New DVD releases: ‘Thor: The Dark World,’ ‘Gravity’ and ‘Nebraska’

I must confess: I’ve been itching to see Thor: The Dark World since it was released in theaters back in November. Things were too busy and simply too hectic for us to make the time back then, but I have zero excuses now, because Thor 2 is out on DVD and Blu-ray this week! I’ve mentioned before that Thor is actually my favorite of the recent Marvel offerings. I expect I’ll love this sequel equally. How could I not? Because, Chris Hemsworth, y’all.

But honestly, in any other week, Thor: The Dark World would be the biggest release. Not this week, because at long last, Alfonso Cuaron’s brilliant Gravity is out! Now to be fair, I did spend a lot of time last year urging all of you to spend the extra cash and see this one in the theater, in all its 3-D, IMAX glory if at all possible. It was more than just a movie – seeing Gravity in the theater that way was a full-out experience, and one I won’t soon forget.

Still, I know things come up, and I also know all too well that many of you might not live within a reasonable driving distance from an IMAX theater. So if you missed Gravity, please get the DVD and see it now. You won’t be sorry, and you’ll definitely see why Gravity is such a heavyweight Oscar contender. As far as the Gravity DVD extras, they include special featurettes, a short film and, in the case of the Blu-ray release, shot breakdowns (which I’m dying to see). I don’t buy many Blu-ray films, but you can bet I’m buying this one.

So yeah, we’ve got Gravity and Thor: The Dark World new on DVD this week, but guess what else? We have yet another awards contender in the mix: Alexander Payne’s drama Nebraska. I haven’t seen this yet (it never even opened near me), so I’m eager to see Bruce Dern’s performance as a Missouri man who, convinced he’s won a big sweepstakes, takes off to Nebraska to collect. This is another film I feel safe in saying is well worth our time to rent. It is nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Actor (Dern), Best Supporting Actress (June Squibb), Best Director (Payne), Best Cinematography and Best Original Screenplay. 

And one last note: For those of you who love music documentaries, I can highly recommend Muscle Shoals, a phenomenal film that highlights the remarkable story of the tiny Alabama city that produced some of the most iconic music ever recorded. See this for the archival footage and the interviews with famous musicians, if nothing else. Even if you’re already familiar with the impact Muscle Shoals had on music, it’s worth seeing.

Photo courtesy of EW.com