YEAR IN REVIEW

The Best DVD Releases Of 2012

Weekend-starring-Tom-Cullen-and-Chris-New-08

There was no shortage of home entertainment gems in 2012—from profound queer indies like Weekend to mega-budget Hollywood fantasies like The Avengers. This was also the year at-home 3D technology was finally made affordable (and watchable).

As we ready to ring in 2013, here’s my list of DVD releases you should make sure are in your collection before next year ends.

Click through for Lawrence Ferber’s favorite DVDs of 2012

 

http://youtu.be/KfUxVyeXmhI

Weekend
($35.99 BluRay, $29.99 DVD, Criterion Collection)

British writer-director Andrew Haigh’s artful drama charts the unexpected and profound connection forged between a pair of shaggy gay lads over the course of 48 hours. Sequel, please!

 

http://youtu.be/eOrNdBpGMv8

The Avengers
($49.99 3D Blu-Ray, $39.99 Blu-Ray, $29.99 DVD; Walt Disney Video)

Marvel’s master plan to bring its A-team superheroes to the screen finally came together in this action packed 3-D hit from nerd deity Joss Whedon. It stands up to repeat viewings, especially the climactic alien-invasion finale.

 

http://youtu.be/NkuuHX1iebE

Leave It on the Floor
($24.95 DVD, Wolfe)

Set in the world of L.A. drag balls, this electrifying musical got a boost of star power from Beyonce composer Kim Burse and choreographer Frank Gatson Jr. Though not seen much beyond the festival circuit, it is required viewing on DVD.

 

http://youtu.be/hjYZ9KeSRgM

BearCity 2
($29.99 Blu-ray, $24.99 DVD; Sharp Left Productions)

The sequel to the 2010 bear rom-com brings more belly laughs, romance  and flying fur as the pack heads to Provincetown for a big gay wedding.

 

Gayby
($24.95 DVD, Wolfe)

The tale of a thirtysomething gay and his best female friend trying to make a baby together could have been cliche, but rising-star writer/director Jonathan Liseckis imbued it a modern sensibility, memorable characters and razor-sharp humor.

http://youtu.be/bfjtjpZTISo

Hugo
($54.99 3D Blu-ray, $44.99 Blu-ray, $29.99 DVD,; Paramount Studios)

Martin Scorsese’s love letter to French film pioneer George Melies set a new bar for 3D. Magical and moving.

http://youtu.be/DqQe3OrsMKI

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
($40.99 Blu-ray, $30.99 DVD, Sony Pictures)

Peter Fincher’s films always look great on DVD and Blu-Ray, and his take on Stieg Larsson’s international best-seller is no different. Daniel Craig burns up the screen as an investigative journalist digging into a murder, and Rooney Mara is Oscar-caliber as the mysterious, haunted and driven Lisbeth Salandar.

http://youtu.be/qwE4gqRBgpo

We Were Here
($29.99 DVD, New Video)

The Cockettes directors David Wiessman and Bill Weber take a must-see looks back at AIDS’ arrival and the epidemic’s profound impact on San Francisco’s LGBT community.

 

Drive
($30.99 Blu-Ray, $26.99 DVD, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)

An homage to 1980s Michael Mann films—complete with neon fuschia titles and Giorgio Moroder-inspired synthpop realness,—Drive may be short on actual car chases but is still a full-throttle hit.

 

http://youtu.be/gWnLjMHBOG0

Tiny Furniture
($39.95 Blu-ray, $29.95 DVD, The Criterion Collection)

Revisit Lena Dunham’s pre-Girls breakthrough, as she plays Aura, a flaky, self-entitled college graduate who moves back in with her artist mom and insufferable younger sister.

 

http://youtu.be/uE2rLhaMuRY

The Last Days of Disco
($39.95 Blu-ray, Criterion Collection)

Pair this Criterion release of Whit Stillman’s end-of-an-era comedy with his latest film, Damsels in Distress, for a hysterical night of underminers, whimsy and romance.

 

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