This winter has seen a solid number of movies hit the box office that have resonated with moviegoers. Everything from franchise flicks like The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 to wild comedies like Sisters and thoughtful Oscar contenders like The Danish Girl have found audiences and soon even more individuals will be able to catch these flicks. That’s because March looks to be a great month for Digital, Blu-ray and DVD releases. There are some really big movies out this month. Be sure to check out what else is coming out this month, below.
Rumors have been running around for a while now that we might be getting the Digital copy of Star Wars: The Force Awakens in March, but Disney confirmed today that both the Digital and the Blu-ray and DVD copies will not be coming out until April 1 (Digital) and April 5 (Blu-ray and DVD), respectively.
In addition, if you are trying to figure out what came out in February, do check out that list:
February 2016 DVD, Blu-ray And Digital Releases
March 1
Creed Blu-ray
We’re living in a time when reboots and remakes are at an all-time high. Creed serves as a lot of things for the Rocky franchise. It’s a sequel, a spinoff and a reboot of sorts, focusing on Apollo Creed’s son, Adonis (Michael B Jordan), who is hiding his true identity while trying to enlist Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) to train. It’s also a love letter to Rocky in many ways, as director and writer Ryan Coogler (with some help from fellow writer Aaron Covington) has penned a tale about a young man who is fighting to rise in the ranks of a profession and suffering setbacks along the way, nodding at key moments from the original film throughout. Above all, it’s a damn fine sports movie and a crowd pleaser, to boot, and if you haven’t given the film a chance yet, the Blu-ray and Digital releases are both good options. We all know that Michael B. Jordan really bulked up for his role in the flick, and there’s a whole featurette devoted to what it took to get into Creed shape. There’s another about building on the Rocky legacy that’s worth a watch, as well. Order the Warner Bros. Home Entertainment title, here.
The Danish Girl Blu-ray
Tom Hooper is known for tackling period dramas with sparks of hope and moments of comedy and this year’s The Danish Girl is no exception. Featuring masterful performances from Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl is a story about identity but also about relationships changing. In The Danish Girl Eddie Redmayne plays artist Einar Wegener (Redmayne), who decides to pursue sex reassignment surgery after his wife Gerda needs him to fill in as a female model during a painting session. As Einer transforms into Lili, this obviously puts a strain on her marriage, and also makes her a target in the conservative 1920s. While not historically accurate, the film hits a lot of intriguing notes and tells a story that took years to make it to the big screen. Universal Studios Home Entertainment comes with a Blu-ray and Digital copy of the flick, and while the barebones set only comes with one "Making of" featurette, it’s available for pretty cheap over at Amazon
The Night Before Blu-ray
Anthony Mackie, Seth Rogen and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are all pretty funny dudes. Sign them up for a holiday movie from the guy who made 50/50 and Warm Bodies and Sony had the recipe for success. While I don’t know if I’ll re-watch The Night Before quite as many times as I’ve seen A Christmas Story or Bad Santa, this refreshing take on a night out on the town has a lot going for it, including Miley Cyrus. The premise is pretty simple. Isaac (Seth Rogen) is about to become a dad, Ethan (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is still trying to get his life together while in his thirties, and Chris (Anthony Mackie) is dealing with the pressures of NFL fame. They all go out for one final crazy Christmas Eve bar hopping extravaganza, with the elusive Nutcracker Ball as the prime target. Shenanigans ensue. There are a surprising number of bonus features with the set, including most of the staples that come with comedies, like deleted scenes, a gag reel, and yes a line-o-rama. There’s also a fun "Making of" featurette. It doesn’t state it on the outside of the box, but Sony Pictures Home Entertainment does include a Digital copy with purchase. Order it here.
