This week's new DVD and Blu-Ray releases include an Oscar nominated performance, another thriller based on a James Patterson novel, and a classic from the Walt Disney vaults celebrating 60 years. 

Inspired by the Alaska Airlines crash of flight 261 in 2000 where the pilot attempted to regain control of the plane by turning it upside down – sadly that flight had no survivors – Flight tells of Captain Whip Whitaker who gains control of a commercial airline plunging out of control.  Then, as a routine procedure, a toxicology report is issued on the captain and it’s not good.  The report reveals alcohol and cocaine in his blood, and the man once called a hero has a whole new drama on his hands.  Like the captain’s character, the film is flawed – it runs too long in the second half - but there’s no doubt that without the riveting performance from Denzel Washington there would have been no film at all.  His Oscar nomination was expected and deserved.  Available on DVD and Blu-Ray.

In Alex Cross, the new crime thriller adapted from the novels of James Patterson, Tyler Perry gets his chance to finally be seen out of his Madea costume. He takes over where Morgan Freeman left off in Along Comes A Spider and Kiss The Girls, and the end result is mixed at best.   The action sequences are perfectly fine;  they’re well designed and effectively executed, plus having the climactic chase and shoot out take place in an old music hall theatre converted into a parking lot is an unusual and visually striking location, but the overall plot and detective work seems no more involving than a regular episode of a TV show, despite its adaptation from a successful James Patterson novel.  Available on DVD and Blu-Ray.

Walt Disney’s Peter Pan was first released in 1953 and was the fourteenth animated feature
produced by the Disney studios.  Over the years, the film has been released many times for the home market and in various different formats but none come close to the magnificence of this Blu-Ray edition with its crystal clear image that virtually leaps off the screen.  The racial stereotyping of Native Americans could potentially be a problem for some, and, in fact, a spokesman has said that the studio would have presented Peter Pan’s Indians in a more politically correct manner if they were making the film today.  However, the film remains a classic and this Blu-Ray Diamond Edition celebrating the film’s 60th Anniversary should be on the shelves of every movie buff and film collector.

Look for more new releases next week.