Welcome to another look at some of the highlights that are arriving on Blu-ray and DVD. It’s a busy edition once again, with a few big titles and some interesting smaller fare in a wide variety of genres. So, if you can’t make it out to the movies this week or need to stay indoors, be sure to give one of these titles a try!
BIG NEW RELEASES!
80 FOR BRADY: A group of senior women bond while watching the New England Patriots and become obsessive fans of the team and quarterback Tom Brady. When the Patriots make it to another Super Bowl and one of the friends fears that she may have terminal cancer, the protagonists decide to find a way to get tickets and attend the game. While at the celebrations, they meet celebrities and get into all kinds of misadventures.
This comedy earned slightly more positive notices than it did negative ones. Those who disliked the movie said the stars deserved a better screenplay, the humor was hackneyed and that the attempts at drama were ineffective. Still, slightly more enjoyed seeing four screen legends together and thought seniors would get a chuckle or two out of it.
The movie stars Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Rita Moreno, Sally Field, Tom Brady, Billy Porter, Rob Corddry, Alex Moffat, Guy Fieri, Bob Balaban, Glynn Turman, Sara Gilbert and Jimmy O. Yang.
BABY RUBY: A vlogger and influencer is thrilled to welcome a baby into her life. But after returning home from the hospital, she starts getting a very strange feeling. The protagonist wonders if she isn’t adjusting well to the change, or if perhaps there is something odd about the newborn. When neighbors begin showing up and aggressively trying to make friends, she becomes more and more paranoid about what might be going on.
More critics enjoyed this drama than disliked it. About one-third of them called the film overly melodramatic and exaggerated, suggesting the over-the-top approach hurt the movie and its attempt to deliver an effective message. The rest were intrigued, finding the fears of the protagonist relatable and calling it an interesting examination of a family falling apart under the pressure of being new parents.
The cast includes Noémie Merlant, Kit Harington, Meredith Hagner and Reed Birney.
CHAMPIONS: After getting into trouble with the law, a mean-spirited minor-league basketball coach is forced to help out a local team made of intellectually disabled players. Initially, he does everything he can to get out of the assignment. However, after getting to know the group personally and changing his training methods, the team begins to win and the protagonist finds himself changing in a positive way.
Slightly more reviewers appreciated the film than critiqued it. Close to half of notices called the feature well-intentioned but formulaic and didn’t think the mix of broad humor and drama worked particularly well. But the majority wrote that the movie was a warm-hearted, wholesome and inspirational crowd-pleaser that would play well for the entire family.
It features Woody Harrelson, Kaitlin Olson, Ernie Hudson, Cheech Marin, Matt Cook, Madison Tevlin and Kevin Iannucci.
FOREST OF DEATH: Those who enjoy low-budget, DIY horror pictures may appreciate this effort. It follows a group of friends who want to party and travel to the remote countryside for the weekend to do so. Unfortunately, they are targeted by a “skinwalker,” a creature that can take the form of a human and mimic them in order to get close to its victims. The pals begin to turn on each other as they try to survive the onslaught.
Genre critics who have seen the movie have reacted favorably toward it. In fact, all of them commented that while the filmmakers didn’t have a big budget, they did create plenty of atmosphere and delivered a sharp creeper with plenty of jolts and eerie moments.
Dylan DeVane, Howard Hawkins, Reggie Johnson, Stephanie Kirves, Tyler Miller, Benjamin L. Newmark and Chloë Marie Rhoades headline the film.
OF AN AGE: This coming-of-age story involves a 17-year-old amateur ballroom dancer. Before he must leave town, he spends 24 hours hanging out with a friend’s older brother. What starts as a simple day out intensifies over a very brief period of time when the two immediately connect and fall in love. They talk about what each of them wants out of life and if there is any way that they can reconnect in the future.
Most write-ups for this title were complimentary. A small number thought the tale became more and more sorrowful and weepy as it progressed, ultimately becoming a slog to endure. Regardless, most commented that the leads were extraordinary and that the film was a sweet, sensitive and humanistic story about two young men trying to find their way in the world.
Elias Anton and Thom Green play the leads in the movie.
THE RITUAL KILLER: At the beginning of this thriller, a psychopath who travels the world and murders victims in order to use their parts and summon occult powers arrives in Mississippi. After starting to kill and perform sacrifices on locals, the detective assigned with the cast finds himself in over his head. He contacts a professor of African Studies at a university in order to learn more about the figure. The pair try to stop the murderer and save the day before he strikes again.
Overall, the press hated this feature. So far, there has been only one positive notice, claiming the story offered a new and different twist on the serial killer flick. Everyone else thought it was a mess, writing that the plot didn’t make much sense and that the ending was completely baffling. They also noted that it lacked thrills or any kind of excitement.
The cast includes Morgan Freeman, Cole Hauser, Vernon Davis, Peter Stormare and Julie Lott.
SUPERCELL: A teenager feels like he has big shoes to fill a few years after the tragic death of his father, a legendary storm chaser. He leaves home to follow in his pop’s footsteps and try to understand why some find these dangerous weather systems so alluring. When a massive and deadly superstorm approaches, the youngster encounters a team of seasoned, quirky professional chasers who take him under their wing.
This disaster flick split the critics, with one or two more disliking the final result than appreciating it. Almost half thought it was a decent effort, stating the storm effects were good and that the script worked hard to help viewers understand the characters and the reasons for their unusual pursuit. Slightly more appreciated the cast, but thought the picture needed more thrills, excitement. They also found the dramatic elements overplayed.
It features Alec Baldwin, Anne Heche, Skeet Ulrich, Daniel Diemer and Jordan Kristine Seamón.
ON THE TUBE!
And here are the latest titles originating from TV that are now arriving on Blu-ray and DVD.
Hallmark 3-Movie Collection: Hidden Gems, Two Tickets to Paradise & Caribbean Summer (Hallmark) DVD
VISIT: WWW.CINEMASTANCE.COM
By Glenn Kay
For the Sun