With the Academy Awards approaching, many of the nominated films — and one foreign film that deservedly expected a nomination — are making their way onto the home market.  But, hey!  There’s also The Interview and Dumb and Dumber To!

Nightcrawler  (Nominated for Best Original Screenplay)  In the dark fringes of Los Angeles, people are always striving to catch a break, to earn a dollar, to make a name.  Jake Gyllenhaal gives a magnificently feral performance as Louis Bloom, a thief willing to sell others’ souls for his gain.

Lou’s the type of talentless chum whose grand ambitions and self-help mantras should land him at the bottom rung of a pyramid scheme — but he instead stumbles upon an old alchemical formula: blood + camera footage = money.

It’s the blackest of comedies that also contains some of the best-staged and lensed practical action sequences of 2014.

Riggan Thompson discovered that cartoon blood + camera footage + latex cowls = lots of money.  Due to his success, his own ego has been supplanted by that of his superhero character, Birdman.

Birdman, or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) explores Riggan’s attempts to reshape his legacy while grappling with numerous unreliable elements — his mind, his daughter and his finances — during final rehearsals for his Broadway stage debut.

A propulsive jazz score, fluid camerawork, fire-cracker comic performances (and a lovely, grounded turn by Emma Stone) make this movie soar.

Michael Keaton’s biggest competition in the Best Actor category is undoubtedly Eddie Redmayne, nominated for playing Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything.  The film’s success is equally due to Felicity Jones’ nominated performance as Jane Hawking.

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, vying for Best Animated Feature, is exquisitely hand-drawn by legendary animator and Studio Ghibli co-founder, Isao Takahata.  This quietly entrancing fable’s simple style belies a rich critique of patriarchal systems and fairy tale tropes.  The odd, dream-like finale is magical.

Lastly, the ‘snubs’.  For Best Foreign Film:

Force Majeure [Blu-ray]

A devastatingly funny destruction of family and gender roles, this comedy of manners plays like a Larry David script lensed by Michael Haneke.  I saw it at Fantastic Fest 2014 and went back to the theater with friends when it arrived locally.  It’s best to see with an audience — or with someone you think you love…

For Best Documentary:

Life Itself
This biographical film about Roger Ebert, inspired by his memoir, is a remarkable testament to Ebert’s adage that movies are ‘…the most powerful empathy machine in all of the arts’.  The film fits its title.

CRITERION

Roger Ebert’s list of Great Movies includes Nicolas Roeg’s psychological horror masterpiece, Don’t Look Now [Blu-ray], (based on a ghost story by Daphne du Maurier.)  Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie are a married couple haunted by a family tragedy while taking a sabbatical in Venice.  The film’s cinematography, editing and score are legendary.  You will never forget the little red jacket…

Criterion’s new 4K digital restoration with uncompressed monaural soundtrack is the best home viewing experience available.    The Blu-Ray includes interviews with Danny Boyle and Steven Soderbergh discussing Roeg’s influence.

Criterion also releases Yasujiro Ozu’s elegiac last film, An Autumn Afternoon and A Day in the Country, a short film from Jean Renoir.

TV

More films will be found below, but this week’s TV releases are terrific.

If you follow this year’s Groundhog’s Day either more Winter is Coming (in PA) or Blood Will Be Shed (WI).  In either case, what better way to celebrate large rodents and frigid temperatures than Game of Thrones: Season 4 !!!

And — if you like warriors defending Earth from evil hordes, don’t miss out on the original series that gave rise to the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.  Finally, Super Sentai Zyuranger: The Complete Series debuts in North America.  Uncover the true origins behind all the (same) action scenes you watched (repeatedly) in MMPR!  Plus: Find out who Bandora is, and discover the secret to her longevity.  (She’s over 170 million years old!)  Don’t wait!  Buy now!

If you like genteel time-travelers saving the world from evil hordes, it’s never too late to celebrate Last Christmas (Blu-ray) with the citizens of Dr. Who-ville!!!

