lighting, this is the tale of an aspiring writer hoping to make it big in New York at the expense of everyone else. An assumed suicide, more likely a murder, plays a key role in the social climbing world of a femme fatale. (Fox) ‘12 Angry Men’ Collector’s Edition This absorbing and intense courtroom drama stars Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, Ed Begley, and Jack Klugman as part of a group of jurors. Eleven of the 12 jurors are convinced that the defendant is guilty of murder. The 12th has no doubt of his innocence. Extras: Inside the Jury Room, and Beyond a Reasonable Doubt: The Making of “12 Angry Men.” (MGM) ‘Discovery Atlas’
This absorbing and intense courtroom drama stars Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, Ed Begley, and Jack Klugman as part of a group of jurors. Eleven of the 12 jurors are convinced that the defendant is guilty of murder. The 12th has no doubt of his innocence. Extras: Inside the Jury Room, and Beyond a Reasonable Doubt: The Making of “12 Angry Men.” (MGM) ‘Saturday Night Live: Lost and Found in the ‘80s’
Documentary filmmaker Kenneth Bowser juxtaposes ‘80s musical acts from the show (Tom Petty, Harry Connick, Elvis Costello …) to illustrate the mood of the times along with interviews and stories from SNL alumni Billy Crystal, Martin Short, Julia- Louis-Dreyfus, and Dana Carvey among many others. It is a look back at a turbulent time for the groundbreaking show with numerous key cast and writer departures and how Lorne Michaels return as executive producer revitalized the groundbreak-ing series. (Universal)
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 11, 2008. Read the original PDF.