Hello, it’s time for another look at highlights coming your way on Blu-ray and DVD. It’s a very busy week with plenty of releases in a variety of genres. As always, you can click on any links you see to read full reviews. So if you can’t make it to the movies this week, be sure to give one of these titles a try!
Big New Releases!
The 12th Man – Based on a true story, this WWII drama made in Norway follows an English team of saboteurs who set out to fight Nazi forces in Scandinavia. When their boat is sunk, one man manages to get away. However, he is forced to journey to safety through the rugged mountainous wilderness with enemy soldiers on his tail. Reviews for this picture were quite strong. A few complained that it was a bit overdrawn and suffered from a weak opening act, but the vast majority called the movie a dynamic, thrilling and beautifully shot survival story. It stars Thomas Gullestad, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Marie Blokus.
Blood Fest – The next time you head out to a film festival, make sure you know exactly what you’ve signed up for. In this horror-comedy, a bunch of genre fans arrive for some screenings, only to discover that the host/programmer has a diabolical game in store for his movie-obsessed attendees. This independent feature earned decent notices. A small group did criticize the picture for switching tones too much and overdoing it with movie references. However, more complimented it as a flawed but amusing, gory and spirited twist on the genre. The cast includes Robbie Kay, Jacob Batalon, Seychelle Gabriel, Tate Donovan and Zachary Levi.
Born Racer – This documentary goes inside the world of IndyCar racers. Apparently, the filmmakers have been given unprecedented access to the teams and drivers, focusing their cameras on four-time IndyCar world champion Scott Dixon and the Ganassi racing team. Viewers get to follow along behind the scenes as decisions and strategies are discussed, as well as interviews that attempt to show what compels the subject to compete in such a dangerous sport. The movie is premiering on disc and on streaming formats, so as of right now critics have yet to see it.
Breath – Set in the 1970s, this Australian coming-of-age drama follows two teenagers looking for adventure. They befriend an eccentric older man on the western coast who begins to teach them to surf. The movie follows the group as they take to the water and experience the adrenaline rush of riding a wave. Reaction to this picture was generally positive. A few complained that it was too long and low-key for their liking, yet far more appreciated the lack of sentiment, found the sea footage stunning and the performances strong. It features Samson Coulter, Ben Spence, Simon Baker (who also directed the picture), Elizabeth Debicki and Richard Roxburgh.
The Catcher Was a Spy – Here’s another WWII drama with ties to a real occurrence. This time, the story follows a major league baseball player of Jewish descent who is also gay. He’s recruited by the US government to work as a spy. The new agent is sent behind enemy lines to stop a German scientist from creating the atomic bomb. Alas, this title didn’t quite hit the target for reviewers. There were a few who believed that it worked reasonably well as a character study. However, the consensus was that the film lacked suspense and could have delved even deeper into the main character’s psyche. It stars Paul Rudd, Mark Strong, Sienna Miller, Jeff Daniels, Guy Pearce and Paul Giamatti.
Feral – The zombie genre gets another addition with this tale of a woman whose best friend has just been infected by a virus while camping. Knowing it will turn the person into a cannibal maniac, the lead and friends must struggle with what to do, wondering whether or not they should simply put the victim out of her misery. Reaction to the indie film was fairly middling, with slightly more negative write-ups than positive ones. Some thought that it was well-acted and told its story efficiently, but more criticized the plot as being strictly by-the-numbers, following every genre trope and showing viewers little that was new. The cast includes Scout Taylor-Compton, Olivia Luccardi and Lew Temple.
The First Purge – The fourth entry in the popular horror series The Purge is a prequel that details the origins of the night of terror and the extremist government members that instituted it. As a test, the first event is scheduled in one location and the plot details a group of participants paid to take part. Critics were split on the latest entry in this franchise. About half thought that the movie started well but faded quickly and didn’t deal with its timely themes as well as it could have. The remainder found the action to be effective, believed it had more ideas than many genre films and said that it worked well enough as a gritty B movie. It features Y’lan Noel, Lex Scott Davis, Jovian Wade and Marissa Tomei.
Jeannette: The Childhood of Joan of Arc – This unusual French production depicts Joan of Arc as an 8-year-old, tending to sheep on a small farm. She soon finds inspiration from the heavens, which will ultimately inspire her to take arms and fight the English. Oh, and did I mention that this film was a musical? The press were generally impressed with the feature. About a quarter complained that the movie focused on the least interesting aspects of the historical figure’s life and wasn’t as dynamic and entertaining as it should have been. Still, three quarters of those who saw it called it completely unique and unforgettably eccentric. Lise Leplat Prudhomme and Jeanne Voisin headline the movie.
