Hello and welcome to another column featuring highlights of what’s coming your way on Blu-ray and DVD. It’s a very busy week featuring numerous Academy Award nominees. As always, you can click on any links to get more details. 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!
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip – The third sequel featuring the three famous chipmunks follows the gang as they hit the road to try to stop their human caretaker from proposing to his girlfriend. They do this because they fear he will leave them behind. Critics didn’t think much of this one. While they admitted it featured a laugh or two, almost all found it a routine and lazy effort… even by kid’s film standards. In addition to the computer generated characters, it also features Jason Lee, Kaley Cuoco, Anna Faris, Christina Applegate, Justin Long and Tony Hale.
Band of Robbers – This independent comedy takes the characters of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn (from the work of Mark Twain) and re-imagines them as adults in the modern world. They’re depicted as an ex-con and a crooked cop who join forces in an attempt to find a fabled treasure that has eluded them since childhood. Overall, the press enjoyed the attempt, calling it a quirky and at times sharply written film that is modestly effective. The cast includes Kyle Gallner, Adam Nee, Matthew Gray Gubler, Hannibal Buress, Melissa Benoist and Stephen Lang.
The Big Short – Viewers can now buy or rent this recent Oscar winner for Best Adapted Screenplay. Based on the book of the same name, it details the financial house mortgage crisis of 2008. Specifically, several individuals who figured out that the market was about to burst and set out to bet against the big banks. Reviews were very strong. The impressive cast were complimented for their delivery of quick-witted dialogue. And the script was also praised for taking a very complicated subject and simplifying it, while finding unique ways to make the subject matter entertaining. Steve Carell, Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling, Marisa Tomei and Brad Pitt headline. To read a detailed review, click here.
Brooklyn – Another Academy Award nominee debuts this week. It’s a period drama about a young woman in the 50s who decides to leave her home of Ireland and move to New York. Along the way, she must deal with homesickness and starting over in a new land, as well as manipulations from family members back home. This one comes highly recommended. In fact, notices were exceptional for this title, calling it a low-key but heartfelt and moving tale that perfectly captures the immigrant experience. For fans of period dramas, it’s a surefire winner. The movie stars Saoirse Ronan, Emory Cohen, Domhnall Gleeson, Jim Broadbent and Julie Walters.
Carol – Also set in the 50s, this effort from Todd Haynes (Far From Heaven) wracked up numerous Oscar nominations as well. It’s the story of a romance between a wealthy housewife and a young shop clerk. When the husband learns of the affair, he raises questions about her mental health and threatens to take the children away. Again, critics responded very positively to this tale, calling the lead performances excellent and stating that the film effectively conveys an era of repression while managing to maintain a hopeful outlook. Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Sarah Paulson and Kyle Chandler are featured.
Love – This was actually supposed to arrive more than a month ago and was mentioned in a previous column, but was delayed until this week. This foreign-language co-production between France and Belgium involves an American who begins a relationship with a highly volatile woman. When they invite a third person into the mix, major problems arise. Reviews weren’t strong for this experimental effort (that was originally shot in 3D) – while some found it daring, most felt that the acting was weak and stated that the characters and story weren’t well developed. It stars Aomi Muyock and Karl Glusam.
Sisters – A pair of siblings struggling in life learn that their parents are putting their childhood home up for sale. They return to throw a wild party with their old high school friends (who are now married suburbanites). Somehow, wackiness does manage to ensue. The press were mixed on the final product, although more gave it a pass than a fail. While most wrote that the story was routine, they felt that the funny cast made up for the mediocrity of the material. It features Tiny Fey, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, John Leguizamo, James Brolin, Dianne Wiest and John Cena, among many others.
Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine – The president of Apple is the subject of this telling documentary about his rise to fame as well as his strange personal quirks and bizarre paranoia. It’s not the most flattering portrait, showing his cutthroat and viciousness behind-the-scenes (as well as many of his illegal maneuvers). Reviews were generally upbeat about the film. Some felt it was workmanlike in its execution and felt its creators were actually too ambivalent about Jobs himself, but most felt it was an enlightening doc sure to inform and provoke thoughtful discussion.
Blasts From the Past!
Mill Creek have a cool set of movies coming your way. For roughly $10, you can now own a multitude of cheesy 80s flicks on Blu-ray. This includes the Sun, Sand and Sweat 4 Movie Set that includes Hardbodies (1984), Perfect (1985), Private Resort (1985) and Spring Break (1983). Some of them are guilty pleasures and others are pretty poor, but for the right viewer, they’re all a great nostalgia trip that provides plenty of value for the dollar. Hardbodies is about a hot tub party and Perfect features John Travolta as a reporter doing an exposé on health clubs, where he runs into Jamie Lee Curtis. Spring Break is pretty self-explanatory comedy about a couple of pals partying in Fort Lauderdale.
