Join the
Sixties generation
DVD
Blu-ray Releases
OnVideo's Weekly Guide to Home Video Releases
The Barber
(2014) Scott Glenn, Chris Coy. Eugene van Wingerdt (Scott Glenn) is a small-town barber hiding a dark secret. Twenty years earlier he was arrested for several gruesome murders, but was released due to insufficient evidence. The detective in charge of the case killed himself in despair. Now the detective’s son is in town, with a few secrets of his own. Is he seeking revenge or hoping to learn at the feet of the master? Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc. (ARC Entertainment).
Bedlam
(2013) Guy Edmonds, Peter McAllum, Johnny Boxer. George, a haunted man, enters Bedlam Hospital for a guaranteed recovery, but instead discovers a world darker than even his demons could conjure. Once, he fought for sanity, now he fights to survive. Formats: DVD, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). (Lionsgate).
Blood of the Vine: Season 3
(2014 -- France) An internationally renowned wine expert teams with a local police chief in France to solve wine-related murders and mysteries in the heart of the Bordeaux vineyards and in the regions of Cognac and Champagne. Two-disc set with four episodes, $39.95. Formats: DVD. (MHz Home Entertainment).
Boy Meets Girl
(2014) Michelle Hendley, Michael Welch, Alexandra Turshen. One of the most popular LGBT films of the year, the coming of age film is a funny and heartwarming romantic-comedy about a young transwoman trying to navigate life and looking for romance in her small Kentucky hometown. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, Digital. (Wolfe Video).
The Boy Next Door
(2015) Jennifer Lopez, Ryan Guzman, John Corbett, Kristin Chenoweth. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: Deleted scenes, "The Making of The Boy Next Door," commentary with director Rob Cohen.
(Universal).
The Friends of Eddie Coyle
(1973) In one of the best performances of his legendary career, Robert Mitchum plays small-time gunrunner Eddie “Fingers” Coyle in an adaptation by Peter Yates of George V. Higgins's acclaimed novel "The Friends of Eddie Coyle." World-weary and living hand to mouth, Coyle works on the sidelines of the seedy Boston underworld just to make ends meet. But when he finds himself facing a second stretch of hard time, he's forced to weigh loyalty to his criminal colleagues against snitching to stay free. Directed with a sharp eye for its gritty locales and an open heart for its less-than-heroic characters, this is one of the true treasures of 1970s Hollywood filmmaking -- a suspenseful crime drama in stark, unforgiving daylight. New, restored high-definition digital transfer, approved by director Peter Yates, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc. Extras: Commentary featuring Yates; stills gallery; an essay by critic Kent Jones and a 1973 on-set profile of actor Robert Mitchum from Rolling Stone. (The Criterion Collection).
Inherent Vice
(2014) Dir.: Paul Thomas Anderson; Joaquin Phoenix, Josh Brolin, Owen Wilson, Katherine Waterston, Reese Witherspoon, Benicio Del Toro, Martin Short, Jena Malone, Joanna Newsom. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: "Los Paranoias," "Shasta Fay," The Golden Fang," "Everything In This Dream." (Warner).
The Jeffersons: Season Seven
(1980-81) Three-disc set with all 20 episodes, $24.97. A groundbreaking series that mixed hilarious comedy and social commentary, "The Jeffersons" remains an all-time favorite thanks to
La silence de la mer
(1949) Jean-Pierre Melville began his superb filmmaking career with this powerful adaptation of an influential underground novel written during the Nazi occupation of France. An idealistic, naive German officer is assigned to the home of a middle-aged man and his grown niece; their response to his presence -- their only form of resistance -- is complete silence. Constructed with elegant minimalism and shot, by the legendary Henri Decae, with hushed eloquence, "Le silence de la mer" is a fascinating tale of moral ambiguity that points the way toward Melville's later films about resistance and the occupation ("Leon Morin, Priest"; "Army of Shadows") yet remains a singularly eerie masterwork in its own right. New high-definition digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc. Extras: "24 Hours in the Life of a Clown" (1946), Melville's 17-minute first film; new interview with film scholar Ginette Vincendeau; interview with Melville from 1959; an essay by critic Geoffrey O'Brien. (The Criterion Collection).
The Legacy
(2014 -- Denmark) The death of a matriarch brings forgotten secrets out into the open and causes a prolonged battle for the family inheritance in this Danish family melodrama series from the makers of the blockbuster "Borgen." Four-disc set with 10 episodes, $49.95. Formats: DVD. (MHz Home Entertainment).
