Welcome to another look at the latest Blu-rays and DVDs coming your way. This edition isn’t quite as busy as the previous one, but there are numerous major releases coming out. So, if you can’t make it to the movies this week or need to stay indoors, be sure to give one of these titles a try!
BIG NEW RELEASES!
ALASKAN NETS – This documentary was shot in Metlakatla (Alaska’s last remaining native reserve) and captures the area’s unending enthusiasm for fishing and… basketball. The heart of the footage follows two cousins and their high school basketball team. Viewers see their passion and drive as they progress through the season and end up playing in the state championship. Response was upbeat towards this feature. There were a few criticisms stating that the movie only focused on a couple of individuals and didn’t paint a clear enough picture of the other players or community at large. Still, the general consensus was that the film is sweet and inspirational, presenting a fascinating portrait of a little-known region and their passion for basketball. Actor Chris Pratt serves as executive producer of the movie.
BABY OOPSIE – Full Moon Pictures have been responsible for many low-budget genre flicks over the years like The Puppet Master and Gingerdead Man franchises. Their latest effort was initially made for the streaming market and is now arriving on disc. The story involves a lonely and abused woman who spends all of her spare time collecting and restoring old dolls. She gets a big surprise when her latest acquisition comes to life and possesses a violent streak. In fact, it starts murdering those who have tormented the lead, who has to figure out a way to cover up its crimes and save her own skin. There haven’t been many write-ups for this film yet, but a few have popped up online. They suggest that while the title is no classic, it is as effective as the studio’s other works and delivers gory mayhem. It stars Libbie Higgins.
A BANQUET – Big tension begins to arise in the relationship between a widowed mother and her teenage daughter after the youth has a religious awakening and claims that her body is being controlled by a higher power. The youngster’s behavior becomes more and more extreme and she eventually refuses to eat – but somehow manages to maintain her weight. Baffled by the situation, the parent must figure out what is happening. This independent horror picture split critics. Almost half commented that the concept was interesting, but that the movie failed to deliver an effective allegory and completely mishandled the climax. Just as many and one or two more wrote that the film was stylish and atmospheric, also calling it a promising debut feature for the director. The cast includes Sienna Guillory, Jessica Alexander, Ruby Stokes and Lindsay Duncan.
DOWNTON ABBEY: A NEW ERA – Based on the hugely popular British TV series, this feature film is a sequel to the first movie released in 2019. As a new decade arrives, the central characters living at the estate try to find ways to earn money and keep the property afloat. They agree to let a movie crew shoot in the home, but end up getting involved in the production. The leads also learn that they have inherited an estate in the South of France and travel abroad to find out why. Critics were positive overall about the period drama. A small contingent complained that the story wasn’t exciting and that the series had seemed to have now run its course. Still, most suggested that the cast charmed them over and that, while formulaic, the feature did deliver a healthy dose of pleasant nostalgia for fans. It features Hugh Bonneville, Jim Carter, Michelle Dockery, Elizabeth McGovern, Allen Leech and Maggie Smith. To read a full review of the title, click here.
EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE – An overworked, stressed-out immigrant laundromat owner comes under scrutiny from the IRS. While attending to her taxes, she is visited by someone unexpected. This individual tells her that her help is desperately needed to help fix a rift in the “multiverse” that threatens to unravel the entire universe. The woman must travel to various alternate realities and learn the skills required to get the job done. The press was extremely upbeat about the movie. A small number called the film frantic, overlong and ultimately exhausting, also complaining that the final message wasn’t revelatory. Still, the vast majority loved the cast and thought the story was a lot of fun. They appreciated how many creative elements were jammed into the running time and couldn’t help but enjoy what they witnessed. Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, Ke Huy Quan, James Hong, Jamie Lee Curtis and Jenny Slate headline the picture. Read this site’s review of the movie here.
