Hello and welcome to another look at highlights arriving on Blu-ray and DVD. Some interesting stuff is coming your way this week, including everything from big studio films to privately financed, independent fare. And if you’re looking for more information, feel free to click on any links and read full reviews. 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!
Alita: Battle Angel – Based on the Japanese manga series, this sci-fi/action picture follows a cyborg who wakes up with no memory of who she is or where she came from. A scientist attempts to replace parts and restore the teen to her full potential. She soon develops incredible abilities and sets out to uncover the truth about her past. Critics were a bit mixed on the final results, although it did earn slightly more praise than criticism. Those who didn’t recommend the film stated that it looked great, but found the CGI lead a bit distracting and also described the story as weak. Others who gave it a pass thought the dystopian world was intriguing and enjoyed the elaborate spectacle on display. It stars Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly, Mahershala Ali, Ed Skrein and Jackie Earl Haley. To read this site’s review, click here.
Assimilate – Taking inspiration from classics like Invasion of the Body Snatchers, this tale involves three teen friends who decide to create a web-series and tell the story of their neighborhood. Their research goes in an unexpected direction when they begin to realize that families are being killed and replaced with perfect copies. The kids must not only identify the real monsters, but do their best to stop its spread. So far, this title has only played at a few festivals, so most people will be seeing it for the first time on disc. There aren’t many reviews available, but the ones that have appeared state that while the film is a bit derivative, the cast are likable and the plot delivers a few thrills. It features Joel Courtney, Calum Worthy, Andi Matichak and Katherine McNamara.
The Book of Birdie – This unusual arthouse feature is described as a fantasy about a fragile and imaginative teenager who is placed in a convent. Her obsessions begin to upset some of the nuns and when the lead begins to experience strange hallucinations, the religious order must determine whether her visions are saintly or that of a sinister, Satanic influence. So far, this title has only played in a few cities on the indie circuit, but response has been quite upbeat. There have been some minor complaints suggesting the story is difficult to follow in spots, but the majority have complimented the production as being beautifully shot and effectively moody. The cast includes Suzan Crowley, Kymberly Mellen and Kathryn Browning.
Burying Yasmeen – Here’s a little independent feature that raised some of its completion backing through a Kickstarter campaign. It’s a road movie about an obsessive man deeply in love with his recently deceased wife, despite the fact that her feelings for him may not have been nearly as strong when they were together. Searching for closure and unable to get a new start in life, the protagonist has a vision of the spouse telling him that she still loves him, and that if he returns and buries his wedding ring with her, they will be together eternally. As of right now, this quirky picture is debuting on disc, so there are no reviews available. It features Jason Lott, Niki Koss, Mike Langer, Adelaide Lummis and Elena Tovar.
Critters Attack! – Those who remember their monster movies might have a soft spot for Critters, a low-budget effort from 1986 about a family at a farm who come under attack from small and prickly alien invaders. This, the fourth sequel in the series, was made by the SyFy network and is premiering on disc and via digital viewing on their website. The plot involves a college student babysitting for extra cash. When another batch of sinister Critters crash land in the backyard, the guardian must save the kids she is caring for. Apparently, they receive assistance from a star from the original film (and some of the newest aliens might not be all bad). There aren’t any reviews available as of yet, but the makers promise lots of practical effects and plenty of gooey, good-natured carnage. Tashiana Washington, Dee Wallace, Jaeden Noel and Jack Fulton headline the flick.
Geek, and You Shall Find – This documentary follows a trio of filmmakers who begin to produce a feature chronicling a local comic book convention. After meeting several cosplayers and hearing their moving personal stories, the group decides to investigate the comic-con culture in more detail. The gang visit several events and talk to both fans and creators about why superheroes and other fantasy shows are so popular, and how these tales inspire people to combat real issues. This non-fiction feature is making its debut on disc. As such, those with an interest in the material will just have to take a chance on it if they feel so inclined. The movie includes interviews with celebrities like Kevin Eastman, Stan Lee and George R.R. Martin.
