Welcome to another installment of This Week on Blu-ray, where I tell you what the big releases are and whether they’re worth getting. I’ll start this week off with an apology for the lack of an article last week. I think we should also be honest with ourselves and say that there wasn’t really anything of consequence anyway. Now that we’re past that, let’s get into the nitty-gritty of it all.
If you love magic and Dave Franco, brother of the occasionally good James Franco, we’ve got a little movie called Now You See Me 2. I didn’t happen to catch this one (or the original), but maybe you’re down for magicians robbing banks for charity. I can guarantee you that this film will be equally if not more ridiculous than the original. Its got Daniel Radcliffe, Mark Ruffalo, Morgan Freeman, and Woody Harrelson all in the same movie! I might have to actually give it a watch . . .
Let’s talk about a movie that should’ve been made in the late ’90s: Jodie Foster’s Money Monster. Christopher Cross and I get into the film with a little more depth here, but in short, we thought it was a decent little film. It’s hard to call a film little when it stars both George Clooney and Julia Roberts, but after watching multiple films about ending the world, everything else is bound to feel a little small.
There’s nothing wrong with a bit of small scale when it comes to film. Director Whit Stillman would probably pride himself in being a small scale filmmaker. Case in point, the period comedy Love & Friendship. I can’t say that it’s up there with the director’s greatest achievements, but the acting from Kate Beckinsale and the always reliable Chloe Sevigny is worth the 90-minute runtime alone.
Before we jump into the release of the week, some of you would probably like to know that the latest seasons of The Flash and Supernatural are out now. Is Supernatural really in its 11th season? Are some of you still watching it? If you want a little bit of unsubtle storytelling and audience baiting, come take a look at The People v. O. J. Simpson. Part of the new American Crime Story anthology television series, John Travolta does the best performance while under botox that I’ve ever seen. That alone almost makes it worth sitting through an episode. This show has been receiving quite the critical acclaim though, so don’t just take my word for it.
In specialty releases, Shout Select brings out the Patrick Swayze classic, Road House. If you’re one of the few that doesn’t own one of many Road House releases, now’s your chance to pick up one of the action pinnacles from the late ’80s. Criterion has a good little film in Night Train to Munich. Carol Reed, best known for The Third Man and Odd Man Out, directs this film surrounded in spy and nazi intrigue. This is an unfortunate bare-bones release, but the film will probably make it worth the money.
For our release of the week, we’ve got the breakthrough film from Brad Bird, 1999’s The Iron Giant. With the new Signature Edition we get a new restoration as well as a brand new documentary focusing on the early life of Brad Bird and the development of the film. Believe it or not, fellow millennials, this was probably your introduction to Vin Diesel. Yes, he played the Iron Giant. No, I don’t understand the logic of it either.
Well that’s it for this week. We’ve got another huge week for Blu-rays when I get back to you next time. The Conjuring 2 is coming out! And you’re never gonna believe it when I tell you that Captain America: Civil War is coming out and won’t be the movie I recommend for the week. Please chime in and let us know what you think. Until next time . . .