Hello again! It’s time for our highlights of new DVD and Blu-ray releases. There are a couple of big releases and some very good small ones too – remember to click on any links to read more. 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!
Crazy About Tiffany’s – This officially authorized documentary chronicles the famous New York City jewel company from its origins in 1837 to present day. Critics were not crazy about the final product, calling the movie shallow and essentially an extended infomercial for the brand and its expensive products. Some also felt that several of the wealthy interview subjects appeared snooty and found it all difficult to relate to.
Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead: The Story of National Lampoon – The history of the famous satirical magazine National Lampoon is captured in this documentary that features never-before-seen footage and revealing interviews with just about every person involved (who is still living). Viewers discover that life behind the scenes of the publication was just as crazy, if not crazier than the biting material they produced. Critics enjoyed the film, calling it a fascinating expose that features some great stories of the magazine’s rise and fall.
Fifty Shades of Black – The latest comedy from Marlon Wayans spoofs the Fifty Shades of Grey movie as well as other recent releases. The plot involves a bizarre romantic relationship between a college student and a very eccentric businessman. The movie was whipped and beaten by the press. They found the jokes obvious as well as uninspired and suggested the movie being parodied was much funnier than this groan-worthy send-up. It also features Kali Hawk, Jane Seymour, Fred Willard, Mike Epps and Florence Henderson.
The Fool – Known in its homeland as Durak, this Russian film has been described as a modern take on Dostoyevsky. It’s about a plumber who discovers a wall fracture in a tenement that will cause the building to collapse within 24 hours. He sets out to inform the government authorities and residents, but find every effort squashed by bureaucracy. Reviews were very strong at festivals for this drama, calling the feature a blunt but grim and incredibly powerful expose of selfishness and corruption. It stars Artyom Bystrov. Read a full review of the film here.
Ip Man 3 – Donnie Chen returns to play Master Ip in this second sequel to the Chinese action hit. This time out, a gangster moves into town and our hero must help the citizens fight back using Wing Chun martial arts. Reviews were quite strong. While almost all felt that the story was a bit silly, most liked leading man Chen and believed that the fight scenes were not only well choreographed but exciting to watch. The cast of the movie also includes Mike Tyson as a villainous property developer whom the hero must face off against.
The Lady in the Van – Based on a true story, this quirky little British flick involves an eccentric, elderly woman who parks her van in a London driveway and begins to live there. While the owner is initially chagrined, the two form a friendship that lasts over 15 years. Notices were excellent, calling it a quirky, charming and often witty effort that features great performances. Sounds like one definitely worth checking out. It stars Maggie Smith, Alex Jennings, Jim Broadbent, Dominic Cooper and James Corden.
Magical Girl – This unusual thriller is a Spain/France co-production that tells the tale of a father willing to do anything to help his terminally ill daughter. She wants the expensive costume of her favorite anime character and her dad goes to great lengths to raise the money for it. It appears that most write-ups were positive. While they mention that the movie may turn off viewers with its odd mix of melodrama and arty weirdness, many suggested that it becomes strangely compelling. Jose Sacristan and Marina Anduix play the father and daughter.
The Major – From the very same director of The Fool, this equally disturbing drama involves a Russian cop. While racing to the hospital where his wife is giving birth, he accidentally runs down a child. He then struggles with whether to turn himself in and be sent to prison away from his new family, or cover up the crime. As expected, serious complications arise. It also received strong notices from reviewers, praising the grittiness of the piece and the interesting, morally grey characters. Denis Shvedov plays the police officer who is in way over his head.
Misconduct – A lawyer takes on a big pharmaceutical company executive in this suspense picture. Naturally, the case is more complicated than it initially appears, with blackmail coming into play. Despite a star-studded roster, this didn’t get a wide release at theaters, nor did it receive any praise from the press. According to them, the plot is ridiculous and at times incoherent. They also felt the solid cast were wasted and directed to ham it up for the camera. It doesn’t bode well for DVD renters. Josh Duhamel, Al Pacino, Anthony Hopkins, Malin Akerman, Byung-hun Lee and Julia Styles headline the film.
Norm of the North – Well, you might want to think twice about renting this animated family film – it was ignored by audiences and panned by critics. It’s about a polar bear who travels to New York City in order to stop a real estate developer from building in his Artic homeland. While all agreed the message was positive, everyone felt that the movie cribbed from other family hits, the visuals weren’t up to snuff, and the end product was bland and unfunny. Yikes! The voice talent includes Rob Schneider, Heather Graham, Bill Nighy, Gabriel Iglesias, Loretta Devine, Colm Meaney and Ken Jeong.
