Welcome back to another look at some of the highlights arriving on Blu-ray and DVD. It’s another great edition with plenty of high-profile films and interesting independent flicks in a wide variety of genres. So, if you can’t or shouldn’t be heading out to the movies this week, be sure to give one of these titles a try!
BIG NEW RELEASES!
AFTER WE FELL – Based on the popular book series, this sequel follows the 2019 romantic melodrama After and its 2020 follow-up, After We Collided. The story begins with the protagonist of the series being approached by her estranged father. They spend some time together and she decides to try and repair their relationship. Unfortunately, her boyfriend (who is dealing with anger management issues) doesn’t trust her pop, causing friction for all. The press was uniformly negative about the movie. In fact, it has yet to receive a positive review. They stated that despite its best efforts, the movie was passionless and provided nothing more than another series of dull and uninteresting fights between the central characters. It stars Josephine Langford, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Arielle Kebbel, Mira Sorvino and Chance Perdomo.
APEX – An ex-cop is framed for a crime he didn’t commit and given an extended prison sentence. He is approached by a mysterious organization and told that he will be freed if he agrees to participate in a strange game called Apex. The protagonist is taken to a remote island and chased like an animal by six heavily armed hunters who want to kill him. Thankfully, the lead’s special skills allow him to start turning the tables on his pursuers. This action picture was also panned by every critic who saw it. Everyone called the movie a mundane, tedious and predictable effort. They noted that borrowed heavily from movies like The Most Dangerous Game, The Running Man and Hard Target, but failed to measure up to all of its predecessors. The cast includes Bruce Willis, Neal McDonough, Corey William Large and Lochlyn Munro.
CATWOMAN: HUNTED – The latest animated DC superhero feature for older viewers details the adventures of Batman villainess Catwoman. After deciding to steal a priceless jewel, her plan runs into major difficulties. She finds herself being pursued by not only Batwoman and Interpol, but an organized criminal network determined to eliminate the thief and take the valuable item for themselves. This picture hasn’t been reviewed by many prior to its debut on disc and on streaming platforms. Still, a couple of early write-ups have appeared online and generally seem positive. They call it a fun caper that benefits from a different visual aesthetic and a more humorous tone. The voice cast includes Elizabeth Gillies, Stephanie Beatriz, Lauren Cohan, Kelly Hu, Jonathan Banks, Keith David, Kirby Howell-Baptiste and Jonathan Frakes.
ENCANTO – This animated family musical from Disney follows a member of very unique Columbian family. The entire group live in a place called the Encanto and are gifted with incredible powers when they are young. That is, all except the film’s protagonist, who was not given an amazing gift during her special day. She tries to find her purpose and help her relations after all the magic begins draining itself from the household. Along the way, the lead discovers hidden secrets about her family. Response towards this feature was very upbeat. A tiny percentage complained that the story felt underwhelming and that many of the jokes fell flat. However, the majority thought the film was an entertaining and gorgeously animated treat that featured great songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Stephanie Beatriz, María Cecilia Botero, John Leguizamo, Mauro Castillo, Jessica Darrow and Angie Cepeda provide the voices. Check out a full review of the title here.
FRANCE – A celebrity journalist desperate for ratings success struggles to keep her personal and professional life in order. After getting into her car and hitting a man on the streets of Paris, public attention suddenly focuses on her. She must contend with the fallout, as well as panic attacks and bouts of hysteria. This foreign-language feature is said to be a satire of the television news and the manner in which stories and information is presented to the public. The movie received more positive notices than negative ones in this part of the world. Those who disliked it called the story unfocused and unclear, also believing that the rapid shift in tones from comedy to serious drama didn’t work. Slightly more thought that it hit its target and was a very edgy and funny takedown of news and media reporting. It features Léa Seydoux, Blanche Gardin and Benjamin Biolay.
THE HATING GAME – Based on a bestselling book, this romantic comedy involves a young woman working as an assistant for a CEO at a large publishing company. Unfortunately, she sits next to another assistant who will scheme and do anything to rise to the top. She despises him and when a new position opens, the two are forced to compete for the job using very different methods. But as they go head-to-head, they find themselves becoming more and more attracted to each other. Reaction was more upbeat than downcast for this feature. About one third of write-ups either thought the film was forgettable fluff or railed against the chauvinism and corny jokes its subject inspired. Still, the consensus was that the two leads had lots of onscreen chemistry and the screenplay was sharp and engaging. Lucy Hale, Austin Stowell, Damon Daunno, Sakina Jaffrey and Corbin Bernsen headline the film.