MEMORY – A skilled but aging hitman with a spectacular reputation runs into big trouble after he changes his mind on the job and refuses to complete an assignment. The protagonist must immediately seek out those who hired him before they and an FBI agent can locate and eliminate him. However, the assassin soon begins struggling with his own memory and begins doubting his own acts and beliefs. This action picture didn’t stick around long in the minds of many reviewers. About one quarter of them noted that the movie was efficient and effective as a B-movie thriller and noted that the game cast helped get the story through some rough patches. Unfortunately, everyone else thought the script was clichéd and that there was nothing fresh or new here to generate much interest. It stars Liam Neeson, Guy Pearce, Monica Bellucci, Taj Atwal and Ray Fearon.
MONSTROUS – In this period horror film, an abused wife decides to run away from her nasty ex-husband with her young son. The traumatized pair find a quaint and remote lakeside farmhouse and try to make a new start there. Of course, it isn’t long before she discovers that her old spouse has her new contact information. She begins receiving phone calls and the two begin to feel threatened once again. The end product earned slightly more positive write-ups than negative ones. Close to half of these articles argued that the story was predictable and actually managed to undermine its own message with strange choices. Slightly more thought the lead gave a marvelous performance that kept them intrigued throughout and were taken by the period production design. The cast includes Christina Ricci, Santino Barnard, Don Durrell and Colleen Camp.
ZERO CONTACT – This high-tech thriller involves a brilliant but nefarious man who has created a global data-mining program. After he dies, a group that includes the son of the tech genius are contacted by a mysterious A.I. entity. This being threateningly tells them to enter a special password left to them by the deceased that will not only reactivate this program, but also enable them to travel through time. Those approached discuss whether or not they should follow through with the request. This picture was panned by almost everyone who saw it. One notice believed that for a movie made during the lockdown, it did manage to add a few twists to the computer-screen film formula. All others said absolutely nothing of interest occurred over the course of the running time and jokingly described it as the dullest Zoom-call ever recorded. It features Chris Brochu, Aleks Paunovic and Anthony Hopkins,
BLASTS FROM THE PAST!
Those looking for something a little older on Blu-ray and DVD also have plenty to choose from. 88 Films is presenting the Hong Kong production Hero (1997) on Blu-ray. Yuen Biao stars in this remake of the 1972 classic Boxer from Shantung from the Shaw Brothers. This period effort follows a man making his start in the criminal underworld. The movie wasn’t as well-received as the original initially, but did have some solid action scenes and has since earned a following. The disc includes an Asian cinema expert commentary and trailers for the film.
South Korean writer/director Bong Joon Ho has won accolades and Oscars over the years for numerous titles including Parasite, Snowpiercer and The Host (to name but a few). Criterion is now presenting another film that he made some years back for Netflix. Okja (2017) tells the story of a young girl who risks everything to prevent a multinational corporation from taking an incredible genetically modified “superpig” that she discovers and befriends in the wild. The movie stars An Seo Hyun, Tilda Swinton, Paul Dano, Steven Yeun, and Jake Gyllenhaal. You can purchase a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray combo or a stand-alone Blu-ray. It comes with a new conversation on the picture with the director and the producer, new interviews with the cast and crew, a video diary of the production, and many more bonuses.
Criterion is also delivering a new 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray combo of The Virgin Suicides (1999), an atmospheric and engaging drama that marked the directing debut of Sofia Coppola (Lost in Translation, On the Rocks). Through a series of interviews, it tells the story of an eclectic group of men who live in an affluent American suburb in the ’70s that are forever changed by their obsession with five doomed sisters.
If you enjoy old horror TV-movies about wildlife attacking humanity, Kino has you covered. First, they are releasing Ants (1977) on Blu-ray. This flick follows a holiday resort that comes under siege from a tiny but hungry and very deadly insect menace. The feature has been given a 2K transfer and arrives with a film historian commentary and numerous interviews with cast and crew members. It also presents the movie in both a 1.33:1 TV aspect ratio of its original broadcast and the 1.85:1 version (that was put out for theatrical releases in international territories).
