Greetings once again for a roundup of the week’s highlights on Blu-ray and DVD. As always, there’s an interesting mix with some big and small films vying for your entertainment dollar. And be sure to click on any links to read a full review of the title being summarized. 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!
Cell Count – This low-budget indie horror flick boasts a poster that makes it look like a lost title from the 70s, but don’t be fooled. It is a recent production that follows a man who admits his wife into an experimental psychiatric facility. Once there, she finds that the treatment may be even more dangerous than her condition. The movie hasn’t received any reviews as of yet, so genre fans will just have to take a chance if they’re interested.
Digging Up the Marrow – Horror director Adam Green (Hatchet, Frozen) uses a faux-documentary approach in this independent effort about a man who claims that the monsters of our nightmares are real. Critics were split on this chiller – they suggested that this tribute to the terror genre was too strange and slight for some, most horror aficionados would understand, appreciate and enjoy the tact taken. Sounds like it could be fun. The movie stars its director, as well as Ray Wise, Kane Hodder and genre directors Mick Garris, Tom Holland and Don Coscarelli.
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies – The final chapter in the fantasy epic finishes off the dragon storyline established in the last film and depicts a final battle between… well, five armies. As with the other films, it’s all magnificent to witness, but reviews were only slightly more positive than negative. Many found it fun and grandiose, but for more than a few weariness had set in, writing that it was repetitive and that the conclusion didn’t make a big emotional impact. It stars Martin Freeman, Ian McKellan, Orlando Bloom, Luke Evans and Evangeline Lilly. For a full review, click here.
Into the Woods – This Oscar-nominated musical mixes and mashes up characters from various Brothers Grimm fairy tales including Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk and Little Red Riding Hood. The press gave it mixed but generally decent notices. While most enjoyed the songs and themes in the first half of the film, some disliked the second half. Those who claimed it fell short wrote that in simplifying the stage version, several characters vanished and that the issues raised became jumbled. Now viewers can decide for themselves. Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, James Corden, Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine and Johnny Depp headline the cast.
Liars, Fires and Bears – A young girl runs away from her foster family to find her long lost brother in this independent comedy/drama. She befriends and gets a lift from a drunk thirty-something on the run. Shot in 2012, it has only played small festivals, so there isn’t much other info available about the movie. If you want to give it a chance, it stars Megli Micek and Lundon Boyd.
Song One – Following in the footsteps of Once and Begin Again, this romantic comedy is set within the world of modern folk-music musicians. When an artist is seriously injured, his sister takes his notebook of lyrics to inspire her life. She crosses paths and falls for her brother’s musical idol. The press weren’t especially enamored, commenting that the cast can’t overcome this sweet but generic and precious effort. Anne Hathaway, Johnny Flynn and Mary Steenburgen star.
Unbroken – The true-story of Olympian and war hero Louis Zamperini is translated in this effort from director Angelina Jolie. After his plane crashes, he must survive on a raft at sea and then endure a brutal prisoner-of-war camp. Reaction was split for this biopic. While all felt that the man himself deserved great praise, many felt that the final film didn’t give enough insight into the person or his struggles – in the process, it left the whole film feeling like a capable but unmoving biography that tries too hard. It features Jack O’Connell, Domhnall Gleeson, Garrett Hedlund and Takamasa Ishihara.
Blasts From the Past!
Olive Films have a slew of interesting new titles debuting on Blu-ray. Thriller fans may want to check out Best Seller (1987), starring James Woods and Brain Dennehy. It’s about a crime novelist with writer’s block who befriends a hit man hoping for a book collaboration. They’ve also got the Gary Oldman drama Chattahoochie (1989). Set in the 50s and based on a true story, it depicts the ordeal of a man who was incarcerated at one of the most severe and cruel mental health institutions in the US.
But that’s not all. Convicts (1991) features Robert Duvall, Lucas Haas and James Earl Jones and is a drama that follows the title characters as they struggle with horrible conditions while working a southern farm. Acclaimed German director Wim Wender’s Hollywood set drama The End of Violence (1997) is also seeing a Blu-ray release. Bill Pullman and Andie MacDowell headline this effort. Robert Altman enthusiasts will be excited to see the director’s Vincent Van Gogh biopic, Vincent & Theo (1990), hitting hi-def as well. The drama stars Tim Roth as the famed Post-impressionist painter.
