Welcome to another look at highlights arriving on Blu-ray and DVD. With Thanksgiving arriving, this edition isn’t quite overly packed, but it does include a couple of high-profile titles and some interesting independent fare. So, if you can’t make it out to the movies this week or need to stay indoors, be sure to give one of these titles a try!
BIG NEW RELEASES!
BROS – A 40-year-old gay man who has never been in love meets a man and begins to want to take his romantic life seriously. However, the protagonist is insecure and doesn’t want to get his hopes up, leading to plenty of humor and complications as they attempt to begin a relationship. Promo materials describe the film as the first romantic comedy from a major studio about two gay men. Critics were very amused by the picture. A small contingent did complain that the film felt self-congratulatory and didn’t make them laugh as much as they hoped for. Regardless, the vast majority said that while it wasn’t perfect, there were some big laughs and a few unique twists on rom-com tropes. The movie stars Billy Eichner, Luke MacFarlane, Guy Branum, Miss Lawrence, Ts Madison, Jim Rash, Monica Raymund and Debra Messing.
THE DEAD GIRL IN APARTMENT 03 – A young woman living in New York City with a new roommate gets a shock when she discovers her cohabitant dead. Police arrive and investigate symbols left under a bed, but can’t determine exactly how the person passed away. Soon after, the lead finds herself being haunted by the ghost of the deceased and must figure out exactly what happened to her. There aren’t many reviews for this independent, low-budget feature and those that have appeared online haven’t been upbeat. They seem to complement the work of the main actress, but suggest the movie is slow moving and doesn’t deliver any scares. One reviewer wrote that the film was barely finished before being reworked and pieced together by another filmmaker. Laura Dooling, Adrienne King and Frank Wihbey headline the feature.
THE GOOD HOUSE – Those in the mood for more romantic comedies can try this effort. It’s about a New England realtor and descendant of the Salem witches. She avoids being friendly or getting personally involved with anyone, but finds her closed-off existence challenged after her high school sweetheart returns from New York City. Things click between the two and it forces the woman to deal with her family history and the potential of having a new partner. The press generally enjoyed this picture, which is based on a popular novel. One-quarter of reviews commented that the movie didn’t live up to the original book and had trouble juggling tones. Still, most praised the two leads, calling them charismatic and charming. They also stated that it successfully mixed laughs and drama in equal measure. It features Sigourney Weaver, Kevin Kline, Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney and David Rasche.
HATCHING – This Finnish genre picture follows a 12-year-old aspiring gymnast who lives a seemingly picture-perfect life in the suburbs. However, behind the scenes things aren’t so rosy, particularly with her narcissistic, media-obsessed mother. The child finds an abandoned bird egg near her home and decides to take it home and help it hatch. What appears is something quite disturbing, but the two youngsters form a close and potentially dangerous bond. Response towards this foreign-language effort was excellent. There were only a couple of naysayers who couldn’t connect with the family or root for any of the characters. Everyone else thought it was beautifully made and successfully combined family drama with monster movie mayhem. The cast includes Siiri Solalinna, Sophia Heikkilä and Jani Volanen.
HOLD ME TIGHT – Here’s another international effort vying for your attention. It’s a drama from France about a married woman who suddenly runs away from her family. Viewers witness her adventures on the road and attempt to get a sense of why she left, along with moments with her abandoned husband attempting to take care of their kids. Apparently, all is explained and clarified by the time the credits roll. Write-ups were strong for this drama. A handful of reviews found the movie cold and wanted more fire and passion from the story and characters. Regardless, the general consensus was that the feature was unique, included exceptional performances and managed to deliver a powerful character study of how unexpected events can alter behavior. It stars Vicky Krieps, Arieh Worthalter, Anne-Sophie Bowen-Chatet and Sacha Ardilly.
LIGHTING UP THE STARS – This effort from China involves a funeral director with a criminal record who uses sneaky and ethically questionable tricks to drum up business for himself. After maneuvering and taking over preparations for an elderly deceased woman, he accidentally crosses paths with the late woman’s granddaughter. At first, the child pesters and infuriates the lead, but as he spends more time with the kid, a bond grows and his tough exterior begins to break down. Not many members of the North American press have seen this movie yet, but it was nominated for and won some awards in its homeland. The few who did catch the film admired it. They called the cast likable and the end product sweet and funny. Yilong Zhu, Enyou Yang and Ge Wang headline the picture.
MEAD – A sinister admiral who wants to take over the galaxy creates a sentient and powerful AI spaceship named MEAD. Unfortunately for the villain, the ship decides not to comply with its creator’s demands. Instead, it goes on the run and is chased across the galaxy by the man who made the ship, as well as bounty hunters and military forces. In order to evade capture or destruction, MEAD has to use its wits to fool those chasing it. Based on a comic book from the 1970s, this live-action, independent science-fiction feature hasn’t been seen by many and looks to be debuting on disc. A handful of notices did pop up online and have been reasonably positive. They suggest that while the low-budget hurts the movie, it has plenty of heart and is a decent adaptation of the source material. Patton Oswalt provides the voice of the ship and the cast includes Samuel Hunt, Robert Picardo, Patrick Warburton and Lillie Young.
