It’s been a hell of a hiatus. Never intended to be this late, but an accident, several days in the hospital and two family members getting bad medical diagnoses threw everything off.
I’ll never be this late again. Fire up that queue and prep that shopping cart. It’s that time of the week month.
Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey
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| 20th Century Fox / Released 6/10/14 |
From Carl Sagan’s collaborators on the original series, Ann Druyan and Steve Sotor, comes this spectacular follow-up to one of the most beloved programs of all time. Hosted by renowned astrophysicist Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson and executive produced by Ann Druyan, Seth MacFarlane, Mitchell Cannold, Brannon Braga, and Jason Clack, with stunning cinematography by Bill Pop, Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey continues the exploration of the remarkable mysteries of the cosmos and our place within it. This thrilling 13-part adventure will transport you across the universe of space and time, bringing to life never-before-told stories of the heroic quest for knowledge and a deeper understanding of nature. With an updated Cosmic Calendar, dazzling visual effects, and the wondrous Ship of the imagination, prepare to take an unforgettable journey to new worlds and across the universe for a vision of the cosmos on the grandest – and smallest – scale. Extras include commentary, featurettes, and interactive cosmic calendar.
Last Word: To say that the release of Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey is anything less than one of the most important releases in years would be a massive understatement. Hosted by science superstar Neil Degrasse Tyson, Cosmos is an entertaining and enlightening look at our universe. Focusing on scientific method and the glorious exploration of the world in which we live, Cosmos achieves what it sets out to do; inspire it’s audience and give them a thirst for knowledge. Unquestionably one of the DVD/Blu releases that belongs on the shelf in every home, Cosmos will challenge and quite possibly change the way you think. Highest recommendation.
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit
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| 20th Century Fox / Released 6/10/14 |
The origin story of Tom Clancy’s most iconic character. The thrills are non-stop as CIA recruit Ryan (Chris Pine) is caught in a dangerous web of intrigue and espionage spun between a shadowy government agent (Academy Award-Winner Kevin Costner), his unsuspecting fiancee (Keira Knightley) and a fearless Russian power broker (Kenneth Branagh). Jack must quickly evolve from soldier to analyst to full-fledged operative to stop a devastating terrorist plot against the United States. The stakes have never been higher in this “taut, tense and terrific” thrill ride. Extras include featurettes, commentary and deleted and extended scenes.
Last Word: Sir Kenneth Branagh directs a post-9/11 action hero flick with an accessible storyline based on the evils of terrorism, economic fear and residual Cold War rivalries. As scary and stoic villain Viktor Cherevin, Branagh strikes fear with a stare. Costner and Knightley are of course amazing as second leads to our hero.
The movie opens on a familiar scene; on a college campus everyone gathering around a public television set, September 11, 2001. Jack sees the terrorist attack on U.S. soil, and we flash forward to the fateful helicopter crash over Afghanistan that leaves him injured in 2003.
In physical rehabilitation, Jack meets his future fiancé Dr. Cathy Muller (Knightley) and is noticed by top secret agent William Harper (Costner). Harper assigns Ryan to Wall Street on a top secret long tail mission to analyze international financial data from the inside. Working as the financial analyst, he notices an anomaly with his company’s Russian accounts and reports this back to Harper. Here is where the fun begins. Jack Ryan transforms from being the numbers guy in a suit, eating expensive lunches and passing off hard copy files to informants in dark movie theaters into a to a card access stealing, gun toting ex-Marine in hot pursuit of the truth working out of a 5-star Moscow hotel room.
His fiancé Cathy is suspicious of his actions so she follows him to Russia by way of Paris, putting her in harm’s way after our big bad Viktor Cherevin uses her as ransom. Harper and Ryan first use her as a distraction in one of the most clever dinner scenes we’ve seen in a long time. Pine, Knightley and Branagh slosh over glasses of red, and complaining of his back injury, Pine feigns popping pain killers and needing to take a walk. What follows is a carefully timed infiltration into Branagh’s company books inside of a fortress of Russian military grade security. This awesome race against time M:I scene bleeds right into quick flash drive hand-offs, a car chase and eventually the bread crumbs take us back to U.S. soil where Wall Street may be the next target.
It is both surprising and welcome that the plotline for Shadow Recruit has enough going on without being convoluted, bogged down in jargon or too incredibly complicated. That is not to say the movie is dumbed down, it is a rare case of being drawn into the movie and drawing your own conclusions about what might happen next, guessing and then congratulating yourself that you are as smart as the heroes in the film. More car chases and combat, and even a Ducati motorcycle gets thrown into the mix in the third act as—we can hardly believe in 2014 we’d say such a thing—the Russian plan to cripple America is nearly fulfilled! (– Clay N. Ferno)
Non-Stop
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| Universal / Released 6/10/14 |
Global action star Liam Neeson stars in this action thriller played out at 40,000 feet in the air. During a transatlantic flight, U.S. Air Marshal Bill Marks (Neeson) receives a series of cryptic text messages threatening to kill a passenger every 20 minutes unless $150 million is transferred into an off-shore account. With the lives of hundreds of passengers hanging in the balance, Marks must use every nuance of his training to uncover the killer traveling on the aircraft. Co-starring Julianne Moore, Michelle Dockery and Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong’o. Extras include featurettes.
Last Word: Liam Neeson has become the heir apparent to Harrison Ford of the 1980’s. Albeit a much more brutal and menacing one but still, who would have though Liam Neeson would be an action movie star? Also a damn good one. And starting in his late 50’s?
He pistol-whipped his way through the Paris criminal underbelly, he punched wolves with his glass taped fists, took on the entire Albanian human trafficking gang and in his new action-thriller Non-Stop, he has to save a cross-Atlantic flight of passengers from an unknown assailant before he can blow up a plane and kill more people.
Non-Stop is better than it should be. Starting with the gorgeous cinematography and the muted color pallet, I forgot I was watching a action thriller. Director, Jaume Collet-Serra, who directed Neeson in Unknown, once again shows off his flair for beautiful visuals, close, hand-held shots, and an almost slow boiling plot that builds to a deafening crescendo. Working again with Spanish cinematographer, Flavio Martínez Labiano, once again, Collet-Serra shows his love of the shallow focus and precisely choreographing every movement of the film.
Story wise, this is your standard fare. Air Marshall, William Marks has personal problems, and on his most recent assignment, Trans-Atlantic flight from New York to London he begins to receive text messages. Seemingly joking at first the messages soon becoming more and more menacing. When he is told, at 38,000 ft, that one passenger, every 20 minutes, will be killed if $150 million is not deposited into a Swiss account things start to get serious. My first question, to myself, was, how does one kill someone on a plane, over the Atlantic, without getting caught? The way is pretty ingenious. It is handled, in this taut thriller, is with the precision kill of a MMA fighter batting a rabid bull in a china shop full of plastic explosives. Which is to say AMAZINGLY.
Three things stuck out in my mind, as I watched the events unfold in the is film. The first. In the first fight sequence that takes place in the airplane bathroom. An elegant and brutal fist ballet. I can barley fit in those things so choreographing a close quarters fight scene in one must have been insane. The second. What the hell is 12 Years A Slave’s, Oscar nominated actress, Lupita Nyong’o, and Downton Abby’s Michelle Dockery doing in this film? And third. How am I enjoying this film so damn much? Every fiber in my body keeps telling me that this should be a terrible film. That I should be groaning and rolling my eyes back into the guy behind me’s head. But I sat there flabbergasted. I dunno if it was the amazing cinematography, the fact the watching Liam Neeson kick the shit out of people is like watching your “not so cool “ dad beat the crap out of a bunch of crappy people or the fact that I went into this film hoping it was going to be Liam Neeson punching a plane full of wolves while Lady Mary Crowley shot bitches. I dunno.
But I liked it. It isn’t Citizen Kane, but if you like Snakes on a Plane, Taken, The Grey, or any number of fun action thrillers, then this will be a fun ride for you. It was for me. ( – Benn Robbins)
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| Image Entertainment / Released 6/10/14 |
Based on the True Story of the West Memphis Three. Academy Award winners Colin Firth (The King’s Speech, 2010) and Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line, 2005) lead an all-star cast in this gripping, heart-wrenching true story that shocked the nation. May 5, 1993. West Memphis, Arkansas. Three young boys playing in the nearby woods never come home for dinner. In the rush to find and convict the killers, police focus on a trio of teenagers suspected of devil worship. As the mother of one of the murdered boys (Witherspoon) tries to come to grips with this unspeakable tragedy, she is desperate to believe that the killers have been found and will be brought to justice. It is only when an investigator (Firth) reveals that the evidence doesn’t all add up, that the community is forced to face the reality that the true killer might still be out there. Extras include making of, featurettes and deleted scenes.
True Detective
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| HBO Home Entertainment / Released 6/10/14 |
In 2012, Louisiana State Police Detectives Rust Cohle and Martin Hart are brought in to revisit a homicide case they worked in 1995. As the inquiry unfolds in present day through separate interrogations, the two former detectives narrate the story of their investigation, reopening unhealed wounds, and drawing into question their supposed solving of a bizarre ritualistic murder in 1995. The timelines braid and converge in 2012 as each man is pulled back into a world they believed they’d left behind. In learning about each other and their killer, it becomes clear that darkness lives on both sides of the law.
Written and created by Nic Pizzolatto and directed by Cary Fukunaga, True Detective stars Woody Harrelson as Martin Hart and Matthew McConaughey as Rust Cohle. The series also stars Michelle Monaghan as Maggie, Hart’s wife; Kevin Dunn as Major Quesada, the supervising officer in 1995; and Tory Kittles and Michael Potts as Dets. Papania and Gilbough, the investigators now probing Hart and Cohle for answers.
Last Word: Nic Pizzolatto uses the conventions of procedurals and pulp, successfully creating one this year’s must see series. Incredibly dense with spectacular performances throughout, True Detective doesn’t always deliver the answers you want or need, but the journey itself keeps you addicted throughout. Incredibly disturbing one moment and funny the next, this binge-watch worthy series will leave you breathless. Highly Recommended.
Ray Donovan: Season 1
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| Showtime Entertainment / Released 6/10/14 |
Crisis-fixer Ray Donovan (Golden Globe nominated Liev Schreiber) is at home with trouble unit trouble hits home. Ray handles the combustible situations of L.A.’s rich and famous – Boston style. But his father, Mickey Donovan (Golden Globe winner Jon Voight), an Irish gangster, is the kind of trouble even Ray can’t contain. Now on early parole, Mickey returns to reclaim his family, his life and seek revenge against the son who sent him away 20 years ago. Can Ray fix the battered cracks in his own family before it breaks him?
Last Word: The world of Ray Donovan is bleak enough that you might not even want stay very long, but it’s well worth the visit. Schreiber commands the screen, towering over everyone in his path, but still seems small against his thug father, Voight. The cast is great including Elliot Gould, Devon Bagby, Steven Bauer, Kerris Dorsey, Paula Malcomson and Eddie Marsan and Dash Mihok as Ray’s extremely damaged brothers. Initially the series plays like the dark side of Hollywood, but it really is about the dark side of humanity. Recommended.
Tim’s Vermeer
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| Sony / Released 6/10/14 |
Tim Jenison, a Texas-based inventor, attempts to solve one of the greatest mysteries in all art: How did Dutch master Johannes Vermeer manage to paint so photo-realistically 150 years before the invention of photography? Spanning a decade, Jenison’s adventure takes him to Holland, on a pilgrimage to the North coast of Yorkshire to meet artist David Hockney, and eventually even to Buckingham Palace. The epic research project Jenison embarks on is as extraordinary as what he discovers. Extras include commentary, deleted, extended and alternative scenes, and Toronto International Film Festival Q&A
Last Word: A fascinating documentary where Jenison examines the relationship between science and art; once a common relationship, but now almost forgotten, by attempting to reproduce a Vermeer without any art training and by utilizing only the tools that Vermeer would have at his disposal. It’s no surprise that the film is directed by Teller and is written by Penn Jillette and Teller, who provide an authoritative voice regarding deception. It’s a little overlong (it could lose 10-15 minutes), but is a must see for artists and fans of art everywhere.
Vinyl
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| Shout! Factory Released 7/1/14 |
After a booze-fuelled post-funeral jam session, Johnny Jones (Phil Daniels) and his old band-mates from The Weapons of Happiness come up with a gem of a pop-punk single…that no one is interested in picking up from a bunch of washed-up, has-been rockers. But Johnny’s got a plan: a hoax that will reveal the sham that the music industry has become. Based on Mike Peters’ true rock and roll hoax of 2004, this wry film follows a washed-up rocker, Johnny Jones, who hoodwinks top record labels, radio DJs and the entire rock music world by releasing his new pop punk single under a fictitious teenage band’s name. Now he just needs to teach this rowdy bunch of kids what true punk spirit is all about! Extras include gallery, behind the scenes, music video and trailer.
