Welcome to another look at a selection of highlights arriving on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD. This edition includes some unique and interesting independent and international efforts, alongside classic titles getting major upgrades. 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!
ESCAPE – Released under the title Talju in its homeland, this South Korean picture follows a North Korean army sergeant who is treated horribly by his superiors. After deciding that he doesn’t believe in the country’s political stance, he attempts to defect. Along the way, a fellow soldier asks to join him. The two men are hunted by their ruthless Major while trying to cross the border into South Korea. Response was generally positive towards this foreign-language feature. About one-third commented that the characters weren’t well developed, leaving them uninvolved in the proceedings. Still, most wrote that the movie was incredibly fast-paced, tense and visually exciting, with plenty of entertaining twists that would please action fans. It stars Lee Je-hoon, Koo Kyo-hwan, Hong Xa-bin and Song Kang.
GET FAST – A thief and his partner get in over their heads when they realize they have just taken goods from a vicious drug lord. One of them gets captured and the other bids a hasty retreat. The criminal group hires a veteran assassin to assist them in catching and murdering the main character. However, the lead has a few tricks up his sleeve and decides to fight back and free his pal. This thief is also joined by a troubled orphan in an ice cream truck. This action picture appears to be debuting as a DVD-only and streaming release, so very few critics have seen it. A couple of online reviews have appeared and have been upbeat. They note that the cast is sold, the action is well-handled and the final product is better than anticipated. It features James Clayton, Lou Diamond Phillips, Philip Granger, Fei Ren, Lee Majdoub and Alisha-Marie Ahmed.
MY NAME IS ALFRED HITCHCOCK – This documentary from Mark Cousins (who made the lengthy doc series The Story of Film) involves the filmmaker having an audio discussion with director Alfred Hitchcock. Cousins slowly goes over Hitchcock’s career and notes the remarkable movie making techniques the master created in the process. As it so happens, the audio interview is a fictional device written by Cousins, imagining how Hitchcock might react to his theories. Completed in 2022, this documentary has been slowly finding distributors and is finally arriving in North America. The press has generally been positive about the film. A few complained that the imagined element was nonsense and seemed more about the documentarian’s mindset than Hitchcock’s. Still, the majority were amused, calling the film incredibly detailed and offering interesting new ideas about the director’s famous movies.
PARADISE – Joe Hollis is the subject of this documentary. For over 50 years, the man lived off-the-grid residing in the Black Mountains in Western North Carolina. A group of filmmakers set out to meet with the figure. After encountering him, they discover that he has been cultivating an incredible “paradise garden” containing over a thousand different plant species, many of which can’t be found anywhere else in the country. Hollis reveals that he is in poor health and the moviemakers follow him as he attempts to preserve his land and legacy. This picture is debuting on disc and on streaming services, which means there are few notices available for it. Those who appreciate botany or gardening may admire the feature (just make sure you find the right title, as there are many films in recent years that have been released with the same name).
SISTERHOOD – This co-production between France and Morocco tells the story of three fun-loving teenagers. When one of them is attacked, the others record the assault and post the video on social networks. Obviously, this draws a great deal of attention from the public and the trio have to deal with both supporters and unexpected criticism from a sizable group who don’t approve of their actions. This foreign-language drama/comedy hasn’t been seen by many reviewers in North America, but all of those who have abroad rated the picture highly. They stated that the film was effective in showing the struggle faced by young immigrants fighting for their rights and the various roadblocks they face because of their race. For the time being, this is a DVD-only release. Leah Aubert, Salma Takaline and Medina Diarra headline the feature.
SOMETIMES I THINK ABOUT DYING – An introverted office worker in the Pacific Northwest spends most of her time focused intensely on her work. It also seems that her main hobby is fantasizing about her own death. When a new coworker arrives and attempts to befriend her, she is forced out of her shell. The two start dating, but she begins to worry that her eccentricities may ruin the relationship. This independent romantic-comedy earned a lot of praise from movie critics. One of five reviewers did find the film exceedingly quirky and didn’t think that it offered much insight into its protagonist. However, most were charmed, complimenting the performances and suggesting that the story did an excellent job of letting viewers into the head of an amusingly complex and unique individual. It stars Daisy Ridley, Dave Merheje, Parvesh Cheena, Marcia DeBonis and Meg Stalter.
BLASTS FROM THE PAST!
It’s a big week for Arrow Video, who have two major releases. The first is the William Shatner horror film Incubus (1966), which is arriving in a “Limited Edition” 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray or “Limited Edition” Blu-ray. This picture has the unique distinction of being shot in Esperanto, an international means of communication combining elements from numerous languages. It was intended to be a second language to serve the entire world. While it did find some speakers, the idea never quite took off. The plot deals with a wounded soldier who travels to a village with supernatural properties and falls for a woman who may be a succubus. It was a flop and had difficulty being distributed, but over the years has found a cult following.
The release boasts a 4K restoration from the last surviving 35mm print of the movie. You’ll also get a new genre historian audio commentary, an archive commentary with Shatner, as well as one with the producer, cinematographer and camera operator. Bonuses also include a 1.37:1 presentation of the film, an interview with film historian on the movie, a history of Esperanto, an archival interview with the three men from the third commentary, a video trailer, a reversible sleeve with new art for the film, and a booklet with essays on the title.
