The following article was written by my friend and colleague Alonso Duralde. You can learn more about him HERE.
WHAT’S NEW ON DVD/BLU-RAY/4K IN FEBRUARY: WICKED, IN THE SUMMERS, YOU’RE NEXT, OSCAR MICHEAUX, AND MORE!
NEW RELEASE WALL
Wicked (Universal): So we’re about a year away from a lavish box set featuring both halves of this bifurcated musical, but if you’re a superfan, you might as well dig into this first release, which offers a “sing-along” version of Wicked Witch of the West’s origin story, along with deleted and extended scenes as well as two separate commentary tracks – one from director Jon M. Chu, the other from co-stars (and Oscar nominees) Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. If you were a fan of this stage-to-film adaptation, make space on your shelf for this new 4K (or Blu-ray).
Also available:
Hard Truths (Decal Bleecker): One of the great injustices of this year’s Academy Awards race was the exclusion of Marianne Jean-Baptiste’s sublime work from the Best Actress category, but now Mike Leigh’s poignant and piercing drama can live forever in your collection.
Juror #2 (Warner Bros. Discovery): Clint Eastwood’s latest (and last?) directorial effort was originally set to be consigned to Max, but his many admirers no doubt appreciate that the film got a theatrical run and, now, a physical-media release.
Last Summer (Janus Contemporaries): French firebrand Catherine Breillat concocts another powerful drama that goes to squirmy places when examining the vagaries of sexual attraction.
Nosferatu (Universal): Robert Eggers takes a crack at the Murnau classic.
Oh, Canada (Kino Lorber): Writer-director Paul Schrader reunites with his American Gigolo star Richard Gere for this film about a documentarian looking back on his life; Jacob Elordi plays the younger version of Gere’s character in this Russell Banks adaptation.
The Order (Vertical): It’s a showcase for American accents as FBI agent Jude Law tracks down white-nationalist terrorist Nicholas Hoult.
A Real Pain (Searchlight): Jesse Eisenberg’s sophomore directorial effort has been winning awards across the board for Eisenberg’s script and Kieran Culkin’s performance, but Eisenberg’s acting here is some of his best, as well.
September 5 (Paramount): This tersely-edited Oscar nominee for Best Original Screenplay takes us inside the ABC Sports control room as the producers and reporters covering the 1972 Olympics suddenly found themselves yards away from an unfolding hostage situation.
NEW INDIE
In the Summers (Music Box Films): One of the best unsung films of 2024, this Sundance award-winner marks a potent debut from writer-director Alessandra Lacorazza. Rapper Residente stars as a divorced dad trying to get his life in order, hosting his two children every summer. But as the years pass, we see him succumb to addiction while the kids go through emotional journeys of their own. Understated and moving, this is the kind of subtle drama to which many indies aspire.
Also available:
Daddy (Anchor Bay): Four men in a future dystopia attend a mysterious weekend workshop to see if they qualify to become fathers.
Naked Acts (The Milestone Cinematheque): Bridgett M. Davis’ acclaimed indie feature returns in a new restored Blu-ray decades after its original run. (I had the privilege of screening the film at the 1996 USA Film Festival, and I’m thrilled that it’s finding a new audience decades later.)
NEW INTERNATIONAL
The Other Widow (Greenwich): A playwright’s mistress insists on attending his shiva, where she gets uncomfortably close to his wife, in this Israeli comedy-drama.
Panda Plan (Well Go USA): Jackie Chan adopts a panda and then fights to keep it out of the hands of a criminal syndicate in this action comedy.
The Road to Eilat (Kino Lorber): A father and son travel cross-country on a tractor in what sounds like a Middle Eastern spin on The Straight Story.
NEW DOCUMENTARY
Dinner with Leatherface (Anchor Bay): Co-stars from The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and other horror icons gather to tell the story of cult star Gunnar Hansen.
Nadia (IndiePix): This doc follows the one-of-a-kind journey of Nadia Nadim, who escaped war-torn Kabul to become one of the world’s leading soccer players.
Trinity (First Run Features): This “philosophical documentary” examines the ongoing legacy of the atomic bomb, on New Mexico, on Japan, on the world.
Without Arrows (First Run Features): A look at 13 years in the lives of an indigenousLakȟóta family.
