Welcome to another look at release highlights coming your way on Blu-ray and DVD. It’s a very busy edition with plenty of features both new and old. As always, you can click on any links you see 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!
Believer – This foreign-language crime flick from South Korea involves a detective determined to take down a major drug cartel. To do so, he befriends a violent and frustrated underling within the gang. Together, they attempt to bring the enterprise down. The film was a massive hit in its homeland and received good reviews here as well. There were a few who complained that this remake of the 2012 Hong Kong movie Drug War wasn’t quite as effective as the original, but more thought that the acting was solid and that this version was different enough to stand apart from its predecessor. It stars Cho Jin-woong and Ryu Jun-yeol.
Call Her Ganda – Jennifer Laude was a Filipina transgender woman who was murdered by a US Marine stationed in the area. This documentary follows three people who become involved in the case… a lawyer determined to prosecute the man responsible, a transgender journalist covering the trail and the victim’s mother who starts a political uprising against US imperialism in the Philippines. Reaction towards this effort was extremely positive. In fact, as of right now the movie hasn’t received any negative write-ups. While many suggested that certain story elements work better than others, they all called it a moving documentary that delivers an impassioned plea against prejudice.
Custody – A son comes between two embattled parents in this French drama. The two divorcees fight for the boy, going to any legal extreme to emerge victorious over the other and win full guardianship of the child. Of course, their actions have adverse effects on the youngster. The press were very positive about this dark and gloomy foreign-language effort. While one or two found it too grim and repetitive for their liking, the overwhelming majority were impressed by the lead performances and found the events compelling, noting the powerful and memorable finale as particularly striking. The cast includes Léa Drucker, Denis Ménochet and Thomas Gioria.
The Darkest Minds – Based on the young adult novel series, this film begins with 98% of the world’s youth falling victim to a deadly virus. The remaining kids are imprisoned in internment camps by fearful adults. After discovering that they have developed special powers, the kids break free and attempt to fight against villainous government forces. Critics were not impressed by this latest attempt at a new YA franchise. A small percentage thought that it would effectively entertain its target demographic, but almost all others criticized the movie for being dull, formulaic and poorly adapted. It features Amandla Stenberg, Mandy Moore, Bradley Whitford and Harris Dickinson.
Death of a Nation – This “documentary” from Dinesh D’Souza is supposedly an expose on the Democrat party, whom he believes are actually fascists directly responsible for the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. According to him, liberals are now trying to do the same to President Trump. Umm.. thus far, this flick has received no positive notices from media outlets of any political persuasion. It has been described as a mentally unhinged fabrication that rambles from one subject to the next, making increasingly inane and insane accusations of an evil conspiracy. Literally everyone is suggesting that you simply ignore this film and not waste 90 minutes of your life with it… not even in an ironic way.
In the Land of Pomegranates – Palestinian/Israeli conflict in the Middle East is the subject matter of this documentary. Specifically, the filmmaker follows a group of youngsters from both backgrounds who are brought together for a retreat in Germany, where they live under the same roof and enter into dialogues about the ongoing crisis. In general. the press gave the film a positive assessment, although with a few caveats. About a quarter found it messy and noted that it needed a tighter, clearer focus. Still, most believed that its message was admirable and that some of the conversations included in the film were enlightening.
Mandy – A mild-mannered couple happily living in the forest undergo a horrific ordeal after a bizarre cult arrives and viciously attacks them. After these tragic events, the husband seeks vengeance on those responsible in the most brutal manner possible. Somewhat surprisingly, this independent action/horror picture has earned very strong notices. A few did find it overlong and ponderous, but the overwhelming consensus was that this was a brutal, disturbing, yet oddly absorbing effort bolstered by an unhinged performance from its lead performer. The movie stars Nicolas Cage, Andrea Riseborough, Linus Roache and Ned Dennehy.
Never Goin’ Back – In this indie comedy/drama, two diner waitresses become determined to escape their hometown of Dallas and start a new life in another city. To make their dreams come true, they must raise some cast and decide to take part in several crazy schemes in order to earn enough cash to leave town. Reaction towards this feature appears to be mostly positive. A percentage did find the protagonists a little too slow and irritating to get behind, but more recommended the film, saying that they enjoyed the quirky characters and blunt humor. The cast includes Maia Mitchell, Camila Monroe and Kyle Mooney.
