Home Video Releases // March 24

Last year’s big Christmas releases are now available on home video.

Into the Woods

[projekktor id=’18157′]

Rob Marshall’s adaptation of this Steven Sondheim musical was a hit with both audiences and critics, making close to $128-million at the domestic box office and earning 3 Academy Award and 3 Golden Globe nominations. There were some initial fears that Disney was going to tone down some of the darker elements of the plot to the point where it would ruin the film, but in the end the version on screen was similar enough to keep die hard fans happy and make it accessible for a younger audience. Audio commentary with Rob Marshall, featurettes such as “There’s Something ABout the Woods” (above) and “The Cast as Good as Gold”, and an on-screen lyrics feature are some of the included extras on the Blu-Ray disc.

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

[projekktor id=’16126′ poster=’https://www.www.chch.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/hobbitfivearmies-fi.jpg’]

Battle of the Five Armies is the final instalment in Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy, and while the films were entertaining in some regards, many Tolkein fans will probably be glad to see the series come to an end. Jackson took on an audacious task stretching the lone Hobbit book into three films, and it shows. When compared to his Academy Award winning Lord of the Rings trilogy, these chapters have bloated plots and are filled with uninspired CGI effects. He should have stuck to the practical costumes and makeup that made The Lord of the Rings so captivating. There’s no commentary on the home video release, just a series of featurettes, a music video, and trailers.

Unbroken

[projekktor id=’18158′]

Angelina Jolie’s adaptation of Laura Hillenbrand best-selling book got pushed aside by The Battle of the Five Armies and Into the Woods at the box office but still turned a tidy profit for Universal Pictures making almost $161.5-million worldwide on a reported $65-million budget. It was pretty cooly received by critics however, currently holding a 51% Rotten Tomatoes score. Jolie is now working on her third feature, By the Sea, on which she serves as writer/director/producer and stars alongside her husband Brad Pitt. A series of deleted scenes and featurettes accompany the home video release.