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Review: New on DVD for January 5 (Includes first-hand account)

Bone Tomahawk (Blu-ray)

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RLJ Entertainment

When a group of cannibal savages kidnaps settlers from the small town of Bright Hope, an unlikely team of gunslingers, led by Sheriff Franklin Hunt (Kurt Russell), sets out to bring them home. But their enemy is more ruthless than anyone could have imagined, putting their mission — and survival itself — in serious jeopardy.

Russell hasn’t done many Westerns since Tombstone, but his silent bravado and mustache-growing abilities are made for the genre. In this case, the picture is combined with a horror element as the cannibals are relatively frightening when compared to more traditional depictions of Natives. Patrick Wilson doesn’t appear as capable as his compatriots, but his devotion and determination prove to be a formidable force in spite of his severe injury. Matthew Fox has a big personality and fewer morals than the rest of the group, which leads to some interesting confrontations throughout the search. Richard Jenkins portrays the deputy who is wholly committed to following the sheriff to the gates of hell if that’s what it takes. Though not exactly a conventional Western, this movie is an interesting addition to the genre.

Special features include: deleted scene; making-of featurette; Fantastic Fest Q&A; and poster gallery. (RLJ Entertainment)

Broad City: Season 2 (DVD)

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Paramount Home Media Distribution

Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer are two best friends navigating their twenties in New York City whose adventures always lead down unexpected and outlandish paths. They’re broke, flawed, and don’t shy away from the sticky situations NYC throws at them — they dive right into the muck. But no matter how bad it gets, these young broads are always down with whatever hits.

It’s surprising this pair can outdo the outlandish antics featured in the first season, but they undoubtedly top themselves this time around. Abbi goes on a psychedelic trip after a visit to the dentist and the duo has a cross-city adventure trying to find an air conditioner during a heat wave. And Ilana interrupts a dog wedding in the park to get help for Abbi, whose injured ankle leads to other extreme actions usually endured after slightly lengthier periods. However one of the best episodes features guest star Kelly Ripa who portrays an outlandish version of herself that drinks moonshine, does cocaine, throws things from her balcony and hires prostitutes.

Special features include: deleted scenes; pop-up enhanced episodes; “Hack into Broad City” series; “Body by Trey” videos; “The Nicole Memos”; and outtakes. (Paramount Home Media Distribution)

Captive (DVD)

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Paramount Home Media Distribution

When Brian Nichols (David Oyelowo) — on the run as the subject of a citywide manhunt and desperate to make contact with his newborn son — takes recovering meth addict Ashley Smith (Kate Mara) hostage in her own apartment, she turns for guidance to Rick Warren’s best-selling inspirational book, The Purpose Driven Life. While reading aloud, Ashley and her would-be killer each face crossroads where despair and death intersect hope.

This is a Lifetime movie in the guise of a hostage-taking. Brian obviously suffers from some form of mental illness, choosing to take the lives of several people rather than face a rape conviction for a crime he claims not to have committed. The narrative follows Ashley’s and Brian’s lives as they make difficult and wrong decisions before finally crossing paths. Brian is clearly violent, yet he never really appears hostile with Ashley. She is struggling with her addiction, but decides in the midst of this pressure cooker she is going to finally quit cold turkey. The story is fairly straightforward with little fanfare as it repeatedly circles back to Warren’s book rather than develop the characters.

Special features include: “Journey Through Darkness: Filming Captive”; and “Faith and The Purpose Driven Life.” (Paramount Home Media Distribution)

Flesh and Bone (Blu-ray)

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Anchor Bay Entertainment Canada

Claire (Sarah Hay) is a young ballet dancer with a distinctly troubled past who joins a prestigious ballet company in New York. She is emotionally wounded, sexually damaged, and possesses self-destructive tendencies amid her vaulting ambitions. She is a transcendent ballerina, but her inner torment and aspirations drive her in compelling, unforeseeable ways, especially when confronted with the manipulations of the company’s unpredictable artistic director, and an unwelcome visitor from her past.

