It’s time for another look at highlights coming your way on Blu-ray and DVD. Once again, you can click on any links to read additional details about some of the films. As always, there’s some interesting stuff arriving. 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!
The Damned: Don’t You Wish That We Were Dead – The earliest British punk band get a documentary chronicling their careers from early days in 1976 to the present. It also includes clips from musicians inspired by the group, including Fred Armisen, David Gahan, Chrissie Hynde and Lemmy. There haven’t been too many write-ups so far, but the ones that have appeared have been positive, calling the end product entertaining and informative.
Dementia – This low-budget horror picture involves a senior who is forced by his family to hire a live-in nurse. Of course, the attendant is hiding secrets of her own and soon torments her employer. Reviews were stronger than average for a genre picture. Most claimed that it wasn’t exactly a fun experience, but that the performances were strong and that the movie effectively conveyed a sense of helplessness on the part of the protagonist. The cast includes Gene Jones, Kristina Klebe and Hassie Harrison.
Dirty Grandpa – A stuffy corporate lawyer about to be married agrees to drive his foul-mouthed grandfather to the site of party town Daytona Beach, Florida. The old codger’s antics soon threaten to destroy the young man’s life. Critics hated the final product, calling it a crude and unfunny gross-out comedy that has nothing to say and wastes the talents of everyone involves. Yeowch! Now viewers can decide for themselves. It stars Robert De Niro, Zach Efron, Julianne Hough, Aubrey Plaza, Dermot Mulroney and Danny Glover.
Kindergarten Cop 2 – Nope, Arnold Schwarzenegger hasn’t returned for this follow-up to the 1990 comedy hit so I wouldn’t get your hopes up. Instead, Dolph Lundgren takes the lead as an FBI agent challenged with finding a hidden data disc. To do so, he is forced to go undercover as a teacher and deal with a pack of rambunctious little kindergarteners. This is a straight-to-DVD title, so there are no reviews as of yet. It features Fiona Vroom, Aleks Paunovic, Sarah Strange and Bill Belamy in supporting roles.
The Program – This biopic from acclaimed director Stephen Frears (My Beautiful Laundrette, The Grifters, High Fidelity, The Queen, Philomena) recreates the rise of Tour de France cyclist Lance Armstrong as well as his downfall after doping charges. Unlike the filmmaker’s other releases, this movie received very mixed notices. While several praised the acting, more than half felt that the script didn’t do much to help viewers understand more about the central character or the motivation for his actions. They called the drama a bit flat. It stars Ben Forster, Chris O’Dowd, Jesse Plemons, Dustin Hoffman and Lee Pace.
Theeb – Set during WWI, this drama from Jordan follows a British soldier who is led on a dangerous trek across the desert by a Bedouin boy. It was nominated for Best Foreign-Language Film at last year’s Academy Awards. Naturally, it received raves from the press. They called it a powerful and affecting coming-of-age tale bolstered by a phenomenal performance from its young lead. Sounds like one to check out. The cast includes Jacir Eid Al-Hwietat and Jack Fox as the traveling pair.
The Witch – This creepy little independent horror picture involves a family in the 1630s living in the wilderness. The unit begins to slowly break down after a series of unusual and disturbing incidents befalls them. Critics were quite positive about the movie. While they all warned that it was an acquired taste, a great many found the tone eerie and atmospheric, slowly and effectively building to a boiling-over point. It features Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie and Harvey Schrimshaw. To read a full review of the movie, click here.
Blasts From the Past!
Shout! Factory are bringing a B-movie classic to Blu-ray… which shouldn’t be a shock as that’s pretty much what they do in general. I Saw What You Did (1965) is from William Castle (13 Ghosts, House on Haunted Hill, The Tingler, Homicidal) and follows a pair of teenage girls who make crank calls to the neighborhood using the above phrase. They learn to regret it when they talk to a deranged individual who has just committed a murder. It features Joan Crawford. The disc includes a new 2016 digital transfer, a fun advance trailer with Castle, an original trailer and stills.
Kino are also delivering some interesting, out-of-print titles in high-definition. Candy (1968) is a sex-comedy about a high school student who gets into misadventures with the likes of Marlon Brando, Richard Burton, James Coburn, Walter Matthau and Ringo Starr. Amazingly enough, the kinky movie ended up nominated for a Golden Globe. Besides a 2K restoration of the movie, the disc also features an interview with screenwriter Buck Henry and another with a film historian on the flick’s cultural significance. If this floats your boat, Kino also have a double-feature Blu-ray containing the 60s soft-core sexploitation films For Men Only and School For Sex.
Kino also have a Blu-ray of the action picture, Killer Force (1975). This one’s about a heist plot to steal diamonds from a South Africa mine. Its remarkable cast includes Telly Savalas, Peter Fonda, Christopher Lee, Maud Adams and O.J. Simpson. The disc comes with a theatrical trailer.
Finally, the distributor are putting out the trippy Dustin Hoffman comedy, Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me? (1971). This one’s about a songwriter and musician going through a mid-life crisis. It features Dom Deluise, Barbara Harris (who earned an Oscar nomination for her work) and the band Dr. Hook.
Criterion are releasing a Blu-ray of the Japanese drama, The Naked Island (1960). The art film follows a family on a remote island as they go about their daily routine – it features little to no dialogue. It’s not a documentary, but uses many techniques of the genre. This release includes a digital restoration of the movie, video introduction and feature audio commentary from director Kanteo Shindo, a trailer, and new interview with a film scholar as well as a fan of the movie, actor Benicio Del Toro.
Finally, Arrow have a 2 disc set of the low-budget action thriller, Hired to Kill (1990), which includes both a Blu-ray and DVD of the title. The movie stars Brian Thompson, George Kennedy and Oliver Reed. It involves a fashion shoot in South America that turns into adventure when the photographer reveals himself to be a mercenary out to free a rebel leader from prison and leads his models into action. Sounds like it could provide some cheesy laughs. Besides the new director approved feature transfer, the disc has extras like cast and crew interviews, filmmaker audio commentary and publicity materials.
You Know, For Kids!
Hope your kids like the Power Rangers, because that appears to be the only kid-themed release of the week.
Power Rangers: Ninja Sentai Kakuranger: The Complete Series
On the Tube!
And here are some TV releases. Watch below for clips from the ill-advised and short lived series, Cop Rock (1990). From the creator of Hill Street Blues and NYPD Blue, it attempted to merge a police drama with a musical. Yes, this actually happened. It performed disastrously and soon disappeared, so it’s interesting to finally have the morbid pleasure of revisiting it.
Angie Tribeca: Season 1
Carol + 2: The Original Queens of Comedy
Cop Rock: The Complete Series
The Facts of Life: The Final Season
Mr. Selfridge: Season 4
Nova: Rise of the Robots (PBS)
Orange is the New Black: Season 3
Power Rangers: Ninja Sentai Kakuranger: The Complete Series
Xena: Warrior Princess: The Complete Series
Xena: Warrior Princess: Season 6