Hello there! This edition is shorter on big Hollywood films, leaving the way open for some smaller movies to get some attention. So without further ado, let’s get into the week’s highlights. As always, click on any links to read more about the titles being mentioned. So if you can’t make it out to the movies this week, be sure to give one of these movies a try!
Big New Releases!
Beethoven’s Treasure Tail – For those not in the know, Beethoven was a hit family fit from 1992 about a family’s lovable St. Bernard getting into all sorts of trouble. This straight-to-DVD release is the eight film about the oversized pooch and follows his adventures on, you guessed it, a treasure hunt. It stars Jonathan Silverman, Kristy Swanson, Morgan Fairchild and Jeffrey Combs.
Begin Again – The writer/director of the Oscar winning Once returns with this equally well received romantic drama. It follows a struggling performer who is taken under the wing of a disgraced record-label executive extremely. The press enjoyed the work of the actors involved and suggested that while it may be sentimental and cliched, its good spirit and low-key charm should win over viewers. Keira Knightley, Mark Ruffalo, Adam Levine, Hailee Stanfield and Catherine Keener lead the cast.
Behaving Badly – They can’t all be winners, folks. According to critics this title is ranked as one of the weakest efforts of the year. It’s a crude R-rated teen comedy that follows an awkward high school student who wants to win the heart of the most popular girl and gets into all sorts of sexual hi-jinx. As mentioned, critics suggested that it tries so hard to be offensive that it forgets to actually be funny. Nat Wolff and Selena Gomez play the teens, helped by admittedly impressive support that includes Mary-Louise Parker, Elizabeth Shue, Dylan McDermott, Heather Graham, Jason Lee, Cary Elwes, Patrick Warburton and Gary Busey.
Beneath – Horror fans might want to give this effort a try. It follows a group of coal miners trapped beneath the surface after a collapse. After the appearance of a supernatural force, they slowly begin to go mad and turn on each other. The movie got mixed notices – many thought that it was too predictable and the characters underdeveloped, but some found it to be an effective-enough B-movie chiller with a few tense moments. The movie features genre veteran Jeff Fahey.
Deliver Us From Evil – Perhaps the highest profile film of the week is this horror/thriller about a NY cop who investigates a series of crimes with demonic overtones. Before long, he begins to wonder if the only course of action to stop the evil force might be an exorcism. Reviewers weren’t particularly fond of this flick. While they seemed to agree that it did feature a few effective jolts, the story was ultimately silly and unbelievable and the pacing too slow. It stars Eric Bana, Edgar Ramirez, Olivia Munn and Joel McHale. If you want to know more, read the site’s full-length review here.
The Forgotten Kingdom – A young man returns to the countryside to bury his father in remote South Africa. As he does so, memories of his youth come flooding back and the lead attempts to make sense of it all. This independent, foreign-language film has gotten some decent reviews from the festival circuit. Many has been described as a sentimental but interesting and involving drama. Looks like it might be a small film worth checking out.
Good People – This independent thriller follows a financially strapped couple who discover that their downstairs neighbor has passed away and left behind nearly $400,000 in cash. Of course, the money had to come from somewhere and soon they must deal with the criminal who want his money back. Despite a cast that includes James Franco, Kate Hudson, Anna Friel and Tom Wilkinson, reviews were poor. They felt that the script was at fault for its slow-witted characters and increasingly preposterous plotting.
Grace: The Possession – A shy college student commits strange acts and comes to believe she is possessed in this straight-to-DVD horror flick. Freshmen take note – this sounds like a great new way to rationalize your wild partying to authorities. The filmmaking approach is a bit of a novelty… it’s shot entirely from the point-of-view of its lead character and viewers will see what she sees as the story progresses. There have been no reviews as of press time. Alexia Fast and Lin Shaye star.
Life of Crime – This adaptation of the Elmore Leonard novel The Switch may have only gotten a limited release earlier in the year, but it seems to have received positive reviews. It’s a black comedy about a corrupt real estate developer whose wife is kidnapped and held for ransom. Unfortunately for her, the magnate would rather not have her back. While it didn’t get raves, most reviewers thought it was a fun and amusing black comedy. It stars Tim Robbins, Jennifer Aniston, Isla Fisher, Will Forte and John Hawkes.
Plastic – The press suggested that the title is a pretty accurate description of the characters in this UK-produced action/comedy. The story follows a group of university students/computer hackers who accidentally steal money from a big-time crime figure. They agree to take on a heist to pay the debt and attempt to turn the tables on the villain in the process. As mentioned, newspapers across the pond hated it and described the story as ridiculously silly and unintentionally funny. It stars Ed Speleers, Alfie Allen, Will Poulter and Thomas Kretschmann.
The Prince – A retired assassin turned mechanic learns that his old crime boss has kidnapped his daughter. He goes on a rampage to get her back and provide B-movie action thrills. Unfortunately, critics did not care for it, calling it a pedestrian and bland Taken knock-off that really wastes a good cast. Ouch! Now interested viewers can make up their own minds. The movie stars Jason Patric, John Cusack, Bruce Willis, 50 Cent and Rain.
Soulmate – A suicidal widow heads out to an isolated cabin in Wales (probably not the best idea) and begins to hear strange noises in this small and low-key psychological horror flick. Those who have seen it at festivals describe it as a modern Gothic melodrama that starts well but does finish as strongly as hoped for. This independent UK production hasn’t received many professional reviews, so daring viewers will have to give it a try on their own.
