Welcome to the latest look at highlights arriving on Blu-ray and DVD. This week isn’t as populated with big Hollywood fare, but there are plenty of interesting documentaries and smaller titles coming your way. So, if you can’t make it to the movies or should be staying indoors this week, be sure to check out one of these titles!
BIG NEW RELEASES!
THE BEATLES: GET BACK: While this is technically a 3-episode docuseries (that began streaming on Disney+ at the end of 2021), it is one of the week’s most noteworthy releases.
Oscar-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson (“The Lord of the Rings” film series) has located and cleaned up hours upon hours of footage of “The Beatles” shot by documentarians in 1969 and 1970. It was captured for the film “Let it Be” and showed the group recording the album of the same name. Apparently, the resulting film from 1970 didn’t display all that occurred over the session and this feature presents a more accurate behind-the-scenes picture of the sessions.
Reviews were excellent for the project. A tiny number actually complained that it was too exhaustive and contained so much detail that the best material was almost lost. Everyone else appreciated the dedication on display, saying that the series was expertly put together and presented George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr in a new light.
BIGFOOT OR BUST: Low-budget B-movie enthusiasts may be interested in this monster movie from Jim Wynorski (“Chopping Mall,” “Munchie,” “Ghoulies IV,” “The Return of the Swamp Thing,” “Cobragator”). It involves a group of celebrities who head out on a quest to a remote area in the hopes of finding Bigfoot. They meet up with another group of time-traveling women who are also looking for the creature. Naturally, they discover and try to catch the beast (one of them even falls for the hairy figure).
There currently aren’t many reviews available for the movie, which has been described by some as intentionally bad. A couple notices have popped up online simply stating that there isn’t much of a story here, just a bunch of cheesy gags involving the busty figures of lead characters. It features Melissa Brasselle, Becky LeBeau, Lisa London, Gail Thackray and Christine Nguyen.
BLACK SITE: A CIA Agent runs an underground black site facility holding the world’s most dangerous criminals. One day, she receives word that the vicious killer who murdered her husband is being transferred over.
After arriving, the lead grapples with feelings of revenge. However, the psychopath soon escapes his cell and begins moving through the prison, slaughtering everyone he encounters. The protagonist must square off against the villain and deal with potential moles within her group who may have helped to free him.
Critics generally slammed this action/thriller. A small contingent liked the performers and thought they helped make up for its screenplay deficiencies. However, the consensus was that the film was surprisingly bland and that the characters needed more development. It stars Michelle Monaghan, Jason Clarke, Jai Courtney, Uli Latukefu and Lucy Barrett.
HUDA’S SALON: A salon doesn’t necessarily seem like a place to set a tense thriller, but this foreign-language feature attempts to prove otherwise. A Palestinian woman in the West Bank goes with her newborn child to visit her hairdresser. The old friends talk and the lead complains about her husband, sharing life details. At the end of the appointment, the salon employee threatens to reveal the information and blackmails the woman into spying for the Israel Secret Service.
Apparently, the film is based on a true story, earned solid notices and won awards at various film festivals over the past year. A few did complain that the movie was too talky and didn’t deliver the required thrills. However, most thought it had some tense moments and presented an unnerving and complicated story about an individual being forced to do things against their will in order to survive. Maisa Abd Elhadi, Ali Suliman and Samer Bisharat headline the film.
MONDOCANE: This Italian science-fiction picture is set in a dystopian world where citizens will do whatever it takes in order to persevere. The government locks down a town and places barbed wire around it. This causes two thirteen-year-old orphans and best friends to try and get recruited by one of the vicious gangs fighting for control of the territory. Naturally, it puts their lives in danger and potentially threatens to pit them against each other.
This foreign-language effort earned slightly more positive write-ups than negative ones. A number of reviews thought it borrowed too heavily from movies like “Mad Max” and “The Hunger Games” without offering anything new or original. Slightly more commented that while the story was familiar, the acting was above-average and the characters were memorable. It features Dennis Protopapa, Giuliano Soprano, Alessandro Borghi and Barbara Ronchi.
WOLF HOUND: During World War II, there was a special Nazi air unit that would down, repair and fly enemy aircraft in order to sneak up and destroy targets. This drama is “inspired by” a true story about an American pilot who was fired upon by this German outfit. After crashing behind enemy lines, he must evade capture, fight back against the squadron who took him down and stop a plot that could alter the outcome of the war.
Reviews for this picture were uniformly bad. Just about everyone said that the aerial battle footage was excellent and thrilling to watch. And that was all… they noted that everything else about the picture was terrible, citing bad dialogue and an increasingly ridiculous story. Apparently, it exaggerates so many elements that the final film is impossible to take seriously. The cast includes James Maslow, Trevor Donovan, John Turk and Michael Wayne Foster.
BLASTS FROM THE PAST!
Plenty of interesting older features will be receiving high-definition upgrades this week.
Criterion is putting out a much-heralded title with the boxing drama, “Raging Bull” (1980). Directed by Martin Scorsese (“Taxi Driver,” “Goodfellas,” “The Departed,” “The Irishman”), the movie tells the story of real-life pugilist Jake LaMotta, whose violent temper led to great success in the ring but destroyed all of his personal relationships.
