From the Big Screen:
“Acrimony.” For more information on other releases this week, see the Weekly Guide to Home Video Releases.
This Week’s Best Bets:
Given the paucity of new releases this month, it’s a pleasure to report on the many fine remastered, collectible and classic films due this week. In alphabetical order:
“The Addiction”: (1995) Philosophy student Kathleen (Lili Taylor) is dragged into an alleyway on her way home from class by Casanova (Annabella Sciorra) and bitten on the neck. She quickly falls ill but realizes this isn’t any ordinary
“The Banishment”: (2007 — Russia) Andrey Zvyagintsev (“Loveless,” “Leviathan”) proffers an ambitious exploration of the human condition in his second feature. Much like his critically acclaimed debut “The Return” (2003), the film investigates the bonds of family, this time tackling the relationship between a husband and wife. A trip to the pastoral countryside reveals a dark, sinister reality for a family from the city. Eschewing easy answers and tackling a wide array of themes, “The Banishment” poetically renders the persistent human state of exile from our surroundings. Based on the novel “The Laughing Matter” by William Saroyan. Stars Konstantin Lavronenko, Maria Bonnevie, Aleksandr Baluev. On DVD, Blu-ray, from Kino Lorber.
“Female Trouble”: (1974) Glamour has never been more grotesque than in “Female Trouble,” which injects the Hollywood melodrama with anarchic decadence. Divine, director John Waters’ larger-than-life muse, engulfs the screen with charisma as Dawn Davenport — who progresses from a teenage nightmare hell-bent on
“The Martian Chronicles”: (1980) Making contact was the beginning of the end … From the mind of legendary writer Ray Bradbury springs what is perhaps his most epic vision. Capturing mankind’s first venture into the colonization of another planet — and its tragic first contact with another species — “The Martian Chronicles” is a stunning achievement that will take you from the edge of your seat and to the stars. Earth is on the verge of extinction. To survive, mankind must find another place to live. And when three expeditions to Mars, headed by Col. John Wilder (Rock Hudson), find suitable conditions for relocations, humans pour in by the shipload, bringing the old evils of Earth with them. As Wilder begins to heed the lessons of the dying Martian civilization, can he save humanity from repeating its own doom? The three-part miniseries has been fully remastered. Co-stars Gayle Hunnicutt, Bernie Casey, Darren McGavin, Roddy McDowall, Bernadette Peters, Joyce Van Patten, Fritz Weaver, Maria Schell, James Faulkner. On DVD, Blu-ray, from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.
“The Return”: (2003 — Russia) This is the stunning debut feature of Russian master Andrey Zvyagintsev (“Leviathan,” “Loveless”), which won the Golden Lion for Best Picture, as well as the Best First Film award, at the Venice Film Festival. Young brothers Andrei (Vladimir Garin) and Ivan (Ivan Dobronravov) have grown close in a household their father (Konstantin Lavronenko) abandoned. But when they least expect it, the man the boys have never known returns. Eager and bewildered, Andrei and Ivan join this mysterious stranger for a week-long fishing trip. As they travel deeper into the Russian wilderness, their journey devolves from vacation to boot
“Vigil”: (1984 — New Zealand) Vincent Ward — once described as “the Antipodean Werner Herzog” — made his feature debut with “Vigil,” heralding his status as one of New Zealand’s most distinctive filmmaking talents. An 11-year-old grow attempting to get over the death of her father is determined to protect her family from a mysterious stranger that she believes to be the Devil. This New Zealand classic was the first from the country to screen in competition at the Cannes Film Festival and the film’s young star, Fiona Kay, was rewarded with a standing ovation. On Blu-ray from Arrow Video/MVD Entertainment.
From TV to Disc:
“Black Lightning: The Complete First Season” (2017) is a two-disc set with all 13 one-hour episodes of the series about a crusading school principal who gets back into action as the original African-American electrical superhero. On DVD, Blu-ray, from Warner.
Buzzin’ the ‘B’s:
In “Spinning Man” (2018), starring Guy Pierce, Pierce Brosnan, Minnie Driver and Jamie Kennedy, when a 17-year-old girl goes missing, family man and distinguished college professor Evan Birch’s (Pearce) life is turned upside down as circumstantial evidence convinces gruff Detective Malloy (Brosnan) that Birch is a prime suspect. As Malloy begins to peel back the layers of Birch’s past indiscretions with female students, and Birch’s wife (Driver) begins to question his alibi, Birch’s life starts to unravel, and suddenly the questions that he faces aren’t merely academic — they’re a matter of life and death. On DVD, Blu-ray, from Lionsgate …
For the Family:
“Turtle Tale “ (2015), with the voices of Mikey Bolts, Noah Schnacky, Tom Arnold, Ambyr Childers, Lydia Hull, Mary Rachel Dudle, is a family adventure awarded the Dove Seal of Approval that follows the adventures of sassy, outspoken box turtles Rafi and Hank and their friend, a gruff snapping turtle named Goliath. After vandals break into a nature park and kidnap Hank, it’s up to Rafi and Goliath to hit the trail in search of their missing friend. From Lionsgate.
Special Interest:
During the longest siege a capital city has faced in the history of modern warfare, and amid the mortars and grenades, a heavy metal band agreed to play a concert. The documentary “Scream for Me Sarajevo” (2017) is the astonishing story of the most unlikely of rock concerts, performed by Bruce Dickinson and his band Skunkworks in 1994. Risking their lives, they were smuggled into the besieged city to play a concert for its citizens amidst the chaos of war. The film is far from a straight concert movie and provides an insight into a wider story of the people of Sarajevo taking drastic measures to endure the privations of war and pushing the boundaries to survive. It reflects a thriving underground arts community who were living their lives in the shadow of war and making music in the face of devastating loss, and the huge impact the concert had on the people of Sarajevo at a time when they thought they had been forgotten by the rest of the world. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray, VOD, Digital. (Eagle Vision). Due June 29.
All DVDs and Blu-rays are screened on a reference system consisting of an Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray Disc Player w/SACD & DVD-Audio, a Rotel RSX-972 Surround Sound Receiver, and Phase Technology 1.1 (front), 33.1 (center), and 50 (rear) speakers, and Power 10 subwoofer.