Hello and welcome to another look at highlights arriving on Blu-ray and DVD. There’s a lot of variety in this edition, which covers everything from family features to Oscar and indie fare. So if you can’t make it out to the movies this week, be sure to give one of these titles a try!
Big New Releases!
Between Worlds – In this unusual supernatural thriller, down-on-his-luck widower spends his days driving trucks. He meets a woman with spiritualist abilities who is trying to find the lost soul of her comatose daughter. The pair make an arrangement, with the woman agreeing to help the driver to communicate with his late wife and daughter. However, the spirits raised are less-than-friendly. Reviews were mixed, although the negative write-ups outnumbered the positive ones. Some enjoyed the crazy concept and eccentric lead performance, but more suggested that cast were far better than the material they had been given. It stars Nicolas Cage, Franka Potente and Penelope Mitchell.
BullittCounty – Set in 1977, this picture follows friends getting together for a weekend bachelor party. The set out on the Kentucky Bluegrass Bourbon Trail to try and find a treasure hidden during Prohibition. It’s an odd way to celebrate a wedding and things become more fractured after they encounter mortal danger on the trail. This independent action/thriller earned modest notices. Some appreciated the script’s many twists and turns and thought it was an effective little tale, but slightly more complained that the characters weren’t likeable enough and stated that the story didn’t quite come together. The cast includes Mike C. Nelson, Jenni Melear, David McCracken and Richard Reihle.
The Day After – A married couple have a terrible day after the wife finds a love note written by her husband intended for another woman. Enraged, she heads to his office, confusing a newly-employed secretary for the person her husband is having an affair with. This black and white, foreign-language drama from South Korea earned plenty of praise from art house audiences. A few didn’t appreciate its simple narrative, low-key approach to events and didn’t feel that the humor worked, but the majority complimented the movie as being interesting; they were also impressed with the actors as unusual way of presenting the story. It features Kwon Hae-hyo and Kim Min-hee.
London Fields – In this thriller, a femme fatale with clairvoyant abilities begins to see her impending demise. Hoping to turn the tables, she begins to investigate all three of her male lovers and identify which one of them might attempt to murder her. This movie has had a troubled history, having been shot in 2013 and just getting a limited release earlier this year (the director sued the producers company for reworking the movie without his knowledge). According to the press, it’s a disaster. The flick has yet to receive a single recommendation, with reviews stating that it’s both ridiculous and dull, and features a plot that makes no sense. It earned a Razzie nomination for its lead performance. Amber Heard, Gemma Chan, Jason Isaacs, Theo James, Billy Bob Thronton and Jim Sturgess headline the film.
Mary Queen of Scots – This historical period drama details Mary, Queen of Scots’ tumultuous life, which included getting married at 16, being widowed at 18, and moving back to Scotland to reclaim her throne. As if that isn’t enough, she is then forced to deal with the apparent jealousy of rival Elizabeth I. The results of the conflict become deadly. Critics were generally positive about this biopic, although not without some critiques. A percentage believed it was well-made, but never quite found the right tone or approach to its story. Still, the consensus was that the lead performances were strong, the drama palpable and the costumes/sets incredible to behold. It stars Saoirse Ronan, Margot Robbie, Jack Lowden, David Tennant and Guy Pearce.
Megalodon – Giant sharks… as we all know, they’re nothing but trouble. This little independent sci-fi/horror picture follows a military ship investigating the disappearance of a sunken submersible. The crew soon locates an enormous and dangerous Megalodon swimming in the same waters and must fight it off before the prehistoric creature sinks their boat. This title actually debuted on the SyFy network on the same day The Meg was released. Now, it is debuting on disc. As one might expect, there hasn’t been a lot of publicity around it, with most simply stating that it is, well, pretty terrible. The cast includes Michael Madsen, Dominic Pace and Caroline Harris.
The Possession of Hannah Grace – Exorcisms… also a generally bad idea. In this horror flick, an exorcism goes wrong and ends up killing a young woman possessed by a demon. When an alcoholic cop turned morgue-worker receives a body and begins having strange visions, she (and the audience) begin to think that it may have something to do with the earlier tragedy. Notices were quite poor for this chiller. A few did compliment the movie for having a strong opening sequence as well as for creating a foreboding atmosphere. However, almost all complained that the screenplay offered little that was new and that the film’s jump scares simply did not work. The movie features Shay Mitchell, Grey Damon, Kirby Johnson and Stana Katic.
Ralph Breaks the Internet – This sequel to the 2012 hit Wreck-It Ralph continues to chronicle the life of arcade-game character Ralph. When he and his best pal Vanellope learn that a wireless router has been installed at the arcade, they decide to travel through the internet to update their coin-op machines and keep their home from closing down. Response towards the film was largely positive. A few naysayers commented that the emphasis on the internet made it feel like a commercial rather than a family film, but most thought that even if it didn’t match the original, it was still impressively animated and offered plenty of laughs. John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Gal Gadot, Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch and Taraji P. Henson provide the voices. To read this site’s review, click here.
Rampant – Promoted as being from the studio that brought you Train to Busan, this South Korean period action/horror picture involves a young prince who is taken away as a political hostage by a another kingdom. After many years, he breaks free and returns to his homeland, only to find it overrun by monstrous forces known as “Night Demons”. Thankfully, his skills as the greatest martial artist in the country come in handy as he faces off against the threat. Reviews for this foreign-language effort were decent. Some members of the press grumbled that the story was unfocused and the whole thing came across as a bit of a mess. However, most thought it improved as it progressed and featured some entertaining thrills and chills. The cast includes Hyun Bin and Dong-Gun Jang.
