The Ballad of Lefty Brown (Blu-ray & Digital copy)
When famed frontier lawman and Montana’s first elected senator Eddie Johnson (Peter Fonda) is brutally murdered, his long-time sidekick and friend, Lefty Brown (Bill Pullman), will stop at nothing to avenge his death.
This is somewhat of an ode to the classic Western as the picture features a number of heroes on horseback whose feats have become legend; yet, it’s a sidekick who’s pushed to the forefront to avenge his partner’s murder. Lefty has a good heart and never could’ve thought ill of his friend, but his years of devotion only directs suspicion his way. There is just one woman with a significant role in the picture, but her position is difficult since her gender limits her options and the anger she harbours towards her prescribed inferiority needs a target, deserving or not. Overall the movie feels a little long, but the acting is excellent.
Special features include: commentary by director Jared Moshe and actor Bill Pullman; “Bringing the Truth to Myth: Inside the Characters of The Ballad of Lefty Brown”; and “Designing the Look of The Ballad of Lefty Brown.” (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
Brotherhood of Blades II: The Infernal Battle (Blu-ray & DVD)
An Imperial Guard captain, Shen Lian (Chang Chen), searches for the truth behind a conspiracy that framed him and his partners. The proof of his innocence lies with a wanted woman named Bei Zhai (Yang Mi)… but will she reveal what she knows? In this intense prequel to Brotherhood of Blades, the only thing he can truly trust is his sword.
Positioned as a prequel to Brotherhood of Blades, corruption, ambition and absolute loyalty combine to obstruct the work of the imperial guard. In an odd twist, Shen’s appreciation for art puts him in a compromising position, as does his attraction to the shrouded Bei Zhai who captured his interests long before they ever met. The wuxia action is sharp and expertly incorporated into the narrative, including a traditional standoff in a bamboo forest. However, even though the complicated story can be difficult to follow at times, it’s those same complexities that make the narrative so compelling.
Special features include: behind-the-scenes featurette; and trailer. (Well Go USA)
The Deuce: The Complete First Season (Blu-ray & Digital copy)
The series chronicles the rise of the porn industry that began in New York City in 1971-72, driven by the gradual legalization of porn and a politically motivated effort to “clean up” Times Square. Seizing the chance to cash in on the nascent porn business are a vivid assortment of characters, including: Vincent Martino (James Franco), a bartender with vision and connections; Frankie Martino (Franco again), Vincent’s identical twin, a dangerously freewheeling counterpart to his entrepreneurial brother; Candy (Maggie Gyllenhaal), a self-made, on-the-street sex worker eying a new career in porn filmmaking; pimps C.C. (Gary Carr) and Larry Brown (Gbenga Akinnagbe); young prostitutes Darlene (Dominique Fishback) and Lori (Emily Meade); midtown cop Chris Alston (Lawrence Gilliard, Jr.); newspaper reporter Sandra Washington (Natalie Paul); mob capo Rudy Pipilo (Michael Rispoli); disillusioned college student Abby Parker (Margarita Levieva); and several others.
This series dives hard and deep into the seedy underbelly of ‘70s New York. The pimps run the streets as somewhat of a conglomerate, each respecting each other’s boundaries and agreements. The prostitutes move between street corners, hourly motel rooms, back alleys and jail cells on a nearly regular rotation. However, with a little encouragement from the mob alongside their political influence and money, things change very quickly. As immorality is moved indoors, within brothels and in front of cameras, some characters have difficulty adjusting while others thrive in this renewed atmosphere. However, the final episode is a harsh reminder that transformation isn’t absolute or immediate. The acting in this series is superb, which is a major reason this intricately weaved story is so compelling.
Special features include: commentary on select episodes; “Inside the Episodes”; “The Deuce in Focus”; and “The Wild West: New York in the Early ’70s.” (HBO Home Entertainment)
Drag Me to Hell [Collector’s Edition] (Blu-ray)
Christine Brown (Alison Lohman) is on her way to having it all: a devoted boyfriend (Justin Long), a hard-earned job promotion, and a bright future. But when she has to make a tough decision that evicts an elderly woman from her house, Christine becomes the victim of an evil curse. Now she has only three days to dissuade a dark spirit from stealing her soul before she is dragged to hell for an eternity of unthinkable torment.
Even though director Sam Raimi began his career with gory, over-the-top horror, it’s been some time since he contributed to the genre. Having been invited to play in the superhero sand, it seemed he’d left his oddball origins behind — and then this film was announced. Reviving many of the special effects techniques used in the Evil Dead pictures, Raimi produced a practical horror movie that made a lot of demands on its actors in the name of old school entertainment. Christine pretty much experiences the worst week of her life with a gusher of a bloody nose, a corpse spewing into her mouth, a possessed man trying to kill her and a fly exiting her body during an important dinner. Consulting experts and participating in disturbing séances does her little good, which leads to a brutal cadaver fight and a great ending. Also, the new cover art is very striking.
