Welcome to yet another look at some of the latest Blu-rays and DVDs coming your way. It’s a busy week filled with high profile Hollywood fare, independents and some titles perfect for Halloween. So, if you can’t or shouldn’t be heading out to the movies just yet, be sure to give one of these titles a try!
BIG NEW RELEASES!
DEATH OF NINTENDO – While this movie’s title might lead one to assume it is a documentary about the Nintendo video game system, this is actually a coming-of-age comedy set in the Philippines during the early 1990s. The story follows a group of teenagers who spend a summer playing Nintendo together and talking about the opposite sex, as well as discussing their own hopes and dreams for the future. The press really enjoyed the picture and gave it uniformly positive reviews. They thought that the four young leads were all excellent and suggested their growing pains were relatable as they amusingly attempt to navigate a path into adulthood. Overall, reviewers called the film sweet and endearing. The cast includes Noel Comia Jr., Agot Isidro, Moi Marcampo, John Vincent Servilla and Mailes Kanapi.
DON’T BREATHE 2 – This sequel to the surprise 2016 horror hit is set eight years after the original, which followed a group of home invaders being picked off by a blind and violent veteran. The sightless figure lives off the grid in an isolated cabin with a young girl whom he discovered and raised. Soon, viewers learn that she is the daughter of a drug dealer. When the criminal is released from prison and learns what happened to his child, he decides to find her, leading to a confrontation between the two parties. This follow-up features a new director and critics weren’t nearly as impressed with the final product. A group did find the lead character easier to root for as the protagonist and thought the movie offered some tense moments. Still, more found the new approach odd and complained that the story wasn’t as inventive or thrilling as its predecessor. It stars Stephen Lang, Madelyn Grace, Brendan Sexton III and Adam Young.
FOR MADMEN ONLY – Also known as For Madmen Only: The Stories of Del Close, this documentary tells the life story of a legendary improv figure. Del Close was a stand-up comic who developed new improvisation techniques and lived a wild and self-destructive lifestyle. Despite his personal issues, he was a mentor to everyone from Bill Murray to Tina Fey and appeared in numerous films over the course of his life. A series of strange, bizarre and troubling stories about the man and his days in show business are relayed through interviews with many famous celebrities whom he worked with and inspired. Reaction was upbeat towards this picture. One or two thought that the many famous people featured overwhelmed the picture and drew the focus away from its subject. However, everyone else called it an entertaining, fascinating and bittersweet eulogy to a talented figure.
KID CANDIDATE – Another documentary arriving this week follows young musician Hayden Pedigo. While living in Amarillo, Texas, he becomes interested in politics and decides to run for city council. He ultimately fashions a spoof campaign video that goes viral. Filmmakers follow Pedigo as he deals with sudden fame and popularity during his run for office. Reviews for this feature were generally positive. A contingent did suggest that while the story itself was interesting, the documentarians didn’t really fashion a dynamic film about their subject, leaving many questions unanswered and only providing a general overview of what occurred. Still, the majority thought that it was an interesting film that could inspire young people to take a stand and promote change in their communities.
MALNI: TOWARDS THE OCEAN, TOWARDS THE SHORE – The third documentary arriving this week details the Chinookan people in the Pacific Northwest. Filmmakers follow two individuals from the group as they make a lengthy trek through forests and nature from their homes to the ocean. Along the way, viewers learn about Chinookan beliefs and their relationship with nature. The subjects also contemplate afterlife, rebirth and death. Reaction was very positive towards this feature. In fact, there haven’t been any negative reviews for the feature as of yet. All wrote that it effectively combined interesting discussions and experimental techniques to help viewers understand the Chinookan, their motivations and how their lives are intrinsically intertwined with the natural world.