JOSEE, THE TIGER AND THE FISH – Anime fans may be interested in this Japanese animated film about a university student hoping to become an ocean biologist. One day while in between classes, he has an unexpected encounter with a glowering and demanding young girl confined to a wheelchair. The student ends up taking a part time job assisting the youngster. An unusual friendship forms as two push each other to take risks and reach for their dreams. The film earned praise from every critic who saw it. All of them called the movie an unexpectedly sweet and heartfelt lowkey charmer that was beautifully animated. They also complemented its well developed and believable characters. This release contains both the original Japanese version with English subtitles and an English-language dubbed edition.
KING RICHARD – This biopic tells the story of Richard Williams, father to tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams. Using his own self-devised plan, the Los Angeles resident pushes his daughters to succeed and achieve their goals of becoming the best players in the world. Along the way, they must deal with numerous obstacles, including disinterested coaches and a system designed to prevent them from succeeding. The press was very positive about the movie. Almost every reviewer was impressed by the lead actor. A small number of reviews did comment that the story appeared to be cliched, inauthentic and tailored to the family (who produced the movie). Still, all others were taken with what they saw and did believe that it would also make audiences consider the positives and negatives of micromanaging youngsters. It stars Will Smith, Aunjanue Ellis, Jon Bernthal, Saniyya Sidney, Demi Singleton and Tony Goldwyn. A full review of the feature can be seen here.
LIVE OR LET DIE – Zombie movie fans can check out this low-budget genre film from Germany. It begins with humans on the brink of extinction and the undead roaming the streets. Two survivors with very different personalities team up to follow a map that may lead to a sanctuary. But as they travel through the ruins of civilization, it soon becomes clear that the living may be even more dangerous than the monsters stumbling around them. The movie hasn’t been seen by many on this side of the world, but it did screen at a couple of festivals where it was nominated for various awards (and even snagged one). Additionally, it impressed US distributor Shout! Factory enough to pick up the North American rights, all of which suggest that the movie may have a few good moments. The cast includes Jan Bohlenschmidt and Manuel Urbaneck.
MISS WILLOUGHBY AND THE HAUNTED BOOKSHOP – This tale revolves around a British woman who was orphaned as a child and raised by a retired US Marine. After inheriting an enormous estate and family fortune, she becomes an expert in ancient combat and world history. However, she ultimately chooses to become a detective. When a family friend asks her to investigate a series of hauntings at their antique bookshop, the lady uses her remarkable abilities to find out exactly what is occurring at the store. It seems like this feature is an attempt to create a new sleuth in the mold of characters like Miss Fisher and Frankie Drake. You’ll be hard pressed to find anyone in North America who has seen this UK mystery film. So, interested parties will have to take a chance without knowing any further details about the project. It is only being released on DVD and features Nathalie Cox and Kelsey Grammer.
RESIDENT EVIL: WELCOME TO RACCOON CITY – After six Resident Evil movies, the franchise has been rebooted with this completely new take on the video game property. The title location is home to a pharmaceutical giant known as the Umbrella Corporation. A youngster living at an orphanage runs away after discovering the company is using children for their experiments. She returns as an adult and teams up with a rookie cop to confront her past – but as it turns out, the town has already become overrun with zombies. The latest edition didn’t fare any better with the press than previous films. A small group thought the movie would please fans of the game and series and suggested that it offered some amusing zombie mayhem. However, the vast majority said the weak script let the cast down, resulting in a fairly routine and unmemorable horror flick. It stars Kaya Scodelario, Robbie Amell, Hannah John-Kamen, Tom Hopper, Donal Logue and Neal McDonough.
BLASTS FROM THE PAST!
If you’re looking for some high-definition upgrades of older features, you’re in luck. This week, there are a great many coming your way. A few months ago, Arrow Video released a phenomenal and elaborate “Limited Edition” Blu-ray of the stylish fantasy Legend (1985), starring Tom Cruise, Mia Sara and Tim Curry. They are now putting out a 2-disc “Standard Edition” Blu-ray that contains both the theatrical and director’s cut of the movie. It comes with most of the same extras (the book and other printed materials included in the original package are omitted from this edition). Even without the extra stuff, the discs will likely more-than-satisfy anyone excited about picking up the movie.
Kino have some interesting Blu-rays as well. The first is a remake of 12 Angry Men (1997) from director William Friedkin (The French Connection, The Exorcist, To Live and Die in L.A.). This made-for-TV adaptation won a couple of Primetime Emmys and has an impressive cast that includes Jack Lemmon, George C. Scott, Hume Cronyn, Ossie Davis, Courtney B. Vance, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Dorian Harewood, James Gandolfini, Tony Danza, Mykelti Williamson, Edward James Olmos, William Petersen and Mary McDonnell. The disc also includes a trailer.