Bushido Man: Seven Deadly Battles
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| Shout! Factory / Released 6/10/14 |
Upon returning from a pilgrimage across Japan, the warrior Toramaru arrives with tales of seven epic battles against Japan’s most legendary fighters. As Toramaru’s philosophy dictates that he “know the enemy by eating his food,” each masterfully choreographed fight is preceded by a helping of his prey’s favorite dish. Designated successor to Master Gensai and leading proponent of the all-around martial-arts discipline, The Cosmic Way, Toramaru tells the tales of The Seven Deadly Battles as Master Gensai eagerly listens to the lavish and violent details of Toramaru’s adventures. Extras include making of.
Klondike
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| Discovery – Gaiam / Released 6/10/14 |
This three-part mini series (6 episodes), set in the late 1890s, centers on the friendship of two adventurers, Bill Haskell and Byron Epstein, as they travel Northwest during the Klondike Gold Rush. Along the way they must navigate harsh conditions, unpredictable weather and desperate, dangerous characters. Extras include featurettes and cast interviews.
Alan Partridge
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| Magnolia / Released 6/10/14 |
Someone is trying to kill Alan. You’ll wish it was you. Steve Coogan reprises his most popular role as the iconic Alan Partridge, the famous local radio DJ and one time talk show host. Alan finds himself at the center of a siege when a disgruntled fellow DJ (Colm Meaney) decides to hold their station hostage after learning that he’s getting fired by the new management. Extras include featurettes.
Perry Mason Double Feature
Perry Mason Returns / The Case of the Notorious Nun
Perry Mason Returns
After a long and successful career as a lawyer, Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) has put down his briefcase and has picked up the gavel. However, he decides to resign his judgeship and return to the other side of the courtroom when his former longtime secretary, Della Street (Barbara Hale), is accused of murdering he wealthy businessman she was working for. Using his still sharp investigative skills and the help of Paul Brake, Jr. (William Katt), the son of his former private investigator, Perry attempts to bring the true culprit to justice.The Case of the Notorious Nun
Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) once again find himself on the defense when a nun is accused of murdering a priest with whom she was rumored to be having an affair. Danger is around every corner for Paul Drake, Jr. (William Katt) when he comes to Perry’s assistance in the case to determine if the sister was wrongly implicated, or if she truly is less saintly than she seems.
The Case of the Sinister Spirit / The Case of the Murdered Madam
The Case of the Sinister Spirit
Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) is called on to solve a mystery when a reclusive horror writer is killed. The victim rents out a hotel, inviting only those he has defamed in his book to join him there for the weekend. After playing a series of vicious pranks on his guests, the writer is seen falling to his death from the hotel tower. The hotel manager, an eyewitness, is convinced the writer was pushed, and is further traumatized when strange things begin to happen at the hotel. Perry and Della (Barbara Hale) attempt to solve the mystery of the writer’s murder, with almost every hotel guest having a motive. Meanwhile, Paul (William Katt) befriends the hotel manager and tries to uncover who may be trying to scare her away from the scene of the crime.The Case of the Murdered Madam
Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) is on the case when a former madam attempts to blackmail four businessmen after recording the fraudulent scheme they are planning. However, the woman is murdered before she can expose their plan. When it is revealed that her temperamental husband, an old friend of Della’s, recently discovered her former occupation, Mason, Street (Barbara Hale) and Drake (William Katt) must uncover whether or not her husband has anything to do with the murder.
The Case of the Shooting Star / The Case of the Lost Love
The Case of the Shooting Star
Murder goes live when an obnoxious movie star shoots a talk show host on the air in front of the audience. No one is more surprised than the actor himself, who claims he and the television host had planned to perform the shooting stunt with blanks. Once again, Perry (Raymond Burr), Della (Barbara Hale) and Paul (William Katt) investigate in an attempt to discover how a live round ended up in the closely guarded gun. Mason has even more on his plate as an overbearing District Attorney relishes the opportunity to go head to head with him in court.The Case of the Lost Love
Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) runs into an old flame at a legal conference and learns that she is running for public office. However, her political campaign is in jeopardy when her husband is accused of killing a man who was blackmailing her. Della (Barbara Hale) and Paul (William Katt) assist Perry as he tries to determine if her husband is guilty of murder, or if he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Visitors
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| New Video Group / Released 6/10/14 |
Visitors is the fourth collaboration of director Godfrey Reggio and composer Philip Glass now joined by filmmaker Jon Keane, advancing the film form pioneered by The Qatsi Trilogy (Koyannisqatsi, Powaqqatsi and Naqoyqatsi): the non-spoken narrative experience where each viewer’s response is radically different yet undeniably visceral. As Reggio explains, “Visitors is aimed at the solar plexus, at the appetite within us all, the atmosphere of our soul. I see the film as meditation, as a transcendental event.” Comprised of only seventy-four shots, a series of human, animal and landscape portraits, Visitors takes movie watchers on an emotional journey to the moon and back, moving into a class of film all its own. Extras include interviews, featurettes and trailers.
Adult World
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| MPI Home Video / Released 6/10/14 |
Fresh out of college, quirky but naive Amy (Emma Roberts) is convinced she’s going to be a famous poet – she just needs someone to finally acknowledge her greatness. But being unemployed and saddled with debt, her prospects for literary fame look grim. At the behest of her parents, she takes a job at a local sex toy shop, Adult World, where she juggles her newfound retail responsibilities with pursuing a mentorship under a reclusive, crusty and alcoholic poet (John Cusack). But as Amy tries to make her voice heard among a social circle of eccentrics, including Adult World’s adorable young manager Alex, she discovers that a little humility may be just what she needs to achieve her success. Satirically funny and thoroughly-if-awkwardly sexy, Adult World is a unique comedy about the realities of growing up. Extras include trailer and deleted and alternate scenes.
Omar
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| Adopt Films / Released 6/10/14 |
A tense, gripping thriller about betrayal, suspected and real, in the Occupied Territories. Omar (Adam Bakri) is a Palestinian baker who routinely climbs over the separation wall to meet up with his girl Nadja (Leem Lubany). By night, he’s ready to risk his life to strike at the Israeli military with his childhood friends Tarek (Eyad Hourani) and Amjad (Samer Bisharat). Arrested after the killing of an Israeli soldier and tricked into an admission of guilt by association, he agrees to work as an informant. So begins a dangerous game-is he playing his Israeli handler (Waleed F. Zuaiter) or will he really betray his cause? And who can he trust on either side? Palestinian filmmaker Hany Abu-Assad has made a dynamic, action-packed drama about the insoluable moral dilemmas and tough choices facing those on the frontlines of a conflict that shows no sign of letting up.
Kill Zombie!
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| Well Go USA / Released 6/10/14 |
A Russian Space station crashes in Amsterdam, releasing a deadly virus that turns everyday citizens into flesh-craving psychopaths. Aziz (Yahya Gaier), his brother Mo (Ouled Radi) and several strangers emerge from jail, oblivious to the mayhem until they team up with a local police officer (Gigi Ravelli). After receiving a desperate call for help, this unlikely band of heroes sets out on an insane rescue mission – and it’s going to take a seriously crazy plan if they want to get out alive…
The Spike Lee Joint Collection Volume 1
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| Touchstone Entertainment / Released 6/10/14 |
25th Hour
In 24 short hours, former king of Manhattan Monty Brogan (Ed Norton) will go to prison for seven long years. In his last day on the outside, Monty tires to reconnect with his father (Brian Cox), reunite with two old friends (Philip Seymour Hoffman and Barry Pepper) and figure out if his girlfriend (Rosario Dawson) was the one who tipped off the cops. Extras include three commentary tracks, deleted scenes, featurette and a tribute to Ground Zero.He Got Game
A convict given one shot at a second chance to be a father to his estranged son Jesus. Jake Shuttlesworth (Denzel Washington) is granted temporary release from state prison in order to persuade his son (Ray Allen), the nations’ top college basketball recruit, to play ball for the Governor’s alma mater. Extra includes commentary.
The Spike Lee Joint Collection Volume 2
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| Touchstone Entertainment / Released 6/10/14 |
Summer of Sam
During New York City’s infamous summer of 1977, friends in a small Italian neighborhood become convinced that the notorious killer is someone close to home, the madman’s reign of terror sparks a wave of distrust that tears relationships apart. Extras include commentary.Miracle at St. Anna
The untold story of courage and brotherhood in this World War II epic is based on the celebrated novel of James McBride. Stationed in Italy, four members of the U.S. Army’s all-black, 92nd Infantry Division, the Buffalo Soldiers, are trapped behind enemy lines after one of them risks his life to save a traumatized young boy. Extras include commentary, featurettes and deleted scenes.
House of Cards: Season 2
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| Sony / Released 6/17/14 |
Masterful, beguiling and charismatic, Francis Underwood (Kevin Spacey) and his equally ambitious wife Claire (Robin Wright) continue their ruthless rise to power in Season 2 of House of Cards. Behind the curtain of power, sex, ambition, love, greed and corruption in modern Washington D.C., the Underwoods must battle threats past and present to avoid losing everything. As new Alliances form and old ones succumb to deception and betrayal, they will stop at nothing to ensure their ascendancy. Extras include featurettes.
Last Word: Binge watching at it’s best. The backdrop of the nation’s capital truly intensifies the manipulative, addictive and ultimately absorbing narrative that runs through these thirteen episodes. House of Cards is simply about power and revenge laid out slowly and methodically in the political arena. Cancel your plans before you start it as once it gets going, it’s hard to turn away. Highly recommended.
The Grand Budapest Hotel
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| 20th Century Fox / Released 6/17/14 |
The Grand Budapest Hotel recounts the adventures of Gustave H., a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the wars; and Zero Moustafa, the lobby boy who becomes his most trusted friend. The story involves the theft and recovery of a priceless Renaissance painting; a raging battle for an enormous family fortune; a desperate chase on motorcycles, trains, sleds, and skis; and the sweetest confection of a love aair all against the backdrop of a suddenly and dramatically changing continent. Extras include vignettes, featurettes, and stills gallery.
Last Word: I love the way Wes Anderson sees the world around him. Whether it be New York City, the great wide ocean, India, a rural, animated farmland, or a fictional eastern European country on the brink of a fictional WWII. They are all handled with an eye for the slightly odd, yet very relatable. Almost like a fond memory of a place you once thought you might have seen in your mind as a kid. And the people that inhabit these worlds are just left of center and a child-like caricature of once real people. They retain all the heart and passion of their real-life counterparts, however, they have something, extra, about them. What I like to call the Wes Anderson touch.
The Grand Budapest Hotel is a wonderful visual treat that could have only come from the mind of Wes Anderson. Grand and yet so intimate. Broad in its infinitesimal details. Quirky and also so straight forward. It takes your hand from the opening frame and doesn’t let go till the end. The Grand Budapest Hotel is a delicate tale of the extraordinary adventures of M. Gustave (masterfully portrayed by Ralph Finnes) as it is told though a series of flashbacks by his once trainee, Mr. Mustafa (Academy Award Winner F. Murray Abraham). Mr. Mustafa is now owner of the Grand Budapest Hotel. Through a chance meeting with a young writer, whom we first meet at the beginning of the film as an old man, Mr. Mustafa recounts the tale of the Grand Budapest Hotel and M. Gustave, over dinner.
Mr. Mustafa, spins a fantastic and loving tale of how he met, then concierge, M. Gustave, a man who was loved by all who knew him and a man who could, quite literally, get anything for you. Then, only a lobby boy, Mustafa is taken under Gustave’s wing and becomes a part of a thrilling tale of death, deceit, love, and fortune. A flashback, within a flashback, within a flashback. All crafted and effortlessly achieved by a master film maker. Like watching a 3D movie through a kaleidoscope though binoculars. His use of the 2/3 rule and his choice of color palette are sublime. The hotel itself becomes a very important character in this film. Throughout the film I wanted to be there. In that wonderful hotel. The richness and the splendor. I wanted it to wrap its colorful and lavish walls around me and never let go.
Speaking of characters, like all Anderson films the characters and the actors portraying them are all marvelous. Supporting Finnes and Abraham on this wild ride are a host of Anderson regulars such as Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe (who’s characters seem to get progressively more and more insane with each film), Jeff Goldblum, Bill Murray, Ed Norton, Jason Schwartzman, Tilda Swinton, Owen Wilson and Bob Balaban. No one is wasted and each one crucial to the story. Rounding out the supporting cast are Tony Revolori as young Mustafa and Saoirse Ronan as Young Mustafa’s love interest, Agatha. This is Wes Anderson at his Wes Andersonly best. I have heard it said that you either love Wes Anderson films or you hate them. This is no exception. You are either going to love this film and declare it his best, or you are going to revile it and just not get it. Personally, I love his films and this film might finally usurp The Royal Tenenbaums as my favorite Wes Anderson film. (– Benn Robbins)
Teen Wolf: Season 3 Part 2
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| 20th Century Fox / Released 6/17/14 |
While Scott struggles to find his place as an Alpha, he, Allison and Stiles begin to experience strange side effects as a result of reigniting the power within Beacon Hills. They soon discover that the answer to their problems may be found in a new student named Kira, a girl with remarkable powers
The LEGO Movie
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| Warner Home Video / Released 6/17/14 |
The first-ever full-length theatrical LEGO movie follows Emmet (Chris Pratt), an ordinary, rules-following, perfectly average LEGO minifigure who is mistakenly identified as the most extraordinary person and the key to saving the world. He is drafted into a fellowship of strangers on an epic quest to stop an evil tyrant, a journey for which Emmet is hopelessly and hilariously underprepared.
