Hello and welcome to another look at highlights arriving on Blu-ray and DVD. There’s a lot of variety in this edition, which covers everything from family features to Oscar and indie fare. 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!
Between Worlds - In this unusual supernatural thriller a down-on-his-luck widower spends his days driving trucks. He meets a woman with spiritualist abilities who is trying to find the lost soul of her comatose daughter. The pair make an arrangement, with the woman agreeing to help the driver to communicate with his late wife and daughter. However, the spirits raised are less-than-friendly. It stars Nicolas Cage, Franka Potente and Penelope Mitchell.
Bullitt County - Set in 1977, this picture follows friends getting together for a weekend bachelor party. They set out on the Kentucky Bluegrass Bourbon Trail to try and find a treasure hidden during Prohibition. It’s an odd way to celebrate a wedding, and things become more fractured after they encounter mortal danger on the trail. This independent action/thriller earned modest notices. The cast includes Mike C. Nelson, Jenni Melear, David McCracken and Richard Riehle.
London Fields - In this thriller, a femme fatale with clairvoyant abilities begins to see her impending demise. Hoping to turn the tables, she begins to investigate all three of her male lovers and identify which one of them might attempt to murder her. It earned a Razzie nomination for its lead performance. Amber Heard, Gemma Chan, Jason Isaacs, Theo James, Billy Bob Thornton and Jim Sturgess headline the film.
Mary Queen of Scots - This historical period drama details Mary, Queen of Scots’ tumultuous life, which included getting married at 16, being widowed at 18, and moving back to Scotland to reclaim her throne. As if that isn’t enough, she is then forced to deal with the apparent jealousy of rival Elizabeth I. The results of the conflict become deadly. It stars Saoirse Ronan, Margot Robbie, Jack Lowden, David Tennant and Guy Pearce.
Megalodon - This little independent sci-fi/horror picture follows a military ship investigating the disappearance of a sunken submersible. The crew soon locates an enormous and dangerous Megalodon swimming in the same waters and must fight it off before the prehistoric creature sinks their boat. Now, it is debuting on disc. The cast includes Michael Madsen, Dominic Pace and Caroline Harris.
The Possession of Hannah Grace - In this horror flick, an exorcism goes wrong and ends up killing a young woman possessed by a demon. When an alcoholic cop-turned- morgue-worker receives a body and begins having strange visions, she (and the audience) begin to think that it may have something to do with the earlier tragedy. Notices were quite poor for this chiller. The movie features Shay Mitchell, Grey Damon, Kirby Johnson and Stana Katic.
Ralph Breaks the Internet - This sequel to the 2012 hit Wreck-It Ralph continues to chronicle the life of arcade-game character Ralph. When he and his best pal Vanellope learn that a wireless router has been installed at the arcade, they decide to travel through the internet to update their coin-op machines and keep their home from closing down. Response towards the film was largely positive. John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Gal Gadot, Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch and Taraji P. Henson provide the voices.
Sicilian Ghost Story - When a 13-year-old boy living in a small village near the woods disappears mysteriously, locals and authorities are baffled. Frustrated, his girlfriend decides to take matters into her own hands and find out what happened. She uncovers dark secrets about the forest and those in her town. Reaction towards this foreign-language thriller was very positive, but some found events in the story to be cruel. It features Julia Jedlikowska, Gaetano Fernandez and Corinne Musallari.
Blasts from the Past!
There are plenty of older titles that may interest readers. If you like cheesy ‘90s action pictures, then you might be interested in a pair of Blu-rays from the MVD Rewind Collection. The first is the Jean-Claude Van Damme picture, Double Impact (1991). It involves twin brothers kicking the butts of the villains who murdered their parents. This Collector’s Edition includes new interviews with cast and crew, previously unreleased behind-the-scenes footage and more.
Showdown (1993) stars Ken Marks as a student who finds himself being hunted by a new enemy who, outside of school, is part of an underground and illegal fighting operation. Thankfully, the janitor (Billy Blanks) at the school is a martial arts expert who teaches the kid the ropes. The Collector’s Edition Blu-ray comes with a feature length making-of documentary about the film, interview with the director, co-star Billy Blanks, an analysis of the fight sequences, photo gallery, trailer and other extras.
Shout! Factory has a great many releases this week as well. The first is a Blu-ray box set of The Legally Blonde Collection, which contains the 2001 original and 2003 sequel. The original has been given a new 4K scan from the original camera negative and comes with multiple audio commentaries, a new interview with co-star Jessica Cauffiel, deleted scenes, a making-of, a featurette on the hairstyles, a music video and trailer.
The distributor is also putting out a Blu-ray of the monster movie, The Mole People (1956). This one involves a group of geologists who tunnel underground around the site of Mesopotamia and discover a group of “mole people” living under the surface. This release presents the film in two aspect ratios (1.85:1 and 2.00:1), and adds a new film historian audio commentary and a new documentary on the making-of the feature.
They’re also debuting Used Cars (1980) on Blu-ray. This wild comedy from Robert Zemekis (Romancing the Stone, Back to the Future, Forrest Gump) stars Kurt Russell and focuses in on the lives of some shady used car salesmen. If memory serves, it’s pretty funny and features some crazy car-related stunt gags. This disc features a new interview with producer/co-writer Bob Gale, a previously recorded commentary track with Zemekis, Gale, and Russell, outtakes and all sorts of trailers, radio and TV spots.
They also have the kooky Hammer adventure flick, The Vengeance of She (1968). It’s about a woman inexplicably drawn to the east, where she finds a lost city and a potentially sinister force. The Blu-ray has a 2K scan of the original film elements, new interviews with the assistant director, a visual effects artist on the feature and the clapper/loader.
Shout! is also delivering the horror film, Willard (2003), on Blu-ray. It’s about an awkward, isolated young man who befriends rats, who begin to do his bidding. It’s a remake of a 1971 B-movie. The film has been given a new 2K transfer and also features two newly recorded audio commentaries (one with director Glen Morgan and the cinematographer, and another with the movie’s animal trainer) and new interviews, as well as all of the bonuses from the old DVD. And yep, it has the Crispin Glover video of the actor performing the song, Ben.
To Sleep with Anger (1990) is a well-regarded feature starring Danny Glover as a drifter who turns up on the doorstep of some old friends’ homes in South Central Los Angeles. Things simmer to a boil not long after his arrival. Criterion are giving the film a new, 4K, digitally restored presentation for Blu-ray. The release also comes with a new interview program featuring the cast and crew, and an hour-long conversation with Charles Burnett, the director of the feature and a video tribute to the filmmaker.
VCI is delivering the low-budget genre flick, Beast of the Yellow Night (1971). They’ve given the movie a 2K restoration from the original negative and an archival print, and are providing a film historian audio commentary for the release.
And Kino has Blu-ray of the films Desert Fury (1947), The Midnight Man (1974) and The Rover (1967). All feature a film historian audio commentary as well as trailers. And finally, Classic Flix has a newly restored Blu-ray of the Humphrey Bogart flick, Stand-in (1937).
You Know, For Kids!
It’s a slim week for programs for younger viewers.
Pinkalicious & Peterrific: Pinkatastic Pets! (PBS Kids)
On the Tube!
And here are the week’s TV-related titles.
Dynasties (BBC Earth)
Master of None: Season 1
Megalodon (SyFy TV-movie)
Mystery Road: Series 1
Pinkalicious & Peterrific: Pinkatastic Pets! (PBS Kids)
By Glenn Kay
For the Sun