Welcome once again to this summary of highlights coming your way on Blu-ray and DVD. There’s plenty of stuff both new and old to pique your interest. As always, be sure to click on any links to read more detailed reviews. So if you can’t make it out to the movies this week, be sure and give one of these titles a try.
Big New Releases!
50 to 1 – Cowboys from New Mexico manage to train a horse with a crooked-foot all the way into the Kentucky Derby in this true-life story. Along the way, they must overcome even more personal hardships. Will the little-horse-that-could stage an upset? Based on the plot, he answer seems pretty likely. Reviews were generally mixed/negative for this effort. They stated that the movie’s pacing was very slow and that it overplayed the underdog clichés. Skeet Ulrich, Christian Kane and William DeVane lead the cast.
Accidental Love – This one’s going to take some explaining. Way back in 2008, David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle) started shooting a 28 million dollar black comedy about health care called Nailed. Based on the book Sammy’s Hill by Kristin Gore (Al Gore’s daughter), it featured a woman who accidentally has a nail impaled into her skull and heads to Washington D.C. to shake up the system. Tragically, the film financier went bankrupt before a few final scenes were shot. As a result, the movie sat unfinished for several years. Investors recently took control of the footage and completely reedited everything they had into Accidental Love. Russell has had his name taken off the film and none of the cast seem to want anything to do with it, so this doesn’t bode well for the cobbled-together product. The press hated it, suggesting that this version of the story had been hastily and clumsily pasted together into a more genial comedy. It stars Jessica Biel, Jake Gyllenhaal, Catherine Keener, James Marsden, Bill Hader, Tracy Morgan and James Brolin. The morbidly curious are encouraged to check it out and see if they can find any hint of Russell’s original flick still in there.
The Barber – A detective tracking a serial killer finds his man, but is disheartened to see him walk away from his crimes scot-free. Twenty years later, his son takes up the mantle and attempts to catch and prosecute the killer. This independent suspense flick didn’t thrill critics. While they appreciated the work of the lead performer, they suggested that the story was silly and that the victims do completely absurd things when in danger, making the entire enterprise laughable. Scott Glenn, Chris Coy, Kristin Hager and Stephen Tobolowsky headline.
The Boy Next Door – Here’s another movie that failed to inspire the press. Jennifer Lopez stars in this psychological thriller as a high-school teacher who finds herself in a dangerous relationship with a teenaged neighbor. It becomes especially hazardous when he’s revealed to be a maniac and attempts to turn her life upside down. Reviews were terrible for the film, with most calling it a dopey potboiler that would earn far more unintentional guffaws than actual chills. It also features Ryan Guzman, John Corbett and Kristin Chenoweth.
The Gambler – Continuing the trend, Mark Wahlberg, Brie Larson, Jessica Lange, John Goodman and George Kennedy star in this suspense/drama about an English professor with a betting habit who borrows from a gangster in an effort to pull off a high stakes score. It’s a remake, and more than half of reviewers insisted that it didn’t hold up favorably to the original. They wrote that while it was a good-looking movie, it was hard to relate to the lead character. Apparently, he comes across as too nasty and possesses none of the sinister charm required to make us care about his plight. Now viewers can make up their own minds.
Inherent Vice – Oh my goodness, we actually have a movie that received more positive notice than it did negative (although the people who disliked it really disliked it). This strange 60s era mystery from P.T. Anderson (There Will Be Blood, The Master) follows a drug-addled private investigator. While looking for a missing person, he ends up uncovering a larger conspiracy… or perhaps he’s just imagining it in a haze. Almost all reviews enjoyed the performances and for some they were enough to engage them in the meandering story. For others, it was too jumbled, confusing and frustrating to truly appreciate. The cast includes Joaquin Phoenix, Josh Brolin, Owen Wilson, Reese Witherspoon, Katherine Waterston, Benecio Del Toro and Martin Short. To read a full-length review, just click here.
Paddington – Okay, here’s a sure thing that wowed critics earlier in the year. This British film adapts the beloved children’s character. The live-action tale follows a Peruvian bear as a new arrival in London desperate to find an old acquaintance. Along the way, he ingratiates himself with a family and becomes the target of a nasty taxidermist who wants to stuff him. It’s been called a beautifully shot and charming effort that should appeal to all ages. And it contains a strong message about welcoming immigrants. Ben Whishaw provides the voice of the bear, while Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Jim Broadbent, Nicole Kidman and Peter Capaldi take on the human roles. To read more, check out the site’s detailed review right here.
The Wedding Ringer – A groom with two weeks until his wedding hires a best man from a private company that provides services for the socially awkward. Apparently, conning the bride into thinking he’s the center of attention (I haven’t seen the film, but I’m still not really sure why this is important) also involves casting some fake groomsmen. Reviews were very poor for the comedy. All of the critics stated that the two stars were very funny men, but that they were left with a juvenile script that did little to make the unbelievable concept engaging. It stars Kevin Hart, Josh Gad, Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting, Affion Crockett, Jorge Garcia, Cloris Leachman and Mimi Rogers.
Blasts From the Past!
Olive Films have several interesting releases making their Blu-ray debuts. Harry & Son (1984) is a family drama starring and directed by Paul Newman. He plays a blue collar widower who works as a crane operator and butts heads with his creative writer son. Hollywood Shuffle (1987) is a funny parody of Tinseltown and follows an African-American actor struggling to find roles that don’t portray him in a stereotypical manner. It stars Robert Townsend and Keenan Ivory Wayans. Jodie Foster makes her directing debut and leads the cast of Little Man Tate (1991), a drama about a mother of modest means who learns that her child is a genius – she struggles to provide for him all the opportunities she can. Dianne Wiest, Harry Connick Jr. and David Hyde Pierce also appear.
