Welcome back to the latest edition detailing highlights of what is coming your way on DVD and Blu-ray. As always, there’s plenty to choose from. And there’s plenty to click on as well – several of the releases were reviewed during their theatrical runs. 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!
The Benefactor – This indie drama tells the story of a wealthy but tormented philanthropist attempting to make amends for a past mistake. Unfortunately, the young couple who become the recipients of his gifts begin to feel very uncomfortable with the attention. Critics weren’t very impressed with the film. While they noted the theme of trying to buy forgiveness was interesting, they felt that little was done with the characters and found the enterprise melodramatic. It stars Richard Gere, Dakota Fanning, Theo James and Dylan Baker.
Coming Home – Speaking of melodrama, this Mandarin-language effort from China also tells a highly emotional tale. It follows a couple who are separated during the Cultural Revolution after the husband is arrested. When he finally returns home years later, he finds that his wife is stricken with amnesia and has completely forgotten him. Reviews were excellent, stating that this is a bittersweet and beautifully performed effort that boasts some beautiful images as well. The cast includes Li Gong and Daoming Chen.
The Forbidden Room – The latest bizarre independent art-film fantasy from director Guy Maddin (The Saddest Music in the World) is a surreal effort merging five disparate story threads that include a submarine crew, a surgeon and a battalion of child soldiers. Notices were strong. They suggested that while the movie was overlong and at times too eccentric for its own good, those willing to accept the loose narrative might be impressed with the incredible images and numerous references to silent film. Seems like a project that really pays homage to films like Eraserhead. Roy Dupuis, Udo Kier, Mathieu Amalric and Geraldine Chaplin appear.
In the Heart of the Sea – Rather than adapting Moby-Dick, director Ron Howard attempts to depict the real-life seafaring tale that inspired the novel. It follows sailors in 1820 who encounter an enormous whale and must fight for survival. The press speared it in the papers, writing that the action scenes were decent but that the dialogue between the humans was flat and lifeless. Now viewers can decide for themselves. Chris Hemsworth plays the captain, with support from Benjamin Walker, Cillian Murphy, Brendan Gleeson and Ben Whishaw. To read the site’s full-length review, just click here.
MacBeth – The Shakespearian tragedy gets another redo in this tale of a Scottish nobleman whose quest for power results in the murder of the King. After taking the throne, his guild and paranoia eventually leads to his downfall. Critics were quite positive about this retelling of the classic tale, praising the work of the actors and the visuals (in particular the brutal and nasty battle sequences). It stars Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Jack Madigan, Paddy Considine and David Thewlis. To read more about the movie, click here.
Open Season: Scared Silly – This third sequel to the 2006 animated hit is a direct-to-DVD effort. In it, the animals learn of the legend of the Wailing Wampus Werewolf and head deep into the forest to see if there is any truth to it. No one has seen it, so there aren’t any write-ups for the movie as of yet. I wouldn’t expect all that much from it. And honestly, it seems like October might have been a more appropriate month to release it.
The Peanuts Movie – The classic Charles Schulz comic strip gets a CG update in this animated effort for the family. Once again, Charlie Brown attempts to win the attention of the Red-haired Girl, while his dog Snoopy imagines himself flying in the skies of France and squaring off against the Red Baron. It received generally positive reactions from reviewers. They believed that it was a decent update and homage to the original characters that would impress most viewers. Like the original animated specials, almost all of the voices are provided by children. To read the website’s take on the movie, click here.
The Tribe – A deaf teenager enters a boarding school and tries to adjust to life there in this Ukrainian drama. He falls for another student, leading to conflict within his new social group (who are essentially a gang). Remarkably, the movie features no dialogue at all, with the character conveying all of their performances through facial expressions and hand signals. It earned a great many raves from the press. While a few disliked the use of sex and violence, just about everyone else found it to be a compelling and completely unique experience. The leads are played by Gregoriy Fesenko and Yana Novikova.
Victor Frankenstein – The classic gothic tale from Mary Shelly is updated in this adaptation, with Igor taking a more active role in the proceedings. After Dr. Frankenstein rescues him from a circus and cures him of a physical ailment, the two team up to successfully create life – unfortunately, it results in an out-of-control creation. Despite the high energy level on display, critics weren’t taken with the end product. They called it a polished but very silly effort that wastes its cast and won’t linger in the brain. Daniel Radcliffe, James McAvoy, Jessica Brown Findlay and Andrew Scott star. You can read a detailed review of the film right here.
Victoria – A Spanish girl moves to Berlin, goes out to a party and befriends a handsome stranger. Over the course of the evening, she discovers he is part of a group of bank robbers and ends up embroiled in a heist. This German, foreign-language effort garnered a lot of praise for its arresting photography – the entire two-plus hour movie is played out in a single take. A scant few commented that it wasn’t much more than a gimmick, but the overwhelming majority of reviewers found it to be an unpredictably gripping and thrilling tale. Laia Costa plays the woman in trouble.
