Welcome back to another look at some of the highlights arriving on Blu-ray and DVD. It’s a busy edition filled with all sorts of features both big and small in just about every genre imaginable. So, if you can’t or shouldn’t head out to the movies the week, be sure to give one of these titles a try!
BIG NEW RELEASES!
AMERICAN REJECT – A contestant on a popular singing competition show has her dreams shattered when she gets eliminated. Even worse, her contract with the program states that a camera crew gets to follow her around as she returns home to live with her mother. It’s a humiliating experience and with no prospects on the horizon, the lead decides to participate in a local Easter Spectacular. An unexpected series of events offer new hope for the depressed individual. There aren’t many write-ups for this independent picture, but it has won awards at various festivals and received decent reviews from those who saw it. They called it a sweet redemption story that provides a few chuckles. It stars Kathleen Elizabeth Monteleone, Annaleigh Ashford, Keala Settle, Mary Birdsong, Rebecca Black and Billy Ray Cyrus.
ASKING FOR IT – After a waitress is assaulted on a date, she meets other women who have had similar experiences. They form a group and decide to create a vigilante squad. Immediately, they begin delivering justice to powerful men who have abused women and used their influence to get away with the crimes. The press generally didn’t care for this revenge thriller. A few liked the cast and enjoyed the premise enough to give it a recommendation. Unfortunately, everyone else critiqued the writing, saying the characters weren’t well developed and that the story was clumsy and heavy-handed. They also had an issue with the jumpy editing, saying it took them out of the story. This feature is a DVD-only release. The cast includes Kiersey Clemons, Vanessa Hudgens, Alexandra Shipp, Ezra Miler, Gabourey Sidibe and Radha Mitchell.
BLACKLIGHT – A freelance government fixer with a gift for rescuing agents whose cover is blown gets in over his head in this action/thriller. While on the job, he discovers a strange and secret program that targets and eliminates ordinary citizens. Even worse, he learns that his boss has a connection to the operation. The protagonist teams with a journalist to seek out the truth, but the pair soon find themselves being hunted by the outfit. Critics didn’t care for this picture. One or two thought that the lead performance was compelling enough to keep them watching and called the flick an amusing throwback to conspiracy thrillers from the 1970s. However, all others commented that the film was silly, unmemorable and also noted the approach to the material was too similar to other recent titles featuring the lead actor. Liam Neeson, Aidan Quinn, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Taylor John Smith and Yael Stone headline the feature.
CONSTANTINE: THE HOUSE OF MYSTERY – As many readers will already know, Warner Bros. have spent the last few years releasing numerous animated superhero adventures based on DC characters. Many of them are R-rated, including this week’s effort. The disc contains a collection of shorts, including one featuring the character of Constantine. In it, he wakes up with amnesia in the title location and is attacked by foes, before reawakening in the same place. As the scenario repeats over and over, he must find his way to stop it from repeating and escape to safety. You’ll also get tales featuring characters like Kamandi, Blue Beetle, Captain Storm and many others. This sampling of animated shorts appears to be making its debut on disc, so there aren’t any write-ups of it available. The voice cast includes Matt Ryan, Camilla Loddington, Ray Chase and Lou Diamond Phillips.
GAGARINE – This foreign-language film from France follows a teenager named after famed Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarine. Like his hero, the youngster aspires to fly into orbit one day. When his housing project is scheduled for demolition, the lead is inspired to try something wild and crazy in order to save his home and the people in it, as well as make himself a better life. Notices were excellent for this little feature and it won awards at European film festivals. There were only a few didn’t care for it… they wrote that the movie ultimately veered too far into the lead’s imagination for its own good. Everyone else thought it was a sad but powerful film with incredible cinematography. They were also taken by how the main character uses his imagination to try and escape his real problems. It features Alseni Bathily, Lyna Khoudri, Jamil McCraven and Finnegan Oldfield.
KING OTTO – Soccer enthusiasts may be interested in checking out this documentary about German coach ‘King” Otto Rehhagel. The figure earned many titles and accolades in his homeland, but this film focuses on his time as head coach of the Greek national team. In 2004, he led them into the UEFA European Championship. The team had previously never won a game in any major competition, but they went on an incredible and unexpected run through the tournament, ultimately winning the final. This film tells the story of what happened and tries to inform audiences on why it occurred. Write-ups were positive for this non-fiction effort. A few complained that they weren’t impressed with the subject’s boasting and said movie didn’t deliver much interesting history about the man. However, the consensus was that the feature was engaging and fun documentary that told an inspirational underdog story.
MARTYRS LANE – A 10-year-old girl has a lot of problems to deal with in this UK horror flick. She lives in a large but creepy old domicile with her family and her mother doesn’t pay attention to her. Even worse, the girl begins being visited by a frightening ghost who presents cryptic information about her family. This movie was picked up by the streaming service Shudder and is now being given a physical DVD-only release. Reviewers and genre critics raved about the picture. Only a couple of articles were negative, complaining the movie took too long to get going and really deliver the scares. All others said that the lead performances by the two children were exceptional. Additionally, they wrote that the feature was tense and had more layers beneath the surface than other genre titles. It stars Kiera Thompson, Denise Gough, Sienna Sayer, Steven Cree and Hannah Rae.