Last Word: From the opening “Everything Is Awesome” intro song to the PIXAR-esque emotional gut-wrenching moment near the end, The Lego Movie delivers a 1-2-3–5-6-7-8-9-10 hit combo of sheer brilliance. At it’s very basic story, the film is you average “Chosen One” story. Every trope of this type of story is shot at you like a tee shirt machine gun. However, HOW it is done and how tropes are spun on their heads and dealt with are magical and sublime.
The LEGO Movie is the story of Emmett (voiced by Chris Pratt of Parks & Recreation), a common construction worker, who is mistaken for the Savior of the Lego world. He must go on a mighty quest to defeat the evil Adversary, played by Will Ferrell. Featuring some amazing voice acting by Will Arnett, Jonah Hill, Elizabeth Banks, Alison Brie, Morgan Freeman and Liam Neeson.
I can’t say this enough. WATCH THIS FILM. The recommended ages for MOST LEGOS are 3 and up and this film is NO exception to that. Harkening back to old school Muppets and Looney Tunes cartoons, the comedy is both funny and silly for the kids AND subtly adult and mature for the adults.
Pulling on the nostalgia heartstrings of parents and non-parents alike, there are moments I found myself openly weeping. I would secretly look around to see if I was the only one and to my happiness the two grown men next to me were quietly snorffliing their noses and wiping their eyes. If the Toy Story films or Wreck-It-Ralph are your cuppa tea then this film is for you.
When the film ended I sat there, watching the credits and was psyched to see that not only did Mark Mothersbaugh did the music but Lonely Island and Andy Samberg provided songs for the film. I also couldn’t believe that I just sat and watched what may have been my favorite film of 2014, so far. (– Benn Robbins)
Red Shoe Diaries: Season 1
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| Kino Lorber / Released 6/17/14 |
For the first time ever, Kino Lorber is proud to present the complete first full season of Zalman King’s groundbreaking Red Shoe Diaries, one of Showtimes’s longest running and most successful original series. Each episode is based on a woman’s secret diary, filled with intense passion, romantic fantasies and erotic adventures. Each of these thirteen episodes features David Duchovny and a host of young actors who have gone on to become recognizable stars (Matt LeBlanc, Steven Bauer, Arnold Vosloo, and many, many more). Zalman King’s Red Shoe Diaries are exciting and sensual stories for men and woman both filled with beautiful people, cutting-edge fashion, and exotic locations, all wrapped in a lush musical score. How for would you go? As far as you dare. Extras include gallery, Zalman King introduction and featurette.
Last Word: I’m not embarrassed to admit that I was a loyal viewer of this Showtime soft-core porn series. In fact I would often cancel plans if it over-lapped an episode. The fact that the first season has finally been released on DVD means I can once again bail out on obligations that I don’t really want to deal with…and watch a bunch of beautiful people fornicate in soft-focus light. (– Elizabeth Weitz)
The Machine
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| Xlrator / Released 6/17/14 |
Deep into a second Cold War, Britain’s Ministry of Defense wants a game-changing weapon. Lead scientist Vincent McCarthy (Toby Stephens) has developed a cybernetic super-soldier dubbed “The Machine”. When a programming bug causes the prototype to run amok, McCarthy takes his obsessive efforts underground. Soon he has perfected the ideal marriage of human and machine in his ultimate creation, a beautiful and dangerous being (Caity Lotz) that may be the key to ending the war, but a sentience stirring inside the machine puts everyone’s plans in jeopardy. Extras include featurette and trailer.
Joe
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| Lionsgate / Released 6/17/14 |
Academy Award winner Nicolas Cage delivers a riveting performance as Joe, a hard-living ex-con who is the unlikeliest of role models. After Joe meets a troubled 15-year-old boy (Tye Sheridan) who’s trying to escape his violent father, he is faced with life-changing choices that could bring redemption… or ruin. Extras include deleted scenes, featurettes and commentary.
Last Word: After watching Joe, you wonder why Nicholas Cage ever became a serious action star. He began his career as an indie darling, and it is where he excels. Cage slips into this indie film with ease, looking like he truly belongs. Cage is the glue that ties the stories of people in this small, rural town together. His flawed character is the kind of man who would die for his friend, and kick your teeth in if you cross him. Based on a novel by Larry Brown, Joe is the story of Joe Ransom (Cage), an ex-con who is trying to stay on the straight and narrow path.
What little normal life he has is threatened when he befriends a 15 yr old boy, Gary (Tye Sheridon, Mud). To say Gary’s family is dysfunctional would be an understatement. Gary’s father, Wade, is an abusive drunk whose antics keeps his family on the road. With his family drifting from town to town, Gary looks for work. No school, no friends, Gary does what he can to support his family and protect his mother and sister. Joe gives Gary a job, and finds him to be a good kid and a hard worker. As friendship develops between the two, Joe finds it more and more difficult to turn a blind eye to Gary’s situation. Joe eventually steps in to help Gary, and the consequences of his actions are dire.
I spent the majority of the film amazed and disgusted by Gary Poulter’s performance of Gary’s father, Wade a.k.a. G-Dawg. His performance of a broken, angry man felt real. The scenes between Gary and his father are intense. I found myself always waiting for the next blow, whether it was coming or not. I was surprised to later discover that Gary Poulter was not a trained actor, but a local, homeless man that director David Gordon Green had given the role. Green masterfully directs his supporting characters to flesh out the world that Joe and Gary inhabit. The combination of Tim Orr’s cinematography and Jeff McIlwain’s music paints a beautiful, rustic background to contrast the violence of the story. It makes every blow feel more painful. Joe is a hard film to watch, but a worthwhile experience for any independent film buff. (– Elizabeth Robbins)
Ernest & Celestine
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| New Video Group / Released 6/17/14 |
Deep below snowy, cobblestone streets, tucked away in networks of winding tunnels, lives a tiny mouse named Celestine. Unlike her fellow mice, Celestine is an artist and a dreamer, and has a hard time fitting in. When he nearly ends up as a breakfast for a grumpy bear named Ernest, the two become fast friends and embark on an adventure that will put a smile on your face and make your heart glow. Extras include interview, featurette and feature length animatic.
No Clue
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| Ent One Music / Released 6/17/14 |
When a beautiful and mysterious woman (Amy Smart) bursts into the office of Leo Falloon (Brent Butt), desperate to find her missing brother, it’s just another day in the life of a hard-boiled detective. The problem is, Leo’s not a detective. He sells novelty advertising across the hall from the detective, but how hard can it be? Extras include commentary and featurette.
Almost Human
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| IFC / Released 6/17/14 |
An Unspeakable Terror Has Come Home. Two years ago, mark Fisher disappeared from his home in rural Maine in a brilliant flash of otherworldly blue light. His friend Seth Hampton was the last to see him alive. Now, Seth is having disturbing premonitions that Mark has returned as something other than human. When grisly, violent murders stat taking place in the community, Seth and his girlfriend Jen soon discover that Mark is indeed back, and that there is something terribly evil inside of him. Almost Human is a chilling, frenetic, and brutal story of survival in the face of unknown terror. Extras include commentaries, feature length making of, featurettes, short film, trailers, gallery and tv spot.
Final Member
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| New Video Group / Released 6/17/14 |
Paris has the Louvre, London has the Tate Modern, and New York the Metropolitan Museum. But Husavik, Iceland – a diminutive village on the fringe of the Arctic Circle – boasts the world’s only museum devoted exclusively to painstakingly preserved male genitalia. Founded and curated by Sigurour “Siggi” Hjartarson, the Icelandic Philological Museum houses four decades’ worth of mammalian members, from a petite field mouse to the colossal sperm whale, and every “thing” in between. Lamentably, Siggi’s collection lacks the holy grail of phallic phantasmagoria: a human specimen. In their debut feature film, Jonah Bekhor and Zach Math follow Siggi on his dogged, often emotional quest to complete his exhibition ion a peculiar, yet startlingly relatable, story of self-fulfillment and the value of personal legacies (both big and small). Extras include booklet, museum tour and trailer.
The Attorney
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| Well Go USA / Released 6/17/14 |
Song Woo-seok has no clients, connections, or a college degree, but his eye for business and appetite for money make him the most successful lawyer in town. But at the peak of his success, a local teenager is falsely accused of a crime, then beaten and tortured while waiting in jail. Shocked by these conditions, Song takes the case no one else will, and changes the course of his life.
Top Hat & Tales: Harold Ross and the Making of The New Yorker
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| First Run Features / Released 6/17/14 |
Harold Ross didn’t choose where he was born, but he did choose where he lived. When he founded The New Yorker in 1925, he masterfully captured the Jazz Age spirit of popping Champagne corks. Broadway glamour, and ultra-dry wit. Ironically the magazine that became a hallmark of the city’s sophistication was created by a high school dropout and miner’s son from Colorado. Incorporating a rich array of film clips from the 20s and 30s – speakeasies, jazz bands, rising skyscrapers – Top Hat And Tales evokes an image of a metropolis that still glitters. Interviews with celebrated editors, writers and artists – such as John Updike, David Remnick, Roz Chast, Lee Lorenz, Charles Schulz and Roy Blount Jr. – shed light on how The New Yorker‘s signature style and content were shaped by its early contributors, including E.B. White, James Thurber, Charles Addams, Janet Flanner, J.D. Salinger and more.
James Thurber: The Life and Hard Times
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| First Run Features / Released 6/17/14 |
James Thurber: The Life And Hard Times is the first major documentary on the life and work of one of America’s greatest humorists. Known for his classic short story, The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty, Thurber was a legendary contributor of prose and cartoons to The New Yorker magazine where he worked for many years. narrated by George Plimpton, this documentary includes interviews with Edward Albee, John Updiek, Alistair Cooke, Fran Lebowitz, Roy Blount Jr. and others.
Red Shoe Diaries: Movie
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| Kino Lorber / Released 6/17/14 |
Zalman King is the creator and undisputed heavyweight champion of the erotic/romantic film. Building on his blockbuster films like 9 1/2 Weeks and Wild Orchid, King brought his trademark combination of lush romance, torrid sensuality and cutting-edge style to the television screen in Red Shoe Diaries: The Movie, launching the career of David Duchovny.
Jake (Duchovny) is a successful architect about to marry the love of his life. He thinks that he knows everything about her. And then he discovers that she has been having a secret, passionate affair with a completely different kind of man, a construction worker. He is beautiful… the perfect body… who makes no demands on her, except sex. But when she wants to end it, he won’t let her. Haunted by guilt, she begins to spin more and more out of control. and like a moth lured to the flame, the fire consumes her. Extras include gallery, Zalman King introduction and featurette.
Last Word: Hot dreamy sex, infidelity, moody music and David Duchovny? Count me in. The first time I saw this I was 18 and ready to debase myself for love, 22 years later I am still waiting for a construction worker/shoe salesman and an architect to woo me sexually, but at least I can watch this movie and dream…much to my husband’s chagrin. ( – Elizabeth Weitz)
This Is America Charlie Brown
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| Warner Home Video / Released 6/17/14 |
It’s American History, Peanuts-Style…And You Are There! From the voyage of the Mayflower to the bold exploration of outer space, join the Peanuts gang as they take you on a timeless journey through American history! Groove along with Charlie Brown and Snoopy as they discover the beginnings of jazz and ragtime music, cleverly accompanied by Lucy’s speech about American heroes. Soar with the Wright brothers, blast into orbit on the NASA space station and create some of the world’s most influential inventions alongside such greats as Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison and Henry Ford! So all aboard the transcontinental railroad with Peanuts because This Is America, Charlie Brown! Includes the episodes The Mayflower Voyagers, The Birth of the Constitution, The Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk, The NASA Space Station, The Building of the Transcontinental Railroad, The Great Inventors, The Smithsonian and the Presidency, and The Music and Heroes of America.