The Antichrist (1974) is an Italian movie about a woman who has visions of a past life in which she is accused of being a witch. The film has been given a 4K restoration and comes with a featurette on the director/co-writer and the composer, Ennio Morricone. You’ll also get a film historian commentary and plenty of promotional materials. If you enjoy Spaghetti Westerns, Kino also have God’s Gun (1976) aka A Bullet from God with Lee Van Cleef. The feature has been given a new 2K master and comes with a film expert commentary and a trailer.
Additionally, they are releasing a double-feature Blu-ray of Princess Tam Tam (1934) and Zou Zou (1935), two musicals starring legendary performer Josephine Baker. Apparently, the American-born, French entertainer was forbidden from taking starring roles in US features because of her race, so she ultimately accepted an offer to take the leads in these French productions. The disc includes three documentary shorts on Baker, an exhibition of rare posters and art featuring the star, a 1928 short with the star and even more bonuses.
They also have a 4K Ultra HD disc of the classic Some Like It Hot (1959), starring Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis and Marilyn Monroe. The disc comes with a new film historian commentary, a second track featuring clips of some of the behind-the-scenes and onscreen talent, as well as a second Blu-ray with a making-of, a retrospective and many more extras. Those who are interested in this title should be warned that it does not contain a Blu-ray of the movie and that you will need a fancy 4K Ultra HD set-up to watch the film.
Shout! have Blu-rays on the way too. The first is a “Collector’s Edition” of the Hammer Films chiller, Paranoiac (1963). It’s about a man who causes havoc after he arrives at an estate and claims to be the lost son of a recently deceased socialite. Oliver Reed plays a supporting role in the movie. It arrives with various film historian commentaries and interviews, as well as a making-of and press materials.
Summer School (1987) is a flick that may ring a bell in the mind of many who rented a lot of comedies on VHS as a kid in the 1980s. It stars Mark Harmon as a high school gym teacher who gets assigned to care for a group of quirky teenage misfits over the summer. This Blu-ray comes with an interview with cast member Richard Steven Horvitz, an archived commentary with director Carl Reiner and Mark Harmon, a featurette on the movie, a yearbook, a trailer and a photo gallery.
You can also pick up The Flag of Iron (1980) on Blu-ray from 88 Films. It’s a martial arts feature from the Shaw Brothers Studio and arrives with an English and Mandarin soundtrack (featuring English subttiles), as well as a commentary track.
Miller’s Crossing (1990) is a great gangster film from the Coen Brothers (Fargo, No Country for Old Men) and Criterion are giving it a spiffy new upgrade. The movie itself has been given a 2K restoration. This Blu-ray also includes an interview with the author of the source material and the Coen Brothers about film noir. There are new discussions with members of the cast and crew, archival interviews with the cast and plenty more. Sounds like it will certainly please anyone who enjoys titles from the filmmakers.
Dark Force have Blu-rays of the New York indie flick, Blank Generation (1980), about a journalist on the beat who falls for a musician while trying to secure an interview with Andy Warhol. Warhol himself actually appears in the feature. Ride the Hot Wind (1971) is a biker film with Duke Kelly. The disc includes a trailer.
Low-budget production house Full Moon Features have a pair of Blu-rays containing family-friendly features. Remote (1993) is about a whiz-kid who gets into trouble after building several remote-controlled inventions for his science class. Dragonworld (1994) is about a kid who travels to Scotland and makes friends with a mystical dragon.
The multiple award-winner La La Land (2016) is getting an upgrade from Lionsgate. They have a 4K Ultra HD / Blu-ray Steelbook that presents the film with improved picture quality and plenty of the previously released extras from other editions. This special package is a Best Buy Exclusive, so you’ll only be able to get it from that store.
If you’re looking for Blu-rays of quirky genre pictures, Mondo Macarbo have you covered. Hiruko the Goblin (1991) is a Japanese feature about a monster from Hell assigned to collect human heads. A local archeology professor is tasked with stopping the creature. The Laughing Woman (1969) is an Italian flick about a psychopath who kidnaps and tortures women. And School of Death (1975) features a very nasty headmistress tormenting her students. This Spanish feature is debuting on Blu-ray. All of the films have been given picture restorations and come with a bevy of bonus features.
MVD Marquee have some great Blu-rays as well. The first is a double-feature set including Baja (1995) and Amnesia (1997). Both are thrillers starring actresses who first appeared in the popular teen drama, The Breakfast Club. The first title features Molly Ringwald and Ally Sheedy takes on the lead role in the second flick. Trailers for both features are also included. Additionally, the company has a Blu-ray of Digging to China (1997), a drama about a ten-year-old living with an alcoholic mother who plots to run away from home. The cast includes Evan Rachel Wood, Kevin Bacon, Mary Stuart Masterson and Cathy Moriarty.
