Welcome back, readers. This edition features plenty of flicks in a wide variety of genres. Even better is that many of these releases were reviewed in detail on the site previously. As always, please click on any links to read in-depth pieces on the any of the films in question. 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
22 Jump Street – One of the summer’s biggest hits was this sequel to 21 Jump Street. This episode follows the heroic detectives from the first film as they go undercover to take down a drug ring on a university campus. The protagonists find their own relationship strained and begin to drift apart as they infiltrate different social cliques. Despite being a gross-out comedy the movie received excellent reviews that complemented the zany gags and onscreen chemistry of its goofball leads. Renters, be sure to continue watching through the closing credits. Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Ice Cube, Peter Stormare and Nick Offerman star. Read a full-length review of the movie right here.
20,000 Days on Earth – Fans of musician Nick Cave will most definitely want to pick up this documentary that follows the man for a 24 hour period. Apparently, it combines both fictional drama and reality as it attempts to gain insight into the creative process. It was extremely well-received. Reviews stated that the filmmaker’s unusual approach to the documentary format was unique, the material beautifully shot and the subject himself engaging.
And So It Goes – A self-centered realtor goes through a life change when he is reunited with an estranged son and forced to care for a granddaughter that he never knew existed. Wackiness ensues when a nearby neighbor attempts to help out. This comedy/drama was lambasted by critics, who described the plot as pedestrian and the romance/drama as schmaltzy and unbelievable. Michael Douglas leads a cast that includes Diane Keaton and Frankie Valli. Director Rob Reiner also appears in a supporting role.
As the Light Goes Out – Disaster movie fans may want to check out this Hong Kong spin on the genre that follows a group of fireman on Christmas Eve. They face great danger and duress when a powerful blaze breaks out on a neighborhood block and threatens the entire city. There aren’t any North American reviews, but the film was nominated for some technical awards last year at the Hong Kong equivalent of the Oscars. Reportedly, it even features a cameo from Jackie Chan (while highly unlikely, one can only hope that the action hero leapfrogs over and through flames and falling debris during his brief time onscreen!).
Automata – Antonio Banderas headlines this English-language Spanish/Bulgarian science-fiction flick. Set in a futuristic dystopia, it follows an investigator attempting to determine why robots are harming their human masters. The press didn’t appreciate the final product. They complained that despite being beautifully shot, the story became confused and muddled – the unfocused ideas resulted in frustration on the part of the reviewers. The movie also features Bridget Hjort Sorenson, Melanie Griffith, Dylan McDermott and Robert Forster.
Housebound – A young woman is placed under house arrest and forced to live with her mother in this low-budget horror/comedy from New Zealand. As if that isn’t bad enough, the woman begins to suspect that her somewhat unhinged mom’s claims of a ghost residing the house may be true. Surprisingly, this feature has been getting uniformly excellent notices from the festival circuit. According to reports, the jump scares work, it’s got a great sense of humor and features an memorable final twist. Sounds like a blast for horror fans. It stars Morgana O’Reilly and Rima Te Wiata. Please note: the title is being made available as an Amazon Exclusive. This means that at present, you can only order the disc from their site.
If I Stay – This teen romance follows a young woman who falls into a coma following a terrible accident. She awakens to find herself unable to communicate with others. As the teen attempts to figure out what has happened and how to come out of her unconscious state, the movie examines her relationship with a boyfriend. Reviews were mixed, with more negative than positive. Most suggested that the excellent cast couldn’t rescue this soppy tale – it’s for teenage girls only. It stars Chloe Grace Moretz, Jamie Blackley, Mireille Enos and Stacy Keach. Read a lengthy review with all of the juicy details here.
Into the Storm – Tornadoes are at the center of attention in this release that hit theaters late in the summer. It follows a group of small town citizens and storm chasers as they come under threat from powerful natural forces. While the flick may have used a found-footage technique to put viewers right into the action, it still managed to get torn to shreds in the papers. While a few praised the visual effects, they found the human beings simple caricatures and the plot devices not only obvious, but laughable. It features Richard Armitage, Sarah Wayne Callies and Matt Walsh. For more info, check out the site’s original review here.