Regular Show: The Complete Third Season
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| Cartoon Network / Released 6/17/14 |
Everyone’s favorite slackers Mordecai and Rigby are back in Regular Show: The Complete Third Season on DVD. Releasing with all 40 episodes from Season 3 plus totally rad special features, fans and collectors will be stoked to add the third season of the Emmy award winning comedy to their collection. The series stars a blue jay named Mordecai and his best friend Rigby, a raccoon, who are both employed as groundskeepers at a local park. Watch as they interact with Benson, Pops, Skips, and the rest of the gang in a hilarious attempt to escape everyday boredom in Regular Show: The Complete Third Season. Includes the episodes Stick Hockey, Bet to Be Blonde, Skips Strikes, Creepy Doll, Death Metal Crash Pit, In the House, Camping Can Be Cool, Slam Dunk, Cool Bikes, House Rules, Rap It Up, Cruisin’, Under the Hood, Weekend at Benson’s, Fortune Cookie, Think Positive, Skips vs. Technology, Butt Dial, Eggscellent, Gut Model, Video Game Wizards, Big Winner, The Best Burger in the World, Replaced, Trash Boat, Fists of Justice, Yes Dude Yes, Busted Cart, Dead at Eight, Access Denied, Muscle Mentor, Trucker Hall of Fame, Out of Commission, Fancy Restaurant, Diary, The Best VHS in the World, Prankless, Death Bear, Fuzzy Dice, Sugar Rush, and Bad Kiss. Extras include commentaries, featurettes and live episode read.
Sinbad: Make Me Wanna Holla
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| Comedy Central / Released 6/17/14 |
Make Me Wanna Holla is an all-out stand-up special featuring a riotous original performance by the king of comedy, Sinbad, recorded live in his hometown of Detroit. Covering everything he sees in his life, from the life advice his parents gave him, to why he is tired of people with no talent having clothing lines, as well as explaining who he “really” is. Don’t miss the chance to experience the “hit’em in the face” style from the king of comedy himself.
Tosh.0: Collas Plus Exposed Arms
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| Comedy Central / Released 6/17/14 |
Collas Plus Exposed Arms is 21 episodes of comedic hysterics. It’s double the wardrobes and double the laughs. This 2-disc set delves into all aspects of the Internet, featuring razor-sharp humor and biting commentary from Tosh himself. From the absolutely absurd to the incredibly ingenious, the series features viral clips, sketches, and “Web Redemptions,” which gives subjects of infamous viral videos a second chance to redeem themselves from the embarrassment with which they’ve become synonymous. It’s cable TV’s most trusted source for exhibitionist weirdoes, injurious idiots, and all things Web. Extras include Extended Redemption Interviews and The Uncut Tiptoes Spoiler.
300: Rise of an Empire
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| Warner Home Video / Released 6/24/14 |
This new chapter of the epic saga 300, told in the breathtaking visual style that defined the original blockbuster, brings the fight for the glory to a challenging new battlefield: the sea. Geek general Themistokles is pitted against massive invading Persian forces, who are ruled by the god-king Xerxes and led by Artemisia, the vengeful commander of their navy. Knowing his only hope of defeating the Persian armada is to unite Greece, Themistokles leads the charge that will change the course of the war. Extras include featurettes.
Last Word: The sequel to the 2006 epic comic book film 300 is an impressive one, taking place at a similar timeline to the first movie as Greeks defend their land against Persia. The beginning of the movie shows the mystical origin of the God King Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) as well as the rise of Athenian general Themistokles (Sullivan Stapleton). In a refreshing breath of balance not seen often in Hollywood action movies today are the two female leads, Persian ally Artemisia (Eva Green) and widow of King Leonidas, Queen Gorgo (Lena Headey). At points, it seems the God King Xerxes’ origin was a red herring, allowing these ladies to shine and spill copious amounts of blood with their own blades, while the golden king sat on the safety of this throne—quite literally the backseat for this movie.
Noam Murro (Smart People) directs the sequel with the screenplay written by Snyder and fellow 300 scribe Kurt Johnstad. We are used to Venn diagrams for timelines when it comes to TV (Star Trek: The Next Generation with Voyager & Deep Space Nine), but rarely if ever in movies. In fact the action in this movie moves past the *SPOILER!* 300 fallen Spartans in Rise of an Empire as if the scenes for both of the movies were shot at the same time. I can’t help but point this out as a cinematic and creative feat of note. To see two large scale movies combined into one experience is tricky from a writer’s perspective alone, let alone the whole production. Well played, Spartans!
In contrast to the original, there is slightly more meat on the bone story-wise. Whereas 300 was about defense of Sparta and the betrayal by Ephialtes, 300: Rise of an Empire is about the rise of the Persians and how different, intellectual and romantic the Athenian Themistokles is as a general in contrast to the brute force of the Spartan Leonidas. This movie is also about how a young Greek Artemisia allies herself with Persia after being raped on a Greek slave ship as a child. Artemisia trains to become a fierce warrior, alongside stepbrother Xerxes and impresses the Persian King Darius (Igal Naor) with her blood thirst. Queen Gorgo also steps into her late husband’s sandals as the narrator of the tale, and takes revenge on the black and gold Persian army. Much of the action takes place versus impressive Persian sea vessels (seen crashing ashore in 300) as the Greek navy’s wooden ships use a circling the wagon strategy against the gigantic numbers of the Persians. As sea battles go, with slaves being whipped a la Ben Hur these are amazing complete with multiple actors battling with swords and shields on the sea, explosions and even a damn horse. Did we mention that some of the corpses are bait for mystical sea monsters?
If history class was ever this fun, I would still be in school. In the family of the God King Xerxes, it appears as if Artemisia truly wears the pants. She commands the Persian navy with an iron whip while looking to have a man by her side that she can trust. With sly cunning, she even gets Themistokles to be that man. One of the few comic moments in the film happen here. Artemisia comes out as the star of Rise of an Empire, a villainess given as much power, if not more, as the strong men of the Greek army she faces down. In a quite deliberate parallel to 300, the father and son relationship is explored in the context of battle.
In 300, Spartan Captain Artemis witnesses his son Astinos die, driving him to a maniacal killing spree of the Persians with his helmet off. Flipping the coin on this, as the Athenians are going off to fight, young Calisto (Jack O’Connell, Skins) joins the army and the battlefront. Here, he follows his father Scyllias (Callan Mulvey, Zero Dark Thirty) to battle and we see which family member is to be carried home with their shield, or upon it. Queen Gorgo’s story bookends the picture as she motivates what are now her Spartan soldiers. What this movie did correctly with the casting of such strong actresses was to focus on one as a strong but evil enemy in black and to contrast her with a widow summoning the same strength as her husband, dressed in white, to face the Persians. We really get a two for one here. This is exactly 200% more gender equality in this movie than in most movies these days. To call Green and Gorgo the stars of this movie wouldn’t be far off. Though, technically, both the Queen and Xerxes are important to the story as supporting characters but do not chew up enough screen time to be considered leading roles. (– Clay N Ferno)
Winter’s Tale
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| Warner Home Video / Released 6/24/14 |
Written and directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Akiva Goldman, Winter’s Tale is a timeless story of sweeping romance and the age-old battle between good and evil. In a mythic New York City near the turn of the 20th century, burglar Peter Lake (Colin Farrell) meets a dying young woman named Beverly Penn (Jessica Brown Findlay). Falling irrevocably in love with her, Peter’s only option is to discover a way to conquer evil, stop time bring her back from death. Extras include featurettes and cast interviews.
Last Word: An unfortunate mess of a movie, wasting a great ensemble. It attempts to be “magical”, but instead comes across as silly and embarrassing. A romantic fantasy with no soul, Winter’s Tale features mediocre special effects, an unengaging story, lackluster performances, and runs at a tepid pace until it ultimately becomes nothing more than a two hour distraction. If you heard it was lousy, you heard right. Skip it.
Witches of East End: Season 1
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| 20th Century Fox / Released 6/24/14 |
Careful What You Witch For. Witches of East End stars Julia Ormond as Joanna Beauchamp, an ageless mother trying to keep a supernatural secret from her daughters, Freya (Jenna Dewan-Tatum) and Ingrid (Rachel Boston), so they can lead a normal life. But when Joanna’s estranged sister (Madchen Amick) arrives to warn her of an evil entity out to destroy them all, Joanna is forced to reveal the truth about her family’s magical legacy. Co-starring Virginia Madsen, Eric Winter and Daniel DiTomasso, this powerful and enchanting drama series will cast its spell on you! Extras include featurettes, bloopers, gag reel and deleted scenes.
The Bridge: Season 1
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| 20th Century Fox / Released 6/24/14 |
This gripping crime thriller set on the U.S.-Mexico border has emerged as one of TV’s most acclaimed new shows. When a murder victim is discovered on the bridge connecting El Paso and Juarez, detective Sonya Cross (Diane Kruger) must work with her Mexican counterpart, Marco Ruiz (Demian Bichir), to catch a serial killer terrorizing both sides of the border. But their investigation will uncover shocking secrets and relentless danger that neither of them could possibly have imagined. Extras include commentary, deleted scenes and featurettes.
Lost Girl: Season 4
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| Funimation / Released 6/24/14 |
In the latest season of the thrilling Lost Girl saga, fate casts a wide shadow over the Fae world. Bo’s (Anna Silk) sudden return from the beyond blurs the line between Light and Dark Fae, stunning her friends – and sending the Succubus on a harrowing journey of self-discovery. Amidst a whirlwind of shocking developments and new enemies, Bo and her comrades must realize that their strength lies in numbers. No matter how stacked against them odd may seem – or how devastating the loss may be – their only hope for survival is facing each new challenge together. The unaligned Succubus may rank among the strongest forces in the Fae world, but her true power emerges when fighting side by side with her friends. Extras include Comic Con panels, cast roundtable and behind the scenes featurette.
Masters of Sex: The Complete First Season
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| Sony / Released 6/24/14 |
Masters of Sex stars Golden Globe and BAFTA Award nominee Michael Sheen and acclaimed actress Lizzy Caplan, who portray the real-life pioneers of the science of human sexuality, Dr. William Masters and Virginia Johnson. The series chronicles the unusual lives, romance and pop culture trajectory of Master and Johnson and the effect their research had on the family and colleagues around them. Their study ignited a sexual revolution and took them from a teaching hospital in St. Louis to the cover of Time magazine. Also starring Caitlin FitzGerald, Teddy Sears and Nicholas D’Agosto. Also guest starring two-time Golden Globe winner Beau Bridges. Extras include
commentaries, deleted scenes, and featurettes.Last Word: It’s getting harder and harder to get excited about movies when series like this are so good. Focusing on Masters and Johnson, Masters of Sex chronicles a period of change and quiet revolution. Among the other guest stars are Margo Martindale, Mae Whitman, Greg Grunberg, Allison Janney, Alan Ruck, Joan Severance, Julianne Nicholson, and Barry Bostwick, all of whom deliver solid performances. Masters of Sex is a fascinating chronicle of the beginnings of the sexual evolution of our country and with strong writing and performances, it’s definitely worth cancelling your weekend plans and binging. Recommended.
Enemy
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| Lionsgate / Released 6/24/14 |
Adam Bell (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a glum professor who has grown disinterested by his ordinary life. When Adam discovers a man who appears to be his double, the identical men meet and their lives become bizarrely and hauntingly intertwined. Gyllenhaal is transfixing playing both roles, journeying through a world both familiar and strange. The film’s final and unnerving image will not be soon forgotten by audiences. In the end, only one man can survive. Extras include featurette.
The Boondocks – Season 4
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| Sony / Released 6/24/14 |
At long last, The Boondocks is back in the uncut, uncensored, unpredictable final series of the controversial, award-winning animated series. Granddad, Huey and Riley find themselves neck deep in all new kinds of trouble as money woes lead to desperate measures. From breaking bad in an RV chem-lab to senior citizen streetfights, times have never been wilder in the sleepy suburbs of Woodcrest. The 2-disc set includes exclusive bonus material and features the vocal talents of guest stars like Michael B. Jordan, Dennis Haysbert, and Edward Asner. Extras include featurettes.
Last Word: Without creator Aaron McGruder at the helm, The Boondocks ends a previously strong run with a lackluster season. It’s a shame seeing such distinctive characters as Huey, Riley and Grandpa Freeman transform into derivative and stereotypical impressions of themselves. It was fun while it lasted.
Repentance
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| Lionsgate / Released 6/24/14 |
Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker delivers an explosive performance as Angel Sanchez, a disturbed man fixated on the tragic death of his mother. Seemingly intent on finding inner peace, Sanchez seeks out Tommy Carter (Anthony Mackie), a successful local author/spiritual advisor. Unaware of his client’s true intent, Carter agrees to help the man rebuild his shattered life. But when Sanchez reveals his true intentions, the life coach must do everything in his power to stay alive in this taut, psychological thriller. Extras include featurettes.
Rob The Mob
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| Millennium / Released 6/24/14 |
Fresh from prison for a small-time crime, reunited lovers Thomas (Michael Pitt) and Rosie (Nina Arianda) find themselves in need of cash. After hearing testimony from John Gotti’s high profile trial that mob social clubs are gun-free, Thomas and Rosie brazenly rob these underground spots operated by major crime families in the City. Unwittingly, they come across something much more valuable than money: a list of every mobster in the families. Now the feds, family members, and rival mobsters are on the hunt for the most notorious lovers since Romeo & Juliet. Also stars Andy Garcia and Ray Romano. Extras include commentary and deleted scenes.
