Welcome back to another look at highlights arriving on Blu-ray and DVD. Lots of quirky and interesting flicks arriving including one which may become a cult film. So, since you likely can’t make it out to the movies this week, be sure to give one of these titles a try!
BIG NEW RELEASES!
1BR: A young LA woman on the lookout for a new place to live thinks she’s discovered the apartment of her dreams on a quiet street with friendly neighbors. Unfortunately, that changes after she moves in. Strange noises wake her in the middle of the night, her cat disappears, and the mannerisms of those around her begin to seem threatening. Frightened, the protagonist must figure out exactly what is happening and try to save herself.
Response towards this independent horror picture was quite positive. The consensus was that the film was tense, disturbing, and generally sent chills down the spine. It features Nicole Brydon Bloom, Giles Matthey and Taylor Nichols.
AND THEN WE DANCED: In the city of Tbilisi, a young and talented dancer works hard to impress his instructors and make it into the National Georgian Ensemble. He’s suddenly put off his game by the arrival of a new and rebellious student. The two not only become competitive, but develop an attraction to one another, which also causes conflict between the lead and his dance partner. This foreign-language coming-of-age tale was well-received by the press.
A small contingent found it overly melodramatic. Still, almost all others stated that it was an effective feature with excellent dancing sequences and great performances, perfectly capturing the confusion and awkwardness many feel during their formative years. Levan Gelbakhiani and Bachi Valishvili headline the feature.
EXTRA ORDINARY: A lonely Irish driving instructor with supernatural abilities finds her gifts a burden rather than a gift. She spends her days fending off the comments and strange requests of locals in her home town. One day, an upset father arrives and begs the lead for her assistance. It seems his daughter has hooked up with a rock star who has made a pact with the devil.
Knowing that the girl’s life is in jeopardy, the protagonist decides to help out and try to save the day. This Ireland/UK horror/comedy earned raves from critics. The consensus was that this feature was hilarious and featured enjoyably quirky and likable characters.
Sounds like this could be a potential cult film. It stars Maeve Higgins, Barry Ward, Will Forte and Claudia O’Doherty.
JUICE: HOW ELECTRICITY EXPLAINS THE WORLD: This documentary isn’t so much about electricity itself as how availability and access to a power grid can alter a country and the way it operates. The filmmakers travel 60,000 miles to various locations around the world and interview people from seven countries on five continents. According to the press synopsis, these discussions detail how electricity can alter people’s attitudes towards women’s rights, climate change, cryptocurrency and other issues. The doc also details how adding a power grid can give citizens access to new information and make their lives better.
This picture is debuting on disc, so interested parties will have to give it a try without knowing the specifics in order to see just how enlightening it is.
REWIND: Here’s another non-fiction feature attempting to shed more light onto its subject … in this case, filmmaker Sasha Joseph Neulinger. As a child, his father recorded just about everything he ever did. This included attending birthday parties, social events and even time spent hanging around the house. Some time ago, Nuelinger decided to go through all of this old footage and uncovered a dark and hidden secret that resulted in a shocking revelation.
He tells his story in this documentary and revisits the footage in the hopes of finding some sense of healing. This title earned plenty of praise and positive notices. Almost all of the write-ups stated that the movie was powerful and upsetting, detailing a history of abuse and showing how one individual can heal and recover from a series of horrific experiences.
CLOSENESS (TESNOTA): Here’s yet another Russian production arriving on disc. Set in the 1990s, the story involves a Jewish couple in a small town who is kidnapped for ransom by thugs. The situation brings up deeply rooted preexisting issues between the two. Even worse, as parents and officials come together to negotiate for the release of the hostages, various prejudices and disagreements erupt between them, causing even more tension.
The foreign-language title was well-received by the press. The overwhelming majority felt the grim approach was part of the point and thought that this was a tough and blunt, but effective feature. The cast includes Atrem Cipin, Olga Dragunova and Veniamin Kac.
DOOM: ANNIHILATION: The video game Doom was made into a live-action film in 2005, and reaction toward that adaptation was tepid. The latest adaptation tells a similar story of marines who receive a distress signal and are sent to a secret base in outer space. When they arrive, they quickly determine that the site has been overrun by slimy alien monsters. They must fight off the onslaught in order to survive.
Reaction was split among critics. Half thought that it was an improvement over the previous movie version that would please fans of the first-person shooter game. Yet, just as many called it a dull slog to sit through, with uninteresting characters and few surprises. The cast includes Amy Manson, Dominic Mafham, Luke Allen-Gale and James Weber Brown.
EVERFALL: In this independent horror film, a young figure skater with a bright future suffers a tragedy that sidelines her career. Even worse, the accident causes her relationship with a TV reality show host to falter. When the athlete receives an invitation to return to the ice and compete at a mysterious tournament, she decides to attend. The lead takes her estranged beau and a camera crew to document the experience.
They soon find that things aren’t quite right at the site. Could the rink be haunted? This picture was made back in 2017 and is now finally arriving on disc (it has been available to watch on a couple of streaming services for a few months). There aren’t any critic reviews available, but online views have been very negative, calling the story incredibly silly and the final result ineffective.
It features Jessica McLeod, Joe Perry, Kristian Wang and Colm Feore.
BLASTS FROM THE PAST!
There are plenty of older titles also getting spiffy new upgrades. Shout! Factory has a Collector’s Edition Blu-ray of the all-star drama, Glengarry Glen Ross (1992). Written by playwright David Mamet, it involves a panicked series of real estate agents whose jobs are on the line while they try to close a group of sales as quickly as they can. The cast includes Al Pacino (who was nominated for an Oscar for his part), Alec Baldwin, Jack Lemmon, Ed Harris, Alan Arkin, Jonathan Pryce and Kevin Spacey. The movie has been given a new 4K transfer of the original camera negative, a conversation with director James Foley, a talk with Joe Mantegna who recounts his own experiences working with David Mamet, an archived commentary track with director Foley, a second with co-star Lemmon, and a third featuring snippets from the entire cast, as well as a documentary on the feature.
They also have the Japanese animated film Tokyo Godfathers (2003). This movie tells the story of three homeless people who find a baby in the trash on Christmas Eve and set out to locate the infant’s parents. It was nominated for several awards and arrives on disc newly mastered in 4K. You’ll also get a newly recorded English language dub, a making of, several featurettes on the production, an animated short from the director and other bonuses.
YOU KNOW, FOR KIDS!
Here are some titles that may appeal to children.
PAW Patrol: Mighty Pups Charged Up (Nickelodeon)
Wild Kratts: Around the World Adventures (PBS Kids)
ON THE TUBE!
And here are this edition’s TV-themed releases.
Blood: Series 2
Creepshow: Season 1
Detectorists: Series 2
Detectorists: Series 3
Expedition with Steve Backshall: Season 1 (PBS)
PAW Patrol: Mighty Pups Charged Up (Nickelodeon)
Star Trek: Short Treks
A Summer Romance (Hallmark TV-movie)
The Watchmen: An HBO Limited Series
Wild Kratts: Around the World Adventures (PBS Kids)
VISIT: WWW.CINEMASTANCE.COM
By Glenn Kay
For the Sun
