Welcome back to another look at some of the highlights arriving on Blu-ray and DVD. There’s plenty of interesting stuff to choose from both new and old in this edition, including a high-profile feature. 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!
Baba Yaga: Terror of the Dark Forest – For those unfamiliar with Baba Yaga, this figure is a witch famous in Eastern European folklore. This Russian horror flick updates the legend for modern audiences. A family moves out to the countryside and hire a nanny to care for the kids. Unfortunately, the children immediately start to suspect that the governess is a monster. The son becomes certain when his sister disappears and his parents begin acting in a trance-like manner. There aren’t any reviews yet in this part of the world for this Russian-language feature, but online write-ups haven’t been all that positive. Many have complained that the filmmakers throw away the character’s history and instead ape the generic American horror film formula. It features Oleg Chugunov, Glafira Golubeva and Artyom Zhigulin.
Blood Quantum – This independent horror flick from Canada was premiered on the horror streaming service Shudder and is now it is being released on disc. The plot involves a zombie plague rampaging through a First Nations community. After locking themselves in from the undead, the group must figure out how to find a cure and whether or not to let outsiders into their reserve. This picture earned a lot of great press and received solid reviews. One or two thought that it mishandled an interesting concept. However, the majority stated that it was a violent and disturbing horror picture with plenty of great commentary. Some even thought it reminded them of the films of George A. Romero (Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead). It stars Michael Greyeyes, Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, Forrest Goodluck and Kiowa Gordon.
Children of the Sea – After she claims to have witnessed a ghost at the aquarium where her dad works, a young girl grows up and is drawn back to the site some years later. She befriends two boys who claim to have heard and seen the same things that she did. As the group try to figure out what they have experienced, they soon discover that those working at the aquarium may actually know more about the phenomenon than they are letting on. Notices were generally positive for this animated feature from Japan. A few said that it was pretty but that the story didn’t make much sense. However, most suggested that while it was confusing in spots, this still was a gorgeously animated ode to the sea that impressed and transfixed them. The release includes a Japanese track with English subtitles and an English language audio track.
Cut Off – If you’re looking for a crime thriller revolving around the world of forensic pathology, you may be interested in this German-language effort (released as Abgeschnitten in its homeland). If follows a coroner asked to perform an autopsy on s severed head from a crime scene. The lead is shocked to discover a note in the skull with his estranged daughter’s phone number scrawled on it. With the help of an intern, he heads out to try and determine who the killer is and save his daughter… before she becomes the next victim. Critics enjoyed this picture and as of yet it hasn’t received any negative reviews. They appear to admit that the movie is a bit over-the-top and exaggerated, but they could help but be swept up in the narrative and found it to be a pulse-pounding ride. Moritz Bleibtreu, Jasna Fritzi Bauer and Lars Eidinger headline the flick.
Irresistible – Comedian and political commentator (among other things) Jon Stewart wrote and directed this comedy about a Democratic political strategist looking to make inroads in a conservative farming community. When he decides to encourage a local man to run for mayor, the lead’s Republican nemesis arrives and the small-town race makes national headlines. Desperate to win, the opponents to try more and more outrageous tricks to one-up each other. Reaction was mixed towards this effort and it received a few more negative notes than positive ones. Some thought that it was a good deal of fun and aptly criticizes modern political campaigns. However, more wanted it to take a stronger stance and suggested that it doesn’t tell us anything about the process that we don’t already know. It stars Steve Carrell, Rose Byrne, Chris Cooper, Brent Saxton, Will lSasso, Topher Grace and Natasha Lyonne. To read a full review of the movie, click here
Jump Shot: The Kenny Sailors Story – Sports fans may get a kick out of this documentary that details the work of Kenny Sailors, the proclaimed developer of the modern-day jump shot in basketball. It includes footage of the man introducing the technique in the Collegiate National Championship in 1943. However, after his career went south, the man disappeared into the Alaskan wilderness. Various guest speakers and fans speak up and tell how this little-known figure influenced the game and changed the way it is played. Notices for the feature were excellent, with all of those who reviewed it giving it high marks. They said that it was a sweet and inspirational tale about a forgotten piece of basketball history. Interview subjects include Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Dirk Nowitzki, Jay Bilas, Clark Kellogg, Bob Knight, Lou Carneseca, Kiki Vandeweghe, Nancy Lieberman and other sports legends.