Though it features many of the same actors/dancers from Center Stage, this picture is much darker due to its main character’s complicated past. The first episode opens with Claire escaping a clearly abusive situation, however as the story develops it’s revealed to be far more complex than that. In the meantime, even though her new roommate is far more comfortable with her sexuality, it seems everyone wants to get into Claire’s pants. The artistic director is a ticking time bomb ready to go off on anyone and unbelievably more sensitive at certain times of the year. Few of the other characters are given the chance to develop interesting personalities, generally evolving in relation to their connection with Claire. However there’s never any doubt she’s the main focus and the world is adeptly built around her character.

Special features include: “Creating the World of Flesh and Bone.” (Anchor Bay Entertainment Canada)

The Green Inferno (Blu-ray & Digital copy)

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Universal Pictures Home Entertainment

New York college student Justine (Lorenza Izzo) meets student activist Alejandro (Ariel Levy) when he goes on a hunger strike on behalf of underpaid janitors. Smitten, she agrees to help Alejandro undertake his next project: rescuing an Amazon village from destruction by a greedy multinational corporation. But Justine soon comes to regret her decision when their plane crashes in the Peruvian jungle and the students realize they are not alone. No good deed goes unpunished as the well-meaning students are captured by the cannibalistic tribe they came to save.

Writer/director Eli Roth‘s latest horror picture had a long journey between successful festival runs and distribution, but the filmmaker’s determination can never be doubted. Like most of his other films, this movie is very gory with a number of unimaginable methods of killing its characters and torturing the survivors. Liking the personalities isn’t especially important as the key purpose of the narrative is anticipating the death of the next unlucky victim. The throwback to Italian cannibal films of the ‘70s was filmed in Peru and Chile with an indigenous cast, giving it a terrifyingly authentic feel à la Werner Herzog regardless of its obviously exaggerated storyline. There’s also an underlying message about uninformed activism that probably drowns in the blood for most viewers.

Special features include: commentary by co-writer, director and producer Eli Roth, producer Nicolás López, and stars Lorenza Izzo, Aaron Burns, Kirby Bliss Blanton, and Daryl Sabara. (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment)

Hitman: Agent 47 (Blu-ray & Digital copy)

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Fox Home Entertainment

A genetically engineered assassin with superior intelligence and superhuman abilities, 47 (Rupert Friend), turns the tables on a sinister organization that’s out to create an army of unstoppable killers with his DNA. Teaming up with a mysterious young woman (Hannah Ware), he uncovers secrets about his origins and faces an epic battle with his deadliest foe.

The first film in this franchise was not received very well, but this film seems able to turn the tide. Friend does an excellent job portraying the intelligent, skillful, emotionless assassin who’s developed an independent sense of purpose that counters everything he’s ever been programmed to think. He also looks fantastic in the action sequences, of which there are many often played out in slow motion. Filmmakers paid attention to the finest details from the tailor-made suit and tie to the type of guns used to the abilities of 47 and his key opponent. The narrative is somewhat of a mystery, the piecing together of which audiences are able to participate as characters and viewers gain similar knowledge simultaneously. Zachary Quinto is expectedly diabolical as 47’s main opposition, though he’s probably used to playing the unnatural characters by now. Overall, it’s a well-constructed video game adaptation that will appease fans disappointed by its predecessor.

