It’s time to take another look at some of the Blu-ray and DVD highlights coming your way. There are plenty of interesting and eccentric features arriving, as well as some great older titles receiving high definition upgrades. So, since you likely can’t make it out to the movies this week, be sure to give one of these titles a try!
Big New Releases!
An Accidental Studio – Movie enthusiasts will be curious to check out this documentary detailing the history of UK production company HandMade Films. It was started by George Harrison of The Beatles, launching careers and providing funding for maverick films that no one else would make (including Monty Python’s Life of Brian, Time Bandits, Withnail and I and the Oscar-nominated Mona Lisa). The feature talks to many who made movies with the studio. They discuss about how the company began and share their memories, discussing Harrison’s efforts to back their filmic endeavors. Reviews were very strong for the non-fiction feature. They wrote that it was a sweet and inspiring look at Harrison, as well as the wonderful art that he helped to finance. Billy Connolly, Helen Mirren, Michael Caine, Richard E. Grant, Terry Gilliam, Michael Palin and many others share their stories.
Dead Dicks – In this independent horror/dark comedy film, a young nursing student receives an unsettling series of messages from her suicidal brother. Panicked, she hurries to get to his place only to find that he has already taken his own life… but has miraculously reappeared. In fact, there are now several dead versions of the man lying around the apartment along with the newest copy of her sibling. The two investigate the scene and try to determine what is happening and why it may be occurring. Critics have been quite positive for this film. In fact, as of right now it has been difficult to locate a negative review. Most state that the actors were excellent and the movie dealt with themes like mental illness in an insightful, powerful and moving manner. It stars Jillian Harris, Heston Horwin and Matt Keyes.
End of Sentence – A widower reluctantly decides to fulfil his wife’s final wish of meeting up with his estranged son and disposing of her ashes at a remote lake in Ireland. Their offspring turns out to be an ex-con just out of prison, who isn’t enamored with his late mother’s idea either. The young man agrees to the trip, but only if his father buys him a ticket to California and never speaks to him again. As he two head out, they’re forced to address their personal issues and come to terms with the passing of the family matriarch. The press was very taken with this UK production. One or two complained that the concept wasn’t all that original that the drama didn’t take flight. However, the majority were impressed by the performances and found the flick meaningful and inspiring. The cast includes John Hawkes, Logan Lerman, Sarah Bolger and Ólafur Darri.
Gundala – Superhero fans looking for an international twist on the genre might be curious about this tale from Indonesia. It follows a poor security guard working in Jakarta. Suffering under a system run by mobsters and corrupt politicians who use assassins to enforce their mandates, the young man is struck by lightning and awakens with super powers. He tries to help the locals by fighting off villainous thugs. This superhero origin story based on a familiar character in the region hasn’t been seen by a lot of reviewers in this part of the world. Still, those who have viewed the picture have been upbeat. They write that while the story is a bit choppy in places, there’s a ton of thrilling, fast-paced action. Additionally, it story addresses deeper themes about the region. Abimana Aryasatya, Tara Basro and Bront Palarae headline the feature.
Ice Cream in the Cupboard – A husband becomes deeply concerned about his wife after she begins displaying odd and violent behavior. After taking her to a physician, the protagonist realizes that she is suffering from early onset Alzheimer’s. As her memories worsen and she begins to forget who her spouse even is, the husband retreats into memories of their time together. As of right now, there isn’t much that has been written about the feature. It has played at a couple of film festivals and won prizes at one in Rhode Island, but will essentially be debuting on disc. As such, interested parties will have to venture forth on this journey with limited knowledge. It features Jaime King, Tobin Bell, Sean Whalen and Dana Ashbrook.
InstaBAND – Creating and releasing music has sure changed in the past decade or so. This documentary attempts to chronicle new musical acts and capture them hard at work trying to achieve stardom. Naturally, the process now involves streaming and using new technology to record and release work on their own. But can they break through without the backing of major labels or a marketing department. But in a world filled with an endless supply of online content, one imagines that it isn’t as easy as just posting music on a website. Thus far, it hasn’t been particularly easy to see this non-fiction effort. The movie is premiering on disc, so currently there are no write-ups for the documentary. Still, it may provide amateur musicians with some ideas on how to find an audience.
