It’s time for another look at some of the highlights arriving on Blu-ray and DVD. This edition includes a nice mix of studio features and independent efforts. 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!
AIR – Based on the true story, this film involves a new executive at Nike who turns heads after watching NBA rookie Micheal Jordan play basketball. Certain that the athlete will become famous, the businessman offers the fresh face an expensive contract. With everyone ready to lambaste the pair, Jordan becomes an immediate success on the court and the two create Air Jordan sneakers. Critics enjoyed this sports drama. A small contingent complained that the movie was slight and only served to boost the Nike brand and Michael Jordan. However, the majority wrote that it was well-paced and acted, had a lot of heart and served as an enjoyable inspirational tale. The film is directed by Ben Affleck and stars Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Jason Bateman, Viola Davis, Chris Messina, Marlon Wayans, Chris Tucker and Julius Tennon. Please note that those with an Amazon Prime subscription can also stream the feature on this service.
APORIA – A single mother struggles to cope after her husband is killed in a drunk-driving accident. Now having to deal with her own grief as well as that of her teenage daughter, as well as a full-time job, pressure begins to mount. When her late spouse’s best friend and former physicist visits, he tells her that he has invented a time-bending machine that could bring her husband back. The protagonist must decide whether to reverse time and consider the ramifications of such an act. The press reacted favorably towards this independent science-fiction drama. A handful commented that the story delivered nothing new and ultimately came to a predictable conclusion. But the majority complimented the performances. They also called the film thoughtful and stated that it did an admirable job of raising interesting questions about its subject. The cast includes Judy Greer, Edi Gathegi, Peyman Maadi and Faithe Herman.
BETWEEN TWO WORLDS – In this foreign-language drama from France, an author sets out to write a novel about the exploitation of the working class. She does research by taking a job as a cleaner on a ferry. Very quickly, the writer makes friends with the staff and sees their personal and financial struggles firsthand. The lead begins to feel guilty about lying to them and ponders what will happen when the project is completed. Response was generally strong for this picture as well. One-quarter of reviewers didn’t think that the movie felt authentic and took issue with it focusing on a wealthy person rather than detailing the unfair system. Still, most wrote that the documentary-style look to the film made everything seem real and commented that it expertly showed issues that the working- class face every day. Juliette Binoche, Hélène Lambert and Louise Pociecka headline the title.
COBWEB – A young boy begins hearing a knocking from his walls while sleeping. He tells his parents, who insist that the sound isn’t real and that he is just having bad dreams. Of course, the child continues hearing the noises. Soon, he begins to suspect that his mother and father may be hiding dark secrets. He asks for help from a teacher, leading to a confrontation as the source of the sound is revealed. Response was mixed-positive towards this horror picture. Close to half suggested that the movie wasted a great concept with thinly-drawn characters that failed to give you much reason to care about them. Yet the majority noted that while the story had some cliches, it was extremely moody, atmospheric and did send plenty of chills down the spine. It features Lizzy Caplan, Woody Norman, Cleopatra Colema and Antony Starr.
CORNER OFFICE – A stiff and eccentric new employee at a strange corporation is determined to make his way up the ranks. When he discovers a hidden office that no one else can see, he decides to use it in order to plot his rise. After co-workers accuse him of being unstable, the protagonist eventually squares off against them as he attempts to leave his mark at the company. This dark comedy didn’t impress reviewers. Almost one-third of them liked the performances and thought the film was completely unique and quirky, keeping them intrigued throughout. Sadly, the rest found its critique of the corporate world too on-the-nose and the events repetitive and unexciting. For the time being, this is a DVD-only release. It stars Jon Hamm, Danny Pudi, Christopher Heyerdahl and Sarah Gadon.
FINAL CUT – This horror/comedy from France is a remake of a 2017 Japanese film called One Cut of the Dead that involves a director making a low-budget zombie picture. The filmmaker, the cast and the crew attempt to tell the story by staging it all in one single take with a moving camera. But when a strange virus is released and actually infects the cast and crew, actors begin turning into real zombies and the film takes a dark and realistic turn. This film, from Oscar-winning writer/director Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist), was generally well-received. Almost one-third of critics preferred the original title and wrote that this tale neither scared them nor made them laugh. Regardless, most thought it was a clever remake that improves as it progresses and effectively pokes fun at the moviemaking process. The cast includes Romain Duris, Bérénice Béjo, Matilda Anna Ingrid Lutz and Grégory Gadebois.
