Welcome once again to this week’s rundown of all (or at the very least, most) that is new on home video. If you want to read a more detailed review of one of the titles in question, remember to click on the link. So if you can’t make it out to the movies this week, be sure and give one of these flicks a try!
Big New Releases!
Cuban Fury – Oddly enough, this reviewer went to a preview screening of this comedy, only to receive word that its local theatrical release had been pulled. The story follows a large, shy, introverted businessman who hides a childhood secret – as a boy, he was a champion salsa dancer. When the hero develops a crush on a new employee learning the dance, he pulls out his old dancing shoes and attempts to woo her affections away from a sleazy co-worker. Nick Frost, Rashida Jones, Chris O’Dowd and Ian McShane star. The press were split on the film with many suggesting that it doesn’t take advantage of its premise. Indeed, from a personal perspective, it’s a sweet movie, but one that takes far too long to find its feet. At least the flick does hit its stride in the final third, when the competition between the hero and antagonist finally reaches some outrageous heights (including an absurd parking lot dance off). In truth, it’s a fluffy piece that will probably play much better at home than it did in theaters.
Dragonwolf – The description of this English-language martial arts movie from Thailand describes two figures from a criminal background who fall for the same woman – naturally, they engage in a series of battles to win her honor. It’s coming straight to home video and there are no reviews yet. However, word online suggests that besides the decent fight choreography, it’s a howler, featuring bizarre dialogue and awkward, wooden line readings from the cast.
Finding Vivian Maier – The life story of a famed photographer is profiled in this documentary. It follows the filmmakers as they unearth over 100,000 striking “street life” images from the 60’s and attempt to shed light on both the work and personal history of the nanny(!) who took them. The movie was highly praised by critics, who found the effort fascinating. They stated that even if the film struggles to present a clear portrait of its subject matter, it’s worth seeing just to get a gander at the incredible photos. It definitely sounds like a doc worth checking out.
The French Minister – This French film tells the story of a young, officious speechwriter who is given a position working for the country’s Minister of Foreign Affairs. Despite butting heads with his employer, the young man gets a crash course in maintaining political relationships under stressful circumstances. More reviewers were positive than negative about the feature. Although some suggested that the low-key humor didn’t translate very well to English language audiences and found it too episodic, others defended the feature as an interesting satire that offered a sizable number of chuckles.
Lullaby – A man returns to New York to visit his estranged family after learning that his terminally ill dad has decided to take himself off of life support. Of course, this leads to some raw reintroductions with relatives and acquaintances. Unfortunately, this independent drama didn’t receive positive notices, with most critics finding it overly sentimental and clichéd. It features a notable cast that includes Amy Adams, Garrett Hedlund, Jessica Brown Findlay, Terrence Howard, Jennifer Hudson, Anne Archer and Richard Jenkins.
Noah – Director Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan, The Wrestler) brings his hugely budgeted Biblical epic to the small screen this week. It depicts his grandiose take on the shipbuilder and his attempts to save his family and multiple species from a devastating flood. It stars Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Anthony Hopkins, Ray Winstone and Emma Watson. For the most part, the press acknowledged it as worthwhile for its impressive visuals and the excellent work of the cast. They also admitted, however, that the end product was also a bit hokey and overlong.
The Other Woman – This comedy was a surprise hit this spring, and tells the tale of a trio of woman who teas up to take down the nasty guy who is three-timing them. While it may have been a huge success, reviewers uniformly took the movie to task for its weak screenplay, that forces its talented cast to deliver lame and predictable slapstick and scatological gags. The movie features Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Kate Upton. Obviously, audiences felt different. Those who want to know more can read the site’s original full length review right here.
The Protector 2 – Apparently, audiences who purchase the Blu-ray of this Thai martial arts sequel will be able to enjoy the film in both 2D and 3D. Tony Jaa returns to the role that made him a star nearly 10 years ago. This time out, he’s on the run after being set up for the murder of an elephant camp owner. The protagonist must find the parties responsible and survive attacks from the deceased’s vengeful nieces. Critics slammed this sequel, calling the action good but the story dull and predictable. For those interested, this flick also features RZA in a supporting role.
Blasts From the Past!
Wow! The great new reissues coming to Blu-ray never seem to end. It’s another busy week with some great titles, including a couple of pricey but absolutely fantastic box sets. Here are the highlights.
