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Blu-ray/DVD Roundup for November 15, 2019

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Welcome to yet another look at highlights coming your way on Blu-ray and DVD. It’s another busy edition with plenty of big box office hits in many different genres, as well as critical favorites. 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!

47 Meters Down: Uncaged - This sequel to the 2017 horror picture follows a different group of young women who decide to go diving and end up in big trouble. While searching the underwater ruins of a Mayan city, four teenagers come upon a group of hungry Great White Sharks. They attempt to avoid being eaten and try to find a way to the surface before their oxygen supply runs out. The picture garnered mixed reviews, with more negative write-ups than positive.

Those who enjoyed the movie thought it was silly fun and called it a definite improvement over its predecessor. However, most complained that the underwater events were difficult to see and found the scenes repetitive and ineffective. Sophie Nélisse, Corinne Foxx, Brianne Tju and Sistine Rose Stallone headline the feature.

The 5th Dementia - The press release states that The 5th Dementia is a diverse band made up of former musicians with severe Alzheimer’s disease, dementia and Parkinson’s disease. This documentary shows how the group was formed, details the lives of the participants and how little social interaction they have as their health issues take their toll (in some cases, members have little notion of even where they are). However, we then witness the group as they sit down and play songs without so much as a sheet of written music, playing completely by instinct and memory. The film was released very recently and is now making its debut on disc.

There aren’t any reviews available right now, but the picture may be of interest to music aficionados.

After the Wedding - A woman who has devoted her life to running an orphanage in Kolkata, India, struggles to keep the institute open. When she receives a sizable and mysterious donation offer, she heads to New York to meet with her potential benefactor, who turns out to be a multimillionaire heading a media company. Together, they get a sense of each other’s motivations and the orphanage manager attempts to process the meaning behind the gesture. Critics generally disliked this drama.

While about a third liked the cast and thought there was plenty of tension generated by the two leads meeting, most called it melodramatic twaddle with largely unsympathetic characters that unsuccessfully attempts to wring tears out of viewers. It stars Michelle Williams, Julianne Moore and Billy Crudup.

The Angry Birds Movie 2 - Based on the game, this follow-up to the 2016 Angry Birds movie finds the title characters and their green piggy enemies still at odds. However, the two groups are forced to team up when a tyrannical eagle and his team of birds arrive and threaten all parties. Together, the flightless birds and pigs work together to save both species and their island homes. The press actually preferred this feature to the original and gave it decent marks.

The consensus was that this sequel was better animated, moved at a much faster clip, and provided enough light entertainment to recommend it to families. The voice cast includes Jason Sudeikis, Josh Gad, Leslie Jones, Bill Hader, Rachel Bloom, Awkwafina, Sterling K. Brown, Eugenio Derbez and many others.

Aquarela - Water is the subject of this documentary, which uses incredible and powerful photography shot at a very high frame rate to capture the natural beauty and wonder of the element. This includes Russia’s Lake Baikal to footage of Miami being hit by Hurricane Irma, as well as Venezuela’s remarkable Angel Falls. The press raved about this feature. One or two wanted the movie to do more than simply present the visual awe of its subject.

However, just about everyone was blown away by the cinematography and found the footage hypnotizing and even frightening at times. They stated that this picture clearly displays incredible marvels that most will have never seen quite like this. Planet Earth fans will likely be impressed by what they see.

Bliss - This independently produced horror flick involves a young artist suffering from a lack of inspiration. To inspire some creativity, the protagonist indulges in drugs, alcohol and ventures out into the city at night. After recovering, she finds herself able to paint again, but also feel a strange new desire for blood. As a person who frequently binges on illegal substances, this new desire becomes difficult to control.

Reaction was generally positive toward this effort. Most thought the chaos on display worked and eventually made the viewer feel as if they were spinning out of control. It features Dora Madison, Tru Collins, Rhys Wakefield and George Wendt.