Our House – A brilliant teen loses his parents in a tragic accident and is tasked with taking care of his younger siblings. While doing so, he continues scientific experiments at home, eventually inventing an electrical apparatus that can raise the spirits of the dead. Despite attempts to contact his parents, it seems that nastier ghosts begin tormenting the family. This independent thriller split members of the press. Close to half thought that although it was sincere, the final product didn’t do as much with its concept as it should have. Slightly more appreciated the performances and called it an interesting little flick. It features John Ralston, Thomas Mann and Percy Hynes White.
The Padre – This drama involves a criminal on the run from a determined US Court Justice and a police officer. After stealing a car in order to escape his pursuers, the lead discovers a 16-year-old stowaway in the back seat. She convinces him to take her along and the pair ultimately plan a dangerous heist. As of right now, there aren’t many reviews for this effort and reaction appears to be mixed. A couple of write-ups enjoyed the work of the cast, while the others thought the overall film was competent but unexceptional. Now viewers can make up their own minds. It stars Tim Roth, Valeria Henriquez, Nick Nolte and Luis Guzman.
Searching – In this thriller, a frantic father panics after his teenage daughter disappears without warning. He uses technology like the laptop found in her room, online video and social sites to conduct his own investigation into what happened, all in the hope of finding her. The plot is reminiscent of various recent horror films, but takes an approach closer to that of a thriller. Reviews were unexpectedly strong. While a few didn’t buy the digital approach to the story and had trouble suspending belief, far more were taken by the lead performance and complimented it as a fun, enjoyable suspense picture. The cast includes John Cho, Debra Messing and Michelle La. To read this site’s review, click here.
Slender Man – Based on the urban legend, this tale involves a group of teenagers who read about the mysterious Slender Man online and decide to go out and prove that he isn’t real. Of course, a member of the group disappears and soon it becomes clear that the monster may in fact be authentic than anticipated. Notices for this horror movie were extremely poor. The one or two positive ones appreciated the sound design and thought it mountain a sufficiently creepy tone. Everyone else described it as a dull and generic genre picture that did not feature any characters that were worth caring about. It features Joey King, Julia Goldani Telles and Jazz Sinclair.
The Spy Who Dumped Me – A thirty-year-old woman and her best friend are thrust into a world of danger and excitement when an ex-boyfriend being chased by assassins suddenly arrives. The two untrained and very surprised women are suddenly forced to go on the run across Europe and attempt to save the world. This effort split the press. About half admitted that it wasn’t perfect but suggested that one of the two leads was so funny that the film’s script flaws didn’t matter. The remainder complained that the movie was overlong and couldn’t make up for the story deficiencies. Mila Kunis, Kate McKinnon, Justin Theroux and Gillian Anderson headline the feature.
Teen Titans Go! To the Movies – This animated feature takes the popular children’s TV superhero series and adapts it for the big screen. It begins with the young leads feeling a bit left out of the comic-to-film adaptation craze. They become determined to get themselves noticed by Hollywood producers and in the process end up facing off against an megalomaniac villain out to rule the world. Reviews were very upbeat for this effort. One or two didn’t appreciate the constant comic-related in-jokes, but almost all others found it to be a silly, funny and enjoyably witty superhero satire. The voice cast includes Greg Cipes, Scott Menville, Khary Payton., Tara Strong, Will Arnett, Kristin Bell, Nicolas Cage and Michael Bolton (yes, that Michael Bolton).
Thunder Road – A very troubled police officer/single dad experiences a complete mental meltdown after the passing of his mother in this dark, independent comedy/drama. His attempts to recuperate and be a proper father figure to his young daughter soon fall apart as chaos envelops his life. This eccentric tale earned plenty of raves at various screenings, even winning the Grand Jury Award at last year’s SXSW Film Festival. They called it an unpredictable and captivating film anchored by a stunning and oddly sensitive central performance. The movie stars Jim Cummings, Kendal Farr and Nican Robinson.
Blasts from the Past!
