Welcome to another look at some of the highlights arriving this week on Blu-ray and DVD. It’s a busy edition with major releases as well as interesting independents that earned raves from critics. So, if you can’t go out to the movies or shouldn’t be out in public right now, be sure to give one of these titles a try!
BIG NEW RELEASES!
CALENDAR GIRL – This documentary details the life of Ruth Finley. Apparently, she scheduled every single fashion event in New York City under the banner of “Fashion Calendar” for over 70 years, in part creating the entire industry. In 2014 at the age of 95, she sold the business, marking the end of an era. The filmmaker shows her beginnings in 1945 and how the single mother raised three sons while running the operation out of a home office. A small group of critics saw the feature and all of them enjoyed it. While they commented that there was nothing trailblazing about the storytelling techniques used in the film, they did call it a sweet and moving tribute to a fascinating woman whom many may not know about. For the time being, this is a DVD only release.
CRIMES OF THE FUTURE – The latest from director and provocateur David Cronenberg (The Fly, Dead Ringers, Naked Lunch, Crash, eXistenZ, A History of Violence) is set in the future where organ replacement has become the norm. A performance artist becomes famous by documenting his own personal transformation. An official from the National Organ Registry investigates the star, as well as his assistant and surgeon, only to become attracted to the pair and their bizarre acts. Reviews were more positive than negative, although there were plenty of extreme reactions. About a quarter either found the movie disgusting, cold, pretentious or uninvolving. However, the majority called it eerie and disturbing, but also a film with a surprising amount of heart and soul that ultimately won them over. It stars Viggo Mortensen, Léa Seydoux, Kristen Stewart, Scott Speedman and Don McKellar.
THE ENORMITY OF LIFE – A middle-aged man contemplating suicide suddenly receives word that he has inherited a substantial sum from a deceased relative. He initially plans to use it to help care for his ailing, mentally disturbed parent, but plans change when he unexpectedly meets and gets involved with a charming single mother and her young daughter. There haven’t been a great many reviews for this independent comedy/drama as of yet, and those that have been printed are mixed. A couple of reviewers wrote that the film was too dark and came across as charmless and unpleasant. However, a similar number commented that as long as viewers knew that what they were about to watch was a comedy designed to be unsettling, they would be intrigued and entertained. The cast includes Breckin Meyer, Emily Kinney and Giselle Eisenberg.
GULLIVER RETURNS – Jonathan Swift’s satirical novel is updated in this family animated adventure. The story begins with the residents of Lilliput being invaded by an army. When they get word that the enormous, legendary explorer Gulliver is returning to help them, they are thrilled. Their excitement turns to disappointment when Gulliver appears as an ordinary, regular-sized person. Even though the furious King demands that he be executed, the hero decides to find a way to save the town. The US distributor of this Ukrainian production is planning to send some of this release’s profits back to its homeland. Sadly, the film itself wasn’t well received. Almost everyone in this part of the world thought that the movie ineffectively changed too many elements of the original tale and that the animation wasn’t up to snuff. This is a DVD-only release.
HOT SEAT – In this thriller, an IT expert starts off his work day and discovers a bomb attached to the bottom of his chair. He receives a call from the responsible party, demanding that he immediately use his skills to steal a large amount of digital funds. Additionally, the protagonist is told that his daughter will be abducted if he fails to comply. The lead manages to notify a bomb expert, who tries to disarm the item while the hero tries to save his daughter and catch the villain. This independent effort has been uniformly panned. Critics all noted that the movie was a silly mess. They continued by saying that as badly staged as it was, it still didn’t provide cheesy fun as a bad movie and instead was dull and predictable. Kevin Dillon, Mel Gibson, Shannen Doherty, Sam Asghari, Michael Welch and Eddie Steeples headline the film.
JAZZ FEST: A NEW ORLEANS STORY – Shot in 2019, this documentary captures the 50th anniversary of The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, aka Jazz Fest. Considered by many to be the country’s greatest festival, the event celebrates the music, food, arts and culture of Louisiana. The film crew capture the incredible live acts performing at the show, discuss its history and examine the rich culture of the city. The press enjoyed the footage and most recommended the movie. A small number critiqued the project for being very short and believed that it felt more like a commercial for the festival than an insightful look at its importance. Still, the consensus was that the film was an effectively zippy tribute to the celebration and that the musical performances were phenomenal to witness. It features Jimmy Buffet, Gary Clark Jr., Earth, Wind and Fire, Al Green, Herbie Hancock, Tom Jones, Aaron Neville, Katy Perry, Pitbull, Bruce Springsteen and Irma Thomas.