ON THE ROCKS – A woman who fears that her husband may be having an affair tells her fears to her eccentric father. She expects him to calm her and tell her that she is misinterpreting things, but the parent actually makes the protagonist doubt her spouse even more. The two decide to secretly investigate her husband over the next several days, following him around town. This comedy from Apple TV+ was a critical success last year and garnered award nominations from various outlets. However, the movie was only available via the streaming service. They’ve now decided to finally release it on Blu-ray and DVD. A few did find the movie to be too playful and thought it suffered from a lack of dramatic tension. However, consensus on the movie suggested that it dealt with its subject matter in an intriguing way and benefitted from some fantastic performances. It stars Bill Murray, Rashida Jones, Marlon Wayans, Jessica Henwick and Jenny Slate. Read a full review of the movie here.
SHIT & CHAMPAGNE – Low-budget exploitation flicks are the inspiration for this independent comedy. It involves a divorcee and exotic dancer named Champagne Horowitz Jones Dickerson White. When her fiancé and half-sister are murdered by a sinister sex, drug and back-to-school clothing ring, the protagonist decides to go undercover and get revenge. This movie has premiered last month on Apple TV+ and Amazon and is now debuting on disc. There haven’t been many write-ups for it so far, but the ones that have appeared online have been upbeat. They say that it definitely feels inspired by the work of filmmakers like John Waters and delivers enough cheesy and intentionally trashy moments to earn it a recommendation. The cast includes D’Arcy Drollinger, Matthew Martin and Seton Brown.
STILLWATER – An American roughneck working on an oil rig decides to visit Marseilles, France. Viewers learn that his estranged daughter is imprisoned there, having been prosecuted for the murder of her girlfriend. The parent becomes determined to try and help find evidence that will prove his daughter’s innocence. However, he gets himself into more and more trouble as he struggles to communicate with French locals. This drama earned a lot of praise, although there was also a segment of reviewers who disliked the film. About one quarter of them found the story frustrating to watch and didn’t like the direction that events took as they progressed. However, everyone else thought the movie took some unexpected and compelling turns. They also complimented the writing as sharp and called the cast performances superb. It features Matt Damon, Camille Cottin and Abigail Breslin. Read a review of the picture here.
THE SUICIDE SQUAD – The 2016 film adaptation of DC comic book Suicide Squad followed a group of super-villains taking on a suicide mission to reduce their prison sentences. This follow-up introduces several new characters (as well as a few returnees from the first picture) as they take on a bigger and more dangerous foes on a remote, enemy-infused island. In order to survive, they must take down their assigned targets and avoid killing each other. Critics reacted more positively to this feature than to the previous film. There were some reviewers who commented that the gross-out humor was hit-and-miss and that the characters weren’t relatable or likable enough to keep them engaged. However, most appreciated what they saw, describing the movie as a wild and bloody adventure that shocked and amused in equal measure. The cast includes Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, John Cena, Joel Kinnaman, Michael Rooker, Viola Davis, Nathan Fillion and more.
WARNING – This science-fiction picture is set in the future and features a series of vignettes with intertwining characters. Among the many featured, there’s a janitor working on a space satellite, a beat-up old robot finding difficulty gaining employment, as well as a company who allows customers to purchase time in the mind of another person. Notices were mixed-negative towards this independent feature. Close to half of the write-ups said that the screenplay was flawed but ambitious and that some of the individual stories still made an impression. Slightly more complained that it was pretentious, muddled and that the various segments didn’t interconnect or come together in a meaningful manner. Thomas Jane, Tomasz Kot, Antonia Garrn, Rupert Everett, Alice Eve, Alex Pettyfer and Richard Pettyfer headline the movie.
BLASTS FROM THE PAST!
It’s another busy week for anyone seeking out some high-definition upgrades of older features. Arrow Video are presenting a “Limited Edition” 4K Ultra HD upgrade of the Italian horror classic, Deep Red (1975). It’s about a musician who witnesses a murder and becomes a target of the killer himself as he tries to figure out who is responsible. The 4K Ultra HD version includes both the Italian and export versions of the film with limited edition packaging and all extras from previously released versions. You can also pick up a regular Blu-ray version with the improved picture quality, but it doesn’t have any notable extras.
