Welcome to another look at highlights arriving on Blu-ray and DVD. Just like in previous editions, there are some interesting little features and big hits coming your way. And as always, you can click on any links you see to read full reviews. 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!
Adrift – Based on a true story, this film follows a couple who decide to sail themselves from Tahiti to San Diego. Along the way, they encounter one of the most devastating hurricanes in history, damaging their craft and throwing their lives into jeopardy. Reviews for this drama were generally positive. A small group did complain that the story had been formatted to hit all of the expected beats minimizing its impact, but more liked the performers and found the storm and its aftermath compelling to watch. The cast includes Shailene Woodley, Sam Clafin and Jeffrey Thomas.
Aliens Ate My Homework – A pair of middle-school kids are shocked when a small spaceship full of tiny aliens lands at their home. The creatures identify themselves as the Galatic Patrol and inform the kids that their help is required in saving the universe from a dangerous threat. This adaptation of a children’s book is arriving exclusively on DVD this week and as of yet hasn’t been seen by a lot of journalists. The notices that have popped up suggest the movie is for youngsters only and won’t do anything at all for adult viewers. The leads are played by Jayden Greig, Lauren McNamara and William Shatner provides some voice work.
Beast – This UK production involves a woman living under the thumb of her family in an isolated community. When she meets an outsider, the new arrival begins to influence the lead, who begins to dream of escaping her controlling clan. However, it is soon discovered that her new friend is a suspect in a series of murders. Notices were extremely strong for this independent feature. In fact, almost all write-ups complimented this slow-burn art-house entry for its striking imagery as well as maintaining a tension-filled tone with plenty of solid performances. It features Geraldine James, Jessie Buckley and Johnny Flynn.
Damascus Cover – A Israeli Mossad government agent is assigned to go into Syria and retrieve a chemical weapons specialist from enemy forces. Unfortunately, the job doesn’t go according to plan, leaving the agent trapped behind enemy lines and on the run. He seeks out a deep cover agent to help him escape the country. Critics roundly panned this UK production. A few appreciated what was accomplished on its limited budget, but most suggested that the script was sorely lacking, ultimately resorting to a series of spy movie tropes. It stars Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Olivia Thirby, John Hurt, Jurgen Prochnow and Navid Negahban.
Dark River – Here’s another independent art-house entry from Britain. In this drama, a woman returns to her family’s farm after the death of her father. She makes a claim for the land, despite the fact that it has been left to her own brother. Tensions arise and the situation between the siblings veers towards violence. Overall, reaction to the feature was positive. About one fifth of reviewers found it so grim and downbeat that they couldn’t connect with it, but most wrote that they couldn’t shake the dark, moody tone and called the end result memorably bleak. The cast includes Ruth Wilson, Mark Stanley and Sean Bean.
The Desert Bride – This Argentine drama tells the story of a 54-year-old domestic employee in Buenos Aires. The maid’s routine and way of life is shattered when she is informed that the family plan on selling the estate and moving away. They inform her that she must leave and work for a different family in a small town across the desert. The press responded favorably to this foreign-language feature. A few did complain that it was too reserved and formulaic to really make an impression, but more stated that the lead actress was appealing and the film came across as sweet and enjoyable. It features Paulina Garcia and Claudio Rissi.
Ghost Stories – It has been a while since we’ve gotten an anthology horror picture, but this independent effort from the UK attempts to revitalize the genre by presenting three tales of terror involving spirits. The wraparound involves a professor/TV-show-host who debunks spiritualists. However, when three cases arrive that tie in to his personal life, the lead is forced to examine and perhaps change his views. A few didn’t care for its mix of humor and horror, but the vast majority called it assured, creepy, funny and surprisingly entertaining. It stars Andy Nyman, Martin Freeman, Paul Whitehouse, Alex Lawther and Jill Halfpenny.
