Welcome back to another look at highlights arriving on Blu-ray and DVD. It’s another busy edition filled with studio pictures, independent fare, as well as flicks from around the world. 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!
CORPUS CHRISTI: Also known as Boze Cialo, this foreign-language drama from Poland follows a young man serving time in a youth detention center. After experiencing a spiritual awakening, he decides to take steps to become a priest, but finds his efforts denied once he is released, due to his criminal past. The protagonist decides instead to impersonate a member of the cloth at a local parish to attain his ambitions and bring his community together. Critics were very taken with this effort and the movie was nominated for an Oscar at last year’s Academy Awards.
Currently, there are only a couple of negative write-ups for the movie, stating that the film was a bit too drawn out for its own good. Everyone else praised it as an effective and gritty slow-burn of a movie that packs a big emotional wallop at the close. The cast includes Bartosz Bielenia, Eliza Rycembel and Aleksandra Konieczna.
RED COW: This Israeli foreign-language coming-of-age drama (released as Para Aduma in its homeland) is set in the mid-1990s, just before the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. The story specifically details the struggles of a 16-year-old whose mother has just passed away, leaving her under the care of her right-wing, religious extremist father. It results in a tense situation as the teenager tries to navigate a tension-filled relationship with her dad, while determining her own sexual, religious and political beliefs. Reaction toward the film was upbeat.
According to reviewers, this tale does a solid and effective job of juggling concepts like dealing with first loves, as well as examining issues like patriarchy. Avigail Kovari, Gal Toren and Moran Rosenblatt headline the feature.
RETURN TO HARDWICK: Press releases for this documentary note that the 93rd Bomb Group was arguably the most decorated, most traveled and most effective bomb group of World War II. Based in Norfolk near the east coast of England, these servicemen were responsible for some of the biggest raids during the conflict. The feature details their heroic acts and introduces viewers to their descendants. Together, the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of these servicemen visit the old Hardwick base where they were stationed and explore it in order to get a deeper sense of their own family history.
For most, this movie is debuting on disc, so there aren’t any write-ups available online. However, the film has played at numerous film festivals over the past couple of years and has won several awards at those screenings. Michael Cudlitz narrates the picture.
STRAIGHT EDGE KEGGER: A youth decides to leave his gang behind after feeling like they’ve gone too far and become too violent. He meets and befriends a stranger who invites him along to a nearby celebration. After meeting a fetching young lady and enjoying several drinks, the lead is happy with his decision. However, that all changes when his old gang arrives at the party clad in masks. The crew begins attacking the partygoers and the protagonist must get his new acquaintances out to safety before they all meet their end.
This independent horror feature hasn’t received many reviews yet, but the few that have popped up have been complimentary. They suggest that while it is a low-budget picture with a few shortcomings, horror fans may appreciate the cast and the film’s frantic energy. The cast includes Cory Kays, Evey Reidy and Julio Alexander.
TURNER RISK: We all feel like it would be great to make a fresh start in our lives. In this thriller, a young man takes it to extremes. A frequent victim of bullying, he decides to strike back against the negative forces putting him down. The lead meets up with a couple new friends and describes his plot to wipe out his biggest nemesis at school.
While wandering the streets and hunting the figure down, the three discuss and compare how their target has caused them pain and, while sharing their experiences, eventually come to unexpected revelations. This indie flick hasn’t been seen by critics yet, but it has fared well at various film festivals, picking up a few trophies for its story, cinematography and performances. It features Nick Fink, Carlin James, Sean Cruz and Rory Hart.
BLASTS FROM THE PAST!
As usual, there are plenty of interesting catalog titles being upgraded to high definition. Shout! Factory is delivering a Blu-ray of Princess Caraboo (1994). This period comedy is set in the early 1800s and involves a mysterious woman who unexpectedly arrives at a wealthy English estate. The bizarrely-dressed lady speaks no English, yet the nobility becomes smitten with the new arrival and assumes that she must be a princess visiting from a faraway land.
This flick stars Phoebe Cates, Jim Broadbent, Kevin Kline, John Lithgow and Stephen Rea. According to online sources, the movie does a good job of keeping viewers guessing as to the woman’s real identity. The movie has gained a following over the years, so if you’re a fan of period pieces with a sense of humor, then this title might be enjoyable.
Kino is releasing the Hungarian comedy/drama, My 20th Century (1989). It’s a period film about identical twins separated early in life, who rediscover one another as adults. The movie has been given a 2K restoration and comes with a filmmaker interview and introduction to the movie, as well as a commentary track with the director and cinematographer. The distributor is also putting out the German comedy, Victor and Victoria (1933), about a singer who begins impersonating a man to get more opportunities on stage.
This film has been remade several times over the years, perhaps most notably by Blake Edwards in 1982. The disc includes a film historian audio commentary.
YOU KNOW, FOR KIDS!
If you’re looking to entertain the kids, it looks as though you only have one new option coming your way.
Think Like a Dog
ON THE TUBE!
Below you’ll find all the TV-themed releases coming your way.
1619 - Up from Slavery: A 14-Part Documentary Series
Doctor Who: Series 12
The Last Bridesmaid (Hallmark TV-movie)
Love, Take Two (Hallmark TV-movie)
NATURE: Cuba’s Wild Revolution (PBS)
NATURE: Remarkable Rabbits (PBS)
The Windermere Children (Drama and Documentary included) (PBS)
White Crane Chronicles – Kung Fu Killer / Kung Fu Killer II (2008) TV Mini-series
VISIT: WWW.CINEMASTANCE.COM
By Glenn Kay
For the Sun