Concussion (Blu-ray & Digital copy)
American immigrant Dr. Bennet Omalu (Will Smith) is the brilliant forensic neuropathologist who made the first discovery of CTE, a football-related brain trauma, in a pro player and fought for the truth to be known. Omalu’s emotional quest puts him at dangerous odds with one of the most powerful — and beloved — institutions in the world.
Omalu is an interesting character in that he’s extremely kind, but also very dedicated which results in him being quite stern when necessary. Luckily his superior is very supportive, which is in stark contrast with his co-worker who would prefer he worked elsewhere. Around the same time Omalu is making this shocking discovery, he is also developing a relationship with another new immigrant and registered nurse (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) who is rooming at his home. The main focus of the film is on Omalu’s finding and the consistent pushback he received from the NFL; however, by illustrating the effects of CTE using specific cases or well-known players, it also reveals the sad reality almost one-third of professional football stars have or will face. Although Smith doesn’t resemble his real-life counterpart like the rest of the cast, he does do a good job mirroring his accent and mannerisms, and likely should’ve been a stronger presence during awards season.
Special features include: commentary by director Peter Landesman; deleted scenes; “Crafting Concussion”; and “Inside the True Story.” (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
Exposed (Blu-ray)
Detective Galban (Keanu Reeves) is investigating the truth behind his partner’s death. The mysterious case reveals disturbing police corruption and a dangerous secret involving an unlikely young woman, Isabel de La Cruz (Ana de Armas).
Nothing about this narrative is straightforward. For most of the picture, Galban’s and Isabel’s stories remain separate. Still coping with the death of his wife, Galban is unable to stop looking into his partner’s murder in spite of the many signs (and warnings) that nothing good will come of it. Somehow the homicide is tied to Isabel and her family, but how is not revealed until the very end. In the meantime, Galban’s turning over rocks is leading to a lot of other murders as the local kingpin (Big Daddy Kane) tries to tie-up various loose ends — just in case. Isabel is just a school teacher waiting for her deployed husband to return, while also trying to convince her in-laws she’s been blessed with an immaculate conception. For the most part, audiences are left to follow the storylines with the hope they will make sense in the end… and for the most part that is rewarded.
Special features include: making-of featurette; and interviews with the cast. (VVS Films)
Forsaken (Blu-ray)
In 1872, John Henry Clayton (Kiefer Sutherland) retires as a gunfighter and returns to his hometown of Fowler, Wyoming in hope of repairing his relationship with his estranged father, Reverend Clayton (Donald Sutherland). However he soon learns that the town is in turmoil, as the railroad will be coming through the area and a criminal gang is terrorizing ranchers who refuse to sell their land. John Henry is the only one who can stop them, but his father does not want his son to return to a life of violence.
This is the first time father and son have appeared on screen together and unsurprisingly they’re individual talents complement each other nicely. It’s unfortunate they couldn’t be brought together over a better script. The dialogue is somewhat mediocre as an attempt to capture the simplicity of men in Westerns leads to awkward phrasing that doesn’t seem natural or, consequently, believable. However, the plot involving a greedy businessman (Brian Cox) forcing families off their farms is not a new one and thus crafted traditionally — and predictably. John Henry’s determination not to get involved lasts longer than expected, which is right up until the dim-witted muscle push the wrong button. The Gentleman Dave Turner (Michael Wincott) is a hired gun meant to put John Henry down if he gets in the way; though their eventual confrontation is one of the movie’s best developments.
Special features include: making-of featurette. (Momentum Pictures)
The Hateful Eight (Blu-ray, DVD & Digital copy)
Set up to twelve years after the Civil War, a stagecoach hurtles through the wintry Wyoming landscape. The passengers — bounty hunter John Ruth (Kurt Russell) and his fugitive Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh) — race towards the town of Red Rock where Ruth, known in those parts as “The Hangman,” will bring Domergue to justice. Along the road, they encounter two strangers: Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson), a black former union soldier turned infamous bounty hunter, and Chris Mannix (Walton Goggins), a southern renegade who claims to be the town’s new Sheriff. Losing their lead on the blizzard, Ruth, Domergue, Warren and Mannix seek refuge at Minnie’s Haberdashery, a stagecoach stopover on a mountain pass. When they arrive at Minnie’s, they are greeted not by the proprietor but by four unfamiliar faces. Bob (Demian Bichir), who’s taking care of Minnie’s while she’s visiting her mother, is holed up with Oswaldo Mobray (Tim Roth), the hangman of Red Rock, cow-puncher Joe Gage (Michael Madsen), and Confederate General Sanford Smithers (Bruce Dern). As the storm overtakes the mountainside stopover, the eight travelers come to learn they may not make it to Red Rock after all.
The first half of the picture is dominated by extensive verbal exchanges between the characters. In spite of the limited scope of their conversations, it’s characteristically wordy and energetic. Another element as inherent to Quentin Tarantino‘s films as the discourse is the bloodshed. Although the first half of the film is relatively violence-free, the situation takes an explosive turn after the intermission resulting in shooting, stabbing and a few people literally losing their heads. The movie begins with an overture by legendary composer and Oscar winner Ennio Morricone, which plays with increasing intensity. The sound is innocuous at first, but it grows more powerful and demanding of the audience’s attention as it draws closer to the start of the narrative. The cast is mostly a who’s who of actors the director has worked with previously, which allowed him to write the parts specifically to their strengths. They are all excellent and unsurprisingly fit their roles perfectly. Fans of the filmmaker will not be disappointed as it carries all his signature traits, while also allowing him to broach a new genre about which he’s obviously passionate.