MEDUSA – This Brazilian chiller follows a group of female evangelical broadcasters who sing songs about purity, devotion and love. It turns out to be something of a lie, as they all harbor a violent side that appears at night. It seems they go out as a masked vigilante gang and attack anyone whom they believe to be a sinner. After one of their own members is injured, the wounded person finds herself cut off from the group. Realizing that their actions are horrendous, she sets out to stop the remaining members before they do more harm. Critics enjoyed the movie greatly. A small number thought that things went off the rails after a great first act and that it ultimately limped to the finish line. Still, the majority called the film visually striking that effectively demonstrated how well-intentioned individuals can succumb and commit awful atrocities. Marie Oliveira takes on the lead role.
PENNYWISE: THE STORY OF IT – Are any readers big fans of the Stephen King book It and the original 1990 television mini-series adaptation of the novel? If so, then this is the documentary for you. It provides an exhaustive look at the making-of the hit program and includes interviews with many members of the cast and crew. They all share their memories of working on the project and how it all came together. So far, every horror movie critic has raved about this doc. All of them called it essential viewing and wrote that they discovered new information about the mini-series and its difficult production. They also appreciated its examination of the impact that it had on many viewers. Interview subjects include director Tommy Lee Wallace, stars Tim Curry, Richard Thomas, Seth Green, Emily Perkins and many more.
BLASTS FROM THE PAST!
If you’re looking for something a little older, there is plenty available for purchase as well. Big World Pictures is putting out a Blu-ray of the Turkish drama Distant (2002). It’s about a country boy who moves to the big city to stay with his older cousin (a photographer obsessed with cleanliness). This disc comes with a making-of, as well as Cannes coverage of the movie and a video essay on the title.
Blue Underground released a fantastic and elaborate 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray of the time-travel/science-fiction film The Final Countdown (1980) several months ago. Now, a “Standard Edition” is arriving that includes only the 4K Ultra HD disc and no additional material.
Cauldron Film is making a Blu-ray available of the violent Italian action film Contraband (1980) starring Fabio Testi and directed by Lucio Fulci (The Beyond, Zombie). The plot involves a gang war between cigarette smugglers and cocaine dealers. You’ll get a 4K scan of the film from the original camera negative transferred to Blu-ray, new and archival interviews with cast and crew, a film historian audio commentary and tons of publicity materials.
And Murder in a Blue World (1973) is arriving from the same distributor. It’s a Spanish science-fiction crime drama about a nurse who murders young men at night. The movie has been given a 2K restoration and comes with a critic commentary, a video essay on the movie, an image gallery and more.
Criterion is delivering a couple of big titles this week. The first is Malcolm X (1992) from director Spike Lee (Do the Right Thing, BlacKkKlansman). The film is being put out as a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray set or alone on Blu-ray. Denzel Washington plays the title figure in this biopic, which details Malcolm X’s rise as a voice for the black rights movement. Washington earned an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of the icon. The disc includes a 4K restoration of the film by cinematographer Ernest Dickerson, a 2005 commentary featuring Lee and crew members. It also comes with new director and crew member interviews, a making-of program, a 1972 feature-length documentary on Malcom X, deleted scenes, a trailer and an essay on the movie.
The second is the Pixar animated effort WALL-E (2008), about a waste-collecting little robot who ends up going on an interstellar adventure. This film is arriving on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray and comes with new programs on those who made the movie. And it comes with another segment that details their cinematic influences, more than a dozen documentaries about how the feature was made, two audio commentaries, deleted scenes, short films and much, much more.
Kino is releasing a 2K restoration of The Blood Beast Terror (1967) with Peter Cushing. It arrives with a film historian commentary, a trailer and a special slipcase.
Additionally, you can pick up the Clint Eastwood western High Plains Drifter (1973) in a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray package. Eastwood plays a gunman hired by a town to protect them against three outlaws. This edition includes the film with the highest possible picture quality, multiple audio commentaries on the movie from film experts, as well as tons of archival interviews with cast members and publicity materials.
They also are presenting the underrated superhero comedy Mystery Men (1999) as a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray set. This is an entertaining effort about a group of ragtag individuals with limited powers who are thrust into the spotlight after the city’s most beloved superhero is vanquished by a powerful villain. It stars Ben Stiller, Hank Azaria, William H. Macy, Janeane Garofalo, Kel Mitchell, Paul Reubens, Wes Studi, Greg Kinnear, Geoffrey Rush, Lena Olin, Eddie Izzard, Tom Waits and Claire Forlani. Besides the upgraded picture, you will get all of the extensive extras from earlier releases, including deleted scenes, a commentary and more.
