The new year is here. While one might expect a slowdown in the number of new Blu-rays and DVDs, there are actually quite a few arriving on store shelves, including some big Hollywood flicks and interesting independent fare. 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!
Broken Swords: The Last in Line – This independent effort takes its cue from fantasy shows like Game of Thrones. According the plot synopsis, it’s about a group of 12 mercenaries protecting an important figure from vast invading forces. They are forced to take shelter in a barn and argue over their next move as their enemies close in. Alas, this picture is debuting on disc and as such there are no reviews at present. Those who decide to give it a chance shouldn’t expect too much, especially given its small budget and fresh faces in the cast and crew. Kelly Lynn Reiter, Clark Sarullo, Jason Vail, Geo Kaiser and Tom Gore take on the lead roles.
Bulletproof 2 – The original Bulletproof was a 1996 comedy flick featuring Damon Wayans and Adam Sandler about a criminal who reveals to an underworld pal that he’s actually an undercover federal agent. This follow-up recasts the characters and reunites them some 25 years later. While out on a new assignment to infiltrate and take down a South African crime family, the agent decides to use his old pal’s identity, which puts both of the men in danger and brings them back into contact. It’s a difficult concept to buy into and the flick is debuting on disc without having been shown to anyone, so those interested should approach it with caution. It features Faizon Love, Kirk Fox and Tony Todd.
Chained for Life – A talented actress decides to take part in the English-language debut of a visionary European filmmaker. She has difficulty adjusting to the experience and struggles to get along with her co-star, a man with a facial disfigurement. This indie effort is said to be a satirical drama and it received uniformly exceptional notices from the press. They called it a completely unique film that takes you in unexpected directions and has a very sharp edge. The film was also complimented for its attempts to address and critique our traditional, old-fashioned concepts and ideas of beauty. Jess Wexler, Adam Pearson, Stephen Plunkett and Charlie Korsmo headline the feature.
Crown Vic – In this gritty drama, a veteran Los Angeles cop heads out on the beat with a new recruit. Over the course of one evening, they must contend with two cop killers roaming the streets, another rogue vigilante officer out to settle a score… as well as seeking out a missing girl. Sounds like a tense and dangerous night. Critics were generally positive about this effort. A small percentage complained that the characters weren’t easy to empathize with and that many of the story elements were overly familiar. However, more admired the performances and thought that while familiar, this was an effectively told story with a few striking moments. It stars Thomas Jane, David Krumholtz and Bridget Moynahan.
Depraved – Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein gets a fresh update in this independent horror flick. A disillusioned Brooklyn field surgeon with PTSD (caused from his time serving overseas as a medic) decides to fashion a man out of body parts and bring it to life. Despite being initially successful, the creator finds it increasingly hard to teach his creation how to survive in the modern world. The press was quite positive about the finished results. A few wrote that the movie didn’t add enough that was new to really earn it a recommendation, but almost all others thought it did add a bit of emotional heft to the story and called the film a clever and effective modernization of the famous monster tale. The cast includes David Call, Joshua Leonard and Alex Breaux.
Girl on the Third Floor – Why do people keep attempting to live in haunted houses? This horror film tells another tale that follows a troubled husband who decides to make up for past mistakes with his family by buying a home with a violent history and renovating it. He begins tearing down and rebuilding the property, only to find the home fighting back in unexpected ways. Notices actually weren’t half bad for this little creeper. A small contingent did comment that the twists and turns were obvious, as well as its attempts to deal with the story’s central themes. However, the majority thought that it was a moody and unsettling film that handled the lead character’s issues in an interesting manner. It features C.M. Punk, Trieste Kelly Dunn and Sarah Brooks.
Imprisoned – This drama involves an ex-con attempting a positive change in life by making amends for his past and starting fresh with his true love. Unfortunately, the town’s new prison warden holds plenty of past grudges against the protagonist, even going so far as to frame him for a crime he didn’t commit and landing him back in jail. When a riot breaks out, it puts the two men in direct conflict and forces the lead to make a choice between revenge and righteousness. Unfortunately, reviews for the picture were terrible. They suggested that while well-meaning, the end result was slow, clumsy and ineffective. Laurence Fishburne, Juan Pablo Raba, Juana Acosta, Esai Morales and Edward James Olmos headline the film.
Joker – The week’s biggest release is this new take on the iconic Batman villain. It’s an origin story that follows the unhinged, aspiring comedian as he struggles while working as a clown-for-hire. As his life spirals downward and he is disregarded by co-workers and celebrities, the man begins to take drastic and dangerous actions to change his life. The movie was a huge hit and has even earned awards, but has received widely varied reactions from critics. Just about all of them praised the lead performance. However, a good portion found it superficial and didn’t think all of the elements works. But in the end, more thought this dark examination of the character was intriguing and disturbing. It stars Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Francis Conroy and Brett Cullen. To read this site’s review, click here.
The Lighthouse – A pair of lighthouse workers in the 1890s arrive for a long stay on an isolated island and are forced to deal with unsettling events. As the weeks extend, the men begin witnessing odd things and even battling local seagulls. The pair eventually become antagonistic towards each other and struggle with their mental health. This unique psychological horror film was shot entirely in black and white. It earned strong reviews, although they did come with something of a warning. A few critiqued it for being beautiful but little more than that, stating that the pacing would eventually wear on the patience of viewers. Yet others were so impressed by the two leads and cinematography that they enjoyed simply soaking up the atmosphere. Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe play the lead roles. To read this site’s review of the film, click here.
