2014-09-09



Welcome back to This Week In Discs!

If you see something you like, click on the title to buy it from Amazon.



Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans) is still trying to fit in to the modern world while working for SHIELD on a regular basis. His latest mission leads to yet another conflict with Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) over his and SHIELD’s priorities and methods in fighting the war on terror. Rogers thinks criminals should be punished after a crime has been committed, but Fury says they can’t afford to wait that long. The arrival on scene of a mysterious and legendary assassin, the Winter Soldier, shakes things up even further, and soon Captain America is fighting not only for the lives of millions but for his past, his integrity, and every core belief he holds dear.

I usually reserve the “Pick of the Week” spot for a great title in need of more press, but hot damn do I love this flick. If you’ve followed my reviews here over the years you know I’m no easy mark for Marvel or other big movies, but there’s not a dull minute to be found here between the expertly crafted action sequences, plot revelations lifted equally out of the comic books and the New York Times, character moments and legitimately funny laughs. Captain America: The Winter Soldier is big, spectacular entertainment that manages to stay grounded even as the action turns to explosive spectacle. It’s the kind of summer blockbuster we always hope for but so rarely seem to get (and still haven’t seeing as this opened in April), and it just may be the absolute best of the Marvel films so far.

[Blu-ray/DVD extras: Commentary, featurettes, deleted scenes, gag reel]

Fed Up

The food industry is a business and not interested in your health and well being. This should surprise no one — and yet sadly it does — but would you expect the same could be said of our own government? The more cynical among us will say yes, but it should shock and sadden most viewers to learn that the government agency tasked with protecting us in this area, the US Dept. of Agriculture, is also in charge of pimping the food industry’s wares. This doc explores the actions of the companies, the inaction of the government, the science behind the devil’s candy (sugar) and the real cost on American citizens. The biggest victims — pun intended — are often our children, and the fact that we’re enabling their slow deaths is a disgusting and heartbreaking affair.

This doc is a pretty fantastic and insightful look at the nation’s obesity problem, and it makes its case with both common sense observations and intelligent realizations. It correctly points the finger at the food industry and our government’s lack of will to keep them in check, but it does drop the ball a bit by repeatedly letting consumers off the hook completely. It’s right to say the deck is stacked against us, but it’s wrong to think we ourselves aren’t partially to blame. Conservatives will denounce it in the name of capitalism, but in addition to the film showing its apolitical agenda in its criticism of the Obamas the facts are clearly laid out for all to see. Businesses do not care about you nearly as much as they care about your wallet.

[Blu-ray/DVD extras: Deleted scenes, Spanish narration]

Pumpkinhead

Ed Harley (Lance Henriksen) is a simple man living a simple life with his young son, but when a gaggle of rowdy city folk accidentally run the boy over and then leave the scene Ed’s grief forces his hand in a nightmarish direction. He calls upon an old witch in the mountains to help him satisfy his rage, and the result is a demon intent on wreaking vengeance in his name.

Legendary special fx master Stan Winston directed this creature feature, and while it features several telltale signs that it’s his debut behind the camera the film succeeds thanks to Henriksen’s intensity and the title creature’s stellar design. Practical effects are key here and used to fantastic delight as Pumpkinhead comes to life and sets off to terrify and tear apart its intended victims. Scream Factory’s new Blu-ray comes loaded with new interviews including a featurette focused on honoring Winston. The interviews once again make clear that folks in the effects industry are highly entertaining talkers.

[Blu-ray/DVD extras: Making of, behind the scenes, featurettes, still gallery, trailer, commentary]

Willow Creek

Jim and Kim are on vacation in the Pacific Northwest so he can film a documentary on Bigfoot. She’s less enamored by the legend but willing to humor him on his birthday, so the two head into the woods only to come face to face with an angry and aggressive local.

Writer/director Bobcat Goldthwait takes a break from black comedy and biting social commentary to dip his toes into found footage horror, and the result is one of the better examples of the format. We still get a couple moments that leave us questioning camera control and it takes a while to get to the “action,”but Goldthwait finds success despite those expected pitfalls. His script is legitimately funny and rarely falls victim to stupidity, the two leads (Bryce Johnson, Alexie Gilmore) can actually act and never let their characters become unlikable and when it comes time to deliver the scares the film does so pretty damn well. A long single-take late in the film uses audio and performances to create some incredible creepiness, and the ending ups the ante even more with some visuals sure to engender post-film conversation.

