Welcome to yet another look at highlights arriving on Blu-ray and DVD. Comparatively speaking, this edition represents a bit of a dip before bigger films start arriving over the next few editions. Still, there’s some quirky stuff here that may be worth checking out. 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!
Capital in the Twenty-First Century – This documentary is based on a bestselling book by Thomas Piketty that investigate wealth and power through accumulation of capital and examines the negative consequences that such a system has on the world. The film goes back in history to the French Revolution and moves forwards through two World Wars into the modern age, documenting dramatic shifts in the physical world around us as well as new ideologies that have resulted in the current state of affairs. Reviews were excellent for the non-fiction feature. One or two didn’t believe that the movie was detailed or specific enough to make a strong argument. However, all others thought it was an insightful look at the history of capitalism and its effects on class disparity around the world.
Coma – A massive and tragic event knocks a young architect unconscious. When he awakens, the lead finds himself in a new world made up of the memories of various persons who also have found themselves living here. The lead begins to wonder if he’s actually in the collected unconscious of those around him. He tries to figure out the laws and rules of the land in the hopes of finding a way out and back to the regular world. This foreign-language feature from Russia opened earlier in the year in Eastern Europe and is now debuting on disc in North America. There aren’t any reviews from the press but a few have appeared online from viewers in other nations. They describe it as a Russian Inception and commented that while it wasn’t quite as effective, it was a mind-bending and visually impressive adventure. It features Rinal Mukhametov and Lyubov Aksyonova.
The Endless Season – This little documentary involves a sports fanatic who graduates from college and decides to spend an entire year following his favorite football organization, the Philadelphia Eagles. Shot the year after the team’s Superbowl championship, the enthusiast travels to each and every city on their schedule, showing his support and shouting down the fanbases of his team’s rivals. The synopsis for the movie describes Eagle supporters as the most passionate in football and states that the movie shows their power and influence at each game. It also rather bluntly opines that it may be the last film ever to showcase what sports fandom looks like (I think most would agree that as bad as things are right now, it won’t be a permanent situation). There are currently no reviews available for the flick. However, one thinks it might be exclusively for Eagles fanatics.
Exit Plan – A private investigator looking into a cold case decides to travel to a secretive hotel that you won’t find on Priceline. After checking in, he begins to suspect that the business caters to customers seeking out elaborate suicide fantasies. As his work progresses, the lead begins to fear for his own life and question his own perception of reality. This is a Danish picture that for now is being released exclusively on DVD. The movie earned a few award nominations at European film festivals, but the press in this part of the world didn’t take to the movie. A small group called it beautifully shot, tense and unique. However, the majority complained that it was too low-key and didn’t build tension or delve deeply enough into its interesting themes. It stars Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Tuva Novotny and Robert Aramayo.
House of Hummingbird – Set in Seoul, South Korea in 1994, this film involves an introverted teenager searching for happiness in her unpleasant life. After being ignored by family members and treated by a doctor for an unidentified illness, the girl attempts to find joy roaming through her community. After witnessing some unsettling things around her, the youth does find an unexpected outlet of support from a new teacher at her school. This little coming-of-age film has won numerous awards at film festivals and it received nothing but praise since its debut from reviewers. They said that while the feature doesn’t deliver thrills and instead focuses on the confused inner state of its lead, it is a caring slice-of-life portrait of youth that stays with the viewer. The cast includes Park Ji-hu, Kim Sae-byeok and Lee Seung-yeon.
Nothing But the Blood – A small town reporter is assigned to cover the opening of a church in a small rural town. After her arrival, the writer realizes that this particular ministry takes a more hands on approach in passing their message onto residents. The cult starts to exert their extreme influence and the journalist soon realizes that all are in danger from these extremist zealots. This independent horror picture hasn’t been seen by many critics at this time, but those who have written about the movie haven’t been positive. They stated that while the concept was interesting, there were issues with the script. According to them, the movie doesn’t really know what it’s trying to say and resorts to ineffective shocks. Rachel Hudson, Nick Triola and Les Best headline the picture.
The Resistance Fighter – Released as Kurier in its homeland, this foreign-language effort from Poland takes place during WWII and tells a story about the Warsaw Uprising and their conflict against occupying German forces. Specifically, it details the actions of Jan Nowak-Jezioranski, who acted as a messenger between fighters on the ground and exiled members of the Polish government. The hero makes daring runs in and out of the country and tries to escape capture and execution by Nazi forces. The movie is currently debuting on DVD only so those hoping for a Blu-ray may have to wait a little longer to pick one up. There aren’t any write-ups currently available, but it was well regarded in its homeland and was nominated for several Polish Film Awards (although it ended up losing in most categories to Oscar nominee Corpus Christi). It features Philippe Tlokinski, Julie Engelbrecht and Bradley James.
Ride Your Wave – This animated feature from Japan tells the story of a young surfing enthusiast and college student who moves to a seaside town. Not long after arriving, she falls for a local firefighter and the two spend all of their free time together. But after tragedy strikes and her boyfriend dies at sea, the lead can’t bear to ride the waves again. She soon begins having visions of him in the water. Has his spirit returned or are these visions all in her head? Notices were excellent for the feature. A couple of write-ups found it so sentimental that they couldn’t get involved in the story. However, the rest commented that it was all so sweet that they didn’t mind how head over heels in love the young characters were. They also referred to the visuals as being impressive to behold. The Blu-ray and DVD contain both the Japanese language version with English subtitles and an English-language audio track.
