Welcome to another look at highlights arriving on Blu-ray and DVD. It’s another busy edition with some big titles, as well as plenty of independent fare in a variety of genres. So, if you can’t make it out to the movies this week or need to stay indoors for a bit, be sure to give one of these titles a try!
BIG NEW RELEASES!
ASTEROID CITY: The latest from writer/director Wes Anderson (Rushmore, Moonrise Kingdom, The Grand Budapest Hotel) involves the production of a stage play and the story going on within the fictional work. The show follows a group of teenage scientists and their parents arriving in a small desert town to receive prizes from the military for their work. After a very strange occurrence one evening, all attending end up being quarantined.
The picture earned mostly positive notices, although those who panned it really disliked it. One-quarter found the characters and tone so eccentric that it frustrated them, and felt that the story didn’t add up to anything. However, the rest called it gorgeous to look at, very funny and also felt that trying to identify the complicated meaning and themes kept them engaged.
It stars Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Tilda Swinton, Bryan Cranston, Ed Norton, Adrien Brody, Liev Schreiber, Hope Davis, Steve Park, Rupert Friend, Steve Carrell, Matt Dillon, Hong Chau, Willem Dafoe and Margot Robbie.
BABYLON 5: THE ROAD HOME: Anyone who enjoyed science-fiction T.V. shows in the 1990s might remember Babylon 5, a series about characters working at an intergalactic space station. Located in neutral territory, the setting became the center of drama involving political intrigue and wars between alien nations. This animated feature film is a follow-up that plays catch up with the characters and sets the main protagonist on a new adventure. After he is transported through multiple timelines and alternate realities involving the people he served with, the hero desperately searches for a way back to his own place in the universe.
The film was made for the streaming and direct-to-disc market, so there haven’t been many reviews. One that has been posted online states that fans of the show will be impressed and that the film will make them hope for more follow-ups.
The voice cast includes Bruce Boxleitner, Claudia Christian, Paul Guyet, Peter Jurasik, Phil LaMarr, Bill Mumy, Rebecca Riedy and Tracy Scoggins.
BLACK LOTUS: A member of the special ops decides to ignore orders while working on a hostage negotiation for hundreds of millions of dollars. His unusual tactic works and saves those being held, but costs the life of a friend and annoys a mob boss connected to the crime. As retaliation, the villain takes the deceased figure’s little girl as a hostage. The furious protagonist hunts down those responsible, vowing to not only get the youngster back, but end the criminal empire.
There aren’t many reviews available for this low-budget action picture and most of them are negative. The notice states that despite some nice Amsterdam locations, every element of the story is predictable and the movie generates little in the way of tension. Many noted that they didn’t even understand what the title of the picture had to do with the events onscreen.
It features Rico Verhoeven, Frank Grillo, Marie Dompnier, Peter Franzen, Rona-Lee Shimon and Magnus Samuelsson.
CONFIDENTIAL INFORMANT: Two narcotics agents are tasked with finding a cop killer during a crack epidemic. When one of them receives a terminal diagnosis, he and his partner cook up an elaborate scheme. They make a deal with their informant to have the officer killed in the line-of-duty so that his family can receive hefty benefits. But things don’t go according to plan and the two become targets of an internal affairs agent.
Notices for this action picture are hard to come by, but unfortunately everyone who did see it was disappointed. They all commented that the concept was intriguing, but that the strong cast was wasted and that it wasn’t well put together. In fact, many wrote that the end product was dull.
Dominic Purcell, Mel Gibson, Nick Stahl, Kate Bosworth and Arielle Raycene headline the picture.
FROM BLACK: A woman becomes a drug addict after the tragic disappearance of her son. Several years later, she runs into a person who claims to know what happened. After following his instructions, she discovers a strange cult and learns that the price to pay for knowledge is incredibly steep. Viewers witness how far she’s willing to do to find her child.
This independent feature premiered on the Shudder streaming service and is now arriving on disc. Overall, reviews were downbeat. A small number found the concept chilling and thought the screenplay did a good job with the characters and depicting the agony of not knowing what occurred to a loved one. Unfortunately, the majority thought that, after a promising set-up, the picture devolved into supernatural silliness and over-the-top performances.
It stars Anna Camp, Travis Hammer, John Ales and Ian Casselberry.
HOLY SPIDER: This multi-national co-production is based on a true story and involves an Iranian journalist investigating a string of murders in Mashhad. She travels to learn more and discovers disturbing facts about the culprit. As it turns out, he is a family man on a religious quest to rid the streets of prostitutes. His crimes increase after becoming incensed about the lack of news coverage he is receiving. Indeed, as the writer compiles damning evidence, she becomes concerned that the public will wrongly embrace him as a hero.
