Welcome back to another look at highlights arriving on Blu-ray and DVD. There’s a lot of variety in this edition, including a few studio releases and some independent offerings. Be sure to click on any links below to read full 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!
Between Us – This romantic comedy follows a couple in their 30s on the verge of settling down. However, both are feeling weary of the next big step in their lives. While enjoying a night out in Los Angeles, the pair are tempted to stray and dissolve their relationship. Notices were mixed for this independent feature. Some critics didn’t care for the characters and found it difficult to engage with to the story. Others thought it had a few rough spots, but still wrote that it was an interesting and well-acted film. The movie will be available on DVD and HD streaming only – no Blu-ray as of yet. It features Olivia Thirlby, Ben Feldman, Adam Goldberg, Analeigh Tipton and Lesley Anne Warren.
Extortion – A family decides to vacation in the Caribbean, but wander too far from their resort and are kidnapped by a local fisherman. He takes them out to sea and demands a ransom for their return. The hostages struggle to free themselves, while a detective does his best to try and locate them. This action/suspense film is exclusive to DVD for the time being and it hasn’t been reviewed by the press. So if you decide to give it a shot, you’ll be one of the first to see it. At least it has a few notable names in the cast, including Eion Bailey, Bethany Joy Lenz, Barkhad Abdi and Danny Glover.
A Mermaid’s Tale – Strangely enough, we have one more title this week that is a DVD exclusive. This feature is described as a modern day fairy tale for family audiences. The plot involves a tween girl who is forced to move with her father to a remote fishing village and live with an ill-tempered grandparent. She manages to make a friend in a nearby cove, learning soon after that her new pal is actually a mermaid. Again, this one hasn’t been previewed, so there’s no word on the quality of the feature. The cast includes Jerry O’Connell, Barry Bostwick and Caitlin Carmichael.
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter – The sixth and final (at least, for now) feature in the Resident Evil series follows heroine Alice as she attempts to stop the evil Umbrella Corporation responsible for the zombie apocalypse. To finish the villains off for good, she must rally surviving characters from previous installments. Notices were mixed to mixed negative for this one. The press felt like the lead’s impressive physical prowess made up for some of the story issues. Yet while a few gave it a pass for being cheesy fun, more couldn’t forgive the nonsensical plot and choppily edited action. It stars Milla Jovovich, Iain Glen, Ali Larter and Shawn Roberts.
The Space Between Us – When a space mission to a Martian base results in the first baby born on the planet, the youngster grows up without any peers in his age group. After making friends online with a teenage girl, he decides to make the journey back to Earth to meet her. Of course, the space program has other things to say about his plan. Critics absolutely blasted the movie, calling it overlong, preposterous, sentimental, melodramatic and made exclusively for youngsters. The cast includes Gary Oldman, Asa Butterfield, Carla Gugino, Britt Robertson and B. D. Wong. To read a full review of the film, just click here.
xXx: The Return of Xander Cage – Remember “extreme” sports? Well, they still exist, it’s just that they aren’t really thought of as “extreme” anymore. That definition certainly dates this franchise. It’s about a government-contracted athlete who uses motorcycling, skateboarding and snowboarding skills to stop bad guys. This time out, he’s tasked with retrieving a dangerous weapon. The press were mixed over the results, with a few more negative write-ups than positive. Some called it brainless entertainment, others suggested that it was an exaggerated but somehow bland and repetitive exercise in silliness. It stars Vin Diesel, Donnie Yen, Deepika Padukone, Kris Wu, Ruby Rose, Tony Jaa, Nina Dobrev, Toni Collette and Samuel L. Jackson. You can read the site’s review of the movie here.
Blasts From the Past!
Shout! Factory have a slew of new titles arriving on Blu-ray, the first two starring the legendary Bruce Lee. In Game of Death (1978), Lee plays a martial artist and Hollywood star. When someone attempts to assassinate him, he pretends to be dead and investigates his own murder, eventually leading him to the culprits. This one was actually shot in 1972 and unfinished at the time of Lee’s unfortunate passing. Stand-ins were used to complete the film. The “Collector’s Edition” disc includes a new 4K transfer, the US and Mandarin/Cantonese versions of the movie, outtakes, deleted scenes, bloopers, an alternate opening, publicity materials, featurettes and an Asian film historian commentary track.
Shout! also have Return of the Dragon (1972) on Blu-ray. In it, Lee heads to Rome to help out a family friend and face off against a villainous fighter (played in an early role by Chuck Norris). This “Collector’s Edition” also features a 4K mastering job, new trailer gallery, a new alternate music track for the final fight, film historian audio commentary, as well as interviews with starts like Sammo Hung who give their thoughts on the movie.
But that’s not all. They’ve also got a “Collector’s Edition” of Streets of Fire (1984). This flick is an action/melodrama/musical hybrid about a soldier of fortune hired to rescue a kidnapped singer from a biker gang. It stars Michael Pare, Diane Lane, Willem Dafoe, Amy Madigan and Rick Moranis) and was directed by tough-guy action film veteran Walter Hill (The Warriors, The Long Riders, 48 Hrs., Southern Comfort, Red Heat, Trespass). This one is very stylish and (if memory serves) a lot of fun. The Blu-ray includes a new 2K scan of the interpositive which is reportedly much stronger than all previous releases of the film, as well as two(!) feature-length documentaries about the making of the movie, all of the music videos and publicity materials.
