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OnVideo's Weekly Guide to Home Video Releases
Annika Bengtzon Crime Reporter: Episodes 7 & 8
(2001, 2003) Helena Bergstrom stars as crime reporter Annika Bengtzon in two feature films which launched Liza Marklund's bestselling literary character on-screen. Fearless in her search for the truth, journalist Annika Bengtzon won't take no for an answer from anyone: not from prestigious academicians or drug dealers or from colleagues. Her passion for getting the story brings her into dangerous situations, but also allows her to peer into the heart of every crime. Formats: DVD. (MHz Home Entertainment).
Danny Collins
(2015) Al Pacino, Annette Bening, Christopher Plummer, Jennifer Garner, Michael Caine, Melissa Benoist, Josh Peck, Bobby Cannavale. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: "Behind the Scenes of Danny Collins," "Danny Collins -- Album Covers Through the Years." (Universal).
The Decline of Western Civilization Collection
Four-disc set with Penelope Spheeris' critically acclaimed rock films "The Decline of Western Civilization," "The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years" and "The Decline of Western Civilization: Part III," with new 2K high-definition scans of each film, supervised by Spheeris. Includes a 40-page book containing an essay written by rock historian Domenic Priore ("Riot on Sunset Strip: Rock 'n' Roll's Last Stand in Hollywood") and rare stills.
Spheeris, who also directed "Suburbia," "Black Sheep" and "Wayne's World," regards the "Decline" films as her most personally rewarding work. "I am so grateful to the fans of these films, and the bands that appeared in them, for their loyalty and patience. This is my life's work, and I like to think that when I go to my grave, "The Decline" is what I'll be remembered for."
In 1981 Spheeris was able to book only one midnight screening for the Los Angeles premiere of
The second in Spheeris' music documentary trilogy, "The Decline Of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years" (1988) takes a fast-paced look at the outrageous heavy metal scene of the late 80s. Set in Los Angeles, the film explores fascinating portraits of struggling musicians, fans and star-struck groupies. Featuring Alice Cooper, Ozzy Osbourne, Poison, members of Aerosmith, Kiss, Motorhead, and performances by Megadeth, Faster Pussycat, Lizzy Borden, London, Odin and Seduce, this raucous and uproarious chapter also chronicles the lonely naivete of the striving bands, and the endless flow of alcohol and drugs.
In 1998, the last in the series, "The Decline Of Western Civilization Part III", hit select theaters but was never released in any home video format. A disturbing social commentary on homeless youth who have often left home due to abuse or neglect, the film has themes of alienation and alcoholism. Spheeris personally financed the film, bringing to the screen the real-life squatter lifestyle and angry rejection of mainstream society two decades after she wrote and directed the cult classic Suburbia. Sadly there are plenty of tragic endings in this story: overdoses, a squat fire, and the murder of a kid named Squid, who was thrilled to be included in the film because he thought it might turn his life around. A fitting last chapter in the Decline trilogy, this film includes performances by Final Conflict, Litmus Green, Naked Aggression and The Resistance and won the Freedom of Expression award at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival.
Formats: DVD: $39.98, Blu-ray Disc: $59.98. Extras: Commentary by Dave Grohl; Penelope Spheeris interview with Tawn Mastrey of KNAC; never-before-seen original footage, performances and interviews; Mark Toscano of the Academy Film Archive interviews Penelope Spheeris; theatrical trailers. (Shout! Factory).
Downtown 81 Collector's Edition
(1981, 2000) The desolate streets of Manhattan's lower east side in the early 1980s were permeated with abandoned buildings, drug lords and vagabonds -- but the underground scene was bubbling with an electrifying fusion of art and music. At the beginning of this newfound energy was Swiss photographer Edo Bertoglio, poised to capture the imaginative, fantastical drama, "Downtown 81." The film, a documentary-style narrative, features then-obscure artists on the brink of fame, such as a 19-year-old Jean-Michel Basquiat, Debbie Harry, Fab Five Freddy and Lee Quinones. Originally titled "New York Beat Movie," "Downtown 81," which took nearly 20 years to complete, is both a post-modernist fairytale and a vivid depiction of the downtown New York art and music scene in the early 1980s. Starring legendary American painter, graffiti artist, poet and musician Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988), the film chronicles a day in the life of a 19-year-old starving artist who must raise money to reclaim the apartment from which he has been evicted. Hoping to sell a painting to earn the rent, he wanders the downtown streets, painting in hand, encountering painters, models, junkies, graffiti artists, rappers and rockers whose lives and performances provide a glimpse into one of the most exciting periods in American culture. "Downtown 81" features an eclectic soundtrack with music by Blondie, DNA, Tuxedomoon, The Plastics, Kid Creole and the Coconuts, James White and the Blacks, Gray, Liquid Liquid, Walter Steding, John Lurie, Marvin Pontiac, Lydia Lunch, Suicide and Melle Mel. Although the film was shot in 1981, it was not actually completed until 2000, 12 years after Basquiat's untimely death. Now, 15 years after its NYC debut, "Downtown 81" is available on DVD, digitally remastered and restored. Formats: DVD. Extras: Archival footage, interviews, audio commentary, a special 32-page collector’s booklet, photo gallery, more. (Music Box Films).
