INTO THE WOOD (Blu-ray cover art). ©Disney Enterprises.
By ANGELA DAWSON
Front Row Features
The Academy Award nominated “Into the Woods” arrives in a Blu-ray Combo Pack Tuesday, March 24. From the director of “Chicago” and the producer of “Wicked,” this musical offers up a modern twist on the beloved fairy tales you thought you knew. Academy Award-winning actress Meryl Streep (“The Iron Lady”) leads an all-star cast in this enchanted adventure, based on Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s much-lauded Broadway musical.
Iconic characters, such as Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk and Rapunzel, find their fates intertwined with a humble baker and his wife, whose longing to have a child sends them on a quest to reverse a witch’s (Streep) curse.
With an all-star cast, this spellbinding adventure offers a spectacular delight. The Blu-ray Combo includes the Blu-ray, DVD and digital HD versions of the film.
Viewers can also watch on Disney’s Movies Anywhere platform. One of the extras in the Combo Pack is the exclusive, never-before-seen original song “She’ll Be Back,” performed by Streep.
In addition to Streep, the cast includes Johnny Depp as the Wolf (“The Lone Ranger,” “The Pirates of the Caribbean” films), Emily Blunt as the Baker’s Wife (“The Devil Wears Prada”), James Corden as the Baker (Broadway’s “One Man, Two Guvnors”), Anna Kendrick as Cinderella (“Pitch Perfect,” “Up in the Air”), Chris Pine as Cinderella’s Prince (“Star Trek Into Darkness”), Lilla Crawford as Little Red Riding Hood (Broadway’s “Annie”), Daniel Huttlestone as Jack (“Les Misérables”), MacKenzie Mauzy as Rapunzel (“Brother’s Keeper”).
Among the many extras in the Combo Pack include interviews with the cast, who discuss making the movie musical and about their affinity for this Broadway classic, and director Rob Marshall and producer John DeLuca do a commentary.
For those looking for something a bit more sinister (and less musical), Adam Green, Ray Wise, Will Barratt and Alex Pardee star in “Digging Up The Marrow.” The sci-fi thriller also is available Tuesday on Blu-ray and DVD. It delves into the question of whether ghastly images and abominations haunting our collective nightmares actually exist.
Writer/director Adam Green (“Hatchet”) sets out to make a documentary exploring this tantalizing premise after being contacted by a mysterious man named William Dekker (Wise). Dekker claims he can prove that “monsters are real” and insists these grotesque creatures are forgotten, hideously deformed humanoids inhabiting a vast, underground metropolis of the damned. Determined to expose the truth, Green embarks on a bone-chilling odyssey and gets more than he bargains for.
Now available on DVD is “Bank$tas,” starring Alan Thicke (“Growing Pains”), Laura Vandervoort (“Ted”) and Joe Dinicol (“Scott Pilgrim vs. The World”). Directed by Jeff Stephenson and co-written by Robert Budreau, Adam Bradley the R-rated comedy caper tells the story of best friends Neal and Isaac, who are on top of the world. They just graduated college and landed their dream job with a top investment bank, but when they discover their boss is planning a crooked student loan deal, their lives are thrown into turmoil. Determined to stop the corrupt plan, they concoct a crazy scheme of sex, drugs and espionage, resulting in a wildly chaotic adventure.
