Welcome to the latest look at highlights arriving on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD. This is a relatively quiet edition, but one that does feature a couple of well-regarded independent pictures and some impressive upgrades of classic titles. So, if you can’t make it out to the movies this week or need to stay indoors for a few days, be sure to give one of these titles a try!
BIG NEW RELEASES!
BABES: Two women who have been best friends since childhood find themselves at different stages in life. One is married and has started a family, while the other still enjoys partying and doing recreational drugs. When the wild one learns that she is pregnant, no one, including her bestie, is certain that she is ready to be a mother. The expectant mother decides to go ahead anyway and become a single parent.
This independent comedy was well-received by the press. A very small contingent called the characters grating and thought the broad humor fell flat. However, the majority complimented the writing and the performances. They enjoyed the interplay between the two and described it as a funny and truthful pregnancy story.
It stars Ilana Glazer, Michelle Buteau, Hasan Minhaj, John Carroll Lynch, Oliver Platt, Sandra Bernhard and Stephan James.
BANEL & ADAMA: This foreign-language drama from Senegal is about a couple deeply in love. In fact, the story states that they have been together since childhood. As adults still living in their village, one is still passionate about important causes. She is a female rights activist, while he tends to follow the usual customs. When there is a heat wave and locals suggest that prayer might be the answer to everyone’s troubles, the couple examine their relationship and whether their different views can coexist.
Critics spoke very highly of this feature. One or two commented that while beautiful to look at, the story didn’t quite come together or make its point clearly. Everyone else called it a gorgeously shot, tragic love story that has a few interesting things to say about social norms and refusing to compromise.
The cast includes Khady Mane, Mamadou Diallo and Binta Racine Sy.
HARD MILES: Inspired by a true story about the Ridgeview Academy cycling team, this tale follows prison social worker Greg Townsend. While working with teenage convicts, he and his bosses come up with a plan to earn themselves funding and help the kids rebuild their lives. It involves a long but transformative 760-plus-mile ride across three states and through the Grand Canyon.
Write-ups for this inspiration drama were quite strong. A few stated that the film itself felt like a long haul and was loaded with cliches. Still, the majority thought the performances were strong, the photography was picturesque and that it was a nice, well-intentioned story about making a fresh start.
For the time being, this is a DVD only release. It features Matthew Modine, Sean Astin, Cynthia Kaye McWilliams, Leslie David Baker, Jahking Guillory and Jackson Kelly.
JOHNNY PUFF: SECRET MISSION: A guitar-playing, retired rock-stat puffin called Johnny Puff lives with his best bird friends with other animals in a snow-covered village. Deep under the ice, a nasty walrus living in a submarine tries to invade town and do horrible things to the residents. Led by Johnny, the creatures must go on a secret mission and use all of their special abilities to help fend off the invader.
This is a Spanish, Italian and American independent co-production that appears to be debuting exclusively on DND. As a result, very little is known about it, but online trailers for the movie don’t look promising. Families may want to wait for a few reviews to roll in and get a better sense of the quality of the film before picking it up.
Johnny Depp provides the voice for the lead character.
PICTURES OF GHOSTS: The city of Recife, Brazil is the setting for this unique documentary. The filmmaker, who is from the city, returns home to see what happened to the old cinemas that he once attended as a child. Most are now gone, and so he uses his own personal footage and other images of the theaters themselves to show the evolution of the area and the part that movies played in the history of the region.
This picture did very well at film festivals and was nominated for several awards. It also fared well with critics, earning unanimous praise. Everyone wrote that the archival material used was incredible and that it presented a fascinating picture of the old city. They thought it showed the power of cinema as a way of immortalizing different times and places.
YOU KNOW, FOR KIDS!
Looks like the aforementioned animated feature about puffins is the sole choice for families this week.
Johnny Puff: Secret Mission (WowNow) DND
ON THE TUBE!
It’s a very quiet week on the tube with no releases, but it looks like next week will be much busier.
VISIT: WWW.CINEMASTANCE.COM
By Glenn Kay
For the Sun
