Welcome back to another look at highlights arriving on Blu-ray and DVD. This edition features some big hitters, including a war drama that took home several Academy Awards, and a remake of a Japanese horror classic. 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!
1917 – Set during WWI, this tale follows two soldiers tasked with crossing enemy lines and delivering an important message in the hopes of preventing thousands of troops from meeting their death. Using an uninterrupted single shot, the camera moves along with them as they attempt to reach their destination. This war movie was nominated for several Academy Awards including Best Picture. It won Best Cinematography and earned trophies in several other technical categories. Reviews were exceptional overall. There were one or two who found the unusual shooting style distracting. However, the majority stated that the movie was a triumph and allowed viewers to feel like they were on the front lines with the leads. It stars George MacKay, Dean-Charles Chapman, Mark Strong, Andrew Scott, Richard Madden, Claire Duburcq, Colin Firth and Benedict Cumberbatch. To read this site’s review of the film, click here.
Asako I & II – This foreign-language film from Japan details a young woman in Osaka who falls for a man, only to have him disappear mysteriously. A couple of years later, she encounters another person who looks exactly like her original boyfriend, but has a completely different personality. The lead is attracted to this new person, but must contend with feelings of confusion about the two figures. The press enjoyed witnessing this drama/romance. A small contingent did complain that the protagonist was so inwardly drawn that she didn’t make much of an impression. Still, far more found the concept intriguing. They were constantly kept on their toes as to what these strange and unexpected encounters meant and what was really going on. The cast includes Erica Karata and Masahiro Higashide.
Cabal – Here’s another extremely low-budget, independent genre B-movie that is making its premiere on disc. No one has seen it and there are no reviews available. The only piece of information about the flick that can be obtained is a synopsis which states that it is about a military assassin, code named Dragonfly, that is hired to hunt and eliminate a serial killer, Sallos, who is preying on innocent young girls. While on assignment, the protagonist learns that there’s a much more sinister figure endangering out there than originally anticipated. The filmmaker has plenty of titles credited to him, all of them are of a similar style and made on a shoestring. Horror would probably be wise to exercise caution. It features Eva Hamilton, Alexandra Fabbri and Keely Dervin.
Come to Daddy – A 30-something man living with his mother and struggling with alcoholism receives a letter from his estranged father asking him to visit. The lead heads out to his dad’s secluded country home in the hopes of reconnecting. However, his parent’s odd behavior makes him realize that he has been invited under false pretenses. Before long, the son finds himself in a waking nightmare. Critics enjoyed this creeper and gave it very positive write-ups. A small group did think that it was all a bit silly as horror pictures go, and eventually lost its way in the second half. However, a great many thought the flick was B-movie gold, calling it sharp, fun, shocking and bizarre in equal measure. It stars Elijah Wood, Stephen McHattie, Martin Donovan and Michael Smiley.
D-Day: Battle of Omaha Beach – On the complete opposite end of the war movie spectrum, you can also pick up this title which details the Normandy Beach landings during WWII. In the feature, a group of elite American soldiers are tasked with a suicide mission that involves taking out a series of German machine gun nests. The group try to get to accomplish their goals and survive the onslaught of bullets. This is another low-budget action flick that received a very limited release in a theater or two and is now debuting on disc. There aren’t any reviews available and it likely won’t be exceptional, but features a potentially amusing cast and might make for a surreal double bill with 1917. Chuck Liddell, Weston Cage Coppola (son of Nicolas Cage), Jesse Kove, Randy Couture and Martin Kove headline the film.
Don’t Be a Dick About It – This little documentary follows a summer in the life of two young siblings in Maryland. It’s a coming-of-age tale that depicts their idiosyncratic and unique personal hang-ups. Apparently, one is terrified of dogs and the other is disturbed by the cereal Cheerios. Viewers get the opportunity to learn the reasons behind their insecurities and witness their attempts to overcome these obstacles. The non-fiction film played at a few film festivals and received some awards. It also earned plenty of good notices from reviewers. They enjoyed watching the young subjects and called the movie a charming and humanistic doc that artfully captured the real and sometimes challenging relationships between family members.
The Grudge – Ju-on: The Grudge was a popular 2002 Japanese horror flick that spawned numerous sequels in its homeland, as well as a successful American remake that was released in 2004. This remake tells another story involving a vengeful ghost who drives mad or kills those who come into the home where she once resided. When a young housewife murders her family in the abode, a police detective and single mother set out to investigate and solve the case. This redo was not well received by the press. A couple of them asserted that this reimagining was better than the previous American version and offered a few jolts. Still, the consensus was that this film was messily constructed, less-than-scary and wasted a great cast. It stars Andrea Riseborough, Demian Bichir, John Cho, Betty Gilpin, William Sadler, Frankie Faison, Lin Shaye and Jacki Weaver.