Blasts From the Past!
Shout! Factory have a couple of cheesy sequels coming your way. In this case, follow-ups to the sci-fi/horror picture, Species (1995). The original was about a model-eque alien seductress out to mate with a human male and have her spawn take over the world. At the time of release, a film industry member I was hanging out with jokingly re-titled it as, “The Monster is a Babe!” and that was pretty accurate assessment of the final product. It was really silly, but made decent money at the box office.
Species II (1998) soon followed, featuring the same “babe” Natasha Henstridge as a generically engineered clone of the original monster, along with returning stars Michael Madsen and Marg Helgenberger. Together, they must stop an astronaut who has been infected by an alien force and is up to the same shenanigans. It’s even dopier, although it does feature one exceptionally (and unintentionally) funny moment as the heroes chase their target into a grocery store. Wow, they really care about their breakfast choices! B-movie fans might get a laugh out of it and The Shout! Factory Blu-ray includes interviews with Henstridge, the screenwriter, make-up effects team, as well as director commentary, outtakes, unseen footage and publicity materials.
Shout! are also release a Blu-ray double feature of Species III (2004)/and Species: The Awakening (2007). These sequels were made for the straight-to-video market and feature none of the original cast. The disc does come with bonus features including an audio commentary on the third film as well as plenty of cast and crew interviews for both titles.
Kino have a couple of Blu-rays as well. They include The Vikings (1958) with Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis. In it, they attempt to rescue a princess who has been taken hostage. When Eight Bells Toll (1971) is a British adventure movie based on the Alistair MacLean novel. It’s about a Secret Service agent tasked with finding a ship that has disappeared off of the coast of Scotland. Word is the production was stylistically inspired by the James Bond series and stars Anthony Hopkins.
Universal are putting out some very interesting flicks on Blu-ray. Anyone remember *batteries not included (1987)? This film followed a group of apartment block tenants who are visited by small alien life forms that take the form of mechanical flying ships. It was produced by Steven Spielberg. Truthfully, I’ve never actually seen the movie, but it has a very large fan base and they’ll be pleased to see it hitting Blu-ray. Ever wanted to see Charles During lead a big dance number, Dolly Parton perform “I Will Always Love You” or see Burt Reynolds sing in a crazy musical? The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982) will give you the opportunity to witness it all in high definition.
Marvel fanatics now have the opportunity to own the notorious box office flop Howard the Duck (1986) on Blu-ray. It’s about a foul-mouthed duck who is transported from another world to Cleveland, Ohio. Be befriends a band leader and helps her with her career while saving the planet from a nasty threat. The movie features Tim Robbins in an early role too. It is a complete misfire, but a fascinating one. And it does feature an extremely underrated score from John Barry (he composed pretty much every Bond movie through The Living Daylights, as well as many others). Call it a great score trapped in a terrible movie. Don’t believe me? You can listen to some tracks at the bottom of the page.
Speaking of critically reviled flicks, you can also pick up Xanadu (1980) on Blu-ray. Olivia Newton-John stars with Michael Beck and Gene Kelly in this musical set at a roller rink about a muse from heaven who helps an artist achieve success. The movie bombed and is pretty much a train-wreck, but the ELO-heavy soundtrack was huge (“Xanadu”, “Magic” and “Suddenly” all hit the charts) and it is still a guilty pleasure among disco fans.
Criterion are delivering the French New Wave mystery thriller, Paris Belongs to Us (1961) on Blu-ray. The disc includes a new restoration of the film with improved subtitles, a short film from director Jacques Rivette and an interview with a film critic and New Wave cinema historian. Finally, Cinelicious are distributing a double feature Blu-ray containing two interesting projects from French filmmaker Agnes Varda. They are the fake biopic Jane B. Par Agnès V. (1988) and the drama La Petit Amour aka Kung-Fu Master! (1988).
You Know, For Kids!
Here are the week’s new titles that might interest younger viewers.
Open Season: Scared Silly
Peppa Pig: The Golden Boots
Pokemon Movie 18: Hoopa and the Clash of Ages
On the Tube!
And below is a listing of new TV series coming your way. The clips below include the Hogan’s Heroes opening, a Xanadu trailer and further down are some tracks from Howard the Duck score. Enjoy!
Community: Season 6
Grease Live!
Hogan’s Heroes: The Complete Series
Manhattan: Season 2
Nature: Natural Born Hustlers (PBS)
NOVA: Life’s Rocky Start (PBS)
Rookie Blue: The Final Season
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Season 1
When Calls the Heart: It Begins With Heart