This foreign-language film earned a lot of upbeat buzz. A limited contingent thought that the message was contradictory given the way the story and slayings were presented. However, the consensus was that the movie was compelling, powerful and disturbing, all presented in an effective manner that was difficult to forget.
Zar Amir-Ebrahimi, Mehdi Bajestani and Arash Ashtiani headline the picture.
KILL SHOT: Looking for more independent action films? This tale follows an ex-Navy who now works as a hunting guide in rural Montana. During a trip in the mountains with a mysterious female client, the pair come upon a plane crash. Inside is $100 million in stolen drug money. The two decide to carry the cash back to civilization. But before you can say, “This sounds like a really low-budget rip-off of Cliffhanger,” the leads find themselves being pursued by terrorists eager to get their hands on the money.
It doesn’t appear as though anyone has seen this picture yet and it is debuting on disc and on streaming sites at the same time, so there are no reviews available just yet. The lack of coverage suggests interested parties should proceed with caution.
It features Rachel Cook, Rib Hillis, Bobby Maximus and Xian Mikol.
THE MACHINE: Stand-up comedian Bert Kreischer leads the cast in this feature. Apparently, a significant portion of his stand up recounts his experiences 23 years ago as a college student getting mixed up with the Russian mafia. This film recounts what happened and then jumps to the present day. It seems the mob are none-to-pleased with the routine and kidnap Kreisher and his estranged father. After being taken to Russia, the lead and his pop have to figure out a way to escape.
The press gave this effort a low grade. About one-quarter of reviews wrote that it was fast-paced, sharp-witted and would entertain those who enjoy the comedian’s work. Still, most complained that it would not appeal to anyone unfamiliar with the routine and that the attempts at humor were clunky and ineffective.
It also features Mark Hamill, Jimmy Tatro, Stephanie Kurtzuba and Jess Gabor.
NEFARIOUS: A condemned serial killer sits in prison awaiting his execution. With just hours to go before the end of his life, the man gets a psychiatric evaluation. The maniac tells the mild-mannered interviewer that he is actually a demon. He also claims that, before the end of the day, the psychiatrist will murder three people. As the time passes, viewers end up seeing if the killer truly is what he says.
Generally, this independent, faith-based horror picture wasn’t well-received. A few complimented it as being a solid genre effort that delivered plenty of tension along with interesting philosophical debate. However, everyone else wrote that it was essentially a silly and heavy-handed sermon that was blatant in its intentions and therefore lacked thrills or chills.
Sean Patrick Flanery, Jordan Belfi and Tom Ohmer headline the film.
OUIJA SHARK 2: This micro-budgeted genre flick is a follow-up to a 2020 picture about a ghost shark that gobbles up victims. The deceased father of the protagonist from the first film finds himself trapped in Hell after his run-in with the title monster in the previous entry. When he discovers that a sinister demonic figure is planning on unleashing the shark on the entire world, the hero uses everything in his power to stop the evil plan. Back on Earth, the lead’s wife and a medium try to make contact with him.
Reaction was all over the board, but this sequel earned more praise from online critics than the original feature did. One reviewer thought it would only appeal to bad movie fans, but the majority wrote that the characters were better written than in the original and that the film was superior to other micro-budgeted monster flicks. They also stated that it fully embraced its comedic side and included a bevy of amusingly outrageous moments.
It stars John Migliore, Deborah Jayne Reilly Smith, Kylie Gough, Simon Wheeldon, Lena Montecalvo, Lloyd Kaufman and (full disclosure) a very brief voice-over cameo from, well, me.
SCHEME QUEENS: At the beginning of this independently produced crime film, four female friends struggle to make ends meet. When the lead crosses paths with a Rastafarian smuggler’s henchman who is set to sell some diamonds on the black market, the woman hatches a plan and calls on all her pals for assistance. The group set out to dupe the henchman and take the jewels for themselves. Unfortunately, all of the ladies begin double-crossing one another, endangering all of their lives in the process.
This picture earned a limited release a couple of months ago, but there haven’t been any notices for it. Alas, anyone curious about the movie will have to go in cold and hope for the best.
The cast includes Brii Renee’, Ernestine Johnson, B. Simone, Jacky Oh, Nicole Acosta and Sean Baker.
YOU KNOW, FOR KIDS!
Monster High: The Movie (Paramount/Nickelodeon) DVD
Sesame Street: Abby & Elmo’s Amazing Adventures (Shout! Factory) DVD
ON THE TUBE!
All of this edition’s TV-releases can be found below.
Babylon 5: The Road Home (Warner Bros.) 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray or Blu-ray
The Lincoln Lawyer Season 1 (Lionsgate) Blu-ray
VISIT: WWW.CINEMASTANCE.COM
By Glenn Kay
For the Sun