Special features include: unrated and theatrical versions of the film; vintage interviews with director Sam Raimi and actors Alison Lohman and Justin Long; “To Hell and Back”; “Curses!”; “Hitting All the Right Notes”; production diaries; still gallery; TV spots; and theatrical trailer. (Scream Factory)
The Gruesome Twosome (Blu-ray)
The young women of a small-town American college have more than just split-ends to worry about… Down at the Little Wig Shop, the batty Mrs. Pringle (Elizabeth Davis) and her socially-inept son Rodney (Chris Martell) are procuring only the finest heads of hair — by scalping the local co-eds. Can they be stopped before they clear the entire campus of luxuriant-haired ladies?
According to the bonus features, this was one of the first films to mix gore and humour, paving the way for better remembered horror comedy classics like Dead Alive and the Evil Dead franchise. It is a fairly silly movie that relies on an old woman luring (or pushing) young women with luscious locks into a darkened room where her son waits to grotesquely scalp or disembowel them — because he needs his fun too. The over-the-top performances of the mother-son killers are a definitive element of the film. However, this movie is overshadowed by the silliness of the Dracula tale conveyed in the accompanying feature, A Taste of Blood. Centred on a group of characters who don’t really appear to think through their actions, it’s quite funny to watch them bumble through this take on the vampire classic.
Special features include: A Taste of Blood full-length feature; commentaries for both films by HG Lewis; introductions to the films by HG Lewis “Peaches Christ Flips Her Wig!”; “It Came from Florida”; HG Lewis vs. the Censors; radio spots; theatrical trailer; and reversible sleeve featuring original and newly-commissioned artwork by The Twins of Evil. (Arrow Video)
Hell or High Water (4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray & Digital copy)
When a desperate father (Chris Pine) learns that the bank is going to take his family’s land, he and his ex-con brother (Ben Foster) are left with no choice. They decide to rob the bank’s branches, putting themselves in the crosshairs of an aging Texas Ranger (Jeff Bridges) in a riveting story of crime, punishment, and brotherly love.
Although the premise may sound familiar, this is a highly original Western. The Howards are not hardened criminals or career thieves. Tanner has somewhat of a violent past, but the bank robberies are a matter of necessity — his little brother needs his help and he can’t say “no.” Similarly, Toby is the farthest thing from a delinquent. He lives a quiet, unglamorous life on the dilapidated ranch, but desperation can force a man to do things he never dreamed possible. Their personalities couldn’t be more different; however, the brotherly love they share, which has survived years of hardship and separation, is obvious throughout the entire picture. The dialogue in this movie is exceptional. It achieves a balance between the picture’s grit and a dark, unexpected humour. In between all the drama, audiences will find themselves smiling and even laughing far more often than the premise suggests. It’s amazing what filmmakers accomplish in a single diner scene with an exchange between the Rangers and a crotchety old waitress.
Special features include: “Enemies Forever: The Characters of Hell or High Water”; “Visualizing the Heart of America”; “Damaged Heroes: The Performances of Hell or High Water”; filmmaker Q&A; and red carpet premiere. (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
Hellraiser: Judgment (Blu-ray & Digital copy)
The dreaded Pinhead returns in the next terrifying chapter of the classic Hellraiser series. Three detectives trying to stop a diabolical serial killer are sucked into a maze of otherworldly horror, where hellish denizens including the Auditor, the Assessor, and the Jury await to pass judgment.
This is a new sequel to the classic horror franchise created by Clive Barker, which uses its focus on the worst of humanity to upset, shock and/or gross-out audiences. It begins with the trial of a man who’s eluded police, but undoubtedly deserves punishment. The three steps of his hearing become increasingly visceral (and probably shouldn’t be viewed during any sort of mealtime). However, the role of the serial killer at the centre of the narrative grows more curious as the movie progresses. The latest iteration of Pinhead still calls the shots, but one of the more interesting scenes occurs when his authority is questioned. With no shortage of carnage and a touch of humour, this picture does well not to tarnish the legacy of its predecessor.
Special features include: deleted and extended scenes; and gag reel. (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
Inoperable (DVD)
A young woman (Danielle Harris) wakes up in a seemingly evacuated hospital with a hurricane approaching that has awakened malevolent forces inside. She realizes she must escape the hospital before the hurricane passes. Or she will be trapped there forever.
Apparently trapped in some sort of a time loop, the circuit always appears to begin the same but the events that follow differ. There’s no rhyme or reason to what is occurring or why it continues to change, except that it gets weirder and more dangerous each time she wakes up. The eventual explanation for everything doesn’t clarify much, if anything, outside of the obvious excuse for this script, which doesn’t warrant all the additional scenes tagged onto the end or make the picture any more worth the viewer’s time.
