Hello and welcome to another edition of highlights arriving on Blu-ray and DVD. It is another busy week with plenty to choose from. In fact, there’s a combination of blockbuster and Oscar fare (and as always, feel free to click any links you see to 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!
Aquaman – The latest from DC comics is an adaptation of a superhero from a kingdom under the sea. When a princess rises from the waters, falls in love and gives birth to a half-man, half-Atlantean figure with incredible abilities, it upsets others within the empire. The boy grows up and tries to lead a quiet life, but the rise of a new and powerful threat forces him to confront his past. The movie earned slightly more recommendations than pans. A good number thought it was preposterous, corny, and didn’t make a lasting impression. However, a larger group called it a cheesy but entertaining flick with plenty of action. It stars Jason Mamoa, Amber Heard, Nicole Kidman, Willem Dafoe, Patrick Wilson and Dolph Lundgren. To read this site’s review of the film, click here.
Capernaum – A Lebanese boy is born into and forced to endure horrific poverty and abuse in this foreign-language drama. After running away from home, he attempts to make a new start, only falling into more dangerous situations. Eventually, the child finds help he needs and decides to sue his parents for bringing him into the world. Most critics gave this feature positive notices, and it was also nominated for an Academy Award. There were some who suggested that the movie was obvious in its emotional manipulations, ultimately drowning viewers in sentiment to make its point. However, the general consensus was that the child actors were strong and the story harrowing. It features Zain Al Rafeea and Yordanos Shiferaw.
If Beale Street Could Talk – This follow-up from the writer/director of the Oscar-winning film Moonlight is set in the 70s and chronicles the life of an African-American family. The story displays the many struggles they must endure to stay together and survive, especially after one of them is falsely accused of a crime and locked away in prison. The drama earned plenty of raves from the press. A very small number suggested that some of the elements of family bonding didn’t gel perfectly with the harsher bits, but almost all others thought that it was an impressive character piece with phenomenal performances and gorgeous cinematography. The cast includes Kiki Layne, Stephan James, Regina King (who won an Oscar for her work), Teyonah Parris and Colman Domingo.
King of Thieves – Based on a true story, this UK crime flick is about a group of retired crooks who decide to team up for one last score, involving a heist of incredible jewels from the London area. The first part of the tale involves the theft, while the second details the criminals becoming greedy and turning on each other. Reaction was fairly muted for this effort. Those who liked it appreciated the work of the impressive cast and thought it moved at a quick clip. Skeptics commented that the screenplay let its performers down and thought that the enterprise wasn’t particularly suspenseful. Michael Caine, Michael Gambon, Jim Broadbent, Ray Winstone, Charlie Cox and Francesca Annis headline the flick.
MFKZ – This foreign animated feature is set in a future dystopian Los Angeles and follows the exploits of a young man and his best friend. After the lead gets into a scooter-related accident, he discovers that he may have superpowers. However, the hero also begins to have bizarre hallucinations that suggest he is part of an alien species intending to take over the world. The film premiered as part of a Fathom event and is now making its debut on disc. Notices are split to negative so far. A segment found the movie beautiful to look at and amusingly crazy. Still, it seems that most complained that the story didn’t make much sense and the film itself had little to say. The voice-cast for the English-language version includes Giancarlo Esposito, Vince Staples and RZA.
Second Act – A worker at a box store turns 40 and becomes frustrated with her life. She decides to start over, using a fake resume and talking her way into a big position at a Madison Avenue firm. From there, the protagonist finds herself a new love interest and uses her street smarts to succeed in the workplace. This romantic comedy was largely panned. Admittedly, there were a few write-ups that liked the cast and thought the film’s message was well-intentioned. Unfortunately, most called it a formulaic affair with a by-the-numbers script that didn’t offer the performers anything particularly funny to work with. The movie stars Jennifer Lopez, Leah Remini, Vanessa Hudgens, Treat Williams and Milo Ventimiglia.
Stan & Ollie – The lives of famous silent film comedians Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy are captured in this dramatic biopic that focuses on their later years as they try to revitalize their careers. While heading out on a tour of the UK, old issues between the actors surface and come to the forefront. Critics generally thought that the film was excellent. A lone voice or two critiqued the movie for focusing on a more negative and tension-filled chapter in their lives. Still, most thought the two lead performances were exceptional and stated that the screenplay did a superb job at showing the trials and difficulties between two men simply known for making the world laugh. It stars Steve Coogan, John C. Reilly, Shirley Henderon, Nina Arianda, Rufus Jones and Danny Huston.