And there’s more. Willard (1971) is the tale of an awkward young man and his rat, who decide to take revenge upon those who torment them. Fans of drive-in horror will remember it well. The movie arrives as a Blu-ray/DVD combo. Each disc contains the movie newly transferred from the original camera negative, a new interview and feature audio commentary from star Bruce Davison and all sorts of trailers and commercials for the movie. Of course, they also have the sequel, Ben (1972), which follows the further exploits of the lead rat. They movie may be most famous for the Michael Jackson song written for it (the track earned an Oscar nomination). Just like the other film, the disc contains a new transfer of the feature, interview and audio commentary from its human lead, and publicity materials. On a side note, the 2003 remake of Willard with Crispin Glover is very good and also worth checking out – I’d love to see that find its way to high definition.
Universal are all about the monsters this week. They’re upgrading some sets previously released on DVD to Blu-ray. The Mummy: Complete Legacy Collection (1932 – 55) contains the original classic along with four sequels along with the comedy Abbott & Costello Meet the Mummy. For those who enjoyed the more recent series, The Mummy: Ultimate Trilogy (1999 – 2008) features the later creature feature trilogy starring Brendan Frasier. The first one from 1999 is a blast if you haven’t seen it. If vampires are more your thing, Dracula: Complete Legacy Collection (1931 – 48) has Todd Browning’s original with Bela Lusgosi and its four sequels along with Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein. If you want to complete your modern-day mummy collection, the Dwayne Johnson spin-off film The Scorpion King (2002) is also arriving, as well as the Hugh Jackman vehicle, Van Helsing (2004).
And there’s more. Mill Creek are releasing a Blu-ray entitled, Payback Time – Triple Feature. It contains three action flicks for a low price point. The first is a personal favorite called Blind Fury (1989). It’s a small, tongue-in-cheek action film with a lot of dark humor about a sightless man (played by Rutger Hauer) trained in the way of the samurai. He chops his way through a bunch of bad guys while trying to help out an old war vet and friend. It’s a funny, fast and efficient little picture from director Philip Noyce (Dead Calm, Patriot Games, Rabbit-Proof Fence, Salt) that many missed during its original release – this release marks it Blu-ray debut. Also included are the Chuck Norris thriller Silent Rage (1982) and the trucker picture White Line Fever (1975). For the inexpensive price, you may find something here to your liking.
Good Morning (1959) is a very well regarded Japanese comedy about two children who hold a silent protest in their home to get their parents to buy them a TV set. This feature is hitting Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion and of course it comes with plenty of bonuses. Besides a new restoration and 4K transfer as well as video essays and interviews with film scholar’s on its importance in cinema, the release comes with a second feature length movie from the director – the 1932 silent comedy, I Was Born, But…
I can’t believe they actually put this one out. A while back, I wrote an article about just a few of the films that I was hoping would finally get released on Blu-ray (and in some cases even DVD). You can read about them all here. One of the titles mentioned was Highpoint (1982), an odd Canadian action/comedy starring Richard Harris, Christopher Plummer and Beverly D’Angelo that was only briefly available on VHS. Well, it finally happened. Kino are releasing it on Blu-ray. I’ll be honest… the movie isn’t that good. It does, however, have an incredible climax that follows the leads as they walk around and hang off of the side of Toronto’s CN Tower (which was the world’s tallest freestanding structure in the world at the time). Someone does fall and the scene involved one of the most dangerous stunts ever attempted in its day. Now you can finally watch the movie, and more importantly the final sequence, in crystal clarity. The release also includes interviews with the producer, composer, trailers and a work print of the film that contains some extra footage never before seen. Thank you, Kino. They also have Last Plane Out (1983) a drama with Jan-Michael Vincent about a reporter in Nicaragua who falls for a Sandinista rebel.
You Know, For Kids!
Here are some titles that may be of interest to the kids!
Bubble Guppies: Super Guppies
The Cat in the Hat Know a Lot About Camping!
Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood: Tiger Family Trip
A Mermaid’s Tale
Wonder Woman (animated, 2009)
On the Tube!
Here’s what’s new on disc from TV. Included below are some entertaining trailers from the Blasts From the Past! section.
Africa’s Great Civilizations (PBS)
American Experience: The Great War (PBS)
Frontline: Out of Gitmo (PBS)
The Kennedys: After Camelot
Love & Vets (National Geographic)
Matt Houston: Season 1
Murder 101 Collection (Double Feature of TV-movies)
Mystery Science Theater 3000: Vol. V (The Touch of Satan, The Chaser, Merlin’s Shop of Mystical Wonders, Boggy Creek II)
Nature: Viva Puerto Rico (PBS)
Outback Wrangler: Season 2 (National Geographic)
Smallville: Multiple Seasons
Snake City: Season 3 (National Geographic)