Hellboy – Speaking of comic books, Hellboy is another property that was previously adapted into a film series in 2004. In this new take on the franchise, the titular demon who fights for good is reintroduced to audiences. This time out, he is tasked with stopping an undead and powerful Queen who wants avenge her death, and perhaps even end the world. Sadly, this redo was plagued with behind-the-scenes difficulties and notices for the finished film were very poor. A few did appreciate the sheer strangeness on display and admired the movie on that level. However, the overwhelming consensus was that this redo was too nasty and violent, the story was choppy, and it lacked the heart and soul of the previous incarnation. It stars David Harbour, Milla Jovovich, Ian McShane, Sasha Lane, Daniel Dae Kim and Penelope Mitchell.
Master Z: Ip Man Legacy – This spin-off of the popular Ip Man martial arts series tells the story of a villain who fought and lost a battle with the legendary Chinese folk hero. Things go from bad to worse for the weakened character when he starts working as a waiter and comes into conflict with a powerful foreigner. The lead attempts to change his ways and turn the tide so that he can both help himself and his neighbors from dangerous new threats. Reviews were very good for this foreign-language action effort. It seems that almost everyone appreciated the story’s focus on a bad guy trying to turn his life around, and stated that the fight scenes were extremely well-shot and choreographed. The movie features Zhang Jin, Dave Bautista, Michelle Yeoh, Tony Jaa and Kevin Chang.
Missing Link – Families with an interest in cryptozoology and monsters may appreciate this animated effort from Laika Studios (Coraline, ParaNorman, Kubo and the Two Strings). The plot involves an explorer desperate to earn the approval of his peers. He receives a mysterious note telling him where to find a Bigfoot in the Pacific Northwest and heads out to capture the beast. However, after encountering the Sasquatch, plans change and the pair travel across the globe on an exciting adventure. The press gave this flick high marks. One or two critics didn’t think that this title matched the studio’s previous effort, but just about everyone else called the movie gorgeously animated, charming and a whole lot of fun. The voice-cast includes Hugh Jackman, Zoe Saldana, Zach Galifianakis, Emma Thompson, Stephen Fry and Timothy Olyphant. To read this site’s review of the feature, just click here.
Blasts from the Past!
If you’re looking to pick up some older titles on Blu-ray, there’s plenty of exciting stuff to choose from. Arrow Video are releasing a Special Edition of The Loveless (1981). It’s about a motorcycle gang who stop off in a small town on their way to the Daytona, leading to tension between themselves and the community residents. This movie marks the first starring role for acclaimed actor Willem Dafoe, and the picture is the first directorial credit for Kathryn Bigelow. She co-helmed this effort, but went on to make Near Dark, Point Break, The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty. This Blu-ray includes a new 2K restoration of the feature from the original camera negative. It also comes with a commentary feature co-director Monty Montgomery, new interviews with Dafoe as well as other cast members, talks with the director of photography, as well as the producers, production designers and musicians on the film. Additionally, it comes with plenty of publicity materials.
You can also pick up a Special Edition Blu-ray of the teen comedy, Weird Science (1985). If you grew up in the 80s, you’ll no doubt be familiar with this tale of a pair of teenage outcasts who use their high-powered computer to create a live woman. Chaos and comedy follows. The film has been given a new restoration with a 4K scan of the original negative. It includes three different versions of the movie, as well as a comparison of all the different material in the alternate cuts. Additionally, there are tons of new interviews with cast and crew members, a documentary on the film that includes the stars of the movie and its celebrity admirers, trailers and TV spot and plenty more. It’s a phenomenal release packed with fascinating extras and you can read all about the disc in detail right here.
Shout! Factory are presenting a new Blu-ray the Burt Lancaster and Yvonne De Carlo film-noir thriller, Criss Cross (1949). This well-regarded flick is about an armored car heist that faces added and unexpected complications. Classic film fans should be pleased that the disc includes a 4K scan of the original nitrate negative and comes with a film historian commentary, as well as a trailer, still gallery and poster and lobby card images.
Those who enjoy old chillers may also appreciate another Shout! Factory box set. This one’s called The Universal Horror Collection: Volume 2 and it includes Murders in the Zoo (1933), The Mad Ghoul (1943) The Mad Doctor of Market Street (1942) and The Strange Case of Doctor Rx (1942). I can’t speak for every one of the movies included as I haven’t seen all of them, but The Mad Ghoul is a reasonably fun one. The set includes a couple of film historian audio commentaries, a featurette and some publicity materials for the pictures.