James Cameron’s Story of Science Fiction – Technically, this is an AMC television mini-series, but it may be of interest to genre movie fans. The famous director hosts this program, giving a brief history of the genre and asking various guests and experts about their work creating science-fiction films. They also discuss some of the general concepts being addressed in science-fiction. And, of course, Cameron also shares details about his work on the upcoming Avatar sequels. Generally, the reaction towards this show was positive. There were a few who found it padded out and thought the series lacked depth. Still, most found it to be a good introduction to sci-fi and liked hearing the thoughts of filmmakers and experts. James Cameron hosts and George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Guillermo del Toro, Ridley Scott, Christopher Nolan, Zoe Saldana, Keanu Reeves, Arnold Schwarzenegger and many others share their insights.
Light from Light – A woman whose dreams may provide accurate visions of the future decides to use her gift to start investigating paranormal phenomena. She is soon asked to visit a haunted house in Tennessee. Once on site, the lead encounters the owner, a man who believes that his wife is haunting the property and is trying to communicate with him. The lead does her best to find the presence, but experiences new and strange visions of herself and her own family. Response was positive towards this chiller. A few critiqued the movie for being too muted in its approach and ultimately a bit of a slog to endure. Still, most complimented the feature for focusing on the characters and their inner traumas, rather than simply going for typical shocks and jolts. The movie stars Marin Ireland, Jim Gaffigan, Josh Wiggins and Atheena Frizzell.
Nazi Undead – This little Australian independent horror feature involves a pair of college students who decide to take a trip into the heartland of Germany. While on the road, they cross paths with a wounded young girl and try to find help from a nearby home. They soon encounter the spirit of a SS Nazi officer. The group are then pulled into a supernatural vortex and must fend off undead soldiers and locals. This movie has played at a couple of genre film festivals, but is otherwise heading straight to disc. At present, there aren’t any reviews online, but some genre fans have gone online to make their opinions known. They’ve suggested that the movie has an interesting concept, but doesn’t take advantage of it and stated that the end product has logic issues. Georgia Chara and Leigh Scully play the terrorized couple.
The Other Lamb – Life in a religious cult is the jumping off point for this eerie effort. A young girl born into an all-female compound led by a single male guardian finds her beliefs tested after enduring some awkward interactions the man. After seeing how badly he treats those who disobey his orders and hearing a story from an estranged and shamed woman in the group, she begins to realize that this figure isn’t as much of a holy deity as she initially believed. Overall, critics appeared to like this film. About a third thought that the material and ideas were presented in less-than-subtle manner and didn’t buy into the concept. Still, the consensus was that the film was beautifully lensed and effectively showed a teen learning that her superiors might be a negatively influence. It features Raffey Cassidy, Michiel Huisman and Denise Gough. To read this site’s review of the film, click here.
When Icarus Fell – Here’s another independently produced feature film that has been picked up by a small distributor and arriving this week. To be frank, there’s little information about the movie. The flick doesn’t appear to have played at any festivals and there aren’t any write-ups currently available for it. All that is online is a plot synopsis, which is as follows… the proposal for a wind turbine in a rural American town brings together the interlocking stories of an ambitious politician, an eager intern, a struggling farm owner, her despondent son, and the newly arrived construction manager trying to start a family. A. Monnie Aleahmad, Ron E. Rains, and Tania Mejia lead the cast.
Blasts from the Past!
It’s yet another busy week for older films receiving high definition upgrades. The first disc should be of interest to those who enjoy watching corny and very out-of-date educational shorts from the 50s, 60s and 70s. The AFGA (American Genre Film Archives) are releasing a Blu-ray called The Scare Film Archives Volume 1: Drug Stories! The disc includes 2K restorations of several films trying to teach youngsters about the dangers of illicit chemicals. The titles included on this release are Beyond LSD, The Bottle and the Throttle, Curious Alice, The Distant Drummer, Drugs, Drinking and Driving, LSD: Insight or Insanity, LSD 25, Narcotics: The Decision, Goofballs and Tea, None for the Road, The Trip Back… featuring a character named Florrie Fisher (apparently, this fictional entity served as the inspiration for Amy Sedaris’ Strangers With Candy TV-series), as well as Users are Losers. It also comes with a “full length mixtape” called Narcotic Nightmare and Hallucinogenic Hellrides. You’ll have to pick the disc up for yourself to figure out what those last two bonuses entail.