Look of a Killer
(2011 -- Finland) Former KGB agent Victor Karppa is haunted by his past: He saw and did things on the job that he'd like to forget. In an attempt to create order in his life he settles in Finland, putting down roots in the country of his ancestors. He tries to make a living two ways, as a private investigator and as a business facilitator for Russian immigrants, but that doesn't sit well with his girlfriend, Marja. Try as he might not to, he keeps brushing up against the criminal elements he wanted so badly to leave behind: Russian mafia kingpins, drug dealers, KGB operatives, and regrettable lowlifes that make their way into his world. Yet he's not a killer, even if he does look like one. It all takes its toll on his relationship with Marja, who sees any association with the criminal world as a bad sign for the future of their relationship. Three-disc set with eight episodes, $39.95. Formats: DVD. (MHz Home Entertainment).
Mama's Family: Mama's Favorites, Season Five
Six "Mama's Family" episodes, hand-picked by star Vicki Lawrence: "The Really Loud Family," "Naomi's New Position," "Found Money," "Mama's Layaway Plan," "Mama in One" and "Dependence Day." Formats: DVD, $12.95. (Time Life/StarVista Entertainment).
The Mentalist: The Complete Seventh and Final Season
(2014) Three-disc set with 13 episodes, $39.98. Formats: DVD. Extras: "Patrick Jane: An Uncommon Man" featurette. (Warner).
Mommy
(2014 -- Canada) Anne Dorval, Antoine Olivier Pilon, Suzanne Clement. Award-winning writer-director Xavier Dolan weaves the brilliant story of a passionate widowed single mom (Dorval), who finds herself burdened with the full-time custody of her unpredictable 15-year-old ADHD son (Pilon). As they struggle to make ends meet, Kyla (Suzanne Clement), the peculiar new neighbor across the street, offers her help. Together, they strive for a new sense of balance. 2014 Cannes Film Festival Jury Prize winner. In French with English subtitles. Formats: DVD. (Lionsgate).
My Little Pony Tales: The Complete Classic TV Series
(1992) Two-disc set with all 13 episodes of the show, originally airing on television in 1992.
Formats: DVD., $14.93. Extras: Sing-Alongs. (Shout! Factory).
New Tricks, Season 11
(2014) Beautiful DCI Sasha Miller (Tamzin Outhwaite) leads a team of detectives called out of retirement to solve cold cases in this long-running British series. New cast members rejuvenate the show in Season 11, which still features the fascinating mysteries and easy humor that have made the series so wildly popular on both sides of the Atlantic. In Season 11, the team tackles crimes involving antinuclear protesters, battle reenactors, an amateur sleuth, illegal immigrants, and state secrets from the Cold War era. Three-disc set with 10 episodes, $39.99.
Formats: DVD. Extras: Featurette with the new cast members. (Acorn Media).
Paddington
(2015) Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Peter Capaldi, Nicole Kidman, Ben Whishaw. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: "Meet the Characters," "When a Bear Comes to Stay," "From Page to Screen," "Shine" lyric music video written by Gwen Stefani & Pharrell. Blu-ray adds "The Making of Shine With Gwen Stefani & Pharrell." (TWC-Dimension/Anchor Bay).
Scooby-Doo! and Scrappy-Doo!: The Complete Season 1
Sgt. Bilko -- The Phil Silvers Show: Season 2
(1956-57) Five-disc set with all 36 episodes, $34.93. This Emmy-winning sitcom was one of early television's first blockbuster hits, with snappy dialogue and brilliant visual gags performed by comic genius Phil Silvers starring as Master Sergeant Ernest G. Bilko. In this second season, the fast-talking Bilko and his platoon -- who run the motor pool at Fort Baxter -- continue to cause chaos as they look for get-rich schemes and attempt to keep themselves free of the drudgery of work, much to the chagrin of Bilko's outmatched superior, Colonel Hall. Co-starring Harvey Lembeck, Allan Melvin, and Paul Ford (and featuring guest appearances by entertainment legends including Ed Sullivan and Bing Crosby). Formats: DVD. (Shout! Factory).