Hello Destroyer – Without thinking, a talented young hockey player on the ice commits an in-game act of violence and seriously injures an opponent. The lead’s life and future slowly start to fall apart after he is ignored by the coaching staff and shunned by teammates. Despite trying to make amends for his actions, he realizes that he is also being ostracized by the community. Made back in 2016, this Canadian drama for nominated for several awards in its homeland. However, it took some time to find US distribution and is finally arriving on DVD (you can also currently stream it on Amazon Prime). Critics were very positive about it, although they warned viewers that the story was incredibly bleak. They commented that it did a solid job of examining systemic violence in sports and contradictory messages being sent to young players. The cast includes Jared Abrahamson, Darren Mann, Ian Tracy and Sara Canning.
Shooting the Mafia – Photographer Letizia Battaglia is the subject of this documentary. After photographing a slain woman on the streets of Sicily in the 1970s, she found work for a major news publication and began taking more and more pictures of brutal killings committed by the mob. In the process, the woman found herself on the front lines between police forces and the mafia, endangering her own life in the process. Notices were generally positive for this effort. There were a few that critiqued the film for jumping around and focusing too much attention on Battaglia’s personal life, instead of highlighting her important work. Regardless, most called it a fascinating portrait of a distinguished and talented woman.
The Song of Names – This film follows a young Polish-Jewish violin prodigy who is sent to London to live with an English family during WWII. Thrown together with another youngster in the household, the two are boys forced into trying to live together. As they grow up, the musician begins to draw attention from the public and a concert is arranged, but permanently disappears on the night of his debut. Decades pass and the violinist’s childhood friend sets out to find out what happened and why. Reaction was mixed towards this drama, with slightly more negative reviews than positive ones. Those who enjoyed it called the film intriguing and felt that the music as well as the final reveal, was powerful. Slightly more didn’t care for the temporal jumps and found the protagonists difficult to root for. It stars Tim Roth, Clive Owen, Catherine McCormack, Jonah Hauer-King, Gerran Howell and Saul Rubinek. To read this site’s review, click here.
Blasts from the Past!
This week, Arrow Video are delivering a Blu-ray of the very unusual arthouse thriller, The Passion of Darkly Moon (1995). It features a remarkable cast that includes Brendan Frasier, Ashley Judd, Viggo Mortensen and Loren Dead. The story follows a wounded man who has spent his life living at a religious compound. When he’s taken in and cared for by a woman and her significant other living in the woods, he begins developing feelings for his female caretaker. The fanatism that has been pumped into the confused man’s brain for decades by his parents begins to take its toll, leading to violence. This title from Philip Ridley (The Reflecting Skin) has bizarre elements and wasn’t all that well received during its original run, but has since developed a following. The Blu-ray contains a new 2K restoration of the film, a commentary track with the writer/director, a retrospective featurette, interviews with the filmmaker, cinematographer, editor and composer, as well as an isolated score track and publicity materials. To read a full review of the disc, just click here.
Shout! Factory have plenty of fun stuff as well. First up is a Collector’s Edition Blu-ray of the horror picture, April Fool’s Day (1986). It’s about a group of college students who are invited to the remote island home of one of their friends and are targeted by a killer. Those who haven’t seen it should imagine a Friday the 13th-style flick featuring a more significant emphasis on humor. The release includes a new interview with the film’s director and a couple of the stars, another talk with the composer, and a discussion with the cinematographer. It also comes with the original theatrical trailer and TV spots.
Frankenstein: The True Story (1973) is a British take on the Frankenstein story that was released as a 3-hour TV Miniseries, and in some markets came out in a shortened, theatrical cut. This well-received adaptation has a stellar cast headlined by James Mason, Jane Seymour, John Gielgud and Tom Baker. The Blu-ray includes the complete, 3-hour version with an intro featuring Mason, all scanned in 2K. The disc also comes with a film historian commentary and interviews with several of the cast members (including Jane Seymour).
Video game enthusiasts will be happy to see a Blu-ray Collector’s Edition of The Wizard (1989). It’s about a family trying to get by after suffering a personal tragedy. Two of the youngest members of the clan decide to run away to California in the hopes of entering a video-game related tournament. Many adults of a certain age will remember this title with a certain sense of nostalgia. The cast includes Fred Savage, Luke Edwards, Jenny Lewis, Beau Bridges and Christian Slater. This Blu-ray has a 4K transfer of the film, along with a new director audio commentary and never-before-seen deleted scenes. The release also features a documentary looking back on the feature, a Q&A from a recent 2019 screening, an expert analysis of the picture, promotional materials and other extras that will certainly please fans of the film.