Arrow Video are leading off the week with a big Blu-ray release. Specifically, their Collector’s Edition of the Oscar-nominated sci-fi flick, 12 Monkeys (1995) aka Twelve Monkeys. This film tells the story of a man sent from the future to discover the cause of a devastating virus that has wiped out much of humanity. Director Terry Gilliam (Brazil, The Fisher King and numerous others) peppers the story with plenty of dark humor and visual splendor. The movie has been given a 4K restoration from the original negative and comes with a great feature length, fly-on-the-wall documentary about its production. The release also includes a commentary track, image and production art gallery and a trailer. You can now read a few review of the disc here.
They also have the Italian horror flick, Torso (1973). It combines elements of the mystery giallo genre with slasher film elements. This Collector’s Edition Blu-ray features a sharper 2K restoration of the movie, a new film historian audio commentary, new interviews with the director as well as cast/crew members and horror film experts, trailers and an additional Q&A with the writer/director recorded in 2017.
Shout! Factory have a trio of fun titles as well. They include a new Collector’s Edition Blu-ray of the Dan Ackroyd/Tom Hanks comedy, Dragnet (1987). Based on the classic TV-show, this movie pokes fun at the stiff nature of the original 50’s show and its hard-nosed protagonist as he investigates strange cult activity in Los Angeles. The release includes a pop-culture historian commentary, an interview with co-star Alexandra Paul, a promotional video for the movie and a series of trailers and ads for the film.
They also have a new Blu-ray of the Roger Corman creature feature, The Wasp Woman (1959). It’s a goofy midnight movie about a make-up brand executive obsessed with her own beauty who begins taking a jelly product. It makes the corporate head appear younger, but also periodically transforms her into a killer insect. This edition includes 2K transfers of both the theatrical and television cuts of the film, as well as two film historian audio commentaries and a trailer.
Additionally, Shout! are releasing Valley Girl (1983) as a Collector’s Edition on Blu-ray. This well-regarded comedy follows a romance between two Los Angeles hipsters and stars a very young Nicolas Cage and Deborah Foreman. Besides presenting a 4K scan of the original film negative, it comes with an incredible array of bonuses, including new conversations with the director and cast members, a series of interviews from 2003 with the entire cast and crew (including Cage himself), a video history of the locales used in the film, a feature-length director commentary, music videos featuring tunes used in the movie, a retrospective piece on the movie and many other extras. This disc is jam-packed and should please fans of the film.
Kino also have some interesting Blu-ray releases. They include the thriller, D.O.A. (1988), which is a remake of the 1949 film noir classic about a man who discovers he’s been fatally poisoned and has less than 24 hours to catch the culprit before he dies. This edition stars Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan. The Special Edition includes two commentaries, one from each of the co-directors (who were a husband and wife team at the time).
They also have Blu-rays of the well-regarded suspense TV-movie, The Ghost of Sierra de Cobre (1964) with Martin Landau. Finally, they have a Blu-ray of the silent, historical drama, Old Ironsides (1926) starring Charles Farrell.
Criterion are giving an update to one of the best flicks from the 80s. The Princess Bride (1987) is a comedic fairy-tale from Rob Reiner (This is Spinal Tap) that impressed audiences and critics alike back in the day and continues to be hugely popular. This edition presents the film with a new 4K digital restoration, a 1996 cast and crew audio commentary, a 1987 audiobook recording of the original novel by director Reiner, a new segment about the screenplay and the adaptation process, archival interviews with the cast, a new talk with the movie’s art director, programs about individual elements of the film, an on-set video diary and much more.
You Know, For Kids!
Here are this edition’s kid-friendly highlights.
Batman: The Complete Animated Series
Teen Titans Go! To the Movies
On the Tube!
And these are some of the big TV releases arriving this week.
Batman: The Complete Animated Series
Charmed: Season 1 (Blu-ray)
Hallmark Hall of Fame: The Christmas Train
MacGyver: Season 1
Murdoch Mysteries: Christmas Cases Collection
No Passport Required (PBS)
Obama Years: The Power of Words (Smithsonian Channel)
The Planet Earth Collection (4K UHD) (BBC)