New DVD, Blu-ray and digital highlights for the week of March 28-April 3, 2022

It's a week of hits, misses, and a few overlooked gems as we wrap up March and head into springtime.

Synopses provided by the kind people at the film studios and distribution companies. Commentary and occasional snark by me.

Digital

• Jackass Forever - "Older and grayer but not wiser, johnny knoxville and the gang are back for another outrageous round of stunts and bad ideas. with new friends and loads of celebrity guest stars, the crew take pranks to ridiculous lengths where absolutely no one is safe and all senses are frayed. from exploding port-a-potties to hockey pucks to the nuts and performing magic for an unamused bull, jackass forever is a hilarious roller coaster ride like you’ve never experienced before."
  
  Yesterday I was asked to name a film I thought I was going to hate that I ended up loving. I couldn't come up with one. However, "Jackass Forever" is a film that I thought I would find amusing and instead left me wishing I was somewhere, anywhere, else. It wasn't funny. It just felt mean. Audiences, however, clearly disagreed as the film roared its way to nearly $80 million in ticket sales. Not bad for a film that cost $10 million to make.
  
  
• Moonfall - "In Moonfall, a mysterious force knocks the Moon from its orbit around Earth and sends it hurtling on a collision course with life as we know it. With mere weeks before impact and the world on the brink of annihilation, NASA executive and former astronaut Jo Fowler (Academy Award winner Halle Berry) is convinced she has the key to saving us all – but only one astronaut from her past, Brian Harper (Patrick Wilson, “Midway”) and a conspiracy theorist K.C. Houseman (John Bradley, “Game of Thrones”) believes her. These unlikely heroes will mount an impossible last-ditch mission into space, leaving behind everyone they love, only to find out that our Moon is not what we think it is."
  
  Is "Moonfall" a good movie? That's debatable. Does it entertain? Yes. Absolutely yes. It's amazing that anyone could make a science-fiction film that features no actual science. They've weaponized the moon and went down the rabbit hole that is the hollow moon conspiracy theory and somehow that's just enough of a plot to justify the madness that is directorRoland Emmerich. [Full Review]
  
  
• Jockey -"An aging jockey (Clifton Collins Jr.), hopes to win one last title for his longtime trainer (Molly Parker), who has acquired what appears to be a championship horse. But the years – and injuries – have taken a toll on his body, throwing into question his ability to continue his lifelong passion. And the arrival of a young rookie rider (Moises Arias), who claims to be his son, and whom he takes under his wing, further complicates the path to fulfilling his dream."
  
  Clifton Collins Jr. works harder than just about anyone in Hollywood. He's a fantastic actor, an interesting interview, and generally the sort of person who deserves more acclaim than he has been given. This relatively small drama should have attracted more attention from audiences and critics alike.
  
  
• Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America - "ACLU Deputy Legal Director Jeffery Robinson’s groundbreaking talk on the history of U.S. anti-Black racism is interwoven with archival footage, interviews, and Robinson's story, exploring the enduring legacy of white supremacy and our collective responsibility to overcome it."
  
  An incredibly informative documentary that covers America's relationship with race as seen through the eyes of a man who has experienced it.

New to DVD and Blu-ray

• Sing 2 - "Buster Moon and his all-star cast of performers prepare to launch their most dazzling stage extravaganza yet all in the glittering entertainment capital of the world. There's just one hitch: They first have to persuade the world's most reclusive rock star Clay Callaway—played by global music icon Bono, in his animated film debut—to join them."
  
  Where "Sing" was about saving a theater, "Sing 2" is about making it big. It's still an underdog story, the kind where the loveable losers are transformed into larger-than-life stars. It's not as easy to root for. It's bigger and brighter in just about every imaginable way and will undoubtedly hold the attention of young viewers. [Full Review]

• Marry Me - "Jennifer Lopez starsas musical superstar Kat Valdez and Owen Wilson as Charlie Gilbert, a math teacher—total strangers who agree to marry and then get to know each other. An unlikely romance about two different people searching for something real in a world where value is based on likes and followers, Marry Me is a modern love story about celebrity, marriage and social media."
  
  "Marry Me" is exactly what you'd expect from a big-budget comedy that was released for Valentine's Day. Lopez and Wilson are amiable and have just enough chemistry to make this by-the-numbers narrative work. IF you despise romantic comedies, this won't be the film that changes your mind. If you're a fan of the genre you'll be satisfied. [Full Review]
  
  
• Rick and Morty: The Complete Seasons 1-5 - "Rick and Morty is the critically acclaimed, half-hour animated hit comedy series on Adult Swim that follows a sociopathic genius scientist who drags his inherently timid grandson on insanely dangerous adventures across the universe. Rick Sanchez is living with his daughter Beth’s family and constantly bringing her, his son-in-law Jerry, granddaughter Summer, and grandson Morty into intergalactic escapades. Rick and Morty stars Justin Roiland (“Solar Opposites”), Sarah Chalke (“Scrubs”), Chris Parnell (“Saturday Night Live”), and Spencer Grammer (“Greek”). The series is created by Dan Harmon (“Community”) and Roiland who also serve as executive producers."
  
