Hello and welcome to another edition detailing the highlights coming your way on DVD and Blu-ray. There are loads of flicks arriving on Tuesday in a variety of genres. As always, please click on any links to read full-length reviews. So if you can’t make it out to the movies this week, be sure and give one of these titles a try!
Big New Releases!
Amira & Sam – This independent romance/drama/comedy involves a war veteran returning to the US who falls for his best friend’s niece, a woman with immigration troubles who doesn’t trust soldiers. While some members of the press found it a bit too forced in its message and formulaic, the majority of reviewers felt that the work of its charming stars managed to make up for most of its shortcomings. The cast includes Martin Starr, Dina Shihabi and Paul Wesley.
Black or White – In this drama, a grandfather takes control over the care of his granddaughter and then gets into a legal tussle with the child’s paternal mother. As the case hits the courtroom, the family members confront issues of race and understanding as they try to reach an amicable settlement. Critics didn’t care for the film, suggesting that while its heart was in the right place, it lacked subtlety and came across as heavy-handed. The cast includes Kevin Costner, Octavia Spencer, Jillian Estell, Bill Burr, Anthony Mackie, Gillian Jacobs and Jennifer Ehle.
Black Sea – Here’s an interesting release. This claustrophobic thriller follows a British/Russian submarine searching for sunken treasure in the title waters. But the potential for incredible wealth causes distrust, conflict and violence among the various crew members. Kevin MacDonald (The Last King of Scotland) directed the film and it got solid notices. While all admitted it wasn’t the most original story to ever play on the big screen, they still praised the performances and called it a tense nail-biter with plenty of action and drama. It stars Jude Law, Scoot McNairy, Ben Mendelsohn and Jodie Whittaker.
A Few Best Men – This Australian/British comedy came out a few years back in its homeland, but is only now making its debut here in North America on DVD. The plot involves a man from the UK who gets engaged while on a whirlwind vacation Down Under. When he heads back with groomsmen in tow, he meets the bizarre family of his fiancée and must contend with all sorts of strange situations. Critics hated the film, calling it an unfunny knock-off of gross-out comedies like The Hangover. It features Xavier Samuel, Kris Marshall, Kevin Bishop, Rebel Wilson and Olivia Newton-John.
Fifty Shades of Grey – The bestselling novel gets a big screen adaptation in this unique romance-of-sorts between a virginal college student and a wealthy S&M enthusiast. Whips, chains and paddles end up getting a workout. The press made the flick its whipping post, calling it a safe and tame take on the story with preposterous dialogue and so little in the way of traditional plotting that it barely qualified as a narrative. Still, the flick made a ton of money. The cast includes Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan, Jennifer Ehle, Luke Grimes and Marcia Gay Harden. To read a full-length review, click here.
The Last 5 Years – This musical take on the stage play encapsulates a young and tumultuous couple’s entire 5 year relationship through song. It stars Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan as the romantic pair. The independent production got very mixed reviews. Some critiqued the non-stop songs as not being memorable enough and the lyrics as too on-the-nose, while others found the different approach to the drama unusual enough to warrant a look.
Lost River – Ryan Gosling makes his directorial debut in this independent thriller that has been described as a “dark fairy tale.” A mother struggling to keep her family together must face a sinister force in a strange underworld. The press were miffed by this effort and gave it very mixed reviews. Some called it a visually impressive effort reminiscent of directors like David Lynch and Nicolas Winding Refn, while others found it too arty and unusual to connect with. Looks pretty interesting to me. The cast includes Anna Kendrick, Iain De Caestecker, Saoirse Ronan and Eva Mendes.
Miss Julie – This independent period drama adapted from the stage play features Colin Farrell, Jessica Chastain and Samantha Morton. In it, a Baron’s daughter and two servants all attempt to get the upper hand and manipulate one another by using charm and whatever else they have at their disposal. Reviews were luke-warm, calling it a well-mounted but dry and occasionally dull adaptation that lacked chemistry and passion. Now viewers can make up their own minds.
Mr. Turner – British painter J.M.W. Turner is the subject of this biopic from Mike Leigh (Another Year, Vera Drake, Topsy-Turvy). It depicts the oddball eccentric as he paints and goes about his normal business (which in many respects is shown to be very abnormal). This arthouse effort garnered four Oscar nominations and impressed critics. They stated that while it wasn’t for everyone and may even frustrate some viewers, it was an impeccably acted and gorgeously shot drama with some experimental flourishes. The movie features Timothy Spall, Paul Jesson, Dorothy Atkinson and Marion Bailey.
Murder of a Cat – A young, socially awkward toy-maker steps out of his basement to investigate the death of his cat in this unusual independent production. The trail forces him to interact with various peculiar locals as he hunts down the killer. Reviews weren’t particularly strong – while a few managed to get on its wavelength, most found the quirkiness forced and ineffective. At least it includes J.K. Simmons, Blythe Danner, Greg Kinnear and Ted Raimi in supporting roles.
The Pyramid – A group of archeologists discover a long lost pyramid in this horror title. When they enter the ancient ruin, they find themselves trapped and under attack by a mysterious force. It’s a found-footage effort, so they also decide to record everything while they’re being killed off. The movie was widely panned upon its theatrical release, with almost all calling it dimly-lit and hard-to-follow. In the end, they suggested that it was not nearly as scary as it should have been. It features Ashley Hinshaw and James Buckley.
Selma – Here’s another biopic that garnered numerous Oscar nominations (including Best Picture) upon its release. It tells the tale of Dr. Martin Luther King’s civil rights marches from Selma to Montgomery. David Oyelowo plays King with a cast that also includes Carmen Ejogo, Oprah Winfrey, Common, Cuba Gooding Jr., Tom Wilkinson and Giovanni Ribisi. The movie garnered rave reviews, with the press singling out Oyelowo’s performance as King and calling it an important and powerful movie. To read a full review of the film, click here.
