DVDs: If you missed ‘The Dark Knight’ in theaters, here's your second chance
It would be easy to assume that much of the astonishing box office numbers ($975 million and counting) and Oscar talk surrounding “The Dark Knight” is because of a morbid curiosity surrounding the tragic death of actor Heath Ledger. But if you’ve seen the movie, you know that’s not true.
“The Dark Knight” is an astounding movie — a dark, character-driven film with a sublime performance by Ledger as the maniacal joker, a character who makes our hero Batman (Christian Bale) doubt himself and take that journey into becoming the dark knight. Ledger’s performance is not only the best acting performances of the year, but truly one of the best you’ll ever see. (On Thursday, Ledger received a Golden Globe nomination in the best supporting actor category for his role in “The Dark Knight.”)
In fact the acting throughout the film is outstanding: Bale, Aaron Eckhart as Distract Attorney Harvey Dent, Gary Oldman as Jim Gordon, Michael Caine as Alfred and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox.
“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.) was released on DVD earlier this week as a single-disc DVD ($28.98), two-disc special edition ($34.99) and Blu-ray ($35.99). Although I’m always pushing multidisc sets for the bonus features, I won’t this time. There’s not much on the two-disc set, with a bit more on the Bluray. I’m assuming that’s for two reasons: 1) the general lack of interviews and bonus features may be out of respect for Ledger and his family; and 2) there is more on the Blu-ray in an effort to get people to buy into the format.
The two-disc DVD has two short featurettes of “Gotham Uncovered” (one on Hans Zimmer’s musical themes for the Joker, the other on changes in the Batman suit and the design of the nifty Bat-pod); six scenes presented as they were for IMAX theaters (which doesn’t make a lot of sense since you are watching them on your home television); galleries; “Gotham Tonight” (faux newscasts that would appeal to fans of actor Anthony Michael Hall, who plays newscaster Mike Engel); plus a digital copy of the movie.
In addition, the Blu-ray has two nearly hourlong documentaries that sound interesting (one on Batman’s gadgets, the other on the psychology of the movie), plus more features under the “Gotham Uncovered” label.
Though it sounds like a lot, it’s not — especially for a film of this magnitude. Though I’m being a bit negative on the bonus features, I’m definitely not on the movie. If you haven’t seen “The Dark Knight,” you should. If you’ve already seen it, see it again.
Special release dates
As we get closer to the holidays, studios are releasing
DVDs on days other than the usual Tuesday. Here are a few dates to keep in mind. “The Traitor,” a political thriller starring Don Cheadle, is released next Friday. On Sunday, Dec. 21, look for “The Women,” directed by Buffalo native Diane English, the Joel and Ethan Coen comedy “Burn After Reading,” “Hamlet 2” and the remake of “Death Race.” “Beethoven’s Big Break,” is released on Friday, Dec. 26. “The Duchess,” “Eagle Eye” and “Ghost Town” are released on Sunday, Dec. 28.
Holidays on TV
• “TV Sets: Holiday Treats” ($12.99, Paramount, available now) is a handy set of holiday episodes from such television shows as “The Honeymooners,” “I Love Lucy,” “Frasier” and “Wings.”
• Crime doesn’t stop for the holidays in the “Lovejoy: Christmas Specials” ($14.98, BBC, available now). Just ask crime-solving antiques dealer Lovejoy (Ian McShane), who is quite busy in the holiday specials “The Prague Son” and “The Lost Colony.” Guest stars include Ken Kercheval and Kate Vernon.
• “Private Life of a Masterpiece: Christmas Masterpieces” ($19.98, BBC, available now) is a different sort of holiday viewing — an in-depth look behind the creation of three of the world’s most iconic works of art: Jan van Eyck’s “The Annunciation,” Pieter Bruegel’s “The Census at Bethlehem” and Paul Gauguin’s “God’s Child.”
Available Tuesday
“Generation Kill” (HBO), “Lisa Rinna: Dance Body Beautiful” ( Warner), “Mamma Mia! The Movie” (Universal), “Mr. Bean: The Ultimate Collection” (A&E), “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor” (Universal) and “Wild Country” (Lionsgate). Blu-ray: “In the Name of the King” (Fox).•
Log into MyBuffalo to post a comment
MyBuffalo is the new social network from Buffalo.com. Your MyBuffalo account lets you comment on and rate stories at buffalonews.com. You can also head over to mybuffalo.com to share your blog posts, stories, photos, and videos with the community. Join now or learn more.
Reader comments