Untogether – This independent drama/comedy details the lives of two couples living in Los Angeles. The first are a doctor and a self-destructive writer who have a one night stand that turns into something more complex and difficult to navigate. In the meantime, the writer’s sister takes up religion as a means of dealing with her boyfriend, a musician who has given up his career to be with her. The press weren’t all that taken with this effort. A small group appreciated the darker approach and thought that there were some truthful observations within the story. Yet the majority had difficulty relating to it, and thought the shifting tones didn’t quite gel together. The cast includes Jamie Dornan, Lola Kirke, Jemima Kirke, Ben Mehdelsohn, Billy Crystal and Jennifer Grey.
The World Before Your Feet – The focus of this documentary is Matt Green, a man who quit his job as a successful engineer to spend the next six years of his life walking every single block of New York City. In order to make his unique dream come true, Green gives up his apartment and possessions, lives on couches, and sustains himself on a budget $15 dollars a day. Reviews for this non-fiction feature have been very strong. In general, the comments were that it was incredible to watch a man give up everything in his life for a very personal sort of pilgrimage. They found that the subject’s actions and thoughts made for a curious and fascinating trip.
Blasts from the Past!
This is a staggeringly busy edition for older titles getting high definition upgrades. Arrow Video are releasing a box set called Blood Hunger: The Films of Jose Larraz (1970 – 1978). It contains three… well… kinda trashy thrillers from a Spanish director. The films included are Whirlpool (1970), Vampyres (1974) and The Coming of Sin (1978). They all arrive newly restored in 2K transfers using the original film elements. Of course, besides the great image quality, the release includes an incredible wealth of extras. Just some of those listed are commentaries and an analysis from various horror film experts, talks with contemporaries of the man and his productions, archival interviews with the director, a short made by a student of Larraz under the filmmaker’s tutelage, and publicity materials.
MVD have a triple feature collection called Nemesis: Sequel Trilogy (1995 – 1996). This series is about a world filled with cyborgs and a war that breaks out between the artificial intelligence and humanity. The 1992 Oliver Gruner sci-fi B-movie original was successful enough to warrant these made-for-video follow-ups, although none feature Gruner himself. The titles include Nemesis 2: Nebula (1995), Nemesis 3: Time Lapse (1997) and Nemesis 4: Cry of Angels aka Death Angel (1997). They’re being presented here for the first time on Blu-ray and the set comes with a series of interviews with director Albert Pyun, who helmed all of the flicks.
Sony are starting to make some of their harder to find titles more readily available on Blu-ray. This week, they’re putting out the Michael Keaton comedy Multiplicity (1996) in high definition. It’s a really funny feature about a man who can’t deal with his overstuffed life and secretly has an exact clone of himself made in order to help him. Things soon get out of hand when the copy develops its own personality and wants… and then, even more clones start appearing at the door. Harold Ramis (National Lampoon’s Vacation, Groundhog Day) directed this one and it’s worth checking out if you haven’t seen it.
Sony have another Michael Keaton comedy to offer on Blu-ray with The Squeeze (1987). This film is about an eccentric artist who witnesses a murder, along with a woman serving him a court summons. The event leaves the two on the run and being pursued by killers. The studio are also putting out a Blu-ray of the well-regarded Russia-set drama, White Nights (1985). It stars Gregory Hines and Mikhail Baryshnikov. It involves a dancer living in the USSR who decides to help another performer escape and start a new life abroad.
Kino have a stack of new titles as well. First, they’re offering a Blu-ray of the Clint Eastwood Spaghetti western sequel, For a Few Dollars More (1965). This Special Edition arrives with a new, 2018 4K restoration of the film, a recently recorded film historian audio commentary, a new, on-location featurette about the movie. Not only that, but the release includes a previously released film historian commentary, several featurettes, newly discovered promotional materials, trailers and more.
The distributor also have the well-regarded and lengthy Lee Marvin drama, The Iceman Cometh (1973). This disc includes new 2K restortations of both the 3-hour and 4-hour versions of the movie, as well as other bonuses. As if that isn’t enough, 3D fans can now pick up Jivaro 3D (1954) on Blu-ray. It’s a goofy jungle adventure flick shot in the eye-popping format, and the disc includes an audio commentary, an analysis of the 3D stereoscopic technique, an original theatrical trailer and other trailers for more titles from Kino.
