Happy long weekend for those who had a holiday! Seems like it’s time for another look at highlights arriving on Blu-ray and DVD. This edition features an impressive variety of films in several different genres (and as always, you can read more about some of them by clicking on any links you see). 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!
Bisbee ’17 – This documentary was scheduled for release a month ago, but got delayed. It is about an Arizona mining town on the US/Mexico border and the horrific events that occurred in 1917; 1200 immigrant workers were rounded up by locals, deported and left to die in the desert. The community puts on a recreation of the event, which forces the locals to come to terms with and understand the severity of these actions. Critics were impressed with the production. While one or two didn’t think that the film’s unusual approach quite hit the mark, the consensus was that this was one of the better non-fiction features of the 2018. They wrote that the still-relevant topic dealt with its difficult subject in a creative way and carried an air of authenticity.
Climax – 20 French dancers decide to take part in a 3-day rehearsal in a closed-down boarding school to prepare for an upcoming event. However, things take a strange turn when the troupe have a party and ingest sangrias laced with LSD – they experience wild hallucinations and begin acting out. This French/Belgian foreign-language horror flick from Gaspar Noé (Irreversible, Enter the Void) garnered generally good notices. A percentage did state that the filmmaker was repeating old tricks and trying too hard to shock viewers, also noting that the cast wasn’t exceptional. However, most complimented the movie as fascinatingly disturbing, experimental and trippy. It features Sofia Boutella, Romain Guillermic and Souheila Yacoub.
General Commander – An ex-CIA agent turned specialized security agent convinces a Hong Kong billionaire to fund an operation in which he trains operatives to bring down all sorts of international criminals. After recruiting a young team, he plots a dangerous assignment to stop evil forces using the Dark Web and their nefarious activities (apparently, a few agents and some money/weapons is all it takes to shut down a sinister organization). This low-budget action feature is premiering on disc, so there aren’t any reviews available for it as of yet. Don’t expect too much, though. The cast includes Steven Seagal, Sonia Couling, Ron Smoorenburg and Mica Javier.
Greta – A lonely college student depressed over the death of her mother finds a purse left on the subway and decides to return it. She meets the owner, a French piano teacher whose daughter lives out of the country. The woman soon takes on the role of surrogate mom to the protagonist. However, it eventually becomes clear that the older female may very well be a psychotic stalker. This suspense picture from Neil Jordan (Byzantium, Interview with the Vampire) received a wide variety of write-ups, although more were positive than negative. Those who didn’t like it thought it was simply a dressed up, over-the-top B-movie. Still, slightly more called it a wild thriller and appreciated the filmmaking skill on display, as well as the deliciously sinister antagonist. It stars Isabelle Huppert, Chloë Grace Moretz, Maika Monroe and Stephen Rea. To read a full review, click here.
In the Last Days of the City -This foreign-language arthouse drama follows a filmmaker living in Cairo, Egypt and struggling to make a movie about his own city. He finds that the place is changing rapidly and that some of his favorite elements have moved elsewhere or disappeared. Then his friends living abroad begin to send videos of their experiences in foreign lands, which begin to change the way he views Cairo and the his perspective on life. Critics liked the film overall. One or two did comment that the story did not have as much of a narrative focus as they would have liked. Still, the majority appreciated the work, calling it thoughtful, beautifully filmed with its meaning left open to interpretation. It features Khalid Abdalla, Laila Samy and Hanan Youssef.
Lords of Chaos – Set in the 1990’s, this European biopic drama follows the Death Metal music scene in Norway. Specifically, a teenager’s efforts to create and popularize it through his own band, Mayhem. As the movement and the youngster’s own popularity grows, the character begins taking on more of the extreme traits present in his stage persona. It all results in criminal acts, including a horrific murder. Critics generally spoke well of the final product. Some complained that it didn’t go deep enough into its subject’s mental illness and found the leads lacking in charm. Yet overall, comments asserted that the movie was effectively unsettling and showed just how quickly the youngsters confused their fictional stage characters with their real lives. The cast includes Rory Culkin, Emory Cohen, Jack Kilmer and Sky Ferreira.