Murder Death Koreatown – This strange feature is a found-footage film about an unemployed man whose neighbor is murdered. The protagonist decides to investigate the crime himself. The trail spirals him down some strangely dark and dangerous corners, until he eventually becomes convinced of an elaborate conspiracy revolving around the slaying. This picture is already available on Amazon Prime, but is now debuting on disc. Response was reasonably good, if somewhat confused. A percentage called it an artistic exercise that really didn’t know what it was trying to accomplish and quickly became tiring. However, more admired the movie and found it fascinating, even if they couldn’t figure out exactly what the flick really was attempting.
Odd Man Rush – An American kid with dreams of playing professional hockey is drafted into Sweden’s minor leagues in this independent comedy/drama. Unfortunately, this immediately creates a great deal of strife, as the young man is in a serious relationship with a girl at the local market. He must figure out whether or not to accept the offer and play abroad or stay with his lady and try to find a career closer to home. This movie is based on a popular and very well-regarded biographical book by Bill Keenan. It appears to be debuting on disc and so there are almost no reviews for it from critics at this point in time. Unfortunately, the only one that has appeared suggests that while its intentions are good, the movie itself doesn’t come close to reaching the cinematic heights of Slap Shot or Goon. Dylan Playfair, Jack Mulhern headline the feature.
Rogue – A battle-hardened mercenary leads a team of soldiers on a dangerous mission in a remote part of Africa to rescue a group of hostages from a group of violent rebels. Unfortunately, the mission doesn’t go as planned and the heroes find themselves wounded and stranded. They are forced not only to fight off enemies, but enraged and hungry lions who are looking for their next meal. This action picture received a limited release last week and is now appearing on disc. Very few members of the press have written it up, although the notices that have popped up aren’t terrible. One of them does call it a forgettable and silly flick with bad visual effects that doesn’t even quality as a so-bad-it’s-good kind of movie. However, other have stated that it delivers a few thrills and mentioned that the lead performance is better-than-anticipated. It stars Megan Fox, Philip Winchester, Greg Kriek, Brandon Auret and Jessica Sutton.
Blasts from the Past!
Looking to discover or revisit something a little older? AGFA (American Genre Film Archive) are releasing a Blu-ray of Limbo (1999), written and directed by Tina Krause, the star of hundreds of micro-budgeted independent genre pictures. It is described as presenting three days in the life of a woman named Elizabeth, as she deals with identity issues, sexist mouth-breathers, supernatural manifestations… and a possible trip to Hell. The movie has been transferred from the original S-VHS master tape and comes with a filmmaker commentary, an archival behind-the-scenes documentary, a short film made by Tina Krause, a Q&A and another short starring Krause.
Kino have a great selection of titles this week, including some amazing international features that are well worth picking up. The first Blu-ray is of the foreign-language film noir, Black Gravel (1961), about life in post-war Germany. It features characters struggling to survive and taking to the black market. The disc includes the uncensored version that played at its premiere and the re-editing cut that was eventually distributed. It also comes with a film historian commentary.
Britannia Hospital (1982) is a dark comedy and satire about a reporter who arrives to make a documentary on the opening of a new wing at the title location. The movie satirizes British Society and features an all-star cast including Malcolm McDowell, Mark Hamill, Joan Plowright and many others. The Blu-ray includes a high-definition remaster of the title, a critic commentary and a trailer.
I’m very excited about this upcoming release which is making its Blu-ray debut in North America. Clockwise (1986) is a fantastic comedy starring John Cleese as a stuffy, arrogant headmaster who runs a tight, organized and regimented life scheduled down to the minute. When he’s asked to give a hugely important speech at a conference, everything starts going wrong and his career as well as sanity begin to fall to pieces. It’s a brilliantly funny movie that wasn’t a big hit during its original release and deserves to be seen by more British comedy fans. This Blu-ray includes a new 4K remaster of the film courtesy of StudioCanal, as well as an interview with John Cleese, a feature on the score, an entertainment journalist audio commentary and a trailer. I’ll be picking this one up as soon as possible.
