Now Available to Own: Creed, The Danish Girl, Room, The Night Before, and More

Brace your bank accounts, it’s time to see what’s Now Available to Own for the week of March 1, 2016. Every Tuesday we run down new movie and television releases that you can enjoy in the comfort of your own home, as well as some slick deals that can help save you some coin. New on shelves this week are Creed, The Danish Girl, The Night Before, Youth, and more.

Movies on Blu-ray

Creed Blu-ray Box Cover ArtCreed (Ryan Coogler) Rated PG-13 [2h 13min] – The former World Heavyweight Champion Rocky Balboa serves as a trainer and mentor to Adonis Johnson, the son of his late friend and former rival Apollo Creed. Starring Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, and Phylicia Rashad

I love me a good Rocky marathon. So much so that I bought the Rocky Balboa collection so I wouldn’t have to sit through the commercials. I wasn’t sure what to make of Creed before my first viewing, but this movie is Rocky for the new generation. And while it’s still in the same vain of Rocky, it’s its own thing. I would say it’s better than some of the originals too. The emotional weight of Adonis’ (Jordan) struggle to find his place in the world along with one of the best performances from Stallone we’ve seen in a long while makes Creed the real deal. And the fight cinematography is awe-inspiring, especially Donnie’s second fight which was taken in a single shot. I have chills just thinking about this movie. The behind the scenes and special features are light, but they’re highly enjoyable. I wish there was a commentary track though.

Special features include:

  • Know the Past, Own the Future
  • Becoming Adonis
  • Deleted Scenes

The Danish Girl Blu-ray Box Cover ArtThe Danish Girl (Tom Hooper) Rated R [119 min] – A fictitious love story loosely inspired by the lives of Danish artists Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener. Lili and Gerda’s marriage and work evolve as they navigate Lili’s groundbreaking journey as a transgender pioneer. Starring Eddie Redmayne, Alicia Vikander, Amber Heard, Ben Whishaw, and Matthias Schoenaerts

Put Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne in a dress and you’ve got yourself a bona fide contender. But pair him with the tour de force, up and coming actress extraordinaire Alicia Vikander, who just won for her “supporting” role for this film – should have been lead actress, but whatever – and you’ve got yourself an emotionally driven actors movie. The tone and story is poignant and beautiful, but the film lacks a certain depth that makes The Danish Girl unsurprising in its direction. It’s a fairly linear story that unfolds wonderfully, but not memorable enough to the point that it will move you days after seeing it.

Special features include:

  • The Making of The Danish Girl

Room Blu-ray Box Cover Art

Room (Lenny Abrahamson) Rated R [1h 58min] – A kidnapped mother and son make a daring escape, and experience a dramatic homecoming provoking a look into the power of imagination and the unstoppable force of a mother’s love. Starring Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, Sean Bridgers, Joan Allen, and William H. Macy

I really despise children in most films but Jacob Tremblay is simply fantastic. Room is unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. The mother-son survivor dynamic is fascinating, terrifying, and absolutely heartbreaking. But it’s not all dower, there is a lot of hope through the perspective of Jacob’s character. Of course Brie Larson is simply fantastic and deserves her Oscar she won this past weekend. Coming from the director of Frank, one of my favorite movies of last year, there’s no surprise how well you are able to resonate with the characters thanks to his keen eye for human storytelling.

Special features include:

  • Audio Commentary with Director Lenny Abrahamson, Cinematographer Danny Cohen, Editor Nathan Nugent, and Production Designer Ethan Tobman
  • “Making Room” Featurette
  • “11×11” Featurette
  • “Recreating Room” Featurette

The Night Before Blu-Ray Box Cover ArtThe Night Before (Jonathan Levine) Rated R [101 min] – On Christmas eve, three lifelong friends spend the night in New York City looking for the Holy Grail of Christmas parties. Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Jillian Bell, Anthony Mackie, Lizzy Caplan, Michael Shannon, and Ilana Glazer

It’s about what you’d expect, and maybe a little less. I imagined more of an abundance of wild antics than what was presented, but what’s provided isn’t terrible. Thanks to Superbad, Neighbors, and the rest of the knee-slapping films Rogen has been in, The Night Before is pretty standard and kind of tonally unbalanced with how much angst Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s character emits. He comes off whiny and a bit unlikable. The cameos are fresh and fun. The Night Before won’t be an Christmas classic. I’d casually glance at it if it appeared on TV during the holidays.

Special features include:

  • Cast Gag Reel
  • Making One Epic Party: 20 Minutes of On-Set Shenanigans
  • Four Featurettes:
    • “The Spirit of Christmas
    • Drunkest Santas on The Block
    • Whale Juice: Extended Strip Club Scene
    • Midnight Mass with Nana
  • Deleted & Extended Scenes (Blu-ray exclusive)
  • Mr. Green Line-O Rama (Blu-ray exclusive)
  • Christmas in the Summer Featurette (Blu-ray exclusive)

Don Verdean Blu-ray Box Cover ArtDon Verdean (Jared Hess) Rated PG-13 [90 min] – A self-professed biblical archaeologist who has fallen on hard times starts to bend the truth in order to continue inspiring the faithful. Starring Sam Rockwell, Amy Ryan, and Jemaine Clement

With such a solid cast I hoped for more from Don Verdean. The movie is a bit one note, and the oafish comedy becomes very redundant. The characters are intolerable and highly unappealing. Whatever message or point Don Verdean is trying to make, it doesn’t hit its mark. Not even Sam Rockwell dancing could save this film.