Wish I Was Here – Zach Braff’s Kickstarter funded feature film is a comedy/drama about a married thirtysomething going through a personal crisis and reexamining his life. Reaction was decidedly split with critics offering a wide variety of opinions. Some found it too self-obsessed, unfocused and navel-gazing, while others found it funny and filled with strong performances. In addition to Braff, the cast includes Kate Hudson, Mandy Patinkin, Josh Gad, Jim Parsons and Donald Faison.
Blasts From the Past!
With Halloween around the corner, it’s only natural that horror re-releases take center stage, and Shout! Factory have a real doozy in their Blu-ray for Nightbreed: The Director’s Cut. Back in 1990, author and film director Clive Barker attempted a large-scale fantasy/monster/horror film for major studio 20th Century Fox. It’s about an outcast framed for murder who finds himself drawn to a cabal of monsters. The final result was visually striking, but rumors had always persisted that studio interference had resulted in re-shoots and several compromises to the project. Indeed, the version turned into the studio was vastly different from the final product. After nearly 25 years, that long lost cut has been recovered and restored. Reportedly, with scenes reinserted and the original alternate takes of pre-existing sequences used it’s a vastly different movie. In fact, most consider this version a much stronger film than the one released decades ago.
There are two editions of the title. The Limited Edition comes loaded with extras that include a feature-length documentary, a commentary, further deleted scenes and alternate versions of sequences and making-of-features as well as the 1990 theatrical cut. The regular Director’s Cut removes some of the bonuses (including the 1990 version), but does contain the lengthy feature length documentary and audio commentary. No matter which version you choose, it’s incredible to have this restored film finally available.
The studio also have the 1976 low-budget B-movie Squirm, which indeed deals with a rampaging horde of killer worms in a rural farming community. This Collector’s Edition Blu-ray contains an interview and audio commentary with the film’s writer/director as well as some publicity materials.
Not to be outdone, Criterion are releasing a Blu-ray of the super-creepy 1988 Danish thriller, The Vanishing. After a couple head out on the road for a vacation, the wife disappears at a busy gas station. The desperate husband finds himself willing to do anything to learn what happened and attracts the attention of the abductor. It’s a chilling movie that has been restored for hi-def and features bonus interviews with the director and star. Ignore the cheesy American remake made in 1993 – it’s a pale imitation of the original.
Also from Criterion is The Complete Jacques Tati Blu-ray. It contains newly restored and re-mastered versions of the famed director’s six films dating from 1949 to 1974 – this includes Jour de fête, Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday, Mon oncle, PlayTime, Trafic and Parade. These comedies are critically acclaimed classics and as in the case of Trafic offer social commentary ahead of their time. They feature some hilarious physical acting with a minimum of dialogue. The set features too many extras to go into – just rest assured that if you’re interesting in the package, you’re going to get an incredible set.
Kino are delivering a Blu-ray of the fun 1965 Italian sci-fi-horror flick Planet of the Vampires. Cult afficianados Blur Underground are releasing a Blu-ray of the well regarded 1970 Sergio Corbucci (Django) Spaghetti western, Companeros. It stars Franco Nero and Jack Palance. Despite its title suggesting an action movie in the vein of Indiana Jones, director Billy Wilder’s Fedora is much-loved romantic drama from 1978 starring William Holden. Olive is handling the hi-def release.
Shogun Assassin is a crazy, hyper-violent Japanese flick that features a samurai who slices and dices villains while pushing a cart with a baby in it. In truth, it was actually a couple of the Lone Wolf and Cub movies edited together, but it served as an introduction for American audiences to this kind of film. It may seem commonplace now to see geysers of blood spraying from severed limbs, but when this was originally released back in 1980, no one in North America had seen anything quite like it. The 30th Anniversary Collector’s Edition Blu-ray is from Animeigo.
Finally, LionsGate are releasing the Stargate: 20th Anniversary Blu-ray, which contains both the theatrical and extended cut of the film. Unfortunately, both versions have been made available previously and this looks to be a simple repackaging of a previous edition.
You Know, For Kids!
This week we’ve got bears, ponies and fighting Japanese “pocket monsters.” Check it out below.
Big Block Singalong: Vol. 1
Care Bears Belly Badge Rock
My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks
Pokemon: Indigo League: Season 1 – The Complete Collection
On the Tube!
Shout! Factory are also stealing all the attention with TV releases. WKRP: The Complete Series contains all four seasons of the cult comedy series WKRP in Cincinnati. The 1978 show followed the lives of disc jockeys at a failing radio station. This is a fantastic series that is well worth anyone’s time. It’s always been tough to release, mostly because of the clearance issues with music (bands like The Rolling Stones, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan and AC/DC among hundreds of others were always playing in the background of scenes). This version is the most complete released yet, with the majority of music intact. However, you may not want to throw out your bootlegs just yet. It appears as though they couldn’t clear everything, most notably the Pink Floyd tracks. Still, it may be the closest we’ll ever get to seeing a proper version, so it’s a solid set.
Almost as if they knew I’d be looking for it, Shout! have posted the opening credits to the show. Further below is an 1980 intro to a re-airing of the instant classic Turkey episode. Check ’em out!
Accused: Series 1 & 2
Best of Nature Collection (National Geographic)
Big Valley: Season 4
Breaking Bad: The Complete Series (Barrel)
How We Got to Now With Steven Johnson (PBS)
Lovejoy, Series 3
Masterpiece: Death Comes to Pemberly (PBS)
Miss Marple: Vol. One
My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks
Vera, Set 4
WKRP In Cincinnati: The Complete Series