Welcome to another look at highlights arriving on Blu-ray and DVD. It’s another busy edition with some big titles, as well as plenty of independent fare in a variety of genres. So, if you can’t make it out to the movies this week or need to stay indoors for a bit, be sure to give one of these titles a try!
BIG NEW RELEASES!
ASTEROID CITY – The latest from writer/director Wes Anderson (Rushmore, Moonrise Kingdom, The Grand Budapest Hotel) involves the production of a stage play and the story going on within the fictional work. The show follows a group of teenage scientists and their parents arriving in a small desert town to receive prizes from the military for their work. After a very strange occurrence one evening, all attending end up being quarantined. The picture earned mostly positive notices, although those who panned it really disliked it. One-quarter found the characters and tone so eccentric that it frustrated them, and felt that the story didn’t add up to anything. However, the rest called it gorgeous to look at, very funny and also felt that trying to identify the complicated meaning and themes kept them engaged. It stars Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Tilda Swinton, Bryan Cranston, Ed Norton, Adrien Brody, Live Schreiber, Hope Davis, Steve Park, Rupert Friend, Steve Carrell, Matt Dillon, Hong Chau, Willem Dafoe and Margot Robbie. Click here to read a full review of the picture.
BABYLON 5: THE ROAD HOME– Anyone who enjoyed science-fiction TV shows in the 1990s might remember Babylon 5, a series about characters working at an intergalactic space station. Located in neutral territory, the setting became the center of drama involving political intrigue and wars between alien nations. This animated feature film is a follow-up that plays catch up with the characters and sets the main protagonist on a new adventure. After he is transported through multiple timelines and alternate realities involving the people he served with, the hero desperately searches for a way back to his own place in the universe. The film was made for the streaming and direct-to-disc market, so there haven’t been many reviews. One that has been posted online states that fans of the show will be impressed and will make them hope for more follow-ups. The voice cast includes Bruce Boxleitner, Claudia Christian, Paul Guyet, Peter Jurasik, Phil LaMarr, Bill Mumy, Rebecca Riedy and Tracy Scoggins.
BLACK LOTUS – A member of the special ops decides to ignore orders while working on a hostage negotiation for hundreds of millions of dollars. His unusual tactic works and saves those being held, but costs the life of a friend and annoys a mob boss connected to the crime. As retaliation, the villain takes the deceased figure’s little girl as a hostage. The furious protagonist hunts down those responsible, vowing to not only get the youngster back, but end the criminal empire. There aren’t many reviews available for this low-budget action picture and most of them are negative. The notice states that despite some nice Amsterdam locations, every element of the story is predictable and the movie generates little in the way of tension. Many noted that they didn’t even understand what the title of the picture had to do with the events onscreen. It features Rico Verhoeven, Frank Grillo, Marie Dompnier, Peter Franzen, Rona-Lee Shimon and Magnus Samuelsson.
CONFIDENTIAL INFORMANT – Two narcotics agents are tasked with finding a cop killer during a crack epidemic. When one of them receives a terminal diagnosis, he and his partner cook up an elaborate scheme. They make a deal with their informant to have the officer killed in the line-of-duty so that his family can receive hefty benefits. But things don’t go according to plan and the two become targets of an internal affairs agent. Notices for this action picture are hard to come by, but unfortunately everyone who did see it was disappointed. They all commented that the concept was intriguing, but that the strong cast was wasted and that it wasn’t well put together. In fact, many wrote that the end product was dull. Dominic Purcell, Mel Gibson, Nick Stahl, Kate Bosworth and Arielle Raycene headline the picture.
FROM BLACK – A woman becomes a drug addict after the tragic disappearance of her son. Several years later, she runs into a person who claims to know what happened. After following his instructions, she discovers a strange cult and learns that the price to pay for knowledge is incredibly steep. Viewers witness how far she’s willing to do to find her child. This independent feature premiered on the Shudder streaming service and is now arriving on disc. Overall, reviews were downbeat. A small number found the concept chilling and thought the screenplay did a good job with the characters and depicting the agony of not knowing what occurred to a loved one. Unfortunately, the majority thought that, after a promising set-up, the picture devolved into supernatural silliness and over-the-top performances. It stars Anna Camp, Travis Hammer, John Ales and Ian Casselberry.
