Welcome to another look at some of the highlights arriving on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD. The trend of a big week followed by a slower one continues here, with some unique and oddball features taking center stage (some of which do seem interesting). So, if you can’t make it out to the movies this week or need to stay indoors for a few days, be sure to give one of these titles a try!
BIG NEW RELEASES!
THE COFFEE TABLE – Released as La Mesita del Comedor in its homeland of Spain, this foreign-language feature combines horror and dark comedy. The story follows a bickering couple struggling to stay together. When a newborn arrives, they believe the baby will give them something to focus on and help fix their problems. But after a furniture salesman convinces the husband to purchase a new coffee table and guarantees it will improve their lives, things immediately go south. Horrible events follow the purchase. Critics on this part of the continent enjoyed the picture. A small number found the film too disturbing and unpleasant to watch, eventually giving up on it. However, the majority called it an extremely uncomfortable and anxiety-provoking effort that was also strangely compelling. For the time being, this is a DVD-only release. It stars David Pareja and Estefanía de los Santos.
DOUBLE DOWN SOUTH – Keno-Pool is a billiards game that involves gambling and collecting points based on pool balls landing on specific grooves of a board placed on a pool table. This drama follows a new female player who convinces a veteran to train her as she takes part in an illegal competition. The pair take aim at the world champion and find themselves in more and more danger as the games heat up. The press responded well to this independent effort. A couple of voices described it as slow-moving and overlong. Regardless, most were impressed by the cast and thought that it was an interesting, gritty gambling tale involving a lesser known but intriguing game. This is currently a DVD-only exclusive and won’t be available immediately on other formats. The cast includes Kim Coates, Lili Simmons, Igby Rigney, Tow Bower and Justin Michael McManus.
HALF-BAKED: TOTALLY HIGH – 26 years after the release of the 1998 cult comedy Half-Baked, it appears as though a sequel is finally arriving (it is also known as Half Baked 2 in some territories). This is a direct-to-disc follow-up featuring a mostly new cast. After their friend dies smoking a strange and powerful mixture of weed, two stoner pals (who may be related to the original film’s leads) set out to raise funds to get the body home for burial. They find a new strain and set out to sell it for cash, drawing the ire of a drug lord. This title is premiering on disc and absolutely one has seen this film yet. Viewers might be wise to hold off for now and wait for some reviews to come. It features Dexter Darden, Joel Courtney, Ramona Young, Frankie Muntz, David Koechner, Harland Williams and Rachel True (who also appeared in the original).
THE INVISIBLE FIGHT – International cinema fans may be curious about this foreign-language action comedy from Estonia. Set in 1973, a guard working on the USSR-China border becomes obsessed with kung-fu fighters he can see training on the other side of the border. He discovers a group of monks who agree to secretly help him learn martial arts. Of course, his life is put at risk as he gains skills and attempts to use them to right wrongs. Reaction towards this title was slightly more positive than negative. Almost half stated that after an amusing beginning, the film’s repetitive gags became tiring and that the movie overstayed its welcome. Yet slightly more called the movie enjoyably weird, suggesting that it was earnest in its love of kung-fu movies and delivered some entertainingly surreal moments. Ursel Tilk, Kaarel Pogga and Ester Kuntu headline the picture.
THE LAST KINGDOM: SEVEN KINGS MUST DIE – Also known simply as Seven Kings Must Die, this period Viking story is actually a feature-length finale to the Netflix series The Last Kingdom (which ran for five seasons). The show is set in the 800s and follows an invasion of England by Viking forces. This film begins when Edward, King of the Anglo-Saxons, falls ill. Norse forces begin encroaching and there is tension between the sickly leader’s sons over who will take the throne. The series protagonist comes out of retirement to help fulfill a strange prophecy that will impact the future of the nation. Reaction was decent overall toward the finale. One-fifth of reviewers thought the story was overstuffed and choppy, leaving them ambivalent about the ending. However, the consensus was that the performances were strong, the level of tension was consistently high, and that fans of the show would be pleased. It stars Alexander Dreymon, Mark Rowley, Arnas Fedaravicius, Rod Hallett, Harry Gilby and Ross Anderson.
MISTER SLEEP – After murdering 65 people, a serial killer nicknamed “Mister Sleep” is arrested and faces execution. Somehow, he appears to return after being put to death. The villain sets out on a murderous rampage, targeting a virtual therapy group of insomniacs. As it turns out, a few of these figures have direct connections to those who put the title figure to death. It appears that this independent horror film was recently released on streaming site and is now appearing on disc. Unfortunately, no critics have seen the feature yet. There are a couple of reasonably positive notices from people who paid to screen the movie, but that’s all so far. Those curious will have to go it alone to find out if it’s effectively nightmarish or just a nightmare to watch. The cast includes Kate Dailey, Robert Hollocks, Ashley Terpstra, Claire Marie Lubeck, John Grove, Bronsonn Taylor and Roger Dorsey.
THE PEASANTS – Set in the late 19th century, this animated feature from Poland tells the story of a poor young woman living in a village. The lead’s mother offers her hand in marriage to a much older, wealthy man. However, a young gentleman who desires the lead decides to fight to be with her. The two lovers come up with a plot to unite themselves, but tensions also arise between them. In the end, the lady is forced to make a choice that will determine her ultimate fate. This Polish-language picture from the makers of the Oscar-nominated title Loving Vincent won numerous awards across Europe. In North America, reaction was more positive than negative, but slightly muted. Slightly more than one-third of write-ups complained that the story was melodramatic and the striking visuals (live footage of actors was turned into animation) was an unnecessary distraction. Still, a larger number describe it as a beautifully accomplished story about a character enduring a patriarchal society.
