Adventure Time: Card Wars (DVD)
Finn and Jake play an epic card game, but when Jake becomes overly competitive and insists on playing for a “cool guy cup” and the “dweeb cup” hilarity ensues.
Like “Magic” and other card-based games, Card Wars requires logic and strategy – the advantage of this board is all of the player’s actions are reflected in a tabletop, holographic representation. For non-players, this makes it much more interesting. This collection of episodes also contains rare depictions of Jake’s kids, including the brand-new episode, “Daddy-Daughter Card Wars,” in which his daughter uses her superior playing abilities to trick her father into losing bets. There’s also a musical episode in which Finn, Jake, Marceline and Princess Bubblegum must serenade a door into opening and another featuring The Lich. This DVD also comes with an exclusive “Card Wars” playing card, compatible with the soon-to-be-released Card Wars Doubles Tournament tabletop game.
There are no special features. (Cartoon Network)
The Divergent Series: Allegiant (Blu-ray, DVD & Digital copy)
Tris (Shailene Woodley) and Four (Theo James) lead a team of rebels in a daring escape over the city wall into a strange new world where they face a threat more dangerous than they ever imagined. Together, Tris and Four wage a furious battle for survival, fighting not only for their factions and loved ones, but for the future of an entire city.
The land beyond Chicago’s barrier is expectedly desolate with obvious signs of radiation poisoning. But beyond that is a world of technology that has thrived in spite of whatever catastrophe contaminated the earth. Visually it’s similar to the city of Tomorrowland with futuristic architecture and flying everything. However behind all of their progress are many secrets, anarchic systems, strict control and a desire to keep Tris for themselves. The group’s escape from Chicago is one of the movie’s most exciting sequences, but subsequent altercations don’t have the same intensity. While Tris allows herself to be blinded by the shiny newness of it all, Four remains sceptical. The predictable and superficial conflict this creates between them is so clearly a plot device, it’s actually annoying. This installment of the series is obviously a means of setting up a large-scale war in the concluding chapter. Thus a rather silly scheme is devised that reveals everyone’s true colours and establishes the two sides of what will likely be an interesting battle that relies on tech and propaganda.
Special features include: commentary by producers Douglas Wick and Lucy Fisher; “Allegiant: Book to Film”; “Battle in the Bullfrog: The Stunts and Choreography Behind This Thrilling Sequence”; “Finding the Future: Effects & Technology”; “Characters in Conflict: The Motivations Behind the Film’s Antagonists”; “The Next Chapter: Cast & Characters”; and “Building the Bureau.” (Lionsgate)
Everybody Wants Some! (Blu-ray, DVD & Digital copy)
A group of friends navigate their way through the freedoms and responsibilities of unsupervised adulthood.
In some ways this a sequel to writer/director Richard Linklater‘s Dazed and Confused, now following a slightly older group of young men in the days before college starts in 1980. Beginning on the Thursday before Monday’s classes, the film chronicles the youthful adventures of the school’s baseball team as they skirt the rules regarding alcohol and sex. Every night involves a trip to a bar or party in order to drink and pick-up girls, while days are spent exchanging stories, smoking weed and at least one practice. Each of the characters is a unique, engaging and attractive individual whose personalities are variations of those in the aforementioned film, often facing the same problems and providing similar levels of amusement. Unsurprisingly, these events also play out against an excellent, period-appropriate soundtrack.
There are no special features. (Paramount Home Media Distribution)
Green Room (Blu-ray, DVD & Digital copy)
After witnessing a shocking crime, a young rock band (Anton Yelchin, Alia Shawkat, Joe Cole and Callum Turner) is unexpectedly thrust into a life-or-death battle to escape the clutches of a diabolical club owner (Patrick Stewart) and his ruthless henchmen.
From the moment the band arrives at the club and sets eyes on their soon-to-be audience, the intensity begins to rise. Shortly after, the “fit hits the shan” and the atmosphere grows increasingly tenser. The result is a 90-minute, edge-of-your-seat thriller that never lets up. The action is realistic in the sense that the scared band doesn’t suddenly become combat experts. They use what’s at hand, and are often clumsy and impulsive. Similarly, although their enemies are more prepared and experienced, they simply appear as thugs to whom violence comes easier but not necessarily more adeptly. The kills — from both sides — are sudden, brutal and sometimes even unexpected. Yelchin is excellent as the reluctant hero trying to keep a level head in the midst of an extremely stressful situation. Most surprising is the infallibly calm Stewart’s who chillingly uses the same tone to negotiate with the band as he does to order their deaths, taking a flawless departure from his typically nobler on-screen appearances.
Special features include: commentary by director Jeremy Saulnier; and making-of featurette. (D Films & Lionsgate)
Hardcore Henry (Blu-ray & Digital copy)
You remember nothing. Mainly because you’ve just been brought back from the dead by your wife (Haley Bennett). She tells you that your name is Henry. Five minutes later, you are being shot at, your wife has been kidnapped, and you should probably go get her back. Who’s got her? His name’s Akan (Danila Kozlovsky); he’s a powerful warlord with an army of mercenaries, and a plan for world domination. You’re also in the unfamiliar city of Moscow, and everyone wants you dead… everyone except for a mysterious British fellow called Jimmy (Sharlto Copley). He may be on your side, but you aren’t sure. If you can survive the insanity, and solve the mystery, you might just discover your purpose and the truth behind your identity.