Sicilian Ghost Story – When a 13-year-old boy living in a small village near the woods disappears mysteriously, locals and authorities are baffled. Frustrated, his girlfriend decides to take matters into her own hands and find out what happened. She uncovers dark secrets about the forest and those in her town. Reaction towards this foreign-language thriller was very positive. While one or two couldn’t get on its wavelength and found some of the events cruel, almost all others raved about its strange tone and called it a disturbing meditation on the loss of childhood. It features Julia Jedlikowska, Gaetano Fernandez and Corinne Musallari.
Blasts from the Past!
There are plenty of older titles as well that may interest readers. If you like cheesy 90s action pictures, then you might be interested in a pair of Blu-rays from the MVD Rewind Collection. The first is the Jean-Claude Van Damme picture, Double Impact (1991). It involves twin brothers kicking the butts of the villains who murdered their parents. This Collector’s Edition includes new interviews with cast and crew, previously unreleased behind-the-scenes footage and more.
Showdown (1993) stars Ken Marks as a student who finds himself being hunted by a new enemy who, outside of school, is part of an underground and illegal fighting operation. Thankfully, the janitor (Billy Blanks) at the school is a martial arts expert who teaches the kid the ropes. The Collector’s Edition Blu-ray comes with a feature length making-of documentary about the film, interview with the director, co-star Billy Blanks, an analysis of the fight sequences, photo gallery, trailer and other extras.
Shout! Factory have a great many releases this week as well. The first is a Blu-ray box set of The Legally Blonde Collection, which contains the 2001 original and 2003 sequel. The original has been given a new 4K scan from the original camera negative and comes with multiple audio commentaries, a new interview with co-star Jessica Cauffiel, deleted scenes, a making-of, a featurette on the hairstyles, a music video and trailer. Bonuses on the sequel include another new interview with co-star Jessica Cauffiel, a commentary track, numerous featurettes, deleted scenes, a gag reel, a music video and a trailer.
The distributor are also putting out a Blu-ray of the monster movie, The Mole People (1956). This one involves a group of geologists who tunnel underground around the site of Mesopotamia and discover a group of “mole people” living under the surface. This release presents the film in two aspect ratios (1.85:1 and 2.00:1), and adds a new film historian audio commentary and a new documentary on the making-of the feature. It also includes the MST3K episode featuring the TV show characters poking fun at the movie. And it also comes with a wealth of publicity materials.
They’re also debuting Used Cars (1980) on Blu-ray. This wild comedy from Robert Zemekis (Romancing the Stone, Back to the Future, Forrest Gump) stars Kurt Russell and focuses in on the lives of some shady used car salesmen. If memory serves, it’s pretty funny and features some crazy car-related stunt gags. This disc features a new interview with producer/co-writer Bob Gale, a previously recorded commentary track with Zemekis, Gale and star Russell, outtakes and all sorts of trailers, radio and TV spots.
They also have the kooky Hammer adventure flick, The Vengeance of She (1968). It’s about a woman inexplicably drawn to the east, where she finds lost city and a potentially sinister force. The Blu-ray has a 2K scan of the original film elements, new interviews with the assistant director, a visual effects artist on the feature and the clapper/loader. It also comes with an audio commentary featuring Monster Party Podcast hosts and other bonuses.
Shout! are also delivering the horror film, Willard (2003), on Blu-ray. It’s about an awkward, isolated young man who befriends rats who begin to do his bidding. It’s a remake of a 1971 B-movie, but stands as one of the rare examples in which the redo is actually better than the original. Crispin Glover stars and this edition boasts all kinds of bonuses. The film has been given a new 2K transfer and also features two newly recorded audio commentaries (one with director Glen Morgan and the cinematographer, and another with the movie’s animal trainer). Also featured are new interviews with the above crew members, as well as all of the bonuses from the old DVD, including a Morgan and Crispin Glover audio commentary, deleted scenes and other extras. And yep, it has the Crispin Glover video of the actor performing the song, Ben. Looks like a great set for those who are a fan of the film.
To Sleep with Anger (1990) is a well-regarded feature starring Danny Glover as a drifter who turns up on the doorstep of some old friend’s homes in South Central Los Angeles. Things simmer to boil not long after his arrival. Criterion are giving the film a new, 4K, digitally restored presentation for Blu-ray. The release also comes with a new interview program featuring the cast and crew, and an hour-long conversation with Charles Burnett, the director of the feature and a video tribute to the filmmaker.
VCI are delivering the low-budget genre flick, Beast of the Yellow Night (1971). They’ve given the movie a 2K restoration from the original negative and an archival print and are providing a film historian audio commentary for the release.
And Kino have Blu-ray of the films Desert Fury (1947), The Midnight Man (1974) and The Rover (1967). All feature a film historian audio commentary as well as trailers. And finally, Classic Flix have a newly restored Blu-ray of the Humphrey Bogart flick, Stand-in (1937).
You Know, For Kids!
It’s a slim week for programs for younger viewers…
Pinkalicious & Peterrific: Pinkatastic Pets! (PBS Kids)
On the Tube!
And here are the week’s TV-related titles.
Dynasties (BBC Earth)
Master of None: Season 1
Megalodon (SyFy TV-movie)
Mystery Road: Series 1
Pinkalicious & Peterrific: Pinkatastic Pets! (PBS Kids)