It’s time for another look at new Blu0ray and DVD releases. Once again, it is an incredibly busy edition with tons of new discs available in a wide variety of genres. Click on any links you see to read more about them. 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!
12 Strong – Based on actual events taking place in Afghanistan after 9/11, this flick follows a group of Special Forces team members and their efforts to fight the Taliban. In this particular mission, they join up with a local warlord to complete their mission. Reaction towards this picture was split. Everyone agreed that the technical skills on display were impressive. About half suggested that the action was tense and the stars were likeable enough to overcome the routine caricatures. Others thought the story and narrative weren’t compelling enough to involve them on an emotional level. It stars Chris Hemsworth, Michael Shannon, Michael Pena, David Negahban and Trevante Rhodes.
All I Wish – A struggling fashion designer turns 46, certain that the perfect man isn’t out there and that she will just have to accept a life of casual romantic relationships. Then, sparks fly when the lead meets a charismatic lawyer at her birthday party. Exactly one year later, the two are reunited and the protagonist begins to wonder if something lasting may actually be developing. Unfortunately, reviews were poor for this romantic comedy. All enjoyed the lead performance, but felt that the performers were saddled with clunky and cornball dialogue that undermined the entire feature. The cast includes Sharon Stone, Ellen Burstyn, Famke Janssen and Tony Goldwyn.
Desolation – A mother heads out camping in the forest wilderness with her son and best friend, all in order to spread the ashes of her late husband. However, the group encounter a strange hiker who begins to follow them home. The threatening stalker soon forces the family to face family secrets when his real motivations are revealed. This indie horror/thriller earned decent notices from critics. A few of them felt that events were handled in too subtle a manner, but most found it creepy and appreciated the story’s focus on its characters instead of simply following genre tropes. It features Jami Page, Alyshia Ochse, Toby Nichols and Claude Duhamel.
Don’t Talk to Irene – This independent feature follows an overweight student who doesn’t get on with other kids at her high school. When she’s suspended for acting out in class, the teen decides to aggressively pursue her dream of becoming a cheerleader by performing for a local senior citizen dance competition. Reaction was positive towards this quirky comedy. There were a few who suggested the screenplay could have done more with its unique concept, but the majority thought it was a sweet, warmhearted and enjoyably strange. It stars Michelle McLeod, Geena Davis, Bruce Gray, Anastasia Phillips and Scott Thompson. This particular title is only arriving on DVD (and not Blu-ray) this week.
The Insult – This picture was nominated for Best Foreign-Language Film at the Academy Awards. It involves a public altercation between a Lebanese Christian and Palestinian refugee in Beirut. When the two take each other to court, the case turns into a media circus with the divided public getting involved and sharing their opinions. Critics gave the drama excellent reviews. One or two criticized the courtroom-style approach to the material, but everyone else praised the feature for showing the attributes and flaws of both persons involved and attempting to help viewers understand their reasoning. It stars Kamel El Basha, Adel Karam, Camille Salameh and Diamond Bou Abboud.
In the Fade – Known in its homeland as Aus Dem Nichts, this German/French art house drama follows a woman whose Turkish-born husband and son are killed by a nail bomb. As the investigation continues, she learns the device was planted by Neo-Nazis. Devastated, the woman seeks out justice for her family, but finds the legal system letting her down after her husband’s criminal past complicates the trial. The press generally liked this foreign-language movie. A quarter of them thought it was bleak and that the story got a bit too muddled, but more were impressed by the lead actress and the film’s attempts to take a slightly different approach to the subject matter. It features Diane Kruger, Denis Moschitto and Numan Acar.
Kaleidoscope – An ex-con trying to get his life back together heads out on his first date in 15 years. Unfortunately, his cruel and domineering mother appears out of the blue, threatening to tear the man’s mind apart. Has she really returned, or is she a figment of his broken mind? The protagonist must attempt to process her arrival and deal with the trauma that got him locked in the first place. Overall, reviews were more positive than negative for this thriller. A percentage found it tangled and couldn’t get on its wavelength. However, several complimented the performances and enjoyed the movie’s attempts to confuse viewers. The cast includes Toby Jones, Anne Reid and Sinead Matthews.
Lazer Team 2 – This is a sequel to an independent sci-fi comedy that raised its funding through online campaigns and was released by YouTubeRed. The sequel was made the same way and reunites the heroes from the first film. After stopping an alien invasion, infighting has caused the protagonists to go their separate ways. However, a new menace arrives and threatens the world, forcing the characters to join forces once again and try to save the planet. There currently aren’t many postings about the feature. One online source claims it’ll please fans, but isn’t as effective as the original. It features Burnie Burns, Gavin Free, Michael Jones, Colton Dunn, Nichole Bloom and Allie DeBerry.
Mary and the Witch’s Flower – The latest animated feature from Japan’s Studio Ghibli (Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle) involves a young girl who discovers a unique flower. She soon learns that it blossoms once every seven years and gives her magical powers for one evening. It whisks the youngster away to another world, where she must figure out how to best use her temporary gifts. The press enjoyed the film. A small group complained that it felt a bit underwhelming and didn’t compare to the studio’s other efforts. Still, most called it visually impressive and complimented the positive female role model on display. The English-language voice cast includes Ruby Barnhill, Kate Winslett, Jim Broadbent and Ewan Bremner, but one assumes that a Japanese version with English subtitles is also present on the disc.
Maya the Bee 2: The Honey Games – Maya the Bee isn’t well known in this part of the world, but the children’s book and cartoon character is hugely popular across the globe. This animated sequel to a 2014 film follows the title character. After an embarrassing mistake is made in front of the Empress of Buzztropolis, Maya must compete in an elaborate game to save her entire hive. There aren’t many reviews for this German/Australian co-production and the reactions that have appeared in press have been muted. Most say that while its heart is in the right place, this effort won’t appeal to anyone but the youngest of viewers. Coco Jack Gillies, Benson Jack Anthony and Richard Roxburgh provide the voices.