The award-winning HBO mini-series Olive Kitteridge stars Frances McDormand (as the title character), Richard Jenkins and Bill Murray.  Directed by Lisa Cholodenko (The Kids are All Right).  It’s been called a masterpiece.  Many proclaim McDormand’s performance to be the best of her career.

Captain Scarlet and The Mysterons: The Complete Series  The year is 2068.  Earth’s greatest defense team, Spectrum, must protect Earth from a sinister race of Martians called the Mysterons.  These evil aliens can assume the likeness of any person or thing they destroy.  Only the indestructible Captain Scarlet and his red hot car can combat the invasion.

This is another classic British SUPERMARIONATION! series from Gerry Anderson (Thunderbirds; Space: 1999; Stingray).  The 4-disc set includes all 32 episodes of the original run.  Check it out now, and keep your eye out for WETA Workshop’s Thunderbirds Are Go! reboot, premiering later this year.

Earth: A New Wild  This look at our wild planet visits five continents, exploring plains, forests and bodies of water.  But it is much more than eye candy.  The series explores the wild kingdom as it really is — with humans in the picture.  Dr. M. Sanjayan journeys to the frontiers of where man and animal meet to discover the scientists, engineers and fishermen working to preserve and enrich our planet.

Finally, Season One of Starz’ directorial face-off series, The Chair, arrives along with the DVD release of Shane Dawson’s winning film, Not Cool!  (For Zachary Quinto, the movie apparently lived up to its name, as he took his name off the end product.)  I imagine Hollidaysburg is sipping piña coladas on some tropical beach, and will come to home theaters when it’s good and ready.

 

GENRE

V/H/S: Viral is the third installment of the anthology horror series.  Beware generational loss.

Sub Rosa Studios is one of the boutique labels keeping straight-to-video horror alive with limited-edition clamshell-encased V/H/S releases.  (Also, DVD & Blu-Ray.)  Their latest release is Massage Parlor Of Death…where there are NO HAPPY ENDINGS!

Shout Factory brings an overlooked 1989 version of The Phantom Of The Opera to Blu-Ray.  Starring Robert Englund, it is considered by many horror fans to be one of the best (and bloodiest) film versions of Gaston Leroux’s chilling tale.

RE-ISSUES

If you love Fifty Shades of Gray, you might want to (re-)visit some of the soft-core classics directed by French auteur, Just Jaeckin  and starring Sylvia Kristel.  It’s not Emmanuelle, but Olive Films has released a new Blu-Ray transfer of Jaeckin’s take of the D.H. Lawrence classic, Lady Chatterley’s Lover.
More nudity in this one, folks!

If you want your titillation served with lots of energy but more demure clothing choices, Olive is also releasing Beach Blanket Bingo and Muscle Beach Party (starring Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello) on Blu-Ray.  Buddy Hackett, Don Rickles and Peter Lorre (!) appear amidst the bikinis and beefcake.

Want to see the beach get destroyed by bikers?  Watch Wild Angels [Blu-ray].  Directed by B-movie king Roger Corman and featuring Peter Fonda, Nancy Sinatra and Bruce Dern, it was the first movie to feature the Hell’s Angels and inaugurated the ‘youth-in-revolt’ genre.  Behind the scenes crew members included soon-to-be-legendary filmmakers Monte Hellman and Peter Bogdanovich.

F.I.S.T [Blu-ray] was Sylvester Stallone’s first follow-up film to Rocky.  He plays Johnny Kovak (loosely based on Jimmy Hoffa), a blue-collar worker who becomes involved in the labor union leadership of the Federation of Inter-State Truckers (F.I.S.T.)  He compromises his principles, making illegal deals to help expand the union’s influence.  The superlative supporting cast includes Rod Steiger, Peter Boyle and Brian Dennehy.  This Blu-Ray release includes interviews with director Norman Jewison and co-screenwriter Joe Eszterhas.