HOLY SPIDER – This multi-national co-production is based on a true story and involves an Iranian journalist investigating a string of murders in Mashhad. She travels to learn more and discovers disturbing facts about the culprit. As it turns out, he is a family man on a religious quest to rid the streets of prostitutes. His crimes increase after becoming incensed about the lack of news coverage he is receiving. Indeed, as the writer compiles damning evidence, she becomes concerned that the public will wrongly embrace him as a hero. This foreign-language film earned a lot of upbeat buzz. A limited contingent thought that the message was contradictory given the way the story and slayings were presented. However, the consensus was that the movie was compelling, powerful and disturbing, all presented in an effective manner that was difficult to forget. Zar Amir-Ebrahimi, Mehdi Bajestani and Arash Ashtiani headline the picture.
KILL SHOT – Looking for more independent action films? This tale follows an ex-Navy who now works as a hunting guide in rural Montana. During a trip in the mountains with a mysterious female client, the pair come upon a plane crash. Inside is $100 million in stolen drug money. The two decide to carry the cash back to civilization. But before you can say, “This sounds like a really low-budget rip-off of Cliffhanger,” the leads find themselves being pursued by terrorists eager to get their hands on the money. It doesn’t appear as though anyone has seen this picture yet and it is debuting on disc and on streaming sites at the same time, so there are no reviews available just yet. The lack of coverage suggests interested parties should proceed with caution. It features Rachel Cook, Rib Hillis, Bobby Maximus and Xian Mikol.
THE MACHINE – Stand-up comedian Bert Kreischer leads the cast in this feature. Apparently, a significant portion of his stand up recounts his experiences 23 years ago as a college student getting mixed up with the Russian mafia. This film recounts what happened and then jumps to the present day. It seems the mob are none-to-pleased with the routine and kidnap Kreisher and his estranged father. After being taken to Russia, the lead and his pop have to figure out a way to escape. The press gave this effort a low grade. About one-quarter of reviews wrote that it was fast-paced, sharp-witted and would entertain those who enjoy the comedian’s work. Still, most complained that it would not appeal to anyone unfamiliar with the routine and that the attempts at humor were clunky and ineffective. It also features Mark Hamill, Jimmy Tatro, Stephanie Kurtzuba and Jess Gabor.
NEFARIOUS – A condemned serial killer sits in prison awaiting his execution. With just hours to go before the end of his life, the man gets a psychiatric evaluation. The maniac tells the mild-mannered interviewer that he is actually a demon. He also claims that, before the end of the day, the psychiatrist will murder three people. As the time passes, viewers end up seeing if the killer truly is what he says. Generally, this independent, faith-based horror picture wasn’t well-received. A few complimented it as being a solid genre effort that delivered plenty of tension along with interesting philosophical debate. However, everyone else wrote that it was essentially a silly and heavy-handed sermon that was blatant in its intentions and therefore lacked thrills or chills. Sean Patrick Flanery, Jordan Belfi and Tom Ohmer headline the film.
OUIJA SHARK 2 – This micro-budgeted genre flick is a follow-up to a 2020 picture about a ghost shark that gobbles up victims. The deceased father of the protagonist from the first film finds himself trapped in Hell after his run-in with the title monster in the previous entry. When he discovers that a sinister demonic figure is planning on unleashing the shark on the entire world, the hero uses everything in his power to stop the evil plan. Back on Earth, the lead’s wife and a medium try to make contact with him. Reaction was all over the board, but this sequel earned more praise from online critics than the original feature did. One reviewer thought it would only appeal to bad movie fans, but the majority wrote that the characters were better written than in the original and that the film was superior to other micro-budgeted monster flicks. They also stated that it fully embraced its comedic side and included a bevy of amusingly outrageous moments. It stars John Migliore, Deborah Jayne Reilly Smith, Kylie Gough, Simon Wheeldon, Lena Montecalvo, Lloyd Kaufman and (full disclosure) a very brief voice-over cameo from, well, me.
