It’s time once again for another look at highlights coming to Blu-ray and DVD. With Halloween approaching, there aren’t quite as many new releases as usual, but there is still plenty of interesting material to choose from. So, since you can’t or shouldn’t head out to the movies this week, be sure to give one of these titles a try!
Big New Releases!
Attack of the Unknown – A SWAT team in Los Angeles is assigned to transport a high-profile inmate from a detention center so that he can testify in court against a notorious crime boss. However, their plans hit a major snag when aliens invade the city. Trapped inside the prison and unable to communicate with the outside world, the officers and inmates are forced to come together and team up in order to survive the onslaught. This low-budget B-movie has received plenty of write-ups with a wide variety of different opinions. Some have called it a cheesy but enjoyable B-movie hoot with amusingly corny dialogue and plot holes a mile wide. Just as many have stated that it isn’t wild enough to be fun and that it all feels forced, believing the movie tries too hard for a so-bad-it’s-good vibe. It stars Richard Grieco, Tara Reid, Robert LaSardo, Tania Fox and Jolene Andersen.
Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets – According to the filmmakers, this movie revolves around a place called The Roaring 20s, a Las Vegas dive bar known for its unusual assortment of customers. The camera spends a night with the employees and drinkers during the establishment’s final night in operation, forcing attendees to consider what they will do next. Apparently, this feature has been promoted as a documentary, but is as much of a narrative feature as a non-fiction film. In fact, it was shot in a different state and bar with customers being told to follow the directions given to them. The movie has played at various film festivals where it has won some awards. Reaction towards the film was generally positive. A group found the exercise dishonest and didn’t buy into what they were watching. Still, just as many called it a curious experiment that featured plenty of fascinating people. Peter Elwell and Michael Martin appear.
Fishbowl – This independent drama follows a family after a personal tragedy. Three teenage girls are forced to not only contend with the death of their mother, but a grieving dad who loses touch with reality. Desperate to join his wife in the afterlife, the man begins to assert that The Rapture is coming. He forces his kids to prepare for the event. One of the daughters also falls for another teen who may know something more about the death of the family matriarch. This title has played at film festivals over the past two years and is now making its debut on streaming platforms and on disc. There aren’t many reviews available for it, although those that have popped up suggest that the flick features strong performances. The cast includes Connie Bowman, Caroline Coleman, Belle Shickle and Ken Arnold.
Friendsgiving – Set during the Thanksgiving holiday, this comedy follows two friends who decide to avoid family and enjoy a quiet and relaxing weekend in each other’s company. Things change rapidly when a new boyfriend is also invited to the shindig. He extends his invitation to a mother and before long word spreads about the event. After an ex-boyfriend and other unexpected guests appear, the leads must endure a comically tense evening. Critics did not take to this indie picture. One or two complimented the cast members and stated that their performances carried the film. However, most commented that the tone was off the mark and that the end results were neither as funny or inspirational as intended. It features Malin Akerman, Kat Dennings, Aisha Tyler, Christine Taylor, Jane Seymour, Chelsea Peretti, Ryan Hansen, Fortune Feimster, Wanda Sykes and Margaret Cho.
I Was at Home, But… – A 13-year-old student disappears without a trace in this drama. A week later, he reappears at home, leaving his mother and teachers completely confused about what happened. As everyone tries to get to the bottom of the mystery, they are confronted with existential questions that begin to change their entire views on life. This foreign-language feature from Germany was well-received by the press. A small contingent found some of the characters difficult to relate to and described the events depicted as tiring and confounding. The majority were intrigued by the onscreen drama and thought that the movie challenged viewers to interpret what was going on, keeping them enthralled. The cast includes Maren Eggert, Franz Rogowski, Lilith Stangenberg and Jakob Lassalle.
Mighty Ira – This documentary tells the story of Ira Glasser, the man who led the American Civil Liberties Union for 23 years. After taking a role with the organization, he helped the group stave off bankruptcy and turn it into a successful outfit with a $30 million dollar endowment. Glasser goes over his life story and relates his experiences, as well as telling tales about the many important events he became involved in over the years. So far, write-ups for the movie have been decent but unspectacular. Some of the more upbeat ones call it a sweet portrait of an admirable man that details his many accomplishments. Others say that while Glasser’s work was remarkable, this documentary didn’t tell his story with much gusto or give any insight or depth into his real personality.