Special features include: deleted scenes; “The Hit Counter”; “Re-Imagining Hitman”; “Ultimate Action: Staging the Fights”; “Hitman: Agent 47 Comic”; “Making of the Comic Book”; promotional featurettes; photo and poster gallery; and theatrical trailers. (Fox Home Entertainment)

The House Where Evil Dwells / Ghost Warrior [double feature] (Blu-ray)

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Scream Factory

The House Where Evil Dwells: A century ago, a samurai brutally murdered his adulterous wife and her lover before taking his own life. Now, the Fletcher family has found what they think is their perfect Japanese home — not knowing it’s the same house where the murders occurred. But as strange events escalate and the ghosts of the dead begin to toy with the living, the Fletchers discover they’ve become unwitting players in a horrible re-enactment… one which they may not survive.
Ghost Warrior (a.k.a. Swordkill): While exploring a cave, two skiers find the body of a 400-year-old samurai warrior entombed in ice. He is brought to the United States in a hush-hush operation and revived through cryosurgery. Unfortunately, he is then forced to battle for his freedom, dignity and life.

These films share a common Asian element, but that’s the end of their commonalities. The first picture features an American family that seamlessly adapts to life in Japan, except for the pesky supernatural threesome that sometimes possesses their bodies, tosses objects like swords around the room and incites an extramarital affair. It’s a little sultry for a ghost story, but the characters’ consistently poor decisions make it difficult to engage with the narrative. The second movie is a typical ice-man tale in which someone from the distant past is dropped into the modern-day world. While one researcher attempts to make life comfortable for the samurai, others are simply interested in profiting on his existence — dead or alive. His escape from the facility leads to some bizarre encounters with a friendly older man and a street gang doesn’t know when it’s outmatched.

There are no special features. (Scream Factory)

Infinitely Polar Bear (Blu-ray)

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Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

While most fathers spend their days at work, Cam (Mark Ruffalo) is more likely to be found working on one of his many half-completed projects. As he recovers from a manic breakdown, his wife Maggie (Zoe Saldana) enrolls in an out-of-state graduate school program in the hopes of building a better life for her family. Cam agrees to become the primary caregiver for his spirited young daughters and quickly finds himself in over his head.

The premise of this story is fairly simple, but the excellent and personal script as well as terrific acting make it extraordinary. There’s no attempt to sugar coat their situation and Cam does not magically become a perfect father when called upon to be the primary caregiver. The tale begins with a severe breakdown followed by inexact medical treatment; and then it just tries to build up. In spite of the young ages of the children, they have been toughened by Cam’s condition and often stand up to him when necessary rather than just cry or call their mother. The dynamic between Ruffalo and the two young actors makes the film appealing and appear genuine as they navigate the seasons, which change less often than Cam’s moods.

Special features include: commentary by Mark Ruffalo, Maya Forbes and Wally Wolodarsky; deleted scenes; and Los Angeles Film Festival Q&A with cast and filmmakers. (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)

True Detective: The Complete Second Season (Blu-ray & Digital copy)

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HBO Home Entertainment

A highway patrol motorcycle officer (Taylor Kitsch) stumbles upon the scene of a bizarre murder, in which the victim’s body has been ritually mutilated. The crime triggers an investigation that brings together three law-enforcement officers (Kitsch, Colin Farrell and Rachel McAdams) from different cities, each with troubled pasts, and a thug-turned-entrepreneur (Vince Vaughn) in danger of losing his empire. As the case grows broader and darker — revealing multiple criminal collusions involving billions of dollars — it forces the participants to face their own inner demons in order to solve the crime, all the while navigating a web of conspiracy and betrayal in the scorched landscapes of California.

After a breakthrough first season, the second takes a very different approach to the series. Via four main characters whose connections to each other grow stronger with each episode, the narrative investigates an intricate web of corruption that has as much of an effect on the crime world as it does everything else. Kitsch’s character is likely the most respectable of the group, though he is in the midst of an investigation for impropriety. McAdams’ has a strong sense of justice, as well as a mounting gambling debt. Farrell was once a good cop, but personal tragedy sent him spiralling to become the dishonest, alcoholic divorcee he is today. Vaughn is a very talkative gangster trying his best to be less crooked, which just doesn’t appear to be good enough. This season is a little rockier than the last, but finishes strong with the support of good acting and a great soundtrack.