Godard Mon Amour – Set during the civil unrest in France during 1968, this biopic tells the story of filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard, his relationship with young actress Anne Wiazemsky and his work on the film, La Chinois. As the director becomes more and more involved in the cultural revolution, difficulties arise in the couple’s relationship. This comedy/drama from Michael Hazanavicius (The Artist) appears to have garnered split reactions. About half complained that it felt like an ineffective attempt to emulate a Woody Allen picture, while the remained complimented its unusual mix of comedy and drama, stating that the approach suited the scenario. Louis Garrel and Stacy Martin play the leads.
Hereditary – This creeper received a lot of attention earlier in the year. The story follows a troubled family who must deal with a series of tragedies. When a worried mother begins to experience strange, supernatural phenomena, it sets her off on an investigation that causes further strife and reveals big hidden secrets about the clan. Reaction to this horror picture was very positive. There were a small handful who didn’t find it particularly scary, but just about everyone else stated that it was well-acted, well-shot and genuinely tense. The cast includes Toni Collette, Milly Shapiro, Gabriel Byrne and Alex Wolff. To read this site’s review of the film, click here.
Ideal Home – A bickering gay couple (one of whom is a celebrity chef) living a wild and flashy lifestyle get a big surprise when a young boy knocks on the door and claims to be the grandson of one of them… and moves in. The adults certainly don’t feel ready to begin a family and struggle humorously with the sudden, unexpected transition. Reaction to this independent feature was generally positive. A percentage did feel that the material itself needed a softer and more subtle touch, but more were highly amused by the light and snappy script and appreciated the lead performances. It features Paul Rudd, Steve Coogan, Kate Walsh and Allison Pill.
This is Our Land – This French drama involves a working-class, apolitical nurse who gets caught up in a right-wing nationalist movement. She soon decides to run for office; her rhetoric ignites followers, inciting anger and manipulating many voters. Critics gave the foreign-language decent marks. Those who didn’t care for it complained that while the movie’s intentions were good, it was messy and unfocused. However, the consensus was that the feature was well-performed, extremely engrossing and excellent in presenting the inherent danger and dark side of current political ideologies. Emilie Dequenne and Andre Dussollier headline the film.
Urban Country – An 18-year-old girl from the city finds herself at a crossroads in life after heading out to the country to work on a horse ranch and tend for her dying mother. Should she stay home and live a simple, uncomplicated life on the farm, or return to the busy metropolis? This faith-based effort all but gives the answer to question in its synopsis. There haven’t been many reviews as of yet, but the ones that have appeared haven’t been too critical. They suggest that while it all plays as a bit corny, the movie is at least earnest and should appeal to its core demographic. The cast includes Brighton Sharbino, Lou Diamond Phillips, Jason London and C. Thomas Howell.
Won’t You Be My Neighbor? – This documentary tells the life story of Fred Rogers, host and creator of the popular children’s television show, Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood. The movie details how the program came to be, Rogers’ attempts to promote understanding and forward social issues with the series, and the struggles he faced as his onscreen career eventually came to a close. The press gave extremely high marks to the movie. They praised it as an affectionate and informative tribute to a kind-hearted figure, one whom the world could use more of right now. You can read a review of the movie here.
Blasts from the Past!
Arrow Academy have a couple of notable releases this week. The first is a “Special Edition” of the unique Japanese samurai film, Bloody Spear at Mount Fuji (1955). Reportedly, the movie is very well regarded in its homeland but far lesser known in this part of the world. The movie has been given a high definition presentation with new subtitles and a commentary track from an expert in Japanese cinema.
Arrow put out an elaborate 2-disc “Limited Edition” of Deep Red (1974) a few months back that included two different cuts of the movie. They are now releasing a simplified “Special Edition” Blu-ray. It’s essentially the complete, uncut version of the film with all of the bonuses, commentary, interviews and promotional material contained in the previous release. For those who don’t know, this mystery/horror tale is about a pianist in Rome, Italy who witnesses a brutal murder and decides investigates the crime himself (leading to a very memorable ending). It comes from director Dario Argento (Suspiria, Inferno, Terror at the Opera) is generally considered one of the greatest giallo films ever made.