Leave No Trace – A father and daughter spend years living completely off the grid in the wilderness outside Portland, Oregon. After a series of unfortunate events, they are found by authorities and eventually put into social services. Naturally, the experience doesn’t agree with them; the pair escape and attempt to find freedom outside society. This independent drama has not received a single negative review as of this writing. Everyone has raved about the performances and effective low-key tone of the movie, suggesting that it speaks volumes about homelessness without ever forcing its message. The film stars Ben Foster, Thomasin McKenzie, Jeff Korber and Dale Dickey.
The Misandrists – An injured man on the run from the police stumbles onto the site of a school for wayward girls. There, he befriends two students who decide to hide him from the authorities and other members of their clique. It isn’t long before the wounded gent discovers that not only is the locale cut-off from society, but is home to members of a quasi-terrorist Female Liberation Army. Response was all over the place for this quirky effort, although the consensus was positive. A few called it messily constructed and thought it failed to emulate the style of John Waters, but more found it campy and utterly unique, mixing multiple genres and a bit of social commentary in a fascinating way. It features Susanne Sachße, Viva Ruiz and Til Schindler.
Monster Family – This Germany/UK animated feature didn’t really receive a theatrical release in North America and is now premiering to audiences in this part of the world on disc. The tale involves a bickering family who can’t get on the same page. After the infighting clan are invited to a costume party, a witch curses and transforms them into classic monsters. They must find a cure for their predicament and overcome their personal issues. Critics panned the family film, stating that screenplay was poor and derivative, failing to match up to other efforts with a similar bent. The voice cast includes Emily Watson, Jason Isaacs. Nick Frost and Jessica Brown Findlay.
Rodin – The famous French sculptor Auguste Rodin is the subject of this foreign-language, period biopic that focuses on his relationship with female student Camille Claudel. After receiving his first state commission, the artist begins work on “The Thinker” and “The Kiss” and finds himself straying from his partner and beginning an affair with the new arrival. Reviewers weren’t awfully fond of this adaptation. A small percentage implied that the movie effectively depicted the creative process and personal struggles of the artist. Still, most disagreed, commenting that the interpersonal drama didn’t work and fell flat. Izia Higelin and Vincent Lindon headline the film.
Sicario: Day of the Soldado – This sequel to the Oscar-nominated Sicario follows one of the most notable characters from the original film as he ventures further into the criminal underworld of drug-dealers and human traffickers. When US federal agents assign him to escalate a war between different criminal factions, he complies but begins to question the job when he and a young girl are deemed expendable. The film earned good, but not great write-ups from critics. All said it paled in comparison to the original. A portion thought it was mean, ugly and gave audiences no one to relate to, but slightly more found that enough of it worked to earn it a pass. It stars Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin, Isabela Moner and Jeffrey Donovan. To read this site’s review, click here.
S.M.A.R.T. Chase – After losing a painting during a previous job, a private security agent from South Africa is given a second chance and is hired to protect a valuable Chinese antique being moved from Shanghai. When he is ambushed again, the character must find a way to recover the item and get to the bottom of who is responsible. This English-language Chinese production is debuting on disc and there are no reviews for it yet. However, online word is pretty terrible with many stating that this is poor, strictly straight-to-video fare with bland and unexciting action sequences. It features Orlando Bloom, Lei Wu and Simon Chan.
Strangers on the Earth – This documentary follows a cellist who decides to take part in one of Europe’s most popular religious pilgrimages… a hike to Camino de Santiago, where it is believed the remains of St. James are buried. Walking with his instrument, he encounters others on the same path. He plays for them and they discuss the reasons being their meditative trip of spiritual enlightenment. Notices were good for the feature. Some thought that it was uneven and didn’t do a great job of connecting the participants, but more described it as an interesting trek featuring some lovely music.
Tales from the Hood 2 – Tales from the Hood was an effective cult urban horror anthology made back in 1995. Twenty-three years later, a sequel from the same writer/director has been concocted, featuring more terrifying stories with a socio-political slant. The segments feature demonic dolls, possessed psychics, ghosts and more monsters. This feature is debuting on disc, so there aren’t many reviews yet as to how this effort compares to the original. However, the ones that have popped up have been complimentary, calling it a fun horror B-movie. It stars Keith David, Kedrick Brown, Alicia Davis Johnson and Creighton Thomas.
Three Identical Strangers – Chronicling a real story from the 1980s, this wildly successful documentary tells the true story of three adopted identical triplets who accidentally discover one another as college students. Initially, the siblings share joy and excitement about being reunited. However, as their parents attempt to make sense out of what the situation, they discover strange and dark secrets about how and why the kids were separated. Critics praised the doc. Admittedly, some felt that it could have delved further under the surface and didn’t clearly explain the motivations of certain parties, but almost all found it well-made with plenty of shocking and surprising twists and turns.