[Blu-ray/DVD extras: Commentary, deleted scene, making of, trailer]

Years of Living Dangerously

Climate change is an ongoing phenomenon whether you ascribe human hands to any of it or not, but if you do happen to agree with the scientists (or at least are open to the conversation) this documentary series offers an exploration of the issue through both talking heads and moving feet. Jessica Alba, Don Cheadle, Matt Damon, Harrison Ford, Olivia Munn and Arnold Schwarzenegger are just some of the recognizable faces who present the various stories alongside scientists, educators and everyday people.

Showtime won the Emmy for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series this year for this ambitious look at the effect of climate change on our very way of life, and it’s a well deserved win. The celebrity faces aren’t the only giveaway that the show has a sizable budget at its disposal as the production looks and feels like quite an undertaking. The stories being told cover events as big as Hurricane Katrina and as small as a single person’s job loss, and the variety of interview subjects and locales keeps things interesting throughout. All of that said though, the price is a bit steep for a DVD set being manufactured on demand (DVD-R).

[DVD extras: Additional scenes]

Blue Bloods: The Fourth Season

The Reagan family has their hands in multiple levels of city government, mostly in the areas of law and order, and sometimes their personal and professional lives cross over. The strength of this CBS procedural (for me anyway) remains the cast that includes Tom Selleck, Bridget Moynahan, Donnie Wahlberg and others.

[DVD extras: Featurettes, commentaries, gag reel, deleted scenes]

Borgman

Camiel Borgman arrives in an affluent neighborhood after being violently chased away from his last home — a literal hole in the ground — and quickly and efficiently goes about ingraining himself into the life of a well-to-do family. Slowly and not at all surely an elaborate plan begins to unfold as he works his way towards an unexpected conclusion. This Dutch drama of the surreal aims for a similar vibe to the Greek film Dogtooth, but love it or hate it that film remains ultimately decipherable. Not so much here as the subtext at work — the obliviousness of the upper class to the plight of those beneath them — doesn’t hold up in light of the film’s various plot turns. Plus, the film also seems to suggest that children and women have pliable enough minds that they can be controlled while men can only be dealt with in violent terms. It’s an unnecessary bit of sexism in a film with a semi-social agenda. Still, the movie offers up some memorable imagery and blackly comic moments.

[Blu-ray/DVD extras: Deleted scenes, booklet, trailer]

Born to Race: Fast Track

Two street racing rivals meet again in racing school (?), but this time they’re forced to be on the same team. Aside from hoping to capitalize on the Fast & Furious gravy train, there seems to be little motivation to make this all that entertaining or legitimate. For one thing the budget prevents much in the way of excitement or visual thrills, but for another the script just never creates anything truly dramatic. Also, this is apparently part two in the “Born to Race” franchise. What?

[Blu-ray/DVD extras: Behind the scenes]

Brick Mansions

Damien (Paul Walker) is a cop fighting the good fight in 2018 Detroit. The city previously walled off the less gentrified neighborhood of Brick Mansions in an effort to separate the urban riffraff from the more upstanding citizens, but when Damien is sent in on an undercover mission he discovers a truth far more explosive than the bomb he’s supposed to defuse. That’s right. Minorities are people too. This unnecessary redo of District B13 will find a home on DVD and cable as a goofy action throwback featuring one of Walker’s last roles, but it’s no action movie. It pales beside the original and its sequel (District B13: Ultimatum) because it refuses to commit to the wonder of what these crazy parkour folks can do by just sitting back and letting it play out in front of us and instead tries to impress from the editing room.

[Blu-ray/DVD extras: Featurettes, trailer]

Burning Blue

A pair of F-18 fighter pilots, part of a unit under scrutiny for dangerous behaviors in the air, discovers an attraction for each other that threatens not only their respective marriages but their military careers as well. Set while “Don’t ask don’t tell” was still in place, the film explores the ramifications of a gay relationship in a world that sees such a thing as problematic and of public concern. There’s no doubt the film is well-meaning, but the story and events feel small for some reason — possibly due to its origin as a play — making for a slight affair.