LAST SEEN ALIVE – This tale involves a man who is told by his wife that she is considering separating from him. They stop at a nearby gas station to get off of the road and discuss the matter. After filling up the car with gas, he suddenly can’t find his spouse. He searches desperately to find her and goes to extreme ends to find out what happened. His behavior attracts the attention of police officers who begin to consider him a suspect. Reaction wasn’t very positive towards this effort. A few reviewers enjoyed the work of the cast and called it thrilling enough to give the movie a pass. However, it seems all others were very disappointed, suggesting that the story was generic and bland, also complaining that it contained no fresh or interesting twists. The movie stars Gerard Butler, Jaimie Alexander, Russell Hornsby, Ethan Embry and Michael Irby.
MEN – After the sudden suicide of her ex-husband, a woman retreats to a large estate in the English countryside to try and cope with feelings of loss and guilt. Alas, the homeowner and other men in the community do little to calm her nerves. If anything, they begin making unsettling comments that result in feelings of dread and fear. This chiller from writer/director Alex Garland (Ex Machina, Annihilation) earned more upbeat write-ups than negative reviews. About one third of articles complained that the movie could have been done with more subtlety and felt that the themes of toxic masculinity were delivered with a sledgehammer. But the overall consensus was that while flawed, there were images and moments in the film that were effectively unsettling. They believed that it succeeded in its goal of putting viewers on edge. Jessie Buckley, Rory Kinnear and Paapa Essiedu headline the feature.
NEPTUNE FROST – Set in an otherworldly, futuristic world of circuitry and recycled computer parts, this science-fiction tale follows a hacking collective fighting back against a totalitarian regime. It is told from the point of view of an intersex runaway and an escaped miner whose unique personal connection begins to cause massive computer crashes. Oh, and the movie is also a musical. This independent feature is a co-production between Rwanda, US, France and Canada. It garnered excellent notices. A tiny number thought that while bold, the movie promoted its ideas in a blunt manner and felt emotionally cold. Everyone else thought that the title was completely unique and original, complimenting the poems and music, while also stating that it promoted the many ideas, among them that the world around us can be changed. It features Cheryl Isheja, Bertrand Ninteretse and Eliane Umuhire.
NITRAM – Those looking for a crime-based thriller from abroad may appreciate this Australian effort. Based on a real event and set in the 1990s, the tale follows an awkward suburban youth struggling to fit in. He eventually makes an unexpected connection with an eccentric heiress. Their friendship raises his spirits for a time, but the relationship soon meets an unexpected end. Furious, the figure spirals downward and decides to commit a shocking act of violence. Notices were generally excellent for this title. A tiny contingent found it too difficult to endure and also didn’t believe that it added any insight to the actual crime. Everyone else thought that it was extremely well made and acted, effectively showing details about those involved that detail the harrowing events without being sensationalistic. The cast includes Caleb Laundry Jones, Judy Davis. Sean Keenan, Essie Davis and Anthony LaPaglia.
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2 – Based on the Sega video game, this sequel to the 2020 hit finds the heroic hedgehog still living with the humans who discovered him. When they head away on vacation and leave him in charge of the house, the villainous Dr. Robonik returns to Earth with a new partner. The sinister pair plan on stealing an emerald that will give them the power to destroy the world. Sonic and his animal pals set out to stop them. The press gave the movie more recommendations than pans. While about a third of reviews described the movie as loud, irritating and exclusively for young kids, the majority thought it was better than the first picture. They wrote that it served as enjoyable family popcorn entertainment and was filled with amusing nods to the game that would please fans. It stars James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, Natasha Rothwell, Adam Pally and the voices of Ben Schwartz and Idris Elba.
THE TIME CAPSULE – After losing an election, a middle-aged politician decides to return home with his wife and reassess his career. While there, he bumps into his old flame from high school. However, she has not aged a day. It seems that at the end of their school term, the youngster became an astronaut and left the planet on a space mission. While the trip was only a few months for her, some 20 years passed by on Earth. As the two reconnect, the man begins questioning his life decisions and what might have been. This is an independent effort that merges science-fiction and romance. There haven’t been many reviews and those that have appeared are mixed. A few thought the concept and execution was interesting. Still, just as many found the concept a bit creepy and complained that themes were awkwardly delivered. The cast includes Todd Grinnell, Brianna Hildebrand, Kadee Strickland and Baron Vaughn.
