The holidays may be here, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t plenty of new features arriving on Blu-ray and DVD. In fact, it’s time for another look at some of the highlights coming your way. So, if you can’t make it out to the movies this week, be sure to give one of these titles a try!
Big New Releases!
Amazing Grace – Using footage recording in 1972 of Aretha Franklin performing songs at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles from her best-selling gospel album, this documentary records incredible footage of the artist at the top of her game. Viewers witness her vocal chops and learn more about the legendary talent. The press appeared to be similarly blown away by what they saw. Only one complained that the movie didn’t focus on the right elements. All others stated that discovering this previously lost footage (from an unfinished documentary) was a revelation and stood as one of the best concert films ever captured on camera.
Angel Has Fallen – The third chapter in this action trilogy follows the events of Olympus Has Fallen and London Has Fallen. This time out, heroic Secret Service agent Mike Banning is framed for an assassination plot on the President. With his employer in a coma and both criminal and government agents looking to take him down, the lead must prove his innocence and save the day. Critics weren’t all that enamored with this effort. About a third called it a decent action movie bolstered by some good action. Still, most suggested that this was an uneventful thriller with nothing new and noted that viewers wouldn’t remember anything ten minutes after it ended. It stars Gerard Butler, Morgan Freeman, Jada Pinkett Smith, Lance Reddick, Time Blake Nelson, Piper Perabo and Nick Nolte. To read this site’s review, click here.
Another Version of You – This independent feature is a fantasy/comedy about a man who still fosters a crush for his childhood sweetheart. When she decides to tie the know with another man, the lead men a strange and fantastic figure who offers him a unique opportunity… to find another version of the woman he loves from a parallel universe. However, this gift comes with plenty of unexpected consequences. This feature has played a few festivals back in 2018 under the title Other Versions of You, but there aren’t any write-ups for it. Curious viewers will have to take this trip without knowing what they’re in for. The cast includes Kristopher Wente, C.J. Perry, Sara Antonio and Miroslav Barnyashev.
Christmas Survival – We’re already being bombarded with holiday-themed releases on Blu-ray and DVD and this week sees yet another. Also knows as Surviving Christmas with the Relatives, this movie is a comedy from the UK about two sisters and their families who are forced to spend Christmas at their late parents’ dilapidated country home. Chaos follows as sibling rivalries and personal issues heat up. Response towards the picture was incredibly negative. There currently aren’t any positive write-ups. The consensus is that while the cast are talented, the overall effect is generic, bland, and the movie simply doesn’t deliver the required laughs. Gemma Whelan, Julian Overden, Joely Richardson and Michael Landes headline the feature.
Don’t Let Go – A policeman’s sister, brother-in-law and niece die suddenly in seems to be a murder. Devasted, the lead begins receiving frantic phone calls from his deceased niece, who appears to be calling from a time when she was still alive. This sends the protagonist on a strange and surreal search to try and change the horrible events that has transpired. The press gave this thriller mixed reviews. A small grouping called the story absurd, but described it an engaging and energetic effort with solid work from the lead performer. More complained that despite some interesting elements, the story didn’t make much sense and fell apart as it stumbled forward. It stars David Oyelowo, Storm Reid, Mykelti Williamson and Alfred Molina.
Mary – In this independent horror effort, a blue-collar captain heads out to an auction and buys an abandoned ship. After taking it on the sea with his family, he realizes what a bad idea it all was. Strange and terrifying events begin plaguing the clan, causing them to turn on one another and question their own sanity. The even begin to believe that an evil force out at sea may be behind their troubles. Critics really hated this picture, almost uniformly panning it. All of them wrote that while the movie looked well-produced, the story was a wreck filled with clichés and provided little in the way of thrills or suspense. The cast includes Gary Oldman, Emily Mortimer, Jennifer Esposito, Stefanie Scott and Owen Teague.
Stay Out Stay Alive – Five young hikers head out into a redwood forest and come upon a mine in the wilderness that dates back to the Gold Rush. Well, more like one of them falls through a hole and ends up in a mine. Anyway, they set camp up and decide to investigate, hoping to find some riches. Unfortunately, the group begin seeing ghostly activity and start acting strangely, becoming greedy and turning on each other as the tale progresses. This little horror flick is debuting on disc and hasn’t been screened for anyone as of yet. As such, one should exercise caution around this one. It features Barbara Crampton, William Romano-Pugh, Brandon Wardle, Sage Mears, Christina July Kim and Brie Mattson.
