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This week’s releases include: a cancer drama made lighter; a Woody Allen masterpiece; director Billy Wilder’s best picture winner; a man giving up everything for love; a spy with a difficult choice to make; a found-footage horror prequel; Rocky with robots; a woman haunted by her competition; a chance meeting leads to an unusual friendship; a murder mystery; a throwback adventure film; an eye-opening look at the Bosnian underworld; and a film that made Oscar history.

50/50 (DVD)
Diagnosed with a rare form of spinal cancer, 27-year-old Adam (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) navigates the road to recovery. With the help of his crude best friend (Seth Rogen), his smothering mother (Anjelica Huston), and an inexperienced young therapist (Anna Kendrick) at the cancer centre, Adam learns what and who the most important things in his life are.

The film is inspired by the true story of writer Will Reiser, and not coincidentally, his real-life friendship with actor Rogen. The very weighty subject is treated realistically with a mix of humour and heartache, which includes using Adam’s illness to pick up women and a very difficult decision regarding treatment. Adam’s relationships are both sources of comfort and vexation as best intentions do not always translate into the best actions. Gordon-Levitt is excellent as the character plays on his strength of performing serious comedy, while Rogen appears to have no trouble portraying himself on screen.

Special features include: commentary by director Jonathan Levine, writer Will Reiser and Rogen; deleted scenes; “The story of 50/50”; “Life inspires art”; and “Seek and destroy.” (Entertainment One)

Annie Hall (Blu-ray)
Alvy Singer (Woody Allen) is one of Manhattan’s most brilliant comedians, but when it comes to romance, his delivery needs a little work. Introduced by his best friend, Rob (Tony Roberts), Alvy falls in love with the ditzy but delightful nightclub singer Annie Hall (Diane Keaton). When Alvy’s own insecurities sabotage the affair, Annie is forced to leave Alvy for a new life – and lover (Paul Simon) – in Los Angeles. Knowing he may have lost Annie forever, Alvy’s willing to go to any lengths – even driving L.A.’s freeways – to recapture the only thing that ever mattered him.

Special features not available. (Fox Home Entertainment)

The Apartment (Blu-ray)
C.C. Baxter (Jack Lemmon) knows the way to success in business – it’s through the door of his apartment. By providing a perfect hideaway for philandering bosses, the ambitious young employee reaps a series of undeserved promotions. But when Bud lends the key to big boss J.D. Sheldrake (Fred MacMurray), he not only advances his career, but his own love life as well. Sheldrake’s mistress is the lovely Fran Kubelik (Shirley MacLaine), elevator girl and angel of Bud’s dreams. Convinced that he is the only man for Fran, Bud must make the most important executive decision of his career: lose the girl or his job.

Special features include: commentary by producer Bruce Block; and a tribute to Jack Lemmon. (Fox Home Entertainment)

Manhattan (Blu-ray)
Forty-two-year-old Manhattan native Isaac Davis (Woody Allen) has a job he hates; a seventeen-year-old girlfriend, Tracy (Mariel Hemingway), he doesn’t love; and a lesbian ex-wife, Jill (Meryl Streep), who’s writing a tell-all book about their marriage – and whom he’d like to strangle. But when he meets his best friend’s sexy intellectual mistress, Mary (Diane Keaton), Isaac falls head over heels in lust. Leaving Tracy, bedding Mary and quitting his job are just the beginnings of Isaac’s quest for romance and fulfillment in a city where sex is as intimate as a handshake and the gateway to true love is a revolving door.

Special features not available. (Fox Home Entertainment)

Notorious (Blu-ray)
When troubled beauty Alicia Huberman (Ingrid Bergman) is recruited by American agent Devlin (Cary Grant) to infiltrate a German spy ring in postwar Rio, she accepts; but soon finds herself falling in love with Devlin. And when she receives orders to seduce a Nazi kingpin (Claude Rains), Alicia must sacrifice the only happiness she’s ever known for a perilous mission that could ultimately cost her and Devlin their lives.

Special features not available. (Fox Home Entertainment)

Paranormal Activity 3 (Blu-ray)
In 1988 sisters Katie and Kristi seem to be enjoying a normal, happy childhood at home. But when strange things start going bump in the night, their father, a wedding videographer, decides to use his cameras to discover the source; especially since Kristi appears to be having conversations with an imaginary friend. While the cameras do indeed reveal a flurry of supernatural occurrences, the family is unprepared for the terror that awaits.

The third chapter in the Paranormal Activity franchise is a prequel, going back to where it all began: the sisters’ childhood. The directors of Catfish, Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, are excellent choices to take the reins of this series, having turned a simple story of loneliness into a mystery. The secret to this found footage horror movie’s success is in its ability to keep the audience on the edge of their seat for the majority of the film. The ghostly incidents range from lights turning on and off to doors closing and eventually escalate to physical attacks. There’s approximately a 10-minute difference between the theatrical and extended versions, but it’s not comprised of any one particular scene.

Special features include: theatrical and extended versions of the film; and the lost tapes: “Scare montage” and “Dennis’ commercial.” (Paramount Home Entertainment)

Real Steel (Blu-ray and DVD combo pack)
Enter the not-so-distant future where boxing has gone high-tech — 2000-pound, 8-foot-tall steel robots have taken over the ring. Charlie Kenton (Hugh Jackman) is a washed-up fighter turned small-time promoter. When Charlie hits rock bottom, he reluctantly teams up with his estranged son (Dakota Goyo) to build and train a championship contender. As the stakes in the brutal, no-holds-barred arena are raised, Charlie and Max, against all odds, get one last shot at a comeback.