VIVO – This animated musical from Sony Pictures and Netflix tells the tale of a kinkajou (a rainforest honey bear) named Vivo who happily spends his days with his human owner. Despite not being able to understand one another, their mutual love of music has formed a bond and the pair perform daily for crowds on the street. After a tragedy, Vivo receives a letter from the master’s old flame hoping to reconnect. The honey bear sets out to deliver an important message, written as a song, to the woman. This film features tunes by Lin-Manuel Miranda and was well-received by critics. A small number believed that the story had some issues and that the final film didn’t deliver the emotional punch it should have. Still, the overwhelming consensus was that this was solid family-friendly entertainment. They claimed the songs were excellent, the characters were charming and the movie effectively dealt with issues like loss in a sensitive manner. The voice cast includes Lin-Manual Miranda, Zoe Saldana, Juan de Marcos Gonzalez, Brian Tyree Henry, Michael Rooker, Nicole Byer and Gloria Estefan.
BLASTS FROM THE PAST!
It’s another great week to pick up some older movies. 88 Films are presenting a Special Edition 4K Ultra HD version of the cult action film Drive (1997). I don’t believe a Blu-ray is included, but you might want to check listings just to make sure. This was a really high energy and fun action/comedy starring Marc Decascos, Kadeem Hardison and Brittany Murphy that barely got released in North America. The story involves an enhanced human with kung fu skills who finds himself on the run from various evil pursuers. Over the years, it has slowly developed a following thanks to its fantastic fight scenes. You’ll get a 4K restoration of the director’s cut, the theatrical cut, an audio commentary with the director, the fight choreographer, Decascos and Hardison. The disc also includes a documentary on the film, deleted scenes, an interview gallery with cast and crew, a trailer and a collectable mii-poster. If you like buddy flicks filled with action and comedy, this one is very entertaining.
They also have a Blu-ray of Flying Guillotine 2 (1978), the classic martial arts film from Hong Kong that is a personal favorite of filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino. It’s about an evil emperor who fashions his soldiers with flying blades to be used as weapons in battle. A heroic man decides to devise an alternate weapon to fight back against this threat. This Special Edition comes with newly translated English subtitles, an audio commentary from a pair of Asian cinema experts, as well as a trailer.
Code Red is releasing a Blu-ray of Maid in Sweden (1971), a steamy co-production between the US and Sweden about a milkmaid who heads to the big city to indulge herself. The disc includes a 2K restoration of the feature and an original trailer.
If you belong to the Disney Movie Club mail order service, you can now pick up the double-bill Blu-ray Lilo & Stitch: 2-Movie Collection. It contains the 2002 original film Lilo & Stitch and Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch, which was made for the direct-to-video market. This is an exclusive release that can only be ordered online after joining the service.
The Italian B-movie Battle of the Worlds (1961) with Claude Rains is arriving on Blu-ray as a Special Edition courtesy of The Film Detective. Pictured to the left, the story involves a planet on a collision course with Earth. After it suddenly halts in its path, the world is relieved until an alien armada appears and attacks. The image comes from a new restoration of the movie. You’ll also get a film historian commentary, a documentary on the movie, an essay on the title and a surprise insert.
Kino have a couple of older features, including the Margaret Sullivan drama Little Man, What Now? (1934) and Next Time We Love (1936), which also stars Sullivan alongside Jimmy Stewart and Ray Milland. Both of these Blu-rays contain new 2K masters of the movies, as well as film historian commentaries and trailers. The distributor is also putting out The Trials of Oscar Wilde (1960), which depict true tales of the playwright’s courtroom clashes with the Marquess of Queensberry. The movie stars Peter Finch and James Mason and arrives with a theatrical trailer.
Lightyear is presenting a Special Edition of the indie horror picture YellowBrickRoad (2010) on Blu-ray. It’s about an ancient evil lurking in the woods that is known for wiping out entire towns. Those who pick it up will receive a director commentary and featurettes on the cast and crew.
Paramount Presents have an interesting new Blu-ray that is making its official and belated debut on the format. Back to the Beach (1987) stars Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello who were the original stars of a series of Beach Party comedy/musicals in the 1960s. In this follow-up, they are now married and return to the beach to help their kids. The film includes appearances by Bob Denver, Tony Dow, Jerry Mathers, Don Adams, Edd “Kookie” Byrnes, Pee-Wee Herman, Connie Stevens and many more. It has been given a 4K restoration and comes with a filmmaker focus featurette with the director and a fold-out cover with the original poster.
