Welcome to another busy article detailing highlights arriving on Blu-ray and DVD. You’ll find all kinds of new and noted features as well as plenty of older catalog films arriving in high definition. So, since you can’t or likely shouldn’t be going out to the movies this week, be sure to give one of these titles a try!
Big New Releases!
Before/During/After – A middle-aged New York theater actress gets a shock when she discovers that her husband is having an affair. She leaves him and the process forces her to figure out what she wants to do next and the kind of person she wants to be. Using her acting training, the protagonist tries out various acting techniques in order to discover her true self. This independent dramedy won some awards last year at a few film festivals, but hasn’t received a lot of reviews just yet. The ones that have popped up online have been upbeat. They say that while the concept itself isn’t anything overly original, the movie is sharply written and the performances are all very strong. The cast includes Finnerty Steeves, Jeremy Davidson, John Pankow, Kristine Sutherland, John Ellison Conlee, Richard Masur and Austin Pendleton.
Deep in Vogue – This documentary tells the history of gay ballrooms of 1980s New York and their influence on a new annual celebration in England called Vogue in Manchester. Viewers are taken to the UK and introduced to the updated show and the people involved. The film shows what goes on to bring it all together and create a safe space for all those who participate. Reviews were all good for this non-fiction feature. All the articles stated that the movie was bright and energetic, while also doing a solid job of providing a sense of history and showing what it all means for those involved. Many articles also focused on the stage performances captured by the cameras, saying the performers were talented and these acts were well shot.
The El Duce Tapes – Arrow Video is typically known for releasing Blu-rays of restored genre films, but they have also managed to secure the distribution rights for this recent documentary. It follows the bizarre life of the now deceased El Duce, lead singer of the notorious shock metal band, The Mentors. The filmmakers recorded numerous hours of footage of the secretive figure in the 90s during the height of the band’s popularity. They go over this unseen material and attempt to paint a clearer portrait of the man, his act and how it relates to the modern world. This feature received a lot of praise from the press. They all said that it was fascinating to watch, showing a troubled yet skilled musician, who would veer between being relatively nice to alternately acting out on stage in a vicious and toxic manner.
Freaky – High school can be a real chore. This tale follows one senior struggling to fit in with the popular crowd and avoid being picked on. As if that isn’t enough, word spreads of a serial killer targeting those in the community. After a bizarre encounter with this psychopath, the student and maniac swap bodies. Now, the frightened youth has just 24 hours to get out of her new, middle-aged killer’s form and try to stop her foe from wiping out her friends while he’s possessing her body. Critics were positive about this dark comedy. A small group complained that the film didn’t make the most of its concept and resorted to ineffective gags and gore. However, most called it fun and were particularly taken by the leads and their work taking on different personalities. It stars Vince Vaughn, Kathryn Newton, Celeste O’Connor, Kate Finneran and Alan Ruck.
Greenland – The latest disaster movie to hit disc is this story about a man and his family trying to contend with events as a comet hurtles towards the Earth. The protagonists decide to try and locale a safe place as the devastating rock hurtles ever closer, causing earthquakes and leveling cities. On their travels, they also experience both the kindness and cruelty of humanity. The press gave this effort more positive reviews than negative ones. A contingent said that it was a derivative, ill-timed effort (given the current pandemic) and noted that the film didn’t offer anything that hadn’t been done better in titles like Deep Impact. Yet, more admired the work of the cast and the story’s focus on the family rather than spectacle. The cast includes Gerard Butler, Morena Baccarin, Roger Dale Floyd, Scott Glenn, Hope Davis and David Denman.
Hal King – This effort is said to be part drama, part musical and part war film. Based loosely on Shakespeare’s Henry IV, the tale is set in the 1950s beatnik jazz era. A musician spends his time with drug addicts and various women, only to make a deep connection with one lady on his travels. When the lead is drafted for the Korean War, he is forced to choose between serving his country or staying with his new love. This independent feature film appears to premiering on disc and on streaming platforms this week, so there are currently no write-ups available for it. Interested viewers will have to go in cold and see for themselves whether or not the movie can carry a tune. Tyrik Ballard, Sophia Stephens, Steve Wallace, Alvin J. Frazier II and Esjae headline the feature.
Happy Times – A young woman decides to accept an invitation to a Shabbat dinner party at a lush Hollywood estate. While things start off friendly enough, a combination of egos, cultural differences, lust, greed and booze quickly pit the friends, family members and acquaintances against each other. The results are said to be outrageous and bloody. This horror comedy played at several film festivals over the past year and received a handful of nominations and awards. While it is premiering on disc and streaming platforms this week, there are a few critical appraisals out there. They’re mostly upbeat, saying that while the characters aren’t the most likable sort, the movie was darkly amusing and provided some ghoulish delights. It stars Iris Bahr, Michael Aloni and Stéfi Celma.