Shout Factory! have a few notable Blu-ray releases as well. Graveyard Shift (1990), goofy little horror picture based on a Stephen King story with David Andrews, Andrew Divoff and Bard Dourif. It’s about a mill that houses a giant killer rat…. and presumably plenty of smaller hungry rats who target workers late at night. Bonuses include two new interviews with producer/director Ralph S. Singleton and talks with many of the supporting cast members (although none of the figures listed above). It also comes with promotional materials. This title might provide some fun for King movie enthusiasts.
They also have the creepy classic, The Tenant (1976) from director/star/co-writer Roman Polanski (Repulsion, The Fearless Vampire Killers, Rosemary’s Baby, Chinatown). It’s about a quiet clerk looking for a decent apartment in Paris. He finally finds one at a reasonable place, but it comes with a nasty history… the previous tenant attempted suicide by jumping from the flat’s window. The new renter soon witnesses odd behavior from his neighbors. It all begins taking a toll on his own sanity. This is an incredibly effective psychological horror film certain to deliver chills down the spine. For its Blu-ray debut, you’ll get both the English and French audio tracks (with English subtitles), a new interview about the film with Polanski, a talk with the assistant cameraman, a discussion with the script supervisor, a movie historian audio commentary, an audio essay on the feature, archived audio interviews with one of the co-screenwriters and author of the novel. If you’re a fan of the film, this release is a must buy.
Additionally, the distributor has a Collector’s Edition Blu-ray of Thirteen Ghosts (2001), a remake of the 1960 William Castle haunted house flick. This creeper arrives with a recently recorded director commentary. It also includes an interview with the producer and cast members Shannon Elizabeth, Matthew Harrison, John SeSantis and Herbert Duncanson. It also comes with all of the bonuses from the old DVD edition, including a commentary track with the director, production designer, and make-up effects team, as well as a making-of special, the original electronic press kit and promotional materials.
Kino have a great many Blu-rays in various genres from several different eras. The list includes the first adaptation of Jules Vern’s classic, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1916). This silent film comes with a film historian track. You can also pick up the Anthony Quinn/Margaret O’Hara swashbuckler, Against All Flags (1952), with also comes with a movie expert commentary and trailer. On a different note, there’s the arthouse drama A Bigger Splash (1973). That disc arrives with a director commentary, booklet essay and two shorts from the filmmaker. Hannibal Brooks (1969) is an eccentric WWII comedy from director Michael Winner (Death Wish) that stars Oliver Reed as a POW assigned to take care of an elephant at a Munich zoo. The human and pachyderm attempt an elaborate escape from their captors. This particular disc includes a new 2K master of the movie and trailer.
Lorenzo’s Oil (1992) is unique in the fact that it is a drama from writer/director George Miller (the Mad Max series, The Witches of Eastwick, Babe: Pig in the City). While the filmmaker is generally known for making more kinetic and action-filled features, the subject matter here does make sense given the filmmaker’s previous career as an MD. This Oscar nominated film is based on a true story and follows the efforts of a husband and wife to find a cure for his son’s rare brain disorder. The Blu-ray also includes a movie historian commentary.
Additionally, the Joe Pesci neo-noir The Public Eye (1992) is arriving in high definition. Set in the 1940s, it’s about a crime scene photographer who gets mixed up with the mob. This title comes with a writer/director commentary from Howard Franklin (Quick Change) and a trailer. You’ll get similar bonuses with the Blu-ray for the Sissy Spacek effort, Raggedy Man (1981). The same actress stars with Mel Gibson in the Oscar-nominated drama The River (1984), which follows a family trying to survive a powerful storm and flood on their farm. Like the other titles listed, this Blu-ray features and informative audio track bonus and a trailer.