MR. JONES – Based on real events, this drama is set in the 1930s. It follows British journalist Gareth Jones, who travelled into the Soviet Union to write a story on life in the country. While there, he uncovers a conspiracy to cover up a horrific famine that is killing millions of citizens. The lead tries to get his story out to the media around the world, but finds his life being threatened by officials trying to hide the truth (remarkably, his reports would inspire George Orwell to write the classic novella Animal Farm). Members of the press gave this European co-production high marks. A small number believed that the filmmakers had trouble condensing and focusing the story, lessening its impact. Still, the consensus was that it told an incredible and engaging chronicle of events that would make viewers realize the power of having a free press. James Norton, Vanessa Kirby, Peter Sarsgaard and Joseph Mawle headline the movie.
THE OUTFIT – Who knew that being a tailor could get one into so much danger? This thriller follows one expert clothier in Chicago whose clientele consists almost exclusively of gangsters. One night, two killers arrive at his shop, asking the protagonist for an unusual favor. The lead is suddenly thrust into a deadly game of deception and murder that could end up also getting him and his staff liquidated. It seems that critics had a very good time with this picture. A small number who didn’t like it stated that the movie felt like a stage play and was overwritten. Yet the vast majority loved all the performances and the twisty story. They commented that it harkened back to an earlier era of thrillers and called it an absolute blast, summing that it was a great ft for fans of crime pictures. The cast includes Mark Rylance, Dylan O’Brien, Zoey Deutch, Johnny Flynn, Nikki Amuka-Bird and Simon Russell Beale.
TOM CLANCY’S WITHOUT REMORSE – An elite Navy SEAL seeks revenge after a squad of Russian soldiers, in retaliation for his role in a secret mission, assassinate his pregnant wife. Grief stricken and furious, the protagonist teams up with a fellow SEAL and an FBI agent to track down those responsible. In doing so, he also discovers a deeper scheme that may start a war between the US and Russia. The feature received more negative write-ups than positive ones. Almost half suggested that the movie provided solid action and was predictable but entertaining. Slightly more stated the film was generic, the characters underwritten and that it delivered nothing more than a collection of overly familiar spy tropes. It stars Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Bel, Guy Pearch, Jodie Turner-Smith, Lauren London and Brett Gelman.
TURNING RED – The latest animated feature from Pixar Studios (Soul, Coco, Up, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, Toy Story) follows a 13-year-old girl dealing with overprotective parents. If that wasn’t enough trouble, she then learns that when she gets overly excited, she turns into a giant red panda. This causes a great deal of strife in her life as she tries to figure out what to do about her unusual gift. Write-ups were very upbeat for this family feature. A tiny fraction though some of the film’s themes were a bit muddled and that the movie wasn’t as powerful as the studio’s other efforts. Yet the overwhelming majority said the awkwardness experienced by the title character was very relatable, the positive messages were effective and that the flick worked as a fun and good-natured coming-of-age story. The voice-cast includes Rosalie Chiang, Sandra Oh, Ava Morse, Hyein Park, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Orion Lee and James Hong. To read a full review of the movie, click here.
BLASTS FROM THE PAST!
It’s a quieter week for older titles receiving high-definition upgrades, but there are a few noteworthy titles arriving for purchase. If you’re a fan of movies about conversing equines, then you’ll thrilled with the Francis the Talking Mule 7-Film Collection from Kino. For those unfamiliar with the character, Francis is an intelligent and quick-witted Army mule who decides to help out a naïve GI with various problems he encounters in life (both in service and back at home). The Blu-ray set contains the original Francis (1950), Francis Goes to the Races (1951), Francis Goes to West Point (1952), Francis Covers the Big Town (1953), Francis Joins the WACS (1954), Francis in the Navy (1955) and Francis in the Haunted House (1956). New 2K masters were used for the transfers of all films onto Blu-ray. Film historian commentaries are present on most of the films and you’ll also get trailers for these titles.
If dramas are more to your liking, you can pick up the Italian feature Sacco & Vanzetti (1971). Based on a true story, it tells the story of two immigrants in the US who were unfairly arrested and charged with a murder and mugging they didn’t commit… simply because of their unusual political beliefs. This Blu-ray contains both the English and Italian audio tracks. It also includes a commentary by filmmaker and movie historian Alex Cox (Repo Man, Sid and Nancy, Walker), as well as a trailer.
Paramount are presenting the William Holden/Audrey Hepburn romantic comedy Paris When It Sizzles (1964). It’s about a struggling screenwriter with writer’s block who hires an assistant to act out some of his story ideas in order to find out if they will work on the big screen. The two find themselves enjoying their make-believe scenarios so much that they begin to fall in love. It arrives on Blu-ray with a trailer.
Finally, Universal are presenting the action/comedy Smokin’ Aces (2006) as a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray combo. The story follows two FBI agents assigned to protect a sleazy entertainer from various assassins after he agrees to testify against a powerful mobster. The release includes multiple commentaries with the director and cast and crew, deleted and extended scenes, a featurette on the stunts and many more extras. You can also pick this release up in Steelbook packaging (which is a Best Buy Exclusive).
YOU KNOW, FOR KIDS!
Here are some titles that may be of interest to kids.
Francis the Talking Mule 7-Film Collection (Kino) Blu-ray
Sprinter Galore: Season 3 DVD
ON THE TUBE!
And you’ll a list of all the week’s TV-themed releases below.
Beverly Lewis’ The Reckoning (Hallmark Channel) DVD
The Good Fight: Season 5 (CBS) DVD
The Larkins: Series 1 DVD
NATURE: American Horses (PBS) DVD
Silk Hope (1999 TV-movie) (Questar) DVD
Sprinter Galore: Season 3 DVD
Traces: Year 2 (BBC) DVD
The Wedding Veil (Hallmark Channel) Blu-ray