Honor Killing – For those unfamiliar with Troma Entertainment, this independent distributor has put out extremely low-budget genre pictures for decades. This includes notable cult titles like The Toxic Avenger and Class of Nuke ‘Em High. Their latest release is a feature about a young woman who is attacked by thugs. Unfortunately for the protagonist, her father is no help and even plots to kill her for shaming his family. Furious, the woman hires a bounty hunter to train her in the ways of inflicting pain. She takes graphic revenge not only on the attackers, but also those who wouldn’t come to her assistance. This B-movie is premiering on disc and so at present no one has seen it yet. The cast includes Mercedes, Jim Schumacher and Samuel Lopez.
Jiang Ziya – Also known as Legend of Deification, this computer-animated fantasy feature from China is actually a sequel to a 2019 film, Ne Zha. The story involves a noble commander named Jiang Ziya, who is given the job of protecting his kingdom against the dangerous Nine-tailed Fox Demon. When he learns that the monster’s health has a direct correlation to that of a young girl, he is faced with the challenge of whether or not to harm the kid in order to end the monstrous threat. The press gave the movie good marks overall. A few did complain that the feature was all style and flash, adding that the characters were underdeveloped. Still, the majority stated that the visuals were absolutely incredible and that this tale served as another winning chapter in the animated series.
Murderous Trance – This Finnish/Danish/Croatian co-production is based on a true story and involves the case of a robber who enters a Copenhagen bank and shoots two tellers. An investigator studying the crime learns from witnesses that the criminal appeared to have been in a trance and soon comes to the conclusion the culprit may have been hypnotized. The case becomes more and more complex as the hero attempts to find out who was truly responsible. This English-language feature won some prizes internationally, but is only now receiving a North American streaming and disc release. At present, there haven’t been any local notices written up about it, so curious parties will have to go into this feature without a critical analysis. It features Josh Lucas, Pilou Asbaek, Rade Serbedzija and Christopher Fulford.
The Right One – A novelist suffering from writer’s block meets an eccentric oddball. This man chooses to deal with his troubled past by taking on alter egos and personas. The two begin dating and the writer finds her boyfriend’s unusual quirks directly inspiring her next book. However, the relationship hits a snag when he finds out about her project and begins to believe she’s merely using him for material. This romantic-comedy has split critics, although it did earn a few more picks than pans. Those who disliked it suggested that the tone was off and the pacing was too slow. Slightly more enjoyed the characters and learning about their unique problems, ultimately asserting that the good bits made up for the film’s imbalances. It stars Cleopatra Coleman, Nick Thune, Iliza Shlesinger, David Koechner and Trezzo Mahoro.
Sputnik – In this Russian, foreign-language horror picture, a young investigator is sent to a military base to examine a cosmonaut who has just returned from space. She and others at the locale note his strange behavior and learn that the man may have brought back a parasitic alien life form with him. The protagonist learns that her superiors want to study the powerful creature to use to for their own ends, leading to friction and bloodshed as more is revealed. This creeper earned a lot of positive press. A couple of write-ups complained that the film took itself too seriously and would have benefitted from a lighter approach. Still, the vast majority stated that it was well-acted with a scary monster, maintaining a consistently ominous tone throughout. Oksana Akinshina, Fedor Bondarchuk and Pyotr Fyodorov headline the film.
Wander Darkly – New parents must contend and deal with a tragic accident in this drama. After the horrible occurrence, the story takes viewers through their history and some of their shared moments from each individual’s perspective. As viewers witness this, the pair try to come to a clear consensus about the past before they can start moving forward again. Reviewers generally gave this drama decent marks. A selection of critics did state that they became tired of trying to differentiate between what was fantasy and reality and suggested that the movie became too sentimental. Yet the consensus was that while the story was downbeat, the approach was unique and the leads were both excellent in their roles. It stars Sienna Miller, Diego Luna, Vanessa Bayer, Aimee Carrero and Beth Grant.