Brian Banks - Based on a true story, this drama depicts an All-American high school football star who was wrongly convicted of a crime. After being sentenced to ten years of prison and probation, he finds some assistance from lawyers at the California Innocence Project, who investigate the case and attempt to get him released. Write-ups for this feature were mixed-positive.

A percentage did critique the presentation as being well-intentioned, but routine and thought a documentary might have served the story better. Slightly more complimented the work of the lead actor and thought the cast helped raise the material and turn it into an inspirational tale. It stars Aldis Hodge, Greg Kinnear and Sherri Shepherd.

Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles – Animated, but intended more for adults than children, this foreign-language co-production of Spain, the Netherlands and Germany details the life of artist Luis Buñuel - specifically, a period of great strife for the filmmaker after creating two surrealist masterpieces. Out of cash and envious of the success of his contemporaries, Buñuel wanders with his camera in search of inspiration that ultimately leads him into creating his next feature. The movie earned raves upon its release earlier this year. There were no negative pieces written about it, and all stated that the movie presents beautiful dreamlike imagery, and offers a bit of the motivation and rationale of the artist, while still leaving an element of mystery about him.

The Farewell - When a Chinese family learns that their matriarch is terminally ill, they decide not to tell her about her deteriorating condition. Instead, they follow an old tradition and set up a fake wedding celebration in order for them to all visit her one last time. One family member doesn’t like the idea of a phony event and considers telling her grandmother the truth, leading to friction between herself, her parents, and relations. The movie received raves upon its theatrical release earlier in the year.

One or two reviewers critiqued it for being too reserved and low-key in its approach. However, everyone else described the movie as lovely, combining laughs and drama perfectly, and allowing each of the participants an opportunity to shine. The cast includes Awkwafina, Tzi Ma, Diana Lin, Shouchang Xiaou, Hong Lu and Yongbo Jiang.

Good Boys - This wild comedy involves three friends on the verge of becoming teenagers. When one of them is invited to a kissing party, members of the group decide to do some research for the event. A series of mishaps follow, in which one of the kids loses his father’s drone, sending them all out on a crazy quest to retrieve and/or replace it. Critics liked this comedy and most reviews were quite positive toward it.

There were some complaints that the script featured too many repetitive gross-out jokes and didn’t do enough with the characters. Still, more found themselves laughing consistently and appreciated that the film dealt with the issue of how friendships can change as one grows up. It stars Jacob Tremblay, Keith L. Williams, Brady Noon, Will Forte, Lil Rel Howery and Retta.

Love and Other Stunts - Being a stunt man is often a dangerous and thankless profession, and this documentary (also known in some markets as Danger God) tells the story of Gary Kent, a man who spent the ‘60s and ‘70s crashing cars for the movies. According to sources, he is one of the inspirations for Brad Pitt’s character in Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood. Viewers will witness interviews with the subject, and see some of his greatest onscreen stunts. You’ll also learn about what happened after he retired from the business.

This film is debuting on disc so there aren’t many reviews for it, but it should be of interest to any action movie fan out there. It features interviews with filmmakers like Richard Rush, John ‘Bud’ Cardos, as well as actors like Marc Singer.

Philophobia: or the Fear of Falling in Love - Here’s another independent comedy/drama. This one involves a podcaster whose latest relationship has hit a crossroads. His girlfriend tells him that her mother is visiting, and that if he doesn’t show up for a brunch date with them, she’ll know he isn’t serious and will end things. The confused man attempts to figure out how he truly feels about the woman and what to do next.

Most viewers will be introduced to this title on disc or through streaming platforms. There aren’t a lot of write-ups for it, but the ones that have appeared have been upbeat. They write that the movie is cute, well-written and has interesting characters. The lead roles are played by Aaron Burt, Emily Pearse and David Lengel.

Blasts from the Past!