 

INDIE

Festival favorite Lilting stars Ben Whishaw (aka 007’s Q) as Richard, a man who reaches out to his deceased partner’s mother — a Cambodian refugee living in London.  This attentive film shows their attempts to bridge divides — age, culture, sexuality and language — after losing the man they both loved.

 

The Homesman  Tommy Lee Jones directed and stars in this Western about a man traveling east with a wagon-ful of ‘mad women.’

In Your Eyes  A telepathic love story written by Joss Whedon and directed by Brian Hill.

 

FOREIGN

Stray Dogs [Blu-ray]

Tsia Ming-liang announced his retirement from filmmaking upon winning the Venice Film Festival’s Grand Jury prize for this film.  His use of long takes immerses viewers in the story of a man and his two young children struggling to survive on the streets of Taipei.  The Blu-Ray also includes a short film, Journey to the West, a conversation with Tsai Ming-Liang about filmmaking, and an essay by critic Jonathan Rosenbaum.

Le Pont du Nord [Blu-ray] (Rivette)
From Jacques Rivette, this cinematic puzzle features two women playing a cabalistic game, following a map that brings them to perilous points of time and space throughout Paris’ arrondissements.

DOCUMENTARY

Terms and Conditions May Apply   Want to learn more about how you are selling your soul to billion-dollar corporations?  This documentary will tell you about all the rights you’re giving away online, whenever you click ‘Agree’.

Click on our Amazon link to purchase:

For months now, I’ve been tunneling deeper and deeper into the week’s Blu-Ray and DVD releases — and consuming more and more airtime.  Now that our website’s been resurrected, here’s my first attempt at providing a weekly on-line reference that will serve as your very own rabbit-hole.  You will find a range of categories: Anime, (New to) Blu-Ray, Criterion, Documentary, Fantastic Fest, Foreign, Genre, Indie & TV.  Please click on our Amazon link for any purchases you may make — (many of these releases are also available now on Amazon Instant Video) — and send some coin our way!

INDIES

Justin Simien’s satire about college campus race relations, “Dear White People”, won a Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Talent at Sundance Film Festival 2014.  The film had a highly successful Indiegogo campaign, where Simien spoke of his desire to launch a new wave of “Black Art-House” cinema, last seen in the heyday of Spike Lee and John Singleton.  He succeeded wildly when “Dear White People” earned a record box office take for a crowdfunded film — dethroning Zach Braff’s “Wish I Was Here”.

Buy Dear White People on Amazon

 

“The Retrieval” — This stunning-looking period piece played too few theaters.  Set in 1864, it is the story of Will, an orphan in the employ of white bounty hunters, who’s sent to retrieve a wanted freedman or face death.  Director Chris Eske’s interview with Filmmaker Magazine contains many insights into the casting, costuming and CGI efforts required to recreate the period.

Get The Retrieval on [Blu-ray]

In Starred Up, a young offender (Jack O’Connell) gets transferred to the same jailhouse where his father (Ben Mendelsohn) is held.  O’Connell’s intensely physical character work anchors this acclaimed film (Rotten Tomato fresh ranking: 99%) and showcases the qualities that made him one of 2014’s breakout stars.  (He also played Louis Zamperini in “Unbroken.”)   Directed by David Mackenzie.

Buy Starred Up on Amazon

Alexandra Essoe’s role in Starry Eyes is another breakout performance — one that breaks skin and bone and spills a lot of blood depicting the travails of a striving Hollywood actor who promises to do anything for a truly transformative part.

Shop for Starry Eyes on [Blu-ray]

The Disappearance of Elanor Rigby, starring Jessica Chastain and James McAvoy, is an ambitious triptych depicting a marriage under strain from different viewpoints — similar in theme to Showtime’s series, The Affair.  It was originally released as two films, Him and Her, then re-edited at the behest of Harvey Weinstein into a single film: Them.  The multiple variations may have proved daunting to track down in cinemas, but should prove a worthwhile undertaking in the home theater.