The highlight of the set is Private Resort. It’s a high energy and ridiculous comedy about two sex-starved teenagers getting into all sorts of trouble while on vacation. They do a lot of running down hallways and crashing into other guests. It’s a completely shameless comedy, but some of the physical slapstick comedy does work and cast is jaw-dropping. The movie stars Johnny Depp, Rob Morrow, Andrew ‘Dice’ Clay and Hector Elizondo. Yep, there’s a sex comedy out there that co-stars Depp and Clay. And now you can own it in high definition. You can also pick up the Spring Break Double Feature for a couple of dollars less. It contains two of the aforementioned titles, Hardbodies (1984) and Private Resort (1985).
Mill Creek are also releasing a Blu-ray set called the Jean Claude Van Damme 5 Movie Pack. It contains a couple of the actor’s theatrical releases and a couple of more recent, straight-to-DVD efforts. Maximum Risk (1996) and Double Team (1997) are the most notable of the group. Risk is the best of the bunch and features the actor as a cop who sets out to find his twin brother’s killer. It co-stars Natasha Henstridge and has a couple of nifty action scenes. Double Team features the actor alongside Dennis Rodman. The other three in the set are The Hard Corps (2006), Universal Soldier: The Return (1999) and Second in Command (2006).
And Mill Creek have a few individual Blu-rays as well. They include the time-travel comedy Just Visiting (2001). It features Jeno Reno as a 12th century knight transported to the modern world; Christina Applegate tries to help him return home. My Boyfriend’s Back (1993) is a zombie comedy made before zombies were the “in” thing. The story involves a teen who is killed and comes back from the dead in the hopes of taking the girl of his dreams to the prom. It’s a mixed bag, but does feature some solid and amusing supporting work from Edward Herrmann, Mary Beth Hurt, Paul Dooley, Austin Pendleton, Matthew Fox, Philip Seymour Hoffman (as the school bully) and Matthew McConaughey. Finally, Swing Vote (2008) is a comedy starring Kevin Costner as a man who has the deciding vote in a big election.
Want more? Shout! Factory are bringing some 80s Chuck Norris action your way. Invasion U.S.A. (1985) is one of the actor’s craziest efforts. He plays a one-man army who takes on an invading Communist force in Florida. It’s as dumb as a bag of hammers and totally nonsensical, which is almost part of its charm. The movie includes a couple of incredible stunts and is good for a some cheesy movie night laughs. The Blu-ray contains publicity materials, new featurettes on the movie and a director audio commentary. Braddock: Missing in Action III (1988) is the second sequel in the popular Missing in Action series about a Viet Nam vet. Set many years after the Saigon evacuation, our hero learns that the wife he thought had died in the chaos is alive and raising his son. He returns and gets in conflict with all sorts of bad guys.
Like really, really bad movies? Then Kino has a winner coming on Blu-ray. Monster Dog (1984) is a Spanish horror flick starring Alice Cooper as a rock star shooting a video in the countryside. Unfortunately for the musician and his compatriots, they’re attacked by the title creature (and a creepy old guy for good measure). Just about everything in this flick is completely laughable. It was written and directed by Claudio Frogasso – the man behind the equally notorious Troll 2 and Rats: Night of Terror.
Unlike the previous titles mentioned, Criterion have a classic debuting in high definition. The Manchurian Candidate (1962) is about a POW brainwashed into becoming an assassin. It stars Frank Sinatra and Janet Leigh and is considered one of the best thrillers of its day. The Blu-ray has a newly restored transfer of the film, a commentary with the director, interviews with the cast as well as filmmakers for whom the movie has served as a great influence. Criteron are also releasing a DVD of the documentary Burden of Dreams (1982) that captures filmmaker Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski working on the set of the troubled yet brilliant 1982 film, Fitzcarraldo.
Arrow also have some 80s action coming your way. Their Blu-ray for Rage of Honor (1987) features a transfer from the original film elements and comes with trailers and a documentary on star Sho Kosugi. In it, the martial arts master chases down a drug dealing foe in Singapore.
Finally, the Warner Bros Archive Collection have a few new DVDs of classic titles available through their website. This week, they all star Marion Davies. The early sound films being offered are the romantic dramas The Florodora Girl (1930) and Peg o’ My Heart (1933), as well as the comedy, Not So Dumb (1930).
You Know, For Kids!
Here are some highlights for the kids.
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip
The Centurions: Part 2 (Warner Archive)
Kaboom! Flower Power
Octonauts: Creature Encounters
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Blast to the Past
On the Tube!
The latest season of Game of Thrones arrives this week. And there’s plenty of interesting older TV shows coming as well. Below are a couple of TV related clips and further down are some trailers for Blast From the Past! releases.
Cedar Cove: Season 3 (The Final Season)
The Centurions: Part 2 (Warner Archive)
CHiPs: Season 4
The Cult of Mary (National Geographic)
Dinotopia: The Complete Series
Dr. Who: Series 5, Part 1
ESPN Films 30 For 30: Four Falls of Buffalo
Game of Thrones: Season 5
Hell’s Kitchen: Season 14
Mayday: The Complete Miniseries
Medical Center: Season 6 (Warner Archive)
The Nanny: Season 6
New Tricks: Season 12
Scott & Bailey: Season 4
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Blast to the Past