Genre fans can pick up Ghostriders (1987) aka Ghost Riders on Blu-ray. This flick involves a gang of outlaws who come back from the grave to terrorize the descendant of the man who had them hanged. It arrives with a commentary featuring the writer/co-producer and cinematographer/co-producer, as well as a documentary on the feature, a reissue trailer, promotional materials and more.
Liar’s Moon (1982) is a drama featuring an early lead role for Matt Dillon (Rumble Fish, There’s Something About Mary, Drugstore Cowboy, Crash and many more). It’s about a teen from the wrong side of the tracks who falls for a girl from a wealthy family. When their parents forbid them from dating, they decide to elope. This impressive disc includes the film, along with a documentary on the movie that is longer than the feature itself. It also features interviews with most of the film’s crew. There is also a segment on the music, an alternate ending to the flick and a trailer. Read a full review of the Blu-ray right here.
Paramount are releasing a number of catalog title on Blu-ray at reasonable prices, including 13 Hours! The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2016) and the Federico Fellini classic, La Dolce Vita (1960). Pictured below and to the right, they are also presenting the Chevy Chase / Goldie Hawn comedy/thriller Foul Play (1978) for the first time ever on Blu-ray. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014) is also appearing at a discounted rate. And you can pick up Murder on the Orient Express (1974), an all-star adaptation of the Agatha Christie novel that has never been available on Blu-ray before.
The studio is also presenting Star Trek: The Original 4-Movie Collection, which is a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray box set. Considering that the original cast appeared in the first 6 movies, who knows why they decided to stop after the first four and chose against presenting the last two features in the box? Maybe they ran out of time and couldn’t get to films five and six. Oh well, at least you can now pick these ones up with improved picture quality.
Privilege (1967) is arriving on Blu-ray courtesy of Scorpion. It’s about a pop star with great influence on the masses. Eventually, viewers learn that he is a puppet being controlled by government-backed handlers to manipulate the public. The disc has a film expert commentary and trailers.
Severin is presenting a Blu-ray of Don’t Go in the House (1980). It’s a horror movie in which, presumably, a group of kids ignore the advice given by the film’s title and enter a house they shouldn’t, before being slaughtered by a psychopath. This movie has a notorious reputation for its onscreen violence and the distributor are pleased to be presenting it uncut and fully remastered. It also comes other cuts including an alternate TV edition. There are multiple audio commentaries and more interviews and features than can possibly be listed here.
Sony have decided to release the Spider-Man Trilogy in 4K Ultra HD. It contains all three movies starring Tobey Maguire that were directed by Sam Raimi and made between 2003 and 2007. Naturally, the image quality will be vastly improved, but fans should beware that the set doesn’t include regular Blu-rays of the new transfer, so you must have a special 4K Ultra HD setup to watch them.
Troma are a little B-movie studio out of New York who have been producing cult flicks for decades. While The Toxic Avenger is likely their most famous film, one of the other big ones from back in the day was Surf Nazis Must Die (1987). They are now putting this title out on Blu-ray. The story revolves around an earthquake leaves the California coastline in ruins and reduces the beaches to a state of chaos. A group of neo-Nazis take charge, murdering many innocent people, including an African-American oil-worker. Furious, his mother sets out to get revenge and wipe the Neo-Nazis out. The disc includes an introduction from studio head Lloyd Kaufman, an interview with the director, a discussion with the producer, deleted scenes, a podcast about the movie, promotional materials, as well as several other bonuses and featurettes about the movie and Troma.
Universal also have some discounted Blu-ray titles being rereleases. You can purchase Atomic Blonde (2017), BlacKkKLansman (2018), Blockers (2018) and Darkest Hour (2017) in high definition. And they have Happy Death Day 2U (2019), Harry and the Hendersons (1987), the Jimmy Stewart classic, Harvey (1950), as well as the Liam Neeson picture Non-Stop (2014) all at reasonable rates.
Finally, Warner Archive are releasing Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933) as a made-to-order Blu-ray. It’s a musical and comedy about a famous Broadway producer hiring unknown writers and performers for his next production. They eventually learn that he has no money to put on the show and must find a way to get themselves discovered. You can order it through Amazon.
YOU KNOW, FOR KIDS!
If you’re looking for something for the kids, you’ll have to travel back in time and pick up some oldies.
Dragonworld (1994)
Harry and the Hendersons (1987)
Remote (1993)
ON THE TUBE!
And here are the TV-themed releases coming your way.
Ghosts: Season 1
Hallmark 2-Movie Collection: A Little Daytime Drama & Love, For Real (Hallmark Channel) DVD
Last Man Standing: Season 9
Stargirl: Season 2