Suits: Season 4
(2014) Four-disc set with 16 episodes, $44.98. In the high-stakes legal world, contentment doesn't last long. Though Mike (Patrick J. Adams) has officially left Pearson Specter in favor
The Wedding Ringer
(2015) Kevin Hart, Josh Gad, Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting, Jorge Garcia, Cloris Leachman, Jenifer Lewis, Mimi Rogers. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: "Going to the Chapel of Love" featurette, select scenes commentary with director Jeremy Garelick and Josh Gad. Blu-ray adds 15 deleted scenes, five outtake reels, Line-o-Rama (short collections of alternate shots of jokes on set), Aloe Blacc's "Can You Do This" music video. (Sony).
Wolf Hall
(2015) Mark Rylance, Damian Lewis. Three-disc set with all six episodes of the TV miniseries that follows the complex machinations and back room dealings of the pragmatic and accomplished power broker Thomas Cromwell, the brilliant and enigmatic consigliere to King Henry VIII -- from humble beginnings and with an enigmatic past -- who must serve king and country while dealing with deadly political intrigue, Henry VIII's tempestuous relationship with Anne Boleyn and the religious upheavals of the Protestant Reformation. Adapted from Hilary Mantel's best-selling Booker Prize-winning novels "Wolf Hall" and its sequel "Bring Up the Bodies." Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc. (PBS Distribution).
Inherent Vice
Paul Thomas Anderson's "Inherent Vice" is the first ever film adaptation of a Thomas Pynchon novel and thus should be a cause for celebration. Unfortunately for this reviewer -- a big fan of both Pynchon and Anderson -- the adaptation leaves something to be desired. A Pynchon novel needs to be nourished and taken in like a fine wine or a great dinner -- savored, mulled over, delved into. Unlike a novel, a great film has to grab you by the eyeballs and -- to use a term I haven't used in many years --"suture" you to the screen. For some reason Anderson's "Inherent Vice" pushes me away. The characters lack the depth they have in the novel -- they're just there, like avatars, reciting Pynchon's words but not feeling them (surprisingly, Anderson is incredibly faithful to the novel in the film's dialogue and story line). The movie rolls along in fits and starts, with a mise-en-scene that flattens out the scope of Pynchon's novel. The scope of the novel is monumental -- it's the end of the 1960s (physically and spiritually), with the 1970s ushering in an era of corruption, conspiracies, violence, paranoia and fear. The book -- and the film -- opens when private eye Doc Sportello's (Joaquin Phoenix) ex-old lady suddenly appears out of nowhere with a story about her current billionaire land developer boyfriend and a plot by his wife and her boyfriend to kidnap him and throw him in a loony bin. She "hires" Doc to investigate the plot, setting off a black comedy -- part surf noir, part psychedelic romp, part Raymond Chandler mystery -- involving surfers, hustlers, dopers, rockers, a murderous loan shark, the FBI, LAPD Detectives on the take, a tenor sax player working undercover for an unknown agency, and a mysterious entity known as The Golden Fang, which may be a Chinese mafia organization smuggling dope, the name of a tax dodge set up by some dentists, or a schooner that travels the seven seas. Maybe I'm too close to the novel -- the craziness and absurdity of Pynchon's world doesn't seem to come through in the film for me -- but I'm going to give it another chance. Stay tuned.
Vitals: Director: Paul Thomas Anderson. Stars: Joaquin Phoenix, Josh Brolin, Owen Wilson, Katherine Waterston, Reese Witherspoon, Benicio Del Toro, Martin Short, Jena Malone, Joanna Newsom.
2014, CC, MPAA rating: R, 148 min., Crime-Drama-Comedy, Box office gross: $8.110 million, Warner.
Extras: "Los Paranoias," "Shasta Fay," The Golden Fang," "Everything In This Dream."
The Wedding Ringer
Jimmy (Kevin Hart) provides best man services for socially challenged guys, who -- for whatever reason -- have no one close enough to agree to stand by them on the day of their wedding. Doug, (Josh Gad), a socially awkward groom-to-be, has found himself in just such a situation, but, to make matters worse, he fabricates the names of not only a best man but nine groomsmen as well. With less than two weeks to go until he marries the girl of his dreams, Doug seeks out Jimmy's services to carry out a charade designed to make Doug look his best ... but threatens to destroy everything if it fails.
Vitals: Director: Jeremy Garelick. Stars: Kevin Hart, Josh Gad, Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting, Jorge Garcia, Cloris Leachman, Jenifer Lewis, Mimi Rogers.
2015, CC, MPAA rating: R, 101 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $61.989 million, Sony.