Anyone who’s played first-person video games will find this film’s perspective very familiar as it is shown entirely from Henry’s perspective. Using modern technology and skilled stunt men, audiences parkour through the streets, partake in shootouts and fisticuffs, and feel the betrayal of those Henry trusts first-hand. This experience may have been overwhelming on a large screen, but at home it’s rather fascinating to see everything in this manner. While Henry is a silent yet deadly character, Jimmy is rather amusing. There’s a lot of mystery initially surrounding Jimmy, but Copley is visibly having fun portraying this seeming chameleon. Shot in Russia because the safety laws are laxer and provided the flexibility required by such a unique endeavour, this film likely represents the future of virtual reality filmmaking.
Special features include: deleted scenes; commentary by director/producer Ilya Naishuller and star/executive producer Sharlto Copley; and “Fan Chat,” director Ilya Naishuller and star Sharlto Copley answer fan questions about how the film was made. (VVS Films)
I Saw the Light (Blu-ray & Digital copy)
The story of the legendary country western singer Hank Williams (Tom Hiddleston), who in his brief life created one of the greatest bodies of work in American music. The film chronicles his meteoric rise to fame and its ultimately tragic effect on his health and personal life.
While many people know the name Hank Williams and several of his greatest hits, far fewer likely know his story. In spite of his short existence – he died at 29 – this movie is still just a highlight reel of the artist’s most significant moments. He was a mama’s boy to his dying day; his wife Aubrey (Elizabeth Olsen) was both his strength in business and his weakness on stage as she insisted on singing alongside him in spite of lacking talent; he was a gifted songwriter; he entered rehab several times throughout his 20s; and didn’t make great choices in love. And in all instances, particularly the singing, Hiddleston is convincing as the American country icon. However the film’s timeline is a little scattered as it frequently jumps forward in time, skipping several years in the process, which can sometimes cause some confusion regarding the current state of Williams’ career and relationships.
Special features include: commentary by director Marc Abraham; “Illuminating a Legend: Inside I Saw the Light”; and “Talking Hank.” (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
The Mermaid (Blu-ray & Digital copy)
When greedy real estate tycoon, Liu Xian (Deng Chao), buys up a pristine coastal enclave known as Green Gulf, he plans to turn it into the hottest property on the market. But Green Gulf harbors a secret: it’s home to the last surviving mermaids, and they are done playing nice. Their plan: send the beautiful Shan (Jelly Lin) to seduce Liu and stop the destruction of their beloved oceans. But when their plan goes belly-up, neither humans nor mermaids are willing to back down and a final, fatal frenzy becomes inevitable.
This is the highest grossing movie of all time in China, but at first glance it’s difficult to see why. Kung Fu Hustle director Stephen Chow brings his eccentric sense of humour to this clash of urbanization and mythology. The story begins with some familiar faces as they provide a backroom tour of the city’s oddities, which are clearly fake and all part of a practiced ruse to bilk people out of their money. All of the characters are expectedly over-the-top, portraying extreme versions of stereotypical characters in this archetypal narrative. The romance spurred between Shan and Liu is predictably comical, while the final showdown is an amusing combination of action and humour.
Special features include: making-of featurette; behind-the-scenes featurette; and “Invincible” music video. (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
Road Games (Blu-ray)
After a disastrous summer trip, Jack (Andrew Simpson) finds himself hitchhiking through the sun-drenched rural French countryside with nothing but his British passport. Unaware of dangers that are plaguing the roads, he tries without much success to get home. Along the way, he partners with another hitchhiker, a beautiful French girl named Véronique (Joséphine de La Baume). But when they accept a ride from a local oddball (Frédéric Pierrot), the pair find themselves thrown into a deadly game of cat and mouse in which nothing is what it seems.
Hitchhiking, particularly when there’s a serial killer on the loose, almost never turns out well in the movies. “Safety in numbers” generally provides false security and the young people almost certainly fall prey to the murderer. However, there’s something else happening in this picture that audiences are meant to recognize, but not immediately put their fingers on. As the conversation regularly transitions between English and French, it becomes evident there are secrets in the house that will likely prove fatal. However, over 90 minutes viewers are drawn by the blossoming romance between the two strangers and intrigued by the mystery that seems to occupy their host’s home. In spite a little confusion near the end, the conclusion is an adequate fit for the peculiar narrative.
Special features include: commentary by directory Abner Pastoll and actress Barbara Crampton; deleted and alternate scenes; world premiere Q&A; outtakes; and teaser and theatrical trailers. (Scream Factory)
Slasher: Season One (DVD)
When Sarah Bennett (Katie McGrath) returns to her small hometown, she finds herself the centrepiece in a series of horrifying copycat murders based on the grisly killings of her parents. As the murders escalate, long-buried secrets are revealed, making everyone around her a suspect… or a victim.
The series begins with what appears to be a brutal, unprovoked double murder before jumping ahead several decades. Much like a Twin Peaks or Melrose Place, everyone in this town appears to be harbouring a salacious secret that puts them on the murderer’s kill list. They appear to occur in rapid succession, making the police look increasingly incompetent and forcing residents to take matters into their own hands. Thus with the help of the convicted “Executioner,” Sarah launches her own investigation to catch the copycat and find out why the slayings seem to be connected to her. It’s a relatively solid serial thriller that keeps the mystery alive for an extended period and the audience engaged by the often shocking skeletons in the resident’s closets.
Special features include: behind-the-scenes featurette. (Scream Factory)