Finally, Olive Film are bringing John Ford: Dreaming The Quiet Man (Olive) – aka Dreaming The Quiet Man to Blu-ray and DVD for the first time. It’s a 2010 documentary about the John Wayne classic, and features interviews with famous filmmakers and actors who debate the cinematic value of the popular title.
In celebration of its 30th anniversary, Shout! Factory is introducing the romantic comedy The Sure Thing (1985) to Blu-ray. It’s a very well-regarded teen road trip movie that pairs two bickering college students as they attempt to make their way from New England to Los Angeles. The movie features stand-out performances from John Cusack and Daphne Zuniga and critics praised the witty banter between the leads. This new release includes a commentary track with director Rob Reiner, as well as several short documentaries on its production.
Those who enjoy documentaries can now see three of Errol Morris’s earliest efforts thanks to Criterion. The first release is a double feature that includes Gates of Heaven (1978) and Vernon, Florida (1981). One details the happenings at a pet cemetery, the other captures the eccentric residents of a small town. These were the filmmaker’s first documentaries, and the new Blu-ray features restorations of the film, a couple of interviews and a fascinating 1980 short, Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe. It pretty much must be seen to be believed, and Herzog himself is also on the extras expressing his admiration for these features.
Morris’s next film came several years later, but it was worth the wait. The Thin Blue Line (1988) garnered great acclaim for its portrayal of a man jailed for a murder he did not commit. This movie was so powerful that his conviction was overturned after its release. In addition to an impressive new restoration, the Blu-ray contains filmmaker interviews and news clips from the late 80s about the film’s dramatic impact on the real case.
For those with a flair for B-movies, Grindhouse is once again listing a couple of Blu-rays that were previously listed and did not arrive. So keep checking, as they may be delayed again. They include the gore-soaked Lucio Fulci flick The Beyond (1981) and Gone With the Pope (1976 & 2010). Curiously enough, Pope is an earlier film from the late star/director of Massacre Mafia Style (1978) aka Like Father, Like Son. It was shot in 1976, but the movie sat in a vault uncompleted until it was discovered and pieced together in 2010. Those who enjoyed Massacre will probably get a kick out of this campy “lost” crime film.
Kino Lorber have a couple of classic titles arriving on Blu-ray as well. At War with the Army (1950) is a goofy Dean Martin/Jerry Lewis comedy that sees the pair cause chaos at a training camp. It’s one of the earliest films from the pair. Cover Up (1949) is a thriller about an insurance agent investigating an apparent suicide. He soon discovers that the town is hiding secrets about what happened.
Finally, Gorgon Video has a Blu-ray/DVD combo of two exploitation flicks from Arthur Marks, the director of the cult classic Detroit 9000. This disc includes The Roommates (1973) and A Woman for All Men (1975), two thrillers that feature beautiful babes and murder! Reportedly, The Roommates is the stronger of the two flicks.
You Know, For Kids!
Here are the highlights of what is being made available for youngsters.
Marvel Knights: Wolverine Versus Sabertooth – Reborn
Monster High: Haunted
Pokemon – BW Adventures in Unova and Beyond: Set 2
Sid the Science Kid – Encyclopedia of Discovery
On the Tube!
It’s a quiet week, but there are a couple of notable titles featuring Brits, including Mr. Bean as well as the Stephen Merchant HBO comedy series, Hello Ladies. The latter features star Merchant as a man trying to woo women in Los Angeles and failing miserably. You can check out a clip below.
Further down on a completely different tact, we have the opening for The Donna Reed Show, a sitcom that ran from 1958-1966. It followed the humorous, Leave It to Beaver-esque escapes of a very, very, very, very, very, very tight-knit family. But what really happens after the husband and children leave for work and school? What dark secrets is Donna hiding? None, one assumes, but at least she looks happy to be rid of them for the day.
1066: The Battle for Middle Earth (TV mini-series – UK)
Bukow & Konig: Set 1
The Donna Reed Show: Season 2
Hello Ladies: Season 1
Mr. Bean – The Whole Bean: Remastered 25th Anniversary
Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume XXXII
Nova: Sinkholes – Buried Alive (PBS)
Nova: Sunken Ship Rescue (PBS)
Street Outlaws: Season 1
Underworld Inc. (National Geographic)