THE FURRY FORTUNE – Based on the 2007 D. Goode Morgan children’s book The Furry Fortune: The Dog Whose Fur Turns Into Money!, this independent adaptation follows a twin brother and sister upset that their parents are constantly at work. One day, they go for a walk with their dog, who jumps through a magic rainbow. When they arrive home, the animal begins shedding money. The kids use the funds to buy a variety of items, but a sinister neighbor sets out to kidnap the pet. This title premiered on streaming sites last month and barely received any reviews. A few have popped up online. One was complimentary, stating that the film offers good family values and a few laughs. Others stated that it is a horrible adaptation that looks cheap, is clumsily put together and is unnecessarily stretched out. This is currently a DVD-only release. It features Shane Hartline, Mo Allen, Juju Journey Brener, Mason Blomberg and Sean Whalen.
ISLAND ESCAPE – Dread Central is a horror news website that has been reporting on genre pictures since 2003. They have also begun producing low-budget chillers as well and releasing them on streaming platforms and on disc. This effort involves a military team told to visit a remote island in Canada and find the CEO’s daughter. When they arrive, they face undead, alternate versions of themselves and learn that there is a wormhole that resets time every three days. The band must complete the task and avoid being killed by alternate versions of themselves. This one has been available on streaming platforms for a month, but there are few reviews available. A handful of notices did suggest that the film is more polished than many independent low-budget efforts, but also commented that it is still overly ambitious and suffers from poor visual effects, weak characters and pacing issues. Chris Cimperman, Ariella Mastroianni and Micheal L. Parker headline the feature.
JOY RIDE – A young executive who arrived in the US as a Chinese adoptee is given a big break and is asked to travel to China and close a contract with a big client. She decides to take along her childhood best friend as a translator, who, in turn, invites her shy cousin. The lead also pays a visit to an old college chum. Things immediately go haywire for the friends and, in order to repair the damage, the protagonist must lead them on a quest to locate her birth mother and attend a follow-up meeting. This raunchy comedy met with a favorable response. A handful critiqued it for following the usual wild comedy route of simply trying to shock audiences, and then overdosing on sentimentality. Everyone else stated that while the story was familiar, the cast was charming and there were enough wild, surprising gags to make a positive impression. It stars Ashley Park, Stephanie Hsu, Sherry Cola, Sabrina Wu, David Denman and Annie Mumolo. Read a full review of the film by clicking this link.
KING ON SCREEN – Fans of horror author Stephen King may be excited to see this documentary. It reports that since the 1976 adaptation of the book Carrie, more than 80 King works have been translated to film and television. A documentary crew seeks to determine why the writer’s books are so popular and how he became the most adapted author in the world. It features interviews with dozens of directors and performers who have worked on various King-related projects. This effort received a positive reception, although not overwhelmingly so. About one-third thought it only provided fan service and had so much material to cover that it didn’t answer many of the questions raised. But the consensus was that it had some wonderful interviews and was an efficient overview of the many good and bad King adaptations that have come down the pipeline. Interview subjects include James Caan, Tim Curry, Frank Darabont, Mike Flanagan, Mick Garris, Taylor Hackford, Mark L. Lester, Vincenzo Natali and Greg Nicotero. This is a DVD-only release for the time being.
L’IMMENSITA – This Italian drama is set in Rome during the 1970s and neighborhoods are expanding out of the central core. A couple rents a new apartment on the outskirts of the city. They aren’t in love anymore, but their parental duties are keeping them busy and allowing them to avoid dealing with their flailing relationship. When one of their teenage children decides to identify as a boy, it brings all of their family issues to the surface. This foreign-language feature was generally well-received. There was a contingent that felt that while heartfelt, the characters felt one-dimensional and the presentation melodramatic. Still, most were impressed by the production design, look and style of the film, also calling it a sweet and compassionate drama. Penélope Cruz, Vincenzo Amato, Alvia Reale and Aurora Quattrocchi headline the film.
THE YEAR OF THE DOG – A loner and alcoholic learns that his mother is in hospice and only has a month to live. He decides to fulfill her dying wish by staying completely sober for 30 days before visiting her. Knowing that he likely won’t be able to accomplish the goal on his own, the lead’s AA sponsor decides to let the man stay at his farm. Once there, the protagonist befriends a rescue dog and grows close to it as he attempts to endure the process. This independent effort earned a lot of good press. Reviewers said that the small, sweet film manages to combine several elements perfectly. It has strong performances, beautiful cinematography and a rousing score that gets under the skin, making the film emotional and moving. The movie stars Rob Grabow, Micheal Spears and Jon Proudstar. For the time being, this is a DVD-only release.