Ragnarok – This small, foreign-language film from Norway harkens back to adventure flicks from the early 80s. In it, an archeologist takes his children to a site where he hopes to find Viking relics. Instead, they come across a much more dangerous presence. Reviewers were generally positive about the flick, calling it a good-natured and fun film that’s ideal for families (with older children who can read subtitles). Many were also impressed with the movie for presenting a rugged and strong female character. Read the website’s full-length review right here.
Reclaim – Jackie Weaver, John Cusack, Ryan Philippe, Rachelle Lefevre and Luiz Guzman star in this independent thriller that received a limited release earlier in the year. It follows a desperate group of parents out to retrieve their adopted child after she goes missing. They soon learn that the adoption agency may know more than they’re willing to admit. The movie got ripped apart by the few who saw it, calling it a predictable effort filled with outrageously dimwitted characters. Yeowch! At least now, viewers can make up their own minds.
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For – Director Robert Rodriguez finally delivers the sequel to his 2005 hit Sin City. This follow-up also tells a series of hard-boiled tales shot in a black and white, comic-book style. Unfortunately, neither critics nor the public were overly taken by this effort. More than half of the reviews suggested that the stories weren’t as captivating as in the first film. They also stated that the incredible stylistic techniques originally used now seemed overly familiar. Mickey Rourke, Jessica Alba, Josh Brolin, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Rosario Dawson, Bruce Willis, Eva Green and Powers Boothe are among the many cast members listed. For a full review of the feature, click here.
The Wind Rises – The final film from Oscar-winning director Hayao Miyazaki is another animated piece geared more towards adults than children. It’s a highly interpretive biopic about Japanese engineer Jiro Horikoshi and his aviation designs that were ultimately used to build fighter jets for WWII. The press enjoyed the film – while they admitted it was more leisurely-paced and low-key than expected, they also found it to be beautifully animated, as well as thoughtful and bittersweet. Fans of Japanese animated efforts will likely consider this effort a must see.
Blasts From the Past!
As always, the fine people at Shout! Factory are bringing Blu-rays of interesting cult titles. This week, the highlights are a couple of under-appreciated films from director George A Romero of Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead fame.
Monkey Shines was a character-based thriller and a change of pace for the filmmaker. The story of this 1988 effort involves a paraplegic who forms a bond with a trained monkey providing assistance. The Capuchin soon becomes jealous of the protagonist’s friends and acquaintances and isolates him in his own home, refusing others access. This leads to several violent confrontations. Cast members include Jason Beghe, John Pankow, Kate McNeil, Stephen Root, Stanley Tucci and Janine Turner. The movie received plenty of positive critical notice, but didn’t end up getting much attention at the box-office. The new Blu-ray features include a brand new audio commentary with Romero and retrospective documentary, deleted scenes, an alternate ending, as well as a wealth of publicity material.
The Dark Half was a 1993 Stephen King book adaptation in which a writer finds his murderous literary creation coming to life and killing in the real world. The popular author instantly becomes the prime suspect in the slayings and attempts to clear his name, only to become a target himself. It starred Timothy Hutton (in a dual role as hero and villain), Amy Madigan, Michael Rooker, Julie Harris and Robert Joy. If memory serves, it’s a very effective play on duality with strong performances and a couple of great, unexpected jump scares. The only downside is the abrupt and choppy finale. Reportedly, studio/distributor Orion Pictures went bankrupt in the middle of production and did not have the funds to properly complete the film. It’s still a scare flick well worth checking out. And just like Monkey Shines, the disc includes a new audio commentary with Romero, a retrospective documentary, deleted scenes and an animated storyboard of the original ended that couldn’t be filmed (due to those last minute budget restraints), not to mention plenty of advertising clips and trailers.
Both are recommended movies being finally given their due treatment on Blu-ray. This writer can’t wait to pick up and revisit them.
Shout! are also distributing the less-revered Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings. This 1993 sequel to the atmospheric cult flick unleashes the title creature in order to take revenge on the abusers of an local orphan. Unlike the original, this one aims for schlock value and features some crazy stunt casting. It stars Andrew Robinson, Amy Dolenz, Punky Brewster star Soleil Moon Frye, Linnea Quigley and President Bill Clinton’s half-brother, Roger. The Blu-ray contains some new interviews with the make-ups effects men behind the monster, and a commentary track from its director.
