Welcome to another look at some of the highlights arriving on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD. It appears that the Labor Day holiday has caused a bit of a lull on the new release front, with a limited number of discs making their debuts (next week, however, will be a particularly busy edition). But there are a few efforts to hold us over until then. So, if you can’t make it out to the movies this week or need to stay indoors for a few days, be sure to give one of these titles a try!
BIG NEW RELEASES!
CHARLIE TANGO – After a plane goes down on her watch, an air traffic controller is put under investigation and faces civil lawsuits. She and her policeman husband realize they may need money quickly. The wife asks her secret lover, a lawyer who claims to be involved in the real estate market, to help them out. He promises he can earn them a fortune by flipping houses, but the spouses soon discover it’s a scam. They decide to try and steal from the criminal himself, leading to double and, presumably, triple crosses, as well as revelations about the couple’s relationship. This low-budget, independent thriller has only been seen by a few online critics, but most have been positive. While they admit the movie would have benefitted from a larger budget, they noted that it was well-acted, twisty and enjoyable. This is currently a DVD-only release. The cast includes Stacie Mistysyn, Bruce Dinsmore and David La Haye.
THE CLEAN UP CREW – This indie crime/dark comedy feature is set in the UK. It involves an underworld figure who becomes furious after money disappears during a deal gone wrong. Where exactly did the cash go? Well, as it turns out, a crime scene clean-up crew have found and taken it for themselves. The mobster and corrupt government agents begin to crawl out of the woodwork to pursue the leads, while they are determined to keep the funds using any means necessary. This is another picture that is arriving only on DVD. Thus far, reaction to the film hasn’t been very strong. One reviewer was amused by the events, calling the picture campy fun that takes jabs at recent crime movie cliches. Everyone else complained that the screenplay was clumsy. They stated that it wasted a good cast and delivered little in the way of thrills or laughs. It stars Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Melissa Leo, Antonio Banderas, Swen Temmel and Ekaterina Baker.
THE IN BETWEEN – This teen drama follows an aspiring photographer grieving the death of her perfect boyfriend after they are involved in a car wreck. She thinks about their time together, wanting nothing more than one more minute with him to say goodbye and find some kind of closure. When the lead begins experiencing supernatural phenomena, she begins to wonder if she might actually have a chance to see him again. This title was made available exclusively on the Paramount+ streaming service in 2022 at the end of the pandemic, and is only now receiving a release on disc. The press gave it slightly more positive write-ups than negative ones. Those who disliked the picture stated that it was corny, melodramatic, silly and featured self-obsessed characters. Slightly more liked the protagonists, thought the film was sweet and that it tried to do something different with the “Young Adult” genre. This is also a DVD-only release. Joey King, Kyle Allen, Kim Dickens, Celeste O’Connor and John Ortiz headline the movie.
MEDESKI MARTIN & WOOD: NOT NOT JAZZ – Also known simply as Not Not Jazz, this documentary may be of interest to music enthusiasts. It tells the story of the “avant-groove” jazz band Medeski Martin & Wood. For 25 years, they have been recording acclaimed improvisational albums that are considered by some critics to be revolutionary. In this film, a crew follows them as they begin to work on their newest project at Allaire Studios (which is considered one of the best recording sites in the world). A small number of write-ups for the feature have appeared and are generally upbeat. One did comment that the film was made strictly for fans and that no one without prior knowledge of the musicians would know what they were watching or why it was important. Still, more called the movie interesting and thought it presented a wonderful look at the creative process and how these individuals make music.
BLASTS FROM THE PAST!
If you’re looking for something a bit older, you do have some good options. Criterion is putting out a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray combo of the cult classic, Repo Man (1984) Emilio Estevez plays an LA punk who gets a job working for a repo company. A veteran takes him under his wings and shows him the ropes. The pair end up searching for a wanted ’64 Chevy that has connections to the government, and maybe even outer space. The release includes a stellar 4K restoration of the movie supervised by director Alex Cox (Sid and Nancy, Walker), an archival commentary track with the director, executive producer Micheal Nesmith (from The Monkees), casting director Victoria Thomas, and cast members Sy Richardson, Zander Schloss and Del Zamora. You’ll also get deleted scenes, cast and crew interviews, a roundtable discussion with Cox and others about the picture, a conversation with co-star Harry Dean Stanton, an amusingly cleaned-up television version of the movie and trailers.
Kino is presenting a Blu-ray of the drama, Chains of Gold (1991). John Travolta plays a social worker trying to help a 13-year-old crack-dealing gang member turn his life around. Joey Lawrence plays the kid. This disc arrives with a trailer.