Blood Ties
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| Lionsgate / Released 6/24/14 |
1970s Brooklyn sets the stage for the action-packed thriller, Blood Ties, headlined by Clive Owen, Billy Crudup, Marion Cotillard, Mila Kunis, Zoe Saldana, Noah Emmerich, Lili Taylor, Griffin Dunne and James Caan. Blood Ties begins when Chris (Owen) is released from prison. Reluctantly waiting for him on the outside is his younger brother Frank (Crudup), a cop with an aspiring future. After trying to stay on the straight path without any success, Chris inevitably descends back into a life of crime and puts Frank in a tough predicament. Does he cover for his brother and salvage the only family he has? Or does he do the right thing and risk destroying everything he loves? Extras include featurette.
Comedy Bang! Bang! Season 2
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| Anchor Bay / Released 6/24/14 |
Comedy Bang Bang! is back with 20 all new episodes and a robust line-up of famous faces. Host Scott Aukerman and musical cohort Reggie Watts both return to Comedy Bang Bang!, the show that infuses celebrity appearances and comedy sketches with a tinge of the surreal. In each episode, Scott engages his guests with unfiltered and improvisational lines of questioning, punctuated by banter and beats provided by Reggie. Along with the series’ character cameos, filmed shorts and surprise guest stars, this season features special holiday-themed and musical episodes. Guests include Andy Samberg, Jordan Peele, Doug Benson, Selma Blair, Adam Pally, Chelsea Peretti, Lance Reddick, Aziz Ansari, Nick Kroll, Christopher Meloni, Anna Kendrick, Ben Schwartz, David Cross, Will Forte, Tim Meadows, ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic, Zoe Saldana, Paul F. Tompkins, Gillian Jacobs, Jason Mantzoukas, Chris Hardwick, Doug Jones, Adam Scott, Andy Richter, Sarah Silverman, Joe Lo Truglio, Bill Hader, Bobby Moynihan, Casey Wilson, Thomas Lennon, Laraine Newman, Rainn Wilson, Harry Anderson, Pee-Wee Herman, Jessica Alba, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash, Tony Hale, Dave Foley, Rashida Jones, Jack McBrayer, Horatio Sanz, Matt Walsh, Jim Gaffigan, Andy Dick, Bobcat Goldthwait, Natasha Leggero, Clark Gregg, Jason Schwartzman, Topher Grace, Phil LaMarr, Cobie Smulders and Zach Galifianakis. Extras include commentaries, deleted scenes, bonus scenes and interviews, and featurettes.
The Jungle
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| Entertainment One / Released 6/24/14 |
In the final film in director Andrew Traucki’s “trilogy of terror,” a team of conservationists sets out to explore the dense Indonesian rainforest in search of a rare leopard. But the deeper into the jungle they journey, the more nervous the group’s native guides become – local legend has it that a deadly werewolf-like creature roams the lands. Determined to complete their mission, the expeditionists venture farther into the darkening forest, only to discover they are being stalked by an unseen predator: one that has no fear of humans.
I Spy: The Complete Series
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| Shout!/Timeless Media / Released 6/24/14 |
Bill Cosby and Robert Culp star as two of the hippest secret agents in television history in I Spy: The Complete Series. Travelling to exotic locales while posing as a tennis pro and his trainer, intelligence operatives Kelly Robinson (Culp) and Alexander Scott (Cosby) take on the espionage community with both grit and lighthearted banter.
A groundbreaking series when originally aired on NBC from 1965 to 1968, I Spy remains beloved by fans today due to the unmatched chemistry between its two stars. Both Culp and Cosby were nominated for Emmy Awards in the Best Leading Actor in a Drama Series category all three seasons of I Spy’s run, with Cosby winning the award each year. Culp also received a nomination for his significant writing contributions to the series.
Among the recognizable guest stars are Cicely Tyson, James Hong, Nicholas Colasanto, Mako, Eartha Kitt, Martin Landau, Keye Luke, Vera Miles, Lew Ayres, Victor Buono, Sally Kellerman, Carroll O’Connor. Diana Hyland, Greg Morris, Alan Oppenheimer, Michael J. Pollard, Walter Koenig, Barbara Steele, Joey Heatherton, James Best, Richard Anderson, Ron Howard, Tony Bill, Boris Karloff, Peter Lawford, Vincent Gardenia, Ricardo Montalban, Don Rickles, Wally Cox, Jim Brown, Peter Wyngarde, John Aniston, Michael Rennie, Norman Fell, Dorothy Lamour, Henry Silva, Carl Gottlieb, Richard Kiel, Jim Backus, and Gene Hackman.
This eighty-two episode anthology of a true television classic is a must-have for your collection.
The Chef, The Actor, The Scoundrel
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| Well Go USA / Released 6/24/14 |
World War II: a cholera epidemic ravages the streets of Beijing. A crack team of Chinese intelligence agents kidnap a Japanese general and biochemist who may hold the antidote. When trickery and torture fails, the covert squad smuggles their victims into a restaurant and launches the oddest of interrogations – staging a Chinese Opera and posing as fellow guests, designed to entice, confuse, and ultimately trick their captives into revealing the true before time runs out. Extras include trailer, making of and blooper reel.
Hinterland Series 1
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| Acorn Media / Released 7/1/14 |
Hinterland Series 1 is a gorgeously shot 2013 production filmed on location in the starkly beautiful coastal town of Aberystwyth. Hinterland follows DCI Tom Mathias (Richard Harrington), a brilliant, brooding loner newly arrived in this isolated land of mountainous terrain and close-knit villages after 10 years with London’s Metropolitan Police, who confronts a series of mystifying murders.
A Young Doctor’s Notebook
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| BBC Home Entertainment / Released 7/1/14 |
Jon Hamm (Mad Men) and Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) star in this insanely dark, and brilliantly hilarious four-part comedy noir. It’s 1917, on the eve of the Russian Revolution, and a young doctor (Radcliffe) arrives in the middle of the night to lead an eerie, backwoods hospital. Fresh from med school, he is completely unprepared for the bizarre people and alarming medical maladies that face him, so, in an unexpected twist, he turns to his older self (Hamm) for advice. It’s a fascinating, pitch black comedy with two of Hollywood’s leading talents that will both surprise and entertain.
The Final Terror
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| Shout! Factory / Released 7/1/14 |
A group of young campers out for what they hope will be a fun-filled weekend find their plans spoiled by a disguised, merciless killer who stalks the forest in search of new victims. Soon they are caught in a terrifying web of bloodshed and murder. It is up to the remaining few to defend themselves and put an end to the terror-filled weekend. Featuring a great cast including Rachel Ward, Daryl Hannah, Adrian Zmed, Mark Metcalf, Lewis Smith and Joe Pantoliano and directed by Andrew Davis, this pulse-pounding film is the final word in backwoods horror. Extras include commentary and interviews.
Last Word: This sophomore effort from director Andrew Davis, The Final Terror is a shlocky but fun and somewhat derivative slasher flick that’s worth one’s time if they are fans of the genre.
Helix: Season One
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| Sony / Released 7/1/14 |
Helix is an intense thriller about a team of scientists from the Centers for Disease Control who travels to a high-tech research facility in the Arctic to investigate a possible disease outbreak, only to find themselves pulled into a terrifying life-and-death struggle that holds the key to mankind’s salvation… or annihilation. The 13-episode sci-fi drama is executive produced by Ronald D. Moore (TV’s Battlestar Galactica), Lynda Obst (Contact), Steven Maeda (TV’s Lost, CSI: Miami, The X-Files) and Brad Turner (TV’s 24). Extras include commentaries, featurettes, deleted scenes and outtakes.
Last Word: Solid sci-fi thriller reminiscent of Michael Crichton, Helix is a television rarity; it’s genuinely scary. Combining a very real contagion situation with the very real possibility of a conspiracy at it’s core. More than once the series pays homage to John Carpenter’s The Thing, which is far from a bad thing. One of television’s best science fiction series in recent memory, Helix is a must see.
The Raid 2
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| Sony / Released 7/8/14 |
Following immediately after the events of The Raid, Rama (Iko Uwais) is forced to reinvent himself as an undercover cop in order to provide protection for his wife and child. Working for the anti-corruption taskforce led by the one person he can trust, Bunawar, he is given a mission to engage himself as an enforcer for a local mob boss, Bangun. Finding a way in through Bangun’s son Uco, Rama must hunt for information linking Bangun with police force corruption. All the while, he harbors a dangerous and personal vendetta for revenge and justice that threatens to consume him – and bring both this mission and the organized crime syndicates crashing down. Extras include featurettes, commentary and interview.
Last Word: Gareth Edward’s surprisingly more entertaining sequel, The Raid 2 takes ultra-violence to a whole new level. The amount of kinetic action sequences, brutality and dazzling choreography provides a non-stop adrenaline inducing experience. Everything is bigger, crazier and more intense. Highly recommended for action fans.
Jodorowsky’s Dune
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| Sony / Released 7/8/14 |
In 1975, director Alejandro Jodorowsky began work on his most ambitious project yet. Starring his own 12-year-old son alongside Orson Welles, Mick Jagger, David Carradine and Salvador Dali, featuring music by Pink Floyd and art by some of the most provocative talents of the era, including H.R. Giger and Jean “Moebius” Giraud, Jodorowsky’s adaptation of the classic sci-fi novel Dune was poised to change cinema forever.
Through interviews with legends and luminaries including H.R. Giger (artist, Alien), Gary Kurtz (producer, Star Wars Episodes IV & V) and Nicolas Winding Refn (director, Drive), and an intimate and honest conversation with Jodorowsky, director Frank Pavich’s film finally unearths the full saga of “The Greatest Movie Never Made.” Extras include deleted scenes.
Last Word: Arguably, one of the most challenging books of the 60s to adapt into a feature film is Frank Herbert’s magnum opus Dune. Beloved by millions for nearly fifty years, and re-read probably by half of those fans, the Hugo Award winning science fiction novel spawned numerous sequels and spin-offs. But the film adaptations that managed to make their way to the big and small screen, respectively, continue to be universally dismissed. The first, was a massively panned over-blown Hollywood flop directed by a hands-tied David Lynch. The latest was a [then] Sci-Fi Channel miniseries event met with high ratings, but generally lukewarm reception. But the first true attempt at an adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune is the stuff of legend.
Much talked about in cinematic circles is the lengthy, frustrating attempt to bring the book to the movies. Optioned in 1973 by producer Arthur P. Jacobs (Planet of the Apes), who died before he could even develop the project, it’s widely known that midnight movie Godfather Alejandro Jodorowsky (El Topo) picked up the rights two years later and failed to get a single studio willing share his vision. That vision has remained mostly a mystery, with the specifics behind the project only shared marginally, if you were looking for them. Until now.
Jodorowsky’s Dune expansively outlines the never-made movie through interviews, concept art, Story boards, costume sketches and script excerpts. It’s the quintessential account of the project, almost as satisfying as the film itself would have been. But the documentary goes deeper than just being a typical side story from Hollywood’s past. Director Frank Pavich naturally captures insight from Alejandro Jodorowsky himself on his career, his philosophy of art and its relationship with film, and most importantly, his passion for bringing Dune to screen as an experience unlike anything ever seen. Instead, the “failed” Dune is a masterful example of not for lack of trying.
The stranger-than-fiction casting choices involved Orson Welles, Mick Jagger, David Carradine and Salvadore Dali. Each one had been engaged by the director to come on board, to which this documentary unveils in hysterical detail. The jaw-dropping doesn’t end there. H.R. Giger was brought in to conceptualize key architecture and concepts, Pink Floyd was romanced into scoring the music, Moebius (aka Jean Giraud) created the entire production in storyboards, and certainly not least, Dan O’Bannon spent years working on the visual effects. Jodo, as he’s affectionately referred to by his friends clearly went full-on obsessed marrying the story to his vision, which only grew from there. I got the impression that, even at age 84, Jodo has that same true passion for what the movie could have been.
