Welcome once again to another look at the highlights coming to DVD and Blu-ray this week. As always, be sure to click on any links to read full reviews. 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!
Hot Pursuit – Reese Witherspoon and Sofia Vergara team up in this comedy about a cop and a mob wife on the run from assassins. Speaking of hits, the movie took a real drubbing with the press. They claimed that while the movie’s two stars were certainly talented, this bottom-of-the-barrel effort completely wastes them with lame jokes and generic situations. Now viewers can decide for themselves. To read a full, detailed review of the movie, click the link here.
I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story – This documentary charts the life of the puppeteer who has played “Big Bird” on Sesame Street for over 45 years (he has yet to retire and even at 81 still goes to work and dons the yellow suit). Besides interviews, the feature also includes early clips of the performer working with Jim Henson. Reviews were very strong, stating that while it can be overly sentimental, the doc still gives viewers a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the man who helped create an iconic children’s character. Interviewees include Frank Oz and Roscoe “Gordon” Orman.
Northmen – A Viking Saga – When a violent storm strands a group of Vikings in the dangerous wilds of Scotland, they must fight their way to safety in this Swiss/German/South African flick. It received a limited release, but didn’t end up impressing reviewers. They stated that there was nothing unique about this action adventure, using terms like generic and hackneyed to describe it. Now viewers can decide for themselves. It star Ed Skrein, Ryan Kwanten and James Norton as lost Norsemen.
Patch Town – Here’s a independent fantasy/comedy with an interesting concept derived from Russian folklore. It follows the exploits of a worker in a factory where babies are grown (from a cabbage patch). When he learns a dark secret about his own past, the employee must stand up to his oppressive foremen, break free, and find his long lost family. The press were quite positive about this eccentric effort from Canada. Reviewers called it an enjoyably unique low-budget B-movie with just enough laughs and creepy moments to make it worthwhile. The cast includes Zoie Palmer, Jon Cor and Scott Thompson.
Police Story: Lockdown – Released in the far east in 2013 as Police Story – 2013, Jackie Chan returns to his most famous franchise (in Hong Kong, at least) for yet another kung-fu cop tale. However, this time out the tone is grittier and darker. Chan plays a cop who must save his estranged daughter and her husband-to-be when they are all taken hostage in a Hong Kong mobster’s dance club. Critics didn’t have much good to say about this, the sixth entry in the series. They wrote that it was poorly paced and featured far too much back-story, not to mention little of the high energy martial arts viewers will expect. Perhaps fans would be better served watching the original foreign-language classic.
Preggoland – A single woman whose friends have all become mothers is thrown out of a baby shower for her wild behavior. In order to salvage all the relationships, she decides to fake a pregnancy and get herself welcomed back into the group – naturally, the rouse leads to complications. Reception was mixed for this independent comedy. Some found the lead performance funny enough to recommend the film. Others considered it uneven and felt that the movie had an awkward time juggling laughs with dramatic and rom-com conventions. It stars Sonja Bennett, James Caan, Danny Trejo and Laura Harris.
Robot Overlords – While the adult cast of this low-budget UK science-fiction film is quite impressive, it still looks absolutely bizarre. Apparently, this is a kid’s movie about an alien invasion in which robots take over the Earth and implant chips in the human population. When a trio of teens manage to shut off their tracking devices, they fight to save the planet. It boasts a cast that includes Gillian Anderson , Ben Kingsley and Milo Parker. Amazingly, it received more positive notices than negative. It has been described as a high energy, pre-teen action film that somehow manages to exceed its budgetary limitations.
Unfriended – The internet can be scary, folks! In this horror hit, a group of friends are attacked by a supernatural presence in each of their homes while communicating using Facebook and other social media. The entire film is told through all of their computer screens. The movie garnered a successful theatrical release earlier in the year and managed to impress more than half of the press. Many believed its approach to be original and found the film effective and creepy. However, a few couldn’t buy into the approach and found the technique lacking. It features Heather Sossaman in the lead role. To read a full-length review, click here.
Blasts From the Past!
There are quite a few interesting titles this week. Shout! Factory have The People Under the Stairs (1991), a financially successful horror movie from director Wes Craven (A Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream). It’s about a poor young boy who is roped into assisting some burglars rob the mansion of his landlord. Upon entering, they discover that the owners are also serial killers who have trapped numerous victims inside – the insane couple begin hunting the group down one by one. If memory serves, it’s a fun scare flick that will certainly please genre fans with all sorts of bizarre moments. It also features a great cast that includes some entertainingly over-the-top performances from Twin Peaks vets Everett McGill and Wendy Robie. The Blu-ray comes loaded with extras. There are two audio commentaries (one with director Wes Craven and another featuring cast members), interviews, behind-the-scenes footage and promo materials.
