Welcome to another look at highlights arriving on Blu-ray and DVD. It isn’t the busiest week in recent memory, but there are some notable discs coming your way in a wide variety of genres. So, if you can’t make it out to the movies this week or need to keep yourself in quarantine, be sure to give one of these titles a try!
BIG NEW RELEASES!
ALI & AVA – In this British drama, sparks fly between two lonely people over the course of one month. Ali is a man struggling with the dissolution of his marriage (which is exacerbated by the fact that his ex still lives in his home), while Ava is a single mom trying to cope with four wild kids. After crossing paths, the two share their personal problems and an attraction grows. They try to put aside their current struggles and build a relationship amidst the turmoil. Notices were excellent for the film. One or two either didn’t buy into the relationship or thought the characters were too flawed for their liking. Everyone else wrote that the lead performers were phenomenal and that the picture provided an authentic, unexpected yet believable connection between the two main individuals. At present, this is a DVD-only release. It stars Adeel Akhtar, Claire Rushbrook, Ellora Torchia and Shaun Roberts.
BAD ROADS – Eastern Ukraine and the Donbas region is the setting for this war drama. Taking place during an earlier Russian invasion of the area in 2014, the anthology tells four stories set on backroads. Various citizens attempt to endure and survive hardship during the battle, while a few try to take control of the terrible situation and use it to their benefit. This foreign-language film was released in 2020 and earned plenty of awards in its homeland, as well as nominations at several European film festivals. Reaction towards the movie was generally positive. One reviewer complained that it offered little insight on the conflict and wasn’t thrilling. Still, the majority thought the different stories were twisty and interesting, presenting a stirring look at the effects of war on the civilian population. Currently, this is a DVD-only release. Andrey Lelyukh, Igor Koltovskyy and Anna Zhurakovskaya headline the film.
COUNTY LINE: ALL IN – This independent effort is actually a sequel to County Line, a 2017 action picture made for disc. The story appears to be set in the south. When a local lawyer with plenty of nasty clients is found dead between two county lines, an old-fashioned lawman and a young, newly elected female sheriff from the different districts are forced to work together. Initially, they dislike each other intensely, but as the murderer continues racking up victims, they begin to see eye-to-eye and work together to stop the slayings. This is another DVD-only feature and hasn’t been seen by many critics. A few online reviewers who snagged review copies suggest that the movie is better-than-average for direct-to-disc fare. They credit the charismatic work of the principal actors. It stars Tom Wopat, Kelsey Crane, Denim Richards and Patricia Richardson.
MR. MALCOLM’S LIST – This period romantic-comedy takes place in the 18th century and follows London’s most eligible bachelor. When a woman who wants to be his bride is turned down because she fails to meet his qualifications, she decides to take revenge on him. The lady uses her knowledge and convinces her best friend to put on a performance that will enrapture the suitor so they can turn the tables on him. It isn’t long before the bachelor himself falls for the dream girl… and begins to wonder if it might be a hoax. The press responded favorably to this feature. A small number complained that some of the sets and dialogue was anachronistic, also suggesting the story was contrived and felt like a TV-sitcom episode. But the majority liked the work of the relatively unknown cast, appreciated the striking visuals and lavish sets and believed it was an entertaining attempt to emulate stories like those of Jane Austen. It features Freida Selena Pinto, Sope Dirisu, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Ashley Park and Theo James.
MURDER AT YELLOWSTONE CITY – After arriving at an old Montana town on the decline, a former slave looking for a new start is charged with murder. He learns that a local prospector who recently discovered gold has been slain and that the nasty sheriff has blamed him for the killing. A local priest and his wife come forward with an alibi, but they are ignored by the town authority. The pair decide to help the arrested man out and find out who really committed the crime. Critics generally panned this western. A small contingent thought it was an effective independent gunslinger picture aided by a top-notch cast. However, the majority complained that the screenplay really let the performers down. They wrote that the pacing was slow and the overall tone seemed too somber. The cast includes Isaiah Mustafa, Gabriel Byrne, Thomas Jane, Anna Camp, Nat Wolff and Richard Dreyfuss.
REFLECTION – If you’re looking for more titles detailing the war in Donbas, Ukraine, you have a second option this week. This tale is also set in 2014 and involves a Ukrainian surgeon who is kidnapped by Russian soldiers. While imprisoned, the protagonist witnesses horrific war crimes and incredible suffering. He is forced to spend his time dispensing mercy killings for other inmates. After his eventual release, the traumatized figure attempts to start all over again by rebuilding relationships with his ex-wife and daughter. Only one reviewer in North America disliked this Ukrainian title, criticizing it as emotionally flat and unmoving. Everyone else thought it was a timely, emotional and complex redemption story that offered hints of hope in between all the horrors. This is currently a DVD-only release. Roman Lutskyi, Stanislav Aseyev, Oleksandr Danyliuk and Nadiya Levchenko headline the film.