The Revenant – The big release of the week is this recent Oscar-winning Western that nabbed Best Actor and Best Director honors (although the movie didn’t end up winning the biggest prize from Best Picture). Out in the wilderness with fur trappers, a guide is wounded and left for dead by one of his own. He sets out for revenge and what follows are incredible hardships as he struggles to survive the elements. It has been called a harrowing and well acted piece with incredible long take camera work and striking images. It stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy and Domhnall Gleeson. Read a full length review right here.
Sex Ed – A teacher attempts to start an after school sex ed program for his inner city teenage students in this comedy. Unfortunately, he doesn’t possess much in the way of experience himself, leading to some awkward lessons. Reviews were mixed-negative for the film. Some found it to be slight but engaging enough thanks to the work of the lead actor. However, others claimed it became too dull and predictable when it attempted to work in a positive message. The cast includes Haley Joel Osment, Abby Elliott, Glenn Powell, Laura Harring, Retta and Matt Walsh.
Unlikely Heroes – Also known as Schweizer Helden, this Swiss comedy/drama involves a lonely middle-aged woman suffering from a mid-life crisis. She teams with a group of eccentrics in the mountains over the Christmas holidays to put on a performance of William Tell. This sweet-natured effort has only played at film festivals thus far, so there hasn’t been much analysis yet on the movie. Esther Gemsch and Karim Rahoma headline the feature.
What Lola Wants – This low-budget drama involves a seventeen year old who runs away and leaves those behind to think that she has been kidnapped. While on the road, she and a young man fall for each other. But will he turn her in for a reward or join in her adventures? And if he does, what’s to stop others from thinking he’s her captor? There aren’t many reviews for this one, so if you’re interested you’ll just have to take a leap of faith. Sophie Lowe, Beau Knapp and Charles S. Dutton are featured.
Blasts From the Past!
Okay, folks. This week marks the busiest in some time for catalog titles and Olive Films have several noteworthy Blu-rays. Betrayed (1988) is a thriller with Debra Winger as an FBI agent who goes undercover within a white supremacist group to root out a killer. Trouble occurs when the heroine begins to fall for the main suspect, played by Tom Berenger. Fans of director Samuel Fuller (Shock Corridor) will be happy to see one of his most obscure and hard-to-get titles arriving in high definition. Dead Pigeon on Beethoven Street (1973) is a crime picture about a PI infiltrating an international crime ring. You can read all about it right here.
Fatal Beauty (1987) is an action/comedy starring Whoopi Goldberg as a Los Angeles narcotics agent out to stop a new drug from hitting the streets. She specialty includes using various disguises to get information. As mentioned previously, foreign cinema fans may want to check out a couple of interesting Russian films by Yuriy Bykov. They include The Fool (2014) aka Durak as well as The Major (2013) aka Mayor. You can read more about The Fool right here.
On a completely different tact, Sibling Rivalry (1990) is a comedy starring Kirstie Alley as a woman who has an affair – complications arise when the man dies, leaving her to cover her tracks before anyone finds out. You can read a full review of the disc by clicking here.
And there’s more. Those with a taste for film-noir can now purchase the well regarded Try and Get Me! (1950) aka The Sound of Fury. It stars Frank Lovejoy as a family man who can’t catch a break. When he teams up with a bank robber (played by Lloyd Bridges), events take an even more severe turn for the worse. As mentioned previously, Olive Films are also distributing the Swiss comedy/drama Unlikely Heroes (2014) aka Schweizer Helden.
And finally, Olive are also releasing the comedy Uptown Girls (2003), about a childish young woman who takes a job as a nanny – it stars Brittany Murphy and Dakota Fanning. What’s the Worst That Could Happen? (2001) features Martin Lawrence and Danny DeVito in a comedy about a thief who loses his ring during a break-in and the over-the-top efforts of the home owner to keep the lost item in his possession.
Mill Creek Entertainment have a budget Blu-ray with the moniker Spaghetti Western Double Feature. It includes two lesser known titles that will still appeal to fans. Fort Yuma Gold (1966) aka For a Few Extra Dollars and Damned Hot Day of Fire (1968). Man, I can’t speak for the film itself, but is that a great pulpy western title or what?