Sandpiper Pictures is presenting several Blu-ray titles this week. They include Alexander the Great (1956) with Richard Burton, as well as Equus (1977) with Burton as a psychologist treating a young patient (played by Peter Finch) who has a very unusual fetish. Solomon and Sheba (1959) stars Yul Brynner and Gina Lollobrigida as the title characters. And you can pick up the well-regarded gangster picture State of Grace (1990) with Sean Penn, Ed Harris and Gary Oldman who play members of the Irish mob. Robin Wright, John Turturro and Burgess Meredith also appear in the film.
Looking for more? Shout! Factory is premiering a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray upgrade of the science-fiction/horror picture Event Horizon (1997). It’s about a rescue crew who investigate a spaceship that disappeared into a black hole and has now returned. Things don’t go well for the heroes after boarding the ship. Lawrence Fishburne, Sam Neill, Kathleen Quinlan, Joely Richardson and Jason Isaacs headline the cast. It’s a visually spectacular movie, but one that suffered from heavy cuts (apparently, something like 30 minutes) that were made by the studio. Still, the movie has a following and now fans can watch it with optimal picture quality. This 25th anniversary edition also comes with an archival director and producer commentary, making-of featurettes, “secrets” with an optional commentary, an unfilmed rescue scene with conceptual art and more.
They are also putting out Learning to Drive (2014) under the Shout! Select line. This film is about a Manhattan writer who takes driving lessons from a Sikh instructor – the two become close friends as they discuss their problems during their trips in the car. It stars Patricia Clarkson and Ben Kingsley and the disc includes behind-the-scenes footage and a trailer.
SRS Cinema is delivering the Blu-ray box set Reigo, Raiga, Phga: Giant Monsters Attack Triple Feature (2005 – 2019) which contains three Japanese monster films.
Troma have been upgrading their catalog to Blu-ray. This week sees the release of the comic horror/thriller Def by Temptation (1990) with James Bond III, Kadeem Hardison and Samuel L. Jackson. The story involves a vampire preying on black men in New York City. Extras haven’t been listed yet, but with a Troma release you should expect a few bonuses included.
You can also pick up a Blu-ray of the Hong Kong genre flick Dr. Lamb (1992) from Unearthed Films. It’s about a crazed taxi driver stalking women. The disc comes with a 2K restoration of the uncut version, a movie expert commentary, an interview with the filmmaker behind the project and various academics speaking about the title. It also comes with a trailer.
Universal is presenting the Dwayne Johnson video game adaptation of Doom (2005) in a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray set.
And Visual Vengeance has another shot-on-video, low-budget oddity arriving on Blu-ray. This one is called L.A. Aids Jabber (1994) and it’s a slasher (in very poor taste) about a man diagnosed with AIDS who takes his anger out by filling a syringe with his blood and injecting it into victims. The disc presents a new transfer of the notorious movie upgraded in high definition. It includes interviews with cast and crew and tons of other bonuses on this rare feature.
Finally, Warner Bros. is presenting Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts on Blu-ray. This documentary reunites the cast and crew of the films as they discuss their memories of working together on the series.
You can also pick up the great heist movie Heat (1995) in a new 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray package. Robert De Niro plays a high-end thief and Al Pacino takes on the role of the detective determined to stop him. Val Kilmer, Jon Voight, Tom Sizemore, Amy Brenneman, Ashley Judd, Wes Studi, Ted Levine, Dennis Haysbert, William Fichtner, Natalie Portman, Tom Noonan and Hark Azario co-star.
YOU KNOW, FOR KIDS!
Here are some titles that may appeal to kids.
Gulliver Returns (Shout! Factory) DVD
Lilo & Stitch: 2-Movie Collection (2002 and 2005) (Disney Movie Club Exclusive) Blu-ray
Vivo (Sony) Blu-ray
ON THE TUBE!
And you can find all of the week’s TV-themed releases listed below.
Candace Cameron Bure 4-Film Collection: A Christmas Detour, Christmas Under Wraps, Journey Back to Christmas, Switched for Christmas (Hallmark) DVD
Green Planet (BBC) 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray
Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts (Warner Bros.) Blu-ray
NOVA: Ice Age Footprints (PBS) DVD
A Second Chance at Love (Hallmark) DVD