Use Me – An aspiring documentary filmmaker meets a young woman whom he decides to use as a subject for a film. She works as a woman who humiliates men for money. Alas, she appears to be very good at her job, as the director starts to find himself pulling manipulated and pulled into her unusual and potentially dangerous world. This small indie feature earned a lot of good notices at film festivals. While one or two write-ups suggested that it only worked as a mockumentary and struggled to make an impression otherwise, the consensus was that the writing was sharper than anticipated and the movie offered some surprises and good performances. Ceara Lynch, Julian Shaw and Jazlyn Yoder headline the film.
Where’d You Go, Bernadette – Based on the bestselling book by Maria Sample, this comedy follows a mom who begins to reconnect with her creative juices after sacrificing her life for many years to her husband and family. After numerous troubles and conflicts arise at home, she decides to step away and disappears, leaving her relatives to try and find her and come to a resolution about what should follow. This picture split the press. About half thought that it didn’t match the source material, oversimplifying the events and resolving things to quickly. Just as many commented that while uneven, the movie was interesting and feature a complex and fascinating protagonist. It stars Cate Blanchett, Billy Crudup, Kristin Wiig, Emma Nelson, James Uraniak and Judy Greer.
Blasts from the Past!
It’s an incredibly busy week for older films receiving high definition upgrades. Arrow Video are getting it all off to a great start with a new “Limited Edition” Blu-ray of the brilliant action classic, Robocop (1987). The film is about a nice guy cop who is brutally wounded in the line of duty and repurposed as a cyborg cop. While that may sound like any other low-budget genre picture, this film is much sharper, featuring fantastic action and undercurrents and satire flowing throughout that address private companies and the what happens when an employee is essentially turned into a corporate product. It’s one of the best movies of its era, and the new package certainly adds treats its as such.
The release comes in a box and contains both the unrated and R-rated versions of the film scanned in 4K from the original camera negative. You’ll get an audio commentary with director Paul Verhoeven (The 4th Man, Total Recall, Starship Troopers) along with two new tracks, one from a film historian and the other with fans. The release includes a new interview with co-writer Michael Miner, and another recent talk with the other co-writer, Ed Neumeier. There are also new discussions with co-star Nancy Allen, as well as the casting director and the second unit director. You’ll also get featurettes on the visual effects, Basil Paledouris’s memorable score, a look at the props used, a 2017 Q&A with the director, writers and stars of the picture, as well as every archival special feature from every previously released version. This is the perfect package for a perfect action film. Click here to read all about the movie in detail.
Going My Way, starring Bing Crosby, was the highest grossing film of 1944 and earned its star an Academy Award. This week, Oliver Films is presenting the sequel, The Bells of St. Mary’s (1945) as a Signature Release Blu-ray. The follow-up follows the same unconventional priest from the original as he attempts to help save and help an inner-city school (and sing a few songs as he does so). In addition to improved picture quality for its hi-def premiere, this disc includes a film critic essay on the picture. Want to know more about it? You’ll be able click a link here shortly for a full review of the release.
Shout! Factory are delivering a couple of interesting titles as well. First up is a “Collector’s Edition” Blu-ray of Dracula (1979), Frank Langella’s take on the classic Bram Stoker character. Believe it or not, when this title arrived on disc previously, the color was intentionally desaturated, which raised the ire of many a fan. This film finally presents that version of the feature along with a new 4K scan of the original theatrical color timing (which has never before been available on the format). You’ll get plenty of new extras including introductions on both versions from director John Badham (Saturday Night Fever, Wargames), an interview with the filmmaker, the writer, the camera assistant, the editor, the make-up artist, the hair stylist, the assistant director, and the production manager. You’ll also get a new film historian audio track, a Dracula featurette and publicity materials. Sounds great!
They also have the amusingly cheesy eco-horror pic, Prophecy (1979), about a killer mutant bear attacking the Pacific Northwest. The Blu-ray arrives with new interviews with co-stars Talia Shire and Robert Foxworth, as well as with the film’s writer, special effects team and a mime artist (who no doubt taught the actor who played the beast how to move). It also comes with plenty of publicity materials and should provide entertainment for monster movie aficionados.