Two Face: The Grey – According to press notes, three years ago a documentarian chronicled and made a movie about an unusual sighting on Sydney Harbour’s Cockatoo Island. Released as Sir Noface, it suggested that a strange figure captured on camera in the area might be a ghost. This follow-up takes the story even further into uncharted territory after the crew determine that the ghostly form may actually be a UFO or alien. The feature follows the filmmakers as they continue to try and uncover if the mysterious figure is from another planet. This title is debuting on disc and there aren’t any reviews currently available. Obviously, you may want to take all of this with a large grain of salt, but those out there who enjoy paranormal investigation flicks may be interested.
Wolfman’s Got Nards – In 1987, a PG-13 flick called The Monster Squad was released in cinemas. It told the story of a group of kids squaring off against famous monsters like Count Dracula. The feature was a big flop but has since gained a large cult following. This documentary explains the impact that the movie made on fans, as well as the effect it had on the careers of cast and crew members. It features interviews with just about everyone who worked on it, including director Fred Dekker (who recently wrote The Predator) and screenwriter Shane Black (who went on write and direct Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Iron Man 3 and The Nice Guys). Reviews for this doc have been solid, asserting that it not only shares interesting stories about the production, but provides a detailed reappraisal and serves as a nice tribute to the filmmakers as well as fandom in general.
Blasts from the Past!
Arrow Video are getting the week off to an appropriately chilly start with a Special Edition Blu-ray of the UK production, Cold Light of Day (1989). This feature is loosely based on the life of Des Nilsen, often dubbed the British Jeffery Dahmer. The movie has been given a 2K remastering from the original 16mm camera negative. It comes with a director commentary track and a second with film historians. There are also interviews with cast members, a promo film that was used to secure financing for the feature, a pair of shorts from the filmmaker and other extras.
When Star Wars was released in 1977, its success spawned a series of science-fiction features. One of the best of the lot was The Last Starfighter (1984), a tale of a teenager from a trailer park who is recruited for intergalactic battle based on his skills with an arcade game on the property. The film, starring Lance Guest, Catherine Mary Stewart, Robert Preston and Dan O’Herlihy is a really well-written and charming effort. It also boasted some very early computer-generated effects work. Arrow are delivering a Special Edition Blu-ray which features a new 4K restoration of the film from the camera negative, a new commentary with star Guest and his son, as well as a fan podcast track. The disc also includes an archived director commentary, new discussions about the movie with co-star Stewart, the film’s composer, and the screenwriter. There are also recently recorded featurettes with the effects team, an archival four-part documentary on the production and tons of additional bonuses. Sounds like a great disc!
The AGFA or American Genre Film Archive are releasing Scary Tales (1993) on Blu-ray. It’s an ultra-low-budget, independently horror anthology made in Baltimore and shot-on-video. Anybody out there who enjoys self-made flicks may be curious about this effort. It has been transferred to disc from the S-VHS master tapes and comes with an audio track featuring the director. There’s also a 1987 demo version of the movie used to raise funds, outtakes, a vintage TV promo appearance, some short films from the filmmaker as well as his follow-up horror flick, Darkest Souls (1994).
Kino always do a great job upgrading studio flicks in high definition and they have some impressive new Blu-rays as well. The first is a Special Edition of the Clint Eastwood western, High Plains Drifter (1973), in which the star plays a killer hired to protect a small town from other gunmen who have just been released from jail. There are several new interviews with supporting cast members, a commentary track from director and western authority Alex Cox (Repo Man, Sid and Nancy, Walker), a promo about Eastwood, an analysis of the movie’s trailer, tons of publicity materials and a fancy slipcase for the Blu-ray.
They also have a Special Edition Blu-ray of the classic Michael Caine spy thriller, The Ipcress File (1965). The actor plays an agent tasked with investigating a series of kidnappings involving scientists who suddenly return to work brainwashed. The movie has been given a 2K restoration for this release, a comes with a director commentary as well as a film historian audio track, an interview with Caine himself and production designed Ken Adams (who works on several James Bond flicks) as well as several trailers for the film.
Back on the Clint Eastwood western front, you can also pick up a Special Edition Blu-ray of Joe Kidd (1972). In this feature, Eastwood plays a bounty hunter who takes extreme action based on his own peculiar sense of justice. This one also arrives with an Alex Cox film historian commentary, an interview with co-star Don Stroud and loads of publicity materials.
The Secret Ways (1961) is a thriller based on an Alistair MacLean novel about a soldier-of-fortune helping a hunted scientist escape from Budapest. The Blu-ray comes with a new 2K master of the movie and a film expert commentary.