Wetware – This independent science-fiction effort is set in the future, where jobs are tedious and labor-intensive. Average folk find themselves volunteering for genetic modifications in order to find better work. When a scientist starts using his research to design an advanced human/cyborg to handle more complicated tasks, he falls in love with one of his subjects. Unfortunately, she may want to fight back against her creator. Reaction towards this title was mixed. Some stated that the filmmakers made the most of a limited budget and created a film with plenty of interesting themes and ideas. Just as many critiqued the feature for being icy and having its characters simply stand around and deliver extended expositional dialogue. The cast includes Jerry O’Connell, Cameron Scoggins, Bret Lada and Morgan Wolk.
You Go to My Head – A lost woman wanders through the desert after a car accident. She is eventually discovered by a man who takes her to see a doctor. After learning that she has post-traumatic amnesia, he takes her back to his home, claiming that he is her husband. She quickly falls for him, but as memories slowly begin returning, complications arise. This indie feature took a while to find a distributor and was unfortunately released right at the beginning of the pandemic. It is only now appearing on disc. Most critics liked the movie overall. A percentage felt it was slickly produced but didn’t address the darker implications of the story. Still, most called it an effective slow-burn bolstered by the work of the performers. It features Delfine Bafort, Svetozar Cvetković and Arend Pinoy.
Blasts from the Past!
If there isn’t already enough new material out there to keep viewers entertained, plenty of classic titles are also being upgraded to Blu-ray. Shout! are getting the ball rolling with a Steelbook Blu-ray upgrade of a previous release for My Bloody Valentine (1981). This is a popular slasher about a mysterious miner impaling teenagers with a pick-axe over a Valentine’s Day celebration. The distributor did an excellent job with the original release, presenting the movie in both its theatrical and uncut versions, alongside a number of extras. This new edition contains all of the same features in a hard steelbook case with new art and at present is more affordably priced than the previous release.
Kino have a number of Blu-rays as well. The Hills Run Red (1967) is a spaghetti western starring a very amused Henry Silva. It arrives with film historian commentary from director Alex Cox (Repo Man) as well as a trailer. The documentary Jazz on a Summer’s Day (1959) captures the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival in Rhode Island. Image quality has been upgraded with a 4K transfer and the disc features incredible performances from music legends like Louis Armstrong, Thelonious Monk, Gerry Mulligan, Anita O’Day, Chuck Berry and Dinah Washington. They also have a Double Feature disc containing the Anthony Quinn westerns, Man from Del Rio (1956) and The Ride Back (1957). For this release, new, sharper masters of were provided by MGM. The Blu-ray also comes with trailers.
Back on the spaghetti western front, Man of the East (1972) is also arriving on Blu-ray with an Alex Cox historian commentary and trailer. You can also pick up a 2K upgrade of the Ray Milland film noir, So Evil My Love (1948). This disc also has a film authority commentary and trailer. The same specs are provided on the new Blu-ray of The Suspect (1944), another film noir starring Charles Laughton about a man who is blamed for the death of his controlling wife.
And Kino are also delivering a Blu-ray of the Van Helfin western, Wings of the Hawk (1953). The movie is being presented in both 3-D and 2-D from a 2K scan of the source material. You’ll get a film historian commentary, a track with a 3-D authority on the movie’s extra dimension, as well as 3-D Woody Woodpecker cartoon from the same year. If you have a 3-D compatible television or set-up, this might be a fun one to check out.
Criterion are presenting a Blu-ray of the political thriller, The Parallax View (1974). It has been described as a brilliant and chilling post-Watergate narrative about a Seattle reporter (played by Warren Beatty) who sets out to learn the truth after witnessing the bizarre murder of a political figure. Naturally, big government figures are involved in the slaying. The image arrives on disc from a new 4K digital transfer. You’ll get an introduction to the movie from filmmaker Alex Cox (he’s been quite busy this week!), archival interviews with director Alan J. Pakula (Klute, All the President’s Men, Presumed Innocent), a program on cinematographer Gordon Willis (who also shot Manhattan and The Godfather, among many other gorgeous features), a new interview with Pakula’s assistant and a written essay on the title along with a printed interview with the filmmaker.
Grasshopper are releasing a Blu-ray of the award-winning South Korean drama, Hill of Freedom (2014). The story follows a woman who receives a pile of undated letters from a suitor. She accidentally drops them and must read through the mixed-up papers in order to try and find some sort of chronology and final meaning to the correspondence. In addition to this title being presented in high definition, the disc also contains a trailer and a 4K restoration of a previous work by the director, Woman on the Beach (2006). And Cult Epics are presenting the French erotic thriller, Madame Claude (1977) on Blu-ray. It arrives with a new 4K transfer, a film historian commentary, a director interview and lots of promotional material.