Shout! Factory also have a big cult release coming to Blu-ray in a 2 disc special edition. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986) was dismissed during its original run, but it has developed a large fan base over the years (heck, I’d even fall into this category). Completely and utterly different from the disturbing original, the follow-up is a satire that emphases bizarre humor as much as horror.
The cannibal clan from the first film have hit the road and are successful businessmen with their amazing chili dishes – just don’t ask what they’re made of. When the certifiably insane uncle (played by Dennis Hopper) of one the original film’s victim arrives for revenge, it results in an over-the-top showdown. The Blu-ray includes a new HD scan of the film, a new crew audio commentary, two previously released commentaries, one with director Tobe Hooper and the other with the cast. But that’s not all, there’s also new extended outtakes and behind-the-scenes footage, an alternate opening, deleted scenes (which are so remarkably elaborate it’s a wonder they didn’t make it into the feature), new interviews with crew members, a new feature-length documentary on the movie and many more extras. It’s truly the ultimate edition of this midnight flick.
They’ve also got a Double feature that contains the titles Grayeagle (1977) and Winterhawk (1975). The disc comes with trailers.
Kino also have some Blu-rays worth mentioning. Their titles include The File of the Golden Goose (1969) with Yul Brenner and the Robert Ludlum thriller The Holcroft Covenant (1985) with features Michael Caine. Additionally, there’s the teen comedy/romance Miracle Beach (1992) about a young man on the beach who encounters a genie-in-a-bottle. The cast includes Ami Dolenz, Pat Morita, Martin Mull and Vincent Schiavelli. They’ve also got the B-movie thriller Panic in Year Zero (1962) which stars Ray Milland as a family many trying to help his clan survive after a nuclear blast takes out the country. Finally, Ulee’s Gold (1997) is an Oscar-nominated drama with Peter Fonda as a reclusive beekeeper.
Criterion are putting out A Whit Stillman Trilogy on Blu-ray. They include Metropolitan (1990), Barcelona(1994) and The Last Days of Disco (1998). As expected, the movies come with so many extras that it’s difficult to keep track of. Rest assured that fans of the director will be pleased with the new restored transfers and bonuses (audio commentaries, alternates scenes, interview, a film critic analysis of the features and so much more). Each title can also be purchased separately.
The foreign film Antonia’s Line (1995) is also being released on Blu-ray. Film Movement are distributing. This feature from The Netherlands won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and tells the tale of a woman who establishes a matriarchal community.
Arrow have a couple of interesting Blu-rays as well. Outlaw Gangster VIP: The Complete Collection is a limited edition six film set containing all the Japanese titles in the Outlaw yakuza series. That’s Gangster VIP (1968), Gangster VIP 2 (1968), Heartless (1968), Goro the Assassin (1968), Black Dagger (1968), and Kill! (1969). It also includes tons of bonuses. Arrow also have The Stuff (1985), a goofy little oddity from Larry Cohen (It’s Alive, Q: The Winged Serpent) with Michael Moriarty and Garrett Morris about a deadly ice cream that turns consumers into monsters after they eat it. The disc comes with a new scan of the title and documentary on the film and well as publicity materials.
Warner Archive have a nice new Blu-ray of the Debbie Reynolds comedy Susan Slept Here (1954). Universal have some classics as well in a new Blu-ray set. The Rock Hudson/Doris Day Romantic Comedy Collection includes several titles that feature the pair. They include Pillow Talk (1959), Lover Come Back (1961) and Send Me No Flowers (1964).
You Know, For Kids!
Here’s are the week’s family-related releases.
Albert: Up, Up and Away
Bubble Guppies/Paw Patrol: Drive in and Roll Out (Nickelodeon)
Doozers: Catch a Ride
Goldie & Bear: Best Fairytale Friends (Disney)
Norm of the North
On the Tube!
And here are the TV-show highlights coming your way. Included below are some trailers for some Blasts From the Past! releases. Enjoy!
American Experience: Space Men (PBS)
And Then There Were None (Agetha Christie UK miniseries)
Doghouse: The Complete Series
Dominion Creek (4 Episode TV series)
Haven: The Final Season
The Human Face of Big Data (PBS)
Little House on the Prairie: Season 9
Pretty Little Liars: Season 6
Silicon Valley: The Complete 2nd Season
Top Gear: The Complete Season 22
Veep: Season 4