Five Easy Pieces
(1970) Following Jack Nicholson's breakout supporting turn in "Easy Rider," director Bob Rafelson devised a powerful leading role for the new star in the searing character study "Five Easy Pieces." Nicholson plays the now iconic cad Bobby Dupea, a shiftless thirtysomething oil rigger and former piano prodigy immune to any sense of responsibility, who returns to his upper-middle-class childhood home, blue-collar girlfriend (Karen Black) in tow, to see his estranged ailing father. Moving in its simplicity and gritty in its textures, "Five Easy Pieces" is a lasting example of early 1970s American alienation. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc. Restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised by director of photography Laszlo Kovacs, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray. Extras: Audio commentary featuring director Bob Rafelson and interior designer Toby Rafelson; "Soul Searching in Five Easy Pieces," a 2009 video piece with Rafelson; "BBStory", a 2009 documentary about the legendary film company BBS Productions, with Rafelson, Nicholson, Black and Ellen Burstyn, directors Peter Bogdanovich and Henry Jaglom, and others; documentary from 2009 about BBS featuring critic David Thomson and historian Douglas Brinkley; audio excerpts from a 1976 AFI interview with Rafelson; theatrical trailer and teasers; an essay by critic Kent Jones. (The Criterion Collection).
Get Hard
(2015) Will Ferrell, Kevin Hart, Tip "T.I." Harris, Alison Brie, Craig T. Nelson. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: Gag reel. Blu-ray adds unrated cut of the film, "Just Put Your Lips Together and Blow," "Line-O-Ramas," "The Kevin Hart Workout," "Face Off With Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart," "Ferrell Fighting," "A Date With John Mayer," "Twerking 101," "Will Ferrell, Gangsta," "Inmates: Out of Control," "Bikers, Babes and Big Bangs," deleted scenes. (Warner).
The Gunman
(2015) Dir.: Pierre Morel; Sean Penn, Javier Bardem, Idris Elba, Ray Winstone, Mark Rylance, Jasmine Trinca, Peter Franzen. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). (Universal).
I Am Evel Knievel
(2014) Evel Knievel's rise to superstardom was built on nerves of steel and the ability to get up and do it again no matter the severity of the fall. He lived life like every day was his last, which led to a tumultuous life filled with stunts no man would ever dream of, encompassing meteoric success, wild hubris, egomaniacal mistakes, and ultimately redemption. Sporting flashy leather jumpsuits and a determined grin in the face of death, Knievel became a national hero whose outrageous feats were broadcast on live TV. This documentary is the untold story of this legendary figure who gave birth to the culture and the meaning of the word "extreme". The film also showcases Knievel's rise from a small town rebel in Butte, Montana, to a cultural icon. The enduring legacy of Knievel is his unforgettable death-defying jumps. The film features footage of Knievel's greatest jumps, including his first major attempt, over the fountains at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, the Snake River Canyon jump in Idaho and London's Wembley Stadium jump. A cast -- featuring those who knew him best and were inspired to achieve greatness of their own, including Matthew McConaughey, Kid Rock, Michelle Rodriguez, Guy Fieri, Robbie Maddison, daredevils Spanky Spangler and Mike Vallely, Willie G. Davidson of Harley-Davidson, funnyman Bob Einstein (known as Super Dave Osborne), Chris and J.C. Agajanian, and family members including sons Kelly and Robbie, and former wives Linda Knievel and Krystal Kennedy-Knievel -- pay tribute to the man and the legend. Formats: DVD. (Virgil Films).