If you’re looking for something older, the distributor has Blu-rays of the boxing drama The Shakedown (1929), which again includes a film historian commentary. They are also prepping another Michael Winner title, The System (1964) aka The Girl-Getters, a UK effort featuring Oliver Reed and David Hemmings as part of a gang looking to take advantage of young ladies at a seaside resort. The Blu-ray comes with a movie critic commentary, a 20-minte featurette on the movie and a trailer.
Those in the mood for more entertainment from Mel Gibson can also pick up one of his directorial endeavors, Apocalypto (2006). The Blu-ray arrives courtesy of Samuel Goldwyn Films. This Maya-language film follows a peaceful tribe who are attacked by enemies who need them for sacrificial purposes. The feature has been out-of-print for a while and is now being made available once again. If memory serves, it’s one of Gibson’s strongest efforts behind the camera.
Vinegar Syndrome are presenting Best Friends (1975) on Blu-ray. It’s a B-movie about a two childhood friends heading out on a trip together. One couple plans to marry, but the friend decides to try and sabotage the relationship. The movie has been newly scanned and restored in 2K from the 35mm original camera negative. It also includes interviews with the director, cinematographer, editor and composer.
And they have a Blu-ray of Old Dracula (1975), an old comedy with David Niven playing the bloodsucker. It has also been scanned and restored in 2K and comes with a promotional still gallery and an interview with the director of photography.
Severin have some, well, seedier stuff arriving this week on Blu-ray. Mondo Bizarro (1967) is a film hosted by Boris Karloff that features “documentary” both real and faked of shocking acts performed around the world. Scanned in 4K from the original negative, purchases will also receive The Orientals (1960), an early Mondo-themed title scanned from a 35mm print.
If you like really terrible zombie movies, then maybe you’ll enjoy the notorious French feature The Revenge of the Living Dead Girls (1987). It’s about a group of female ladies who drink tainted milk and turn into walking corpses that tear and devour the private parts off of their victims. Severin is presenting this title, uncut and remastered in HD. Bonus features includes an interview with the director as well as the special effects artists.
They also have The Wild, Wild World of Jane Mansfield (1968), This is another Mondo-style exploitation film featuring footage of the star (narrated by a soundalike) visiting a nudist colony and other locales that would have been considered (at the time) on the fringes of society. When the actress passed away in a car accident, the filmmakers, in rather poor taste added photographs from the scene of her death. The movie has been scanned from a 35mm print and viewers will get a second Mondo flick, Wild, Weird Wonderful Italians (1966) included.
Code Red are releasing a Blu-ray of Slave of the Cannibal God (1978) a horror/adventure film starring Ursula Andress and Stacy Keach. The disc includes the unrated international cut and the US release version, along with trailers and an interview with star Keach.
On a completely different note, Warner Archive are putting out some made-to-order Blu-rays. The first is the Mickey Rooney/Judy Garland musical comedy, Girl Crazy (1943). The pair help put on a musical show to save their college in the American West. Million Dollar Mermaid (1952) is a musical detailing the life story of Australian swimming champion Annette Kellerman. It stars Esther Williams and Victor Mature. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for its cinematography.
And they have a Blu-ray of an early Hollywood adaptation of Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice (1940). This version features Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier. It won an Oscar for Art Direction.
You Know, For Kids!
It’s a quiet week for children, but you expect more to arrive in the coming weeks.
On the Tube!
Here are some of the TV-related highlights arriving on disc.
American Experience: The Man Who Tried to Feed the World (PBS)
Deadwater Fell: Series 1
Hawaii Five-O: The Final Season
James Cameron’s Story of Science Fiction (AMC TV mini-series)
Marijuana: A Chronic History (History Network)
NCIS: Season 17
The Outsider: Season 1
Somewhere South: Season 1 (PBS)
Viral: Antisemitism in Four Mutations (PBS)
Wonder Woman: The Complete Collection (70s TV series)