But I also get the impression that there isn’t a ton of regret over this lost project. It’s revealed that the director channeled a lot of his passion for Dune into other projects, namely comics. And luckily for us, the documentary reunited the director with his producer Michel Seydoux for the first time in years, resulting in the soon to be released autobiographical movie The Dance of Reality. The biggest payoff of the documentary is towards the end of the film, when you realize just how much this unfilmed project directly and indirectly influenced the “groundbreaking” films that would come, from Star Wars to Prometheus. At the very least, there wouldn’t have been Alien, the way we know it, if not for the relationship jump-started between Dan O’Bannon and H.R. Giger. Then again, there probably wouldn’t have been David Lynch’s Dune either. Talk about a trade-off. (– Todd Sokolove)
Nymphomanic Volume 1 & 2
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| Magnolia / Released 7/8/14 |
Nymphomaniac: Volume 1 is the story of Joe (Charlotte Gainsbourg), a self-diagnosed nymphomaniac who is discovered badly beaten in an alley by an older bachelor, Seligman (Stellan Skarsgard), who takes her into his home. As he tends to her wounds, she recounts the erotic story of her adolescence and young-adulthood (portrayed in flashback by newcomer Stacy Martin). Volume I also stars Shia LaBeouf, Christian Slater, Uma Thurman, Sophie Kennedy Clark, Connie Nielsen and Udo Kier. Nymphomaniac: Volume 2 continues with the story of the self-diagnosed nymphomaniac Joe (Charlotte Gainsbourg) and her adulthood, during which her journey of self-discovery leads complications. The film stars Jamie Bell, Willem Dafoe, Mia Goth and Jean-Marc Barr in addition to Stellan Skarsgard, Stacy Martin and Shia LaBeouf. Extras include featurettes and trailers.
Last Word: Boring, pretentious and a mess of a narrative, Nymphomaniac 1 & 2 aren’t art, but rather misogynistic, sexist and not nearly as shocking as von Trier thinks it is. Ultimately, a waste of four hours.
Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa .5
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| Paramount / Released 7/8/14 |
Loaded with never-before-seen content, Bad Grandpa .5 gives you a whole new perspective on the world of Irving Zisman with unbelievable bonus scenes and hilarious pranks also featuring Academy Award-winner Spike Jonze (as “Gloria”) and Oscar-nominee Catherine Keener (as Irving’s wife “Ellie”)…plus a look at the evolution of Johnny Knoxville’s naughty alter-ego, the Academy Award-nominated makeup effects, and an exclusive behind-the-scenes peek at the idiocy it takes to make a hidden camera movie in public.
Last Word: Ultimately this feels like a cash grab, releasing deleted footage as a new film that feels little more than a series of unconnected scenes. As a fan of Jackass, Bad Grandpa and this semi-sequel are disappointing, both feeling like it’s shock without heart (or humor).
Southern Comfort
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| Shout! Factory / Released 7/8/14 |
From Walter Hill, the director of The Warriors and 48 Hrs., comes this gut-wrenching tale of backwoods terror that stars Keith Carradine and Powers Boothe. Nine National Guardsmen enter the Louisiana swamp for routine training, but an error in judgment by one of the team incites an all-out war with some angry Cajuns who know the territory like the backs of their hands. Armed with a precious few bullets, and confused by the dimly lit, moss-covered maze into which they’ve stumbled, the guardsmen know they’ll be picked off one by one, until they come up with a solution using the only resources they have left… their wits. Extras include interviews, outtakes and trailer.
Kid Cannabis
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| Well Go USA / Released 7/8/14 |
Kid Cannabis is the true story of Nate Norman (Jonathan Daniel Brown, Project X), an Idaho teen dropout who builds a multimillion-dollar marijuana ring by partnering with his best friend (Kenny Wormald, Footloose) and their pals to run drugs across the Canadian border.
Bankrolled by a deadly-serious dope czar (Ron Perlman, Sons of Anarchy) and supplied by an ex-government grower (John C. McGinley, Scrubs), Nate’s pursuit of the high life – complete with gals, guns, and vicious rival dealers – may leave this ex-pizza boy over his head. Extras include trailer.
Rigor Mortis
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| Well Go USA / Released 7/8/14 |
A washed-up actor, desperate and suicidal, moves into a haunted apartment building where supernatural creatures, ghost hunters, zombies, and souls of the undead walk among his neighbors. Rigor Mortis is a martial-arts-infused, chilling homage to classic Chinese movies from film maverick Juno Mak and legendary horror director Takashi Shimizu. Extras include trailer and featurettes.
Stage Fright
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| Magnolia / Released 7/8/14 |
Sing Your Heart Out! In this genre-bending Glee-meets-Rocky Horror musical comedy – a starry-eyed teenager (Allie MacDonald) wants to follow in her mother’s (Minnie Driver) footsteps and become a Broadway diva; but instead, she’s stuck working in the kitchen of her step-father’s (Meat Loaf Aday) snobby performing arts camp. Determined to change her destiny, she sneaks in to audition for the summer showcase landing the lead role. However, just as rehearsals begin, blood starts to spill, and Camilla finds herself terrorized by a homicidal masked killer. Extras include commentary, deleted scene, interview and featurettes.
Last Word: Psycho author Robert Bloch once stated “there’s a thin line between horror and hilarity,” but he was hardly the first to point it out. Though the mash-up of Horror and Comedy pre-dates film, filmmakers have been merging the genres successfully for decades. Sometimes the laughs are sprinkled sparsely for relief, but often times for full-on high meta camp. Stage Fright is a film so campy, it’s actually set in a camp. A musical theater camp for kids, no less. The movie takes a deep stab at both killer-on-the-lose conventions and overzealous-musicals, hitting both targets with glee.
Coming off of the success of the cult musical short The Legend of Beaver Dam, Jerome Sable and Eli Batalion used that prior collaboration as a model, resulting in the interest of a feature film. It also attracted the interest of Minnie Driver for a bit, though integral, part, and Meat Loaf in his first major musical role on film since The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
The big players might bring audiences in, but relatively new Allie MacDonald (House At The End of the Street), is someone to remember. She carries the film both dramatically and musically, fully understanding how to anchor something so incredibly campy. She is both scream-queen and diva, and that’s not an easy task. The film itself is a goofy homage to 70s and 80s slasher films, with, I believe, massive attention on Sleepaway Camp. References to Friday the 13th and Carrie are thrown in for good measure. But this is not-just-another satire on scary movies.
Since it’s been-there-done-that territory for Horror-Comedy, the filmmakers are wise to keep Stage Fright to being its own thing, but with Jazz Hands. Red herrings abound, but so do the musical numbers, starting with a hysterical introduction to the character clichés found in a musical theater camp. Of course, since there’s a show to be performed by the end of the story, there’s also the “show-within-the-show” lead up.
The satire abounds too, as the camp is forced (presumably for licensing issues) to perform slightly altered versions of popular Broadway musicals. Their big show for this summer is Haunting of the Opera, with Kabuki influence. It makes for one bad-ass looking killer though, who customizes buzz-saw blades with finger grips for easy slashing. I’m a sucker for a good mix of Horror and Comedy. It’s just that I like them to have one foot firm in both. Stage Fright has plenty of laughs, but also plenty of gore (and a handful of seat-jumping scares). (– Todd Sokolove)
The Soul Man Complete First Season
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| Shout! Factory / Released 7/8/14 |
Cedric the Entertainer stars in The Soul Man, an original sitcom from Suzanne Martin, the creator of Hot In Cleveland. Series co-creator Cedric plays Boyce ’The Voice’ Ballentine, a chart-topping Las Vegas singer who moves back to St. Louis to preach in his father’s church. Can this superstar-turned-minister go from singing soul to saving souls? Can his family adjust to their new lifestyle? They’re about to find out! The Soul Man also stars Niecy Nash (Reno 911) as Boyce’s wife, John Beasley (Everwood) as his father, Wesley Jonathan (What I Like About You) as his younger brother, and Jazz Raycole (My Wife and Kids) as his daughter. The character of Reverend Boyce originated in an episode of Hot in Cleveland in which Cedric guest-starred. Season one guest stars include Tim Reid, Kim Coles, Gary Anthony Williams, Tim Russ, Cynthia Stevenson, Robert Forster, Steve Schirripa, Sherri Shepherd, Yvette Nicole Brown, and Charles Robinson.
Watermark
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| Entertainment One / Released 7/8/14 |
Award-winning filmmakers Jennifer Baichwal and Nick de Pencier, and renowned photographer Edward Burtynsky, Beautifully weave together diverse stories from around the globe that eloquently detail humanity’s relationship with water through the ages: how we are drawn to it, hoe we use it, and the magnitude of our need for this rapidly depleting resource. Extras include deleted scenes, making of, interview and gallery.
Prisoners of War: Season One
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| Shout! Factory / Released 7/8/14 |
Created by the award-winning Gideon Raff for Keshet Broadcasting, Prisoners of War is the original Israeli drama upon which Showtime’s Emmy-award winning Homeland was based. The series follows the story of three Israeli soldiers held captive for 17 years and the lives they return to after being released. Having become national icons, they not only have to rebuild their personal relationships, but reintegrate into the community. As the soldiers struggle to reconnect with family and rejoin society, details about their imprisonment surface that lead to more questions. When secrets of the years gone by begin coming to light, betrayal, resentment and suspicion threaten to destroy their lives all over again. This intriguing and pensive narrative will keep viewers guessing as new facts are gradually uncovered. A psychological drama that will captivate audiences, the series stars Yoram Toledano, Yaël Abecassis, Ishai Golan, Mili Avital, Assi Cohen and Adi Ezroni. Extras include commentary and making of.
Last Word: Comparisons to Homeland are inevitable, but Prisoners of War is it’s own equally addictive and must see series. Far more subtle with the focus being on the soldiers becoming reacclimated to society, than on conspiracy and sleeper missions, Prisoners of War is thrilling and gripping with solid performances throughout. Recommended.
I Vinti
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| Kino Lorber / Released 7/8/14 |
Challenging the linear narrative by weaving multiple story lines and exploring a directorial style way ahead of his time, Director Michelangelo Antonioni’s unique triptych film, features three murders, one taking place in Paris, another in Rome, and another in London. All of the perpetrators are affluent youths, each killing for dubious motives. In the France segment, a group of adolescents kill for money, even though they don’t need it; in the London segment, a poet uncovers a woman’s body and tries to profit from the discovery; and in the Italian segment, a student becomes caught up in a smuggling ring, with deadly results.
With elements that serve as a precursor to Blowup, Antonioni explores how modern society can produce nihilistic tendencies in the least likely characters. Extras include the original exclusive, uncut and elongated version of the Italian Episode as presented at the 1953 Venice Film Festival, interviews, and short film by Michelangelo Antonioni.
Under the Skin
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| Lionsgate / Released 7/15/14 |
An alien entity inhabits the earthly form of a seductive young woman who combs the Scottish highways in search of the human prey it is here to plunder. It lures its isolated and forsaken male victims into an otherworldly dimension where they are stripped and consumed. But life in all its complexity start to change the alien. It begin to see itself as “she,” as human, with tragic and terrifying consequences. Under the Skin is about seeing ourselves through alien eyes. Extras include featurette.
Last Word: It has been a long time since I have seen a sci-fi film that has left me thinking about it days after viewing it. Under the Skin harkens back to the science fiction films of the late sixties and early seventies, films like Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, George Lucas’ THX-1138, or even Nicolas Roeg’s The Man Who Fell to Earth. Sparse dialog and the use of documentary-style location shooting or minimalistic sets paint an everyday world with something sinister hunting in the background noise of our lives. This is the kind of film that reminds us that there is more to science fiction than spaceships, laser blasts, and digital effects aliens.
Scarlett Johansson (The Girl with the Pearl Earring, The Avengers) is memorizing as the hunter. It shows her skill as an actress the way she is able to portray an other-worldly being passing as human where a lesser actress would just be robotic or wooden. The seduction scenes are subtle, gracefully turning effortlessly into an unnerving capture which has no escape. With each capture/seduction, you feel the shift in Johansson’s character, becoming something more human, making it understandable when she abandons her post. This is no Species. It is sci-fi at it’s gritty best. Director Jonathan Glazer (Sexy Beast) crafts a starkly, beautiful film where the sound and music is as vivid a character as any of the actors. The motivation of the Johansson’s alien is never spelled out, and leaves room for your own interpretation.
And that, in a nutshell, is what I liked most about the movie. I left the theater not knowing what I had just seen, and at the same time knowing exactly what I had seen. It’s one of those films that just when you think you have it figured out, it slips from your grasp, causing you to think about it some more. It’s the kind of film that after I left the theater, I wanted to talk to people about it. It’s the kind of film that I wanted to turn around, go right back in the theater and see again. (– Elizabeth Robbins)
Orphan Black: Season 2
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| BBC Home Entertainment / Released 7/15/14 |
A clone is never alone. Golden Globe nominee Tatiana Maslany electrifies once again in season two of the his series Orphan Black. Sarah (Maslany) is in a desperate race to find her missing daughter, but her scorched earth tactics spark a war with Rachel (Maslnay), dividing and imperiling all the clones (Maslany, Maslany, Maslany). As Sarah discovers more about her past, mysterious newcomers appear, but can they be trusted? Extras include deleted scenes, featurettes and The Cloneversation With Wil Wheaton.
Last Word: Television’s newest, and most addictive series is here and is a must see. Tatiana Maslany continues to amaze as several clones all tied to a conspiracy regarding their origins. Addictive, smart, funny and amazing, jump on the Orphan Black bandwagon now.