Paradise Hills – In this science-fiction flick, a teenager is transported to a boarding school on a mysterious island. The institute is revealed to be for upper class families, teaching beauty techniques, proper etiquette and manners in order to transform them into perfect versions of themselves. The protagonist befriends and teams up with other students to determine what is really going on at the school. The press was slightly more positive than negative about the feature. Those who disliked it commented that this was a very weak, teenage take on The Stepford Wives with underdeveloped characters. Still, a slightly larger group thought it was trippy fun with lots of great visuals and a nifty concept. The cast includes Emma Roberts, Danielle Macdonald, Awkwafina, Eliza Gonzalez and Milla Jovovich.
The Shed – This independent horror picture follows two teens who are abused and mistreated by both caregivers and schoolmates. When a monster arrives and takes up residence in a shed behind the house of one of the kids, the two begin to plot how they might use the new arrival to their advantage. This involves luring various bullying forces to the creature in the hopes of it ridding their problems. Reaction towards this effort was reasonable. Almost half did complain that the characters followed all of the genre tropes and made unbelievably poor decisions, taking viewers out of the film. Still, slightly more thought there was some subtext to the story and believed it would entertain horror fans. It features Jay Jay Warren, Cody Kostro, Siobhan Fallon Hogan, Frank Whaley and Timothy Bottoms.
Trespassers – Two young couples going through a rough patch in their relationships decide to rent an isolated home out in the desert. They try to unwind and reconnect with a wild weekend, but are interrupted by the arrival of a stranded motorist. The strange woman asks to take refuge with them, but before long masked killers arrive and the protagonists are put into mortal jeopardy. Critics gave this thriller a mixed-positive reception. A large contingent did say that while the movie looked good, the characters were dopey and that there were no surprises in the story. However, more did admit that the feature was consistently tense and, at times, even shocking. Angela Trimbur, Janel Parrish, Fairuza Balk, Jonathan Howard and Zach Avery headline the title.
Wild Bunch on Ice – Here’s a strange one that has just appeared on disc out of nowhere. It’s a family film about a small-town kid who dreams of being a hockey star. To do so, the boy decides to form a hockey team with a diverse group of friends who have never played the game. Together, they must organize and find a way to achieve their goals. Frankly, there is literally no information about this title, other than it being an independent feature made up in Edmonton, Alberta. Strangely enough, the lead character has also been featured in three other homemade indie films by the same writer/director that comedically depict his career in the majors. This prequel of sorts stars Nick Armstrong, Brayden Belmore and Kevin Farley.
Blasts from the Past!
There are plenty of older titles arriving on Blu-ray this week as well. Shout! Factory have The Final Programme (1973) aka The Last Days of Man on Earth. It’s a British science-fiction flick about a scientist and computer expert searching for a man with self-replicating formula that could bring about the end of the world. The disc includes a commentary track with the director and lead actress as well as a US theatrical trailer and TV spot.
Kino have a Special Edition of the entertaining cult film, Brick (2005). It’s an effective neo-noir about a high school student (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) investigating the death of a loved one that takes him into the strange underworld within his own educational institution. The Blu-ray includes a new 4K restoration of the film supervised by director Rian Johnson (Knives Out), as well as an audio commentary and 8 deleted and extended scenes.
They also have a Special Edition Blu-ray of the adventure flick Cobra Woman (1944), which includes a film historian audio commentary. The same goes for the science fiction flick, Doctor Cyclops (1940) aka Dr. Cyclops, about a sinister madman who finds a way to shrink his enemies to a mere 14 inches in height. He then keeps his victims as captives, until they decide to fight back. Besides the commentary track and trailers, the movie has been given a new 4K master.
If Spaghetti Westerns are more to your liking, you have a trio of options. First, you can pick up a 4K restoration of The Hellbenders (1967), which includes a commentary by filmmaker and western authority Alex Cox (Repo Man, Sid & Nancy, Straight to Hell). And if you’d like more, they have another Italian western called Kill Them All and Come Back Alone (1968). The Blu-ray includes pretty much all of the same extra features as the previous title. The same goes for The Specialists (1969), another Spaghetti Western.
And Kino also are putting out a Blu-ray of the British juvenile delinquent film, The Slasher (1953) aka Cosh Boy, which features Joan Collins in a supporting role.
Criterion are delivering a Blu-ray of the Katherine Hepburn/Cary Grant romantic comedy, Holiday (1938). It’s about an eccentric, free-spirited man who falls for woman and must convince her parents that he’s, well, not crazy and a good match for her. The stars and director of this well-regarded feature would reteam just a couple of years later on The Philadelphia Story. Sounds like it’ll be a lot of fun for classic film fans. The movie has been given a 4K restoration and includes a 1930 film adaptation of the same story, a well as conversation with film critics about the movie and audio excerpts with the director recorded in 1970.
There’s also a new Bad Boys film arriving in cinemas in the next few weeks, and Sony are gearing up for the release by putting out a double feature disc the includes the first two titles in the series, Bad Boys (1995) and Bad Boys II (2003).
And finally, Scorpion are releasing a couple of action flicks on Blu-ray, including the Ken Wuhl thriller Omega Syndrome (1986) and the Charles Durning home invasion flick, Stand Alone (1985). Pam Grier and Stacey Keach also make appearances in the latter film.
You Know, For Kids!
Here are some titles that kids might enjoy.
Highlights: Holiday Fun!
Wild Bunch on Ice
On the Tube!
And these are the week’s TV-themed releases.
American Masters: Rothko – Pictures Must Be Miraculous (PBS)
Big Little Lies: Season 2
NATURE: Okavango River of Dreams (PBS)
NOVA: Why Bridges Collapse (PBS)
Vera: Set 9