Welcome back to another look at highlights coming your way on Blu-ray and DVD. Despite it being the middle of January, it’s a remarkably busy edition with plenty of notable flicks coming your way. So, since you can’t or likely shouldn’t head out to the movies this week, be sure to give one of these titles a try.
Big New Releases!
Always and Forever – A successful woman with a wonderful job and husband revisits her past after she hears that a close childhood friend has been found dead. The unfortunate news reunites the protagonist with many figures from her past. Soon, they all receive threats from an unknown stalker and the woman decides to try and figure out what might be inspiring the actions taken against the group. It appears that this independent thriller is debuting on disc, so at present there aren’t any reviews available for this feature. As a result, those interested in this tale will have to watch it with about as much information as the main characters in the story. It stars Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Robbie Jones, Aundrea Smith, Loretta Devine, Wood Harris and Lauren London.
Assassins – This documentary details the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s brother. The sibling was murdered in a crowded Malaysian airport, causing a media frenzy and all sorts of speculation about what occurred. Eventually, two young women at the scene were investigated and charged with murder. The filmmakers attempt to determine whether they were the killers or pawns in a more elaborate scheme. This film received plenty of raves from the press. In fact, every write-up about it has been positive. The consensus is that the story itself is remarkable and the moviemakers uncover some incredible details about the event that will keep viewers captivated throughout. As of right now, the documentary is being released exclusively on DVD. A Blu-ray will hopefully follow in the coming months.
Born to Be – Here’s another documentary that has received a lot of praise. It follows the emotional and physical journey of several subjects who decide to undergo the surgical process of transitioning. Viewers follow the New York-based applicants as they begin the procedure. They also witness how recent changes in state laws are helping each person deal with health insurance costs and service needs. As mentioned previously, the feature was very well received. Reviewers described it as a series of short episodes that effectively detail the various challenges involved in transitioning. They called it a heartfelt, humanistic, enlightening and straight-forward look at the people involved and the complications involved, along with a moving reflection on each individual’s journey.
The Climb – A man decides to make a horrible confession to his best friend while biking with him in the mountains. Only days before his pal ties the knot, he admits that he recently had an affair with his pal’s bride. Naturally, everything falls apart, including their own relationship. Some time later, the two damaged men are reunited and try to mend fences. But when the broken-hearted groom announces he’s marrying a new woman, the protagonist begins to cause even more friction. The press really enjoyed this independent feature. A small group found these self-destructive men frustrating to watch and didn’t appreciate the film’s humor. However, the majority liked the cast and were amused by the twisted bromance on display. The flick is currently arriving on DVD only, but hopefully a Blu-ray will also appear in the coming months. The cast includes Michael Angelo Covino, Kyle Marvin and Gayle Rankin.
Dead Reckoning – Looking for a teen-centric thriller that mixes romance with a terrorist plot? This feature involves two youngsters on the island of Nantucket who fall for each other and end up in a whirlwind summer relationship. However, the lovestruck boy’s brother arrives from Europe and learns that his sibling is plotting an attack on US soil. So, the teen decides to do whatever he can to stop the plot and save the island residents. As you might have imagined, reviewers have not been kind towards this picture. One or two called it an entertaining B-movie thriller. However, all others describe the film as a dull and ineffective drama with neither element working well. It features K.J. Apa, India Eisley, Scott Adkins, James Remar and Sydney Park.
Dreamland – Set during the Great Depression, this thriller follows a teenage bounty hunter in Texas who focuses his efforts on hunting down a female bank robber. He locates the wounded figure and decides to treat her injuries before turning her in. As he gets to know the woman better, he falls in love with her, complicating the situation. The protagonist must decide whether to turn the criminal in or escape off with her. Reaction was slightly more positive than negative for this title. A sizable group said that despite the fine cast, the story was not memorable and said that at times the feature didn’t appear to know what it was trying to say. Still, slightly more commented that the photography was impressive and the leads carried the film over its rough patches. It stars Margot Robbie, Finn Cole, Travis Fimmel, Garett Hedlund and Kerry Condon.