THE PROCURATOR – After a wealthy businessman is brutally murdered, the evidence points to a university professor. She is put on trial with prosecutors insisting that the crime was an act of revenge because the entrepreneur raped one of her students. But as a lawyer investigates the slaying, she unearths hidden secrets and connections that may prove others to be guilty. This Chinese feature comes from Alan Mak, who is most famous for having directed the Infernal Affairs movies (which were remade in the US as the Oscar-winning Martin Scorsese film The Departed). Only a select number of critics in this part of the world have seen it. So far, all reviews are reasonable but restrained. They all assert that this is a decent courtroom/crime mystery with good performances, but nothing that is overly memorable to give it a lasting impact. It features Baihe Bai, Johnny Huang Jingyu and Likun Wang.
REVENGE OF THE EMPIRE OF THE APES – Enjoy no-budget, direct-to-disc genre films? If so, then you’re likely familiar with the work of Mark Polonia, whose credits include Shark Encounters of the Third Kind and the recent Cocaine Shark (among many other titles you likely haven’t heard of). This one has been available to stream for a while and is now arriving on disc. It features a pair of violent humanoid apes from another planet looking for revenge on the aliens who sentenced them to death. They escape from their prison and do battle with enemies. So far, there are only a few reviews available for the film from online genre critics. They write that it’s exactly what you’d expect, including a choppy story and terrible effects. Apparently, it will only amuse those already familiar with the moviemaker’s eccentric work. Jamie Morgan and Tim Hatch headline the picture.
WALDEN – An introverted court stenographer in a small town spends his days taking down details about horrific murder trials. He’s used to hearing innocent and guilty defendants. One day, the lead receives word that he has a terminal illness and little time left. After finishing up a case involving a child murderer who gets off on a technicality, he decides that with nothing to lose, he should deal out punishment himself. He starts hunting down the figure and others who have slipped through the criminal justice system. So far, this title has only received a few professional reviews, but they have been upbeat. Both suggest that while the tone is inconsistent, the lead performance is solid and the end result is an interesting and eccentric vigilante picture. The cast includes Emile Hirsch, Shane West, Kelli Garner, Tania Raymonde and David Keith.
BLASTS FROM THE PAST!
A few interesting titles are receiving high definition upgrades this week. Criterion is presenting the Hungarian tale Werckmeister Harmonies (2000) in a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray combo edition and as a standalone Blu-ray. The foreign-language film follows a circus that arrives in a small town, drawing visitors in and slowly driving them insane. Obviously, the presentation features a Bela Tarr co-director approved 4K restoration of the film, as well as Family Nest (1979), which is the first feature from Tarr. There is also a new interview with the co-director, a trailer and an essay on the movie.
Paramount is presenting the Jack Ryan Ultimate 5-Movie Collection, a set containing 4K Ultra HD disc and Blu-rays of all the movies in the series. It was released previously in 2018, but is getting put back out to tie in with the release of the recent Ryan TV-series. You’ll get The Hunt for Red October (1990), Patriot Games (1992), Clear and Present Danger (1994), The Sum of All Fears (2002) and Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014) all with the best possible picture quality. Over the years, several actors have portrayed the well-known hero, including Alec Baldwin in the original, Harrison Ford in the first two follow-ups, as well as Ben Affleck and Chris Pine in the most recent prequel/reboot. It comes with several extras (like featurettes and the occasional commentary track) that were present on previous releases.
The French action/comedy Taxi (1998) is arriving on Blu-ray from Samuel Goldwyn Films. It involves a young Marseilles taxi driver. After being fined for speeding and finding his livelihood in jeopardy, he gets an unusual fare in the form of a police inspector who can’t drive. The young man is asked to help the officer chase down a team of German bank robbers through the city streets. This picture was written by Luc Besson (La Femme Nikita, Leon, The Fifth Element), featured incredible stunt driving sequences and was a huge hit in France. Four sequels followed as well as a 2004 US remake with Queen Latifa and Jimmy Fallon (and a poorly received 2015 TV adaptation for North America called Taxi Brooklyn). Now you can see the original hit that inspired them.
The Shout! Select Blu-ray line is putting out a Blu-ray of the critically acclaimed drama Affliction (1997) from writer/director Paul Schrader (Auto Focus, First Reformed). The plot involves a psychologically troubled small-town cop investigating a suspicious hunting death. It stars Nick Nolte, Sissy Spacek, James Coburn (who won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for the picture) and Willem Dafoe. The movie is presented with a new 2K scan from the original film elements.
Sony is releasing City of Hope (1991) on Blu-ray. This well-received crime/drama from writer/director John Sayles (Matewan, Eight Men Out, The Secret of Roan Inish, Lone Star, Men with Guns, Sunshine State) revolves around various developers, criminal enterprises and government officials making deals to demolish and redevelop an aging apartment block.
And the distributor is also releasing You’ll Never Get Rich (1941) on Blu-ray. It is an Oscar-nominated musical with Rita Hayworth and Fred Astaire featuring music by Cole Porter.
YOU KNOW, FOR KIDS!
Unfortunately, nothing this week but next week should deliver more titles.
ON THE TUBE!
And below is a list of all the latest TV-related releases.
Devil’s Peak: Year 1 (BBC) DVD
The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die (2023 finale to The Last Kingdom TV series) (Universal) Blu-ray
Star Trek: Lower Decks: Season 4 (Paramount) Blu-ray
Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: The Complete Series (Paramount) 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray or Blu-ray only