Welcome to another look at highlights arriving on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD. The current trend of having a busy week followed by a slower one is continuing, with this edition being slimmer than the previous one. However, there are still a few eccentricities arriving that may strike your fancy. So, if you can’t get out to the movies this week or need to stay inside for a few days, be sure to give one of these titles a try!
BIG NEW RELEASES!
BABY ASSASSINS 2: Also known as Baby Assassins 2 Babies (which sounds pretty confusing) this Japanese action/comedy is a sequel to the 2021 original, which was a hit in its homeland. After the events of the first movie, the two young female hired killers find themselves being banned from their organization for breaking rules of conduct. To make ends meet, they have to take part-time jobs in the service industry. When assassins come after them, the pair fight back while trying to keep their identities a secret from the public.
Like the original film, reaction to this follow-up was upbeat. A small number complained that the pacing was slow and that it simply delivered more of the same. However, the majority stated that the leads were charming and the film was funny, building on the ideas of its predecessor in new and exciting ways.
It stars Akari Takaishi, Saori Izawa and Joey Iwanaga.
BERMUDA ISLAND: A commercial flight to Puerto Rico gets into trouble over the Bermuda Triangle and crashes on a small remote island. The survivors include a criminal, FBI agents and a group of passengers. They argue amongst themselves while they attempt to form a plan for survival, until bizarre monsters appear and begin picking them all off one by one. In order to beat the creatures, they have to get over their differences and fight back.
Not many have seen this independent, low-budget action/horror picture and reviews have been mixed. Some have stated that for such a little film, it does a decent job of developing characters, has some interesting twists and provides fun monster mayhem. A similar number thought the story was confusingly presented, didn’t care for the characters and called it unmemorable.
The cast includes Tom Sizemore, Noel Gugliemi, John Wells and Sarah French.
CHRISTMAS COLLISION: Run out of Hallmark movies to watch and are looking for a Christmas-themed romance? This independent production was completed and released on the internet during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. It is now appearing on Blu-ray and DVD. The film tells the story of a cold-hearted businesswoman who is tasked with foreclosing a farm in Ohio over the holidays. After she takes a fall on the property, the owner allows her to stay there and romance blooms between them.
At present, few critics have reviewed the feature. One commented that for this type of film it was decent and did its job effectively enough to recommend. Others thought that plot elements were silly, the running time was too long and the story overly familiar.
It features Sebrina Scott, John Wells, Vernon Wells and Michael Pare.
THE CHRISTMAS DANCE: If you want to make it a holiday double-bill, this effort from the same distributor is also being made available. A city girl with a hectic career returns home after her brother gets into a car accident (while talking on the phone with her). She meets various faces from her past, including a single handyman/tree farmer/musician who asks her to help with the town’s Christmas program. They soon fall in love.
There is only one review available for the movie. It is from a faith-based site that enjoyed the picture and its message. Online reviews suggest that while the cast is good, the screenplay is silly (especially the reason for the lead’s aversion to the holiday). They also state that the movie begins to get uncomfortably preachy as it nears its finale.
Kristen Vaganos, Carson Nicely, Miles Faber and Richard Karn headline the picture.
EASTER BLOODY EASTER: The mythical Jackalope (essentially an oversized jackrabbit with antelope horns) is the central monster in this horror/comedy. The beast and its army of bunnies run riot over a small town, gorging on citizens over the Easter holiday. A protagonist who is searching for her missing husband ends up teaming with an old friend to get to the bottom of the mystery and save the locals.
Again, few have seen this low-budget independent picture and the response from online reviewers is varied. Some call the film a wasted opportunity, finding the humor immature and stating it has trouble nailing down its tone. Slightly more liked the monsters and believe that enough of the silly gags work to earn the film a recommendation.
It stars Diane Foster (who also directed), Kelly Grant, Allison Lobel, Zuri Starks and D’Andre Noiré.
FIORETTA: In this documentary, a Los Angeles-based lawyer decides to look into his own family history with his son. The individual knows that he is the grandson of Austrian-Jewish composer Arnold Schoenberg, but as he delves deeper, the trail leads even further back some 500 years into the past. As the pair travel together across Europe, they are fascinated by what they learn and where they both have come from.
Critical response to the picture was uniformly positive. While a few admitted that the movie didn’t delve too deeply into their history and at times felt like a travelog, they all thought the movie was intriguing. Reviews also suggested that it did an excellent job of showing a man and his son connecting during the journey over their family’s shared past.
FOUR DAUGHTERS: Here’s another non-fiction effort that may be of interest to documentary enthusiasts. A Tunisian woman tells viewers about her four daughters. She explains that while her two youngest still live at home, the eldest disappeared years ago and have presumably been radicalized into an Islamic fundamentalist group. The women are interviewed and then actors appear playing the vanished daughters. This is used to both show some family events and allow the film’s subjects to voice their thoughts over what has occurred.
This picture received mostly raves and was nominated for Best Documentary at the Academy Awards. A tiny contingent didn’t think the interactions between the actors and real people worked effectively and made events feel manipulated. However, the vast majority called the movie powerful and thought that it blended elements well and expertly showed how someone might find themselves being influenced by an extremist group, as well as the effects it has on their family.
YOU KNOW, FOR KIDS!
Sorry, it looks like a slow edition for kids.
ON THE TUBE!
Below is a list of all the week’s TV-themed releases.
American Experience: Fly With Me (PBS) DVD
Funny Woman (PBS) DVD
Hallmark 6-Movie Collection: Aloha Heart, Making Waves, Napa Ever After, Notes of Autumn, A Very Venice Romance and Field Day (Hallmark) DVD
Inside Man Year One (BBC) DVD
Masterpiece: Nolly (PBS) DVD
VISIT: WWW.CINEMASTANCE.COM