Special features include: two commentaries featuring Colin Farrell, Vince Vaughn, Rachel McAdams, Taylor Kitsch, series creator/executive producer/writer Nic Pizzolatto and executive producer Scott Stephens; “Making the Vinci Massacre”; “A Look Inside True Detective”; and “True Detective‘s California.” (HBO Home Entertainment)

The Visit (Blu-ray, DVD & Digital copy)

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Universal Pictures Home Entertainment

When Becca (Olivia DeJonge) and Tyler (Ed Oxenbould) are sent to their grandparents’ secluded Pennsylvania farmhouse for a weeklong stay, they quickly discover something is not right with the elderly couple. Faced with strange rules and increasingly frightening behavior, the children soon realize it will take all their wits to make it home alive.

After so many disappointments, it’s easy to write-off any film with M. Night Shyamalan‘s name attached. But this film may be the film for which viewers have been waiting. Some may be irritated by Becca and Tyler, while others will find them entertaining. The grandparents are also very likeable and traditional. However, it appears they’re both suffering from the early stages of dementia, which causes some rather disturbing incidents. With Shyamalan’s track record and the direction of the narrative, it’s clear there will be a reveal in the final act. However rather than just trying to keep audiences in suspense leading up to that moment, the director actually entertains them. The script transitions seamlessly between comedy and horror, sometimes at the drop of a hat. As the narrative progresses, the atmosphere increases in intensity, hearty laughs change to nervous giggles, the grandparents start to act more erratic, and jump scares take audiences by surprise more frequently.

Special features include: alternate ending; deleted scenes; making-of featurette; and “Becca’s Photos.” (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment)

The Walk (Blu-ray & Digital copy)

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Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Twelve men have walked on the moon, but only one man — Philippe Petit (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) — has ever walked in the immense void between the World Trade Center towers. Guided by his real-life mentor, Papa Rudy (Ben Kingsley), and aided by an unlikely band of international recruits, Petit and his gang overcome long odds, betrayals, dissension and countless close calls to conceive and execute their mad plan.

The structure of the film is interesting and appealing with Philippe narrating the story from atop the Statue of Liberty with the towers in the background. He’s incredibly charismatic and likeable, making his commentary throughout the picture delightful instead of intrusive. The story is designed rather formulaically, relating Philippe’s journey chronologically and during which he experiences triumphs and setbacks, love and betrayal, and all manner of things that could go wrong the day of the event. In spite of the conventionality of the film, its attempt to recreate the experience combined with Philippe’s charisma raises it above its traditional design. Gordon-Levitt’s portrayal of Philippe is undeniably captivating, immediately drawing viewers into his tale; even though the audience knows the climax won’t occur until near the end of the two-hour picture, they are glad to follow Philippe on his journey. In addition to chronicling Philippe’s epic feat, the film doubles as a tribute to the Twin Towers that were destroyed on Sept. 11, 2001.

Special features include: deleted scenes; “Pillars of Support”; “First Steps”; and “The Amazing Walk.” (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)

Wrecker (DVD)

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Anchor Bay Entertainment Canada

Best friends Emily (Anna Hutchison) and Lesley (Dréa Whitburn) go on a road trip to the desert. When Emily decides to get off the highway and take a “short cut,” they become the target of a relentless psychotic trucker who forces them to play a deadly game of cat and mouse.

This is a version of Joy Ride that features a tow-truck driver instead of a big rig. Unfortunately it lacks the creativity that has kept that franchise alive and delivers a rather tiresome chase through the desert highways. The girls make terrible decisions along the way that immediately draws the viewer out of the story. Meanwhile, their pursuer is unnecessarily reckless with an unbelievable amount of time on his hands as he waits for the girls to catch up or grows impatient and backtracks to keep the game going. Moreover, even the hope of a big payoff at the end is extinguished when none of the key reveals occur.

There are no special features. (Anchor Bay Entertainment Canada)

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Written By

Sarah Gopaul is Digital Journal's Editor-at-Large for film news, a member of the Online Film Critics Society and a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved critic.

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