BLASTS FROM THE PAST!
And there is plenty to choose from for those looking to catch up with some older titles. Blue Underground is releasing a “Special Edition” Blu-ray of a Spaghetti Western with Tony Anthony called Get Mean (1975). It’s about an American cowboy tasked with escorting a princess back to her home in Spain. Along the way, he faces evil spirits and a sinister hunchback. The movie was previously released in 2015 but has been out-of-print for some time. This new edition includes a commentary track with Anthony, as well as the co-writer and the executive producer. You’ll also get on-camera interviews with the three commentary participants, a discussion with a second executive producer, a talk with the director, deleted scenes and tons of publicity materials.
They are also putting out Love Camp 7 (1969). It’s a WWII genre picture about two undercover agents in a POW camp who learn horrifying secrets about the prison and try to free the prisoners. The Blu-ray comes with a new 4K restoration of the flick, a special on Nazi-exploitation movies, a trailer, a poster and still gallery, as well as a booklet further analyzing the subgenre.
The French classic crime-drama The Burned Barns (1973) is arriving on Blu-ray from Cohen Media. When a dead body is found on a farm, a judge believes that the family living there are responsible and feels compelled to entrap them and prove himself right. This effort stars Alain Delon and Simone Signoret. The foreign-language film has been given a 4K restoration and comes with 26 minutes of crew interviews, as well as a trailer.
Criterion is presenting Sidney Poitier’s Buck and the Preacher (1972) on Blu-ray. It’s a western about a wagon master and a con-man preacher who decide to stand up for the freed slaves in the West who are being abused by labor agents. Besides directing, Poitier also stars in the title with Harry Belafonte. The film has been restored in 4K and includes an expert and author detailing the history of African-American westerns. There is also behind-the-scenes footage included with Poitier and Belafonte, interviews with the pair from 1972, a new conversation with Belafonte’s daughter and an essay on the feature.
Hotel du Nord (1938) is a French drama/comedy about a group of social outcasts residing in the titular boardinghouse. This Blu-ray comes with a 2K restoration of the film, a conversation with director and fan of the movie Jean-Pierre Jeunet (The City of Lost Children, Amelie, A Very Long Engagement, Micmacs), a television program from 1972 on the making-of the feature, a documentary on the career of the director, a trailer and an essay on the title.
Cult Epics is presenting Naked Over the Fence (1973), a Dutch thriller about an aspiring singer who is cast in a movie, only to later learn that it is an adult production. She and a friend run away and later discover that the filmmaker has been murdered, leaving them as suspects in the crime. This “Limited Edition” Blu-ray has a 4K transfer of the movie from the original negative, a film expert commentary, a 1978 behind-the-scenes special on the production, interviews with the director and the score composer, as well as stills and trailers. The release also includes a CD of the soundtrack.
The Tarzan Vault Collection is arriving on Blu-ray from The Film Detective. It’s a two-disc set containing Tarzan of the Apes (1918), Adventures of Tarzan (1921) and The New Adventures of Tarzan (1935). The flicks are newly remastered for disc and there are film expert commentaries on two titles, as well as a feature-length documentary on the movies. You’ll also get essays for each title and a featurette on the comic book series that inspired them.
While this release is actually a TV-series, readers should know that Kino is presenting seasons 1 and 2 of The Outer Limits on Blu-ray. Pictured above and to the left, this great science-fiction show ran on ABC from 1963 to 1965 and was the network’s answer to the classic hit CBS series The Twilight Zone, which started airing a few years earlier. The Outer Limits also had some fantastic and memorable episodes that are well worth checking out. The set includes audio commentaries on all episodes by a group of authorities on the program.
You can also pick up a 4K Ultra HD exclusive of the stellar Stanley Kubrick war drama, Paths of Glory (1957). Kino has upgraded the image from previous editions. Alas, no Blu-ray is included in this release.
Additionally, the distributor is making When Tomorrow Comes (1939) available. It’s a drama about a famous pianist who falls for a waitress. Unexpectedly, the two are forced to endure a hurricane together. The disc includes a 2K master of the picture, a movie historian commentary and trailers.
In celebration of its 35th anniversary, Lionsgate is presenting Dirty Dancing (1987) in a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray Steelbook set. These discs have been released before and are simply being combined here in new packaging. So, while the box art is nice, if you don’t need or want both discs you might want to consider purchasing the older versions.
