Another week, another impressive grouping of titles arriving on Blu-ray and DVD. Read below to look at all the highlights and be sure to click on any links you see to read about them in detail. Overall, there’s an incredible variety of releases in various genres. 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!
Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong – This independent flick is a US/China co-production that follows a Chinese/American girl who visits Hong Kong, only to fall for an ex-pat. Can their love survive bad timing and the great distance between them? Notices weren’t half bad for this romantic feature. Apparently, some found it too slight and uneventful to recommend, but more considered the pretty photography as well as the sweet and breezy tone effective enough to earn a pass. The cast includes Jamie Chung, Bryan Greenberg and Richard Woo.
The Brainwashing of My Dad – Telling a very personal story, a filmmaker struggles to figure out how her father slowly changed from mild-mannered and apolitical to an angry, right-wing fanatic – she noted the change after he discovered talk radio on his commute to work. This documentary attempts to get the bottom of what caused the shift as well as how media can influence its audience. Despite the interesting concept, reaction was mixed. Many described it as thought provoking and occasionally insightful, but also commented that it didn’t delve as deeply into its subject as it should have and could have presented much stronger arguments.
Clown – Clowns can only mean one thing … creepiness. This project from John Watts (director of Cop Car and the upcoming Spider-Man: Homecoming) has been in release limbo for years. It is about a father who dons the red-nosed costume. However, he finds that it won’t come off and that the get-up is forcing him to commit nefarious acts. Reviews were split on this horror picture, with a few more coming down on the negative side. Almost everyone felt it was icky and disturbing, but about half believed it loses its way and falls apart midway through. The movie stars Peter Stormare, Laura Allen, Elizabeth Whitmere and Eli Roth.
The Duel – This western involves a Texas Ranger investigating the disappearances of several locals in a small town. The trail leads him to the charismatic leader of a cult religious order. Despite a strong cast of talented and familiar faces, critics didn’t respond well to this independent feature. While all complimented the photography and the performance of the villain, the story was roundly picked on for being muddled, confused and slow-moving. It features Woody Harrelson, Liam Hemsworth, Sonja Braga, Emory Cohen and William Sadler.
How to Plan an Orgy in a Small Town – A sex columnist from the big city returns to her hometown for her mother’s funeral, only to be pestered by locals to help them set up an orgy. A few were kind to this independent effort, calling it a cute little comedy that pokes fun at societal rules and social awkwardness. Unfortunately, it seems that more chastised it for being cute, tame and too low-key, they stated it needed to be more outrageous in its approach. It stars Jewel Staite, Ennis Esmer, Lauren Lee Smith, Katharine Isabelle, Natalie Brown and Lauren Holly.
The Huntsman: Winter’s War – This follow-up to 2012’s Snow White and the Huntsman throws Snow out of the story and gives the lead to the Huntsman instead. When the Evil Queen is resurrected, he sets out to stop her before the world falls under her nasty spell. This big-budget flick flopped at the box-office and with the press. They all described the cinematography as striking, but stated this sequel was unnecessary and forced in a plot that bore too many similarities to Disney’s Frozen to stand out on its own. Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron, Emily Blunt, Jessica Chastain, Nick Frost and Sam Claflin headline the feature. To read a full review, just click here.
Lake Eerie – A young widow decides to make a new start and buys an old house on Lake Erie, only to find strange events occurring that begin to test the limits of her sanity. There currently aren’t any reviews available for this indie, sci-fi suspense feature. Online however, those who have seen it suggest it’s a bit slow-moving and will only appeal to forgiving fans of very low-budget horror flicks. At least it features a turn by genre vet Lance Henriksen. The cast also includes Marilyn Ghigliotti, Besty Baker and Meredith Majors.
Maggie’s Plan – This independent comedy earned some great notices during its limited release earlier in the year. The story involves a young woman desperate to be a mother, who woos a married man away and ultimately breaks up his marriage. A few years later, she realizes that the man she thought she loved is better suited to his original partner and sets out to rectify the situation. While a few write-ups mentioned that they didn’t care for the characters, overall reaction was excellent. It was called a unique, screwball spin on the romantic comedy, with exceptional performances that make up for any minor missteps. It stars Greta Grewig, Ethan Hawke, Julianne Moore, Travis Fimmel, Bill Hader and Maya Rudolph.