Other March 1 Blu-ray And DVD Releases
Room
Childhood’s End
Strike Back: Final Season (Season 4)
The Americans: The Complete Third Season
All Roads Lead To Rome
Miss You Already
Legend
Don Verdean
Kill or Be Killed DVD
The Fall: Series 2
Z Nation: Season 2
Ratter
Week of March 1 Digital Releases
Sisters
Carol (March 4)
March 8
In the Heart of the Sea Blu-ray
There’s a lot of scope to Ron Howard’s In The Heart of the Sea, an adventure narrative inspired by the real-life tale that inspired Moby Dick in its own right. The story picks up in 1850, and flashes back to a narrative set in 1820, when a young cabin boy named Nickerson (Tom Holland) signed on for a whaling expedition that would be one for the ages on a boat called the Essex run by Captain Pollard (Benjamin Walker), First Mate Chase (Chris Hemsworth) and Second Mate Joy (Cillian Murphy). As a story about a whale wreaking havoc, the visuals are striking and the story is sound, but it’s less spirited than the average seafaring adventure. If you aren’t in the mood for an old-timey, overly long and often tragic story, this probably shouldn’t be your first pick. Be sure to watch it when you’re in the mood for two hours of a whale just kicking humanity’s butt. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment’s set is chock full of extras looking at the way the film was made. If you’re a Ron Howard fan, there’s a look at his process in a "Captain’s Journal" featurette (which is actually really cool but is basically product placement for Twitter). Deleted scenes and a "Lightning Strikes Twice" documentary about a lost sunken whaling ship are both gems on the disc. A DVD and Digital copy are also included with the Blu-ray release. Order your own copy of In The Heart Of The Sea, here.
The Peanuts Movie Limited Edition Gift Set Blu-ray
Blue Sky Studios’ The Peanuts Movie was highly anticipated before its release, and the crowd pleaser does not disappoint, especially now that it has been cutely packaged in a limited edition gift set that includes a Snoopy toy. Do you need a Snoopy toy? Probably not. Is it adorable? Yes, yes it is. The Peanuts Movie was directed by Steve Martino and has an a. subplot featuring Charlie Brown (Noah Shnapp) trying to entice the Little Red-Haired Girl (Francesca Angelucci Capaldi) to like him and failing at every turn. (Yes, there’s a good lesson to be learned). The B-plot obviously features Snoopy (Bill Melendez) and Lucy (Hadley Belle Miller), to an extent. Even with the sidestory, the narrative works, making for a charming and familiar movie. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment put together the gift set, which also comes standard with an Ultraviolet copy and a DVD. Extras are not super exciting, but there is one memorable feature that some kids will love. "Learn To Draw Snoop, Woodstock and Charlie Brown," is a pretty cute extra and it proves that even positively dreadful drawers can bring the beloved characters to life. Order the Limited Edition Gift set while supplies last, here.
Other March 8 Blu-ray And DVD Releases
The Peanuts Movie
Macbeth
Grease Live!
Community: The Complete Sixth SeasonDVD
Manhattan: The Complete Second Season
Victor Frankenstein
Coming Home
The Spoils of Babylon DVD
NFL Super Bowl 50 Champions: Denver Broncos
Week of March 8 Early Digital Releases
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2
Daddy’s Home
March 15
The Big Short Blu-ray
The housing crisis and subsequent bank bailouts only happened a few short years ago. It happened so recently that nearly everyone should remember the events unfolding and many were personally affected by the housing crisis. Adam McKay’s new movie recreates that emotion in the The Big Short, an Oscar winner featuring an all-star cast playing characters who were prescient enough to see the housing crash before it happened, and ballsy enough to bet against the banks. And when I say all-stars, I mean all-stars. Brad Pitt plays a retired banker who helps two young investors (Finn Wittrock, John Magaro) get their start. Ryan Gosling plays cocky trader Jared Vennett. Steve Carell plays the principled hedge fund manager Mark Baum and Christian Bale plays another hedge fund manager who probably has Asperger’s. His name is Michael Burry, and he has the same identity as the real-life hedge fund manager he is portraying.