  "Rick and Morty" isn't traditional in any sense of the word. It is incredibly strange and often inappropriate. Both factors play into the popularity of the series. You never know where "Rick and Morty" will take you and there's something incredibly appealing about that. Not the sort of Saturday morning cartoon you should let your child watch, but who am I to judge?
  
  
• Pursuit - "John Cusack (Grosse Pointe Blank) and Emile Hirsch (Into the Wild) star in this action thriller about a tough cop’s hunt for an even tougher criminal. Detective Breslin crosses paths with Calloway (Hirsch), a ruthless hacker desperate to find his wife, who has been kidnapped by a drug cartel. When Calloway escapes police custody, Breslin joins forces with a no-nonsense female cop to reclaim his prisoner. But is Calloway’s crime-boss father (Cusack) somehow involved in this explosive situation?"
  
  If you crank up the action to 11 and dial back the plot to a 3 you'll come close to the experience that "Pursuit," a post-John Wick action film, is offering. Directed by the prolific Brian Skiba ("Atomic Night"), the film is essentially a B-grade thriller that will be remembered more for its ridiculous gun fights than it will be for its ridiculous storyline.
  
  
• A Tale of Two Guns - "In the lawless West, The Cowboys, a notorious brotherhood of killers and thieves, reigned over the land with brutal fists and fast guns. Fate had finally caught up with them and now the merciless gang has but a single surviving member. When a deputized gunslinger takes up the call to hunt down the last Cowboy, the chase is on and the bullets fly, and only one of these hardened men can survive."
  
  
• Young Rock: Season One - "As Dwayne Johnson runs for president in 2032, he takes a comedic look back at his extraordinary life through the outrageous stories of his family and youth that shaped him into the man he is today. He explores his childhood years living amid influential wrestling icons while his dad rose to fame in the business, his rebellious teenage years attending high school in Pennsylvania, and his football years teamed up with powerhouse players at the University of Miami. In his telling, Johnson explains that while his experiences have been larger than life, he remains a down-to-earth guy who still relates to the American people."
  
  
• On the 3rd Day - "Cecilia and her son Martín have a car accident. On the third day after the crash, she wanders by herself on a lonely route and there is no clue of her son. She can't remember what happened during this time and she is desperately looking for her son. On her quest she finds coincidences with her case and other police files, which seem to be acts of a brutal hunting. The circles goes round and Cecilia will end up facing a religious man, who is the responsible of this slaughter. For her, he is a lunatic. For him, Cecilia is the enemy."

Catalog Releases

• The Last Waltz 4K UHD - "It started as a concert. It became a celebration. Join an unparalleled lineup of rock superstars as they celebrate The Band's historic 1976 farewell performance."
  
  Directed by Martin Scorsese, "The Last Waltz" is considered by many to be one of the greatest music documentaries ever made. Everyone else considers it the greatest music documentary ever made. I might prefer the doom and gloom of "Gimme Shelter."
  
  
• Love Jones - "Darius Lovehall is a young black poet in Chicago who starts dating Nina Moseley, a beautiful and talented photographer. While trying to figure out if they've got a "love thing" or are just "kicking it," they hang out with their friend, talking about love and sex. Then Nina tests the strength of Darius' feelings and sets a chain of romantic complications into motion."
  
  This Criterion Collection release featuresa new 4K restoration of the film, supervised by director Theodore Witcher, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack.
  
  
• Ordinary People - "Donald Sutherland and Mary Tyler Moore star as the upper-middle-class couple whose "ordinary" existence is irrevocably shattered by the death of their oldest son in a boating accident."
  
  Based on the Judith Guest novel of the same name, "Ordinary People" was Robert Redford's directorial debut and won Oscars in four categories: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor for Timothy Hutton at the 1981 Academy Awards.
  
  
• Flesh for Frankenstein - "Deranged scientist, Baron von Frankenstein, with the help of his bizarre assistant, Otto, is determined to create a new master race, of which he will be the leader. To achieve his objective, he constructs two perfect 'zombies' from an assemblage of body parts, intending them to mate. Meanwhile, complications ensue as Nicholas, a farm hand, begins an affair with the Baron's sexually frustrated wife all while searching for his missing friend Sacha, whose head and brain have been used for Frankenstein's male "zombie"!"
  
  Outside of a few tracks from The Velvet Underground and the occasional print, I never really connected with Andy Warhol or those closely connected to him. When I watched Paul Morrissey's "Flesh for Frankenstein" and "Blood for Dracula" nearly 20 years ago, they were too campy and over sexed for my taste. I didn't see the subversion or purpose. Maybe its time for a reappraisal?