Get The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby on BD/UV [Blu-ray]

FOREIGN

Boys (Jongens) A Dutch coming-out story that subverts the traditional arc by making the main protagonist, Sieger, the one who tries to quash his inclinations.  The story succeeds most in its depiction of Sieger’s misbegotten romance with a young woman, Jessica.

Click here to bring “Boys” home.

Once Upon A Time, Veronica This sensual sleeper film from Brazil, about a female mental health therapist who begins questioning the meaning of her own life, was inspired by the works of Ingmar Bergman and Mike Leigh.  Filmed in the port city of Recife, it features an acclaimed performance by Hermila Guedes as Veronica, along with award-winning cinematography and score.

Order Once Upon a Time Veronica on DVD

 

ANIME
Coppelion (Blu-Ray/DVD Combo) Anime series about three genetically engineered teenage girls who enter into a post-holocaust Tokyo  to rescue those who were left behind.

Get Coppelion: The Complete Series (BD Combo) [Blu-ray]

Three Studio Ghibli/Disney combo Blu-Ray/DVD releases include works from recently ‘retired’ master animators, Isao Takahata (whose The Tale of Princess Kaguya is nominated for Best Animated Film) and Hayao Miyazaki.

Get The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (Blu-ray + DVD)

Takahata’s Pom Poko (1994) has a community of shape-shifting tanuki (raccoon dogs) fighting to protect their forest homes from encroaching suburban development.  Note: tanuki are not raccoons.  They are adorable raccoon dogs that have bulging pouches (where they store their nuts).  They also make for adorable sake and tea sets.

Get Pom Poko [Blu-ray]

 

Miyazaki’s Porco Rosso (1992) tells of a porcine ex-WWI fighter pilot who fights sky pirates during the rise of Fascism.  It features many of Miyazaki’s dazzling aerial sequences.

Get Porco Rosso [Blu-ray]

Finally, Tales from Earthsea (2006), the debut directorial undertaking of Hayao Miyazaki’s son, Goro, makes its Blu-Ray debut.  Adapted from Ursula K. LeGuin’s series.

Get Tales From Earthsea [Blu-ray]

I also recommend The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness for insight into Studio Ghibli’s history, workings and uncertain future…

Buy Kingdom of Dreams & Madness from Amazon

GENRE

ABCs of Death 2: A series of short films featuring shocking methods of death that progress alphabetically.  The first film quickly evolved into a parlour game for gore-hounds.  Each film gets its title ‘post-mortem’, as it were — allowing viewers the opportunity to guess the method of dispatch.  I felt ABCs 2 was an improvement upon the original when I saw it at Fantastic Fest (but see the first for Xavier Gens’ ‘XXL’!)
Buy ABCs of Death 2 [Blu-ray]
Check out the NSFW trailer:

John Wick: This Keanu Reeves action flick made a great impression at its Fantastic Fest premiere.  Directed by Reeves’ former stunt double, it features cleanly choreographed action sequences and a fantastically realized world where hitmen are their own caste.  This film bests ‘The Raid 2’ for efficient, yet colorful, kick-ass martial arts action.
Buy John Wick [Blu-ray]
And if you’re looking for great pulp noir heroes, I still cannot recommend Charlie Huston’s Hank Thompson
and Joe Pitt book series highly enough!

Exists Eduardo Sanchez co-directed ‘The Blair Witch Project’, basically creating the ‘found-footage’ horror genre.  This well-reviewed film marks his return to, well, footage found in the woods — this time with Bigfoot!

Buy “Exists” from Amazon

Sinbad: The Fifth Voyage: OMG, this looks so bad = awesome = really, really bad.  But maybe super awesome!?  Stiff acting, stop motion animation and CGI combine to tell the story of ‘Sanbad’s’ fifth voyage.  You know — two before the one documented by Ray Harryhausen.  Giant Flick’s film features voice work from Patrick Stewart, and it was filmed in ‘Super Animotion’!