The movie is quick and modern, despite being set about decade ago, and features plenty of comedy among its more downer moments, of which there are plenty. It takes finesse to break the fourth wall as much as McKay does, but having Margot Robbie telling people to fuck off in a bathtub helps. The movie is coming into homes thanks to Paramount Home Media Distribution and doesn’t disappoint. The set does come with a DVD and Digital copy and a slew of extras that are also shot in 1080p, including the cleverly named "In the Tranches." (My favorites were the deleted scenes, though.) Order your own copy here.
Sisters Blu-ray
Tina Fey and Amy Poehler rarely disappoint, and even when they produce a movie that doesn’t overall satisfy, it always has some a+ moments. Luckily, Sisters is a film that generally works, following Kate (Fey), a trainwreck who still has temper tantrums on her parents’ lawn and Maura (Amy Poehler), a prim, responsible young woman who could stand to let her freak flag fly. When their parents (Dianne Weist, James Brolin) sell their home, the girls decide to throw one last party, and things get wild. This one’s a raunch comedy and r-rated to boot, and watching two forty-somethings relive their high school years is mostly hilarious. If your not in your forties yourself, the only minor complaint you may have is that some of the references are very decade specific and thus may go over your head. Other than that, Jason Moore’s film is a riot and as a bonus features Eastbound and Down’s Ike Barinholtz, who can never get enough work. There are a fuckton of extras with this set, include stuff you see a lot in comedy releases like extended scenes a gag reel and audio commentary. Then there’s a lot of weirdo extras on the Blu-ray, including one that looked at the visual effects of the pool scene—superfluous right?—and a few more, including outtakes from Bobby Moynihan’s wacky character. Writer Paula Pell even pops up in one of the extras, if you’re into that. Really, you’re not really buying this movie for the extras, so just appreciate that Sisters comes in an unrated edition with a DVD and Digital copy and grab a copy of Twentieth Century Fox’s set, here.
Game of Thrones: The Complete Fifth Season Blu-ray
Between regular HBO, its sister product HBO Go and HBO Now, there are plenty of options for retaining episodes of Game of Thrones. HBO Home Entertainment seems to know the competition is stiff, and has given fans other reasons to buy hard copies, including putting out recent editions of earlier Game of Thrones seasons with sturdy, gorgeous steelbook packaging. The Complete Fifth Season isn’t quite so sturdy, but it is gold-toned and regal, it comes with an additional Digital copy so you can watch it where you want to and is filled with hidden gems (like a little pocket featuring an episode guide).
Obviously, we can’t get into the specifics about the season without getting into Jon Snow spoilers, talk of a slew of deaths and an interesting path for Arya, and I wouldn’t even try to sum up the details and complexities of the show’s main characters in just one paragraph. Luckily, if you are reading this, you are likely already a fan, and Game of Thrones: The Complete Fifth Season will give you some insider information via 12 audio commentaries and one detailed extra about how "The War of The Roses" inspired Game of Thrones. The special "Dance of Dragons" featurette also pops up on Disc 4 and there are even deleted scenes and more to plow through. Order your own copy before the Season 6 premiere.
Brooklyn Blu-ray
John Crowley’s Brooklyn is about a lot of things. It’s about the immigration of a young woman named Eilis (Saiorse Ronan) first and foremost, but also about the complexities of being alone in a new place and finding exactly where you fit in. It’s about returning home to find you have changed while the place you came from hasn’t all that much. It’s a good story and an emotional one, anchored by Ronan’s remarkable performance as Eilis, but also populated by colorful figures, such as boarding house matron Mrs. Keogh (Finola Dwyer), curt department store supervisor Miss Fortini (Jessica Pare) and earnest beau Tony Fiorello (Emory Cohen). This is one that’s even better on the second watch, so be sure to nab a copy of Fox Home Entertainment’s set, which also comes with audio commentary and a few promos. Order your own copy here.
