Action, intrigue, love, and relationships are the subjects of new dramatic DVD releases coming out in March.
From Synecdoche New York to Escape From New York, this month’s releases offer a wide variety of styles, subjects, and stars. Kurt Russell, Sean Penn, Anne Hathaway, Jason Statham, Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Harrison Ford, Alec Baldwin, Daniel Craig, and Halle Berry headline these top dramatic releases.
Dramatic DVD Releases Available March 3
Escape From New York (Blu-ray)
This 1981 cult classic action film stars Kurt Russell as Snake, a reluctant hero in post-apocalyptic New York.
Director: John Carpenter
Discs: 1
Movie Run Time: 99 minutes
Rating: R
Additional Information: The eclectic cast includes Lee Van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine, Donald Pleasence, Isaac Hayes, Harry Dean Stanton, and Adrienne Barbeau.
Dramatic DVD Releases Available March 10
Milk
Sean Penn and James Franco (as his boyfriend) star in the true story of an openly gay city supervisor in San Francisco. Also on Blu-ray.
Director: Gus Van Sant
Discs: 1
Movie Run Time: 129 minutes
Rating: R
Additional Information: Music composer and Oingo Boingo frontman Danny Elfman wrote the original score for Milk.
Rachel Getting Married
Anne Hathaway stars as a troubled young woman returning home for her sister’s wedding in this home-video-type drama. Also on Blu-ray.
Director: Jonathan Demme
Discs: 1
Movie Run Time: 113 minutes
Rating: R
Additional Information: Rachel Getting Married also stars Rosemarie DeWitt, Mather Zickel, Tunde Adebimpe, and Debra Winger.
Transporter 3 (Blu-ray, Single Disc Edition, Two-Disc Fully Loaded Edition)
Jason Statham stars as in this action film about a man who transports a strange woman to a designated location.
Director: Oliver Megaton
Discs: 2
Movie Run Time: 100 minutes
Rating: PG-13
Additional Information: Statham slimmed down and pumped up for this role, which required lots of bare-chested scenes.
Brokeback Mountain (Blu-ray)
Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal play two gay cowboys who struggle with their love for each other.
Director: Ang Lee
Discs: 1
Movie Run Time: 135 minutes
Rating: R
Additional Information: The film won Academy Awards for Best Achievement in Directing, Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score), and Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay.
Synecdoche New York
Philip Seymour Hoffman and Catherine Keener star in a mind-bending story about art that imitates art that imitates life in New York City. Also on Blu-ray.
Director: Charlie Kaufman
Discs: 1
Movie Run Time: 124 minutes
Rating: R
Additional Information: The cast includes Tom Noonan, Michelle Williams, Samantha Morton, Hope Davis, and Jennifer Jason Leigh.
Dramatic DVD Releases Available March 17
Clear and Present Danger/The Hunt for Red October (Blu-ray)
In these two CIA thrillers based on the Jack Ryan novels by Tom Clancy, Alec Baldwin plays CIA analyst Ryan in The Hunt for Red October (1990) and Harrison Ford takes over the role of Ryan in Clear and Present Danger (1994).
Director of Clear and Present Danger: Phillip Noyce
Director of The Hunt for Red October: John McTiernan
Discs: 2
Movie Run Time: 276 minutes
Rating: Not Rated
Additional Information: Another film in the series, Patriot Games, is not included in this DVD package.
Dramatic DVD Releases Available March 24
Quantum of Solace (Widescreen, Two-Disc Special Edition, Blu-ray)
Daniel Craig stars as James Bond in the story of what happens directly after Casino Royale.
Director: Marc Forster
Discs: 1 (2 in Special Edition)
Movie Run Time: 106 minutes
Rating: PG-13
Additional Information: The film also stars Jesper Christensen, Judi Dench, and Lucrezia Lante della Rovere.
The copyright of the article New Dramatic DVD Releases for March 2009 in Film Dramas is owned by Leslie C. Halpern. Permission to republish New Dramatic DVD Releases for March 2009 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.