New DVD, Blu-ray and digital release highlights for April 18-24, 2022
Digital
The Batman
Studio Description: More than a year of stalking the streets as the Batman (Robert Pattinson), striking fear into the hearts of criminals, has led Bruce Wayne deep into the shadows of Gotham City. With only a few trusted allies—Alfred (Andy Serkis), Lt. James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright)—amongst the city’s corrupt network of officials and high-profile figures, the lone vigilante has established himself as the sole embodiment of vengeance amongst his fellow citizens.
When a killer targets Gotham’s elite with a series of sadistic machinations, a trail of cryptic clues sends the World’s Greatest Detective on an investigation into the underworld, where he encounters such characters as Selina Kyle (Zoë Kravitz), Oz, aka The Penguin (Colin Farrell), Carmine Falcone (John Turturro), and Edward Nashton/aka The Riddler (Paul Dano). As the evidence begins to lead closer to home and the scale of the perpetrator’s plans becomes clear, Batman must forge new relationships, unmask the culprit, and bring justice to the abuse of power and corruption that has long plagued Gotham City.
Ryan's Notes: I saw "The Batman" in theaters three times. With each screening I reacted to the film differently. I was extremely positive after the first viewing. I approached the second screening from a very critical place and came away less pleased. The third time I watched the film, my feelings leveled out. "The Batman" may not be a great or perfect film, but it does quite a few interesting things. Most importantly, it doesn't feel or look like any other Batman films. [Full Review]
Dog
Studio Description:Dog is a buddy comedy that follows the misadventures of two former Army Rangers paired against their will on the road trip of a lifetime. Army Ranger Briggs (Channing Tatum) and Lulu (a Belgian Malinois dog) buckle into a 1984 Ford Bronco and race down the Pacific Coast in hopes of making it to a fellow soldier's funeral on time. Along the way, they’ll drive each other completely crazy, break a small handful of laws, narrowly evade death, and learn to let down their guards in order to have a fighting chance of finding happiness.
Ryan's Notes:The studio description is as misleading as the trailers were. "Dog" is rarely a comedy. In fact, its efforts to be funny are largely the weakest scenes in the film. "Dog" works best when it focuses on the impact that serving in the military has on both Briggs and Lulu and the difficulties that many soldiers are faced with when they return from their service. [Full Review]
Blu-ray & DVD
- Cyrano - Focus Features Description: Award-winning director Joe Wright envelops moviegoers in a symphony of emotions with music, romance, and beauty in Cyrano, re-imagining the timeless tale of a heartbreaking love triangle. A man ahead of his time, Cyrano de Bergerac (played by Peter Dinklage) dazzles whether with ferocious wordplay at a verbal joust or with brilliant swordplay in a duel. But, convinced that his appearance renders him unworthy of the love of a devoted friend, the luminous Roxanne (Haley Bennett), Cyrano has yet to declare his feelings for her — and Roxanne has fallen in love, at first sight, with Christian (Kelvin Harrison, Jr.).
Ryan's Notes - For reasons that escape now, I doubted that the story ofCyrano de Bergerac was suited for a musical. I couldn't have been more wrong. "Cyrano" works incredibly well as a musical and Erica Schmidt's adaptation (she's take the nose out of the equation) gives the story an edge and accessibility that wasn't there before. If I ran the Oscars, Peter Dinklage would have been at least nominated for his performance as the title character. [Full Review]
- 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.
Ryan's Notes: I thought that the stupid bravery of Jackass would be a nice distraction from themalaise that surrounds us. I was wrong. The meanspirited tone of "Forever" made the film almost unwatchable. If I could have walked out, I probably would have. That said, the film did have a number of critics who loved the experience and the movie had $80 million in ticket sales. Clearly, the series still has a vast number of fans.- The King's Daughter - Universal Description:Known as The Sun King, Louis XIV (Pierce Brosnan; Mamma Mia!, Cinderella, Die Another Day) is the most powerful and influential monarch on the planet. Obsessed with his own mortality and the future of France, Louis turns to his spiritual advisor, Père La Chaise (William Hurt; A History of Violence, Black Widow), and the royal physician to help him obtain the key to immortality. Believing a mermaid (Fan Bingbing; The 355, X-Men: Days of Future Past) contains a force that grants everlasting life, Louis commissions a young sea captain (Benjamin Walker; In the Hearts of the Sea, Abe Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) to search the seas and capture the mystical creature. Further complicating his plans is his orphaned daughter, Marie-Josèphe (Kaya Scodelario; Maze Runner franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean), who returns to court with an abundance of elegance and an inherent defiance of authority. With a rare solar eclipse approaching, Louis will discover where his daughter’s true loyalties lie as he races against time to extract the mermaid’s life-giving force.
- V/H/S/94 - Studio Description:In V/H/S/94, after the discovery of a mysterious VHS tape, a brutish police swat team launches a high-intensity raid on a remote warehouse, only to discover a sinister cult compound whose collection of pre-recorded material uncovers a nightmarish conspiracy.