Arrow also have the Blu-ray box set Giallo Essentials, which includes the three Italian thrillers, The Possessed (1968), The Fifth Cord (1971) and The Pajama Girl Case (1978). It contains new 2K restorations of each film and arrives with all the extras from previous editions like commentaries, cast and crew interviews, video essays and publicity materials. The last film in the set also has some new features like a film critic commentary and discussions with the editor and a cast member.
Shout! Factory are delivering the Japanese animated feature A Letter to Momo (2011) on Blu-ray. A lonely young girl moves to an island after the death of her father, only to befriend strange and comical creatures living in the home. This disc arrives with a making-of, trailers and TV spots.
Nothing But Trouble (1991) is a bizarre comedy with Chevy Chase, Demi Moore, John Candy and Dan Aykroyd (who also served as writer and director) about a stock market trader and a coworker who end up trapped in a town with a corrupt and monstrous looking judge. The movie tanked when it first hit cinemas, but has built a following over the years through home video and frequent airings on cable. This Blu-ray comes with new interviews with Aykroyd, co-star Bertila Damas, the production designer, the costume designer and the music producer, as well as a pop culture historian commentary track and plenty of publicity materials.
Many readers will already be familiar with the Vestron line, which delivers high quality Blu-ray versions of several titles that the independent distributor put out decades ago on VHS. This week, they are presenting the post-apocalyptic Patrick Swayze action flick, Steel Dawn (1987). Expect a low-budget knock-off of Mad Max with more fist fights than car chases and you’ll be on the right track. This “Collector’s Edition” comes with a director commentary, a discussion with the screenwriter, an interview with the director of photography and a talk with the production designer. Additionally, the disc includes an archival featurette, a still gallery and a trailer.
Looking for more? Kino also have plenty of Blu-rays worth checking out. They include The Cheat (1931), a Pre-Code era drama about an impulsive gambler. For those unfamiliar with Pre-Code features, they arrived before there was a rating system in the US and were less conservative in dealing with social issues. This release includes a film critic commentary and a trailer. The company also has Devil and the Deep (1932), another Pre-Code melodrama about a cop who believes his wife is cheating on him. It features Cary Grant and Gary Cooper. This disc includes the same extras as the previous title. The company has more features from this era, including another Cary Grant effort, Hot Saturday (1932), as well as Torch Singer (1933) with Claudette Colbert. She plays a singer who has an illegitimate child and tries to juggle her responsibilities while performing at nightclubs. Bonuses are the same as for previous releases.
Kino are also putting out a Blu-ray of the Michael J. Fox comedy, For Love or Money (1993). The star plays a concierge trying to rope an investor in on a business opportunity, but finds the situation complicated when he falls for the girlfriend of a wealthy financier. It arrives with a film expert commentary and a trailer. And they are releasing a Blu-ray of The Pursuit of D.B. Cooper (1981). This is a take on the famous real-life 1971 heist about a man who parachuted out of an airliner with $200,000 dollars and disappeared. The picture stars Treat Williams and Robert Duvall and the disc includes a screenwriter commentary, TV spots and a trailer.
Criterion are putting out Devi (1960) aka The Goddess on Blu-ray. It’s an Indian drama a young woman who is deemed a real goddess by family members and the complications that follow. The disc includes a 4K restoration of the film, a 2013 program featuring interviews with some of the cast and a video essay on the movie.
If you enjoy the work of Ralph Bakshi (Wizards, American Pop, Cool World), Scorpion are releasing two of his most popular adult-themed animated efforts on Blu-ray. Fritz the Cat (1972) is a satire on the swinging 60’s, with a talking, sex-obsessed cat as its protagonist. This disc includes a commentary track with artist/historian Stephen Bissette and author G. Michael Dobbs, as well as a trailer. And you can pick up a copy of the sequel, The Nine Lives of Fritz the Cat (1974), in which the title character is now married an ruminates on missed opportunities in his life.
Severin have some intriguing genre films as well arriving on Blu-ray. They include An Angel for Satan (1966) and Beyond Darkness (1990). Additionally, they are putting out a double feature disc called Franco Noir. It includes Riffifi in the City (1963) and Death Whistles the Blues (1964), both directed by Jess Franco. All of these titles arrive with new restorations and bonus features.
