Welcome to another look at highlights arriving on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD. The current trend of having a busy week followed by a slower one is continuing, with this edition being slimmer than the previous one. However, there are still a few eccentricities arriving that may strike your fancy. So, if you can’t get out to the movies this week or need to stay inside for a few days, be sure to give one of these titles a try!
BIG NEW RELEASES!
BABY ASSASSINS 2 – Also known as Baby Assassins 2 Babies (which is a pretty confusing title) this Japanese action/comedy is a sequel to the 2021 original, which was a hit in its homeland. After the events of the first movie, the two young female hired killers find themselves being banned from their organization for breaking rules of conduct. To make ends meet, they have to take part-time jobs in the service industry. When assassins come after them, the pair fight back while trying to keep their identities a secret from the public. Like the original film, reaction to this follow-up was upbeat. A small number complained that the pacing was slow and that it simply delivered more of the same. However, the majority stated that the leads were charming and the film was funny, building on the ideas of its predecessor in new and exciting ways. It stars Akari Takaishi, Saori Izawa and Joey Iwanaga.
BERMUDA ISLAND – A commercial flight to Puerto Rico gets into trouble over the Bermuda Triangle and crashes on a small remote island. The survivors include a criminal, FBI agents and a group of passengers. They argue amongst themselves while they attempt to form a plan for survival, until bizarre monsters appear and begin picking them all off one by one. In order to beat the creatures, they have to get over their differences and fight back. Not many have seen this independent, low-budget action/horror picture and reviews have been mixed. Some have stated that for such a little film, it does a decent job of developing characters, has some interesting twists and provides fun monster mayhem. A similar number thought the story was confusingly presented, didn’t care for the characters and called it unmemorable. The cast includes Tom Sizemore, Noel Gugliemi, John Wells and Sarah French.
CHRISTMAS COLLISION – Run out of Hallmark movies to watch and are looking for a Christmas-themed romance? This independent production was completed and released on the internet during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. It is now appearing on Blu-ray and DVD. The film tells the story of a cold-hearted businesswoman who is tasked with foreclosing a farm in Ohio over the holidays. After she takes a fall on the property, the owner allows her to stay there and romance blooms between them. At present, few critics have reviewed the feature. One commented that for this type of film it was decent and did its job effectively enough to recommend. Others thought that plot elements were silly, the running time was too long and the story overly familiar. It features Sebrina Scott, John Wells, Vernon Wells and Michael Pare.
THE CHRISTMAS DANCE – If you want to make it a holiday double-bill, this effort from the same distributor is also being made available. A city girl with a hectic career returns home after her brother gets into a car accident (while talking on the phone with her). She meets various faces from her past, including a single handyman/tree farmer/musician who asks her to help with the town’s Christmas program. They soon fall in love. There is only one review available for the movie. It is from a faith-based site that enjoyed the picture and its message. Online reviews suggest that while the cast is good, the screenplay is silly ( especially the reason for the lead’s aversion to the holiday). They also state that the movie begins to get uncomfortably preachy as it nears its finale. Kristen Vaganos, Carson Nicely, Miles Faber and Richard Karn headline the picture.
EASTER BLOODY EASTER – The mythical Jackalope (essentially an oversized jackrabbit with antelope horns) is the central monster in this horror/comedy. The beast and its army of bunnies run riot over a small town, gorging on citizens over the Easter holiday. A protagonist who is searching for her missing husband ends up teaming with an old friend to get to the bottom of the mystery and save the locals. Again, few have seen this low-budget independent picture and the response from online reviewers is varied. Some call the film a wasted opportunity, finding the humor immature and stating it has trouble nailing down its tone. Slightly more liked the monsters and believe that enough of the silly gags work to earn the film a recommendation. It stars Diane Foster (who also directed), Kelly Grant, Allison Lobel, Zuri Starks and D’Andre Noiré.
FIORETTA – In this documentary, a Los Angeles-based lawyer decides to look into his own family history with his son. The individual knows that he is the grandson of Austrian-Jewish composer Arnold Schoenberg, but as he delves deeper, the trail leads even further back some 500 years into the past. As the pair travel together across Europe, they are fascinated by what they learn and where they both have come from. Critical response to the picture was uniformly positive. While a few admitted that the movie didn’t delve too deeply into their history and at times felt like a travelog, they all thought the movie was intriguing. Reviews also suggested that it did an excellent job of showing a man and his son connecting during the journey over their family’s shared past.