Kumiko: The Treasure Hunter
(2015) Rinko Kikuchi, David Zellner, Nathan Zellner, Brad Prather. A lonely Japanese woman discovers a hidden copy of "Fargo" (1996) on VHS, and believing it to be a treasure map indicating the location of a large case of money, she heads out to the U.S. to find her fortune. Formats: Blu-ray Disc, VOD, Digital. Extras: Commentary with director/co-writer David Zellner, co-writer Nathan Zellner and producer Chris Ohlson; deleted and alternate scenes. (Amplify Releasing/Anchor Bay).
Pit Stop
(1969) The most dangerous game ever devised, to pit man against man, flesh against steel -- the figure-8 race. Jack Hill ("Coffy," "Foxy Brown") follows up "Spider Baby," once again teaming up with Sid Haig ("House of 1000 Corpses"). Richard Davalos ("East of Eden") stars as Rick Bowman, a street punk who winds up in jail after a street race goes wrong. Bailed out by race promoter Grant Willard, Davalos is put in the deadly track where he comes up against Haig's maniacal winner Hawk Sidney. Featuring an outstanding supporting cast including Brian Donlevy in his last film appearance, Ellen Burstyn, billed as Ellen McRae, and Beverly Washburn, "Pit Stop" is one
Still
(2014) Aidan Gillen, Jonathan Slinger, Elodie Yung, Amanda Mealing, Sonny Green. Gritty and atmospheric thriller about the traumatic disintegration of a man and father. Film follows Tom Carver, a man stumbling blindly towards a crossroads in his life and recently thrown out of focus following the unexpected, tragic death of his teenage son in a car crash. After a seemingly harmless encounter with a neighborhood kid, he finds himself involved in a feud with a teenage gang that quickly intensifies to more disturbing and horrifying heights. With Tom's personal life unraveling before his eyes, and the threat of gang violence escalating out of control, the world he is so desperately trying to rebuild may collapse all together. Formats: DVD. Extras: Interviews with star Aidan Gillen and director Simon Blake, deleted scenes. (Omnibus Entertainment/Film Movement).
Valerie and Her Week of Wonders
(1970) A girl on the verge of womanhood finds herself in a sensual fantasyland of vampires, witchcraft and other threats in this eerie and mystical movie daydream. "Valerie and Her Week of Wonders" serves up an endlessly looping, nonlinear fairy tale, set in a quasi-medieval landscape. Ravishingly shot, enchantingly scored, and spilling over with surreal fancies, this enticing phantasmagoria from director Jaromil Jires is among the most beautiful oddities of the Czechoslovak New Wave. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc. New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray. Extras: Three early shorts by director Jaromil Jires: "Uncle" (1959), "Footprints" (1960) and "The Hall of Lost Steps" (1960); new interview with Czechoslovak film scholar Peter Hames; interviews from 2006 with actors Jaroslava Schallerová and Jan Klusak; alternate 2007 psych-folk soundtrack to the film by the Valerie Project, and a new video piece on the music's origins; an essay by critic Jana Prikryl. (The Criterion Collection).
While We're Young
(2015) Dir.: Noah Baumbach; Ben Stiller, Naomi Watts, Amanda Seyfried, Adam Driver, Charles Grodin, Adam Horovitz. A comedic look at the weird, upended logic of urban sophisticates: the older ones embracing their iPads and Netflix, the young ones craving vinyl records and vintage VHS tapes. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: Six behind-the-scenes vignettes: "The Cast," "Working With Filmmaker Noah Baumbach," "Generation Tech," "Working With Charles Grodin," "Ayahuasca Ceremony" and "Hip-Hop Class." (Lionsgate).
While We're Young
Director Noah Baumbach alternately loves and hates hipsters, pseudo hipsters and millennials; in 2010's "Greenberg" he ambivalently charted the course of lost soul Roger Greenberg (Ben Stiller) as he searched for a new life in Los Angeles; in 2012's "Frances Ha" he lavished love on the lost soul Frances (Greta Gerwig) as she sought a new life in New York; in "While We're Young" he makes no bones about it: urban sophisticates are conflicted, spoiled and selfish. The film revolves around Josh (Stiller) and his wife Cornelia (Naomi Watts) who, after meeting a free-spirited twenty-something couple (Adam Driver and Amanda Seyfried), adopt a new lifestyle complete with hip-hop dance classes and mind-expanding parties. The mantra here: Reinvent yourself -- constantly. Hip and cool never looked so bad -- especially with four characters one has difficulty feeling empathy for. Oh well, that's what happens when Woody Allen meets Alexander Payne.
