Welcome again to another edition of Blu-ray and DVD highlights making their way to shops this week. There are some big releases that will be of interest to many. 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!
Alice Through the Looking Glass - The sequel to 2010’s Alice in Wonderland didn’t make much of an impact the box office this summer. After learning that the Mad Hatter is in a near-death state, Alice returns to Wonderland where she attempts to help her friend and other residents by turning back time. While a few appreciated the darker tone, notices were generally poor for this follow-up. It stars Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, Sacha Baron Cohen, and Rhys Ifans.
A Beautiful Now - A dancer finds herself at a sort of personal crossroads and invites her friends over for a strange get-together. In an attempt to decide on what extreme course of action to take, she asks questions about their lives and the choices they’ve made. Doesn’t exactly sound like a fun evening with friends, does it? This independent drama hasn’t gotten a lot of reviews as of yet. Most say it’s a compendium of indie film clichés.
Café Society - The latest from Woody Allen involves a young man who decides to move to Hollywood and give living on the West Coast a try. He and a young secretary (who is involved with another man) begin to fall for each other. The lead attempts to win her, but finds that fate may have other things in store. Writeups for this effort were good, if not exemplary. Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Steve Carell, Blake Lively, Parker Posey, and Corey Stoll are featured.
Ghost Team - This independent comedy aims to poke fun at shows like Ghost Hunters. The plot involves a man obsessed with the paranormal. He forms his own team of misfit investigators to check out a local property that is said to be haunted. Reaction to this movie was a bit stiff.
Independence Day: Resurgence - Some 20 years after the original, the invading alien forces return to Earth to mount another elaborate attack. Stepping up to save humanity are some of the characters from the original along with a new group of heroes. This summer blockbuster underperformed at the box office and received poor marks from the press. A scant few found it silly fun. Instead, the majority called it a loud, dull, and forgettable follow-up.
Our Kind of Traitor - Based on the novel by John le Carré, this thriller involves a professor who accidentally befriends a Russian mobster while vacationing in Morocco. He and his wife are drawn into helping the man and his family turn over classified information to the U.K. government, and find their lives at risk. There wasn’t a lot of publicity or press for this effort, but reviews were actually decent for a well-acted and capably made caper with Ewan McGregor, Stellan Skarsgård, Naomie Harris, and Damian Lewis.
Spaceman - Bill “Spaceman” Lee is chronicled in this independent biopic, which follows the pitcher’s release from the Montreal Expos and Major League Baseball through his career in the minor leagues. Essentially, his outspoken behavior and counterculture beliefs are largely said to be responsible for the end of his professional career. The movie didn’t get much love from reviewers — many felt the movie was clunky in execution and the filmmaking techniques lacked the energy of its central figure.
Blasts From the Past!
It’s an incredibly busy week for classic titles arriving on Blu-ray, so let’s get right to business. Olive Films have a full slate. They include the South Korean animated film, The Fake (2013). It’s a dark and bleak effort about an ex-con trying to stop local villagers from being duped by religious hucksters. Things turn very violent. The movie earned strong reviews upon its release a few years back.
Little Fauss and Big Halsy (1970) is a Golden Globe-nominated drama with Peter Fonda and Michael J. Pollard about two motorcycle racers and their misadventures.
One a more suspenseful note, The Return of Dracula (1958) is a low-budget black and white vampire drive-in flick from United Artists; this tale predated Hammer’s Horror of Dracula (1958) by only a month. It was shot in California and involves the Count moving out of Eastern Europe and traveling to the US. Hope he brought his shades with him.
Special Effects (1984) is a thriller starring Eric Bogosian about a film director who murders an actress and then tries to cover up his crime by using make-up effects to frame another cast member. The film comes from director Larry Cohen (It’s Alive, God Told Me To, Q, The Stuff).
Strategic Air Command (1955) is a Cold War action thriller that stars Jimmy Stewart as an ex-pilot called back into action by the U.S. government — the film primarily deals with stress this causes on his family. Villa Rides (1968) is a Western written by Sam Peckinpah and Robert Towne about Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa. The movie stars Yul Brenner and Robert Mitchum.
Distributor, MDV has Last of the Mississippi Jukes (2003), a documentary about a particular lounge in Jackson, M.S., that has hosted some of the greatest acts in blues history. Sadly, it has since been torn down, but at least you can find out all about it with this picture.
Universal’s putting out a Blu-ray set called The Marx Brothers Silver Screen Collection. It contains some popular early efforts from the comedians, like The Cocoanuts (1929), Animal Crackers (1930), Monkey Business (1931), Horse Feathers (1932) and Duck Soup (1933) (in a restored Edition).
Sony’s bringing Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) to Blu-ray with a “Limited Clear Case Edition.” You’ll have to look it up to see if you get anything new besides the packaging for this release.
Lionsgate’s bringing the Vietnam war film Hamburger Hill (1987) to Blu-ray. It features early performances by Don Cheadle, Dylan McDermott, and Courtney B. Vance and depicts one of the bloodiest battles from the conflict.
Lionsgate’s “Vestron Collector’s Series” line is releasing a double feature of Waxwork (the Unrated version) (1988) and Waxwork II: Lost in Time (1992). They both pay homage to old monster flicks with characters entering a strange wax museum and magically traveling into living versions of the disturbing displays. If memory recalls, these aren’t classics, but the first one does has a few interesting sequences.
Shout! Factory’s releasing a two-disc “Collector’s Edition” Blu-ray of the killer doll flick, Child’s Play (1988). This one’s about a killer who manages to possess a toy named Chucky before his death — he then torments the family who purchases it (as well as random strangers).
In the gritty crime flick Nighthawks (1981), Sylvester Stallone and Billy Dee Williams play New York cops hunting down a terrorist played by Rutger Hauer. The disc includes several new interviews with cast and crewmembers.
Kino’s releasing a Blu-ray of the Burt Reynolds/Raquel Welch action/comedy Fuzz (1972), about a Boston cop chasing a mad bomber. And there’s also The Laughing Policeman (1973), which involves another maniac who kills passengers on a bus, one of whom is a cop. His late officer’s partner and anther detective attempt to find the man responsible. It stars Walter Matthau and Bruce Dern.
The Pit (1981) is about a disturbed boy who befriends a malevolent force from a large hole in the woods near his suburban home. He uses it to destroy his schoolyard enemies. Finally, you can also pick up a Blu-ray of the Jon Voight drama, Table for Five (1983), about a divorced man with a wandering eye who takes his estranged kids on a vacation. While traveling, he must grapple with taking care of them on his own for the first time.
Short Cuts (1993), from Criterion, is another Robert Altman picture featuring a massive, star-studded cast. The plot intersects various characters and stories set around suburban Los Angeles. The Blu-ray a lot of bonuses for fans of the film.
You Know, For Kids!
And there’s plenty for children this week!
Back to the Future: The Animated Series: Dickens of a Christmas
Barbie & Her Sisters in a Puppy Chase
Doc McStuffins: Toy Hospital
Peppa Pig: Sun, Sea and Snow
Power Rangers Dino Thunder: The Complete Series
Thomas & Friends: Tinsel on the Tracks
By Glenn Kay
For the Sun