FOUR DAUGHTERS – Here’s another non-fiction effort that may be of interest to documentary enthusiasts. A Tunisian woman tells viewers about her four daughters. She explains that while her two youngest still live at home, the eldest disappeared years ago and have presumably been radicalized into an Islamic fundamentalist group. The women are interviewed and then actors appear playing the vanished daughters. This is used to both show some family events and allow the film’s subjects to voice their thoughts over what has occurred. This picture received mostly raves and was nominated for Best Documentary at the Academy Awards. A tiny contingent didn’t think the interactions between the actors and real people worked effectively and made events feel manipulated. However, the vast majority called the movie powerful and thought that it blended elements well and expertly showed how someone might find themselves being influenced by an extremist group, as well as the effects it has on their family.
HOME – This English-language international co-production was released in Europe in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. It took some time to find its way to North America, debuting in limited release and on streaming platforms at the end of 2021 before being picked up for Blu-ray distribution this year. It’s about a teenager who commits a violent act and is sentenced to prison for 20 years. After being released, he returns home hoping to make amends for his act. Unfortunately, locals still remember his crime and are less-than-eager to forgive. The press generally liked this picture. Nearly one-third did call the story familiar and didn’t care for the European filmmaker’s critique of American problems. Still, most complimented the move as being understated but effective, with an excellent cast keeping the tale interesting and engaging. The cast includes Jake McLaughlin, Kathy Bates, Aisling Franciosi, Derek Richardson, James Jordan, Lil Rel Howery and Stephen Root.
LANCASTER – When this writer was growing up, he often crossed paths with an elderly neighbor who flew a Lancaster bomber during World War II. The man was incredibly friendly and could always look directly up into the sky at a moment’s notice and deliver a 100% accurate weather forecast (I suppose his life used to often depend on predicting weather conditions). This documentary uses archival material and flying footage to tell the story of the British four-engine heavy bomber from its development, to its successful use in the second half of the conflict. Response towards the picture was entirely positive. All notices stated that it efficiently tells the story with great imagery and terrifying stories from several pilots, clearly depicting what the plane meant to the young pilots who served onboard. Charles Dance narrates the movie.
THE MANSON BROTHERS MIDNIGHT ZOMBIE MASSACRE – Those who enjoy horror/comedy pictures may be interested in this tale of aging wrestlers. Desperate for work, the siblings take a job fighting a cage match on Halloween. After getting inside and throwing down against their opponents, a zombie virus turns most of the audience into undead flesh eaters. Those not immediately infected must team up to fight their way to safety. This is another picture that debuted on streaming services in late 2021 and is now appearing on Blu-ray. More online critics appear to have liked the flick than disliked it. Those who didn’t care for the movie said that it wouldn’t impress anyone who wasn’t a fan of low-budget genre cinema. Of course, the rest described it as a fun B-movie that delivers sharp horror and comedy in equal measure thanks to its talented cast. Chris Margetis, Mike Carey, David B. Meadows, Randy Couture and D.B. Sweeney headline the picture.
THE REAPER MAN – After a woman suffers a horrible tragedy, she begins taking solace in unusual places When she discovers that a voodoo priestess can communicate with the deceased, the lead asks the spiritualist to try and contact her loved one. This individual resurrects the person whom the protagonist lost, but they are not the same, solely focused on taking revenge. Naturally, this causes the guilt-ridden lead to regret her actions. So far, there have only been online reviews for this very low-budget picture and they have been mixed. A few have commented that the budget just isn’t enough to effectively tell this story and that it feels overlong. Just as many admired the film’s emphasis on grief over horror and thought that it was well-acted and compelling. It features Jessica Jai Johnson, Coley Bryant, Brandon Russell and Tarsha Gibson.
SKIN DEEP – In this German effort, a couple struggling with their relationship accept an invitation to a remote island by an acquaintance. Things immediately become strange when they are soon offered the opportunity to exchange bodies and see the world through the eyes of someone else. One of the pair finds themselves so happy in their new body that they refuse to return to their old one. As a result, things quickly spiral out of control. This foreign-language film earned nothing but positive reviews from the press. They were impressed by the unique story and stated that it went places and asked questions that they didn’t anticipate. Some called it a hidden gem that had plenty of ambitious goals and managed to achieve many of them. For the time being, this is a DVD-only release. Jonas Dassler, Mala Emde and Edgar Selge headline the film.
BLASTS FROM THE PAST!
If you’re looking for something a little older, there are plenty of options. If you missed Radiance Films’ “Special Edition” of the cult chiller Messiah of Evil (1973), a “Standard Edition” is now available. One expects that it will contain all of the previously noted extras, just without the 80-page booklet and box packaging.
Criterion is releasing a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray set of the French drama La Haine (1995). The black-and-white film follows 24 hours in the lives of three young men after a violent riot in the streets. Bonuses include a 2007 director commentary, an introduction to the film from Jodie Foster (who helped popularize the movie in North America), trailers, a still gallery, deleted and extended scenes, raw footage from one crucial moment in the film and a featurette on how the leads researched their roles. There is also a discussion with sociologists on the messages present, a feature-length documentary about the real-life event that inspired the picture and an illustrated booklet with writing on the movie.
