This week is loaded with new releases for either rental or purchase in DVD and Blu-Ray formats, including an Oscar winner and a classic from the Disney vaults.

Here’s a statement: There’s not a dull moment to be had.  Simply put, in Life of Pi director Ang Lee has made the epitome of movie magic using all current tricks available to him to create images so magnificent in their execution you’ll be asking yourself repeatedly, “How’d he do that?”   These are moments that will leave you spellbound, but nothing comes close to the one certain image that occurs when Pi glances over the side of the lifeboat to see the face of the tiger looking back up at him from the water’s surface.   It’s an image of astonishing humanity made manifest by computer generated imagery that will be hard to forget.  Life of Pi is magnificent.  Available in Blu-Ray.

After seeing the Sacha Gervasi drama called simply Hitchcock there’s little chance that you will leave the theatre knowing anything more about the infamous Hollywood film director from England than you did going in, but you will still have had a great time being in his company for a couple of hours, all the same.  The film is merely a lightweight, surface look at the man, the relationship with his wife, Alma, and his leading ladies, but who really cares?  With great performances from a well chosen cast and more genuinely funny moments than most recent comedies, Hitchcock is such a deliriously entertaining piece of work that to have made it into a full-on, warts-‘n-all dramatic biopic would have spoiled everything.  Available on Blu-Ray.

Despite the expected changes from the famous Victor Hugo novel, the 1996 Walt Disney animated adventure/musical version The Hunchback of Notre Dame remains a great film with outstanding visuals, an excellent, Broadway styled score from Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz and wonderful voice work from Tom Hulce, Demi Moore and Kevin Kline.  There’s no denying that the overall dark style is more suited to the tastes of adults more than children, but the film remains a masterpiece and should be seen.  The clarity of the Blu-Ray images make this a must for the collection, plus the character of Esmeralda is such a raven-haired beauty I feel safe in saying that had she been real and not animated she would be enjoying an outstanding career in Hollywood right now.  Available in Blu-Ray.

For even more new releases on DVD and Blu-Ray this week, CLICK HERE to go to the David Appleford Film & Theatre Review website.