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Blu-ray/DVD Roundup for February 14, 2020

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Hello and welcome to another look at highlights arriving on Blu-ray and DVD. Like the previous week, there are a lot of new flicks arriving on store shelves in a variety of genres. So, if you can’t make it out to the movies this week, be sure to give one of these titles a try!

Big New Releases!

After She Wakes - This psychological horror film involves a narcoleptic mother who has lost her infant in a tragic accident. Following the death, she attempts to deal with her grief. However, she starts having strange visions of someone watching her in the night and begins suffering from sleep paralysis. The condition has adverse effects on the woman and her family and they try to find out if the strange figure watching her might be real.

This independent title hasn’t played at film festivals and appears to be debuting on disc, so there aren’t any reviews available. Those curious to find out what is going on will have to take a chance on the picture. Nicola Lambo, Conrad Goode, and Micah Joe Parker headline the flick.

First Love - The early part of this week’s edition is chock-full of smaller titles. This low-budget drama involves a famous actress who suffers a nervous breakdown and goes into hiding at a Venice Beach property. Her estranged twin brother works as a writer and is suddenly forced into making a big decision. He can either sell a tell-all book about his sister’s life or turn down the cash and focus on trying to help with her rehabilitation.

There haven’t been too many notices yet, and the most notable response is a middling one. It states that the film is nice, but that the dialogue and screenplay feel like a first draft in need of some fine tuning. Annie Heise, Aaron Costa Ganis and Arye Gross take on the lead roles.

The Great War - The final days of WWI are the backdrop for this tale, which follows a regiment of African-American “Buffalo Soldiers” trapped behind enemy lines. One of them manages to break free and is teamed with a group of white soldiers to locate and rescue his troops. Critics didn’t have many positive comments about this action drama. One or two thought that while some of the elements were anachronistic, the movie made the most of its small budget.

Unfortunately, the consensus was that the limited resources, historical inaccuracies and inability to stage the action effectively hurt the film and made it feel clichéd. The cast includes Hiram A. Murray, Aaron Courteau, Bates Wilder, Billy Zane and Ron Perlman.

Roma - If you don’t happen to have Netflix and have been looking to catch up with some of their big award winners, a deal has been reached between the streaming service and Criterion for the release of several titles on disc. This week, they’re putting out Roma, the winner of last year’s Oscars for Best Director, Best Cinematography and Best Foreign-language Film. Set in Mexico City during the early 1970s, it follows the life struggles of a domestic worker and the family who employs her. As you might have already guessed, the film earned nothing but raves.

A few did critique its use of long takes and its slow pace, but literally everyone called it a gorgeously shot and compelling display of the era. It stars Yalitza Aparicio and Marina de Tavira.

Suburban Birds - After a fracture in a suburban community opens up from the ground and the neighborhood is cleared out, a team of engineers is sent in to investigate. After wandering into an abandoned primary school, one of the crew finds the diary of a student and reads the sad child’s written account of a splintering within his social group.  The lead begins to find connections between his experiences and that of the youngsters in the text. This foreign-language co-production between China and Taiwan earned a positive response from critics.

A few thought it was too leisurely in its storytelling and could have been 30 minutes shorter. However, most complimented the film for creating a quiet, low-key and curious mystery that fascinates throughout. It features Huang Lu, Mason Lee and Gong Zihan.

Blasts from the Past!

On the Blu-ray front, you can now pick up the Ivan Reitman comedy, Legal Eagles (1986). This was the filmmaker’s follow-up to Ghostbusters and starred Robert Redford as a district attorney who gets involved with a defense attorney (Debra Winger) and her client (Daryl Hannah), who is on trial for murder. The movie was a modest success, but the production was said to be difficult and apparently there were reshoots featuring several different endings. Alas, that missing footage has not been found and included in this edition, but the disc does come with a trailer and making-of featurette.

They also have a sequel in The Sting II (1983). This follow-up to the 1973 classic featured neither of the original stars, but tells another boxing-themed con job. Jackie Gleason, Mac Davis, Teri Garr and Oliver Reed appear. The Blu-ray comes with a new director commentary and a trailer.

Some independent horror-themed releases are also arriving on Blu-ray. Massacre Video has the Hong Kong horror picture, The Devil (1981) which features a hideously ugly witch tormenting victims using her magical powers. It is arriving uncut with a 4K restoration and includes a video version of the film and a collection of stills as bonuses. Troma fans can pick up a 20th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray of Terror Firmer (1999).

It is a 2-disc set with an updated picture that comes loaded with extras, so fans should be pleased with the release.

Luck be a lady! Warner Archive is finally offering up a few of its catalog titles as made-to-order Blu-rays. They include the famous musical, Guys and Dolls (1955), as well as A Little Romance (1979) and the period music-drama, Sparkle (1976).

You Know, For Kids!

Here are a few new titles that may appeal to young children.

Let’s Go Luna! Friendship Around the World (PBS)

PBS Kids: 15 Frozen Tales (PBS)

 

On the Tube!

And these are the week’s TV-related releases.

American Experience: McCarthy (PBS)

Game of Thrones: Season 8 (New Box Art)

Gunsmoke: Season 18

Gunsmoke: Season 19

Let’s Go Luna! Friendship Around the World (PBS)

Love Unleashed (Hallmark TV-movie)

NOVA: The Violence Paradox (PBS)

Preacher: The Final Season

Swamp Thing: The Complete Series

By Glenn Kay
For the Sun