Special features include: commentary by cast and crew; and trailer. (Cinedigm)
Orchestra Rehearsal (Blu-ray)
An allegorical pseudo-documentary, the film depicts an Italian television crew’s visit to a dilapidated auditorium (a converted 13th-century church) to meet an orchestra assembling to rehearse under the instruction of a tyrannical conductor. The TV crew interviews the various musicians who each speak lovingly about their chosen instruments. However, as petty squabbles break out amid the different factions of the ensemble, and the conductor berates his musicians, the meeting descends into anarchy and vandalism. A destructive crescendo ensues before the musicians regroup and play together once more in perfect harmony.
Federico Fellini‘s love of cinema vérité is accentuated in this picture, which, although fictional, features a television crew documenting the day’s rehearsal. The interviews with the musicians are generally the most enticing as it allows the individual characters to shine more than the fly-on-the-wall approach used to capture their playing and interactions with each other. Moreover, their agitated pleas to their union representative regarding the presence of the crew, which is almost immediately followed by someone gleefully participating, are quite amusing. The subtitle for the film reads, “The decline of the West in C Major,” which refers to the alarming anarchy that erupts when the musicians decide the conductor is tyrannical. An unexpected intrusion brings everything to a stop and pulls each player back to the music before the screen fades to black on this absurd day-in-the-life.
Special features include: “Richard Dyer on Nino Rota and Orchestra Rehearsal”; “Orchestrating Discord”; still gallery; and reversible sleeve featuring two original artwork options. (Arrow Academy)
Rebels on Pointe (DVD)
Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo is an all-male, drag ballet company founded more than 40 years ago in New York City on the heels of the Stonewall riots, and has a passionate cult following around the world. The film juxtaposes behind-the-scenes access, rich archives and history, engaging character driven stories, and dance performances shot in North America, Europe and Japan.
If they’ve never travelled to your city, you’ve likely never heard of them. However, they’ve been selling out shows around the world for decades and this is simply another stage on which they can strut their talent. This documentary is fascinating as it explores how these men have defied tradition in order to follow their dreams of dance by looking at the troupe’s history, the backgrounds of several dancers and their relationships to each other. With choreographers/directors who’ve graduated from the cast and former ballerinas of prestigious companies guiding the dancers, they put on shows that rival any other ballet company — but with a better sense of humour.
Special features include: backstage outtakes and interviews. (Icarus Films)
Trump: The Art of the Insult (DVD)
Thirty years after he authored “The Art of the Deal,” Donald Trump used “The Art of the Insult” to brand political opponents and bash the media all the way to the White House. While critics insisted “The Donald” was merely a chaotic sideshow, Trump was dominating the 24-hour news cycle with a master plan of political incorrectness. Hurling insults like Low-Energy Jeb, Lyin’ Ted, Crooked Hillary, Little Marco, Pocahontas, and Fake News, Trump emerged in 2016 as an unstoppable political phenomenon who transformed the Presidential race into the greatest show on earth. This film tells the story of Trump’s improbable journey from Trump Tower to rallies across America to the debate stage, where he reveled in mocking and taunting rivals with targeted insults and nicknames, leaving them gasping for air. Not only did he push frontrunner Jeb Bush out of the Presidential race early on, Trump proved him wrong when Bush lectured during a debate “Donald, you can’t insult your way to the Presidency.”
This is not so much a film as a long clip reel that pieces together a significant number of Trump’s insults. They are grouped by their target, as there doesn’t seem to be a shortage of slights once he’s honed in on someone or something. Giving people inappropriate nicknames, inciting violence at his rallies and harping on untruths are just some of the many occasions highlighted in this release. However, they are edited together objectively so that the viewer can form their own opinion of these events; a Trump supporter may view the compilation as proof of his no-nonsense approach to politics and strength as a leader, while a detractor is sure to see the footage as examples of the many reasons why Trump is not fit to run a country. In either case, the picture is pieced together well in spite of having no actual narrative or direction.
There are no special features. (MVD Visual)
Wonder (4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray & Digital copy)
The film tells the story of the Pullman family, whose youngest child, Auggie (Jacob Tremblay), is a boy born with facial differences. When Auggie enters mainstream elementary school for the first time, his extraordinary journey unites his family, his school, and his community, and proves that “you can’t blend in when you were born to stand out.”
This is the heartfelt story of a boy who is involuntarily tasked with helping those around him be better people. Although his experiences are heightened because of his differences, some kids are inevitably nice while others are horrible bullies. Tremblay captures the complex the emotions of this boy flawlessly so that the audience is right there next to Auggie throughout the movie, empathizing with but not pitying him. His sister, played by Izabela Vidovic, also has an important role in the narrative as she tries to normalize the kid experience for him as much as possible, not babying him like their mother (Julia Roberts) or relying on humour like their dad (Owen Wilson). The great part about this film is it doesn’t try to manipulate its audience to feel a certain way, but instead lets the story unfold and viewers feel as they wish.
Special features include: commentary by Stephen Chbosky and R.J. Palacio; “Summer of Fun” five-part documentary; “A Child’s Sense of Wonder”; “What a Wonderful World”; soundtrack behind-the-scenes featurette; and “Brand New Eyes” music video. (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