NEW GRINDHOUSE
You’re Next (Lionsgate): One of the most acclaimed and influential horror films of the last 15 years, Adam Wingard’s breakthrough hit makes its 4K debut. A family gathers for a wedding anniversary celebration, and the killers who come after them soon realize they’ve vastly underestimated one of their prey. But which one?
Also available:
100 Yards (Well Go USA): Bridging satire and homage, this 1920s-set martial-arts saga pays tribute to old-school kung fu epics.
Alice, Sweet Alice (Arrow): Young Brooke Shields stars in this cult favorite, a slasher steeped in Catholic imagery and teachings.
The Carpenter (Vinegar Syndrome): Wings Hauser stars as the titular workman, who might be a fragile woman’s guardian angel, or might have an even more sinister agenda.
Curse of the Devil / The Vampires Night Orgy / Demon Witch Child (Vinegar Syndrome): A triptych of gory, sexy Spanish horror from the 1970s.
Dinosaur Valley Girls (Visual Vengeance): Blu-ray debut for this genre spoof, which features Karen Black and William Marshall.
The Forbidden Kingdom (Lionsgate): Jet Li and Jackie Chan join forces in this martial-arts fave, now presented in a 4K steelbook.
Graveyard Shift (KL Studio Classics): This new 4K release of the Stephen King adaptation features a commentary track from Howard S. Berger and Marc Edward Heuck.
Hokuriku Proxy War (Radiance): A loose-cannon gangster finds himself targeted by low-level bosses and major syndicate players alike; co-stars Sonny Chiba.
Joy of Sex (Cinématographe): Given that Martha Coolidge’s comedy was much meddled with over the course of its production and distribution, this new collection’s interview with Coolidge (and commentary from Elizabeth Purchell and Katie Rife) should shed new light on a mishandled entry from a major filmmaker’s oeuvre.
Kill Them All and Come Back Alone/The Hellbenders (KL Studio Classics): Two servings of spaghetti Western, now in 4K.
Legend of the Eight Samurai (Eureka): This box-office hit from the director of Battle Royale makes its Blu-ray debut outside of Japan; co-stars Sonny Chiba.
The Mansion of Madness (Vinegar Syndrome Labs): In this 1972 Mexican horror film, a journalist visits a controversial asylum and discovers that all is not as it should be.
The Mask of Satan (Severin Films): Lamberto Bava re-imagines his father Mario Bava’s classic Black Sunday in this 1989 cult fave.
Monster from the Ocean Floor (Film Masters): This 4K restoration of Roger Corman’s undersea saga comes loaded with extras.
Weekend in Taipei (Ketchup): Luke Evans and Sung Kang get caught up in action in the titular city.
White Cannibal Queen (Vinegar Syndrome): Jess Franco rethinks The Searchers as a cannibal jungle saga in this 1980 sleazefest.
NEW CLASSIC
Oscar Micheaux: The Complete Collection andOscar Micheaux: The Superhero of Black Filmmaking (both Kino Classics): Legendary director and producer Oscar Micheaux created Black cinema in this country, creating his own system of production and distribution in an era when Hollywood could hardly be bothered to feature actors, let alone filmmakers, of color. The Complete Collection features five discs with more than 16 hours of Micheaux’s surviving works (including seven new restorations), while Francesco Zippel’s 2021 documentary salutes the artist’s life and creations.
Also available:
Amadeus (Warner Bros. Discovery): Milos Forman’s tale of art, spirituality, and jealousy makes its 4K debut.
The Cat (Radiance): Dominik Graf’s breathlessly thrilling bank-heist drama makes its Blu-ray debut outside of Germany.
A Certain Killer / A Killer’s Key (Arrow): Two stylish gangster dramas from director Kazuo Mori.
The Conqueror (KL Studio Classics): This film is famous for all the wrong reasons, both as a legendary disaster (John Wayne IS Genghis Khan!) and as a tragic bit of Hollywood history, as radiation from nearby atomic testing during the film’s Utah shoot apparently led to the rampant number of deaths by cancer among the cast and crew.
Constantine (Warner Bros. Discovery): Keanu Reeves as DC Comics’ paranormal investigator, plus Tilda Swinton as an androgynous archangel, now in 4K.
Cronos (The Criterion Collection): Guillermo del Toro’s breakout feature makes its 4K debut.