You can also pick up Tarantulas: The Deadly Cargo (1977). Pictured to the right, it’s about a group of poisonous spiders that stow away on a flight from South America. They end up on the loose in an orange processing plant in California. Claude Akins and Pat Hingle appear in the feature. The Blu-ray also comes with a 2K master and a movie expert commentary track.
Terror Out of the Sky (1978) is a sequel to the 1976 TV-movie The Savage Bees and is about another swarm of killer bees rampaging across the countryside. Among the many victims, they also target a marching band and a school bus full of students. Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Dan Haggerty, Richard Herd and Philip Baker Hall are among those attacked and special features on the Blu-ray are almost identical to the previous release.
MVD Films is re-releasing a Blu-ray of the fantastic, out-of-print action/comedy Miami Blues (1990) with Alec Baldwin, Fred Ward and Jennifer Jason Leigh. It involves a psychopath who steals a badge and pretends to be a cop, causing darkly funny havoc in Miami. Shout! Factory originally put out this disc some years back. This new edition appears to include interviews with the stars, plus all kinds of promo materials and a collectable mini-poster for the movie with new artwork. If you haven’t seen the movie, it’s worth your while.
And bare bones Blu-rays of The Back-up Plan (2010), The Hunted (2003) and Last Vegas (2013) are arriving on store shelves courtesy of Paramount.
Powerhouse films is presenting the Australian cult flick Mad Dog Morgan (1976) on Blu-ray. Dennis Hopper stars in this biopic of the title character, a real outlaw and ruffian who became a legend in the outback. The disc presents a new restoration of the picture from a 4K scan of the inter-positive. You’ll get the 103-minute director’s cut and the 95-minute theatrical version with multiple audio commentaries featuring the filmmaker. Additional extras include a behind-the-scenes documentary, an interview with the director, an archived talk with star Hopper, as well as an hour of extra interview materials recorded for the great 2008 Aussie documentary Not Quite Hollywood! that were not used in the finished product. And the disc comes with extra cast and crew discussion, tons of promotional material and more.
Bloody Muscle Body Builder in Hell (2009) is a bizarre Japanese horror picture about a vengeful spirit who used to be a weightlifter. It was shot in 1995 for the direct-to-video market, but never released in this part of the world. The movie is arriving on Blu-ray as a “Collector’s Edition” courtesy of Wild Eye Releasing. The Blu-ray contains a new master of the movie, plus a film critic commentary, a fan audio track (the fans being directors Adam Green and Joe Lynch), outtakes, an image gallery, archival trailers, fun vintage style video cards and much more.
Finally, Warner Bros. is delivering the grossly underrated Tom Cruise/Emily Blunt science-fiction/action picture Edge of Tomorrow (2014) aka Live. Die. Repeat in a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray package. This entertaining feature involved an officer with no fighting experience who is drafted into a battle with alien invaders. He is immediately killed, but is dragged into a time loop and must start each day anew every time he is brutally slain. The lead attempts to learn from his many, many mistakes and make it through the day in one piece. The movie underperformed when it was originally released to theaters, but in the following years many have discovered just how darkly funny and exciting it is. Now the film has been given a picture upgrade for those wanting to see it with incredibly sharp picture quality.
YOU KNOW, FOR KIDS!
There isn’t much this week, but there is a European animated show for kids that is arriving on DVD.
Loggerheads (1997 animated children’s series about Vikings made in Germany/UK) (Invincible Pictures) DVD
ON THE TUBE!
And here are the latest TV-themed releases arriving this week.
Hallmark 2-Movie Collection: Sweet Pecan Summer & Season for Love (Hallmark) DVD
A House Divided: Season 4 (ALLBLK) DVD
Loggerheads (1997 animated children’s series about Vikings made in Germany/UK) (Invincible Pictures) DVD
NATURE: Portugal – Wild Land on the Sea (PBS) DVD
Picture Perfect Mysteries 3-Movie Collection: Newlywed and Dead, Dead Over Diamonds & Exit Stage Death (Hallmark) DVD
Planet California (PBS) DVD
The Wedding Veil Legacy (Hallmark) Blu-ray or DVD