Blood Diner (Blu-ray)
In order to raise an ancient Egyptian goddess, two cannibalistic brothers use their restaurant to add something special to the menu.
This movie’s production may be a triumph for female horror filmmakers, but it certainly wasn’t winning any awards. Forced to be released without a rating, the film is an outrageous depiction of black magic practitioners that include a talking brain, ritual sacrifice, a zombie concert and a bizarre god with spiky teeth in its mouth and stomach. The brothers are strange, yet charming and relatively handsome; they just happen to have been influenced by an uncle who practiced black magic and are following in his footsteps. The film still includes the typical ‘80s female objectification scenes, including a topless aerobics sequence and what is essentially a raised vagina dentata. But it’s terrible in that way that gains a following because it’s also ridiculous and funny.
Special features include: commentary by director Jackie Kong; “Queen Kong”; “The Cook, The Uncle, and The Detective”; “Open for Business”; “Scoring for Sheetar!”; “You Are What They Eat”; archival interview with project consultant Eric Caidin; still gallery; TV spots; and theatrical trailer. (Lionsgate)
The Catch: The Complete First Season (DVD)
Alice Vaughan (Mireille Enos) is strong, smart and tough-as-nails, specializing in foiling world-class criminals with her elite team at Anderson/Vaughan Investigations. So she’s devastated after losing her heart — and her life savings — to dashing, international conman Benjamin Jones (Peter Krause), a.k.a. “Christopher.” Desperate to extract some serious payback, Alice embarks on a secret quest to nab her ex-fiancé. However the spark that ignited between these volatile lovers refuses to die, and soon, both Alice and Ben find themselves caught between trying to keep one step ahead of his murderous associates and her crime-fighting colleagues, while trying in vain to keep their hands off each other.
This is an intriguing series that plays with concepts of duplicity, legality and love. Ben is a conman by trade who breaks a very important rule when he falls in love with Alice who wasn’t even the intended mark but just a means to an end. Ben’s ever-growing band of associates are an amusing but not very understanding group that don’t take kindly to anyone trying to divide the family they’ve built. Meanwhile, Alice proves to be a better investigator than the police or Interpol as she’s able to track down her lying fiancé faster than anyone even though they’ve been trying for years. By the end of the 10-episode season, everyone has or is stabbing someone in the back and the final moments leave audiences with a considerable cliff-hanger and reason to tune in for the next chapter.
Special features include: deleted scenes; and outtakes. (Walt Disney Studios)
Central Intelligence (Blu-ray & Digital copy)
One-time bullied geek Bob Stone (Dwayne Johnson) grew up to be a lethal CIA agent, coming home for his high school reunion. Claiming to be on a top-secret case, Bob enlists the help of former “big man on campus,” Calvin Joyner (Kevin Hart), now an accountant who misses his glory days. But before the staid numbers-cruncher realizes what he’s getting into, it’s too late to get out and his increasingly unpredictable new friend drags him through a world of shoot-outs, double-crosses and espionage that could get them both killed in more ways than Calvin can count.
Both Johnson and Hart are generally considered likeable actors with comedic appeal so an on-screen team-up was both anticipated and probably inevitable. While Hart’s character is a good fit, once again reviving the fish-out-of-water personality with some great one-liners, Johnson is playing against type. While Bob looks cool on the outside, inside he’s still the same geek that everyone made fun of in high school. His Facebook profile shows he “likes” guns, cinnamon pancakes… and unicorns. In spite of being a deadly secret agent, he still feels like he’ll never measure up to his high school hero and cowers in the presence of his bully from 20 years ago. Johnson is so goofy and out-of-character, it’s generally very funny. And small roles played by Aaron Paul, Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy add to the film’s comedic appeal.
Special features include: commentary by director Rawson Marshall Thurber; alternate scenes; couch scene; dance-off; line-o-rama; and gag reel. (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment)
Chopping Mall (Blu-ray)
Teenagers trapped in a high-tech mall overnight must find a way out before three malfunctioning security robots destroy them.