Get Sinbad: The Fifth Voyage on DVD

*DARK MATTERS
The Demon’s Rook Director James Sizemore demonstrates that one needs no more than a fog machine, a woodsy backyard, some spooky synth work, and brilliant latex practical effects to make all hell break loose in this neon-lit homage to 80s Italian giallo.  Also check out ‘Goat Witch‘.

Buy Demon’s Rook on Amazon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9pY5xGa1Pc

CRITERION

Every Man for Himself (Directed by Jean-Luc Godard; Starring Jacques Dutronc, Isabelle Huppert & Nathalie Baye)

Jean-Luc Godard continues to re-shape modern cinema, as evidenced by the National Society of Film Critics’ selection of his 3-D film essay, Goodbye To Language as 2014’s best film.  Criterion presents one of his earlier ‘returns’ to narrative-based cinema — a movie about ‘sex, work and the stunted promise of the sixties.’  Richard Linklater presented a screening of “Every Man” at the Austin Film Society.  Vincent Canby of the New York Times decreed it “a tonic…a single seamless endeavor, a stunning, original work…(that) will outlive us all.”

Get Every Man For Himself on [Blu-ray]

DOCUMENTARIES

Video Games: The Movie  Produced by Zach Braff, (making his second appearance in this column: Hi, Zach!)  Check out our interview with director Jeremy Snead here!
Buy Video Games: The Movie

The Case Against 8 A Sundance and SXSW festival winner, this HBO Documentary presents the behind-the-scenes story of two couples’ battle to overturn California’s Proposition 8 before the Supreme Court.  Direct access to their unlikely legal team of Ted Olson and David Boies (opposing sides in the Supreme Court’s infamous Bush v. Gore recount case) provides an interesting angle.
Buy The Case Against 8

The Overnighters (Drafthouse): Another heralded Sundance winner (for Intuitive Filmmaking!) Migratory workers hunting for fracking jobs in a small North Dakota town find a place of refuge in the local Lutheran church.  But the pastor’s attempt at outreach brings cries of outrage from his embattled congregation and community.  Director Jesse Moss’ ’embedded’ approach brings an intimate touch to a deeply American story of religion, economics and environment.  The film reportedly culminates in a stunning surprise ending.  Released by Drafthouse Films.
Buy The Overnighters on Amazon

Richard Pryor: Omit the Logic A briskly-paced BBC Four/Showtime biographical documentary about Richard Pryor.  Directed by Marina Zenovich (‘Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired’)
Richard Pryor: Omit the Logic [Blu-ray]

TV SERIES

Black Omnibus: James Earl Jones hosted this 1973 public television series, filmed in Los Angeles during the same period as the Wattstax music festival.  It features an eclectic range of interviews and performances with prominent African-American musicians, comedians and other cultural figures, including the afore-mentioned Richard Pryor, as well as Alex Haley, Rufus Thomas, Taj Mahal, and many more. (Four discs, 13 episodes.)
Get Black Omnibus on Amazon

The Wonder Years: Season 2: Rewatch the series and add your own nostalgic monologue!
Get Wonder Years Season 2 (4DVD)

BLU-RAY DEBUTS

About Schmidt (Jack Nicholson; Directed by Alexander Payne)
An American Tail(Fievel!)
Diner (You ever get the feeling there’s something going on that we don’t know about?  Watch this movie and learn how it changed pop culture!)
Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story [Blu-ray](Jason Scott Lee)
Kull the Conqueror(Kevin Sorbo)
Love & Basketball [Blu-ray] (Omar Epps & Sanaa Lathan; Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood; “Beyond the Lights”
Lust For Life (Kirk Douglas; Directed by Vicente Minnelli)