Looks like it’s another busy edition with loads of Blu-ray and DVDs releases hitting store shelves and rental outlets. There are some big summer epics coming your way as well as noteworthy independent fare and a few documentaries. So if you can’t make it out to the movies this week, be sure to give one of these titles a try!
Big New Releases!
The Banana Splits Movie – If you were a little kid in the 60s or 70s, you might remember various live-action Sid & Marty Kroft children’s programs like H.R. Pufnstuf and Sigmund and the Sea Monsters. This direct-to-disc feature film re-imagining of the Banana Splits turns one of their family-friendly shows into an R-rated horror flick. A young boy and his family decide to attend a taping of the program, only to see the strange creatures turn malevolent and attack the audience. There aren’t a lot of reviews available right now, but the ones that have appeared online are reasonably upbeat. They suggest that while the plot points are routine and the satire could have been sharper, the unusual take on the material does add a unique element to the proceedings. It features Dani Kind, Finlay Wojtak-Hissong. Romeo Carere and Steve Lund.
Big Top Evil – Speaking of turning nostalgic childhood memories into nightmare fuel, this small independent horror production involves a group of young travelers who stop in at a rundown roadside motel. They soon discover a dilapidated circus nearby and find themselves being hunted by a group of psychotic and savage cannibal clowns. Sounds like a fun weekend! Alas, this picture hasn’t played at any film festivals and is premiering on disc, so there are no write-ups that can attest to its quality. However, it doesn’t look to be anywhere in the same league as the feature listed above and may be exclusively for low-budget horror enthusiasts. The cast includes Bill Moseley (of Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 fame), J. LaRose and Jisaura Cardinale.
Clarence Clemons: How Do I Think I Am? – Gifted musician Clarence Clemons (who might be most recognizable to readers for his work in Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band) is the subject of this documentary. After an expansive tour with the Boss came to an end in 2003, Clemons began thinking about his place in the world. In fact, he decided to travel to China with a film crew to make a little film about his experiences. Sadly, Clemons suffered a fatal stroke not long after. This picture chronicles his life and presents some intimate footage of the man along with interviews from those who knew him personally. This includes President Bill Clinton, Joe Walsh, as well as former bandmates and family members. There isn’t much word on this project yet, but it played at a few New York and New Jersey film festivals and may appeal to music fans.
The Creatress – This small indie comedy/drama has seemingly come from out of nowhere to receive a release on disc. The plot involves a writer whose book becomes a big hit. She sells the rights away for a film adaptation and receives a huge advance for her next project, only to start experiencing backlash from the press and readers. This includes a false memoir about the scribe and some negative reevaluations of her work. The protagonist strives to stay above it all and survive the onslaught, as well as come up with an idea for her next book. There is literally no information about this title other than it having a screening in France at the Nice film festival, so who knows how effective it is. Lindy Booth, Fran Drescher and Peter Bogdanovich headline the picture.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters – The giant green monster returns in this follow-up to the 2014 reboot. This time out, the cryptozoological agency known as Monarch find their hands full after several monsters rise and attack in various countries across the world. Once believing Godzilla to be their enemy, they soon realize the creature may be their only hope of surviving this onslaught. This sequel didn’t receive as warm a welcome as the previous entry. While a group of critics did state that the monster fights were fun enough to keep them watching, most complained that it had difficulty shuffling several threads and finding a proper tone. They also noted that the characters both human and otherwise, weren’t as engaging as they could have been. The movie stars Vera Farmiga, Ken Watanabe, Sally Hawkins, Kyle Chandler, Millie Bobby Brown and Bradley Whitford. To read this site’s review of the movie, click here.
Killers Anonymous – This independent action picture has an interesting premise… it follows a support group for assassins who get together and privately share their insecurities and concerns regarding their dangerous line of work. Tension mounts when one of them attempts a hit, leading authorities in the direction of the group in general. The killers must reconvene, determine who is responsible for the hit and take action before they’ll all caught. The press hated this flick… as of right now, there isn’t a positive write-up out there to be found. All commented that the screenplay is poor, leaving its talented performers stranded and becomes more of an endurance test than thriller. Ouch! The movie features Tommy Flanagan, Rhyon Nicole Brown, Jessica Alba and Gary Oldman.