Criterion have some great new arrivals too. They include the timely George Orwell adaptation of 1984 (1984). This movie stars John Hurt as man struggling to survive in a right-wing, totalitarian society that suppresses free thought and those who stand against Big Brother. The movie was also shot by Roger Deakins (The Shawshank Redemption, Fargo, Skyfall, Sicario, Blade Runner 2049) which means it looks pretty darn fantastic as well. This disc includes a 4K digital restoration of the feature supervised by Deakins, two different scores (one by composer Dominic Muldowney and another by The Eurythmics), interviews with the director and DP, a talk with an Orwell authority, behind-the-scenes footage and a trailer.
They also have a Blu-ray of the Spike Lee classic, Do the Right Thing (1989). Set in a Brooklyn neighborhood, this tale follows the interactions of various locals. Tensions about racism escalate and give way to violence as the night progresses. This release comes with a new 4K digital restoration supervised by cinematographer Ernest Dickerson, an introduction from writer/director Lee and a 1995 audio commentary with Lee, the film’s production designer and a cast member. But that’s not all. You’ll also get a documentary on the film from 1989 (with a new 2K digital transfer), new interviews with costume designer Ruth E. Carter, New York City Council Member Robert Cornegy Jr., writer Nelson George, and filmmaker Darnell Martin. The Blu-ray also comes with three programs from 2000 and 2009, featuring Lee and cast and crew members Barry Alexander Brown, Chuck D, Dickerson, Richard Edson, Frankie Faison, Jon Kilik, Kevin Ladson, Steve Park, Rosie Perez, Luis Ramos, Monty Ross, John Savage, Roger Guenveur Smith, and John Turturro, a music video for Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power,” directed by Lee, with remarks from rapper Chuck D, footage from the 1989 Cannes Film Festival press conference, behind-the-scenes footage, deleted and extended scenes, along with original storyboards, trailer, and TV spots.
Sony are putting out Blu-rays of a couple of their catalog titles. This week, they include the San Francisco-set thriller, Pacific Heights (1990). If memory serves, it features an unhinged Michael Keaton as a tenant who torments and tortures the people he’s renting from in an attempt to take the property for himself. They are also prepping a 30th Anniversary Blu-ray of the goofy Shelley Long comedy, Troop Beverly Hills (1989). This one is about a socialite who decides to lead a Girl Scouts group. No word as of yet on if there will be any new extras, so fans might want to search for more details on its imminent high definition release.
As always, Kino have plenty of Blu-rays coming your was as well. The titles include the French, Amazon-set adventure film, Death in the Garden (1956 aka La Mort en ce Jardin, which was directed by Luis Bunuel (Bell du Jour). You can also pick up the classic, Death Takes a Holiday (1934), which follows the Grim Reaper falling in love while on a sabbatical. Based on the lobby card, he needs a little work at coming off in a less-threatening manner. The film was remade in 1998 as Meet Joe Black. Both of these releases include a film historian commentary.
They are also making the romantic comedy Easy Living (1937) available on Blu-ray. It also includes a film critic commentary. Luminous Motion (1998) is a more recent thriller starring Deborah Kara Unger about a con artist taking men for their money while moving across the country. This release includes an audio commentary with the director and DP, a gallery of production still, illustrated script pages, a storyboard gallery and trailers. They also have a Blu-ray another Luis Brunel feature, the surreal comedy, The Milky Way (1969). This one arrives with a historian commentary, interview with a critic and trailers.
Oliver Stone’s The Doors (1991) certainly has a following (made up primarily of the band’s and director’s fans) and now LionsGate are updating their initial release of the film on disc. It’s a new 4K transfer of The Final Cut of the film and presumably, besides the upgraded picture quality, it also has all of the previously released bonuses.
Finally, Warner Archives are putting out a made-to-order Blu-ray of the war film, Merrill’s Marauders (1962). If you’re interested, you can order it through either the studio site or through Amazon.
You Know, For Kids!
Here are all the kid-friendly releases arriving this week.
Highlights: CoolSchool!
Missing Link
On the Tube!
And there are this edition’s TV-themed releases.
Critters Attack! (SyFy TV-movie sequel)
Rivers of Life (PBS)
The Wedding March & Wedding March 2 (Hallmark TV-movie Double Feature)