Extras: "Going to the Chapel of Love" featurette, select scenes commentary with director Jeremy Garelick and Josh Gad. Blu-ray adds 15 deleted scenes, five outtake reels, Line-o-Rama (short collections of alternate shots of jokes on set), Aloe Blacc's "Can You Do This" music video.
The Gambler
Jim Bennett (Mark Wahlberg) is a brilliant college lit professor leading a secret double life as a high-stakes gambler. He borrows money from his wealthy mother and further complicates his life with a relationship with one of his students. When he's forced to borrow money from a notorious gangster, he places the lives of those he loves in mortal danger. With time running out, he must enter the criminal underworld and risk everything to keep from losing it all. Remake of the 1974 film written by James Toback, directed by Karel Reisz and starring James Caan.
Vitals: Director: Rupert Wyatt. Stars: Mark Wahlberg, John Goodman, Brie Larson, Michael Kenneth Williams, Jessica Lange.
2015, CC, MPAA rating: R, 111 min., Dramatic Thriller, Box office gross: $33.631 million, Paramount.
Blu-ray extras: "Mr. Self Destruct: Inside The Gambler," "Dark Before Dawn: The Descent of The Gambler," "Changing the Game: Adaptation," "In The City: Locations," "Dressing the Players: Costume Design," deleted/extended scenes.
Paddington
Paddington Bear was first introduced to children in Michael Bond's 1958 book, "A Bear Called Paddington" and the subsequent Paddington Bear series has sold over 35 million copies and been translated into 40 languages. For the first time, author Bond has given his blessing for his beloved characters to be brought to the big screen, charming both critics and audience members alike. "Paddington" tells the story of the comic misadventures of a young Peruvian bear who travels to London in search of a home. Finding himself lost and alone, he begins to realize that city life is not all he had imagined until he meets the kindly Brown family, who take him home after reading the label around his neck. It looks as though his luck has changed until this rare talking bear catches the eye of Millicent, a museum taxidermist.
Vitals: Director: Paul King. Stars: Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Peter Capaldi, Nicole Kidman, Ben Whishaw.
2015, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 95 min., Family, Box office gross: $72.590 million, TWC-Dimension/Anchor Bay.
Extras: "Meet the Characters," "When a Bear Comes to Stay," "From Page to Screen," "Shine" lyric music video written by Gwen Stefani & Pharrell. Blu-ray adds "The Making of Shine With Gwen Stefani & Pharrell."
The Boy Next Door
High-school literature teacher Claire Peterson (Jennifer Lopez) struggles to get back in the dating game after separating from her cheating husband while raising her adolescent son. When handsome and charismatic 19-year-old Noah (Ryan Guzman) moves in next door, Claire has a moment of weakness that leads to an intimate night together. Noah's attraction quickly turns into a violent obsession, threatening to tear apart Claire's world and endanger the people she loves.
Vitals: Director: Rob Cohen. Stars: Jennifer Lopez, Ryan Guzman, John Corbett, Kristin Chenoweth.
2015, CC, MPAA rating: R, 91 min., Thriller, Box office gross: $34.922 million, Universal.
Extras: Deleted scenes, "The Making of The Boy Next Door," commentary with director Rob Cohen.
Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies
(2015) A three-part, six-hour documentary series -- directed by award-winning filmmaker Barak Goodman and executive produced by Ken Burns -- that tells the comprehensive story of cancer, from its first description in an ancient Egyptian scroll to the gleaming laboratories of modern research institutions. The film interweaves a sweeping historical narrative with intimate stories about contemporary patients, and an investigation into the latest scientific breakthroughs that may have brought us, at long last, within sight of lasting cures. A collaboration of Florentine Films, Laura Ziskin Pictures and WETA Washington, DC, in association with Ark Media, the series is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book "The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer" (Simon & Schuster 2010) by Siddhartha Mukherjee, M.D. As part of the documentary project, WETA has launched CancerFilms.org, an expansive website with social and interactive media components created in conjunction with the documentary. The project website features an innovative short film series executive produced by Ken Burns and created by Redglass Pictures, featuring individual cancer patients and caregivers. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc. (PBS Distribution).