Kino have a trio of titles arriving in high definition for the first time. It seems that more-or-less, they are all farces or have elements of this brand of storytelling. These tales typically involve a large cast in a comically exaggerated situation (often occurring in a specific setting). Often, the humor is derived from miscommunication, misidentification, and generally confused characters running in and out of rooms unsure about what is occurring around them. A couple of these are big guilty pleasures of mine.
Amazingly, two of these movies opened on the same weekend and I’ll also admit to having seen them (for review purposes, of course) both back to back. The first is Blame it on the Bellboy (1992). Set in Venice, the plot involves three men with similar sounding names arriving at a hotel. When they have their identities confused and their messages mixed up by an inattentive bellboy, they find themselves in bizarre situations. As events progress, the mixed up characters cross paths as they try to sort things out. Admittedly, this is no classic, but it does move at a quick pace and provides some amusing moments thanks to its great cast, which includes Dudley Moore, Bryan Brown, Richard Griffiths, Patsy Kensit, Alison Steadman, Penelope Wilton and Bronson Pinchot. Most hated this movie during its initial release, but writer/director Mark Herman ended up doing just fine, following it up with the more well-regarded films like Brassed Off (1996) and Little Voice (1998).
Once Upon a Crime… (1992) picks a similarly swanky locale for its story. This one follow a group of US tourists visiting Monte Carlo who get mixed up in a dog snatching plot as well as a local murder. It stars John Candy, Jim Belushi, Cybil Shepherd, Sean Young, Richard Lewis, Giancarlo Giannini, Ornella Muti and George Hamilton. On that fateful evening in 1992, I saw this title first and found that it didn’t do a whole lot for me, providing only a chuckle or two despite the chaos on display. Perhaps it’ll play better today and I’m tempted to check it out again just to see for myself, but at the time I found the previous film much more entertaining.
Kino’s third release is Oscar (1991), Sylvester Stallone’s first foray into comedy (which would continue and then abruptly end with 1992’s really terrible Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot). This one is about a mobster attempting to go straight, but finding a domestic drama involving his daughter causing strife at his home over the course of the day. Again, farces take their time to build momentum and the first act of this feature is somewhat slow, setting up the various characters and issues. However, from the moment we see a cutaway of a bunny with a shocked expression, the jokes start landing. The supporting cast of Marisa Tomei, Tim Curry, Chazz Palminteri, Peter Reigert, Harry Shearer, Don Ameche, Kirk Douglas (and many others) are great and the movie ends up delivering plenty of laughs via these impressive players. The Blu-ray also includes an interview with director John Landis (Animal House, The Blues Brothers, Trading Places, Three Amigos, Coming to America) who describes his experiences shooting the film.
Finally, Criterion have a Blu-ray of Ingmar Bergman’s Scenes from a Marriage (1973). This is a long dramatization of the trials and tribulations of a marital union. The release includes a Swedish miniseries version of the work as well as a three-hour theatrical cut for film audiences. It also includes archived interviews with the director, cast and a featurette comparing the different versions and giving a critical analysis.
You Know, For Kids!
Here is a list of releases aimed at youngsters.
Aliens Ate My Homework
Curious George: Halloween Double Feature
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic: Pony Trick or Treat
On the Tube!
And these are the week’s TV-themed titles arriving on disc.
Adventure Time: The Final Seasons (Cartoon Network)
Bull: Season 2
The Goldbergs: Season 5
The Good Karma Hospital: Series 2
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic: Pony Trick or Treat
Peter Gunn: The Complete Series
Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In: Season 6
Silicon Valley: Season 5
Supernatural: Season 13
Timeless: Season 2
When Calls the Heart: Weather the Storm (Lifetime)
When Sharks Attack: Season 4 (National Geographic)
Wolfblood: Season 4
Young Sheldon: Season 1