Satan’s Slaves – A cash-strapped family living in the country struggle to make ends meet after the mother comes down with a mysterious illness. After a few years, she finally passes away and the clan lay her to rest. However, when the father travels out of town to sort out legal affairs in the city, the kids are visited by their deceased matriarch. They learn that their mother may have joined a cult before she died and has now returned to take them away. This Indonesian/South Korean co-production was produced a couple of years ago in its homeland and is debuting on disc in this part of the world. Reaction was actually very positive and the movie won some awards. It has been described as a familiar but well-told tale with excellent cinematography and plenty of atmosphere. It stars Tara Basro, Endy Artian and Nasar Annuz.
The Soul Collector – This independent horror picture from South Africa follows a cash-strapped man who inherits a farm and tries to make a new start there with his family. Unfortunately, the old farmhand residing on the property quite literally carries a nasty secret… a demon child who lives in the senior’s brown burlap sack. The monster demands souls and begins to influence the behavior of the new arrivals, causing tension and violence. Overall, response was positive towards this chiller. A number of reviewers commented that the movie fails to scare and that it lost momentum before ending with a whimper. However, more enjoyed the unique setting and thought it was creepy enough to recommend. The cast includes Chris April, Garth Breytenbach, Inge Beckmann, Keita Luna Tshamano Sebe.
Swallow – A newly pregnant housewife appears to have the perfect life, maintaining an immaculate home and beautiful garden. But as viewers enter the household, they discover that she must endure extreme expectations placed upon her by her controlling husband and his even more extreme in-laws. The wife begins to crack and starts to display symptoms of a disorder called pica – it involves ingesting inedible objects. This suspenseful drama impressed many critics. There was a small contingent who had trouble buying into the concept and had issues with the execution. Still, the majority were impressed by the lead performance and thought that while the movie was difficult to watch, it was disturbing. Haley Bennett, Austin Stowell, Elizabeth Marvel, David Rasche, Luna Lauren Velez and Zabryna Guevara headline the feature.
Blasts from the Past!
There are significantly fewer older films arriving on disc this week, but there are some that are certainly of interest. Arrow Academy are premiering the award-winning Toto the Hero (1991) on Blu-ray. This Belgian/French/German co-production involves two young babies born at the very same time and place. One is raised by a wealthy family while the other has a rougher time. As an old man, the protagonist decides to enact a strange and elaborate plan of revenge. Through flashbacks, we see a surreal version of his childhood mixed with fantasy about how various opportunities were stolen from him by his competition. Of course, it all ends with the lead’s final act of protest. You’ll get a high definition digital transfer of the movie, new and more accurate English subtitles, an extensive documentary on the making of the movie with the cast and crew. Additionally, it comes with a piece on comic book artist Francois Schulten, whose concepts helped inspire the movie’s production design.
Criterion are delivering The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum (1975) on Blu-ray. This German feature is about the incredible hardships faced by a young woman. After she spends the night with a man who later commits a terrorist act, the protagonist’s quiet life and sanity falls into ruins as authorities, the media and public begin smearing her reputation, then insulting and attacking her. This film has received a new 4K digital restoration on Blu-ray (the same transfer appears on DVD also included in the release). It also comes with a 2002 interview with the directors and the cinematographer and an excerpt from a 1977 documentary on the novelist whose book was the inspiration for the film.
Film Movement are releasing a Blu-ray of the Oscar-nominated China/France co-production, Shanghai Triad (1995). It’s a crime epic about a boy who is recruited by a mob organization and works his way up a syndicate in the titular city. Things take a turn when he falls for his boss’s lady, a beautiful stage performer. The Blu-ray includes a trailer and a short critic analysis of the film and its hidden meanings.
Kino are all in on Blu-ray box sets this week. The first is called the Audie Murphy Collection (1952 – 1959) and it includes three flicks starring the performer. They include the westerns The Duel at Silver Creek (1952), Ride a Crooked Trail (1958) and No Name on the Bullet (1959). Should you pick up the set it also includes extras in the form of film historian audio commentaries and trailers.
The Carole Lombard Collection I (1930 – 1932) contains Blu-ray of the romantic comedy Fast and Loose (1930), Man of the World (1931) and No Man of Her Own (1932). Bonuses are identical to the previous set.
And there’s a lot of talent in front of and behind the camera with the Tony Curtis Collection (1958 – 1962) Blu-ray box. It features the rom-com The Perfect Furlough (1958) from director Blake Edwards (The Pink Panther, Breakfast at Tiffany’s). The set also contains the Robert Mulligan (To Kill a Mockingbird) comedy The Great Impostor (1960) and 40 Pounds of Trouble (1962), another comedy from Norman Jewison (Fiddler on the Roof, Moonstruck). This title is about a casino manager forced to juggle duties in the hotel while caring for a precocious, unwanted 5-year old guest. Like the other releases from Kino this week, trailers and commentaries are provided on all the discs and The Perfect Furlough track includes the film’s screenwriter.
You Know, For Kids!
These are some titles that children may enjoy.
Kid Brainiac: The Solar System
Paddington Bear: The Complete Series (1989-90 animated series) (Warner Archive)
On the Tube!
And here are the week’s TV-themed releases.
Dispatches from Elsewhere: Season 1
Doctor Who: Tom Baker: Season 3 (BBC)
The Good Doctor: Season 3
Hallmark 2-Movie Collection: You’re Bacon Me Crazy/The Secret Ingredient
His Dark Materials: Season 1
Love Under the Rainbow (Hallmark TV-movie)
NCIS: Lost Angeles: Season 11
Paddington Bear: The Complete Series (1989-90 animated series) (Warner Archive)
Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Season 2