[DVD extras: Commentary, featurette, deleted scenes]

The Galapagos Affair

Friedrich Ritter and Dore Stauch left their German homeland and their respective spouses in 1929 and started a new life on an island in the Galapagos. Jealousy, gossip, doubt and murder soon follow. Using archive footage and photographs, interviews with present day Galapagos residents, and actual letters and writings from the original players (voiced by Cate Blanchett, Diane Kruger, Josh Radnor, and others), this documentary tells a fascinating tale of history and mystery.

[DVD extras: None]

The Goldbergs: The Complete First Season

The Goldberg family is just like every other family in the ’80s. Theoretically. ABC’s sitcom fares better than the ill-conceived That ’80s Show did, but far too many of the jokes continue to feel like obvious targets. The cast though is what keeps it worth coming back to as talents like Jeff Garlin and Wendi McLendon-Covey know the value of delivery sometimes exceeds that of the line itself.

[DVD extras: Commentaries, featurettes]

Graduation Day

A high school track star’s death shortly before graduation triggers a series of murders, and as the clock ticks down on the senior class the clock ticks down on the senior class. If you get my meaning. It’s an odd bit of serendipity that sees this fairly unknown early ’80s slasher getting a Blu-ray release on the same day as its far more successful cousin Prom Night receives the same (via Synapse Films). It’s no gem, but it’s actually the better of the two films thanks to a looser, faster pace that allows for more laughs and thrills. Well, maybe “thrills” is a bit much — the killer’s identity is predictable very early on — but there’s fun to be had here along with Christopher George, Linnea Quigley and a double murder played out against a rocking rollerskating party. Vinegar Syndrome’s HD restoration looks as good as this movie ever has, and they’ve included some new interviews from various players documenting the film’s production.

[Blu-ray/DVD extras: 4K restoration, trailer, interviews, commentaries]

Killer Mermaid

Two friends on a Mediterranean vacation unwittingly get mixed up with a murderous fisherman and his carnivorous sea nymph. And that’s after they have the misfortune of picking a couple of real jabronies to spend their days and nights with leading up to the monstrous discovery. This Serbian flick starts promising enough with a fun mix of practical gore effects and T&A, but it’s not long before CGI takes over and the script reveals itself to be empty of ideas beyond the title. On the plus side though the final minute — literally the final minute! — makes me truly excited for a sequel.

[DVD extras: Featurettes]

Korengal

The man of the highly acclaimed Restrepo return in a new documentary that continues to follow their mission in Afghanistan with Sebastian Junger in tow. This new film feels like less of an eye-opener than its predecessor, but there are still some harrowing moments to be experienced here both in battle and in the conversations with the soldiers facing this harsh landscape and its people day in and day out.

[DVD extras: TED Talk, commentary]

Louder Than Words

John (David Duchovny) and Brenda (Hope Davis) are overcome with grief at the loss of their daughter, Maria, but instead of wallowing in the pain they put her memory to good use and found a hospital geared towards helping children of all ages. This is a nice movie. And yes, there’s good and bad in that assessment. Ultimately it’s nothing more than a simple, mildly uplifting drama about dealing with loss in a positive way. If nothing else it’s nice seeing Duchovny play a “normal” guy.

[DVD extras: None]

Monika

A man experiencing visions heads to Las Vegas after C. Thomas Howell promises him an easy bed partner, but soon after he arrives and beds that easy bed partner he discovers that something is amiss. Namely that she’s dead. What follows is a tale of double-fisted revenge as a blonde woman with big guns starts shooting up the local mobsters. There’s very little to enjoy here as the dialogue is laughably bad, the story is inept and the action is sophomoric.

[DVD extras: None]

Prom Night

Four high school seniors share a secret from six years prior when a game got out of control and left a young girl dead, but while they’ve mostly forgotten about the incident someone is crashing the prom intent on reminding them. This Canadian slasher aims to follow the trend of themed horror flicks, but it forgets to do anything worthwhile beyond picking an annual event to set its story during. The kills are bland and drag on way too long — seriously, some of the kills scenes go on for ten minutes or more of poorly staged stalking leading up to the murder — and the film wastes Jamie Lee Curtis as a character who’s utterly irrelevant to the plot. The film does get points for the immense number of red herrings though. Synapse Films gives the movie a better Blu-ray release than it deserves and in the process almost make it a must-buy for horror fans.