The Last Black Man in San Francisco – Set in a San Francisco not long into the future, this unusual arthouse effort follows a young man being pushed out of his old downtown neighborhood by gentrification. When the residents of the house he used to live in are forced to leave the property, he moves back in and attempts to reconnect with his family’s history. However, his actions end up causing unexpected complications. Notices were excellent for this unique picture. A small portion found the feature too ponderous and suggested that it was an obtuse and odd effort that was difficult to connect with. Still, the vast majority liked the cast, stated that the ideas were creatively presented and took note of the engaging and impressive photography and music. The cast includes Jimmy Falls, Jonathan Majors and Danny Glover. To read a full review of the movie, click here.
The Narcissists – Here’s another independent feature from New York that has been making the rounds on the festival circuit. This tale is about a filmmaker struggling in a creative funk and finding his relationship with his girlfriend at a crossroads. The couple decide to take a bit of time apart and spend a few days with friends, wandering through the metropolis and trying to figure out their next step. Their discussions lead to several realizations about the future and their life together. The movie has been billed as a comedy/drama and is premiering on disc. However, there haven’t been any reviews posted online yet. Augie Duke and Jessica DiGiovanni play the main characters.
Rocketman – As one might have guessed from the title, Elton John is the subject of this biopic. It details all of the remarkable ups and downs in his life and career, starting with his humble beginnings and the early days of his career as a songwriter and backup musician. The story then details his massive success as well as a period of drugs and excess. All of it is backed to musical numbers based around some of his most famous tunes. Reaction towards the movie was extremely positive. A tiny segment did state that the events depicted were too downbeat and self-involved. Still, the consensus was that the picture had great numbers and ably dealt with all aspects of the musician’s life, helped tremendously by an exceptional lead performance. It stars Taron Egerton, Jamie Bell, Richard Madden, Bryce Dallas Howard and Gemma Jones.
The Secret Life of Pets 2 – This sequel to the 2016 animated hit continues to reveal secrets about what our animal friends do when we aren’t in their company. After his owners have a child, family dog Max must deal with new concerns and his role in the family as the clan heads out to a farm in the countryside. In the city, others pets deal with recovering an important toy and saving an abused tiger from the circus. Critics were split on the end results, although more did enjoy the movie than dislike it. A contingent suggested that there wasn’t much that was memorable about the follow-up and found it to be a mediocre family film. Slightly more admitted the picture was no classic, but felt it made up for its deficiencies with impressive animation and humorous moments. The voice cast includes Patton Oswalt, Kevin Hart, Harrison Ford, Tiffany Haddish and Jenny Slate. To read this site’s thoughts on the picture, click here.
Blasts from the Past!
It’s a busy edition for older titles as well. Shout! Factory are delivering another Hammer horror flick with Fear in the Night (1972). The story involves a young woman who marries a schoolteacher and moves to a small campus in the country. Once there, she must deal with a menacing stalker and eccentric characters. This Blu-ray includes the film in two aspect ratios, a film historian audio commentary, an interview with the co-writer/producer/director of the feature as well as a second commentary track featuring the figure. You’ll also get a featurette on the production, a theatrical trailer and a still gallery.
The same company are also releasing The Leech Woman (1960). It’s about a scientist and his wife doing research in Africa and attempting to discover the secret to eternal youth. When they find the answer and head back to the US with the information, the scientist’s wife decides to take advantage of the discovery. Too bad the process requires a male sacrifice! A 35mm fine grain composite of the film has been given a 2K scan and the Blu-ray includes a film expert commentary as well as publicity materials.
VCI Video are putting out a Blu-ray of The Vanishing Shadow (1934). This is a Universal Pictures serial that has never before been released and has been transferred in 2K from the original 35mm fine grain. The plot involves a young man who sets out to avenge the death of his father by using all sorts of interesting implements, including robots, a vanishing belt and other weapons (the serial is believed to feature the first onscreen appearance ever of a hand held ray run).
Vinegar Syndrome also have a great many Blu-rays arriving online and in shops. Among the several releases is the German punk/sci-fi/horror flick Decoder (1984), which features a bit part from author William S. Burroughs and music by Soft Cell. Besides the movie getting a 2K restoration from the original camera negative, extras include a critic commentary, new and archival interviews with the writer/producer, footage of Burroughs on set, video footage of the 1982 Berlin riots, a featurette on the locations and publicity materials.
They also have the cult flick, Hell Comes to Frogtown (1987). This is a post-apocalyptic action flick starring wrestler “Rowdy” Roddy Piper as the last fertile man on the planet, who wanders the wastelands trying to survive the elements. This release marks the Blu-ray debut of the film in North America with a new 4K restoration. It also comes with a commentary featuring the director/cinematographer and the writer/producer, archived interviews with Piper as well as the make-up effects artist, an extended scene and the theatrical trailer.
