March 27, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 21 Spielberg portrays Lincoln as savvy politician by Dennis Seuling “Lincoln” (Touchstone Home Entertainment), directed by Steven Spielberg, covers the last four months of President Lincoln’s life, as he tries to persuade the House of Representatives to vote for the thirteenth amendment to the Constitution, abolishing slavery. It is no easy task. The Civil War is in its final days and Lincoln (Daniel DayLewis), who has assumed considerable wartime powers, is unsure whether his 1863 executive order known as the Emancipation Proclamation will hold up legally once the war is over. In addition to this protracted political fight, there is turmoil in Lincoln’s private life. He and wife Mary Todd (Sally Field) lost a son two years earlier and the emotional toll still lingers. Eldest son Robert (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is eager to join the Union Army, but his parents are dead set against it, fearing they will lose him, too. Lincoln understands his son’s patriotic impulse and tries to persuade his adamant wife to let Robert enlist. Day-Lewis is easily the movie’s best attribute. He imbues Lincoln with stature, humor, leadership, and determination. He portrays Lincoln as a man under pressure from all sides: his political opponents, uncertainty about what will happen when the war is over, and an outspoken wife protective of her surviving children. Sally Field, who gained 20 pounds for the role of Mary, is equal to her screen husband in power. She is physically tiny, particularly in contrast to Day-Lewis’ six-foot plus frame, yet she dominates the screen in all of the scenes in which she appears. Bonuses on the four-disc Blu-ray/DVD combo pack include a digital copy and featurettes on the making of the film, Day-Lewis’ characterization, the film’s methodical production design, and the relevance of Lincoln to modern times. “The Terminator Anthology” (Warner Home Video) is a five-disc Blu-ray set containing seven versions of the four “Terminator” movies -- the four theatrical versions, two additional “Terminator: Judgment Day” editions, and the R-rated Director’s Cut of “Terminator: Salvation.” The first three star Arnold Schwarzenegger, and the fourth stars Christian Bale. These films were released previously on Blu-ray, but this set bundles them together with a neat collection of extras. The original 1984 feature still ranks as one of the most clever science fiction movies of the last 30 years. The script combines the tried-and-true sci-fi ingredient of robot-run-amok with time travel, and is well served by the solid performances of Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, and Michael Biehn, cool special effects, and plenty of action. Many films over the years have tried to duplicate its success, but paled in comparison. “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” gave viewers the unforgettable images of an evil robot (Robert Patrick) morphing into different objects via a silvery, metallic liquid -- a real eye-opener at the time. Those scenes still pack a wallop. Bonus materials include deleted scenes, James Cameron interviews, audio commentary, behind-the-scenes videos, and multimedia galleries. “The Frankenstein Theory” (RLJ Entertainment) harks back to Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel, “Frankenstein,” by posing the question, “What if the story of a man who dared to steal the secret of creation were true?” When he is suspended from his university position for outlandish ideas, Professor John Venkenheim (Kris Lemche) leads a documentary film crew to the rim of the Arctic Circle in a desperate effort to vindicate his theory that Shelley’s literary classic is, in fact, a work of non-fiction disguised as fantasy. In the vast, frozen wilderness, Venkenheim and his team search for the (continued on Crossword page) President Abraham Lincoln (Daniel Day-Lewis) surveys the aftermath of a battle in Steven Spielberg’s ‘Lincoln.’