- Citizen Cane tops many a best films list, but true fans of Orson Welles are likely to point to 1942's The Magnificent Ambersons, the story of an upstanding Midwestern family whose reputations and fortunes unravel when its patriarch (Tim Holt) refuses to change with the times. The studio seized control of the film from a then 26-year-old Welles, and chopped it from over two hours to a scant 88 minutes. Still, trademarks of the director's work are everywhere, anchored by some fine performances from Joseph Cotten, Anne Baxter and Agnes Moorehead. A must-see for film buffs.
- And for music and theatre lovers, The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall is a newly released 25th anniversary celebration of Andrew Lloyd Webber's masterwork. Featuring Ramin Karimloo, Sierra Boggess and Hadley Fraser, among a cast and orchestra of over 200, with all the lush grandeur of the original stage production. Ticket sales for Phantom outnumber movie ticket sales for Titanic, Avatar and Star Wars. Take that, James Cameron!
- Winner of a slew of SAG and Emmy awards, season one of TV's Boardwalk Empire is out on DVD. The story starts in 1920, on the very eve of Prohibition, as people panic to buy up as much booze as their cart, hands or baby carriage can transport. Meanwhile Enoch "Nucky" Thompson (Steve Buscemi) and the rest of the Atlantic City council plan how to split the profits. Drink and vice go hand in hand on the Boardwalk, where Nucky splits his time between ordering his henchmen (Michael Pitt, for one) to commit bad deeds, and considering salvation in the form of Irish widow Margaret (Kelly Macdonald), with a fanatical federal agent (Michael Shannon) close on his tail. Enhanced viewing mode on the Blu-ray disc and all sorts of extras, from character dossier to making-of episode extras, and commentary with cast and crew.
- Also debuting on Blu-ray is the superb Brit crime series George Gently, starring Martin Shaw as one of the few incorruptible cops in the 1960s Scotland Yard. After the murder of his wife, George plans on cracking one more case and then retiring quietly. But after working in the rural northeast and taking a bumbling new officer (Lee Ingleby) under his wing, George decides to stay. Superb performances, cinema-worthy scenery and absorbing storylines make this series top-notch.
- Kate Winslet just won the Screen Actors Guild award for her role in the HBO miniseries Mildred Pierce, a remake of the Joan Crawford classic. In it, Winslet plays Mildred, a woman whose middle class ease is erased when her marriage falls apart. Left to support her children during the Depression, Mildred keeps the faade going with several jobs, but encourages her daughter Veda's high-minded lifestyle. It all comes to head when Mildred and a teenaged Veda (played by Evan Rachel Wood) share affection for the same man (Guy Pearce). The Collector's Edition features a making-of extra, audio commentary with director Todd Haynes, and more.
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