The next one here is something of a personal favorite. Kingdom of the Spiders (1977) is an exceptionally goofy and entertaining eco-disaster movie about a town overrun with killer spiders. It stars William Shatner as a veterinarian who’s just getting over the death of his brother. When cattle and locals start appearing dead and covered in spider bites, the hero teams up with an entomologist and the pair attempt to stop the threat. Of course, he also tries romancing her amidst the carnage. It is a B-movie blast and Shatner is extremely entertaining in it. This release includes a commentary with the director, producer and the co-star playing the entomologist as well as an interview with the performer. I will be picking this Blu-ray up.
Additionally, Kino have Special Edition Blu-rays of several Bing Crosby/Bob Hope comedies. They includes Road to Morocco (1942), Road to Singapore (1940) and Road to Utopia (1946). All appear to arrive with film historian commentaries and come with clips and promotional materials featuring the stars. The distributor also has the Robert Stack/Rock Hudson drama, The Tarnished Angels (1957) arriving in high definition.
And yes, Shout! Factory have some notable Blu-rays too. The Body Snatcher (1945) is an effective Boris Karloff creeper. This period effort from producer Val Lewton (who helped get Cat People and I Walked with a Zombie made) is about a scientist willing to do anything to get more cadavers on his table for experiments. The disc comes with a new 4K scan of the original camera negative, a new documentary, an informative commentary with a film historian and director Robert Wise (The Day the Earth Stood Still, West Side Story), a documentary on Lewton and multiple still galleries. They also have a Blu-ray of the Neil Simon comedy, Brighton Beach Memoirs (1986). It arrives with a theatrical trailer included.
And you won’t want to miss The Street Fighter Collection (1974) Blu-ray box set. This release contains all three films in the Street Fighter martial arts series that stars Sonny Chiba. If you haven’t seen these cult flicks, they’re an absolute blast. Chiba breaks skulls with his fists and takes down all sorts of bad guys. All three flicks are presented in their uncut editions and have been given new 2K scans as well as multiple audio tracks and dubs. You’ll also get interviews with Chiba and all sorts of publicity materials relating to the movies. It should be a great set. And remember kids, “Do not ever let anyone beat you!”
And Shout! are also bringing a Blu-ray of the thriller, Warning Sign (1985). The cast includes Sam Waterston, Kathleen Quinlan and Yaphet Kotto. It’s about a dangerous bio-weapon that is released into a research facility and causes chaos during a lockdown. I haven’t seen this one in a long, long time but it has a great cast, which makes me curious to revisit it. The disc itself comes with new interviews with both the director/co-writer and producer, a commentary with the filmmaker and trailers/TV spots.
“Sometimes dead is better.” If you enjoy suspense and horror, then you’ll also be happy to learn that Paramount are releasing an Anniversary Edition of Pet Sematary (1989) on Blu-ray (which seems timed to coincide with the release of the forthcoming remake). The Stephen King adaptation arrives with a new 4K transfer. Contents include with a new interview with director Mary Lambert, filmmaker commentary, featurettes on the production, never-before-seen storyboards and other images, and a look back at the movie with the cast of the 2019 version.
And there’s more. Criterion have a Blu-ray arriving of the comedy, I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978). This early feature from Robert Zemekis (Back to the Future, Who Framed Roger Rabbit?) is about a group of desperate teens determined to see The Beatles as they make their US debut on the Ed Sullivan Show. Wackiness ensues as they try to get themselves into the studio. The flick features 17 original Beatles tunes on its soundtrack. This disc includes a new 4K digital restoration approved by director Zemekis and producer Bob Gale, a conversation with the pair and executive producer Steven Spielberg, interviews with cast members, an audio commentary from Zemekis and Gale recorded in 2004, two early short films from the director, as well as the trailer and radio spots.
They also have Japón (2002). The drama is about a suicidal man from Mexico City who travels to the wilderness to finish the job, but who meets and befriends a quirky village woman. Their relationship begins to change his perspective. The Blu-ray includes a 2K digital restoration, a new conversation with the filmmaker and a short film by the figure, a video diary shot by one of the cast members during production, a deleted scene and the trailer.
Finally, Warner Archive are putting out a Blu-ray of Doris Day romantic comedy, The Glass Bottom Boat (1966).
You Know, For Kids!
Here are some new titles that children may enjoy.
Dragons: Race to the Edge: Seasons 5 & 6
Power Rangers: Ninpuu Sentai Hurricaneger – The Complete Series
On the Tube!
And these are the week’s TV-themed releases.
Legion: Season 2
Midnight, Texas: Season 2
NATURE: Equus: Story of a Horse (PBS)
NOVA: Pluto and Beyond (PBS)
Power Rangers: Ninpuu Sentai Hurricaneger – The Complete Series
Victoria and Albert: The Wedding (PBS)