FENCES. (DVD Artwork). ©Paramount.
By ANGELA DAWSON
Front Row Features
Academy Award winner Denzel Washington directs and stars in the powerful and moving drama “Fences,” arriving on Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand Tuesday March 14, from Paramount Home Media Distribution. The emotional drama also is available on Digital HD.
Hailed by critics and audiences alike, the drama was nominated for four Academy Awards this year, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Denzel Washington), Best Supporting Actress (Viola Davis) and Best Adapted Screenplay (August Wilson). Davis won the Oscar for her performance. In addition, Washington and Davis both won SAG Awards for their performances and Davis’ transcendent performance earned her the 2017 Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Adapted by legendary writer August Wilson from his own renowned play, “Fences” follows former Negro-league baseball player Troy Maxson (Washington) in 1950s Pittsburgh as he fights to provide for those he loves in a world that threatens to push him down. The Blu-ray Combo Pack includes more than 30 minutes of bonus content. With interviews from the cast and crew, including actor/director Washington and Davis, discover how Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play was adapted from stage to screen. Plus, visit the movie’s Pittsburgh set, learn how Davis prepared for her award-winning performance, and much more. The “Fences” Blu-ray Combo Pack includes a bonus digital copy of the 2004 version of “The Manchurian Candidate,” which starred Washington, and is available only for a limited time.
The groundbreaking anime film “Ghost in the Shell” will be available Tuesday March 14 on Blu-ray and Digital HD with limited edition Mondo key art in a special Steelbook edition. The Anchor Bay Entertainment release celebrated the 25th anniversary of the original Manga in 2014. Directed by legendary anime director Mamoru Oshii, “Ghost in the Shell” questions human existence in the fast-paced world of the information age, this award-winning, cyber-tech thriller has established itself as one of the leading Japanese animation films of all time.
The film centers on a female cybernetic government agent, Major Motoko Kusanagi. The Internal Bureau of Investigations are hot on the trail of “The Puppet Master,” a mysterious and threatening computer virus capable of infiltrating human hosts. Together, with her fellow agents from Section 9, they embark on a high-tech race against time to capture the omnipresent entity. Ghost in the Shell took the world by storm in the mid-90’s, exhibiting a new dimension of anime with unprecedented, mesmerizing cinematic expression. Seamlessly merging traditional animation with the latest computer graphic imagery, this stunning sci-fi spectacle challenged the boundaries of mainstream animation with detailed artistic expression and a uniquely intelligent story line. Veteran director Mamoru Oshii skillfully creates the ultimate anime experience in this futuristic masterpiece based on the groundbreaking comic book by Masamune Shirow. “Ghost in the Shell” will be available for the suggested retail price of $34.99