It’s another busy week with numerous titles arriving from Arrow Video. The first group includes some Blu-ray reissues of previous releases from the distributor that have gone out of print. They include Children of the Corn (1984), which has also been given a picture remaster, as well as the entertaining C.H.U.D. (1984), Creepshow 2 (1987),Dead-End Drive-In (1986), House (1985) , House II: The Second Story (1987), Slugs (1988) and the killer yogurt flick, The Stuff (1985).

Their big new title arriving from the distributor is a Special Edition Blu-ray of Flowers in the Attic (1987). Based on the bestselling novel by V.C. Andrews, it’s about a group of children whose father dies in an accident. Their mother decides to take them to live with their grandmother, who is as nasty as they come and may be trying to kill the children. This adaptation took a bit of heat when it was originally released due to the feelings that the brother and sister locked away in the estate appear to be stifling.

Still, the movie has retained a following and fans will be happy with this release. It includes a horror expert audio commentary, new interviews with the cinematographer, production designer, composer and actor Jeb Stuart Addams.

VCI is delivering a pair of serials in high definition to enthusiasts. These were stories chopped up into little segments and placed before the main feature at theaters back in the day. They’re putting out 2K Special Editions of The Mysterious Mr. M (1946) and The Phantom Creeps (1939). The latter title, about an evil scientist trying to take over the world. features one of the coolest-looking robot monsters of its era.

RLJ has a 30th Anniversary Edition Steelbook of a great cult flick. Heathers (1988). It is a darkly comic take about two high school students  who decide to upend the social hierarchy at their high school and start murdering the school leaders. It stars Winona Ryder and Christian Slater. One hopes that this edition presents an updated transfer of the feature.

It arrives with a commentary featuring the director and writer, as well as interviews with the pair, some other members of the cast, and the film’s composer. Sounds like a definite buy for fans of ‘80s cinema.

Shout! Factory has a number of fascinating Blu-rays as well. They include the box set, The Nutty Professor Collection (1996 - 2000) which presents The Nutty Professor (1996) and Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000), both starring Eddie Murphy. The set includes a director’s cut and commentary on the second feature, as well as promo spots and featurettes on the film, a deleted scene, an extended restaurant scene, outtakes, music videos trailers and other extras.

Kino has a variety of titles from the U.S. and around the world coming this week on Blu-ray. They include Buffet Froid aka Cold Cuts (1979) with Gerard Depardieu, the Walter Matthau crime flick, Charley Varrick (1973), as well as the Joe Pesci/Danny Glover comedy, Gone Fishin’ (1997). You can also pick up Blu-rays of The Gun Runners (1958) and the French title, Les Liaisons Dangereuses (1959) and the cop thriller, Madigan (1968).  Nick Nolte and Don Johnson star in Return to Macon County (1975), while Street People (1976) features Roger Moore and Stacy Keach in a film about a mob deal gone wrong.

If you’re in the mood for a great ‘70s thriller, you could do plenty worse than Winter Kills (1979) with Jeff Bridges, John Huston, Anthony Perkins and an uncredited appearance by Elizabeth Taylor. It’s about the brother of an assassinated U.S. president who uncovers a web of government conspiracy after investigating the crime. This Special Edition comes with a writer/director commentary, a documentary on the film featuring the cast and crew, reunion between the filmmaker and star Bridges, and other extras.

You Know, For Kids!

Here are some kid-friendly releases coming your way.

The Angry Birds Movie 2

Highlights: Manners, Please!

Jurassic Genius: Great Big Sharks!

Steven Universe: The Movie (Cartoon Network)

 

On the Tube!

And you’ll find plenty of TV-themed highlights below.

The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Series

The Big Bang Theory: Season 12

Doctor Who: The Macra Terror

Doctor Who: Sil & the Devil Seeds of Arodor

Line of Duty: Series 5

Poldark: Complete Collection Seasons 1 - 5

Poldark: Season 5

A Snow White Christmas (Ion TV)

Star Trek: Discovery: Season 2

Steven Universe: The Movie (Cartoon Network)

By Glenn Kay
For the Sun