Hell on Wheels: Season 3
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| Entertainment One / Released 7/15/14 |
Former Confederate soldier Cullen Bohannon (Anson Mount) made a home in Hell on Wheels while hunting down the men responsible for killing his family. Now, following the Indian attack that destroyed the railroad settlement, Cullen has reshaped his lust for revenge into a burning ambition – to take control of the Union Pacific and complete its drive across the country. Extras include featurettes.
How The West Was Won: Season 2
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| Warner Home Video / Released 7/15/14 |
Life in the Colorado wilderness tests the Macahans to the limit in the gripping second season of How the West Was Won, one of the most epic TV Westerns of all time. The frontier adventure contnues as hardened mountainman and patriarch Zeb (James Arness) gets caught in the middle of a war between the Sioux tribe and the U.S. Army, while eldest Macahan son – and still fugitive – Luke (Bruce Boxleitner) finds something more dangerous than the vengeful lawmen chasing him: a lethal gang of ex-Confederate gold robbers. Aunt Molly Culhane (Emmy winner Fionnula Flanagan) joins the family, bringing Irish grit and an open heart to the Macahan children and Homestead. Packed with vivid supporting characters played by an impressive array of Hollywood greats (including Ricardo Montalban in an Emmy-winning performance), this 6-Disc, 14-Part Season Two Set delivers entertainment as expansive as the open frontier!
A Day Late And A Dollar Short
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| A&E Home Video / Released 7/15/14 |
Based on Terry McMillan’s best-selling novel, A Day Late And A Dollar Short, stars Academy Award, Golden Globe, Daytime Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Award winner Whoopi Goldberg as irascible matriarch Viola Price. When Viola learns that her next asthma attack is likely to kill her, she sets out to fix her fractured family before she sets foot anywhere near the grave. Proudly choosing to keep her health issues a secret, she contends with sibling rivalry, teen pregnancy, and prescription drug addiction and that’s just one of her four kids. There’s also a jailbird son to teach how to be a better father, a granddaughter in big trouble, and an estranged husband to rescue from his scheming young girlfriend. It’s the kind of meddling the Price family hasn’t experienced from Viola in decades, and she won’t have an easy time bending her loved ones to her will.
Black Dynamite: Season 1
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| Cartoon Network / Released 7/15/14 |
Based on 2009’s critically-acclaimed feature film, the Black Dynamite animated series further chronicles the exploits of the central character, Black Dynamite, and his crew. Black Dynamite is a 1970s renaissance man with a kung-fu grip. A lover and a fighter who is not afraid to leap before he looks. His sidekick extraordinaire is Bullhorn, the brains and cunning that complements Black Dynamite’s hard-hittin’, bone-crushin’ style. Providing comic relief on the mean streets is Cream Corn and classing up the place is the gorgeous Honey Bee. Includes the episodes “Bullhorn Nights” or “Murder She Throats”, “Just Beat It” or “Jackson Five Across Yo’Eyes”, “Taxes and Death” or “Get Him to the Sunset Strip”, “A Crisis For Christmas” or “The Dark Side of the Dark Side of the Moon”, “Panic On the Player’s Ball Express” or “That’s Influenza Sucka!”, “The S**t that Killed the King” or “Weekend At Presley’s”, “Apocalypse, This!” or “For the Pity of Fools” a.k.a. “Flashbacks Are Forever”, “Honky Kong” or “White Apes Can’t Hump”, “The Race War” or “Big Black Cannon, Balls Run!” and “That Seed of Kurtis” a.k.a. “Father Is Just Another Word For Motherf***er” Extras include video commentaries featuring writer Carl Jones and members of the cast, original pilot and behind the scenes.
Road to Paloma
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| Anchor Bay / Released 7/15/14 |
Road to Paloma is the beautiful journey of two bikers traveling across America’s vast west. While Native American Wolf (Jason Momoa) is being pursued by the FBI for having taken the law into his own hands, when his mother was raped and killed on their reservation he crosses paths with Cash (Robert Mollohan), a down and out musician who is coping with the end of his marriage. An unlikely friendship develops, as they ride together towards the Teton mountain range, where Wolf will spread his mothers ashes. Also stars Lisa Bonet, Michael Raymond-James, Timothy V. Murphy, Sarah Shahi, and Wes Studi. Extras include a deleted scene.
Open Grave
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| Umvd / Released 7/15/14 |
A man (Sharlton Copley, Elysium, District 9), wakes up in a pit of dead bodies with no memory of who he is or how he got there. Fleeing the scene, he breaks into a nearly house and is met at gunpoint by a group of terrified strangers, all suffering from memory loss. Suspicion gives way to violence as the group starts to piece together clues about their identities, but when they uncover a threat that’s more vicious – and hungry – than each other, they are forced to figure out what brought them all together – before it’s too late. Extras include featurette.
Last Word: Open Grave (2014) is a mystery-horror-survival film that stars Sharlto Copley, Joseph Morgan, Thomas Kretschmann, Erin Richards, Josie Ho, and Max Wrottesley. It is difficult to review without giving too much away, but let me give you the set-up. John (Copley) wakes up in a pit grave. It’s night time, and it’s raining. Brown Eyes (Ho) helps him get out. They walk through the woods and come to a farmhouse. Inside are Nathan (Morgan), Lukas (Kretschmann), and Sharon (Richards). None of them knows who they are, how they got there, or who stocked the house with so much food, water, weapons, and ammunition. For me, the first test of any amnesia movie is whether the characters behave in a way that I consider realistic. If they ask questions that I might ask and try things that I might try, then I am along for the ride. In Open Grave, the characters check their pockets and the living room of the house. They find a passport (Brown Eyes) and drivers’ licenses (everyone else). They made progress toward establishing their identities, if not their relationships or their reason for being where they are.
So I was along for the second test. The second test of these movies is how the group splits into factions and starts looking for more information. In Open Grave, Lukas is paranoid and angry from the get-go. The rest of the group let him be in charge because they have no arguments for why someone else should be. They search the house. When the sun comes up, they search the surrounding grounds. Nothing they find is conclusive, but the dead bodies tied to trees, or hanging from them, do not reassure them. While one party is searching a wider radius, Michael (Wrottesley) hears moaning and cries for help. He finds a man tangled in a barbed wire fence. When Michael tries to help the stranger, I realized that the movie had been stealthily increasing the tension so skillfully that 35 minutes had gone by without me noticing. It definitely passed my second test.
Open Grave asks us to think about whether there is some core of identity in each of us, or if we are merely the sum of our experiences. The characters in the film have emotional reactions to events, and to each other, but they have no idea why they have the reactions they do. We, as the audience, have to decide afterward if they were truly blank slates or if they maintained some unconscious sense of self.
To me, that is the best kind of genre entertainment: The kind that poses questions about real life while telling a story about aliens, ghosts, or technology (none of those things are in Open Grave, by the way). You can have fun genre entertainment without a big idea lurking under everything else, certainly, but Open Grave goes further and does it well. The world of Open Grave is bleak and dark enough to warm the cockles of any nihilist’s heart. It is also fast-paced, smart, and entertaining. If you like horror movies, give this one a viewing. ( – Rich Redman)
Hercules: Hero, God, Warrior
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| A & E Home Video / Released 7/15/14 |
This classic collection from History explores Greek myth’s most popular hero, the Superman of the ancient world: Hercules. Journey with Hercules as he embarks on his celebrated 12 labors to atone for committing a heinous crime. Follow his quest for redemption as he battles injustice, slays fearsome creatures, commits thefts and murders and even defies the gods themselves. Ultimately triumphant, Hercules earns a place among the immortals atop Mount Olympus and in history. But could a real person have inspired his story? What was it that the dazzling yet dysfunctional pantheon of gods represented to the people of classical Greece? Was their power political or divine? Find out, as History examines archaeological evidence from Eleusis to Athens. Includes Hercules: Power of the Gods, Clash of the Gods: Hercules and In Search of History: The Greek God.
SX_Tape
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| Well Go USA / Released 7/15/14 |
Be careful where you play. From the director of Candyman and the producers of Paranormal Activity comes a found-footage nightmare of lust, possession, and destruction. Jill’s an artist. Ian’s a filmmaker. And their love life is off the chain. There’s no experience too wild, no dare too dangerous – not even when Jill lets Ian strap her to a gurney in the abandoned hospital they’re scoping out for their next art show. But he shouldn’t have left her alone. Not even as a joke. Now, Jill’s hookup with horror has awakened something in that place. Something with a lust for more than flesh. Extras include making of and trailer.
Bethlehem
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| Adopt Films / Released 7/15/14 |
Bethlehem tells the story of the complex relationship between an Israeli Secret Service officer and his teenage Palestinian informant. Shuttling back and forth between conflicting points of view, the films is a raw portrayal of characters torn apart by competing loyalties and impossible moral dilemmas, giving an unparalleled glimpse into the dark and fascinating world of human intelligence.
Transcendence
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| Warner Home Video / Released 7/22/14 |
Dr. Will Caster (Johnny Depp) is a leader in the field of Artificial Intelligence, working to create a sentient machine that combines mankind’s collective intelligence with true human emotion. Anti-technology extremists will kill to stop him, but their attempt forces Will to record and upload his own mind to a supercomputer to achieve transcendence. Success brings him omniscience… and nearly unstoppable power as the fate of the world rests on Will’s now questionable humanity. Extras include featurettes, viral videos and trailers.
Last Word: Johnny Depp stars as Dr. Will Caster in Transcendence, a look at the singularity whereby artificial intelligence progresses to beyond human intelligence. A self-replicating computer (Depp) attempts to right the wrongs in the world via technological intervention as Evelyn Caster (Rebecca Hall) is caught between helping her husband’s dream come true and her own humanity. Anti-tech rebel Bree (Kate Mera) enlists the help of former Caster colleagues Joseph Tagger (Morgan Freeman) and Max Waters (Paul Bettany) and FBI Agent Buchanan (Cillian Murphy) to shut this whole thing down.
We’re introduced to the Caster couple as they are ready to give a symposium on the benefits of artificial intelligence to a sold out auditorium. A member of the anti-tech contingent, RIFT attempts to assassinate Dr. Caster shortly after the presentation. He is not killed, but poisoned by an isotope that infected his blood stream with radiation poisoning. Most of this review will unavoidably reveal major plot points, so consider yourself warned.
Caster and his team have designed a supercomputer, named PINN that can communicate via cameras and a slightly-less computery voice than HAL-9000. PINN has the ability to correctly identify people as they enter the room, based on cloud records and government data. PINN becomes the building block and hardware for the inevitable—Caster’s own ‘upload’ to a computer database. As the radiation tears through Caster’s system, wife Evelyn and partner Max dig up old research where a rhesus monkey was ‘backed up’ to the PINN system. In an attempt to save Caster’s consciousness, he’s strapped into the lab for days, recording every word, syllable, thought and emotion into the PINN mainframe.
When Dr. Will Caster dies in his sleep, the grieving wife and friend turn on the computer, in hopes there will be someone to talk to. Evelyn and Max, after spending the last month of their beloved Will’s life capturing all of his data, at the last minute decide ‘this is wrong’ and are about to wipe the data clean. This is the first major head scratcher of the film. Why even attempt to back up this person’s consciousness if it is going to be an easy decision to make it go away? What about that last month of Will’s life strapped to diodes instead of walking in the park? Max is oh-so-much calling this an abomination and an evil virus before new Will even boots up! Just before pulling the plug out of the wall, the computer Will (from now on, Will) asks if anyone is there. Evelyn does a 180, defends Will’s existence as Max storms off, now clearly there are two camps in the world: Evelyn & Will vs. everyone else.
Will connects with the internet, funnels money and resources in Evelyn’s name and then—of course—buys an ENTIRE TOWN in the desert where Will can expand his hardware to a gigantic, solar powered mainframe ten stories down below the Earth. With seemingly limitless semi-trucks of equipment and gear being flown in (remember, new computer Will is rich with resources with just plain regular money somehow- Bitcoin?) to this town, the town adapts around the new desert garden of solar panels, and puts the jobless to work there.
The work and assumptions the audience is asked to participate in with Transcendence is laborious at times. When shows like X-Files or Twilight Zone could create a computer town where everyone works for a master A.I. and it would be exciting, shocking, funny or a combination of all three—Transcendence merely drags you along and reminds you of the concessions you are making at every turn. Transcendence is certainly not fun and misses the dystopian future fantasy melding humans and tech that even the latest RoboCop did a much better job of tackling. We do get a diluted splash of fun sci-fi when Will heals worker Martin from his server farm, injects him with self-replicating cells, gives him super-strength and connects him to the Will intranet. By creating this hybrid, Will can now use Martin’s body for communicating with and reaching out to his wife Evelyn. Evelyn is freaked out by this surrogate and goes back to having a love/hate for her computer boyfriend.
Will is sweet by recreating their living room in a bunker and having wine served to her, but is really a dick when it comes down to it, you know, by hacking every computer in the world and developing self-healing nanite technology. Outside of our desert town, Joseph (Freeman) and Agent Buchanan realize the danger this town and Will are becoming and attempt to liberate Evelyn from it. Former A.I. student Bree has sworn off all connected technology, kidnapped Max and eventually links up with Joseph and Buchanan to infiltrate and destroy Will’s compound.