Two Mules for Sister Sara (1970) is yet another Eastwood western being reissued on Blu-ray from Kino as a Special Edition. His co-star Shirley MacLaine, who plays a nun who teams up with Eastwood’s outlaw hero. The movie was directed by legendary filmmaker Don Siegel (Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Dirty Harry, Escape from Alcatraz). This disc includes the US and international versions of the movie newly mastered and restored in 4K. Western expert Alex Cox returns once again to provide historical context and the movie includes tons of publicity material as well as an archived interview with Eastwood.
And Kino are also delivering a Blu-ray of the British espionage thriller, The Whistle Blower (1986) with Michael Caine. The distributor has used a brand new 2K master of the film on this disc and have included a theatrical trailer.
Criterion have decided to give last year’s Best Picture and Best International Picture Academy Award winner, Parasite (2019) a new Blu-ray. This version adds even more special content to the previously released edition. The most notable extra is two different versions of the film. The cuts themselves aren’t particularly different. However, one version is in color and the other is presented in black and white.
Film Movement are releasing the Peter Sellers comedy, Mr. Topaze (1961), about a French schoolmaster who ends up involved in a criminal scheme. The movie, which was also directed by Sellers, has been newly restored from the last surviving 35mm print and is being released for the first time ever on Blu-ray and DVD. Bonuses on this disc include the Sellers short, Let’s Go Crazy (1951), a video essay on the movie and a large booklet with notes on how the feature was rediscovered and saved.
Blue Underground have given one of their titles a 4K Blu-ray upgrade. It’s the vampire flick, Daughters of Darkness (1971) and apparently the new transfer is absolutely stunning. You’ll also get all of the previously released bonuses as well as an additional film expert commentary, the soundtrack on CD and even more publicity materials than those on the last edition.
Speaking of horror, Vinegar Syndrome are presenting high definition Blu-ray versions of several sequels in the Amityville Horror franchise. The titles, ordered by year of release, are Amityville: The Evil Escapes (1989), Amityville: It’s About Time (1992), Amityville: A New Generation (1993) and Amityville Dollhouse (1996). It looks like all of these flicks have been newly scanned and restored in 4K from the original camera negative and most come with commentary tracks and interviews with crew members.
The distributor is also releasing Killing Birds (1987) aka Zombie 5. This is an Italian horror flick shot in the US about ornithologist who head out to the country to study a rare bird species. Not only do they have to contend with avian issues, but also a zombie attack. The movie is being presented in 2K and the disc includes discussions with the director and the sound man. It also comes with a film historian audio commentary and trailers.
Severin are presenting some genre titles on Blu-ray as well. They have the Italian effort, The Black Cat (1989), the Australian chiller, Patrick Still Lives (1981) and a French horror flick with a political bent called Shock Treatment (1973). All of these flicks have been given 2K restorations and come with numerous bonus interviews.
And there’s more! The Swimmer (1968) stars Burt Lancaster as a man who returns home and decides to spend an entire day moving through a neighborhood and swimming in their pools. Grindhouse Releasing are putting out a “Limited Edition” Blu-ray/DVD combo of this cult film. It also contains a CD of the soundtrack. The movie has been restored in 4K and comes with a two plus hour documentary on the feature, publicity materials, as well as the short story the film is based on a book and liner notes from late, great director Stuart Gordon (Re-Animator).
Media Blasters is presenting a Special Edition Blu-ray of the Japanese, Takashi Miike science-fiction flick, Zebraman (2004). For those unfamiliar with the feature, it is a satire that feature a teacher who experiences a psychological snap and decides to transform himself into a favorite childhood superhero.
Finally, Warner Archive are making The Opposite Sex (1956) and Waterloo Bridge (1940) available as made-to-order Blu-rays. You can also order DVDs of The Bishop’s Wife (1947) starring Cary Grant, the musical compilation film That’s Dancing! (1985), Hans Christian Andersen (1952) with Danny Kaye and the documentary, George Stevens: D-Day to Berlin (1994).
You Know, For Kids!
You’ll find plenty of kid-friendly titles listed below.
Ben 10 vs. The Universe: The Movie (TV-movie)
The Flintstones: The Complete Series
Garfield and Friends: Season 3
Tom and Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale (2007) Special Edition
On the Tube!
And here are the week’s TV-themed releases.
Babylon Berlin: Seasons 1 & 2
Ben 10 vs. The Universe: The Movie (TV-movie)
Black Lightning: Season 2 (Warner Archive)
Black Lightning: Season 3 (Warner Archive)
A Christmas Love Story (Hallmark)
Dynasty: Season 3
Fleabag: Season 2
Fleabag: The Complete Series
The Flintstones: The Complete Series
Garfield and Friends: Season 3
Head of the Class: Season 2 (Warner Archive)
Hidden: Series 2