SCHEME QUEENS – At the beginning of this independently produced crime film, four female friends struggle to make ends meet. When the lead crosses paths with a Rastafarian smuggler’s henchman who is set to sell some diamonds on the black market, the woman hatches a plan and calls on all her pals for assistance. The group set out to dupe the henchman and take the jewels for themselves. Unfortunately, all of the ladies begin double-crossing one another, endangering all of their lives in the process. This picture earned a limited release a couple of months ago, but there haven’t been any notices for it. Alas, anyone curious about the movie will have to go in cold and hope for the best. The cast includes Brii Renee’, Ernestine Johnson, B. Simone, Jacky Oh, Nicole Acosta and Sean Baker.
THE THIEF COLLECTOR – This documentary details one of the strangest art thefts ever committed in the United States. In 1985, Willem de Kooning’s painting, Woman Ochre, was sliced from its frame and stolen from an Arizona art museum. The $160 million dollar painting disappeared without a trace for decades. That is, until it was recently discovered in a remote town in New Mexico. Using interviews and reenactments, filmmakers tell the story of what occurred and the unusual way in which the work was recovered. The majority reaction from the press for this picture has been strongly upbeat. A small number took issue with the presentation of events and noted that it often wasted time on interpretive dramatizations instead of focusing on facts. All others were fascinated by the tale, the unusual people who committed the crime and called the unique reenactments fun to watch.
WRONG REASONS – A popular Los Angeles-based punk singer struggles with drug addiction issues between performances. Things get considerably worse for the star when she is kidnapped by a mysterious, masked individual. The event sets off a media circus, adding pressure to not only those directly involved, but also for media crews covering the story and officers searching for the artist. Kevin Smith (Clerks, Mallrats, Dogma) is credited as executive producer of this independent, low-budget effort that was shot in 2020 during the COVID pandemic. It has played at a couple of film festivals and is debuting on disc and on streaming sites this week. That means that no one has seen it yet and reviews won’t be available for another few days. The cast includes Liv Roush, Ralph Garman, Kevin Smith, Dave Koechner and James Parks. Here’s a full review of the Blu-ray.
BLASTS FROM THE PAST!
If you’re looking to catch up on some older titles, there are plenty of options. The Dutch film Broken Mirrors (1984) aka Gebroken Spiegels is arriving on Blu-ray from Cult Epics. This foreign-language drama from Holland involves a group of women trying to make ends meet by working in an Amsterdam brothel. Viewers get a sense of the struggles they must endure, including a serial killer who may be targeting them. The picture is well-regarded and its writer/director Marleen Gorris would eventually earn an Academy Award for helming Antonia’s Line nearly a decade later. Extras include a 4K restoration of the film from the original camera negative, a film scholar commentary, a 1991 interview with US sex worker Margo St. James and a promotional gallery. Read a review of the disc right here!
Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart (1985) is arriving on Blu-ray from Criterion. This drama from Wayne Wang (The Joy Luck Club) follows a 62-year-old woman who believes she may only have a year to live and tries to deal with various personal issues over that period. The disc includes a new high-definition master of the director’s cut, a recent conversation with Wang, a 2004 talk with the star of the film, as well as an essay of the movie.
Dark Force Entertainment is delivering the action picture Instinct to Kill (2001) aka The Perfect Husband on Blu-ray. The story involves a woman who testifies against her husband when he is charged with being a serial killer. This murderer manages to break out of prison and targets the lead, who gets help in fighting back from a detective and a self-defense trainer. It stars Melissa Crider, Mark Dacascos, Kadeem Hardison and Tim Abell as the villain. It arrives on disc with a new HD scan, as well as a commentary and new interview with Abell.
Primetime Panic 2 is a Blu-ray from Fun City Editions that includes three popular TV movies. Specifically, the teen drug-addict drama The Death of Richie (1977) featuring Ben Gazzara, Incident at Crestridge (1981) with Eileen Brennan as a sheriff tasked with cleaning up her corrupt police department, and The Seduction of Gina (1984), in which Valerie Bertinelli plays a woman who becomes addicted to gambling. Film expert commentaries are included on all three titles, as well as a booklet with essays on the programs.
Kino is delivering the Audie Murphy Collection III Blu-ray set that contains the westerns Hell Bent for Leather (1960), Posse from Hell (1961) and Showdown (1963). It comes with film critic audio commentaries on two of the three pictures and trailers.