The third act picks up the pace a bit as we find out more about what Will and his nanites are capable of. This is where the actual meat of the story is, and finally some explosions and super-soldiers attacking the army. Transcendence may be looking to comment on the interconnectivity of people and computers and a possible future, and in some ways it does this very well. Asking the basic questions of ‘is this really the consciousness of a man if uploaded to a database, or are these just reflections and data points of a person’s memories expressed in binary form?’ and ‘can a person love a computer?’ are touched upon. What the story lacks in its attempt to drill into these bigger philosophical questions is a driving motivation to keep us interested in the story or the characters along the way. Kate Mara as the activist should have been more compelling from the ground up, but there is not really a reason to care about her character or the cause so much. Fans of Johnny Depp may go crazy for this movie, but will ultimately feel a bit disappointed that he is the voice of the computer, or seen mostly on screen as a talking head as an avatar of his former self.
Ooooh, that sounded unnecessarily mean. He only appears on screen as an icon of his former character, Dr. Will Caster, not dynamically jumping across a pirate ship or being a dark wide-eyed weirdo. (– Clay N Ferno)
Sabotage
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| Universal / Released 6/22/14 |
Arnold Schwarzenegger stars in the pulse-pounding action film Sabotage, from the director of End of Watch and the writer of Training Day. When DEA task force leader Breacher Wharton (Schwarzenegger) storms a heavily armed cartel safe house, rogue members of his team use it as a cover to steal $10 million in cash. But just when they think their secret is safe, agents are killed off one-by-one, and everyone is a suspect, including the squad itself. Co-starring Sam Worthington, Olivia Williams, Terrence Howard, Joe Manganiello, Josh Holloway and Mireille Enos, Sabotage is an explosive tale of betrayal and trust.
Last Word: This may be one of the best Arnold Schwarzenegger films I have seen in a very long time. This is, in some way Arnie’s Unforgiven. I know. This is a very bold statement. But I am going to explain why I feel this way. Is this film as good as Unforgiven? Not in the least bit.
Written and directed by David Ayer, the writer of Training Day and the writer/director of End of Watch, Sabotage is a very gritty and dark action film. It pushes the boundaries of the genre. The over the top violence and I will go so far to say gory imagery are both used to shock but also to sober the viewer to a world where it is the norm to see heads explode and people being riddled with bullets on prime time TV nowadays. The violence is not done in a way that it becomes almost comical, such as in Stallone’s Rambo (2008) or Snyder’s 300 (2006) it is more visceral and stark. Almost hyperrealistic.
Sabotage follows John “Breacher” Wharton, played by Schwarzenegger, an elite DEA team leader who’s team are made up of, what looks like, a very jacked and tattooed version of half the cast of Duck Dynasty and Pawn Stars. Sam Worthington, Joe Manganiello, Terrence Howard, Mireille Enos and Harold Perrineau are perfectly cast and believable as a team of misfits who are not only terrible to each other but would take a hundred rounds for one another in the heat of battle.
The film begins with a bust on a very large and dangerous drug cartel where the “score” is a HUGE pile of money in the hundreds of millions. The elite team take out the bad guys and then proceed to steal 10 million dollars and destroy the rest before the FBI can enter the building. All goes “south” when the money disappears and the team is investigated for corruption. When the investigation is dropped by the Feds, then the “real” problems begin as one by one each member of the team is brutally killed off. Now back to my original statement of this being Arnie’s Unforgiven. This film is not, from my memory, like any film he has done. I have to say that I have seen every Arnie film with the exception of his previous two, post-Governator” films, Escape Plan and Last Stand, so I may be wrong.
Sabotage is about morality and the slow degradation of mental well being of a, once upstanding, man pushed beyond his limits due to a horrific experience and loss. His choices seen like the right ones but in the end, they are not the decisions of a well-balanced individual. Torture, rape and dismemberment of loved ones can do that to the best people out there. These are shown in graphic, if obscured and blurry, video footage that he watches over and over again, showing his slow degradation over the course of the film. As this, once honored and decorated, officer investigates and goes after the men responsible for killing off his team members the lines of right and wrong get more and more blurred.
Breacher is unwillingly joined in his investigation by an Atlanta Police Homicide Detective, played by Olivia Williams, who is slowly unravelling what is happening to Breacher’s team along with uncovering the mystery of the “lost” 10 million dollars. It seems that the closer they get the further away from the truth they get. The story, though somewhat formulaic, is well-directed and beautifully shot by cinematographer and J.J. Abram alum, Bruce McCleery. The editing and sound design are gorgeous and well paced.
As balls-to-the-wall action films go this is a great ride and though there are a lot of “red herring” and “Macguffins” thrown at you it never loses track or focus. I highly recommend this film for anyone who is looking for an ultra-violent date movie for the strong stomached and iron constitutioned. This film is NOT for people who don’t like torture, evisceration, drug use, funny dialogue and bad-assery. Oh and look for The director and Arnie’s “nod” to to the old “Man with No Name” films near the end. It is pretty amazing. (– Benn Robbins)
Ginger Snaps
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| Scream Factory / Released 7/22/14 |
Fifteen-year-old Brigitte Fitzgerald and her nearly-sixteen-year-old sister Ginger are both best friends and outcasts. Obsessed with dying and bound by a childhood pact to stay together forever, they loathe their mind-numbing existence in the suburbs of Bailey Downs. One night, the two girls are heading through the woods when Ginger is savagely attacked by a wild creatures. Ginger’s horrible wounds miraculously heal over, but something is not quite right about her. Ginger is irritable and in denial. But to Brigitte, it is obvious that a terrifying force has taken hold of her sister. She’s convinced that the insatiable craving her sister is experiencing can mean only one thing – Ginger is becoming something unspeakably evil and monstrous. Extras include commentaries, interviews, cast auditions and rehearsals, deleted scenes, featurettes, trailer, TV spots and convention panel.
Last Word: Ginger Snaps is a strange film, anchored by a dysfunctional sister relationship that borders on obsessive/incestuous. Add in a healthy amount of lycanthropy as a metaphor for puberty and a take on the horror genre free of traditional tropes and clichés. Performances are solid, but fans of Orphan Black might want to see an early work by John and Laura Wood Fawcett, the series’ creators. Recommended.
Shogun
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| Paramount / Released 7/22/14 |
Remastered in amazing high definition, Shogun is one of the most famous and award-winning television events in history. From best-selling author James Clavell comes the sweeping story of love and war, set against the brutal background of feudal Japan at the beginning of the 17th century. Richard Chamberlain stars as John Blackthorne, a sailor shipwrecked off the coast of Japan, Rescued, he becoming Shogun – the supreme military dictator. Blackthorne is irresistibly drawn to the magnificent Lady Markio, the married confidant to Toranaga, while at the same time vying to become the first-ever foreigner to be made a samurai warrior. For the first time on Blu-ray, this landmark television event is packed with fascinating special features that take you inside the spectacular world of Shogun. Extras include select commentary, featurettes and documentary.
Last Word: One of television’s most iconic events, the mini-series Shogun might have the same appeal to today’s audiences, but one cannot dismiss the scope and magic within. An amazing and captivating story of feudal Japan, Shogun is powerful television almost forty years after it first aired. Highly recommended.
Dom Hemingway
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| Fox Searchlight / Released 7/22/14 |
Jude Law plays Dom Hemingway, a larger-than-life safecracker with a loose fuse who is funny, profane, and dangerous. After twelve years in prison, he sets off with his partner in crime Dickie (Richard E. Grant) looking to collect what he’s owed for keeping his mouth shut and protecting his boss Mr. Fontaine (Demian Bichir). After a near death experience, Dom tries to re-connect with his estranged daughter (Emilia Clarke), but is soon drawn back into the only world he knows, looking to settle the ultimate debt. Extras include commentary, featurettes and a conversation with cast and director.
All Cheerleaders Die
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| Image Entertainment / Released 7/22/14 |
Teenage outsider Maddy is keeping some dark secrets and holding a serious grudge against the captain of the Blackfoot High football team. When Maddy joins the school’s elite and powerful cheerleading squad, she convinces her new friends to help inflict her revenge. After a late-night party goes awry, their plans take an unexpected turn for the worst and all of the girls die. A sinister, supernatural power intervenes and the girls mysteriously appear at school the next day with a killer new look… and some unusual new appetites. Special features include featurette.
The Human Race
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| Add Xlrator / Released 7/22/14 |
Eighty strangers from all walks of life are ripped out of their daily lives and forced to participate in a brutal race to the death. The rules are simple; follow the arrows or you will die, step on the grass and you will die, get lapped twice and you will die. Only one participant will survive. Race or die. There can only be one winner, but who will survive and for what purpose? Extras include: Director and Cast Commentary, Deleted Scenes, Trailer.
Blue Ruin
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| Anchor Bay / Released 7/22/14 |
Blue Ruin is a classic American revenge story, following a mysterious outsider whose quiet life is turned upside down when he returns to his childhood home, determined to carry out an act of vengeance. His inexperience as an assassin lands him in a brutal fight to protect his estranged family in this critically-acclaimed new thriller by director Jeremy Saulnier. Starring Macon Blair, Devin Retray, Amy Hargreaves and Eve Plumb. Extras include commentary, featurette, camera test and deleted scenes.
The Wahlburgers: Season 1
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| A & E Home Video / Released 7/22/14 |
Starring Mark Wahlberg, Donnie Wahlberg, Paul Wahlberg, Johnny “Drama” Alves and making her television debut, Alma Wahlberg, Wahlburgers gives a behind-the-scenes look into one of Boston’s most well-known families, the Wahlbergs. Brothers Mark and Donnie join forces with their sibling, Paul, in their tasty business venture. An homage to their humble beginnings, the hamburger restaurant is home base for the gang from the old neighborhood, including the real Johnny “Drama” and of course their spirited mother Alma. Extras include webisodes.
Last Word: Charming and extremely entertaining, Wahlburgers does an amazing job of capturing the personalities and genuine love that the family shares. Despite the success of Mark and Donnie, it’s older brother Paul that they both admire and the series focuses on that as the brothers begin plans to expand their business beyond the Boston area and into a worldwide empire. Highly recommended.
The Suspect
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| Well Go USA / Released 7/22/14 |
Dong-chul (Gong Yoo) is the best field agent in North Korea – until he is abandoned during a mission, his wife and daughter murdered. Hunted and on the run, torn between grief and vengeance, he takes a job as a night driver for the CEO of a powerful corporation. The chairman is brutally assassinated – but gives Dong-chul a pair of glasses before he dies. Now, he’s on the run again. Accused of murder, wanted for treason, and desperate to uncover the volatile national secrets hidden inside the glasses. Dong-Chul wants the truth. And he’ll start a war to get it.
Gangster
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| Inception Media / Released 6/22/14 |
Based on the life of notorious gangster Paul Ferris. Martin Compston stars as Ferris, who was brought up on the roughest streets in the most vicious neighborhood in 1960’s Scotland. After taking revenge, one by one on a gang of bullying street-thugs, Ferris starts out working for two rival gang bosses, The Godfather and The Snake. After a brutal betrayal leading to a bloody massacre on the streets of Glasgow, Ferris decides to go it alone. Carving out a dangerous and savage career defined by violence, corruption and murder, Paul ‘The Wee Man’ Ferris ends up becoming one of the most feared gangsters in history.
Sympathy for Mr Vengeance
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| Kino Lorber / Released 7/22/14 |
Unable to afford proper care for his sister dying from kidney failure, Ryu turns to the black market to sell his own organs only to end up cheated of his life savings. His girlfriend urges Ryu to kidnap the daughter of wealthy industrialist Dong-jin, who recently laid him off. Ryu agrees, but unforeseen tragedies turn an innocent con into a merciless quest for revenge. Bound by their personal losses and deep-seated anger, the two men are thrust into a spiral of destruction. Extras include commentary, crew interviews, featurettes, Jonathan Ross on Park Chan-wook, soundtrack and gallery, storyboards and trailer.
Propaganda
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| Propaganda / Released 7/22/14 |
Controversial to its core, this hard-hitting anti-Western propaganda film, which looks at the influence of American visual and consumption culture on the rest of the world from a North Korean perspective, has been described as ‘either a damning indictment of 21st Century culture or the best piece of propaganda in a generation.’ Propaganda signals the birth of a new genre-bending generation of film maker. Using the ‘fake North Korean propaganda’ found-footage device, Slavko Martinov first parodies its language and stylings, before targeting the mountain of hypocrisies and contradictions that make up the modern Western narrative. In doing so, Propaganda delivers a devastating blow to those who might be quick to laugh at ‘backward’ ideologies before considering how 21st century political and cultural trends have weakened any claims to the moral high ground.