[Blu-ray/DVD extras: Commentary, making of, additional scenes, outtakes, still gallery, trailer]

Regular Show: Rigby Pack

One of the best shows on Cartoon Network releases another collection, this time focused on Rigby-centric episodes. Any collection of Regular Show is a great collection, but the problem with this particular gathering is in its focus… Rigby is fun, but what these sixteen episodes reveal (especially when watched straight through) is that he can also be more than a little aggravating.

[DVD extras: None]

Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella

The classic tale of Cinderella received a televised adaptation back in 1965 from the musically-minded pens of Rodgers & Hammerstein, and now Shout! Factory is releasing the beloved presentation on DVD. I myself remain a fan of the Disney version for multiple reasons — most notably the story loses some magic IMO when presented on a stage — but the music and performances (from the likes of Lesley Ann Warren and Ginger Rogers) are well done and destined to find new audiences on home video.

[DVD extras: Featurette]

Supernatural: The Complete Ninth Season

Brothers Sam and Dean continue their fight against evil and for the safety of humanity, but it’s only grown more difficult since the gates of heaven opened up and expelled all of the angels back down to Earth. I mention below that most CW shows leave me cold, but this is one of the very few exceptions. Part of the reason is the show’s sense of humor, but I also appreciate how unafraid the series is of going “big” with its ideas and storylines.

[Blu-ray/DVD extras: Commentaries, featurettes, deleted scenes, gag reel]

The Vampire Diaries: The Complete Fifth Season

Elena may have finally graduated high school, but that doesn’t mean she’s free of the supernatural shenanigans that have kept her busy for the last four years. So yes, she’s bringing some vampires to college with her. I have a difficult time finding the fun in most CW shows, and while this one is noticeably better than the network’s newest tween vampire saga (The Originals) it remains mostly unfulfilling and repetitive in its bland romance and empty dramas. The bright spot remains Ian Somerhalder who acts with just enough of a smirk to keep him interesting.

[Blu-ray/DVD extras: Featurettes, gag reel, deleted scenes]

Victim

Tyson is a young thug who makes his living robbing apartments and beating their residents when necessary, but he sees hope for something better thanks to his optimistic younger sister and a new girl in town who catches his eye. There’s a strong Afterschool Special vibe to the film’s third act that doesn’t feel entirely justified by everything that comes before. Still, even simplistic and obvious messages can be worthwhile.

[Blu-ray/DVD extras: Interviews, trailer]

Words and Pictures

An English professor (Clive Owen) and an art teacher (Juliette Binoche) clash and lead their students into a “battle” to determine whose art form — the words or the pictures — are more valid. We all come out winners in a romantic comedy (of sorts) starring Owen and Binoche, but there’s no denying this is ultimately a slight affair.

[Blu-ray/DVD extras: Commentary, behind the scenes]

The World Wars

The History Channel presents a three part documentary on World Wars I and II featuring interviews and re-enactments to tell a story of epic conflict and the men behind them. There aren’t any grand revelations here, but the presentation keeps things engaging for history buffs.

[Blu-ray/DVD extras: Deleted scenes, featurettes]

Also out this week, but I haven’t seen the movie/TV show and/or review material was unavailable:

Across 110th Street

Cotton Comes to Harlem

The Curse of Oak Island: Season 1

Dead Within

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

God’s Pocket

Godzilla 2000

Godzilla Double Feature

Hangmen Also Die

The Homeland: The Complete Third Season

Hornet’s Nest

Ida

Juggernaut

Little House on the Prairie: Season Three

A Long Way Down

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: The Complete First Season

My Man is a Loser

Palo Alto

Prisoner of Paradise

Rebirth of Mothra I II III

Sabrina the Teenage Witch: A Witch and the Werewolf

Seizure

Teenage

Young Frankenstein: 40th Anniversary Edition

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