Covert Affairs: Season Five
(2014) Four-disc set with 16 episodes, $39.98. In the final season, change is afoot. Auggie (Christopher Gorham) is back at the DPD, Arthur (Peter Gallagher) is offered a job in the private sector working for McQuaid Security, and Joan (Kari Matchett) is returning from maternity leave to find that she's been passed over for the job of DCS in favor of Calder (Hill Harper). And after mysteriously going off the grid for months, Annie (Piper Perabo) has resurfaced, anxious to get back to work at the CIA and harboring a secret that could jeopardize everything. Sent to Chicago to investigate a purported terror plot, she soon discovers that the threat is very real, and much greater than anyone has anticipated. As a result, Annie finds herself swept into an international mission that will take her from Venezuela to Argentina to France and many points in between. Along the way, she'll continue to cross paths with Arthur's new boss, Ryan McQuaid (Nic Bishop), a charismatic Navy SEAL-turned-CEO with his own ties to the terrorist—and his own secrets. Formats: DVD. Extras: Deleted scenes, gag reel. (Universal).
From a Whisper to a Scream (The Offspring) BLU-RAY DEBUT
(1987) Vincent Price, Clu Gulager, Terry Kiser, Harry Caesar, Rosalind Cash, Cameron Mitchell,
Susan Tyrrell. Welcome to Oldfield. Stop in for a night of pure terror. Prepare to be shocked out of your skin with four grisly tales of terror in one small town. On the night his niece is executed for committing a string of brutal killings, historian Julian White (Price, in his last role in a horror film) reveals the sinister secrets of her hometown, Oldfield, Tennessee, a horrific hamlet that spawns evil. But as the town's murderous legacy is exposed with White's chilling accounts -- including stories of a necrophilic madman, a voodoo priest with life-prolonging powers and a legion of children with an appetite for flesh -- White doesn't realize that he is about the write the final chapter of Oldfield's morbid history ... in his own blood. Extras: "Return to Oldfield: The Making of Whisper to a Scream" comprehensive feature-length documentary about the making of "From A Whisper to a Scream," featuring writer-director Jeff Burr, producer Darin Scott, co-screenwriter C. Courtney Joyner, star Clu Gulager, and many more; "A Decade Under the Innocence: Adventures in Super 8 Filmmaking" feature-length documentary about teenage adventures in Super 8 filmmaking during the 1970's in Georgia, featuring director Jeff Burr; commentary with Burr; commentary with writer-producer Darin Scott and writer C. Courtney Joyner; still gallery with commentary by Burr; Theatrical Trailer; "The Offspring" TV spots. (Scream Factory).
I Love Lucy: I Heart Mom Edition
Includes four unforgettable episodes featuring the special moments of Lucy's journey as a mom. beginning with the emotional episode "Lucy Is Enceinte," in which Lucy first learns she is pregnant, "Lucy Goes to the Hospital," "No Children Allowed" and "Nursery School." Formats: DVD, $14.98. (CBS Home Entertainment/Paramount).
its terrific cast (including Sherman Hemsley, Isabel Sanford, Marla Gibbs, Roxie Roker and Franklin Cover) and unforgettable theme song. Highlights of Season Seven include a multi-part Hawaiian adventure, a wild parody of soap operas, and (in keeping with the series' occasional serious side) a run-in with white supremacists. Developed by television master Norman Lear ("All in the Family," "Maude"). Formats: DVD. (Shout! Factory).
Miami Blues (Collector's Edition) BLU-RAY DEBUT
(1990) Fred Ward, Alec Baldwin, Jennifer Jason Leigh. A great cult favorite. Veteran criminal Frederick Frenger, Jr. (Baldwin) has moved to Miami to get a fresh start ... at robbing a whole new set of people. But when his streetwalker-gone-straight wife (Leigh) begins to suspect his criminal behavior, and an obsessed cop (Ward) begins to close in, he'll need a lot more than luck and a bogus badge to escape a crossfire hotter than the barrel of a smoking gun. (Shout! Factory).
Two-disc set with 16 episodes of the Saturday morning cartoon series, $19.97. Formats: DVD. (Warner).
of a cutthroat investment firm, temporarily placating the pressure of covering his elaborate lie, all is not well. Harvey (Gabriel Macht) and Mike quickly find themselves on opposite sides of an intense takeover battle. And, with the SEC's fervent advances on Pearson Specter increasing in severity, Mike and Rachel's (Meghan Markle) relationship facing the ultimate test, and Jessica's (Gina Torres) impartiality being questioned, personal and professional boundaries are crossed by all. But just when all the pieces begin to fall into place, an innocent conversation between Louis (Rick Hoffman) and Mike leads to a potentially lethal revelation.
Formats: DVD. Extras: Deleted scenes, gag reel, "Suits Recruits: The Paper Trail." (Universal).
April 26, 2015
(ISSN 1094-3676).
|
|
