Best Picks: Black Swan, Tangled, 127 Hours, The Fighter

Mike Gatta, owner of Madison's Dial M for Movies, talked with Patch about his top four DVD release picks for the month of March.  With a number of Oscar nominations and awards for these films, they're bound to enhance any night at home.  If you haven't seen these movies yet, you may want to check out:

1. Black Swan: This thriller explores the darker side of the ballet, Swan Lake, with a new approach.  Natalie Portman, who played the lead role (Nina Sayers), won Best Actress at the 2011 Oscar Award Ceremony for her performance, which required no less than one full year of ballet study.  This film is rated R and features additional cast members such as Winona Ryder, Vincent Cassel and Mila Kunis and will be released on DVD March 29, 2011.

2. Tangled: Disney's latest princess-story film, starring Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi combines beautiful songs (written by Alan Menken who wrote the music for The Little Mermaid) and stunning animation with comedy and the kind of feel-good story that makes this a stellar choice for the whole family.  "It's a great retelling of the tale of Rapunzel," Gatta commented.  The DVD will be released on March 29, 2011 and the film is rated PG.

3. 127 Hours: "James Franco was up for best actor for this film," Gatta said, regarding its place among his best picks.  This film is based on the true story of a mountain climber (Aron Ralston, played by Franco) who becomes trapped for 127 hours and must take drastic action to save his life.  This suspenseful film is rated R; the DVD was released March 1, 2011.

4. The Fighter: Gatta's fourth pick took home awards for best supporting actor and best supporting actress at this year's Oscars.  Starring Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Melissa Leo and Amy Adams, this film is based on the true story of boxer Micky Ward (Wahlberg).  Rated R, the DVD of this powerful film was released on March 15, 2011.