Fans of action films will be pleased with the “Special Edition” Blu-rays that Scorpion is putting out this week. First up is the Jean-Claude Van Damme prison flick, Death Warrant (1990). This one comes with a director commentary, interviews with co-stars Patrick Kilpatrick and Art LaFleur, as well as trailers.
Death Wish 3 (1985) is one of my favorite over-the-top, so-cheesy-it’s-fun pictures. Pictured to the right, Charles Bronson returns as a vigilante who decides to wipe out an entire gang of hoodlums terrorizing a New York neighborhood. As a friend once pointed out to me, look at the district at the beginning of the movie and then again during the end credits (it’s partially blown-up, on fire and in a state of chaos) and you’ll wonder if the hero really did anything positive for the community. Extras on this Blu-ray include a commentary from a Bronson expert and an interview with co-star Kirk Taylor.
Additionally, you can pick up a Blu-ray of The Delta Force (1986) with Chuck Norris and Lee Marvin as commandos sent to take on terrorists who have hi-jacked a plane. It features archived discussions with co-stars Robert Forster, Alain Jakubowicz and James Bruner. The disc also includes a trailer. The distributor is also making a Standard Edition Blu-ray available for the enjoyable Chuck Norris flick, Lone Wolf McQuade (1983). In this effort, the star plays a Texas Ranger taking on a sinister gun smuggler played by David Carradine. It’s an enjoyably over-the-top one and the disc has a director and cast commentary, as well as on-camera interviews with the participants from the audio track.
A 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray “Collector’s Edition” of Dog Soldiers (2002) is also arriving courtesy of Shout! Factory. This was released a few years back by the distributor and the image quality was heavily criticized. They’ve gone back with director Neil Marshall (The Descent, Centurion) to upgrade the picture and correct all of the problems. If you’re unfamiliar with the title, it is an exceptional low-budget horror flick about a group of soldiers doing training exercises in the Scottish Highlands. They are attacked by werewolves and must survive the brutal onslaught. This movie is thrilling, the performances are engaging and the make-up effects are excellent as well. The numerous commentaries and extras from previous releases are all included on this one too.
And you can purchase the animated family adventure title, Ferngully: The Last Rainforest (1992) in a 30th Anniversary Blu-ray and DVD set. It was an early children’s effort promoting environmentalism and conservation and follows a group of magical creatures from a rainforest trying to save their home from some nasty humans. The voice cast includes Christian Slater, Samantha Mathis, Tim Curry, Cheech Marin, Tommy Chong and Tone Loc. This movie flopped during its original release but has built up a following over the years. The picture has been mastered from a new 4K scan of the film elements and the disc includes a director introduction, as well as a commentary, making-of and more bonuses.
VCI is delivering Luis Buñuel’s The Criminal Life of Archibald de la Cruz (1955) on Blu-ray. This is a Mexican picture about a killer obsessed with committing the perfect murder. Buñuel wrote and directed the film, which is very highly regarded and won awards in its homeland during its original release. The disc features a 30-minute visual essay on the movie and its importance in the history of cinema.
Finally, Visual Vengeance is presenting another in their line of shot-on-video genre flicks. Suburban Sasquatch (2004) follows a blood-thirsty bigfoot on a killing spree in a sprawling suburban park area. It’s up to a couple of rangers, a reporter and a mystical Native-American Warrior to try and stop the monster. As with previous Blu-rays, there are a ton of extras, including multiple commentary tracks, a RIFFTRAX version, outtakes, behind-the-scenes footage, publicity materials and much, much more!
YOU KNOW, FOR KIDS!
You’ll find a list of all the kid-friendly titles coming your way below.
Ferngully: The Last Rainforest (1992) (Shout!) 30th Anniversary Blu-ray and DVD
Llama Llama: Together Forever: Season 2 (Genius Brands) DVD
Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten: Superpower Sleepover! (Genius Brands) DVD
ON THE TUBE!
And here are all of the week’s TV-themed releases.
Chicago Fire: Season 10 (Universal) DVD
Llama Llama: Together Forever: Season 2 (Genius Brands) DVD
Naomi: The Complete Series (Warner Bros.) Blu-ray
NCIS: Los Angeles: Season 13 (Paramount) DVD
The Outer Limits: Season 1 (Kino) Blu-ray
The Outer Limits: Season 2 (Kino) Blu-ray
Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten: Superpower Sleepover (Genius Brands) DVD
Starhunter Redux: The Complete Series – Collector’s Edition (Shout! Factory) Blu-ray
Too Close: Series 1 (Image) DVD