Ryan's Notes: If you're curious about the state of independent horror cinema and/or a sneak peek at where the genre is going, the V/H/S anthology franchise is a fantastic place to start. This volume features stories from Steven Kostanski ("PG: Psycho Goreman"), andSimon Barrett ("The Guest") as well as Jennifer Reeder, Chloe Okuno, Timo Tjahjanto, and Ryan Prows. - Miracle in Milan - Criterion Description:Renowned filmmaker Vittorio De Sica followed up his international triumph "Bicycle Thieves"with this enchantingly playful neorealist fairy tale, in which he combines his celebrated slice-of-life poetry with flights of graceful comedy and storybook fantasy. On the outskirts of Milan, a band of vagabonds work together to form a shantytown. When it is discovered that the land they occupy contains oil, however, it’s up to the cherubic orphan Totò (Francesco Golisano)—with some divine help—to save their community from greedy developers. Tipping their hats to the imaginative whimsy of Charles Chaplin and René Clair, De Sica and screenwriter Cesare Zavattini, adapting his own novel, craft a bighearted ode to the nobility of everyday people.
- The Girl Can't Help It -Criterion Description: In 1956, Frank Tashlin brought the talent for zany visual gags and absurdist pop-culture satire that he’d honed as a master of animation to the task of capturing, in glorious DeLuxe Color, a brand-new craze: rock and roll. This blissfully bonkers jukebox musical tells the story of a mobster’s bombshell girlfriend—the one and only Jayne Mansfield, in a showstopping first major film role—and the washed-up talent agent (Tom Ewell) who seeks to revive his career by turning her into a musical sensation. The only question is: Can she actually sing? A CinemaScope feast of eye-popping midcentury design, The Girl Can’t Help It bops along to a parade of performances by rock-and-roll trailblazers—including Little Richard, Fats Domino, Julie London, Eddie Cochran, the Platters, and Gene Vincent—who light up the screen with the uniquely American sound that was about to conquer the world.
- Rogue Cops and Racketeers: Two Crime Thrillers from Enzo G. Castellari - Arrow Film Description:Arrow will release Rogue Cops & Racketeers: Two Crime Thrillers by Enzo G. Castellari. One of the most influential Italian genre directors of all time, Castellari made a name for himself helming titles such as "Keoma" and "The Inglorious Bastards."
"The Big Racket." A gang of goons attempts to bring an Italian city to its knees by extorting money from local shops and bar owners. Unfortunately for them, Inspector Palmieri (Fabio Testi) is on the scene. The film is notable for a death-defying stunt that sees Testi trapped in a car that goes tumbling down a ditch.
"The Heroin Busters," Testi returns, this time as an Italian police officer that goes undercover to bring down an international heroin smuggling ring. While on the job, he and a hot-tempered Interpol agent (David Hemmings) working the same case, butt heads. Can the two set aside their differences to bring down the bad guys? Featuring explosive stunts and a psychedelic soundtrack from rock legends Goblin, "The Heroin Busters" is one of Castellari's absolute best entries - Heavy Metal 4K UHD - Sony's Description: Based on the fantastical illustrated magazine HEAVY METAL, producer Ivan Reitman enlists the help of some of Hollywood's animation masters to create the otherworldly tale of a glowing green orb from outer space that spreads destruction throughout the galaxy. Only when encountered by its one true enemy, to whom it is inexplicably drawn, will goodness prevail throughout the universe.
Ryan's Notes: This comes directly from the "absolutely not for children" section of the video store. These days it isn't unusual to see a R-rating attached to an animated film. in 1981, "Heavy Metal" was a rarity. The uniqueness appears to have given the film a certain level of adoration that might not have been as passionate if there were other options. A loosely connected series of stories about a sadistic space orb. Of course, "Heavy Metal" is more famous for its scantily-clad and sexualized women and its soundtrack which features Black Sabbath, Blue Oyster Cult, Devo, Sammy Hagar, Stevie Nicks and more. If i discovered this as a teenager it might have a sense of nostalgia attached. As it is, I'd rather watch Ralph Bakshi's "Wizards." Similar style, not nearly as problematic.- My Afternoons with Margueritte -Studio Description: In a small French town Germain (Gérard Depardieu, Cyrano de Bergerac), a nearly illiterate man in his 50s who is considered the village idiot, takes a walk to the park and happens to sit beside Margueritte (Gisèle Casadesus, The Hedgehog), a little old lady who is reading excerpts from her novel aloud. She’s articulate and highly intelligent. Germain is lured in by Margueritte’s passion for life and the magic of literature from which he has always felt excluded. As Margueritte broadens his mind by reading excerpts from her novel, Germain realizes that he is more of an intellectual than he has ever allowed himself to be. Afternoons spent reading aloud on their favorite bench transform their lives and start them both on a new journey—to literacy and respect for Germain, and to the deepest friendship for Margueritte.
Ryan's Notes: Released in 2010, "My Afternoons with Margueritte" is an incredibly French film that explores the power ofliterature and language. It's a pleasant film that would fit comfortably in the Art House Matinee. a little light and breezy, but still a nice character drama.