Also coming to Blu-ray from Olive is the drama Lord of the Flies (1990). It may not stand in as high regard as the 1963 original, but it is a fairly faithful adaptation of the William Golding novel about children who revert to their primal instincts after being stranded on a desert island. Finally, Teachers (1984) is an all-star comedy/drama detailing a particularly stressful week at an Ohio high school. 80s fans will likely have a lot of fun revisiting the title. The film and the Blu-ray has been explored in great depth and interested parties can read all about it right here.
Shout! Factory has a great movie arriving on Blu-ray. In fact, Miami Blues (1990) is a personal favorite among their recent releases and gets a big recommendation. It’s about a nutcase who goes on a crime rampage through Miami after stealing the badge (and teeth) of a local detective. Between playing cop and robbing numerous criminals for his own gain, he gets mixed up with a sweet-natured prostitute. Movies like this often don’t work, but director George Armitage (Hit Man, Grosse Pointe Blank) nails the tone and sets itself apart from other crime films with a quirky sense of humor and an unpredictable edge that permeates through every scene. The Blu-ray features new interviews with stars Alec Baldwin and Jennifer Jason Leigh. It’s one worth picking up and checking out if you get the opportunity.
Also from Shout! Factory is From a Whisper to a Scream (1987) aka The Offspring. This anthology horror film features four ghastly tales about a cursed town in Tennessee. It even features Vincent Price in the wraparound segments. Honestly, I never much cared for this title as a kid, but it has plenty of enthusiasts who will be happy to see it get special treatment. It includes two feature length documentaries – one on the movie and another about independent filmmaking the 70s. There are also two commentary tracks, a trailer and numerous other bonuses.
The Criterion Collection have the crime thriller The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973) from director Peter Yates (Bullitt, The Deep, Krull). The well-reviewed film stars Robert Mitchum, Peter Boyle and Richard Jordan and follows a crook who decides to snitch on his friends in order to avoid jail time. The Blu-ray includes a new high-definition transfer, audio commentary from Yates, still section and essay by critic Kent Jones.
But there’s still more. Kino Lorber are releasing a Blu-ray of the Lee Van Cleef and Warren Oates western Barquero (1970). Also interesting is the iconic trucker movie Convoy (1978). It stars Kris Kristofferson as the leader of a trucker movement to take down a nasty and abusive sheriff played by Ernest Borgnine.
Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974) is a pretty solid buddy picture featuring some great interplay and character work between leads Clint Eastwood and Jeff Bridges. They play a pair of bank robbers on the run from “the man” (in this case, George Kennedy). It also marks the directing debut of Michael Cimino, who would follow it up with the Best Picture winner The Deer Hunter (1978)… and then Razzie Worst Picture winner Heaven’s Gate (1980).
The White Buffalo (1977) is a hard-to-get period action flick. It features Charles Bronson as Wild Bill Hickok teaming up with Will Sampson as Native American, Crazy Horse. Their mission is to stop a rampaging buffalo that is killing all in its wake. It’s a weird, weird movie that probably wouldn’t have existed if Jaws hadn’t been such a big hit a few years earlier. The poster claims that “You won’t believe your eyes!” The press certainly didn’t. In fact, they hated it during its original release and thought that the animatronic creature looked ridiculous. Frankly, I’m quite interested in revisiting this oddity – if nothing else, it should be a really trippy ride.
Also from Kino Lorber is Wild at Heart (1990), David Lynch’s Oscar-nominated tale of a young man and his girlfriend struggling to escape the clutches of her nefarious and overbearing mother. Nicolas Cage, his snakeskin jacket (which is a symbol of his individuality and belief in personal expression, in case you’re wondering), Laura Dern, Diane Ladd, Willem Dafoe, Crispin Glover, Harry Dean Stanton and Isabella Rossellini are just a few of the familiar faces appearing in this memorably wild, weird and surreal opus.
You Know, For Kids!
Here’s what’s coming out this week that smaller fry might be interested in.
Franklin and Friends: Deep Sea Voyage
My Little Pony Tales: The Complete TV Series
Scooby-Doo & Scrappy Doo: Season 1
Wallykazam
On the Tube!
Just in time for Mother’s Day (May 10th, in case you’ve forgotten), Paramount are releasing I Love Lucy!: I Heart Mom Edition. I Love Lucy was a hugely popular sitcom that aired from 1951-1957 and starred the incomparable real-life couple of Lucille Ball and Dezi Arnaz. The DVD includes four “mom-themed” episodes of the classic TV comedy. What it probably doesn’t include are the numerous Philip Morris corporate sponsor commercials that aired during the original broadcasts. Check out all of the puffing below.
And with Season 7 of The Jeffersons coming to Blu-ray, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to display the opening credits and catchy theme song. This program was a very successful spin-off of All in the Family and ran from 1975-1982. Enjoy!
The Almighty Johnsons: Seasons 1-3
American Experience: The Last Days of Viet Nam (PBS)
Brain Games: Season 5
Covert Affairs: Season 5
I Love Lucy!: I Heart Mom Edition
The Jeffersons: Season 7
Ken Burns Presents Cancer/The Emperor of All Maladies (PBS)
Masterpiece: Wolf Hall
The Mentalist: The Complete Series
The Mentalist: Season 7
The Best of Mama’s Family Season 5
My Little Pony Tales: The Complete TV Series
New Tricks: Season 11
Royal Pains: Season 6
Scooby-Doo & Scrappy Doo: Season 1
Suits: Season 4
Twice Born: Stories From the Special Delivery Unit (PBS)
Wire in the Blood: The Complete Series
Wolf Hall (Masterpiece mini-series)
You Can’t Lick Your Elbow (National Geographic)