Welcome back for a detailed look at what’s coming your way on DVD and Blu-ray. As always, be sure and click on any links to read detailed reviews of the flicks being summarized. It’s another busy edition with plenty of good stuff. 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!
Cinderella – This live-action Disney retelling of the famous fairy tale follows a poor young woman who through magic, manages to attend a ball and have a prince fall for her (much to the chagrin of her wicked stepmother and stepsisters). Reviews were very strong for Kenneth Branagh’s traditional, irony-free adaptation of the story. They wrote that it hits all of the right notes and that the film’s young lead exudes charm and grace. It stars Lily James, Cate Blanchett, Richard Madden, Helena Bonham Carter and Stellan Skarsgard. Read a full-length review of the film right here.
Furious 7 – The year’s second biggest box office hit is the sixth sequel in the Fast & Furious series. When the brother of the previous film’s villain vows to kill the protagonists for putting his sibling in a coma, the heroes reunite to take him on. Surprisingly, the movie received mostly positive notices. While there were a few who found it overlong and over-the-top, many enjoyed the ridiculousness of the events and called it entertainingly silly. Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jason Statham, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Dwayne Johnson and Kurt Russell take on the lead roles. To read a detailed review of the film, click here.
Heaven Knows What – The plot of this independent drama involves a homeless young heroin addict and her boyfriend struggling to survive in New York. It’s been called unflinching and unsentimental in its approach to the young leads, and the press generally liked it. While many found the characters difficult to root for and found the cold tone distancing, most found the movie harrowing and performances incredibly authentic. The cast includes Arielle Holmes and Caleb Landry Jones.
Love & Mercy – Beach Boy Brian Wilson is the subject of this biopic that uses two different actors (Paul Dano and John Cusack) to portray the man at different points in his life. The story follows the musician from the recording of Pet Sounds through his mental collapse and eventual attempts to break free from his doctor’s controlling grasp. Reviews were very strong for the movie, in particular lauding the work of Dano as the younger version of Wilson. It has been described by many as feeling authentic and using parallel editing to present the story in an interesting manner. It also stars Elizabeth Banks and Paul Giamatti. To read a full review of the film, click here.
Monkey Kingdom – Disneynature presents another in their line of wildlife feature documentaries. This time out, the focus is on a pair of monkeys (specifically, a mother and her newborn) as they attempt to fit in among a group living at the ruins of a temple in Southeast Asia. Overall, critics were positive about this effort. While they felt it hammered its very simple message over the head with no subtlety or nuance, all admitted that it was beautifully shot and that the animals were entertaining to watch. The title is narrated by Tina Fey.
Nightingale – This project from HBO Films follows an army veteran for 90 minutes as he arrives home to visit his mother. Traumatized by past events and the impending arrival of a houseguest, his mental state slowly deteriorates. It’s essentially a character piece following one very troubled man for the entirety of the running time. Reviews were quite strong for this downbeat indie drama, praising the work of solitary star David Oyelowo as both moving, unsettling and ultimately compelling. This effort sounds like it might be a good performance for aspiring actors to check out (especially if you can handle the dark material).
The Overnight – A young family moves from Seattle to Los Angeles and seem desperate to make friends. When they’re invited over to local couple’s house, they gladly accept, but soon find that the people who have welcomed them into their home are not what they seem. Things quickly become very uncomfortable. The press enjoyed this dark independent comedy. While they didn’t agree that all of the disturbing jokes worked, most called it interesting and unpredictable. The cast includes Adam Scott, Taylor Schilling, Jason Schwartzman and Judith Godreche.
Reality – In this French/Belgium/USA arthouse co-production, a fledgling director is offered financing for his horror film by a producer… but only if he can find the world’s perfect scream. Reportedly, the movie itself is just as strange and unusual as the concept. It received slightly more positive reactions than negative ones – while some called it too strange to enjoy, others found themselves hypnotized by its oddness and satirical bent. The cast includes Alan Chabat, Jonathan Lambert, Jon Heder and John Glover. It’s from the director of the bizarre 2010 killer-tire oddity, Rubber.
Salad Days: A Decade of Punk in Washington, DC – The title of this documentary essentially explains exactly what you’ll be getting; an expose of the punk scene in Washington through the 80s, including bands like Bad Brains, Minor Threat and Fugazi. Generally speaking, word on the film was positive. While many felt it was almost too specific in its focus, they also called it interesting and enlightening. It also features interviews with the likes of Fred Armisen, Dave Grohl and Henry Rollins.
The Seven Five – Here’s another doc that details the exploits of one of (if not the) dirtiest cops in New York City. Michael Dowd was a Brooklyn patrol officer who took bribes, ran a crime syndicate and helped supply illicit drugs in his own district throughout the 1980s. The story of his rise and downfall is told by the participants. Critics called it fascinating and complimented the stylish, tense, thriller-like approach the filmmakers took in presenting the material.
Blasts From the Past!
There are a lot of reissues and older titles coming to Blu-ray, so let’s jump right into it. Haven’t picked up that James Bond box set from a couple of years back? Now you can order the latest version, an Amazon Exclusive titled The Ultimate James Bond Collection. It contains all of the movies in hi-def with loads of extras and a slot for the upcoming Spectre when it gets released on disc.