Special features include:

  • “Digging In: Behind the Scenes of Don Verdean” Featurette
  • “Behind the Sounds” Featurette
  • Audio Commentary with Director Jared Hess

Miss You Already Blu-ray Box Cover ArtMiss You Already (Catherine Hardwicke) Rated PG-13 [112 min] – The friendship between two life-long girlfriends is put to the test when one starts a family and the other falls ill. Starring Drew Barrymore, Toni Collette, and Dominic Cooper

Cancer can be very difficult subject matter to approach from a storytelling perspective. But Miss You Already has the right balance of empowerment and friendship without being overly preachy and in your face about it. Collette and Barrymore ooze chemistry together while Dominic Cooper brings a welcoming charm. As you would expect, Miss You Already is an emotional roller coaster, which doesn’t pull any punches and is very honest with its characters.

Special features include:

  • Deleted Scenes with Optional Director Commentary
  • “With Love: Making Miss You Already” Featurette
  • “There’s a Place” Music Video by The All-American Rejects
  • On-Set Selfies
  • Filmmaker Commentary
  • A Director’s Lookbook of Milly’s Party

Sunshine Superman Blu-ray Box Cover ArtSunshine Superman (Marah Strauch) Rated PG [1h 40min] – A heart-racing documentary portrait of Carl Boenish, the father of the BASE jumping movement, whose early passion for skydiving led him to ever more spectacular -and dangerous- feats of foot-launched human flight. Starring Carl Boenisch, Selia Hansen, and Jean Boenish

I’m not a big, risk-taking action sports person, but my friends who skydive swear by Sunshine Superman – shout out to Donica and Marc! So I had to check it out of course. Aside from being inherently fascinating, the raw footage that is captured from their jumps back from the ’60s are breathtaking. All in all, the movie is your standard documentary with talking heads, but also a heart-pounding portrait into the life of one death defying individual.

Special features include:

  • Flying Dreams: The Making of Sunshine Superman
  • Masters of the Sky (A Short Filmpoem by Carl Boenish
  • Sky Dive! (A Short Filmpoem by Carl Boenish)
  • Theatrical Trailer

LEGO DC Super Heroes Cosmic Clash Blu-ray Box Cover ArtLego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League – Cosmic Clash (Rick Morales) Unrated [Time N/A] – The brilliant, hyper-obsessive-compulsive, super-computer Brainiac is combing the universe fornew additions to his collection of worlds when he stumbles upon a ripe planet for his taking –Earth. Starring Nolan North, Troy Baker, Grey Griffin, Josh Keaton, Khary Payton, and James Arnold Taylor

For the kids, these LEGO DC Comic Super Hero stories are the bees knees. It is the right amount of slapstick humor fused with the action and adventure you’d come to expect from pop culture’s most iconic heroes. It’s a step above the previous Attack of the Legion of Doom simply for its more realized story. But it could easily become a nightmare for parents who would have to sit through its eye rolling jokes after multiple viewings.

Special features include:

  • Featurette – “The Justice League: Caught On Camera” – They may be the greatest crime fighters, but Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Flash, Cyborg and Supergirl test Batman’s patience by flubbing their lines, missing their cues and basically stinking up the screen literally!

DVD Only

IntrudersIntruders (Adam Schindler) Rated R [1h 30min] – Anna suffers from agoraphobia so crippling that when a trio of criminals break into her house, she cannot bring herself to flee. But what the intruders don’t realize is that agoraphobia is not her only psychosis. Starring Rory Culkin, Leticia Jimenez, and Jack Kesy

Home invasion thrillers can be fantastic if they are able to build tension in the small confines of the space provided. And bonus points if they can uphold that tension within the full length of a feature film without feeling silly or repetitive. The premise is mostly original for this sect of horror, and it boasts some great suspense. Intruders also does good work in having fun with its characters to leave you guessing from time to time.

Special features include:

  • No special features included

Additional Releases this Week

  • Youth
  • Legend
  • Death Note: The Complete Series
  • Strike Back

Blu-Ray Deals and Steals

  • Ted 2 – $13.99
  • The Flash (Season 1) – $14.99
  • Brooklyn – $19.99
  • The Green Inferno – $13.99
  • Carol – $19.99
  • American Ultra – $8
  • Bronson – $7.99
  • Trainwreck – $13.49
  • John Wick – $8
  • Gravity – $8
  • Paranormal Activity – $6
  • Galaxy Quest – $5.99
  • Step Up 3D – $10.33
  • Barbarella – $6
  • The Matrix Trilogy – $9.96

All prices from Amazon.com. Best Buy, Frys, and Target all price match online prices.

What will you be taking home this week? Tell us in the comments section below!


new movie tv video game releases on dvd and-blu-ray

All plot synopses come courtesy of IMDb.com

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