Once again, Kino have plenty of Blu-rays from a variety of eras and genres. These include the newspaper reporter comedy The Front Page (1931), the Kevin Kline comic murder/mystery thriller The January Man (1989), and the giant killer mollusk sci-fi B-movie, The Monster That Challenged the World (1957). They’ve also got a release of the low-budget Ray Sharkey and Michael Chiklis thriller, The Rain Killer (1990) (note: this particular film is DVD only). If you’re looking for more in the suspense genre, Still of the Night (1982) features Roy Scheider as a psychiatrist investigating the death of one of his patients – he gets involved with the victim’s mistress and prime suspect, played by Meryl Streep. Finally, War-Gods of the Deep (1965) aka City in the Sea is a Vincent Price genre feature about a group of scientists who find… well… a city in the sea.
Criterion Collection have an impressive Blu-ray of The French Lieutenant’s Woman (1981), a melodrama starring Meryl Streep and Jeremy Irons. It was an Oscar-nominated film that contrasts two complicated romantic relationships that occur 100 years apart. This release features a new 2K digital restoration, fresh interviews with cast and crew members, and a full episode of a British TV news program made at the time of its release that features the director, screenwriter and novelist talking about the film.
The cult horror flick Eaten Alive (1977) is also being released in a Blu-ray/DVD package from Arrow. Tobe Hooper (director of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre), brings a similarly gritty tone in this follow up to the aforementioned classic. It’s a disturbing effort about a messed up motel owner terrorizing helpless victims with his pet crocodile. While the movie isn’t quite as good as Chainsaw, it’s still quite effective and chock full of icky, nasty and unsettling moments. The disc includes an impressive transfer of the flick from the original camera negative, new interviews and an introduction to the film from Hooper himself. Buyers will also get a cast and make-up effects artist audio commentary, archival interviews and advertising materials, a featurettes looking at the career of Robert Englund and one detailing the real life story of which the movie is based.
And finally, Universal are putting out a couple of bare bones Blu-rays. They include the machismo-oozing John Wayne firefighter drama Hellfighters (1968), as well as a re-release of the campy, guilty-pleasure horror movie sequel, Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982) (if you want the edition with all of the extras, try to find the Shout! Factory version).
You Know, For Kids!
There are a lot of options for the young ones – you’ll find them all listed below.
Batman: Gotham Knight
Blaze & the Monster Machines: High-Speed Adventures
DCU Batman: Year One
Denver The Last Dinosaur Vol. 1
Denver The Last Dinosaur Vol. 2
Garfield Holiday Collection
Justice League: Crisis On Two Earths
LEGO Friends: Friends Together Again
Max Steel: Go Turbo
Power Rangers Super Megaforce: Legendary Battle
Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue: The Complete Series
Strawberry Shortcake: Berry Tales
Superman: Doomsday
Super Why: Cinderella & Other Fairy Tale Adventures (PBS)
Wonder Woman
On the Tube!
There’s a fair amount of intriguing title arriving in this edition, including the second season of the Norman Lear sitcom Maude (1972-1978) and individual seasons of the 80s kids cartoon Denver the Last Dinosaur. In it’s honor, I’ve included some kids-themed TV commercials from the 80s. Further down is another, briefer set of ads, include an obscure one starring Maude herself, Bea Arthur – she also appeared in dozens of commercials as the spokeswoman for a Canadian pharmacy chain through the 80s and early 90s. Enjoy!
2 Broke Girls: Season 4
Animals Gone Wild: Season 2
Denver The Last Dinosaur Vol. 1
Denver The Last Dinosaur Vol. 2
Dig: Season 1
Frontline: Secrets & Politics and Torture (PBS)
Goodnight For Justice – Triple Feature (Hallmark TV movies)
Hell on Wheels: Season 4
The Jeffersons: Season 8
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell (BBC mini-series)
The Knick: The Complete 1st Season
Law & Order – Special Victims Unit: The 16th Year
Maude: Season 2
Mythbusters: Collection 13
Person of Interest: Season 4
Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue: The Complete Series
Scandal: Season 4
Shark Week: Discovering the Deep (Discovery)
WWE: The Very Best of Nitro Vol. 3