Welcome to another look at some of the highlights arriving on Blu-ray and DVD.
BIG NEW RELEASES!
CADDY HACK: Few would think of a golf course as a setting for terror, but this low-budget horror/comedy attempts to do so. When a group of golf caddies begin vanishing (only to be found later torn to bits), the owner of the facility attempts to cover up the deaths. As it turns out, a group of pesticide-mutated gophers are the responsible party. The unhinged course groundskeeper decides to wage war and go toe-to-toe with the dangerous creatures.
There have only been a couple of online reviews thus far. One states that the humor is cringeworthy and that the picture isn’t as entertaining as it could have been. But another maintains that the monsters in the movie are entertaining and that the screenplay delivers plenty of effective lowbrow laughs.
Dana Ackerman, Max Alvarado, Joe Diedron and Chrissy Cacallo headline the picture.
THE MEG 2: THE TRENCH: The Meg was a tongue-in-cheek horror/comedy about a killer megalodon that became a surprise late summer hit in 2018. This sequel finds the first film’s protagonist unattached after the passing of his significant other and co-raising his late partner’s daughter with her uncle. As it turns out, this relative is financing a major undersea exploration of the region where the megalodon first appeared. The hero tags along to make sure the operation goes smoothly, while the youngster stows away onboard the submersible.
Of course, things go horribly wrong and the group end up trapped at the bottom of the sea. While there, they discover other strange life forms that haven’t been seen in millions of years.
The majority of critics slammed this follow-up. About one-quarter did state that it was everything fans would hope for, delivering silliness and plenty of sharks (as well as other beasts) eating up cast members. But everyone else complained that the film had a needlessly convoluted plot, didn’t deliver thrills or laughs, and forgot to focus on the title monsters.
It stars Jason Statham, Jing Wu, Shuya Sophia Cai, Cliff Curtis, Page Kennedy, Sergio Peris-Mencheta and Skyler Samuels.
BLASTS FROM THE PAST!
It may not be the busiest week for new films, but older titles are more than making up for it.
Arrow Video is releasing a Blu-ray of Sammo Hung’s The Iron Fisted Monk (1977). The director stars as a man seeking vengeance for the murder of his father. This title marks the famed martial artist’s directorial debut, and it’s considered to be more disturbing and violent than many of the pictures he made afterward.
Arrow is presenting a 2K restoration of the uncensored cut of the film (which received an adults-only Category III rating in Hong Kong). You can watch the movie in Cantonese or Mandarin with English subtitles, or choose between two different English dubs of the picture. It also comes with a martial arts expert audio commentary, two archival interviews with Sammo Hung, a talk with Casanova Wong, a trailer, a booklet with writing on the film and a double-sided poster featuring original and newly commissioned art for the movie.
Messiah of Evil (1974) is arriving on Blu-ray courtesy of Radiance Films. This 50th anniversary “Limited Edition” release of an eerie low-budget chiller came from the minds of Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz. The pair co-wrote American Graffiti, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and Howard the Duck (which Huyck also directed) and also crafted this feature about a woman who travels to a small town and experiences some terrifying things involving the seemingly undead locals.
The movie barely got a release, but has earned a following over the years with its dreamlike imagery. This release includes a 4K restoration from the best surviving film elements, a horror film expert commentary, an archival interview with Willard Huyck, a lengthy documentary on the production, a visual essay on the picture and a trailer. This particular edition also comes with an 80-page booklet with essays on the movie and is limited to only 3000 copies.
The same distributor is also presenting Visible Secret (2001) on Blu-ray. This Hong Kong effort follows a man who falls in love with a woman who claims that she can see ghosts. The disc features a conversation with the director, a visual essay on the movie, an archival making-of documentary and a trailer, as well as a booklet with writing on this feature’s place in Hong Kong horror. Apparently, this is a single pressing of 5000 copies in the U.S. and UK and it will not be rereleased once it’s sold out.
Speaking of creepers, Criterion is putting out the phenomenal Nicole Kidman effort The Others (2001) in a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray set (it’s also available as a standalone Blu-ray). It’s about a mother and her two children who live at an isolated estate. When a trio of individuals arrive at the home, strange events begin occurring. Besides vastly improved picture quality, it has a “looking back at the movie” featurette, another segment that discusses the paranormal angle of the movie, an examination of the score, a visual effects piece, a look inside the production, an archived talk with the director and publicity materials.
Mill Creek Entertainment is putting out a “Hard as Steel Ultimate Edition’’ Steelbook of the musical comedy Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007). This title is a Wal-Mart exclusive, so you won’t be able to find it anywhere else.
Paramount is putting together the box set Paramount Scares: Volume 1 that contains 4K Ultra HD and Blu-rays of a random selection of their genre titles. This collection includes Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007), Rosemary’s Baby (1968), Pet Sematary (1989), Crawl (2019) and Smile (2022).
Severin is putting out some intriguing titles. Clearcut (1991) involves a lawyer who is paired with an Indigenous activist looking for revenge on a logging company. Graham Greene stars in this Canadian effort and the Standard Edition Blu-ray includes an audio commentary with an anthropologist, an audio interview with Greene, a featurette on the score and some short films from the region with similar subject matter.
In celebration of its 25th anniversary, Sony is giving their remake/reboot of Godzilla (1998) a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray Steelbook. It comes with trailers, a behind-the-scenes featurette, a music video and a compilation of Godzilla fight scenes.
The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984) is also receiving the 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray treatment. This is the third movie in the original Muppets trilogy of films that sees the characters heading to New York to try and get their musical on Broadway. It’s filled with celebrity cameos and plenty of laughs.
Finally, Warner Archive is releasing several catalog titles as made-to-order Blu-rays. You can now purchase Before Night Falls (2000) with Javier Bardem and Johnny Depp, as well as the Katherine Hepburn/Colin Clive adventure film Christopher Strong (1933).
YOU KNOW, FOR KIDS!
The latest kid-friendly titles can be found below.
The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984) (Sony) 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray
Superhero Kindergarten: Weirdo World (Ncircle) DVD
ON THE TUBE!
And listed below are all of this week’s TV-related releases.
Blue Collar The Complete Series (Warner Bros.) DVD
The Boys Season 3 (Sony) Blu-ray
Dark Winds Season 2 (RLJ Entertainment) Blu-ray
The Gift of Peace (2022) (Hallmark) Blu-ray
Happy Valley Series 3 (BBC) DVD
Haul Out the Holly (2022) (Hallmark) Blu-ray
Five More Minutes: Moments Like These (2022) (Hallmark) Blu-ray
A Magical Christmas Village (2022) (Hallmark) Blu-ray
A Maple Valley Christmas (2022) (Hallmark) Blu-ray
Murdoch Mysteries Season 16 (Acorn) Blu-ray or DVD
Psych The Complete Collection (8 Seasons and 3 Movies) (Universal) Blu-ray
Superhero Kindergarten: Weirdo World (Ncircle) DVD
World of Giants Season 1 (1955) (ClassicFlix) Blu-ray
VISIT: WWW.CINEMASTANCE.COM
By Glenn Kay
For the Sun