Winter Sleep – This Turkey/France/Germany co-production involves a hotelier and his family who become trapped indoors during a snowstorm. Tensions arise and the relationships begin to fall apart. The foreign flick (inspired by the works of Chekhov), is reported to be well over three hours, but that didn’t stop critics from singing its praises. They called it a slow-cooker that slowly and steadily builds maintaining interest despite its lugubrious running time.
Blasts From the Past!
While today everyone associates actor/director Clint Eastwood with Warner Bros. pictures, in the past he’s worked with plenty of other studios. This week Universal Pictures are releasing a box set of their collaborations with the Hollywood legend. Clint Eastwood: The Universal Pictures 7 Movie Collection contains Coogan’s Bluff (1968), Two Mules for Sister Sara (1970), The Beguiled (1971), Play Misty For Me (1971), Joe Kidd (1972), High Plains Drifter (1973) and The Eiger Sanction (1975). There are some really good pictures here that include both westerns and thriller (and in the case of The Beguiled, both thrown together). Looks like a nifty package.
Universal aren’t stopping there. Recently, they released a Steven Spielberg set. Now some of those titles are being made available individually on Blu-ray. They include the gripping made-for TV thriller Duel (1971), the comedy/drama The Sugarland Express (1974), the period wartime slapstick comedy 1941 (1979), the romantic fire-fighter drama Always (1990), and the more recent adaptation of the Black September crisis, Munich (2005). There are some really good movies within the group. And in case you’re wondering, the 1941 Blu-ray contains two versions of the film, the theatrical and extended cut (which runs an additional 28 minutes).
With the hotly anticipated release of Mad Max: Fury Road next week, Shout! Factory are putting out the original Mad Max (1979) in a impressive Collector’s Edition package. This Australian movie follows a cop struggling to keep his life together as crime rampages on the streets and society goes to pot. It features wild stunts and an early performance from Mel Gibson in the title role. The disc contains both the Australian and US dubbed versions (at the time, people thought the accents were too thick – they even rerecorded their stars dialogue), new interviews with Gibson and crew members, trailers, TV spots and other featurettes on its success.
Also ups for grabs is the Anchor Bay Blu-ray of the comedy The Adventures of Ford Fairlane (1990). It starred controversial comic Andrew Dice Clay as a “rock ‘n roll detective” working on a murder case in Hollywood. The slick-looking feature was directed by Renny Harlin (Die Hard 2, Cliffhanger, Deep Blue Sea).
Warner Bros. have a few titles coming as well, all starring Frank Sinatra. There’s the musical comedy Anchors Aweigh (1945) co-starring Gene Kelly. It’s about two sailors on leave in Los Angeles. The two would team up again for On the Town (1949), which is a comedy about… two sailors on leave… but this time in New York. Finally, Robin and the 7 Hoods (1974) teams Sinatra with his rat pack pals Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. in a prohibition-era musical comedy.
Kino Lorber have two WWII-themed Blu-rays of note. Directed by Roger Corman, The Secret Invasion (1964) is a pulpy action pic in the vein of The Dirty Dozen. It stars Stewart Granger as the leader of a misfit group of soldier out to free an Italian general who wants to switch sides. Much better is John Frankenheimer’s The Train (1964). This black and white classic depicts a dangerous Allied raid on a Nazi train that is moving priceless works of art out of France to Germany. It is an excellent war thriller with Burt Lancaster that’s gone largely unsung over the years. Now viewers can catch up with it in high definition.
You Know, For Kids!
Here’s what is being made available for younger viewers.
Baby Genius: Favorite Children’s Songs
The Pink Panther: Fan Favorites Cartoon Colleciton
Pokemon: Adventures in the Orange Islands – The Complete Collection
Scooby-Doo! 13 Spooky Tales: Surf’s Up Scooby-Doo!
Sesame Street – Elmo: The Musical 2
On the Tube!
There’s a great deal of new items on the television front as well.
The Fugitive (1963-1967) was a popular series about a doctor framed for murder and on the run from the law while hunting down the mysterious man who killed his wife. It was later remade in 1993 with Harrison Ford and was a massive box office hit. Here’s the opening to the original series, which is being made available this week.
Further down are clips relating to Cheers, a massively popular sitcom set in a Boston tavern that ran from 1982 until 1993. The complete series is being made available on DVD this week. Below is perhaps one of the weirdest advance promo ever, featuring a random stranger telling us to watch it when it premieres. Apparently, we were just supposed to take her word for it (there are no actual clips from the show). Beneath is a more typical spot from 1985 after the show had finally established itself as a comedy hit.
The Bridge: Season 2
Broadchurch: Season 2
Cabin Fever (National Geographic)
Cheers: The Complete Series
Dalziel & Pascoe: Season 11
Stephen Poliakoff’s Dancing on the Edge (PBS)
DCI Banks: Season 3
Death in Paradise: Season 3
Father Brown: Season 2
Femme Fatales: The Complete Series
The Fugitive: The Complete Series
Halt and Catch Fire: Season 1
Hubble’s Cosmic Journey (National Geographic)
Law & Order: The Eighteenth Year
Law & Order: The Nineteenth Year
Law & Order: The Twentieth Year
Masters of Sex: Season 2
Mr. Selfridge: Season 3
Parenthood: The Complete Series
Parenthood: Season 6
Scott & Bailey: Season 3
White Collar: The Complete Series
White Collar: Season 6