Vitals: Director: Noah Baumbach. Stars: Ben Stiller, Naomi Watts, Amanda Seyfried, Adam Driver, Charles Grodin, Adam Horovitz.
2015, CC, MPAA rating: R, 97 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $7.170 million, Lionsgate.
Extras: Six behind-the-scenes vignettes: "The Cast," "Working With Filmmaker Noah Baumbach," "Generation Tech," "Working With Charles Grodin," "Ayahuasca Ceremony" and "Hip-Hop Class."
Kumiko: The Treasure Hunter
In "Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter," brothers Nathan and David Zellner have created a film that can only be called surreal naturalism -- a film in which a skewed reality seems to be natural yet turns inside out and surreal as it progresses. A lonely Japanese woman discovers a hidden copy of the Coen Brother's "Fargo" (1996) on VHS, and believing it to be a treasure map indicating the location of a large case of money, she heads out to the U.S. to find her fortune. Kumiko (Rinko Kikuchi) is a cubicle-bound office worker seeking to escape her dour working life and the demands of her mother who keeps wondering why Kumiko hasn't met a man and settled down. Knowing that there's something more in the world than marriage, family and a job, Kumiko becomes obsessed with a battered tape of "Fargo" and, mistaking it for a documentary, she becomes fixated on the scene where a suitcase of stolen cash has been buried in North Dakota's bleak landscape. Single-mindedly believing this treasure to be real and waiting to be discovered, Kumiko leaves Tokyo and her beloved rabbit Bunzo behind to recover it, journeying to a snowy land where she doesn't speak the language and has trouble interacting with the local citizens. Add in Sean Porter's stark yet beautiful cinematography and an unusual score by The Octopus Project and you have a film so original my heart aches with joy. And it doesn't hurt that the atmosphere throughout is Jim Jarmusch meets Roman Polanski. The Zellners' script is partially inspired by an urban legend about a Japanese woman -- depressed after losing her job -- who traveled to Minneapolis, then to Bismarck, then to Fargo, and finally to Detroit Lakes, where she committed suicide. She had traveled there because it was a place she had previously visited with her lover, a married American businessman. A misunderstanding by a Bismarck police office as to the nature of her visit sparked the false story that she was seeking the money buried at the end of "Fargo."Vitals: Director: David Zellner. Stars: Rinko Kikuchi, David Zellner, Nathan Zellner, Brad Prather.
2015, CC, MPAA rating: NR, 104 min., Drama, Box office gross: $.572 million, Amplify Releasing/Anchor Bay.
Extras: Commentary with director/co-writer David Zellner, co-writer Nathan Zellner and producer Chris Ohlson; deleted and alternate scenes.
Danny Collins
Inspired by a true story, Al Pacino stars as aging 1970s rocker Danny Collins, who can't give up his hard-living ways. But when his manager (Christopher Plummer) uncovers a 40 year-old undelivered letter written to him by John Lennon urging him to stay true to his heart, Danny embarks on a quest to try to rediscover his family, his talent and the love he abandoned on his way to success.
Vitals: Director: Dan Fogelman. Stars: Al Pacino, Annette Bening, Christopher Plummer, Jennifer Garner, Michael Caine, Melissa Benoist, Josh Peck, Bobby Cannavale.
2015, CC, MPAA rating: R, 108 min., Comedy-Drama, Box office gross: $5.143 million, Universal.
Extras: "Behind the Scenes of Danny Collins," "Danny Collins -- Album Covers Through the Years."
The Gunman
Years after going into hiding as a result of a successful assassination of the minister of mines in the Congo, a former Special Forces hitman (Sean Penn) suffering from PTSD returns to that country only to find himself the target of a hit squad. He again goes into hiding and attempts to reconnect with his old squad and his old girlfriend (whom he had abandoned for her own safety) to discover who has put a price on his head. Vitals: Director: Pierre Morel. Stars: Sean Penn, Javier Bardem, Idris Elba, Ray Winstone, Mark Rylance, Jasmine Trinca, Peter Franzen.
2015, CC, MPAA rating: R, 115 min., Action Thriller, Box office gross: $10.450 million, Universal.
Get Hard
When millionaire hedge fund manager James (Will Ferrell) is nailed for fraud and bound for a stretch in San Quentin, the judge gives him 30 days to get his affairs in order. Desperate, he turns to Darnell (Kevin Hart) to prep him for a life behind bars. But despite James' one-percenter assumptions, Darnell is a hard-working small business owner who has never received a parking ticket, let alone been to prison. Together, the two men do whatever it takes for James to "get hard" and, in the process, discover how wrong they were about a lot of things -- including each other.