You can also pick up Naughty Girl (1956) on Blu-ray. It’s a French comedy about a lounge singer working at a nightclub. His boss asks him to take care of his “baby” while he’s out of town and the lead assumes she is an infant, but the individual turns out to be a voluptuous dancer (played by Brigitte Bardot). The film has been restored in 4K for this disc and comes with a film historian commentary.
Paramount Pictures is delivering the Tim Burton film adaptation of the musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007). This 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray set includes a sparkling new image of the Johnny Depp picture. No word yet on bonuses, but one hopes that previously released extras will be included.
Sandpiper Pictures is a distributor that puts out bare-bones editions of out-of-print films. They may not come with commentary tracks, but at least you’ll be able to own these pictures on Blu-ray. The first is the critically lambasted comedy, Blame It on Rio (1984), which stars Michael Caine as a dad who goes on vacation with his daughter to Rio de Janeiro. When his best friend comes along with his 17-year-old daughter, the lead begins an affair with her.
Hound of the Baskervilles (1959) is an excellent adaptation of the famous Sherlock Holmes with Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee that you can now pick up on Blu-ray.
A Blu-ray of the effective Lucas Haas, Alex Rocco thriller Lady in White (1988) is also appearing from Sandpiper Pictures. A long out-of-print Shout! Factory version contained three cuts of the movie, but is impossible to find for a decent price. Not sure if this edition contains the theatrical version, director’s cut or extended director’s cut, so you’ll have to find out for yourself.
The Clive Barker horror picture Lord of Illusions (1995) is also coming out on Blu-ray again. Like the previous film mentioned, there is an out-of-print edition with multiple cuts. There’s contradictory information listed on whether it is a longer cut or the theatrical edition, but at least it’s available again.
Marat/Sade (1967) is a British biopic that tells the story of the Marquis de Sade. It stars Patrick Magee, Ian Richardson and Glenda Jackson and is now available on Blu-ray. You can also purchase Moby Dick (1956) with Gregory Peck on the same format, as well as the Tom Conti comedy/drama Saving Grace (1986), which sees the Pope getting locked out of the Vatican and trying to get back in touch with the people.
Shout! Factory is releasing the remake of The Amityville Horror (2005) in a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray pack. Ryan Reynolds stars in this redo of the haunted house/possession story. This “Collector’s Edition” includes a new 4K scan of the movie from the original camera negative, a new interview with the director and the composer of the score, and archival features like a commentary with the director and Reynolds, deleted scenes with optional commentary, a making-of and promotional materials.
The entertaining horror picture The Boy (2016) is also arriving in a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray package. It’s about an American nanny (The Walking Dead’s Lauren Cohan) who is asked by a wealthy English couple to babysit a creepy child-sized doll while they are away. Things get even stranger from there. This release includes a newly recorded film critic commentary, a half dozen new interviews with cast and crew and a trailer.
It appears that the eccentric Jim Gaffigan sci-fi/comedy/drama Linoleum (2022) is becoming something of a cult item since its DVD only release last year. Now, it’s getting a Blu-ray upgrade from the distributor with a sharper image and the same bonuses.
The Razzie Award-winning Winnie the Pooh: Blood & Honey (2023) has also been picked up by Shout! for re-release. They are making “Limited Edition” Walmart-exclusive Steelbook Blu-ray of the title available for purchase.
And you can also pick up a Blu-ray of the Hong Kong action/crime film A World Without Thieves (2004).
The hit baseball comedy A League of Their Own (1992) is coming to bat in a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray combo pack from Sony Pictures. Tom Hanks coaches a professional women’s baseball team in this comedy/drama that also stars Geena Davis, Lori Petty, Madonna, Rosie O’Donnell, Megan Cavanagh and Ann Cusack. The 4K image has been restored from the original camera negative and you’ll also get all previously released extras like a commentary track, documentary, deleted scenes, episodes from a TV series based on the movie, a music video and more.
Finally, Warner Archive is making made-to-order Blu-rays available of the Fred Astaire rom-com/musical Three Little Worlds (1950) and the Mickey Rooney musical Words and Music (1948).
YOU KNOW, FOR KIDS!
This is a slow week for family-friendly entertainment, so let’s hope next week offers more choices.
ON THE TUBE!
You’ll find this week’s TV-themed releases listed below.
Belgravia: The Next Chapter (Miniseries) (Universal) Blu-ray
CSI: Vegas: The Final Season (CBS) DVD