Hearts and Bones – A war zone photographer is the focus of this Australian drama. While back at home prepping a public retrospective of his work, he is approached by a happily married Sudanese refugee. The visitor asks that the protagonist not include images from a massacre that occurred in his home town 15 years earlier. A friendship forms, but the relationship is challenged when the journalist makes a shocking discovery. Notices were good for the feature. One or two found it too low-key for their liking. However, most stated that this was a well-acted and engaging drama. They noted that while it wasn’t perfect, the movie took a personal approach to the refugee crisis and helped paint a picture of the challenges some immigrants go through. The cast includes Hugo Weaving, Andrew Luri and Hayley McElhinney.
Into the Void – After zombies have taken over the world, a survivor manages to find refuge and safety with a hidden colony. After living there for an extended period of time, he discovers that his ex-lover (also living at the site) has taken ill. When superiors forbid him from taking action and finding help, he decides to disobey them and ventures out into a land filled with the undead and violent strangers. There haven’t been a lot of reviews for this picture, but the few that have popped up online have been reasonably good. They claimed that this is an indie film more interested in its characters than the undead menace and wisely focuses on the lead trying to cope with caring for a person in a declining state of heath. The cast includes Ioan Sebastian Tirlui and Molly Dyson.
The Kid Detective – This comedic mystery tells the tale of a famous kid-detective, well-known for solving low-stakes crimes in his youth. Now an adult in his 30s, his life hasn’t progressed as he had hoped it would. He’s still doing the same thing and drinking himself to sleep every night. However, when a new client hires him to solve the murder of her boyfriend, the protagonist tries to rise to the challenge, only to find himself in over his head. Overall, critics were amused by this feature. A small percentage suggested that the script didn’t do enough with the interesting concept and was a missed opportunity. However, the majority of write-ups stated that the movie was a fun, low-key neo-noir with solid turns from the cast. It stars Adam Brody, Sophie Nélisse, Wendy Crewson, Jonathan Whittaker and Sarah Sutherland.
Martin Eden – The well-regarded novel by Jack London about social classes gets a new and unique adaptation in this foreign-language feature. It shifts the story from the US to Italy and follows a young working man who yearns to be a writer. Despite being from a lower-class background, he decides to educate himself and fight against the ridged system that oppresses him. However, after finding success, his actions begin to comes into conflict with his original ideals. The press was very taken with this period drama. There was a group who didn’t like the changes from the source material and were confused by the ideas being communicated. Still, the vast majority were engrossed by the lead actor’s performance and called it a passionate and ambitious film… that may find itself being rewarded with an Oscar nomination for Best International Feature. The cast includes Luca Marinelli, Jessica Cressy and Marco Leonardi.
Max Cloud – Also known as The Intergalactic Adventures of Max Cloud, video games serve as the inspiration for this UK production. It’s about a teen who opens a portal into a gaming universe and gets locked up in an intergalactic prison. In order to escape, she must fight her way out against some dangerous villains. The lead also learns that to win, she must also receive help from a player on the outside. Specifically, a close friend who is not nearly as good at gaming as she is. This independent adventure/comedy flick split reviewers. Almost half wrote that the movie was too slowly paced and the gags hit and miss, eventually becoming tiresome and repetitive. Slightly more liked the concept and described it as a fun and entertaining homage to video games with some very creative moments. Scott Adkins, John Hannah, Isabelle Allen, Lashana Lynch and Tommy Flanagan headline the feature.
Miss Juneteenth – This tale follows a former beauty queen and single mom with a rebellious teenager. When the daughter decides to enter the town’s beauty pageant, her mother attempts to prepare her for the competition. Conflict arises between the two as the parent shares her feelings, not just on the big night, but all her own regrets and frustrations in life. The press responded positively towards this low-key drama. They really liked the performances, felt that the movie addressed a great many issues and added credibility to the story by avoiding any easy or simple solutions for the characters. This picture is being released on DVD exclusively, but perhaps a Blu-ray will follow in the coming months. It stars Nicole Beharie, Kendrick Sampson, Alexis Chikaeze and Lori Hayes.
Polterheist – A pair of frustrated and dimwitted gangsters decide to murder their mobster boss. Little do they know that the kingpin has stolen a large sum of money and that thugs want the stash back. In order to get enemies off their back, the leads are forced to take extreme measures. They hire a psychic medium and force her to contact their dead boss so they can find the missing cash. Of course, things don’t go as planned and the group find themselves in over their heads. This comedy from the UK won some awards at independent film festivals. It hasn’t received a great many write-ups in this part of the world, but the ones that have appeared online are positive. Reviewers called the movie a lot of fun and thought that it could soon develop a cult following. The cast includes Jo Mousley, Sid Akbar Ali, Jamie Cymbal and Pushpinder Chani.