BLASTS FROM THE PAST!
You can also pick up plenty of great older titles on Blu-ray this week. Arrow Video is presenting the remake of The Last House on the Left (2009) in a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray set. This disturbing effort follows two teenagers who are brutally attacked and assaulted by a group of criminals. When a storm hits, the gang takes refuge in the home of one of the parents. Once the adults discover what occurred, they seek revenge. The set includes the theatrical version in 4K and the unrated version on Blu-ray. Besides the sharper picture, extras include a director introduction, a film historian commentary, interviews with cast members, the screenwriter and producer, as well as featurettes from 2009, deleted scenes, a trailer and an image gallery. Click this link to read a full review of the release.
The Prodigal Son (1981) from co-writer/director Sammo Hung is also arriving on Blu-ray from Arrow. It involves a wealthy young man and martial arts enthusiast whose father pays other competitors to throw matches. When he starts a fight with a woman, she defeats him. Finally realizing his lack of skill, he asks the performer to train him. The movie is presented with a 2K restoration of both the theatrical and home release versions. It comes with two film expert commentary tracks, a talk with an expert in Wing Chun martial arts, archival featurettes with cast and crew from two different eras, trailers, a fold-out poster with original and newly commissioned art for the title, and an illustrated collector’s booklet. A disc review is available right here.
Arrow is also rereleasing some of their older Blu-ray titles that have been out-of-print, including the Standard Edition of C.H.U.D. (1984), Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (1988) Special Edition, Flowers in the Attic (1987) Special Edition, both the Hellraiser (1987) Special Edition and the Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988) Special Edition, as well as House II: The Second Story (1987) and the Special Edition of The Stuff (1985).
The Postman Fights Back (1982) is a Hong Kong period action flick arriving on Blu-ray from 88 Films. It involves a courier and three pals who end up being sent on a mission to deliver secret cargo to a rebel group. The film is directed by Ronnie Yu (The Bride with White Hair, Bride of Chucky) and features Chow Yun-Fat in a supporting role. Both the Hong Kong cut and export version are included with a 2K restoration. It comes with a Yu commentary, a movie expert commentary, cast and director interviews and the original Hong Kong trailer.
Walkabout (1971) is arriving in a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray set from Criterion. This Australia/UK co-production tells the story of two siblings who get lost in the Australian Outback and learn to survive by an Aboriginal boy. The extremely well-regarded film from Nicolas Roeg (Don’t Look Now, The Witches) arrives on disc with a 4K picture restoration, a commentary with director Roeg and star Jenny Agutter, interviews with Agutter and co-star Luc Roeg, a 2002 documentary on the life of co-star David Gulpilil and a trailer.
Fun City is releasing a double-feature Blu-ray called Fatal Femmes: Neige (1981)/The Bitch (1984). Both are stylish French films inspired by Film Noirs. They arrive with film historian commentary tracks, image galleries and a booklet with essays each title.
Death Game (1977) aka The Seducers is being put out on Blu-ray from Grindhouse Releasing. This feature stars Seymour Cassel as a family man who is seduced by two mysterious but sinister women (played by Sondra Locke and Colleen Camp) who show up at his door. The movie was considered lost for decades and is finally coming out in high definition with a 4K picture restoration. You’ll also see Eli Roth interview the director and co-star Camp, additional interviews with Locke and the production team, multiple audio commentaries (including one with Roth and Camp), a 24-page color booklet on the film with rare photos, extensive still galleries and much more. Sounds interesting!
Speaking of dark thrillers, Kino is presenting After Dark, My Sweet (1990) on Blu-ray. It’s about an ex-boxer who escapes from a psychiatric institution, only to get involved in an elaborate kidnapping plot. It stars Jason Patric, Rachel Ward and Bruce Dern. The disc delivers a 2K picture restoration, a director commentary, interviews with Patric and Dern, a trailer and a “limited edition” slipcase.
Patric also stars in The Beast (1988), a war movie after a Soviet tank unit in Afghanistan. When his commander turns violent and attacks a village, a soldier decides to rebel. He escapes and helps local forces fight back against the massive tank and commander. It comes with a trailer.
Lionsgate is delivering a series of Wal-Mart Exclusive Blu-ray Steelbook packages with new cover artwork. The first set contains Blu-rays of Rob Zombie’s Halloween (2007) & Halloween II (2009). The Leprechaun Collection includes 8 horror movies featuring the title character that were made between 1993 to 2018. Rob Zombie’s Firefly Trilogy has House of 1000 Corpses (2003), The Devil’s Rejects (2005) and 3 From Hell (2019). Additionally, the Saw Collection contains 8 titles including the first seven Saw movies, as well as Jigsaw, which were all released between 2004 and 2017. One assumes the Blu-ray disc contents will be the same as in the previous edition, just with new packaging.
