Welcome back to another edition featuring highlights of new releases on DVD and Blu-ray. There are a lot of flicks both big and independent this week, so there should be something for everyone. As always, be sure to click on the links to read additional reviews. 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!
Fantastic Four – The Marvel superheroes are rebooted in this new, grittier take on the comic book. This origin story follows Reed Richards, The Invisible Girl, Johnny Storm, The Thing and their nemesis Dr. Doom as they are bestowed with exceptional abilities and struggle to cope with the ramifications. Notices were less-than-fantastic. In fact, they were extremely poor, claiming the film skimped on the superheroes in favor of an awkward and slow-moving narrative that never builds much momentum. It stars Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan, Kate Mara, Jamie Bell, Tony Kebbell and Tim Blake Nelson. To get all the details on the film, click here.
Finders Keepers – Here’s an interesting concept for a documentary. An amputee struggles to reclaim his mummified leg after it is left behind in a grill from his storage unit that has been auctioned off. Bizarrely, the new owner deems the body part his property and refuses to return it, deciding instead to use the notoriety to his own advantage. It all leads to an unusual chain of events. Reviewers raved about this unusual tale, calling it witty, compelling and completely bizarre. Sign me up for that one!
He Named Me Malala – The real-life story of Malala Yousafzai is captured in this documentary. For those who don’t know, she’s a Pakistani schoolgirl who survived a Taliban attack and is now a spokesperson for girls’ education. Critics generally liked it, although they had a few minor caveats. While all found Malala to be a noble and inspirational figure, several felt that the documentary could have been more detailed and didn’t really provide more than a surface level look at the situation.
Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials – This sequel follows the characters from the original film struggling to survive in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Along the way, they join a resistance movement determined to fight back against their tyrannical ruler. Reviews were split on the film. Half felt that it was a zippy and entertaining YA adaptation, while the other half felt the movie was simply marking time on its way to the next installment. The cast includes Dylan O’Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Aidan Gillen, Lily Taylor and Barry Pepper. To read a full review of the movie, click here.
Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation – Tom Cruise returns to his most bankable franchise in this fourth sequel. This time out, he’s got to do things like grasp the outside of a plane in flight in order to stop an evil syndicate from destroying his team. Word was positive on this chapter, with most stating that the action set-pieces were thrilling, resulting in an enjoyable popcorn-munching action adventure. Jeremy Renner, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson and Alec Baldwin appear in supporting roles. To read all of the specifics about the movie, click here.
Slow Learners – A pair of co-workers who can’t make a romantic relationship work decide to help transform each other into stylish and cool catches over the course of the summer. The indie comedy received decent marks in the papers. Most write-ups implied that the story was familiar, but the charming and funny work of the two leads made it worthwhile. It features Adam Pally, Sarah Burns, Reid Scott, Kevin Dunn and Kate Flannery.
Ted 2 – The trash-talking teddy bear of the title returns in this comedy sequel to the 2012 hit. This time out, Ted and his wife attempt to adopt, leading to consequences when the lead character is forced to prove he is a person. To fight for his civil rights, he and his best friend hire an attorney and prepare for a trial. The press weren’t as fond of this sequel as they were for the original – reaction was decidedly mixed. Most suggested that the novelty had worn off and far fewer of the jokes worked. It stars Seth McFarlane (as the voice of Ted), Mark Wahlberg, Amanda Seyfried, Morgan Freeman and numerous celebrity cameos. To read a full length review, just click here.
Time Out of Mind – A homeless man who suffers from mental illness does his best to try and salvage his relationship with an estranged daughter in this independent drama. Reviews were solid for the film. They stated that while the pacing felt a bit slow and the film impact doesn’t end up being as powerful as it aspires to be, it is still a reasonably effective tale featuring a good lead performance. The cast includes Richard Gere, Jena Malone, Steve Buscemi, Kyra Sedgwick and Michael Kenneth Williams.
Wolf Totem – Filmmaker Jean-Jacques Annaud (Quest for Fire, The Bear, Two Brothers) returns to nature for this drama about a young boy in Mongolia who adopts a wolf cub. The two attempt to survive as a revolution ravages the countryside. It generally received good notices, with the press calling it visually spectacular and the animals fantastic to watch. Admittedly, they were less impressed with the human interactions, but still seemed to recommend the movie based on its images alone. It stars Shaofeng Fend and Shawn Dou.
Blasts From the Past!
Shout! Factory have a trio of Blu-rays featuring cult titles. The killer car subgenre is pretty small (only 4 flicks I can of offhand, and one’s a TV movie), but it does exist. In The Car (1977), Josh Brolin plays a Utah detective trying to stop a menacing, supernatural black vehicle from running people down. It’s a weird one, and features a curiously bizarre performance from co-star Ronny Cox, who hobbles in the background looking distressed for much of the movie without any specific reason. The disc comes with several new interviews with the director and cast members, as well as publicity material.
They’ve also got a Double-Feature Blu-ray coming that includes The Dungeonmaster (1984) and Eliminators (1986). The first is about a computer genius who must take on an evil wizard – the heavy metal band W.A.S.P. make an appearance. Interestingly enough, the version included is unrated and contains and extra scene Eliminations is a goofy action flick that combines androids, laser battles and martial arts – it features an early appearance from Denise Crosby of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
The company are also bringing Zombie High (1987) as a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack. It stars Virginia Madsen as a boarding school student who learns that the faculty are turning the attendees into personality-free zombies. It’s a great movie, but any undead movie aficionados out there will likely want to see it anyway. Sherilyn Fenn also appears in a supporting role.
Criterion are releasing the documentary Burroughs: The Movie (1983) on Blu-ray. Using candid interview footage with the writer as well as contemporaries, it tells the story of famed cult author William S. Burroughs. In addition to a newly restored picture, it contains numerous extras. They include an audio commentary from Jim Jarmusch (who was sound recordist on the project), an interview with the director, outtakes, a discussion with the director’s nephew (who found a lost print of the movie) footage from a 2014 New York screening of the film and an experimental edit of the film made in 1981.
Synapse are releasing the Leni Riefenstahl German silent propaganda film Triumph of the Will (1935), which may be of some interest to history buffs. They’re also putting out Stalingrad (2003), a very well regarded mini-series about the historical WWII battle.
Finally, Troma have some B-movies coming your way on DVD. They include The Toxic Avenger Collection, a 7 disc box set that contains the 1984 original as well as its 3 sequels and the animated series. They’re also distributing the small, cult-thriller, The Last Horror Film (1982).
You Know, For Kids!
It’s a slow week for children’s flicks, with the only title being the animated Thomas Edison series. Not sure if his “secret lab meeting” involves the real-life figure surreptitiously filing patents off of other people’s inventions – you’ll have to pick it up to find out.
Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab: Secret Lab Meeting
On the Tube!
And here are this edition’s TV releases. As you can see, PBS have a Michael Jackson tribute on the way. Since were on the subject of homage, here’s the Thriller-inspired sequence from the Bollywood musical called Donga (1985). Enjoy!
A Chef’s Life: Season 3 (PBS)
CSI: The Finale
Extant: The Second Season
Great Houses With Julian Fellowes (PBS)
House of Anubis: Season 1
Luther: Series 4 (BBC)
Marco Polo: Season 1
Seinfeld: The Complete Series 2015 Gift Set
Teen Wolf: Season 5, Part 1
Underworld Incorporated: Season 2 (National Geographic)
Unity: A Latin Tribute to Michael Jackson (PBS)
Vet School: Season 1 (National Geographic)