If B-movies are more to your liking, VCI are releasing the Mexico monster/wrestling picture, Santo in The Treasure of Dracula (1968). This is an uncut version of the movie (it contains a bit of nudity that was added for the film’s European release) that has been restored in 4K. They also have a 4K transfer of the serial, Wild West Days (1937), which features a heroic cowboy fighting the forces of villainy.
Dark Force Entertainment have the Drive-in Double Feature #10 Blu-ray arriving on store shelves this week. It contains The Black Dragon (1974) and Enforcer from Death Row (1976). If you choose to watch the pair like a drive-in feature, you’ll see a bonus trailer between the two movies.
Another film slated for a Blu-ray release in January that got delayed was Blue Monkey (1987). Dark Force are presenting the low-budget Canadian horror/comedy this week in high definition. Made in the style of 1950s monster movies, it follows a gardener who accidentally comes into contact with a strange bug larva. He arrives at a nearby hospital, where the larva grows into a giant killer insect that ends up attacking the staff and patients. No word on whether or not the Blu-ray contains bonus features, but it does feature a remarkable cast that includes Steve Railsback, Joe Flaherty, Sarah Polley, John Vernon, Don Lake and Robin Duke. The actors alone make one want to give it a shot.
Code Red are presenting Devil Times Five (1974) on Blu-ray. This feature involves a group of children who escape the wreckage of a van accident in the secluded mountains and take shelter at the nearby home of a wealthy businessman. The owner and his guests call for help, but realize that the kids may be more sinister than originally thought. The movie has been given a 2K scan from the original negative and comes with a commentary featuring the producers and cast members. Bonus interviews and a trailer are also included.
Speaking of villainous types, the distributor also has a Blu-ray of Devil’s Express (1976), a monster/martial-arts/action feature about a demon terrorizing the New York City subway system. Warhawk Tanzania plays the fighter who steps up to stop the menace. This title also includes a recent 2K scan of the movie and some genre film trailers.
Indie outfit Full Moon are presenting Blu-rays of Beach Babes from Beyond (1993) and the Chuck Connors horror flick, Tourist Trap (1979). The latter features a group of kids who visit a roadside wax museum and are stalked by a masked killer with telekinetic powers. This disc presents the movie uncut for the first time ever and features a director commentary, as well as an interview with the filmmaker and bonus trailers.
The big studios have plenty to offer this week as well. Sony are giving the recent Matt Damon science-fiction feature Elysium (2013) a 4K upgrade, meaning that viewers will now be able to enjoy all of the elaborate effect work with crystal clarity. Naturally, the extras will all be the same as in the previously released edition.
Paramount are combining some of their romance titles into a new set called Date Night Classics. It contains the features Barefoot in the Park (1967), Love Story (1970) and To Catch a Thief (1955), all on Blu-ray. In addition, they are releasing the animated family book adaptation of The Little Prince (2015) in high definition.
They are also putting out a couple of new titles in the Paramount Presents line, which features new 4K film transfers. The first is the Cameron Crowe drama, Elizabethtown (2005), starring Orlando Bloom and Kirsten Dunst. Besides the upgraded image quality, you’ll also get a new filmmaker focus special on writer/director Cameron Crowe (Say Anything, Jerry Maguire, Almost Famous), deleted/extended scenes and many other bonuses.
The same line is also presenting Love Story (1970) in 4K. No word on whether this is the same disc going into the previously mentioned Date Night Classics set, but I’d assume that they’re probably using up older stock copies for that particular release. This version has a newer and upgraded picture and comes with a recently recorded special on the production with film critic Leonard Maltin, an archived commentary with the director, a Turner Classic Movies intro with Ben Mankiewicz and a trailer in HD.
Finally, Warner Archive are presenting two new made-to-order Blu-rays that are available through their site or via Amazon. They are the documentary Six by Sondheim (2013) and an early epic adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic, A Tale of Two Cities (1935).
You Know, For Kids!
Here are some new releases that kids may enjoy.
Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood: Tigertastic 50 Pack (PBS)
Hero Elementary: Sparks’ Crew Pet Rescue!
The Little Prince (2015)
On the Tube!
And these are all of the week’s TV-themed releases.
Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood: Tigertastic 50 Pack (PBS)
Dog’s Best Friend: Season 1, Volume 2
Dog’s Best Friend: Season 1, Volume 3
Dog’s Best Friend: Season 2, Volume 2
Dog’s Best Friend: Season 2, Volume 3
Helter Skelter: An American Myth (Warner Archive Miniseries DVD)
Masterpiece: All Creatures Great and Small: Season 1 (PBS)
The Other One: Series 1