Rolling Thunder Review: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese – Back in 1975, Bob Dylan began what became one of his most iconic tours. The artist set out to play more intimate venues in smaller towns. He devised an elaborate stage show with his opening acts that created a carnival atmosphere at every stop. Using rare archival footage, interviews and other editing tricks, filmmaker Martin Scorcese (Raging Bull, Goodfellas, The Aviator, The Irishman) tells the story behind this famous series of shows. The documentary hit theaters back in 2019 and is now debuting on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion (it also comes loaded with extras for those who enjoy bonus features). Notices for the picture were excellent, calling the movie brilliantly edited and stating that it effortlessly showcases the onstage charisma of Dylan and just how amazing the tour was.
Spacewalker – Also known as Spacewalk, this Russian feature is set in the 1960s. Based on a true story and produced by director Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter), it details an early event in the Space Race involving the competition between the US and USSR to mark the first successful space-walk. Two cosmonauts and their pilot are sent out in a tiny spacecraft to fly into orbit and accomplish the mission, but must contend with life-threatening challenges along the way. The movie won several awards in its homeland during its release in 2017, but hasn’t been seen by many in North America. A few notices have appeared recently and they were both recommendations. They said that the movie was very tense and exciting, also complimenting the excellent cinematography and special effects. It features Evgeniy Mironov, Konstantin Khabenskiy and Vladimir Ilin.
Spiral – A same-sex couple move to a small town, which they hope will be a better environment for their teenage daughter. While the locals initially seem pleasant and helpful, it soon becomes clear that something sinister is going on and that the lives of the new arrivals are in imminent danger. This picture was produced by the online streaming service Shudder and is now making its debut on disc. Reviewers gave the movie generally strong marks. About one quarter of them thought that the story fell apart by the close and that the project simply wasn’t as memorable as it could have been. However, everyone else thought it was creepy and that it cleverly used the horror movie formula as a metaphor to address deeper themes. The cast includes Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman, Ari Cohen, Jennifer Laporte, Ty Wood and Lochlyn Munro.
The State of Texas vs. Melissa – This documentary tells the story of Melissa Lucio, who was the first Hispanic woman in Texas to be sentenced to death. After 10 years in prison on death row, filmmakers tell her story and chronicle her final appeal. In the process, the movie exposes the flawed process and its impact on inmates. The movie received solid write-ups. There was a small contingent who commented that the feature wouldn’t end up changing anyone’s feelings about the subject. However, the majority said that while the movie sometimes struggled with whether it should focus on the woman or the justice system itself, the message was important and that it clearly details a great deal of wrongful acts on the part of those running the system.
Toys of Terror – Just before the holiday season, a family moves into a spooky old mansion with a dark past. While the parents focus their attention on renovating the home, the children explore the property and find an old chest in the attic. Inside, they discover that the trunk is full of magical toys that come to life. The kids are initially thrilled, but that changes when it becomes clear that the playthings are violent and plan on killing the entire household. At present, this title appears to be arriving exclusively on DVD. Critics who have seen the flick haven’t had a favorable reaction to it. They write that while the concept is intriguing, the movie’s tone is completely wrong and the end result comes off as neither darkly humorous or frightening. It stars Kyana Teresa, Georgia Waters, Verity Marks, Dayo Ade and Saul Elias.
Wander – This thriller involves a private detective with a troubled past that involves the tragic death of his daughter. When he’s hired to investigate an odd case in a quiet town involving a deceased individual, he soon believes that he’s uncovered a conspiracy… that not only involves the case he is working on, but also the passing of his own child. He attempts to figure out if his assumptions are correct or if he’s simply losing his mind. The press was mixed-negative about this feature. Some admired the work of the lead actor and called the movie entertainingly bizarre. However, a larger percentage felt that the odd events were simply too far out there to engage them in the film. Currently, this title is only being made available on DVD. The cast includes Aaron Eckhart, Tommy Lee Jones, Katheryn Winnick and Heather Graham.
Blasts from the Past!