The Man Who Knew Infinity – Set in 1913, this biopic tells the story of self-taught mathematics genius Srinivasa Ramanujan and his studies at Cambridge, where he overcomes prejudice and becomes a student of G.H. Hardy. Critics gave the drama solid marks, although they stopped a little short of raving about it. Many found it likable and enjoyed the lead performances, but believed that the storytelling was a tad pedestrian and the pacing a bit too sluggish for its own good. The movie features a great cast that includes Dev Patel, Jeremy Irons, Stephen Fry, Toby Jones, Jeremy Northam and Kevin McNally.
Ratchet & Clank – Based on the video game of the same name, this animated tale is an origin story of sorts. It follows a feline mechanic who befriends a sentient robot – together, they traipse through the galaxy and stop an evil alien overlord from destroying the galaxy. Notices were pretty poor for the feature; while the majority admitted that it may provide some appeal to fans of the game, they also wrote that there wasn’t much of a point to the bland story and that the animation wasn’t up to snuff. James Arnold Taylor, David Kaye, Rosario Dawson, Paul Giamatti, John Goodman and Sylvester Stallone provide some of the character voices.
Weiner – This documentary garnered raves during its release in arthouse cinemas a few months back – if you’re interested in politics, you’ll likely want to check it out. The movie details the bizarre exploits of US Representative Anthony Weiner and his ill-fated run for mayor of New York in 2013. Obviously, the sex scandal that plagued him is explored as well as other troubles along the way. The movie received high marks for its fast pace and fascinating insight the mind of a man whose campaign implodes before viewer’s eyes. Some even described it as like witnessing a train-wreck that you just can’t take your eyes off of.
Wiener-Dog – Prepare yourselves for the darkest of dark comedies with this eccentric effort from filmmaker Todd Solondz (Welcome to the Dollhouse, Happiness). A small dog moves from owner to owner and introduces viewers to various characters who behave in severely misanthropic ways. Reaction to this one has been extreme, although more have responded positive to it. Some have stated that it tries too hard to shock and that the characters are so awful that it’s all impossible to watch, others have called it a biting and downbeat look at the ugly side of humanity. It stars Greta Gerwig, Kieran Culkin, Danny DeVito, Julie Delpy, Ellen Burstyn and Zosia Mamet.
Blasts From the Past!
Shout! Factory have a Blu-ray of a personal favorite this week. Midnight Run (1988) is a comedy from director Martin Brest (Beverly Hills Cop) that teams Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin. De Niro plays a bounty hunter tasked with catching a quirky accountant who has embezzled $15 million dollars in mob money and returning him across the country. Things don’t go according to plan. The movie was a modest success during its original release, but holds up incredibly well. In fact, it’s one of the best buddy flicks out there. The interplay between the misfit pairing is exceptional, resulting in a real gem. The disc comes with new interviews with De Niro, Grodin, Joe Pantoliano, John Ashton, Yaphett Kotto and writer George Gallo, as well as a vintage featurette and trailer. If you’ve never seen it, it comes highly recommended.
The same distributor also has the horror sequel Psycho IV: The Beginning (1990) coming your way. This was actually a cable TV-movie made for Showtime, but star Anthony Perkins was quoted as saying he felt this sequel was the best follow-up of the bunch. I’m not sure that I completely agree (I actually don’t mind Psycho II), but it is a very strong entry in the series. The story picks up with a rehabilitated and now married Norman Bates, who calls in to a radio show when he begins to question his mental state. Flashbacks depict his bizarre relationship with his mother and how it drove him to murder. This Blu-ray comes with a new audio commentary with director Mick Garris and co-stars Henry Thomas and Olivia Hussey. It also comes with a new feature on the make-up, as well as rare behind-the-scenes footage and production stills from the director himself. Looks like a great disc.