Anyone who’s a fan of Peter Jackson’s 1989 effort Meet the Feebles might take an interest in Vinegar Syndrome’s release of Let My Puppets Come (1976). This is an earlier adult-themed musical feature featuring an all-puppet cast set that is set in the world of adult films. Apparently, this bizarre comedy shocked audiences during its original run and then disappeared for decades. Now, the uncut original version has been given a 2K restoration and is being released on Blu-ray. It comes with a film historian commentary and a second track with a puppet designer, audio from the musical upon which the move was based, an audio conversation with the director and a trailer.
Criterion also have several new Blu-rays heading your way. The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice (1952) is a well-regarded effort from Japan about a marriage quietly crumbling. The disc includes a new 4K restoration of the picture, a video essay on the title from a film scholar, a documentary on the screenwriter and a 1937 feature from the same director called What Did the Lady Forget?
The thriller Insomnia (1997) is also hitting Blu-ray. This effort from Norway follows a cop investigating a murder in a village experiencing a 24-hour daylight cycle. If that synopsis sounds familiar, the movie was later remade in 2002 with Al Pacino. Besides a new 4K digital restoration of the movie itself, you’ll also get two short films from the director, a new conversation between the filmmaker and star Stellan Skarsgard and a trailer.
They also have a Collector’s Edition Blu-ray set of The Koker Trilogy. This release includes three Iranian films that are said to be a cross between fiction and documentary, detailing life in the title village and deftly mixing comedy and tragedy. The three specific movies included are Where is the Friend’s House? (1987), And Life Goes On (1992) and Through the Olive Trees (1994).
Kino also have some Blu-rays of note. They include the cheeseball ski resort drama Aspen Extreme (1993) with Paul Gross, Peter Berg and Teri Polo. Under the company’s American Film Theatre subdivision, there’s also the British drama Butley (1974), which stars Alan Bates as a London university professor undergoing numerous personal and professional challenges over the course of a single day. From the very same line is In Celebration (1975) continues the English theme in this drama featuring a family coming undone during an anniversary celebration. Bates headlines this one as well, and the release includes an interview with the lead and various others involved in the production.
Moving back to other Kino fare, the distributor is putting out Day of the Outlaw (1959) on Blu-ray. This bleak and wintery western is about a gang infiltrating a town during a blizzard and is much admired for its photography. The disc comes with a film historian audio commentary and trailer. They also have the Kirk Douglas western, Man Without a Star (1955). This Blu-ray includes similar bonuses.
Scorpion have an interesting Blu-ray in the form of Love Letters (1983), a romance picture starring Jamie Lee Curtis as a young woman who finds a series of hidden letters and learns that her mother was having a torrid affair for much of her married life. The lead begins to embark on a similar path when she starts her own relationship with an older family man. This release includes an interview with co-star James Keach and a trailer.
Cohen Media are releasing the French Gérard Depardieu comedy, Get Out Your Handkerchiefs (1978). This movie won numerous awards during its original run and the Blu-ray comes with an introduction to the film, its original trailer and a rerelease trailer.
Finally, Warner Archive have a couple of interesting made-to-order Blu-rays and DVDs available through their site. The Hand (1981) is an extremely unusual horror movie that has been out-of-print for some time putting is now hitting DVD through their site. It stars Michael Caine as a cartoonist who loses his hand in a tragic accident. He gets a replacement limb, but his old hand also returns, moving on its own and wiping out personal enemies. Amazingly enough, this is the first major studio picture from writer/director Oliver Stone (Platoon, Wall Street, Born on the Fourth of July, The Doors) and it’s a pretty crazy one with many trippy elements. On Blu-ray, the studio is releasing the Bette David drama Jezebel (1938), as well as a high definition remaster of the sci-fi television event, V: The Original Mini-series (1983).
You Know, For Kids!
Here are some titles that may entertain children.
Sabrina the Teenage Witch: The Complete Animated Series
The Secret Life of Pets 2
On the Tube!
And here are some TV-themed releasing coming your way.
Chicago Fire: Season 7
Chicago Med: Season 4
The Flash: Season 5
Into the Badlands: Season 3
A Million Little Things: Season 1
NCIS: Los Angeles: Season 10
NOVA: The Planets
A Place to Call Home: Series 4
The Rookie: Season 1
Sabrina the Teenage Witch: The Complete Animated Series
Straight Forward: Series 1
V: The Original Mini-series (Warner Archive)