There’s plenty of interesting older titles arriving on Blu-ray this week. Arrow Video are releasing the award-winning JSA: Joint Security Area (2000), an international feature from Chan-wook Park (Oldboy, Thirst, The Handmaiden) about gunfire breaking out between troops at the neutral zone between North and South Korea. A team of investigators have to come in and sort out what really happened before war breaks out. The Blu-ray includes a critic commentary, an interview with an Asian cinema authority about the movie, two archival featurettes about the making-of the film, archival introductions to the feature from cast members, footage from the opening ceremony, music videos and more. Stay tuned, as a review of the disc will appear on this site shortly.
Shout! Factory are going back into their vaults to rerelease some of their most popular titles in 4K Blu-ray. This week, they’re giving John Carpenter’s Prince of Darkness (1987) and They Live (1988) an updated image using the highest possible resolution. The first movie is about grad students investigating a cannister hidden in the basement of a church that may contain Satan himself. And the second flick involves a working man who discovers that the upper classes are actually aliens who are running the world. They’re both great genre pictures and a whole lot of fun. These discs contain all of the extras from previously editions and old technical specs as well as a 4K version of the movie with a new Dolby Atmos Audio option.
Mill Creek have a couple of flicks arriving on Blu-ray at discounted prices. Accepted (2006) stars Justin Long and Jonah Hill as slacker high school students who can’t get into university and decide to start their own school instead.
Your Highness (2011) is another wacky comedy set in a fantasy world with knights and wizards. It boasts a great cast including Danny McBride, James Franco, Natalie Portman, Toby Jones, Justin Theroux and Zooey Deschanel. The Mill Creek Blu-ray contains the Unrated version of the film. I must admit, this one was something of a guilty pleasure of mine when it came out and may be a fun one to revisit, especially given the reasonable prices that this distributor’s titles sell for.
Dark Force Entertainment are presenting the low-budget Canadian horror/comedy Blue Monkey (1987) 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.
VCI have a Double Feature Blu-ray containing two Mexican genre flicks featuring masked wrestlers. The Batwoman (1968) appears to be an illegitimate knock-off of the DC comic book character. It’s a superhero tale in which the female lead character fights crime, including a mad scientist and his army of human-fish hybrid monsters. The Panther Women (1967) follows heroes doing battle with a group of ladies who are part of a Satanic cult. Apparently, the movies have been restored in 4K from the original negative for their Blu-ray debut and it comes with an English-language audio track (no word on whether the original Spanish track is included).
Disaster movies fans will be pleased to hear that Sony Pictures is releasing a 4K edition of 2012 (2009). From director Roland Emmerich (Stargate, Independence Day, Godzilla, The Day After Tomorrow), the visual effects extravaganza follows an all-star cast of characters trying to survive a series of global catastrophes. And for those curious about what Emmerich is up to these days, he’s currently shooting another disaster picture called Moonfall that should hit theaters by 2022.
Universal Pictures are releasing a group of older Blu-ray releases that have gone out-of-print or needed a repressing. A wide variety of titles in various genres are being made available again at discounted prices. The titles being offered this week include Battleship (2012), Casper (1995), Dracula Untold (2014), Glass (2019), Homefront (2013), Mile 22 (2018), Mortal Engines (2018), Skyscraper (2018), Slap Shot (1977) and Triple 9 (2016). For those interested, Slapshot may be the highlight of the bunch. It’s arguably the best hockey flick ever made (Goon is pretty solid as well) and one of the best sports comedies that you’re ever likely to see. The feature stars Paul Newman and Michael Ontkean.
And finally, distributor The Film Detective is presenting a 4K restoration of the horror movie, Giant from the Unknown (1958). It’s a silly little B-film about a psychotic Spanish conquistador who is frozen in ice, reawakens in modern day California and goes on a violent rampage. The Blu-ray includers two commentaries. One is with a film historian and the other features one of the co-stars talking about his experiences on set. It also comes with some bonus interviews and trailers.
You Know, For Kids!
Here are some new releases for the kids.
Charlie’s Colorforms City: Meet Charlie! (Netflix)
Floogals: Season 1
PAW Patrol: Rubble on the Double (Nickelodeon)
Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?: Season 1
On the Tube!
And here are the week’s TV-themed releases.
Bartender: Season 1 (2006 Japanese Anime)
Driving While Black: Race, Space and Mobility in America (PBS)
Floogals: Season 1
NOVA: Can We Cool the Planet? (PBS)
Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?: Season 1