Kino also have some Blu-rays featuring titles from a variety of eras. American Dreamer (1984) was a romantic comedy with JoBeth Williams, Tom Conti and Giancarlo Giannini. It’s about a housewife on a Paris trip who bumps her head and wakes up believing that she’s the lead character from her favorite series of spy novels. Naturally, she gets herself as well as the book’s author involved in an actual adventure.
Chandu the Magician (1932) is a fantasy about a scientist who is kidnapped by a nasty megalomaniac (played by Bela Lugosi) and must stop the villain’s fiendish scheme for world domination. Modesty Blaise (1966) is a British spy spoof set in the Mediterranean with a female agent out to thwart the efforts of a diamond thief. It stars Monica Vitti and Terence Stamp. Finally, you can also pick up a Blu-ray of Fritz Lang’s The Spiders (1919). The set includes two German productions in which an adventure-seeker takes on a couple of daring missions: one to Peru to find gold and another where he must stop an evil organization from stealing a priceless diamond.
Not to be outdone, Criterion have a couple of noteworthy Blu-rays of their own. A Taste of Honey (1961) is a British coming-of-age tale (based on a play) about a teenager in Blackpool who befriends a gay co-worker and fathers a child with a black sailor. This release includes an impressive 4K transfer, new interviews with star Rita Tushingham and Murray Melvin, interviews with the director and screenwriter, a features about the plays origins and themes as well as other bonuses. The distributor are also bringing Woman in the Dunes (1964) to Blu-ray. The Japanese drama involves an entomologist out collecting insects who finds himself trapped in a sandpit on the property of a local widow. He soon discovers that he’s been ensnared on purpose and expected to become the woman’s permanent caretaker. It comes restored with a video essay on the feature, as well as four shorts from director Hiroshi Teshigahara and a retrospective on the production.
Looking for a cheesy B-movie? You can give the City on Fire! (1979) Blu-ray a try courtesy of Scorpion. It’s a hilariously awful flick from Canada that attempts to emulate the disaster film formula of the 70s, made popular by flicks like The Towering Inferno (1974) and Earthquake (1974). Of course, this one was made for about one quarter of the budget and features a cornball script about a fire that raging through a city. The film does boast an impressive cast that includes Barry Newman, Susan Clark, Leslie Nielsen, James Franciscus, Ava Gardner and Henry Fonda, but everything about it is amusingly terrible. There’s actually a scene in this movie where two characters escape to a hospital and have a heart-to-heart while a patient sitting in a wheelchair behind them voids their bladder. I have seen the movie and I am not kidding. Maybe this was the filmmaker trying to comment on what they were being forced to shoot; I have no idea, but I certainly remember that particular scene. Anyway, it’s perfect “bad movie night” fodder.
Finally, Arrow have The Bloodstained Butterfly (1971), an Italian Giallo (which are pulpy murder mysteries) about a man convicted of a murder that he didn’t commit. His daughter tries to clear his name and becomes the primary target of the real killer, a madman who is driven to slaughter whenever he hears the musical compositions of Tchaikovsky. The Blu-ray/DVD combo a new transfer, an audio commentary with horror film critics, shorts on the director of the film as well as featurettes on the production and other bonuses. Sounds like it could be a fun one.
You Know, For Kids!
Here are some titles that may appeal to kids.
ABC Monsters: Party in Capital Castle! Starring Mnop: Volume 4
DC’s Legends of Tomorrow: Season 1
Ratchet & Clank
On the Tube!
And you’ll find all of the important TV-themed releases below. You’ll also see some coming attractions for TV as well as older features listed in the sections above. Enjoy!
Ash vs. Evil Dead: Season 1
Blood of the Vine: Season 4
Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Season 3
Castle: Season 8
Clean Break: Season 1
DC’s Legends of Tomorrow: Season 1
Doctor Who: The Complete Second Series
Elementary: Season 4
Endeavour: Series 3 (Masterpiece BBC)
Lucifer: Season 1
Matt Houston: The Complete Collection (1982-85)
Narcos: Season 1
NYPD Blue: Season 10
Roots (2015 Mini-series)
Scandal: Season 5
The Strain: Season 2
Superstore: Season 1
The Walking Dead: Season 6