Special features include: “Beyond the Eight: A Behind-the-Scenes Look”; and “Sam Jackson’s Guide to Glorious 70mm.” (Anchor Bay Entertainment)
Humans: Series 1 (Blu-ray)
In the near future, humanoid servants called synthetics — or synths — have been created to help busy families simplify their lives. But will these perfect servants stay compliant forever? When Joe Hawkins (Tom Goodman-Hill) buys synth Anita (Gemma Chan), he hopes it will relieve the pressure on his lawyer wife, Laura (Katherine Parkinson). Although Anita is a hit with Joe’s young children, Laura feels uneasy about sharing her home with a synth. Meanwhile, retired synth engineer George (William Hurt) refuses to dispose of his beloved but malfunctioning synth, Odi (Will Tudor). And mysterious Leo (Colin Morgan) hides secrets that could transform the future of synth technology.
Though set in the future, each day it seems as if the day of robotic servants is getting closer. There’s a predictable human backlash against the machines as they begin to fill blue collar positions, as well as intrude on or circumvent more personal interactions. However the focus of the series is less the infringement on human rights, but rather the extension of those rights to artificial intelligence. The story follows a small yet widening group of synths who are self-aware and determined to live a “normal” life. While some people sympathize with their cause, others see them as no more than malfunctioning machines; the caveat to their ambitions is their mechanical nature is both a strength and weakness in their struggle for independence. This isn’t the best interpretation of this sci-fi artifact, but it is relatively thoughtful and engaging.
Special features include: making-of featurette; behind-the-scenes featurette; and photo gallery. (Acorn)
The Hunger Games Complete 4-Film Collection (Blu-ray & Digital copy)
Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) began her journey fighting to survive the brutal Hunger Games and rose to lead the rebellion against Panem’s tyrannical president (Donald Sutherland). Now, Katniss and a team of rebels from District 13 prepare for the epic battle that will decide Panem’s future.
With the final installment of the series released, it’s now possible to own the whole set in one convenient package. The part two unsurprisingly encompasses the rebels’ last push against the Capital as Katniss rallies the remaining districts and then leads a team to assassinate President Snow. There are a lot of emotions to confront, embrace or ignore in this chapter as everyone puts everything on the line in the name of freedom – and revenge. But with war there are hard-felt losses and difficult decisions to make, all of which weighs on the no-longer-reluctant Katniss’ shoulders. In the end, this picture is a fair and mostly faithful adaptation of the book that does well to capture its essence and key moments. The sixth disc contains special features related to the first three films with the majority and most interesting dealing with the original movie, including a featurette about author Suzanne Collins’ journey (though she’s oddly absent) and several new deleted scenes.
Special features include: commentary by director Francis Lawrence and producer Nina Jacobson; eight-part making-of documentary, “Pawns No More”; “The Hunger Games: A Photographic Journey”; “Cinna’s Sketchbook: Secrets of the Mockingjay Armor”; “Panem on Display: The Hunger Games: The Exhibition”; “Jet to the Set”; 12 never-before-seen deleted scenes from The Hunger Games; six deleted scenes from The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, including one never-before-seen; nine deleted scenes from The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1”; “Picturing Panem”; “Capitol Cuisine”; 70 additional featurettes; audio commentaries; music videos; and more. (Lionsgate)
The Leftovers: The Complete Second Season (Blu-ray & Digital copy)
More than three years ago, two per cent of the world’s population inexplicably vanished — 140 million people gone in an instant. No country, no state, no city was spared, except for one small town in Eastern Texas. Population: 9261. Departures: zero. It’s the setting for a tale of two families: the Garveys, who have moved to this special place, and whose lives were forever changed by the Departure, and the Murphys, a local family that seems to have been spared from an event that shook the rest of the world. But even in the town of Miracle, you can’t escape the past.
Even though the Garveys reappear in this series with their baggage from the first season, the narrative is to some extent independent of those events. The Murphys share centre stage with the father, John (Kevin Carroll), in the middle of most things that happen in Miracle. The structure of the episodes is interesting as several, particularly at the start of the season, are dedicated to a single family’s perspective leading back to key events. The first episode introduces the Murphys, while the second illustrates how the Garveys came to Miracle; later Rev. Matt Jamison’s (Christopher Eccleston) daily routine with the comatose Mary (Janel Moloney) is shown, as is Meg’s (Liv Tyler) dissidence with the post-departure cult, The Guilty Remnants. Many of these characters crossed over from the first season, but their storylines take new paths that are equally fascinating and unbelievable. The ending is quite explosive yet retains a silver-lining for the next chapter.
There are no special features. (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment)
Point Break (Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray, DVD & Digital copy)
Young FBI agent, Johnny Utah (Luke Bracey), infiltrates a cunning team of thrill-seeking elite athletes led by the charismatic Bodhi (Edgar Ramirez), as they’re suspected of carrying out a spate of crimes in extremely unusual ways.
Although this picture shares its title and character names with its predecessor, the two have little else in common. In this case, Utah is an extreme athlete that uses his expertise to get close to a group of Robin Hood daredevils who are obviously smarter than anyone ever gives them credit. Thus, the loose storyline is secondary to the adrenaline-fuelled stunts created for the film. Constructed like an action movie, someone is generally risking their lives doing something crazy and exciting at regular intervals while the plot is simply a device to get them from one location to the next. However, this same focus on the movie’s stunts makes the special features that much more disappointing as each of the dedicated featurettes is less than three minutes and provides little insight into the planning of such attractive sequences.
Special features include: deleted scenes; “Rock Climbing”; “Wingsuit Flying”; “Snowboarding”; “Motocross”; and trailers. (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment)
