Recommended Discs & Deals of the Week: ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel,’ ‘The LEGO Movie,’ ‘Picnic at Hanging Rock,’ and More

Every week we dive into the cream of the crop when it comes to home releases, including Blu-ray and DVDs, as well as recommended deals of the week. If we were provided screener copies, we’ll have our own write-up, but if that’s not the case, one can find official descriptions from the distributors. Check out our rundown below and return every Tuesday for the best films one can take home. Note that if you’re looking to support the site, every purchase you make through the links below helps us and is greatly appreciated.

The Grand Budapest Hotel (Wes Anderson)

The best film of the year thus far (at least until July 11th), Wes Anderson‘s delightful, affecting ode to a time long past, The Grand Budapest Hotel, arrives on Blu-ray today. With a variety of different aspect ratios employed, the Blu-ray is as vibrant as one might expect, paired with top-notch audio that boosts Alexandre Desplat‘s wonderful score. As is usually the case with Anderson films, diehard fans will pick this up and hold for an eventual Criterion release packed with special features. What we have here is the usual offerings, with highlights being Bill Murray‘s tour and reflection of the shooting location, as well as an 18-minute featurette that explores the making of the film. Regardless if one can forgive the lack of a commentary track, it’s one of the first must-own releases of the year. – Jordan R.

Hearts and Minds (Peter Davis)

As the fruits of America’s second Vietnam continue to rear their ugly heads toward us, jump back some 40 years to see how little the awful bureaucratic order has changed — now in 1080p! It can be stated with no hyperbole that Hearts and Minds is one of the finer filmed documents of American life, regardless of subject or setting, and — while I cannot fathom why someone would wish to explore some of its images in high definition — the extension of its reach is one of the best things Criterion will be responsible for this year. Such is the power of its form that questions of objectivity or employed perspective are rendered wholly moot in the moment, though you might want to raise a few after the fact. – Nick N.

The LEGO Movie (Phil Lord and Chris Miller)

The timing couldn’t be better for the Blu-ray arrival of Phil Lord and Chris Miller‘s energetic, hilarious The LEGO Movie, coming off of their summer success, 22 Jump Street. While this went down as one of the biggest surprises earlier this year, we suppose we should have trusted the duo all along. Included in the special features are a feature-length commentary with the directors as well as some of the voice cast (Chris Pratt, Will Arnett, Charlie Day and Alison Brie), as well as a batch of featurettes on how exactly they pulled off the feat of bringing the ubiquitous building blocks. – Jordan R.

Picnic at Hanging Rock (Peter Weir)

That Picnic at Hanging Rock centers on an unshakable unsolved mystery is almost beside the point. What starts as a bizarre, sun-baked whodunnit quickly, blissfully evolves into a story of loss and regret — a drama that, it must be admitted, is only magnified by the questions at its center. If you’ve never been sucked in by Peter Weir’s breakthrough, now is as good a time as any. The release also includes the director’s little-seen black comedy, Homesdale. – Nick N.

Recommended Deals of the Weeks

(Note: new additions are in red)

What are you picking up this week?