The movie won star Robert De Niro an Academy Award for Best Actor and also earned another Oscar for Best Editing. You can pick up the film in a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray combo pack or purchase it as a Blu-ray only release. Extras include critic video essays on the movie, three audio commentaries featuring Scorsese, as well as the cast and crew, a making including most who were involved in the movie, short programs, archival interview and much more.
The distributor is also putting out the rom-com “Summertime” (1955) from director David Lean (“The Bridge of the River Kwai,” “Lawrence of Arabia,” “Doctor Zhivago”). It stars Katharine Hepburn as an American who travels to Italy searching for love. Unfortunately, she falls for a married man. The Blu-ray includes a new 4K restoration of the movie, as well as a film historian interview, a 1963 discussion with director Lean, audio excerpts with the cinematographer and plenty more bonuses.
Kino has a very amusing Blu-ray coming your way. It’s a Special Edition of the action flick, “Steele Justice” (1987). Made at the height of the patriotic “Rambo” movie craze, this story features Martin Kove (“The Karate Kid,” “Rambo: First Blood Part II,” the recent “Cobra Kai” series) as a Vietnam veteran struggling to adapt to life after the war. When his war buddy is killed by drug dealers, the protagonist decides to find out who is responsible and enact revenge.
If memory serves, this movie is over-the-top and absurdly ridiculous in just about every way imaginable. There are amusing moments early on as the drunken, sorry hero is taken in and cleaned up by the victim’s family, as well as some truly crazy action scenes including a public and very cartoonish gunfight that occurs in the middle of a music video shoot. It’s one of those so-cheesy-it’s-fun kind of action titles. The Blu-ray features a new audio commentary featuring Kove and the film’s director, as well as a trailer.
Paramount is delivering a number of Blu-rays debuts as well. You can pick up the animated comedy “Bebe’s Kids” (1992) about a man recounting a terrible first date at an amusement park with the woman of his dreams. The main problem for the hero is that the lady has three very badly behaved children to contend with.
You can also pick up the Samuel L. Jackson/Ben Affleck drama, “Changing Lanes” (2002) about a driving altercation that leads to an escalating conflict between the two drivers.
“Domestic Disturbance” (2001) is a fun little thriller about an evil stepfather featuring John Travolta and Vince Vaughn, along with a memorable supporting turn from Steve Buscemi.
You can also pick up the Chris Rock comedy “Down to Earth” (2001), in which he plays a deceased black comedian who returns to Earth in the body of a white businessman.
One of the best science-fiction comedies of the past 25 years is “Galaxy Quest” (1999) and this picture is being rereleased on Blu-ray by Paramount. It involves the crew of a “Star Trek”-esque television show who end up actually being sent into the far reaches of space to fight a reptilian warlord. The cast includes Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Tony Shalhoub, Sam Rockwell and Daryl Mitchell.
Shout! Factory is unveiling the Jane Fonda and Lindsay Lohan comedy/drama “Georgia Rule” (2007) on Blu-ray. The disc comes with an archived director commentary, a making-of featurette, deleted scenes (with commentary), on-set footage, a gag reel and a trailer.
And again, this is a TV release, but one that I couldn’t help but mention. You can now pick up “The Six Million Dollar Man” The Complete Series on Blu-ray from Shout! Factory.
Lee Majors plays a test pilot who ends up in a deadly explosion, only to be transformed into a technically advanced bionic man. The protagonist ends up participating in secret missions and, in later seasons, squares off against Bigfoot.
The discs come with loads of extras, including TV-expert commentaries, as well as crossover episodes from “The Bionic Woman” and the six “Six Million Dollar Man” TV-movies that followed the series over the following two decades. There’s even an interview with actor Bryan Cranston in which he describes his guest appearances on a couple of episodes.
YOU KNOW, FOR KIDS!
Here are a couple of releases that might appeal to kids.
“Pokémon Journeys: The Series” Season 23 (Warner Bros.) DVD
“Rugrats” Season 1, Volume 1 (Nickelodeon) DVD
ON THE TUBE!
And all of the TV-themed releases coming your way this week are listed below.
“Batwoman” The Third and Final Season (Warner Bros.) Blu-ray
“The Beatles: Get Back” (Disney) Blu-ray
“Conviction: The Case of Stephen Lawrence” Season 1 (Acorn) DVD
“Endeavour” Season 8 (PBS) Blu-ray
“FRONTLINE: The Power of Big Oil” (PBS) DVD
“Hotel Portofino” Season 1 (PBS) DVD
“Killing Eve” Season 4 (RLJ Entertainment) Blu-ray
“Matchmaker Mysteries 3-Movie Collection: A Killer Engagement, A Fatal Romance & The Art of the Kill” (Hallmark) DVD
“Pokémon Journeys: The Series” Season 23 (Warner Bros.) DVD
“Rugrats” Season 1, Volume 1 (Nickelodeon) DVD
“The Six Million Dollar Man” The Complete Series (Shout! Factory) Blu-ray
“Star Trek: Lower Decks” Season 2 (Paramount) Blu-ray
VISIT: WWW.CINEMASTANCE.COM
By Glenn Kay
For the Sun