Agatha Christie fans will be happy to see the Blu-ray eleases of three movies based upon her works. The first is a Special Edition of the Hercule Poirot mystery, Death on the Nile (1978). This all-star murder mystery features Peter Ustinov, Bette Davis, Mia Farrow, Olivia Hussey, George Kennedy, Angela Lansbury, David Niven, Maggie Smith, Jack Warden, Jane Birkin, Lois Chiles, Jon Finch and Simon MacCorkindale (Manimal himself!). You’ll get a film historian commentary, a making-of, interviews with Ustinov and Jane Birkin, as well as trailers.
If you’re looking for more in a similar vein, Evil Under the Sun (1982) is another whodunit? set on a beautiful island for the rich and famous. It also features Ustinov as detective Poirot alongside James Mason, Maggie Smith, Roddy McDowell, Diana Rigg and many others. This one comes with another film expert audio track, a making-of as well as all sorts of publicity materials.
The Mirror Crack’d (1980) doesn’t feature Hercule Poirot, but it is another Christie mystery about a murder on a film set. They didn’t skimp on the cast either for this production, which includes Angela Lansbury, Elizabeth Taylor, Kim Novak, Rock Hudson, Geraldine Chaplin, Tony Curtis and Peirce Brosnan. The extras are almost identical to the previous discs.
Additionally, all three of the titles have been given crisp, 2K restorations, so they’ll look great.
And they also have a Blu-ray of the drama, The Raging Moon (1971), which casts Malcolm McDowell as a young man who loses the use of his legs after an accident during a soccer match. While in recovery, he falls for another patient and the two try to make a new start in life. StudioCanal have restored this title in 2K and disc also includes a 2016 interview with McDowell, as well as trailers and a critic commentary.
If you are more interested in genre pictures. Vinegar Syndrome have some Blu-rays that may be of interest. The Eleventh Commandment (1986) is about a man whose uncle institutionalizes him in order to steal his inheritance. The experience makes the lead into a violent psychopath as he escapes and seeks revenge. Besides a 2K restoration of the movie, the disc comes with cast member interviews and a promotional still gallery. Perfect Strangers (1984) involves an assassin who thinks that a child may have witnessed him while taking part in a hit. In order to find out for sure, he begins dating the kid’s single mother. This title from Larry Cohen (The Stuff, God Told Me To) has been given a 2K restoration and includes interviews with the female lead and Cohen himself, along with promotional materials.
Toy Soldiers (1984) is a goofy action picture about a group of college students vacationing in Central America. When they’re taken hostage by a militia, one student escapes. She decides to create her own team of soldiers to raid their compound and get her friends back. Code Red are releasing this Blu-ray, and it includes a new remaster of the movie.
Finally, Warner Bros are releasing a series of older title with new and sharp 4K transfers for those who have TV and players capable of the up-conversion. This week, the releases include Beetlejuice (1988), The Goonies (1985), Sherlock Holmes (2009) and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011). I’m not entirely certain, but more than likely all of the other extras and bonuses previously released should be included on these discs.
You Know, For Kids!
Here are some new discs that may please kids.
Blue’s Clues & You! (Nickelodeon)
Gigantosaurus: Season 1, Volume 1
Looney Tunes: Holiday Triple Feature DVD
Sesame Street: Monster Hits – Rock & Rhyme with Elmo
Sonic Boom: Robot Uprising!
On the Tube!
And these are some of the TV-themed releases coming your way.
Easy Yoga for Everything with Peggy Cappy (PBS)
Gigantosaurus: Season 1, Volume 1
Hallmark 2-Movie Collection: Nature of Love and Pearl in Paradise
Prehistoric Road Trip (PBS)
SeaChange: Paradise Reclaimed (new 2020 season of Australian series from the late 90s)
Young Sheldon: Season 3