The Oath – A couple react in shock and horror when the government institutes a policy stating that every American should sign a loyalty oath to the President. Over the Thanksgiving holiday, visiting family members express their conflicting views, while agents show up at the door demanding that the leads sign the document or face the consequences. This independent, dark comedy earned slightly more recommendations than negative responses. A group suggested this political satire was overlong, uneven and needed some fine tuning. Still, the overall impression was that while a bit uneven, the movie aspires to be more substantial and delves into a lot of current issues. It stars Ike Barinholtz, Tiffany Haddish, Nora Dunn, Chris Ellis, Carrie Brownstein, Jay Duplass, Billy Magnussen and John Cho.
The Unity of Heroes – This Chinese action effort retells the story of legendary folk hero, Wong Fei-hung (he has been the subject of well of 100 movies out of the country). This remake once again introduces audiences to the moralistic and heroic martial arts instructor, who must protect his people from invading foreigners and sinister characters. There haven’t been many reviews in this part of the world for thus recent take on the role. One or two online voices say that it is a nice throwback to martial arts films of old. However, it seems that the majority are complaining that the movie isn’t as vibrant or as well choreographed as either of the incarnation from the 1990s with Jet Li and Jackie Chan. At least kung fu fans now have the opportunity to make up their own minds. Vincent Zhao takes on the role.
A Vigilante – In this drama, an abuse survivor bulks up and decides to dedicate her life to helping other women in distress. She steps in to provide physical payback and does so effectively, but soon has to contend with her own husband, an intimidating man’s whose horrific actions have left deep scars. The movie earned very strong notices. A small contingent did state that while it attempted to do more with the material, it was still a fairly standard revenge flick. However, most noted the compelling work of the lead actress (whom they stated is more known for her comedic chops) and stated that the movie effectively captured the fear, brutality and suffering faced by victims of abuse. The cast includes Olivia Wilde, Morgan Spector, Kyle Catlett and C.J. Wilson.
Blasts from the Past!
It’s a very, very busy week for some older titles to receive high definition upgrades. First off, MVD are releasing a Collector’s Edition Blu-ray of the Jean-Claude Van Damme action flick, Double Impact (1991). This title features the star playing twin brothers who are separated as kids after the murder of their parents. When they are unexpectedly reunited in Hong Kong, the pair team up to beat down the guilty parties. This disc includes a two-part, feature length retrospective documentary about the making of the movie (which features Van Damme himself), nearly an hour’s worth of deleted/extended scenes, the director discussion the anatomy of putting together an important moment, and publicity materials.
Shout! Factory have several noteworthy titles as well. For instance, you can now pick up the monster movie The Alligator People (1959) on Blu-ray. It’s about a woman who marries a man who starts to develop reptilian traits. She then must travel to the bayou to find out the reason why her husband is turning into a creature. It arrives with a commentary track with The Monster Party podcasters, the original trailer and a stills gallery.
They also have the notorious drama Boom! (1968) aka Boom being released as part of their Shout Select line. Starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, this exaggerated and emotionally overcharged film bombed during its original release but has since developed a cult following. The Blu-ray arrives with a commentary from filmmaker and fan John Waters (Pink Flamingos, Hairspray, Cry-Baby), a film critic analysis, a trailer and vintage photo galleries.
In addition, they are putting out To Wong Fu, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar (1995). This road movie about a trio of drag queens traveling across the country stars Patrick Swayze, John Leguizamo and Wesley Snipes. It comes with a new documentary about the production, deleted scenes and all sorts of publicity materials.
Back on the horror front, Shout! also have When a Stranger Calls Back (1993). This sequel to the 1979 original classic features a new babysitter who finds herself being taunted over the phone by an increasingly menacing threat. Thankfully, the survivor from the predecessor arrives to help the protagonist square off against the villain. This follow-up was actually made as a TV movie in the US, but has developed a following over the years. The Blu-ray includes new 2K scans of the movie in 1.33:1 and 1.78:1 aspect ratios, new interviews with the director (as well as a short film he made in the 70s that inspired both flicks), talks with stars Jill Schoelen and Carol Kane and TV spots.