Shout! Factory have the horror flick The Legacy (1978) arriving on Blu-ray. The plot involves a pair of interior decorators who are sent to England to work on a creepy old mansion. When the estate family members begin dying mysteriously, the leads do all they can to escape with their lives. It stars Katherine Ross, Sam Elliott and features The Who lead singer Roger Daltrey in a supporting role. The disc contains a new transfer of the film from the original negative and features a couple of interviews with the editor and special effects artist.
Kino have several noteworthy Blu-rays, including the Gregory Peck western, Billy Two Hats (1974) and the Francis McDormand thriller Hidden Agenda (1990), about corruption in the UK government. There’s also House of Long Shadows (1983) aka House of the Long Shadows, a homage to classic Hammer films featuring Vincent Price, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. Kino also have another Gregory Peck effort in the well regarded John Huston production of the literary classic, Moby Dick (1956). Finally, there’s the Ray Liotta suspense/thriller Unforgettable (1996) about a man wrongly accused of murder who takes an experimental drug to experience the memories of other people in order to help him solve the crime.
Not to be outdone, budget-friendly distributor Mill Creek are delivering affordably priced Blu-rays of the Kevin Bacon Hollywood satire, The Big Picture (1989) and the slapstick comedy Spaced Invaders (1990). They’re putting out DVDs of the classic Crime and Punishment (1935) as well as the comedy/drama, Postcards From the Edge (1990), starring Meryl Streep and Shirley MacLaine. Finally, B-movie fans can enjoy some campy delights in the atomic zombie flick, Creature With the Atom Brain (1955). Yes, you read that right. Not only does the plot features the undead, but also mobsters and the US Army. It’s preposterous but enjoyably goofy and offers a unique, over-the-top take on the zombie genre. Classic horror fans will likely get a chuckle or two out of it.
Murder, My Sweet (1944), a beloved film-noir based on the Raymond Chandler novel is coming to Blu-ray via the Warner Archive Collection. Criterion have a Blu-ray of the more recent title, Blind Chance (1987). This foreign-language Polish drama from Krzysztof Kieslowski (the Three Colors series) was shot in 1981 but didn’t manage to obtain a release (due to government censorship) until 1987. It follows a man chasing a train. The film shows three different version of what would happen to his life depending on what happens and shows how a simple decision can take one on a completely different path. The Blu-ray contains a sparkling new digital transfer, an interview with the filmmaker, cut scenes as well as a feature describing its importance in cinema.
If you were eyeing the recent Shout! Factory box set of Halloween films, you can now pick up one of the set’s big selling features on its own. Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers – Unrated Producer’s Cut (1995) is coming out on Blu-ray via LionsGate. It’s a decidedly different version of the film. Apparently, when it was turned in to Miramax, the feature was extensively reedited and reworked. You can now see what all the fuss was about without forking cash over to re-buy the titles you already owned. And here’s some interesting trivia about the movie – it features a very early performance from actor Paul Rudd.
Also coming from LionsGate is the Miraxmax studio cut of Richard Stanley’s Dust Devil (1992). Honestly, if you’re curious about the title you should probably seek out the “Final Cut” version featuring the director’s cut and a longer work-print of the film, as this trippy horror movie was also heavily tampered with by the studio before its release.
You Know, For Kids!
And here are some titles that the young ones may be interested in.
Care Bears: Mystery in Care-A-Lot
Franklin and Friends: Franklin and the Creepy Clock
LEGO Star Wars: The New Yoda Chronicles
Power Rangers: Trickster Treat
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Meet Casey Jones!
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Shredder Strikes!
On the Tube!
There’s a lot coming your way on the television front, including everything from lost episodes of The Carol Burnett Show to recent Marvel comic book themed programming and hit shows like Empire.
On the classic front, you can now pick up every single episode of the sci-fi adventure series Lost in Space (1965-1968). Set it the distant future, it followed the Robinson family (get the reference?) and their robotic helper, who must learn to adapt and survive on various alien worlds after their spaceship veers off course. “How far out can you get?” Included is a promo piece for the show.
A forerunner to shows like Law & Order, The Bold Ones (1969-1973) was a series following four groups of professional civil servants. From week to week, the show would flip from a pair of cops (The Protectors), physicians (The New Doctors), attorneys (The Lawyers) and politician (The Senators). All 6 episodes of The Protectors are collected in this set. It starred Leslie Neilsen (in a serious role) as a conservative cop working with a liberal DA played by Hari Rhodes. The Protectors was phased out of The Bold Ones after only a year, but it was still regarded in some circles as a groundbreaking series. Further down is a promo piece on the show – it looks like the biggest concerns of Neilsen’s cop are all food-related.
American Experience: Walt Disney (PBS)
Aquarius: The Complete 1st Season
The Big Bang Theory: Season 8
Black-ish: Season 1
The Bold Ones: The Protectors: The Complete Series
Cake Boss: Season 6
The Carol Burnett Show: The Lost Episodes
Clarence: Dust Buddies (Cartoon Network)
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: The Final Season
CSI: Cyber: Season 1
Empire: Season 1
Happy Valley (BBC)
The Jinx: The Life and Death of Robert Durst
Lost in Space: The Complete Adventures
Marvel’s Agents of Shield: Season 2
Marvel’s Agent Carter: Season 1
Masterpiece: Arthur & George
Midsomer Murders: Series 17
Miss Marple: The Complete Collection (BBC)
N.C.I.S.: Season 12
Peanuts: Emmy Honored Collection
The Returned (A&E)
Sisters: Seasons One & Two
Sleepy Hollow: Season 2