Twin Peaks (1990-1991) is one of the most important and influential series to ever air on network televisions. Back in the day, sitcoms like The Cosby Show and Cheers reigned supreme on TV. It was truly unusual at the time to see a renowned filmmaker develop a TV drama, but director David Lynch (Blue Velvet, The Elephant Man) did more than bring a quirky and entertaining show to air. It set a new standard for what a series could do and be on air. Even if it leaves many unanswered questions, just witnessing the lives of some very unique characters is not only entertaining, but strangely hypnotic. Watch it alongside any other series of the era and you’ll see very quickly how truly spectacular it was.
So, my personal pick this week has to be the Twin Peaks: The Entire Mystery Blu-ray. It’s the definitive set of all things Twin Peaksthat comes with a wealth of extras both new and old. In fact, there’s too much to go through right here. It features all two seasons of the original series re-mastered for Blu-ray and looking incredible – they even include newly restored Log Lady introductions. It includes the international version of the pilot which features a solution to the murder. And yet, that’s not all! The feature film prequel, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992) is also part of the set and making its debut on Blu-ray. The most exciting aspect is the inclusion of 90 minutes of footage cut from the final film – there have been rampant rumors about all sorts of wackiness contained within. Finally, we’ll all get the chance to see it. Add more deleted scenes and outtakes from the series, and you’ve got a must-own Blu-ray set.
If you’ve still got (a lot of) money in your pocket, you’ll probably be impressed by Shout! Factory’s box set, Herzog: The Collection. The Blu-ray package contains 16 of the directors films (including both fiction and documentary titles – most notably, Nosferatu: The Vampire, Fitzcarraldo and My Best Fiend) with multiple extras and audio commentaries.
Criterion has an impressive Blu-ray of the drama The Big Chill (1983). It involves a group of university chums who reunite for the funeral of a school pal. They discuss and ponder their lives while dealing with the shock of losing a friend. While the subject matter may seem commonplace today, there weren’t many movies like this back in the day and this effort remains one of the stronger. The Blu-ray features a new transfer, deleted scenes, documentary and a new reunion between the cast members (Tom Berenger, Glenn Close, Kevin Kline, Mary Kay Place, Meg Tilly and JoBeth Williams) among other extras.
Fans of low budget B-movie horror may be interested in Synapse’s Blu-ray release of Curtains (also from 1983). The plot involves a group of actress who arrive at a mansion casting call for a slasher movie. They soon find themselves the target of a killer in a pale, old woman mask. John Vernon and Samantha Eggar headline the cast, and the disc features two commentaries and a retrospective. Horror fans may want to give it a look.
Finally, Kino is releasing an interesting number of Blu0ray titles, including two that feature Sidney Poitier. Poitier stars with James Garner in the western Duel at Diablo (1966) and teams with Paul Newman as jazz musicians in Paris Blues (1961). Kino also has two more noteworthy releases worth mentioning. Rita Hayworth leads a cast including David Niven and Burt Lancaster in the romantic drama Separate Tables (1958). Last but not least is the Oscar-winning Marty (1955) with Ernest Borgnine.
You Know, For Kids!
Here are some highlights of what’s new for little tykes.
Adventure Time: Princess Day
Babar & The Adventures of Badou: Gone Wild
Bubble Guppies: Get Ready for School
Dragons: Gift of the Night Fury
Dr. Slump Original Movie Collection (Films 1-5)
My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic: The Keys of Friendship
Teen Titans Go: Couch Crusaders Season 1, Part 2
On the Tube!
Once again, it’s an incredible to see Twin Peaks newly re-mastered. In honor of its release, here’s an online clip of an interview from Late Night with David Letterman, circa 1991. It features director David Lynch pleading with viewers to help save the show by writing to the network. Of course, in the end it didn’t work, but it’s a great interview regardless.
The Eagle – A Crime Odyssey: Season 1
Frontline: United States of Secrets
Kingdom of the Apes (National Geographic)
Midsomer Murders: Set 24
Mystery Science Theater 3000: XXX
Secret State (Channel 4 Television Mini-Series from the UK)
Shark Week: Predator of the Deep
Twin Peaks: The Entire Mystery