Crossing Delancey (The Criterion Collection): Probably the best-known feature from trailblazing independent filmmaker Joan Micklin Silver, this ultra-charming rom-com stars Amy Irving as a Manhattan sophisticate whose old-school aunt hires a matchmaker who introduces her niece to Peter Riegert’s pickle vendor.
Cruising (Arrow): Decades later, William Friedkin’s thriller set in New York’s gay leather underworld invokes passionate responses from admirers and detractors alike; this 4K release offers a wealth of supplemental material, including commentaries, interviews, deleted scenes, and a 120-page booklet.
Drugstore Cowboy (The Criterion Collection): Gus Van Sant scored his first mainstream critical and audience hit with this tale of desperate addicts, starring Matt Dillon and Kelly Lynch.
Female Perversions (Cinématographe): Tilda Swinton stars as a bisexual attorney juggling her carnal pursuits (with the likes of Clancy Brown and Karen Sillas) and her complicated relationship with sister Amy Madigan in Susan Streitfeld’s acclaimed indie.
Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema XXIII (KL Studio Classics): A new collection of smoky, sinful drama, featuring Never Love a Stranger, Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye, and Rope of Sand.
Frances (KL Studio Classics): Jessica Lange scored an Oscar nomination for this biopic of Hollywood legend Frances Farmer.
Hot Pursuit (KL Studio Classics): John Cusack followed The Sure Thing with another teen road-trip comedy, this time set in the Caribbean.
Lifeguard (Fun City Editions): Sam Elliott stars as an aging King of the Beach who faces down the reality of mid-life in this seminal 1970s drama.
King Lear (The Criterion Collection): The combination of Jean-Luc Godard, William Shakespeare, and Cannon Films was always going to be a volatile one, and nearly 40 years later, the film finally makes its US Blu-ray debut, including interviews with co-stars Molly Ringwald and Peter Sellars, as well as the movie’s biggest fan, New Yorker film critic William Brody.
Performance (The Criterion Collection): Mick Jagger and James Fox play a rocker and a gangster who swap identities in this legendary freak-out.
Play It Again, Sam (KL Studio Classics): Herbert Ross directs Woody Allen in an adaptation of Allen’s play about a nebbish who gets romantic advice from the ghost of Humphrey Bogart.
The Possession of Joel Delaney (Vinegar Syndrome): Shirley MacLaine and Perry King star in this upscale horror classic, making its 4K debut.
Punch-Drunk Love (The Criterion Collection): First 4K release for Paul Thomas Anderson’s astringent romantic comedy.
The Sacrifice (Kino Classics): The Andrei Tarkovsky sci-fi classic, now in 4K.
Summer Rental (KL Studio Classics): Half of director Carl Reiner’s “Summer” diptych, this comedy sees patriarch John Candy navigating a family beach vacation.
The Third Man (Lionsgate): Carol Reed’s gripping post-war thriller, starring Joseph Cotton and Orson Welles, gets its first 4K release.
Uncle Buck (KL Studio Classics): Did we need a 4K release of this John Hughes/John Candy comedy, mostly remembered as Hughes’ first collaboration with future Home Alone star Macaulay Culkin? We got one, in any event.
Whore (Kino Cult): Theresa Russell stars in Ken Russell’s naturalist, anti–Pretty Woman drama. (Also the greatest title ever uttered by the Moviefone guy.)
NEW TV
Documentary Now!: The Complete Series (Mill Creek Entertainment): There’s something brilliantly nerdy about Fred Armisen and Bill Hader’s series of satires of beloved documentaries. It’s one thing for SNL to spoof well-known TV shows and movies, but this program required viewers to have at least a working knowledge of films like Grey Gardens, Nanook of the North, The War Room, and Original Cast Album: Company if they wanted to get the jokes. (Having Helen Mirren provide a seemingly-serious introduction to each episode was the icing on the cake.) Watch the hilarious take-offs, and then go back and check out what’s being parodied here.
Also available:
Are You Being Served?: The Movie (KL Studio Classics): This 1977 feature film takes the department-store employees of the beloved British sitcom on a trip to Costa Rica.
Noble House (KL Studio Classics): With the newShōgun racking up viewers and awards, it’s not surprising we’re getting a new release of another James Clavell miniseries.
Truth Be Told: The Complete Series (Fifth Season): This Apple TV series stars Octavia Spencer as a journalist who solves crime.