The movie opens with a rather impressive commercial for the security bots, which immediately raises doubts of whether their actual performances will measure up. The lightning bolt that short circuits the robots is more than unlikely, but the story needed a starting point and it was as good as any. In the meantime, the group of teens is having a sex party in one of the department stores. Of course, based on horror movie conventions, this makes it pretty easy to figure out who will survive this massacre. The kids aren’t entirely inept as they make a run for the sporting goods store pretty early on to stock up on weapons. Unfortunately no one thinks it’s a good idea to leave one of their guns with the young woman who proves to be the only good shot — because guns are for boys. In any case, this is a relatively fun, low-budget picture with several explosions and adequate special effects, which are explored in the extensive, informative special features.
Special features include: commentary by director/co-writer Jim Wynorski, actress Kelli Maroney, and co-writer/2nd unit director Steve Mitchell; commentary by historians/authors Nathaniel Thompson (Mondo Video) and Ryan Turek (Shock Till You Drop); commentary by director/co-writer Jim Wynorski and co-writer/2nd unit director Steve Mitchell; “Back to the Mall”; “Chopping Chopping Mall”; “The Killbots”; “Scoring Chopping Mall”; “The Robot Speaks”; “The Lost Scene”; “Army of One”; “Chopping Mall: Creating the Killbots”; isolated score track by Chuck Cirino; and trailer. (Lionsgate)
Empire: The Complete Second Season (DVD)
Three months have passed since Lucious Lyon’s (Terrence Howard) shocking arrest. Now, released from prison, he and Cookie (Taraji P. Henson) enter a hostile competition to dominate the music industry. Despite an ongoing feud between their sons Jamal and Hakeem, a stunning betrayal may unite the family against an outside takeover of Empire Entertainment Records. Meanwhile, Cookie learns a frightening truth about her new lover, and tragedy tests Andre’s newfound faith.
The first season was filled with drama, but in this second set of 18 episodes they find a way to step it up. For Lucious, secrets that spawned lies are all undone this season as his past comes into the light and the horrors of his childhood threaten his present. Hakeem’s rotating door of women comes back to smack him in more ways than one and he may finally be the one left with a broken heart. Jamal’s career is soaring to the delight of Cookie and alternating dismay of Lucious who struggles with being proud of the son he’s never accepted. Andre and Rhonda are stronger than ever, but their relationship faces another significant test. And Cookie is at the centre, just trying to hold it all together — whatever that may mean in any given moment. Each episode also includes at least one whole song, which becomes a little overwhelming if marathoning the season, as well as cameos by Naomi Campbell, Vivica A. Fox, Alicia Keys, Chris Rock, Adam Rodriguez, Marisa Tomei and Xzibit
Special features include: “Empire around the Globe: USO Tour”; Freda Gatz music video; studio sessions; “The Look of Empire”; and four uncut music performances. (Fox Home Entertainment)
High Noon (Blu-ray)
Lawman Will Kane (Gary Cooper) is a marshal who stands alone to defend a town of cowardly citizens against a gang of killers out for revenge. Engaged in the fight of his lifetime, Kane stands to lose everything when the clock strikes noon — his friends, his honour and his Quaker bride (Grace Kelly).
The film unfolds in nearly real time, counting down the minutes until the train carrying probable death rolls into town. In the meantime, Kane desperately tries to recruit men to stand with him against the hooligan he rid the town of to start. But every road leads to a dead-end as most are too afraid to face their former oppressor or worse, have the nerve to blame Kane for bringing trouble even though he’s the only reason it was made safe to walk the streets in the first place. One can understand their fear, but the others that resent him for being a good sheriff are dumbfounding. Kane’s new bride also struggles as she contemplates leaving town without him or staying to witness his potential murder. The film’s strict focus and timeline generates a lot of tension that makes this one of the best Westerns and won Cooper a best actor Oscar (the film won a total of four Academy Awards of seven nominations). Its contribution to the genre and general success is discussed in-depth in the bonus features.