The year in which the film takes place is unclear, except that it’s post-2016 and Eminem is still popular. This ambiguity contributes to narrative’s ties to a “realistic” future, while the robots are also not wholly unbelievable. The fights are entertaining and help maintain a steady pace for the two-plus-hour film. The matches are more sophisticated than a “Rock’em Sock’em Robots” fight, mimicking moves from wrestling and boxing. Nonetheless, the humans’ story is still the primary focus. Jackman personifies this role. He is self-assured and athletic, owning any crowd into which he walks. Meanwhile, Toronto-born Goyo conveys the enthusiasm and commitment of a child given the chance to live his dream.

Special features include: commentary by director Shawn Levy; “Sugar Ray Leonard: Cornerman’s Champ,” a profile of the legendary boxer who was an on-set consultant; deleted and extended scenes with introductions by director Shawn Levy; “Countdown to the Fight: The Charlie Kenton story”; “Making of Metal Valley”; “Building the Bots”; bloopers; and “Second Screen,” which allows viewers to explore interactive galleries, play games, and learn interesting facts about the scenes they’re watching while perfectly synched on an Internet-enabled second device. (Walt Disney Home Entertainment)

Rebecca (Blu-ray)
After a whirlwind romance, mysterious widower Maxim de Winter (Laurence Olivier) brings his shy, young bride (Joan Fontaine) home to his imposing estate, Manderley. But the new Mrs. de Winter finds her married life dominated by the sinister, almost spectral influence of Maxim’s late wife: the brilliant, ravishingly beautiful Rebecca, who, she suspects, still rules both Manderley and Maxim from beyond the grave.

Special features not available. (Fox Home Entertainment)

Restless (Blu-ray)
Annabel Cotton (Mia Wasikowska) is a beautiful and charming terminal cancer patient with a deep felt love of life and the natural world. Enoch Brae (Henry Hopper) is a young man who has dropped out of the business of living after an accident claimed the life of his parents. When these two outsiders meet by chance at a funeral, they find an unexpected common ground in their unique experiences of the world. For Enoch, it includes his best friend Hiroshi (Ryo Kase) who happens to be the ghost of a Kamikaze fighter pilot. For Annabel, it involves an admiration of Charles Darwin and an interest in how other creatures live. Upon learning of Annabel’s imminent early passing, Enoch offers to help her face her last days with an irreverent abandon, tempting fate, tradition and even death itself.

Special features include: Gus Van Sant’s Silent Version of Restless; deleted scenes; “Enoch & Annabel: One Love”; “Enoch & Hiroshi: The Best of Friends”; “Gus Van Sant: Independent Voice”; “Being Restless”; and “Coming to Life: This is Restless.” (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)

Spellbound (Blu-ray)
Dr. Constance Peterson (Ingrid Bergman) is a dedicated psychiatrist who puts all her passion into her work – until she falls in love with Dr. Edwardes (Gregory Peck). Unfortunately, it soon becomes clear that Edwardes is an impostor — an amnesiac — who may or may not be a cold-blooded murderer. Pursued by the police, Constance must decide whether to turn in her mysterious lover or risk her life by trying to unlock the dark secrets in his mind.

Special features not available. (Fox Home Entertainment)

Tales of an Ancient Empire (DVD)
A princess is on a quest to unite the five greatest warriors to save her kingdom from a demon sorceress.

The film opens with a dreadful 12-minute exposition, presented as a cross between a low quality motion comic and terribly acted/scripted live action. This introduction feels endless and the start of the main narrative provides little relief. What could have been a fun throwback to ‘80s adventure sagas is bogged down by an overly complicated story and awful dialogue. The presence of former TV Hercules Kevin Sorbo is laughable, providing little prestige to a movie that does not even compare to one of his 60-minute episodes.

Special features include: cast interviews and behind-the-scenes featurette. (Entertainment One)

The Whistleblower (Blu-ray)
Kathy Bolkovac (Rachel Weisz) is a Nebraskan police officer who takes a job working as a peacekeeper in post-war Bosnia. Her expectations of helping to rebuild a devastated country are dashed when she uncovers a dangerous reality of corruption, cover-up and intrigue amid a world of private contractors and multinational diplomatic doubletalk.

This is a very intense examination of human trafficking and the illegal sex trade – a growing, real-life concern in Eastern Europe. The brutality experienced by the unsuspecting girls is horrific, while their total subordination by force is even more disheartening. This is not the first big screen depiction of Westerners becoming criminal perpetrators in a supposedly lawless land (see Hot Coffee for a documentary description), but it never becomes less horrifying. Kathy’s efforts are heroic and she risks her physical and professional safety to do what she knows is right. Weisz is convincing in every situation, whether standing up to ineffective bureaucrats or losing confidence in her ability to effect change.

Special features include: “Kathy Bolkovac: The Real Whistleblower.” (Entertainment One)

Wings (Blu-ray)
The 1927 World War I drama explores the devastating effects of war through the story of two men (Charles ‘Buddy’ Rogers and Richard Arlen) who go off to battle and the woman they both leave behind.

At more than two hours, Wings can seem a bit daunting, but the captivating story and excellent production value makes it well worth the watch. The film also won the first Academy Award for Best Picture in 1929. Rogers and Arlen are outstanding, and silver screen starlet Clara Bow is as charming as expected. The quality of the footage captured in the aerial battles is unbelievable for the time period and the restoration is exceptionally well executed with two recordings of the original score available as accompaniment.

Special features include: “Wings: Grandeur in the Sky”; “Dogfight!”; and “Restoring the Power and Beauty of Wings.” (Paramount Home Entertainment)