The nominees for DVD availability
With the Academy Awards less than two weeks away, you can catch up on three of the five best-picture nominees ó and many other categories ó on DVD before the telecast Feb. 25.
On Tuesday, Martin Scorsese’s best-picture nominee, The Departed, arrived on DVD ($29, Warner Home Video). It garnered four other nominations: director, supporting actor Mark Wahlberg, editing and adapted screenplay.
Babel arrives Feb. 20 ($30, Paramount). It has seven nominations, including best picture, director, supporting actresses Rinko Kikuchi and Adriana Barraza, editing and music.
Little Miss Sunshine has been on DVD since December. The day after it received four Oscar nominations for best picture, supporting actress Abigail Breslin, supporting actor Alan Arkin and original screenplay, sales spiked as much as 200% in stores across the country.
“We call it the Oscar bump,” says Steve Feldstein of 20th Century Fox, which released the DVD.
No dates have been announced for the other best-picture nominees, The Queen or Letters From Iwo Jima.
Nor has a date been revealed for Dreamgirls, which earned eight nominations, more than any other movie, but not a best-picture nomination. It is still drawing crowds in theaters; it was No. 9 this week at the box office.
Studio DVD marketers are scrambling to announce release dates for other nominees before the ceremony, but they are held in check by their theatrical counterparts, who don’t want dates announced while a film is still playing strongly in theaters.
Blood Diamond, with five Oscar nominations, including best actor (Leonardo DiCaprio) and supporting actor (Djimon Hounsou), arrives March 20. The announcement was made just as the film dropped out of the box office top 20.
The Last King of Scotland, for which Forest Whitaker is up for best actor, comes out April 17 ($30, Fox). And Notes on a Scandal, with nominations for best actress (Judi Dench), supporting actress (Cate Blanchett), music and adapted screenplay, is due the same date ($30, Fox).
The leading candidate for best documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, has been on DVD since November ($30, Paramount), and others are coming:
ïDeliver Us From Evil, about a molesting priest (May 8, Lionsgate).
ïIraq in Fragments, no date yet.
ïJesus Camp, about a camp that teaches children to be evangelists, out now ($27, Magnolia).
ïMy Country, My Country, about a doctor who runs for office in Iraq (March 20, Zeitgeist Films).
Other high-profile nominees on DVD:
ïUnited 93, up for best director (Paul Greengrass) and editing ($20, Universal).
ïThe Devil Wears Prada, up for best actress (Meryl Streep) and costume design ($30, Fox).
ïBest-animated-feature nominees Cars ($30, Disney) and Monster House ($29, Sony). Fellow nominee Happy Feet arrives on March 20.
A handful of other movies with Oscar nominations in minor categories also are available on DVD, including:
ïBlack Dahlia, up for best achievement in cinematography ($30, Universal)
ïSuperman Returns, best achievement in visual effects ($20, Warner Bros.)
ïPirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, nominated for achievement in sound, sound editing, visual effects and art direction ($30, Disney).
ïClint Eastwood’s Flags of Our Fathers, up for best achievement in sound mixing and sound editing ($30, Paramount).
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