Media Blasters is giving the quirky Japanese horror film Exte: Hair Extensions (2007) the Blu-ray treatment. It’s about exactly what you might think – possessed hair extensions that attack their owners. This disc arrives with the Japanese and English audio tracks, a behind-the-scenes featurette, deleted scenes and a trailer.
MVD Visual is delivering some impressive Blu-rays as well. They have 5-25-77 (2007), about a young man who is inspired to become a filmmaker after seeing Star Wars on the big screen. This tale is based on the director’s real experiences and comes with an audio commentary, a Q&A session, trailers and photo galleries.
You can also pick up Melvin Van Peebles’s Panther (1995) which tells the story of the Black Panther party during the 1960s. No bonuses have been announced for the Blu-ray as of this writing.
Additionally, the comedy Ski Patrol (1990) is appearing on Blu-ray. The members of the heroic safety team have to rescue a resort from being bought by a saboteur/greedy developer. It features a large cast with some familiar faces like George Lopez, Martin Mull and Paul Feig, who is now a film director (perhaps most famous for Bridesmaids). The release includes trailers, reversible artwork, a collectible mini-poster and more.
Paramount is putting out Gambit (2012), It Started in Naples (1960) and My Friend Irma (1949) on Blu-ray. Additionally, Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987) with Steve Martin and John Candy is appearing as a 4K Ultra HD only release. Sadly, this edition does not contain a Blu-ray of the film (but at least you can still buy a regular Blu-ray separately).
The French crime features One Hundred Steps (2000) and The Scent of the Night (1998) is coming to Blu-ray courtesy of Raro Video US. It doesn’t appear that the discs feature any extras.
Shout! Factory is proud to present a huge title this week (at least, a grand one for genre film fans). The Company of Wolves (1984) is a psychologically-themed retelling of the fable Little Red Riding Hood from director Neil Jordan (Mona Lisa, The Crying Game, Interview with the Vampire, In Dreams, Byzantium, Greta). The distributor is debuting the title on disc in North America as a Collector’s Edition with the film presented in 4K Ultra HD as well as Blu-ray. Bonuses include a new audio commentary with the producer and two actors in the film, an archived commentary with Jordan, as well as recent discussions with cast members and the score composer. You’ll also get publicity materials. Looking forward to picking this one up myself.
Also available from the distributor is a Blu-ray of the English drama, A Kind of Loving (1962). The movie was the first title from director John Schlesinger (Midnight Cowboy, Marathon Man) has been restored in 2K and comes with a featurette on this era of British movies, a short from the filmmaker, an interview with Schlesinger and more.
You can also purchase Rollerball (1975) from the company as a 4K Ultra HD only release. It is set in a future where violent sports are commonplace and follows the exploits of an athlete (played by James Caan).
Sony Pictures Classics: 30th Anniversary Collection 4K Ultra HD is a box set with a series of films for those who have a 4K set-up (no Blu-rays are included). This elaborate package contains excellent titles like Orlando (1992), The City of Lost Children (1995), The Celluloid Closet (1995), Run Lola Run (1998), SLC Punk! (1998), Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), The Devil’s Backbone (2001), Volver (2005), Synecdoche, New York (2008), Still Alice (2014) and Call Me by Your Name (2017).
Universal is focusing on upgrading animated catalog films this week. Puss in Boots (2011) is being given a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray release. The same is true for the popular family sequel, Shrek 2 (2004).
And VCI is presenting the cult horror classic Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things (1973) in a special 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray package. You’ll get all of the bonuses from earlier versions plus a bright and shiny new picture. The story involves a group of theater students who decide to visit a quiet island cabin to work on their play – they end up accidentally raising the dead and being attacked by zombies. It marked the debut feature from director Bob Clark (Black Christmas, Porky’s, A Christmas Story) and is an effective no-budget creeper that has made a lasting impact with genre film enthusiasts.
Finally, Well Go USA is presenting Ip Man (2008) and Ip Man 2 (2010) with Donnie Yen in 4K Ultra HD. You’ll get a vastly improved picture, just be warned that regular Blu-rays are not included in this release.
YOU KNOW, FOR KIDS!
Here are some titles that may appeal to kids.
MEAD (Vision Films) Blu-ray
Puss in Boots (2011) (Universal) 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray
Shrek 2 (2004) (Universal) 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray
WALL-E (2008) (Criterion) 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray
ON THE TUBE!
And you’ll find the latest TV-themed releases listed below.
Justified: The Complete Series (Sony) Blu-ray
The Librarians: Ultimate Collection Complete Series and TV-Movies (Electric Ent) DVD
Night Gallery: Season 3 (Kino) Blu-ray
The Peacemaker: Season 1 (Warner Bros) Blu-ray
Rising Against Asian Hate – One Day in March (PBS) DVD
That ’70s Show: The Complete Series Remastered in HD (Mill Creek) DVD