Login

Gallup Sun

Thursday, Mar 28th

Last update12:57:39 AM GMT

You are here: Community Film Blu-ray/DVD Roundup for March 20, 2020

Blu-ray/DVD Roundup for March 20, 2020

E-mail Print PDF

Well, it’s been an unusual week, hasn’t it? Entertainment options in public spaces will be considerably slimmer (or nonexistent) for the next little while, but at least it gives us all a chance to catch up at home on films and programs that we may have missed. There are also plenty of new releases arriving on Blu-ray and DVD, and the highlights are right here. So, if you can’t (or, more likely, are unable and don’t want to) make it out to the movies this week, be sure to give one of these titles a try!

Big New Releases!

Abigail - A massive epidemic seals off a small town from the rest of the world and results in numerous citizens being mysteriously taken away by government authorities. Some years later, a young girl who has lost her father in the process sets out to find him. She soon learns that her city was targeted because it is full of magic, and she decides to begin using fantastic powers to accomplish her goal. There haven’t been all that many reviews for this English-language Russian production and the ones that have appeared aren’t spectacular.

Most say that while the film utilizes some nifty special effects on a modest budget, the story and characters are poorly written. It features Tinatin Dalakishvili, Eddie Marsan and Rinal Mukhametov.

Bakerman - Loosely inspired by films like Falling Down, this Danish foreign-language effort follows an introverted baker who suffers a break-in and ends up killing one of the invading thugs in the fracas. This experience pushes him over the edge of sanity and changes him, causing the man to go on a rampage as a vigilante and take down anyone in his past who has irked him. This feature was shot a few years ago and is only now making its way to this part of the world. It played in film festivals across Europe (and one or two in the U.S.) and word was positive, it even won prizes at a few shows.

Still, most critics haven’t seen it yet, so curious viewers will have to go in cold. The cast includes Mikkel Vadsholt, Brian Hjulmann and Siir Tilif.

Black Christmas - The original Black Christmas came out in 1974 and is considered a cult classic. A 2006 remake wasn’t nearly as successful critically or commercially, but it seems that hasn’t stopped producers from trying to resurrect the property once again. The latest reimagining involves another group of female students who are stalked and murdered by an unknown stranger over their Christmas break. The ladies decide to fight back and identify their pursuer. Notices weren’t as terrible this time around, although they weren’t great either.

A small group admired the movie’s attempts to empower the students and thought it was an updated slasher movie. Far more commented that there were serious issues in execution. Some even noted that the original had already subtly emasculated its male characters, and stated that while this movie’s intentions were noble, it didn’t offer any insight or deliver any scares. The movie stars Imogen Poots, Aleyse Shannon, Lily Donoghue, Brittany O’Grady and Cary Elwes.

A Hidden Life - Filmmaker Terrence Malick is known for a number of well-regarded arthouse films including Badlands, Days of Heaven, The Thin Red Line and The Tree of Life (among many others). His latest tells the true story of Franz Jägerstätter, an Austrian farmer who became a conscientious objector when Nazi forces took over his country and tried to force him to serve in their army. The man and his entire family are forced to deal with death threats and fallout after he refuses to fight. Overall, the press greatly admired the work, although those who appreciate the filmmaker will also know that those who dislike his pictures…really dislike them.

A minority couldn’t get on its wavelength and found it slow and tedious. However, most thought it was one of Malick’s best, calling it gorgeously photographed, moving and emotional as it detailed one man’s inner struggle and personal sacrifice. It stars August Diehl, Valerie Pachner, Maria Simon, Matthias Schoenaerts, Franz Rogowski and Michael Nyqvist.

Blasts from the Past!

Universal is releasing and re-releasing a great number of old catalog movies. They include the films About Time (2013), Couples Retreat (2009), Dumb and Dumber To (2014), Get on Up (2014), Moonrise Kingdom (2012), Nightcrawler (2014), Pillow Talk (1959), Silent House (2011), Sudden Death (1995) and Unfriended (2014). If I were to offer some recommendations, About Time is a really effective British rom-com involving time travel from writer/director Richard Curtis (he was writer/director on Love Actually, and also wrote Yesterday, Bridget Jones’s Diary and Four Weddings and a Funeral). The father and son relationship featured may even bring a tear to the eye.

Moonrise Kingdom from Wes Anderson (The Grand Budapest Hotel, Rushmore) is also a lot of quirky fun, and Nightcrawler is a very disturbing and incredibly effective piece about a broken mind attempting to make a career for himself in the world of news broadcasting. If you enjoy goofy action pics, Sudden Death is an amusingly over-the-top Jean-Claude Van Damme vehicle about an ex-fireman who not only saves the president from terrorists during the final game of the Stanley Cup playoffs, but also ends up on the ice trying to help his team win the big trophy.

Finally, Warner Archive has Blu-rays of the Gregory Peck western, The Stalking Moon (1968) and the cartoon Tom & Jerry: Golden Collection Volume 1 (1940 - 2005).

You Know, For Kids!

Here are some titles that might keep the kids entertained.

Jumanji: The Next Level

Tom & Jerry: Golden Collection Volume 1 (1940 - 2005)

Ultraman Geed: The Movie (2018)

Ultraman Orb: The Movie (2017)

On the Tube!

It’s a slow week for TV-themed releases, but here’s what you can pick up.

Crashing: Season 3

By Glenn Kay
For the Sun