The Day and the Hour (1963) is a French WWII drama about a woman who rescues two Allied airmen and helps them evade capture from the Nazis and escape to Spain. The movie arrives on Blu-ray with a 4K picture restoration, a film historian commentary and a trailer.
The Doll (1919) is a German silent comedy about a timid man who needs to marry quickly in order to inherit his uncle’s fortune. He decides to fool his relative by marrying a life-like mechanical doll instead, only to suspect she may actually be a real woman giving an incredible performance. The Blu-ray includes another film by the director called I Don’t Want to Be a Man (1918) and a movie expert commentary on both pictures.
The distributor is also releasing the Oscar-nominated WWII movie Is Paris Burning? (1966) on Blu-ray. Alain Delon, Glenn Ford, Kirk Douglas and many others appear in this tale. Set near the end of the conflict, the story follows Parisian students fighting Nazi forces after orders are given to blow up the city before it is retaken by Allied forces. For this release, the movie has been given a 4K restoration and it will contain a film critic commentary track.
Last and First Men (2020) is an Icelandic science-fiction title about the last humans on Earth trying to send a message to the people of today. Tilda Swinton narrates the film, which is composed mainly of surreal landscapes and voice-overs. Metrograph Pictures is releasing the Blu-ray
The Gregory Peck/Audrey Hepburn rom-com classic Roman Holiday (1953) is getting the 4K Ultra HD treatment from Paramount. Celebrating its 70th anniversary, the disc arrives with an upgraded picture, featurettes on the film about the costumes, star Hepburn and screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, trailers, and an analysis of the feature with Leonard Maltin. The only thing it doesn’t come with is a Blu-ray – this edition contains only the 4K Ultra HD disc.
Hong Kong-based Shaw Brothers are famous for their martial arts and genre productions. Shout! is putting out the Shaw Brothers Classics: Volume Two Blu-ray box set containing Lady of Steel (1970), Brothers Five (1970), The Bride from Hell (1971), The Crimson Charm (1971), The Shadow Whip (1971), The Delightful Forest (1972), The Devil’s Mirror (1972), Man of Iron (1972), The Water Margin (1973), Heroes Two (1974), The Flying Guillotine (1975) and The Dragon Missile (1976).
The Japanese science-fiction film Junk Head (2017) is arriving on Blu-ray from Synergetic Distribution.
Uncork’d Entertainment is delivering the independent horror picture Cold Moon (2016) on Blu-ray. IT features some familiar faces in the cast, including Candy Clark, Frank Whaley and Christopher Lloyd.
August Underground (2001) is arriving on Blu-ray from Unearthed Films. It’s an independently produced found-footage feature about a videotape that contains the exploits of two serial killers recording their crimes. The disc contains a new director commentary track (as well as three previously recorded commentaries), multiple interviews with the filmmaker, a storyboard to screen featurette, an introduction, an analysis of the movie, behind-the-scenes featurettes, publicity materials and more.
Finally, VCI is releasing some interesting titles on Blu-ray. They include the adventure serial Jack Armstrong (1947), newly restored in 4K. Additionally, you can pick up Journey into the Beyond (1975). John Carradine narrates this “documentary” about psychic phenomena. It has also been restored in 4K.
Pictured above and to the right, The Only Way (1970) is a US/Denmark co-production about a Jewish family attempting to escape from their home country during the German occupation. Jane Seymour stars in the film and it arrives in high definition with a 4K restoration.
La Soldadera (1966) aka The Female Soldier is a much-heralded film from Mexico about a simple country girl who gets mixed up in the Mexican revolution. Like the other titles from the distributor, the image has been given a 4K restoration.
YOU KNOW, FOR KIDS!
There are a couple of children’s titles arriving on shelves this week.
Monster High: The Movie (Paramount/Nickelodeon) DVD
Sesame Street: Abby & Elmo’s Amazing Adventures (Shout! Factory) DVD
ON THE TUBE!
All of this edition’s TV-releases can be found below.
Babylon 5: The Road Home (animated original film based on TV series) (Warner Bros.) 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray or Blu-ray
The Lincoln Lawyer: Season 1 (Lionsgate) Blu-ray