March 15 Blu-ray And DVD Releases
Steve Jobs: The Man In The Machine
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip
Carol
Week of March 15 Early Digital Releases
The Hateful Eight
The Program (March 18)
March 22
Daddy’s Home Blu-ray
One of this winter’s most surprising hits, Daddy’s Home starts out as a small competition between stepdad Brad (Will Ferrell) and a mostly absent dad Dusty (Mark Wahlberg), as they play for the affections of two kids (Scarlett Estevez and Owen Wilder). Linda Cardellini is underutilized in Sean Anders’ movie, but otherwise I have few complaints. The movie is amusing, and occasionally unexpected. See: what happens the first time Brad tries to ride a motorcycle. While it’s not reinventing the comedy genre, it’s the perfect movie to watch from the comfort of home. The daddy dance-off near the end of the movie is explored in more detail in the extras on the set, as are some of the stunts. (Pro skaters were used for the halfpipe bit, etc.) Paramount Home Media Distribution’s Blu-ray set also comes with a DVD and Digital copy. Order your own copy here.
Other March 22 Blu-ray And DVD Releases
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2
Daddy’s Home
Turn Washington’s Spies: The Complete Second Season
Week of March 22 Early Digital Releases
The Revenant
March 29
The Hateful Eight Blu-ray
There’s always something exciting about visiting a Quentin Tarantino movie, no matter how lengthy or how tight the script is. In The Hateful Eight, the script meanders somewhat, but if you’re willing to roll with it, you’ll find a movie stuffed with wild characters like Major Marquis Warren (Samuel, a bounty hunter who was formerly a black officer during the Civil War, or Chris Mannix (Walton Goggins), who may or may not be the new sheriff of Red Rock. When a blizzard forces Warren, Mannix, bounty hunter John Ruth (Kurt Russell) and prisoner Daisy (Jennifer Jason Leigh) to stop at an establishment called Minnie’s Haberdashery, things seem a little off. Nonetheless, they’re stuck for the night and maybe longer in this quirky, tension-filled western.
While Anchor Bay Home Entertainment’s set comes with the standard DVD and Digital copy alongside the Blu-ray, extras aren’t plentiful. However, the extras that are there do feature a ton of intriguing stuff. Assuming you’re a Tarantino fan already— if you are buying this Blu-ray, you should be—the set features two lengthy extras. One is a really in-depth look at the 70 mm cameras that were built and used on the set, which includes a lot of shoutouts to Panavision but is otherwise cool. There’s also a behind-the-scenes featurette. See for yourself when you get your own copy, here.
Point Break Blu-ray
If there’s one phrase that can describe the remake of Point Break, it’s high-octane, for better or for worse. Ericson Core’s new movie basically takes the original premise of the original, following a dude named Johnny Utah (Lake Bracey) who gets involved with some criminals (Edgar Ramirez, Matias Varela, etc) while working undercover for the FBI. Of course, there’s a girl involved with the group of criminals named Samsara (Teresa Palmer). They all circle the globe to do cool stunts commit crimes in locales as various as the Alps and Paris. I’m sure shooting this movie was a blast; watching it is less so. Warner Bros Home Entertainment’s set does focus on some of the more fun parts of the film: the wild stuntwork. There are four featurettes that are described as "heart-pounding" on the back of the box. Other extras include deleted scenes and trailers, which aren’t really extras, but whatever. Own Point Break by heading here.
Concussion Blu-ray
Concussion is a well-paced, well-constructed and well-acted film about the rise of awareness related to head trauma in the NFL and how it can affect players years down the line. It’s certainly a timely film and a good one, marked by a solid performance from Will Smith, who plays real-life coroner Bennet Omalu in the film. Alec Baldwin and Gugu Mbatha-Raw also have strong turns as as an interested doctor and Omalu’s wife, respectively. The Blu-ray copy from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is certainly worth a watch and the nine deleted scenes and audio commentary that come with the film are also notable. Concussion is also the first brand new Blu-ray Sony opted to release in 4K, so if you have the compatability in your home viewing space, that may be the option preferred. If you are like the rest of us plebians, you can order the Blu-ray, here.
Other March 29 Blu-ray And DVD Releases
Forsaken DVD
Archer: The Complete Season 6