Criterion have some incredible stuff this week as well. The first title is the David Lynch (Eraserhead, The Elephant Man, Twin Peaks, Wild at Heart, Mulholland Dr.) masterpiece, Blue Velvet (1986). This tale of a young man who finds a severed ear in his all-American neighborhood and investigates, finding danger and, well, strangeness at every turn. The Blu-ray includes a new 4K restoration of the film supervised by Lynch, 53 minutes of deleted scenes, a feature-length retrospective documentary on the movie, a second, 70 minute documentary on the film from 2003, an interview with composer Angelo Badalamenti, a 2019 doc featuring cast/crew sharing their memories along with trips to shooting locations, and Lynch reading from a 2018 book he coauthored about his life and the creative process. Sounds like a must-own for fans of the filmmaker.
And the same company have a Blu-ray of the French feminist musical/drama, One Sings, the Other Doesn’t (1977). This release includes a 2K digital restoration supervised by the filmmaker and director of photography along with new subtitle translations, a 1977 documentary about the making of the movie, a short film from the director, and an interview from the same period in which the maker addresses womanhood, as well as a trailer.
Kino also have a bevy of Blu-rays for your perusal. They include a Blu-ray of the family film, Arabian Adventure (1979), which features Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing in supporting roles. The disc includes a director commentary and theatrical trailer. And there’s a Special Edition Blu-ray of the Lana Turner movie, Madame X (1966). This adaptation of the play arrives with a film historian audio commentary. From earlier in the decade, Portrait in Black (1960) is another Turner effort; this thriller features the same bonuses as in the previous Blu-ray. And the company are also distributing a Blu-ray of the French effort, Woman in Chains (1968) aka La Prisonniere. Like the other titles, it has a film historian audio commentary and a trailer.
Scary movie fans may be happy to see the release of the “killer cat” Amicus anthology, The Uncanny (1977), hitting high definition. Severin is releasing this title, which stars Peter Cushing, Ray Millard, Donald Pleasance and others all having very negative experiences with felines. The disc comes with a trailer and interview with co-star Susan Penhaligon.
Sony are also making a few out-of-print titles available on Blu-ray. They’ve got the weepy drama, Steel Magnolias (1989). Apparently, the video quality on this release is very good and it comes with a director commentary, as well as a director and producer interview and a few deleted scenes. They’re also supposed to be releasing a Blu-ray of the Tommy Lee Jones effort, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005), but it seems a little more difficult to find online right now. (hopefully it hasn’t been pushed back, but that may be the case).
Not to be outdone, Warner Archives are making two of their catalog titles available on Blu-ray. You can see more adventure movies with flying carpets courtesy of the Tab Hunter flick, The Golden Arrow (1962), which has been given a new remaster from the studio. They’ve also got the drama, A Patch of Blue (1965), with Sidney Poitier, Elizabeth Hartman and Shelly Winters. No word yet on whether this Blu-ray has any extras.
Finally, Juno Films are releasing the crime/comedy Penny Points to Paradise (1951) on Blu-ray. This flick is about a man who wins money in a football/soccer pool, goes on vacation with his pal to celebrate, and finds all sorts of people out to steal his winnings. The movie features perhaps the first onscreen appearance of Peter Sellers, and of course, he plays more than one part (including the prize winner). This release also includes the Sellers short, Let’s Go Crazy (1951).
You Know, For Kids!
Not too much for the kids in this edition, but this is what is being made available.
Sonic X: The Complete English Dubbed Series
On the Tube!
And here are the week’s TV-themed releases.
Blood: Series 1
Captain Marleau: Volume 1
Captain Marleau: Volume 2
FRONTLINE: The Trail of Ratko Mladic (PBS)
Outlander: Season 4
Primal Survival: Season 3 (National Geographic)
SouthPark: Season 22
Velvet: The Complete Series
Velvet: Season 1
Velvet: Season 2
Velvet: Season 3
Velvet: Season 4