Kino have several Blu-rays arriving on store shelves as well. The Agatha Christie thriller, Endless Night (1972), arrives with a 4K transfer, a film historian audio commentary and trailers. Lightning Over Braddock and Collected Shorts: The Films of Tony Buba (1988) is, as the title suggests, includes a 1988 feature made by a man living in Braddock, Pennsylvania that chronicles the city’s industrial decline over time. The disc also includes approximately 20 shorts made by the filmmaker in his hometown between 1972 and 2019. All have been newly restored and the main feature comes with a director commentary.
They also have a Blu-ray of the film-noir My Gun is Quick (1957), a Mike Hammer flick based on the Mickey Spillane novel. You can also pick up the Herbert Lom thriller, Return from the Ashes (1965). Both of these titles have been given a 2K restoration and come with trailers.
And there’s more! Sony Pictures are digging into their studio vaults to release a trio of popular films in high definition. The first is the musical Godspell (1973). The second is Little Women (1994), an earlier adaptation of the classic story that was very well received and starred Susan Surandon, Winona Ryder, Trini Alvarado, Claire Danes, Kristin Dunst, Samantha Mathis, Christian Bale, Gabriel Byrne and Eric Stoltz. And they also have the mystery, Murder in Greenwich Village (1937) with Richard Arlen and Fay Wray.
Additionally, Scorpion Releasing have recently put out a trio of Blu-rays for sale through their Ronin Flix website (www.roninflix.com). This week’s titles include the martial arts/action effort, Blind Rage (1976). The movie stars Fred Williamson and Leo Fong. It arrives with a new HD master and interviews with the cast, as well as a trailer. The second feature is Record City (1977), a madcap comedy that chronicles the exploits of employees at a record store as they get ready for a big talent contest. The cast includes Ed Begley Jr., Tim Thomerson, Rick Dees, Frank Gorshin, Ruth Buzzi, Alice Ghostley and Larry Storch. It arrives with a new 2018 HD master and trailer.
The highlight of the group for horror fans is the Dario Argento flick, Sleepless (2001) aka Nonhosonno. The great Max von Sydow takes on the role of a retired police detective attempting to help solve a series of brutal killings in Turin, Italy. While Deep Red and Suspiria are considered Argento’s best works, this is an effective and underrated effort well worth the time of Italian genre film fan. The movie includes a couple of incredibly graphic murder sequences and great photography/lighting courtesy of Oscar-winning cinematographer Ronnie Taylor (Ghandi). You’ll never look at an English horn the same way again. This Blu-ray includes the uncut version in both English and Italian, a film historian commentary, and new interviews with Argento, the co-screenwriter, and as well as the set designers. This is a limited numbered release, so once it is gone, it is gone for good.
And art cinema enthusiasts will also be happy to see Criterion put out The Cranes are Flying (1957) on Blu-ray. It’s a Russian drama set against the backdrop of WWII. The movie arrives with a new 2K digital restoration and contains a discussion with a film scholar about why this movie is a landmark in Soviet cinema, an audio interview with the director recorded in 1961, a 2009 documentary on the creator and his complex relationship with the government (whose approval was needed to make the project into a reality), a 2008 program about the film, footage from its premiere at Cannes in 1958, and a new subtitle translation.
Leave Her to Heaven (1945) is an Academy Award-winning drama about a writer who falls for a femme fatale and marries her almost on the spot. He soon learns that she will destroy anyone who comes between them. It won an Oscar for its technicolor cinematography, which is said to be stunning. The movie was restored and given a 2K scan by 20th Century Fox and the Academy Archive for this Blu-ray. It also comes with a critic interview and discussion of the film, as well as a trailer.
Finally, Warner Archive are giving the romance flick Dodsworth (1936) a high definition upgrade. This feature won an Oscar for its art direction. This is one of those made-to-order Blu-rays that one has to purchase through the Warner Archive website. These products are always fine. However, just yesterday the site reported that those who purchase it through them will have to wait a few weeks for their order to be processed due to staff being sent home.
You Know, For Kids!
Here are some titles that might distract youngsters (and those who are young at heart).
Highlights Watch & Learn!: Happy Birthday, Make a Wish!
Highlights Watch & Learn: Spring Fling!
The Wizard (1989)
On the Tube!
And if you like Doctor Who, there’s a TV-related release coming your way.
Doctor Who: Sylvester McCoy: Season 3