Special features include: “A Ticking Clock,” Academy Award-nominee Mark Goldblatt on the editing; “A Stanley Kramer Production,” Michael Schlesinger on the eminent producer; “Imitation of Life: The Blacklist History of High Noon” with historian Larry Ceplair and blacklisted screenwriter Walter Bernstein; “Ulcers and Oscars: The Production History of High Noon,” a visual essay with rarely seen archival elements narrated by Anton Yelchin; “Uncitizened Kane,” an original essay by Sight & Sound editor Nick James; and theatrical trailer. (Olive Signature)
Hunt for the Wilderpeople (DVD)
Raised on hip-hop and foster care, defiant city kid Ricky (Julian Dennison) gets a fresh new start in the New Zealand countryside. He quickly finds himself at home with his new foster family: the loving Aunt Bella (Rima Te Wiata), grumpy Uncle Hec (Sam Neill) and dog Tupac. When a tragedy strikes that threatens to ship Ricky to another home, both he and Hec go on the run in the bush. As a national manhunt ensues, the newly branded outlaws must face their options: go out in a blaze of glory or overcome their differences and survive as a family.
This is unquestionably a family comedy, but not in the conventional sense as it’s also written and directed by What We Do in the Shadows‘ Taika Waititi. The Kiwi humour is sharp and unapologetic with no qualms about referring to Ricky’s weight, making fun of authorities or mislabelling Hec as a potential child abductor. The relationship between the man and boy is a cantankerous one as Hec would rather be alone and Ricky sees him as his only chance of staying out of juvey. More importantly Hec knows he can’t abandon the kid in the woods and gradually grows rather fond of him, and Rickey regards him as all the family he may have left in the world. Their multi-month evasion brings them into contact with some interesting characters, including a dying ranger, an attractive girl about Rickey’s age, a man who thinks they’re celebrities and, best of all, “Bush-Man” who’s lived in seclusion for a long time. It’s sweet, funny and further evidence Waititi is a talented filmmaker.
Special features include: commentary by director Taika Waititi and actors Sam Neill & Julian Dennison; behind-the-scenes featurette; and blooper reel. (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
Johnny Guitar (Blu-ray)
Vienna (Joan Crawford) is a saloon owner with a sordid past. Persecuted by the townspeople, she must protect her life and property when a lynch mob led by her sexually repressed rival, Emma Small (Mercedes McCambridge), attempts to frame her for a string of robberies she did not commit. Enter Johnny Guitar (Sterling Hayden), a guitar-strumming ex-gunfighter, who once was — and perhaps still is — in love with Vienna.
This is a unique Western in that the female characters are tougher than any of the men around them; they call the shots and are leaders of their opposing parties. While Vienna competently staves off the advances of her lovesick crew, Emma laments being unable to be with the young outlaw for whom she’s fallen. Although Vienna’s group is comprised of lawbreakers, it’s Emma’s mob that dresses in black and represents the villains of the story. Initially misunderstood, the film was not only a feminist narrative but was also meant as a veiled allegory for the McCarthy-era Red Scare. The multitude of academic commentary and featurettes in this special release provide a thorough explanation and exploration of the many appealing facets of the picture, as well as praise from master filmmaker Martin Scorsese.
Special features include: introduction by Martin Scorsese; commentary by historian and critic Geoff Andrew; “Tell Us She Was One of You: The Blacklist History of Johnny Guitar” with historian Larry Ceplair and blacklisted screenwriter Walter Bernstein; “Is Johnny Guitar a Feminist Western?: Questioning the Canon” with critics Miriam Bale, Kent Jones, Joe McElhaney and B. Ruby Rich; “Free Republic: The Story of Herb Yates and Republic studios” with archivist Marc Wanamaker; a critical appreciation of Nicholas Ray with critics Miriam Bale, Kent Jones, Joe McElhaney and B. Ruby Rich; “My Friend, the American Friend,” Nicholas Ray biographical piece with Tom Farrell; “Johnny Guitar: The First Existential Western,” an original essay by critic Jonathan Rosenbaum; and theatrical trailer. (Olive Signature)
Lady in White (Blu-ray)
For ten-year-old Frankie Scarletti (Lukas Haas), school isn’t just a place for learning. On Halloween 1962, after being forced to spend the night locked in the coffin-like confines of his fourth-grade cloakroom, Frankie discovers the ghost of a little girl who was murdered in the very same room ten years earlier by a serial killer that has eluded the police. With the death toll continuing to rise, Frankie, with the help of the girl’s restless spirit, takes it upon himself to bring the killer to justice.
