Blu-ray Buzz – Inspiring Rugby, Walkabouts & Real Sex

One of the very best films of last year has arrived on Bu-ray and DVD this week. We'll also take a look at two solid films that are coming to Blu-ray. There are also Buzzed About films that have me very excited to check out.

Pick of the Week
Invictus
Clint Eastwood's INVICTUS chronicles Nelson Mandela's attempt to reunite South Africa after apartheid. Mandela used the national rugby team as a common bond between blacks and whites. Morgan Freeman as Mandela and Matt Damon as rugby captain Francois Pienaar were both nominated for the Academy Award. If any inspirational sports film should have been nominated for Best Picture, this should have been the one. Sorry BLIND SIDE. Mandela's story is remarkable and in taking this one part of his life the film captures the great man's spirit as a whole.

Buy "Invictus" on DVD Here!

Read my Blu-ray of INVICTUS here!

Buy "Invictus" on Blu-ray Here!

Queue Qualified
Carlito's Way
Brian DePalma's crime tale is the opposite of his SCARFACE. Al Pacino plays ex-con who truly wants to go straight, because he knows he will end up back in jail or dead if he doesn't. Sean Penn is remarkable as his shifty lawyer David Kleinfeld. This is the film that THE GODFATHER III wanted to be.

Buy "Carlito's Way" on Blu-ray Here!

Walkabout
Nicolas Roeg's 1971 classic is a haunting critique of the clash between modern society and the native world. A father leaves his two children to die in the Australian outback after he commits suicide. An aborigine boy on his coming-of-age walkabout runs across them and is the only reason they survive. On a larger scale, the film is about communication and how various factors beyond language affect our ability to express ourselves to others. This is a sad film that will resonate with you long after you have seen it.

Buy "Walkabout" on Blu-ray Here!

Buzzed About
9 Songs
Director Michael Winterbottom (A MIGHTY HEART) made waves at film festivals across the world with this story of an American college student and her passionate affair with a British glaciologist. It was controversial because it contained real sexual acts. While Winterbottom isn't the first filmmaker to attempt legitimate "porn," this is one of the first to find wider distribution. As is always the case with films that push boundaries, the critical reaction was love it or hate it.

Buy "9 Songs" on Blu-ray Here!

The Messenger
Nominated for two Academy Awards — Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor — this was a film I really wish I caught during its theatrical release last year. In addition to his Oscar nod, Woody Harrelson won several critics awards for his performance as a military captain assigned to deliver the news of a soldier's death to their loved ones. Along with him is a young staff sergeant played by the always-wonderful Ben Foster. Harrelson's character warns his partner not to get close to the families, but the young man can't help but be drawn to the wife of a fallen soldier played by Samantha Morton. The critically acclaimed drama is one of the top films on my must see list.