Disney is rereleasing some of their Marvel films as 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray Steelbook Exclusives at Walmart. You can pick up Black Panther (2018), Doctor Strange (2016) and Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) in the highest possible quality and special packaging.
Handgun (1983) aka Deep in the Heart is arriving on Blu-ray from Fun City Editions. This drama follows a woman who is raped at gunpoint and then seeks vengeance on those who attacked her. It is reported that the well-received movie is an attack on the easy availability of guns in the US and the violence it can cause. The movie has been given a 4K restoration from the original camera negative and comes with a film expert commentary, an archival interview with the director, as well as publicity materials, a booklet with an essay on the movie, and a “Limited Edition” slipcover with newly commissioned art for the film.
Imprint is an Australian label who are making several “Limited Edition” Blu-ray titles available for purchase in North America. Only 1500 copies of each title will be made available.
The first disc is for *batteries not included (1987), produced by Steven Spielberg. It’s about the residents of a tenement who are being forced out of their home. Suddenly, small flying alien ships appear and attempt to help them out. The Blu-ray features new interviews with director Matthew Robbins (Dragonslayer), writer Mick Garris, a featurette on composer James Horner and trailers.
Green Ice (1981) is an adventure film about characters hunting for emeralds in Columbia. It stars Ryan O’Neal, Anne Archer, Omar Sharif and John Larroquette. The film is being presented on Blu-ray with a 2K scan of the original negative. You’ll also get a film authority commentary, an interview with the stunt coordinator and a trailer.
Strange Invaders (1983) is a cult film with Paul Le Mat, Nancy Allen, Diana Scarwid, Michael Lerner, Louise Fletcher and Wallace Shawn about a professor who believes his daughter is being targeted for an alien abduction. This Blu-ray comes with a commentary from co-writer/producer/director Michael Laughlin (Strange Behavior) and co-writer Bill Condon (who would later co-write/direct Gods and Monsters and win an Oscar for writing Chicago) as well as other new extras.
Lionsgate is making several of their titles available as Walmart Exclusive Steelbooks that include 4K Ultra HD discs and Blu-rays. The first is the underrated and entertaining pirate movie Cutthroat Island (1995) starring Geena Davis as a swashbuckler seeking treasure. It appears to include all bonuses (like a director commentary) from earlier versions. You can also purchase the first and best Rambo feature, First Blood (1982) in the same package. Lionsgate is also making the recent sequel Rambo: Last Blood (2019) with the same features. Also arriving is the RED: 2-Film Collection which includes the 2010 original and 2013 follow-up, featuring Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman and John Malkovich. Again, expect all the old extras included in these sets.
Bushman (1971) is arriving on Blu-ray from Milestone Films. The story involves a well-educated Nigerian immigrant adapting to life in San Francisco who is falsely accused of a crime he did not commit. Special features on this critically acclaimed feature include a film historian commentary, an archival audio interview with the star of the movie and a pair of hour-long films by the director.
Previously released by Shout! Factory and now out-of-print, the Patricia Arquette horror film Stigmata (1999) is being put out by MPI Home Video as a “Collector’s Edition Mediabook” containing a Blu-ray and DVD of the film. The story involves a faithless woman who begins to experience mysterious stigmata. The Vatican soon gets involved. This title arrives with a 24-page booklet on the movie, a director commentary, a making-of, deleted scenes, an alternate ending and a trailer (I believe most of these appeared on earlier editions).
Finally, Paramount is giving their hit baseball comedy Major League (1989) a 25th Anniversary Edition. You’ll get a 4K Ultra HD disc of the movie (no Blu-ray is included in this edition) and it can also be purchased in a Steelbook. The latter looks like a locker and comes with a set of magnets. No word on what, if any, bonuses might come with it. For those unfamiliar with the picture (pictured above and to the right), it’s about a professional baseball team filled with misfits who are expected to do horribly and be sold to another city, but end up bonding and succeeding. The cast includes Charlie Sheen, Corbin Bernsen, Tom Berenger, Wesley Snipes, Dennis Haysbert and Rene Russo.
YOU KNOW, FOR KIDS!
Sorry, it looks like a slow edition for kids.
ON THE TUBE!
Below is a list of all the week’s TV-themed releases.
American Experience: Fly With Me (PBS) DVD
Funny Woman (PBS) DVD
Hallmark 6-Movie Collection: Aloha Heart, Making Waves, Napa Ever After, Notes of Autumn, A Very Venice Romance and Field Day (Hallmark) DVD
Inside Man: Year One (BBC) DVD
Masterpiece: Nolly (PBS) DVD