This a very dark and complex ghost story, particularly for one that features such a young main character. Trapped in the cloakroom, Frankie is forced to watch the girl’s ghost relive her death by an invisible assailant. As the girl’s spirit seems to latch on to him, the boy must try to solve her murder by cracking a case that has stumped police for a decade and release her tormented soul. However, his investigation is complicated by the emergence of another ghost — the lady in white. The elder apparition haunts an old house and is the subject of legend. The combination of ghost story and murder-mystery is captivating in spite of the seemingly endless twists and exceptionally young protagonist.
Special features include: original theatrical cut, director’s cut and extended director’s cut of film; commentary by director Frank LaLoggia; introduction by director Frank LaLoggia; deleted scenes with introduction by director Frank LaLoggia; behind-the-scenes footage; promotion short film; behind-the-scenes photo montage; photo gallery; TV & radio spots; and theatrical and alternate trailer. (Scream Factory)
The Neon Demon (Blu-ray)
Jesse (Elle Fanning) has moved to Los Angeles to pursue her dreams of glamour and fame but must contend with the city’s dark side and her seedy hotel manager (Keanu Reeves). Though her high-powered agent (Christina Hendricks) and her new best friends, Ruby (Jena Malone), believe she’s got what it takes to be a top model, it’s a treacherous road to stardom. Thrust through the lens of an intimidating photographer and onto the runway of an infatuated designer, she clashes with a dangerous duo of bloodthirsty models who hunger for her youth and vitality, and will stop at nothing to devout it.
The visuals in this film range from arresting to aggressive as Nicolas Winding Refn captures everything from the beautiful yet sometimes grotesque to violent displays of colour and light. The opening scene zooms out to reveal a stunning scene of carnage, but is nothing when compared to the bloodlust revealed in the last act. The story is based on the classic tale of a small-town girl leaving home to become a model/actress in the big city, but that’s where it deviates from convention. Those who are expected to take advantage of Jesse end up being her most reliable champions, while her so-called support system is just waiting for its moment to take her down. The idea of being chewed up and spit out is taken to heart in this story, which leads to some fascinating developments throughout the script. Fanning walks a fine line between potential victim and manipulator, using the power of her youth to mesmerize everyone both subconsciously and intentionally. Consequently, she’s radiant through the entire movie.
Special features include: commentary by director Nicolas Winding Refn and actress Elle Fanning; “Behind the Soundtrack of The Neon Demon”; and “About The Neon Demon.” (D Films)
The Shallows (Blu-ray)
When Nancy (Blake Lively) is surfing on a secluded beach, she finds herself on the feeding ground of a great white shark. Though she is stranded only 200 yards from shore, survival proves to be the ultimate test of wills, requiring all of Nancy’s ingenuity, resourcefulness, and fortitude.
Like the uncharacteristically vengeful shark in Jaws, Nancy is confronted by a particularly patient fish with a long memory when she invades its feeding grounds off the coast of Mexico. From the moment they cross waves, the film becomes an intense chase of short, wet distances from jagged figurative lily pad to jagged figurative lily pad. In spite of limited resources, there always seems to be something new to try or some stranger’s attention to try and grab. Lively is trapped alone so she’s the audience’s only connection (unless they decide to identify with the shark). Having already established the sentimental reasons for her trip to this mesmerizing, secluded beach, it’s up to her to visually display her emotions through her facial expressions, which basically boil down to one: fear with a glimmer of hope.
Special features include: deleted scenes; “Shooting in The Shallows”; “How to Build a Shark”; “Finding the Perfect Beach: Lord Howe Island”; and “When Sharks Attack.” (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