This week’s highlight from this distributor is a new 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and CD set of Blood for Dracula (1974). Produced and presented by Andy Warhol, this notable cult film features an aging Dracula searching for new victims in Italy. Things get strange and spicy after he arrives at a crumbling estate filled with incestuous lesbians and a Marxist servant. In addition to the new transfer, the disc includes numerous interviews with the cast and crew (including stars Udo Kier and Joe Dallesandro), a visit to the movie’s locations, as swell as the entire soundtrack on CD.
Vinegar Syndrome have a bunch of extras-packed Blu-rays of independent genre pictures. They include Blades (1989), Devil Story (1986) and Shallow Grave (1984). Perhaps most notably, they have the hard-to-find cult comedy, Six-String Samurai (1998), about the adventures of a samurai musician in a post-apocalyptic Nevada. It arrives in an impressive 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray package with bonuses.
Ticks (1993) is also being released in a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray set. This cult flick features a group of troubled teenagers in L.A. being sent camping by social workers. They bond after being attacked in the woods by monstrous ticks. It stars Ami Dolenz, Seth Green, Alfonso Ribeiro, Peter Scolari and Clint Howard. The movie has been out-of-print for a long time and likely comes with plenty of extra material. You’ll find it available for purchase through the Vinegar Syndrome website.
Fans of musician/filmmaker Rob Zombie can pick up one of his more recent horror features, 31 (2016). This film is being released through Lionsgate as a Target Exclusive Steelbook Blu-ray. The distributor also has the teen thriller, Megan is Missing (2011), which involves a teen who meets some disturbing figures while chatting online.
The Film Detective are putting out a Blu-ray of The Amazing Mr. X (1948). It’s a well-regarded, atmospheric creeper about a spiritualist who preys on the gullible, but soon finds his own life in peril. The movie has received a 4K restoration for its release and arrives with a film professor commentary, a documentary about movies featuring mediums and an essay.
Enjoy watching vampires fight werewolves, or just appreciate Kate Beckinsale? Sony are releasing a “Limited Edition” Underworld box set, which contains all five movies in the fantasy/action franchise which were put out between 2003 and 2016. The titles are being presented on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray.
Warner Brothers have decided to give one of their most critically and commercially successful franchises an upgrade. They are presenting The Lord of the Rings: The Movie Picture Trilogy Expanded Editions Remastered, which pretty much explains all you need to know about the product. It’s the 2001, 2002 and 2003 Academy Award-winning Peter Jackson adaptions with all the same bonuses plus newly improved picture quality.
And Warner Archive have a stack of made-to-order Blu-rays coming your way. You can order the classic British chiller Children of the Damned (1964), as well as the John Barrymore/Jean Harlow drama, Dinner at Eight (1933). They also have the UK horror picture Eye of the Devil (1966) with David Niven. And those looking for more melodrama can pick up Mary Stevens, MD (1933). Finally, slasher fans will be happy to see the slasher Killer Party (1986) arriving on Blu-ray. All of these titles can be purchased through Amazon.
YOU KNOW, FOR KIDS!
Here are some titles that may appeal to children.
The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius: The Complete Series (Nickelodeon)
Superman: The Complete Animated Series (1996 – 2000) Blu-ray
ON THE TUBE!
And you’ll find all of the TV-themed releases listed below.
The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius: The Complete Series (Nickelodeon)
Charmed: Season 6 – Blu-ray
Charmed: Season 7 – Blu-ray
Christmas Cookies (Hallmark TV-movie) – DVD
Gomorrah: Season 1
The Heart Guy: Series 5 – DVD
The Incredible Hulk: The Complete Series – Blu-ray
Serengetti II (BBC) – Blu-ray
Star Trek: The Complete Original Series – Blu-ray
Superman: The Complete Animated Series (1996 – 2000) – Blu-ray The Twilight Zone: The Complete Series – Blu-ray reissue