Blasts from the Past!
It isn’t as busy this week for older films receiving a Blu-ray upgrade, but the ones that are arriving are pretty great. Criterion is re-releasing Ace in the Hole (1951). This drama from Billy Wilder (Sunset Boulevard, Some Like it Hot) ranks as one of the best features ever made, chronicling the efforts of a reporter (Kirk Douglas) trying to cover the story of a man trapped in a cave. The release includes a 4K restoration, film scholar commentary, a 1980 interview with Wilder, Kirk Douglas, an afterword with director Spike Lee (who appreciates the movie) and other bonuses.
The distributor are also delivering The Naked Prey (1965) on Blu-ray. The film is about a group of ivory hunters who are caught by locals and forced to become the targets of the local’s hunting party. It has been given a high-definition digital transfer, a film scholar commentary, a recording of a 1913 report (read by Paul Giamatti) that served as the inspiration for the film, original soundtrack cues and the trailer.
They also have gritty the French crime film, Rififi (1955). This one is about four ex-cons who plan an enormous heist to cap their careers and go to extreme lengths to pull it off. It’s considered a classic and has been given a 2K restoration, arriving with an interview with director Jules Dassin, set drawings, production still and other bonuses.
Kino have a trio of fascinating releases as well, the first two being huge cult hits that originally aired on television. The Night Stalker (1972) stars Darren McGavin as Kolchak, a Las Vegas reporter investigating a series of murders. He soon discovers vampires are responsible, leading the journalist into crime investigations involving various supernatural beasts. The well-regarded telefilm has been given a 4K restoration and comes with a film historian commentary, an interview with the director and score composer, as well as featurettes on the production. They also have the follow-up, The Night Strangler (1973), which involves a sinister alchemist. This one has also earned a 4K restoration and comes with a film historian commentary, an interview with the score composer and featurettes. The success of these titles ended up resulting in a TV-series featuring the popular detective.
Finally, Kino are releasing a personal favorite, The Spiral Staircase (1945). This is a tale of a crazed murderer slaughtering members of a wealthy family during a storm. While there are some outdated elements, it features some incredibly moody photography and stands as one of the first films I can think of with a POV shots from the killer’s perspective. This is one of those older features that doesn’t seem to be all that well-remembered, but is actually quite phenomenal. It arrives with a 4K transfer of the restored fine-grain master. The movie comes with film historian audio commentary, radio broadcast of the story and theatrical trailer as well. As a horror fan, I’ll definitely be picking it up when the opportunity arises.
You Know, For Kids!
There’s plenty available for kids too. Here are the highlights.
Courage the Cowardly Dog: The Compete Series (Cartoon Network)
DC SuperHero Girls: Super-Villain High/Brian Drain
DC SuperHero Girls: Legends of Atlantis
DC SuperHero Girls: Triple Feature
Gumby (The 1980s Series): Vol. 1
Monster Family
Nature Cat: Winter Dance Party (PBS)
Octonauts: Season 2
Pinkalicious & Peterrific: Best Pink Present (PBS)
Scooby-Doo! and the Haunted House (3 Episode Collection)
Scooby-Doo! and the Skeletons (3 Episode Collection)
Super Why?: The Adventures of Little Bo Peep and Her Sheep
On the Tube!
And these are highlight’s from the week’s TV-themed releases.
Barry: Season 1
The Beverly Hillbillies: Season 5
Bramble House Christmas (Hallmark TV-movie)
Christmas at Holly Lodge (Hallmark TV-movie)
Christmas Next Door (Hallmark TV-movie)
Courage the Cowardly Dog: The Compete Series (Cartoon Network)
Debbie Macomber’s Dashing Through the Snow (Hallmark TV-movie)
Engaging Father Christmas (Hallmark TV-movie)
Good Witch: Season 4
Gumby (The 1980s Series): Vol. 1
Karen Kingsbury’s Maggie’s Christmas Miracle (Hallmark TV-movie)
The Love Boat: Season 4, Vol. 1
The Love Boat: Season 4, Vol. 2
Mister Rogers: It’s You I Like (PBS)
Nature Cat: Winter Dance Party (PBS)
Octonauts: Season 2
The Originals: Season 5
Pinkalicious & Peterrific: Best Pink Present (PBS)
The Resident: Season 1
Saved by the Bell: The Complete Series
Scooby-Doo! and the Haunted House (3 Episode Collection)
Scooby-Doo! and the Skeletons (3 Episode Collection)
Shetland: Season 4
Soul Food: The Complete Series
Vikings: Season 5, Vol. 1
Wonders of Mexico (PBS)