Kino have a variety of titles hitting Blu-ray this week. They include the French animated feature, Ava of Yop City (2013) and the screwball Preston Sturges comedy, Christmas in July (1940). The second title listed arrives with a new 4K remaster, a film historian audio commentary and trailers. They are also putting out The Holly and the Ivy (1952), a heart-warming holiday drama from the UK. It has the same special features of a historian commentary and trailers. The distributor also has something more recent in the form of Mr. Wrong (1996), a poorly received comedy starring Ellen DeGeneres and Bill Pullman. I guess everyone can new find out if it’s still as bad as they remember.
Criterion have two classics coming to Blu-ray. All About Eve (1950) is about a Broadway legend who discovers that she’s being used by an up and coming starlet. It stars Bette Davis. The film has been given a 4K digital restoration and comes with two audio commentaries, a feature-length documentary about the director, episodes of The Dick Cavett Show from 1969 and 1980 with the cast, an interview with a costume historian about the duds in this movie, a 2001 documentary about the making of the film, a radio adaptation of the picture from 1951 and promotion for the title featuring Davis.
They also have a second Bette Davis title, Now, Voyager (1942), a romance about a young woman who tries to break free from her mother’s grip while on a South American cruise with her parent. The movie has gotten a new, restored 4K digital transfer and comes with a 1971 episode of The Dick Cavett show featuring Davis, a film expert scene-select commentary, interviews with the costume historian, two radio adaptations from 1943 and 1946 and more.
If B-movies are more to your liking, Film Detective are delivering the amusingly bad caveman on the rampage flick Eegah(1962) as a Blu-ray Special Edition. In addition to the movie, the release includes the Mystery Science Theater episode featuring the flic and an interview with star Arch Hall Jr..
Vinegar Syndrome have a Blu-ray box set called The Angel Collection (1984 – 1988) which includes a trilogy of trashy action films about a high school student who is a prostitute at night and ends up hunting down a serial killer. All three titles in the series have been given new restorations.
The same studio has a Special Edition Blu-ray of Tammy and the T-Rex (1994) with Denise Richards, Paul Walker and giant killer dinosaur (who is possessed by the soul of Walker’s character). The movie has been given the 4K treatment and includes that crisp high definition version along with a second Blu-ray of the feature. It includes the original PG-13 and much gorier R-rated versions of the film. For those interested, you’ll be able to find the titles on the Synapse company website.
I’ll be honest and say that I completely missed the Japanese animated feature Nutcracker Fantasy (1979) during its original release. It presents the story of a girl who finds herself transported into a magical realm with living toys. Discotek Media are releasing this title on Blu-ray and presenting both the Japanese version with English subtitles and the English dub with a remarkable voice cast that includes Michele Lee, Melissa Gilbert, Christopher Lee, Roddy McDowell and Eva Gabor
Distrib Films are putting out the French drama Olivia (1951) in high definition. And ClassicFlix are about to make available the comedy, Out of the Blue (1947). It’s about a mild-mannered married man who innocently befriends a woman while his wife is out of town. When she passes out at his home, he thinks she might have died and tries to cover up the incident to avoid trouble, but finds his actions get him in even further over his head. It arrives with trailers for other releases from the company.
And Warner Archive are putting out a made-to-order Blu-ray of the Virginia May/Robert Stack adventure flick, Great Day in the Morning (1956) which can be ordered through their website or on Amazon (if it’s in stock).
You Know, For Kids!
Here are some kid friendly releases coming out this week.
Nutcracker Fantasy (1979)
The Pink Panther Cartoon Collection: Volume 6 (1978 – 1980)
On the Tube!
And here are some TV-themed highlights arriving on store shelves.
American Masters: N. Scott Momaday: Words from a Bear (PBS)
Blindspot: Season 4
Coincoin and the Extra Humans (French TV mini-series)
Line of Duty: Series 1 – 5 Collection
London Kills: Series 2
Masterpiece: The Chaperone (PBS)
Mystery Science Theater 3000: Season 12 – The Gauntlet
The Pink Panther Cartoon Collection: Volume 6 (1978 – 1980)
The Returned: Season 2
Wild Metropolis (PBS)