Inglourious Basterds (2009) is also being made available, with a “Limited Edition Operation Kino” 4K Ultra HD or a “Limited Edition” Blu-ray only. This Oscar-winning (for Best Supporting Actor) all-star World War II picture from Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) involves a group of Jewish-American soldiers tasked with assassinating Adolf Hitler. Besides nifty new art and packaging for the film, it comes with a 60-page collector’s book with writing on the film, a double-sided fold-out poster, a replica of the programme booklet seen in the climax, a beermat, three postcards and a strudel recipe card.
Additionally, this edition includes a new movie critic commentary, recently recorded interviews with the editor, make-up effects supervisor and co-star Omar Doom. There are also two visual essays on the feature, a movie scholar interview about French filmmaking under German control, extended and alternate scenes, the film-within-the-film, a making-of, a cast and crew roundtable discussion, an archival featurette on the original Inglorious Bastards, other previously released featurettes, a film poster gallery tour and trailers. This is certainly the best possible version of the title on disc.
Criterion is giving the Richard Pryor biopic Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling (1986) a release in a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray combo pack. A standalone Blu-ray only version will also be made available. After a horrific drug-related accident nearly ends the protagonist’s life, viewers see his childhood, events that shaped him, rise to fame and addictions forcing him to change his ways. Pryor also directed and co-wrote the movie. The 4K disc contains a digital restoration of the film presented in Dolby Vision, an interview about the feature with movie maker Robert Townsend, and a 1985 interview with Pryor on The Dick Cavett Show, along with an appreciation piece with a critic.
The distributor is also presenting The Mother and the Whore (1973) in a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray package or a Blu-ray only disc. This French effort involves a chauvinistic man who embarks on an open relationship with his girlfriend. When another woman enters the picture, jealousy, emotional violence and other complications arise. This Cannes Film Festival Grand Prize winner arrives with a 4K picture restoration, interviews with a co-star, a conversation on the title with a French filmmaker and a writer, a look at the restoration work for this release, a segment from a television program featuring the director and cast, a trailer, and an essay on the film.
Kino is delivering the Rock Hudson, Gena Rowlands adventure The Spiral Road (1962) on Blu-ray. It features a film historian commentary track and a trailer.
That Funny Feeling (1965) is a rom-com with Sandra Dee as a New York City-based maid who gets into an unexpected relationship with a businessman (played by Bobby Darin). This Blu-ray also comes with a movie expert commentary track and trailer.
Here’s an interesting one. The exceptional dystopian science-fiction film Snowpiercer (2013) is being released in a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray “Limited Edition” Steelbook from Lionsgate. This is an Amazon exclusive. Chris Evans, Jamie Bell, Tilda Swinton, Ed Harris, Song Kang-ho, John Hurt, Octavia Spencer, Ewen Bremner, Ko Ah-sung and Alison Pill are all living on a moving locomotive. When it becomes clear that some on the train aren’t surviving as well as others, a class war breaks out. This great title from Bong Joon Ho (Parasite, The Host) should be arriving in impressive new packaging with a better picture. Bonus features are still yet to be determined, so they may be the same as the previous Blu-ray release.
MGM is delivering some catalog titles on Blu-ray. There won’t be many extras for these pictures, but at least you’ll now be able to own them in this format. The first is the Gene Hackman/Teri Garr rom-com Full Moon in Blue Water (1988). You can also pick up the Jean Simmons drama The Happy Ending (1969), about a housewife trying to escape her daily, mundane routine. And the dark comedy/musical Romance & Cigarettes (2005) can also be purchased on Blu-ray. John Turturro wrote and directed this effort about a husband starting a romantic tryst with another woman. The cast includes James Gandolfini, Susan Sarandon, Kate Winslet, Steve Buscemi, Bobby Cannavale, Mandy Moore, Mary-Louise Parker and Christopher Walken.
Paramount put out two spectacular 4K Ultra HD releases earlier in the year, and they are now being rereleased. The masterpiece Chinatown (1974) starring Jack Nicolson as a private investigator who uncovers a conspiracy, is arriving in a 4K “Standard Edition” that includes the most of the extras from the previous version last year, with the exception of the 1990 sequel “The Two Jakes” and elaborate fold-out packaging.
Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) with Charles Bronson, Jason Robards, Henry Fonda and Claudia Cardinale is one of the best westerns ever made, and it’s getting a “Standard Edition” 4K and Blu-ray combo pack. Looks like the packaging may be the only difference here, as the new film historian commentary and older extras appear to be included.
Finally, Shout Factory is presenting the Shaw Brothers Classics: Volume Five Blu-ray box set. It contains The Silent Swordsman (1967), Rape of the Sword (1967), The Fastest Sword (1968), Twin Blades of Doom (1969), Twelve Deadly Coins (1969), Vengeance is a Golden Blade (1969), A Taste of Cold Steel (1970), The Iron Buddha (1970), The Jade Faced Assassin (1971), Mission Impossible (1971) and Six Assassins (1971). You’ll need deep pockets for this one, but it also comes with at least one commentary track per film, as well as some interviews on a few of the movies.
YOU KNOW, FOR KIDS!
All of the kid-friendly titles can be found listed below.
PBS Kids: Birthday Bash! (PBS Kids) DVD
Strawberry Shortcake: Berry in the Big City – Season 3 (NCircle) DVD
ON THE TUBE!
And below is a list of the week’s TV-related releases.
Hallmark 6 Movie Collection: Unthinkably Good Things, To Her with Love, A Nashville Legacy, Spring Breakthrough, Napa Ever After, Sense and Sensibility (Hallmark) DVD
Icons Unearthed: Marvel (Vice TV miniseries) (Mill Creek Entertainment) Blu-ray