The Place Beyond the Pines
When a fairground stunt driver (Ryan Gosling) discovers a son he never knew he had, he quits the road and does everything he can to support his new family (which includes Gosling's real-life flame, Eva Mendes). But an honest living is hard to come by_ Enter a police officer (Bradley Cooper) hailed as hero. Fifteen years on, the legacy of these two men will still be at odds. Three stories in one, with memorable performances and all sorts of twists and turns. Specials on the blu-ray include commentary with writer/director Derek Cianfrance (Blue Valentine), deleted scenes and a brief making-of extra.
On the Road
In this adaptation of Jack Kerouac's iconic Beat novel, director Walter Salles repeats the beauteous road movie feel of his Motorcycle Diaries, with Kerouac alter-ego Sal (Sam Riley) and the mighty Dean Moriarty (Garrett Hedlund) criss-crossing the states in search of freedom, love and artistic inspiration. Strong performances by Kirsten Dunst, in particular, and Kristen Stewart - as Dean's wives - prop up the boys' benzedrine-addled musings nicely. Standard disc includes deleted scenes and the film's trailer.
Welcome to the Punch
Agent Max Lewinsky (James McAvoy) gets a second chance to catch the criminal who got away when the notorious man's son is captured, bleeding, at London's Heathrow Airport. But when things go sideways, the former enemies find themselves on the same side of the law. Great cast including Mark Strong, Peter Mullan and Andrea Riseborough (whose co-starring role opposite tom Cruise in Oblivion also releases on DVD this week). Blu-ray features include an extensive making-of extra and seven interviews with cast members.
Oblivion
Oblivion stars Tom Cruise as Jack Harper, a drone maintenance man in a radiated Earth, circa 2077. He and his partner Victoria (Andrea Riseborough) are only two weeks away from the end of their thousand-plus-day assignment before they join what's left of Earth's population on a ship that is bound for their new colony on a Mars moon. But Jack is haunted by a dream - or is it a memory? - and things aren't quite as they seem. Tron Legacy director Joseph Kosinski creates some amazing set-pieces and takes his time telling the story, based on his graphic novel. Kosinski and Cruise provide commentary on the blu-ray, which also includes deleted scenes and five making-of featurettes.
G.I. Joe: Retaliation
The Joes are back in this Hasbro sequel, with several bad guys this time around, including an imposter president (Jonathan Pryce) who takes out most of the Joe crew early in the film. That puts an end to one of the film's highlights, the great banter between Channing Tatum and Dwayne Johnson. Bruce Willis shows up late in the game as the original Joe, and we wish he had showed up earlier. Some funny dialogue mired in a convoluted plot. You couldn't ask for better special features: director commentary, deleted and eight extras covering all aspects of the film.
Meet the Small Potatoes
Cuteness alert! Adorableness for the whole family comes spud-shaped with Small Potatoes, the latest hit Brit kids' show. Chip, Ruby, Nate and Olaf are Idaho spuds who become worldwide singing sensations, singing songs by Tony-winning composer Jerry Bock. The 10 animated shorts that accompany the film offer lessons for little ones (not being afraid of haircuts, science), but I dare you not to "aww" at Chip's Theme (We're All Potatoes).