Vitals: Director: Etan Cohen. Stars: Will Ferrell, Kevin Hart, Tip "T.I." Harris, Alison Brie, Craig T. Nelson.
2015, CC, MPAA rating: R, 100 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $90.285 million, Warner.
Extras: Gag reel. Blu-ray adds unrated cut of the film, "Just Put Your Lips Together and Blow," "Line-O-Ramas," "The Kevin Hart Workout," "Face Off With Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart," "Ferrell Fighting," "A Date With John Mayer," "Twerking 101," "Will Ferrell, Gangsta," "Inmates: Out of Control," "Bikers, Babes and Big Bangs," deleted scenes.
"The Decline of Western Civilization." Even though mainstream Hollywood didn't get it, thousands of fans showed up, spilling onto Hollywood Boulevard, and over 300 policemen arrived on scene. Police Chief Darryl Gates wrote the filmmakers a letter banning further screenings in the city. However, times change, and in 2014 the three "Decline" films were restored by The Academy Film Archive, and screened at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Part of the appeal of "The Decline of Western Civilization" was its appearance in the midst of a backlash against disco, and slick, mainstream music films. The film garnered rave reviews from press, becoming one of the most written about movies of 1980. Perceived as shocking and outrageous, the film captured the essence of the punk scene, and provided a front row seat to the mosh pits, violence, humor and anti-establishment view of the world, as well as unparalleled access to some of the most influential and innovative musicians and groups of the time, including X, Circle Jerks, Black Flag, Fear, and Germs. Largely unknown at the time, many of the punk bands first seen here have become legendary.
Last Knights
(2015) Clive Owen, Morgan Freeman. A fallen warrior rises against a corrupt and sadistic ruler to avenge his dishonored master. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: "Behind the Scenes of Last Knights" featurette, "A Look at the Special Effects of Last Knights" featurette, cast and crew interviews. (Lionsgate).
My Little Pony – Friendship Is Magic: Cutie Mark Quests
(2015) Five episodes. In Equestria, being true to yourself is the key to earning your cutie mark. Join Twilig's favorite Cutie Mark Crusaders, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom -- as they journey to find their own Cutie Marks, take on the spirit of chaos and disharmony and visit a village where ... everypony has given up their Cutie Marks? Formats: DVD. Extras: Sing along. (Shout! Kids).
of Hill's lesser known films but arguably one of his greatest. Filmed on a real figure-8 track, Hill and his crew were able to capture gripping real-life car wreck scenes lending the film a brilliant sense of realism. New high-definition digital transfer supervised and approved by director Jack Hill. High-definition Blu-ray (1080p) and standard definition DVD presentation.
Original mono 1.0 audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray). Formats: Blu-ray/DVD Combo. Extras: New audio commentary with director Jack Hill moderated by his biographer Calum Waddell, "Crash and Burn!" Jack Hill on the making of "Pit Stop," "Drive Hard: Actor Sid Haig speaks about his experience of acting in "Pit Stop," "Life in the Fast Lane: producer Roger Corman on the genesis of "Pit Stop," "Restoring Pit Stop" restoration demonstration with technical supervisor James White, original trailer, reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Jay Shaw, collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by critic Glenn Kenny and musicologist and writer Gray Newell on the film's soundtrack, illustrated with original stills and artwork. (Arrow Video/MVD).
Soldate Jeannette (Soldier Jane)
(2013 -- Austria) Johanna Orsini-Rosenberg, Christina Reichsthaler. Provocative, atmospheric comedic deadpan takedown of materialism -- a portrait of two women from very different ends of the social spectrum. The film follows heroine Fanni (Johanna Orsini-Rosenberg), a member of the Viennese bourgeois who tires of her life of leisure and, on the eve of her eviction, sets off for an alpine expedition where she camps in the mountains and burns her money. Soon, she finds herself on a livestock farm where she takes up residence and befriends Anna (Christina Reichsthaler), a rebellious farm girl ready to move on from her agrarian life. After stealing the farmer's jeep and emboldened by their newfound liberty, they journey together in search of their dreams. Formats: DVD, VOD, Digital. Extras: Director Daniel Hoesel's short film, "The Madness of the Day"; an interview with Hoesel, star Johanna Orsini-Rosenberg, and the producers. (IndiPix Films).
June 28, 2015
(ISSN 1094-3676).
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