Nostalgia – This independent drama is described as a collection of interlaced stories featuring characters dealing with love and loss through various inanimate objects and artifacts. In fact, the movie examines the emotional attachment and memories we place on the seemingly random items that fill our homes. Critics weren’t overly taken with this art house feature. A few thought the themes were interesting and stated that they enjoyed the ensemble cast, but most critiqued the film for being ponderous and failing to get audiences caught up in the concerns of its characters. It stars Jon Hamm, Catherine Keener, Bruce Dern, Ellen Burstyn, John Ortiz, Nick Offerman, James LeGros, Amber Tamblyn, Patton Oswalt, Larry Wilmore and many others.
Peter Rabbit – Beatrix Potter’s book character gets updated in this animated feature. The plot involves the titular animal and his ongoing raids on a vegetable garden. When the original owner passes away and a relative takes over the property, the two go after one another, but their relationship changes with the arrival of an animal-loving neighbor. Reaction to the feature was mixed-positive. Some thought the movie failed to capture the spirit of the character and became mushy by the close. Others wrote that while it was no classic and was skewed towards kids, it offered a few enjoyable moments for adults. The live cast includes Domhnall Gleeson, Sam Neill and Rose Byrne, along with the voices of James Corden, Sia, Margot Robbie and Daisy Ridley.
Please Stand By – A young woman dealing with autism decides to break away from her caregiver and hand-deliver a lengthy, self-composed Star Trek screenplay to a writing competition in Hollywood. She encounters many obstacles on the road in order to make her way to her destination. The press were split on the final product. About half thought the movie was predictable and didn’t find that the scenarios were realistic or believable. The other half thought it was a sweet character study that would raise a smile or two on the part of the viewer. The movie stars Dakota Fanning, Toni Collette, Alice Eve, River Alexander and Patton Oswalt.
Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell – The 1990 cult-hit Tremors is a great little creature feature that provides plenty of laughs and thrills in equal measure. It hit status on video has since inspired numerous direct-to-video sequels, including this title, the sixth entry in the series. In this follow-up, the monster-killing heroes head up to a remote part of Canada in order to help eliminate more giant, people-eating worms. Since the movie is debuting on disc, there aren’t many write-ups, but the couple that have popped up online suggest that the franchise may be well past its prime. The movie features Jamie Kennedy, Michael Gross (who did appear in the original) and Tonya VanGramm
Winchester – This horror picture is based very, very loosely on the life of Sarah Winchester (heiress to the famous gun manufacturer fortune). Certain that her house is haunted by the ghosts of those killed with the family’s products, company executives urge a doctor to assess the woman’s mental stability. After arriving at the Winchester estate, the doc experiences bizarre visions and soon believes that supernatural forces are out for vengeance. A few said that the jump scares worked, yet overall the press panned this chiller. Most were frustrated that the fascinating true story had been adapted into a routine ghost story B-movie. The cast includes Helen Mirren, Jason Clarke, Sarah Snook and Angus Sampson. To read the site’s full review, click here.
Blasts from the Past!
If you remember the days of disco, then you might recall the cheesy musical, Thank God It’s Friday (1978), which managed to win an Academy Award (for Best Original Song). The story involves a dance competition at a discotheque an features an amusing cast that includes Donna Summer, Jeff Goldblum, Debra Winger and The Commodores. Mill Creek are putting out a 40th Anniversary Blu-ray which includes a complete re-master of the film. Critics have universally panned the flick, but it still might be good for a laugh, especially for those who remember that era.
Kino are releasing a series of titles that have been released on Blu-ray before, but as Special Editions. Big Business (1988) is a fun flick starring Bette Midler and Lily Tomlin. It’s about two pairs of identical twins who are switched up at birth, with each living completely different lives. The foursome intersect in a Manhattan hotel, leading to plenty of confusion as they each get mistaken for their twin. This disc comes with a filmmaker’s commentary featuring director Jim Abrahams (Ruthless People, Hot Shots and co-director of Airplane! and Top Secret!) and a trailer. The distributor are releasing another comedy from Abrahams called Mafia! (1998), which includes the very same extras.
They also have a Blu-ray Special Edition of the Paul Newman picture, Blaze (1989). This film from director Ron Shelton (Bull Durham, White Men Can’t Jump) arrives with its own commentary track as well. Kino are also putting out the Antonio Banderas and Woody Harrelson boxing comedy,Play It to the Bone (1999), another title from the very same filmmaker. As you might have guess, Shelton lends his voice to an audio track on this disc too.
Finally, Kino are also distributing the Code Red release of the Italian action flick, The Violent Professionals (1973). This one is about a Dirty Harry-esque cop in Milan who is suspended from the police force for beating down crooks. When his boss is murdered by a crime syndicate, the lead goes deep undercover to infiltrate the organization and mete out justice.
You Know, For Kids!
Here is a listing of titles that children may enjoy.
Maya the Bee 2: The Honey Games
Paw Patrol: Summer Rescues (Nickelodeon)
Peter Rabbit
On the Tube!
You’ll find this week’s TV-themed releases below.
Broken (BBC)
Chan of Command (National Geographic)
Darrow & Darrow
Dear Murderer: Series 1
First Face of America
NATURE: Sex, Lies and Butterflies (PBS)
NOVA: First Face of America (PBS)
Trailer Park Shark (Syfy TV-movie)
When Calls the Heart: Hearts and Minds
The Wonderful World of Puppies and Kittens (BBC)