MVD Visual is presenting a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray “Collector’s Edition” of Ghoulies (1984) (or you can just pick up a Blu-ray only edition). This independent horror feature was inspired by the massive success of Gremlins the same year and involves a young man who inherits an old mansion and then raises small, supernatural demons. Besides the picture upgrade, there are numerous extras like both a 2015 and 2016 commentary track recorded by the director, an introduction to the movie, a lengthy making-of, a discussion with the editor, interviews with cast members and tons of promotion material, as well as collectible mini-poster and tons of publicity materials.
If you’re looking for more, you can also purchase a “Collector’s Edition” Blu-ray of the follow-up, Ghoulies II (1988). It features an all-new human cast of characters who are attacked by the creature at a traveling carnival. The disc includes a 2K picture restoration, an introduction by the screenwriter, a making-of, a lengthy discussion with the producer, deleted scenes, stills, a trailer, 2-sided box artwork and a collectible mini-poster.
Paramount is releasing 4K Ultra HD editions of the Morgan Freeman/Ashley Judd thriller Kiss the Girls (1997) and the recent hit chiller Smile (2022) (which comes in Steelbook packaging).
The cult Italian thriller Magnum Cop (1978) is appearing on Blu-ray from RaroVideo U.S.. The story follows a private investigator working on a kidnapping case with help from an exotic dancer. It comes with an Italian language edition (with English subtitles) and an English dub. The bonus feature listed is a critic commentary track.
If you appreciate cheesy disaster movies, Shout! Factory is delivering a box set that will be right up your alley. The Irwin Allen: Master of Disaster Collection contains two theatrical releases and five TV-movies from the producer. You’ll get Flood (1976), Fire (1977), the big-budget sequel Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979), Hanging by a Thread (1979), the infamous cinematic flop When Time Ran Out… (1980), The Night the Bridge Fell Down (1980) and Cave-In! (1983), all of which feature a big cast of well-known actors dealing with horrible tragedies. All of these efforts are among the producer’s weakest efforts. They are incredibly hammy, but provide a great deal of laughs to those in the right frame of mind (even the Warner Bros. home video trailer for one of the films acknowledges its… poor quality). All the titles have been given 2K restorations. Beyond the Poseidon Adventure includes the extended TV cut (in standard definition) and When Time Ran Out also has an extended cut as well as deleted scenes. Promotional materials are also included on several of these titles.
Additionally, The Pack (1977) is also arriving on Blu-ray. This effort stars Joe Don Baker as a man trying to save the residents of an island that is overrun with a violent pack of hungry dogs. This over-the-top flick from Robert Clouse (Enter the Dragon, Black Belt Jones, Deadly Eyes) delivers the B-movie goods and should provide plenty of chills and fun for horror fans. It has been given a new 2K scan from the best surviving film elements and comes with a movie historian commentary, cast and crew interviews, as well as publicity materials.
Universal Pictures is releasing the sequel Kick-Ass 2 (2013) on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray, as well as a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray combo of the animated hit, Shrek the Third (2007).
Finally, the animated feature Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993) is being given a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray release from Warner Bros.. It follows the hero as he squares off against a vigilante who is murdering mobsters and framing Batman for the crimes. This title was a PG-rated spin-off of Batman: The Animated Series, the popular series broadcast on television between 1992 to 1995.
YOU KNOW, FOR KIDS!
You’ll find all the kid-friendly releases listed below.
The Furry Fortune (Vision Films) DVD
PBS Kids: 17 Puppy Adventures (PBS Kids) DVD
Shrek the Third (2007) (Universal) 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray set
ON THE TUBE!
Here are all of the week’s TV-themed titles.
Abbott Elementary: Season 2 (Warner Bros.) DVD
Buffalo Soldiers – Fighting on Two Fronts (PBS) DVD
Chicago P.D.: Season 10 (Universal) DVD
Cobra Kai: Season 5 (Sony) DVD
The Great American Recipe: Season 2 (PBS) DVD
PBS Kids: 17 Puppy Adventures (PBS Kids) DVD
Poker Face: Season 1 (Paramount) Blu-ray
Rick & Morty: The Complete Seasons 1 – 6 (Warner Bros.) Blu-ray
The Walking Dead: Dead City: Season 1 (RLJ Entertainment) Blu-ray