Kino has a variety of quirky Blu-rays arriving on shelves. This includes the 1966 3D flick The Bubble, a campy effort about a couple trapped in a town that is surrounded by a mysterious force field (essentially its a similar plot to the one used for the recent TV series Under the Dome). Word is it’s one of those unintentionally hilarious kinds of flicks. Also coming from the same distributor is the far more effective is the 1920 German expressionist classic, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. For classic horror aficionados, that one is a must see.
Kino are also putting out a Blu-ray of the well regarded 1961 Frank Capra comedy/drama Pocketful of Miracles. It stars Glen Ford as a gangster who tries to help a street beggar become a society lady. Perhaps most amusing of all is The Dirt Bike Kid, a 1985 effort starring Peter Billingsley (most famous for starring in A Christmas Story). In this cheesy family flick, he stars a kid who owns a magical motorcycle. With it, he attempts to take down a greedy banker who is out to close his favorite hot dog stand. Yep, that’s an honest-to-God plot for a movie.
Those desperately waiting for a Blu-ray of the 1980 horror flick Christmas Evil can thank Vinegar Syndrome for their package. It includes the deranged Santa Claus feature in a new 4K restoration with numerous extras, most notably including multiple commentaries, deleted scenes. It’s good for a laugh and the movie does has its fans, but it’s a really low-budget effort with some really shoddy production value. If I remember correctly, during the climax, the outdoor props (including the grass) are knocked around like something out of an Ed Wood flick.
Before Helen Hunt hit the big time, she starred with Tim Thomerson in the 1984 Charles Band B-flick Trancers. Full Moon are releasing a Blu-ray of the cult item with an audio commentary, cast interviews and other bonuses.
Italian horror director Lucio Fulci may be most famous for the 1979 flick Zombie, but he made many titles in numerous genres. This includes an adaptation of the Jack London novel White Fang. This week Cheezy Flix are bringing a DVD of Challenge to White Fang, the 1974 sequel to Fulci’s 1973 original. This follow-up also directed by Fulci details the further adventures of the titular dog in the wilds of northern Canada. Cheezy Flix has put out several movies that reside specifically in the “so-bad-it’s-good” category. Just don’t expect a high quality transfer – they’re a very small company and the prints are usually in pretty terrible condition. With this director involved. one might expect this adaptation to feature the dog on a graphic, throat-tearing rampage. However, this is a family flick. Fulci fans might find it good for a laugh, though.
Looking for something a little more upscale? Then you might want to pick up the Criterion Blu-ray for the 1934 Clark Gable/Claudette Colbert famous comedy/romance flick It Happened One Night. It’s a classic also directed by Frank Capra (whose Pocketful of Miracles is being released this week). Many will remember it for its famed scene in which Clert hitches a ride using her feminine wiles. Like most other disc from Criterion, it’s full of extras including a new 4K restoration of the film, a feature-length documentary on Capra and one of his early silent shorts.
Olive is distributing the 1982 Robert Altman drama Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean starring Cher, Karen Black and Sandy Dennis. They’re also giving cult movie fans a long-forgotten title. The 1989 science-fiction cult flick Moontrap, starring Bruce Campbell and Walter Koenig.
And with The Wind Rises coming out on Blu-ray, Disney are taking the opportunity to release two of the director’s other animated titles to Blu-ray. They include the 1989 effort Kiki’s Delivery Service, and the much loved 1997 film, Princess Mononoke.
You Know, For Kids!
Unfortunately, there are limited options for the family in this edition. Here’s what is coming.
Daffy Duck’s Movie: Fantastic Island
The Dirt Bike Kid
Power Rangers Megaforce Robo Knight Before Christmas
Ragnarok
On the Tube!
It’s a quiet week on TV as well. So… thinking of starting a new hobby? With the DVD release of Bob Ross – The Joy of Painting now might be the time to pick up a brush and get started. In these instructional videos from the 70s, the very, very relaxed “happy trees” expert Ross teaches the tricks of the trade to aspiring artists. The original opening to his show is below, and further down are a few words of wisdom from the mellow artiste extraordinaire. Take it easy and enjoy!
Bob Ross – The Joy of Painting: Summer Reflections
King of the Hill: Season 7
King of the Hill: Season 8
Nature’s Misfires (PBS)
The Paradise: Season 2 (BBC)
Penance (2012 Miniseries from Japan)
Robot Chicken: Christmas Specials
Salting the Battlefield (BBC TV movie)
Turks & Caicos (BBC)
Wicked Tuna: North vs. South