Ant-Man (Blu-ray, DVD & Digital copy)
Armed with the amazing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, master thief Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) joins forces with his new mentor Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) to protect the secret behind his spectacular Ant-Man suit from ruthless villains. With humanity’s fate in the balance, Pym and Lang must plan and pull off a daring heist against insurmountable odds.
Like many comic book heroes, Scott’s virtue is not immediately visible. He is a convicted criminal who falls back on bad habits when things get hard. But he’s also in search of redemption and a loving father who would do anything for his daughter. In addition to shrinking to the size of a bug, Ant-Man’s suit provides unbelievable strength for such a small creature. The scenes in which Scott communicates with ants are some of the movie’s most incredible as he commands the obedient insects while being their equivalent in size. And yet in spite of all the seamless integration, this is not your typical Marvel movie. For one, there are very few explosions. And even though Scott gains some hand-to-hand combat skills, the nature of his character is less confrontational and more stealth. Rudd is flawless and a welcome addition to the universe. He is one of the main reasons this movie is as much fun as it is thanks to his charming and vulnerable portrayal of the unintentional hero.
Special features include: commentary by director Peyton Reed and Paul Rudd; deleted and extended scenes; “Making of an Ant-Sized Heist: A How-to Guide”; “Let’s Go to the Macroverse”; and “WHIH News Front.” (Marvel Studio)
Under the Dome: Season 3 (Blu-ray)
After a life-changing experience in the tunnels beneath the town, the people of Chester’s Mill are trying to move on. But the arrival of a new resident and an opportunistic corporation prove that’s not going to be easy. As the Dome’s purpose begins to unravel, it becomes clear that some won’t make it out alive.
The story picks up where the previous season left off, but the developing storyline is anything but predictable. Still remaining within author Stephen King‘s prescribed brief timeline, the situation in Chester’s Mill continues to rapidly escalate. This season is surprisingly even more far-fetched than the last. The conspiracy theories and schemes uncovered require a lot of commitment and patience from viewers who are able to stay engaged by the action and characters’ relationships. Friends become enemies and more people die as the dome continues to guide them toward some unknown destiny. The concluding season does bring everything to a satisfactory if not equally bizarre end; though in true King fashion it’s never completely over.
Special features include: extended and deleted scenes; “Return to the Dome: A Look at Season 3”; behind-the-scenes featurette; “The Season Finale”; “The Device”; “Meet Indy the Dog”; and gag reel. (Paramount Home Media Distribution)
Women’s Prison Massacre (Blu-ray)
Sultry reporter Emanuelle (Laura Gemser) is on the verge of breaking a big story about a corrupt politician when she gets framed and sent to a women’s prison. There, incarcerated women face unspeakable cruelty and inhumane conditions — and that’s before a quartet of dangerous men are temporarily transferred to the facility. When the felonious four overpower the guards and take over, it’s up to Emanuelle and her fellow inmates to take control of the prison and their very lives.
This is an Italian production with an English dub, so if you’re one to enjoy the absurdity that tends to generate then this movie may be of interest. The dialogue is simply awful, though the voice cast is mostly appropriate to represent caricatures of the characters. But the other half of this picture is it’s entirely exploitative, regularly finding reasons to undress the actresses and leaving them at the mercy of the criminals who take over the prison – a situation the supposedly sex-starved women consider a privilege rather than a threat, resulting in a bizarre orgy through prison bars. This type of ridiculous exploitation cinema certainly has an audience, but it’s unlikely to appeal beyond these specific tastes.
There are no special features. (Scream Factory)
Zoo: Season One (Blu-ray)
Animals have been hunted, enslaved and slaughtered by humans for millennia… now it’s their turn. From Africa to Los Angeles, humans are viciously attacked by animals. When a maverick zoologist (James Wolk), a French intelligence agent (Nora Arnezeder), and an activist blogger (Kristen Connolly) investigate the phenomenon, they discover the attacks are motivated by something far deadlier than animal instinct.
With so many potential natural and engineered threats looming in the near and distant future, there’s no shortage of ideas or hypotheses to inspire the creators of fiction. In this case, whether synthetically aroused or the product of evolution, animals fighting to regain the upper-hand in the world is an intriguing concept with many possibilities. Each animal is affected differently by the change and they react in ways uncommon but conceivable within their species. Bats, lions and wolves are major players in the initial phases, which allows for some interesting human interactions. The human investigators are very different from each other, though their unique personalities and qualifications makes them relatively interesting; and the pair from Africa are undoubtedly the most charismatic.
Special features include: deleted and extended scenes; “Zoo Unleashed: Creating Season One”; “Distressed to Kill”; “Animal Kingdom”; “A Virtual Zoo: Visual Effects”; “James on James”; “Zoo at Comic-Con”; “The Animals of Zoo: Real and Imagained”; and gag reel. (Paramount Home Media Distribution)
