CHICAGO – What to Watch is back! Miss us? Every week, we roll out 5-10 of the latest films and TV shows to be released on DVD, Blu-ray, and various streaming services. This week’s highlights include a few classics, a cult hit, a couple of recent comedies, and a family flick. In the order we’d advise buying or renting them…
“The Vivien Leigh Anniversary Collection”
Another WTW, another Cohen Media Group release. Seriously, the good folks at Cohen have been doing an amazing job of finding relatively obscure classics and recent foreign films and polishing them like they’re beloved worldwide. They’re rivaling Criterion and Scream Factory as studios for which every release truly matters. Their latest is a collection of four early films from the legendary Vivien Leigh, an actress best-known for “Gone with the Wind” and a true Hollywood icon. When you think of classic actresses, she’s one of the first faces to come to mind. One hopes that Cohen does more of these classic movie collections.
Synopsis:
4 classic Vivien Leigh films made prior to her legendary performance as Scarlet O’Hara on Gone With The Wind.
In celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the birth of screen legend Vivien Leigh, Cohen Film Collection, in collaboration with the British Film Institute, has created new 2K restorations of her most sparkling British films.
Films Include:
Fire Over England
Storm In A Teacup
Dark Journey
St. Martin’s Lane
Special Features:
o Featurette With Vivien Leigh Biographer Anne Edwards
o New Essay By Vivien Leigh Biographer Kendra Bean
o Original Theatrical Trailers
Where to Watch: Blu-ray, Amazon Instant Streaming
“Maniac Cop 2”
From Vivien Leigh to Robert Davi — you have to love the variety this week. Blue Underground is another small studio making great Blu-ray releases that you really should know more about. They released both “Maniac Cop 2” and “Maniac Cop 3” this week on Blu-ray. It’s impossible for me to sell someone unfamiliar with these films on the concept so let me just say that if you’re a fan of “Maniac Cop,” you’ll be happy.
Synopsis:
The Maniac Cop is back from the dead and stalking the streets of New York once more. Officer Matt Cordell was once a hero, but after being framed by corrupt superiors and brutally assaulted in prison, he sets out on a macabre mission of vengeance, teaming up with a vicious serial killer to track down those that wronged him and make them pay… with their lives!
Robert Davi (License To Kill), Claudia Christian (The Hidden), Michael Lerner (Barton Fink), Laurene Landon (Hundra), Leo Rossi (Halloween II), Robert Z’Dar (Tango & Cash), Charles Napier (The Silence Of The Lambs), and Bruce Campbell (The Evil Dead) star in this chilling, action-packed sequel written by Larry Cohen (It’s Alive) and directed by William Lustig (Maniac). Featuring a brand-new 4K High Definition transfer from the original camera negative, this definitive presentation of Maniac Cop 2 comes packed with exclusive Extras!
Special Features:
o Audio Commentary With Director William Lustig and Filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn
o Back On The Beat: The Making Of Maniac Cop 2
o Cinefamily Q&A With Director William Lustig
o Theatrical Trailers
o Poster & Still Gallery
o Deleted Scene
o Isolated Music Track
Where to Watch: Blu-ray, DVD, Amazon Instant Streaming, Vudu, iTunes
“Maniac Cop 3”
Synopsis:
When Officer Kate Sullivan storms a hostage situation, the whole incident is captured on tape by an unscrupulous media crew who edit the footage to show Kate killing a helpless victim. Now in a coma, Kate’s only hope is Detective Sean McKinney, who desperately tries to clear her name. But unbeknownst to him, “Maniac Cop” Matt Cordell takes it upon himself to exact revenge upon those responsible for smearing her name.
Returning stars Robert Davi (Profiler) and Robert Z’Dar (Beastmaster 2) are joined by Paul Gleason (Die Hard), Jackie Earle Haley (Watchmen), Julius Harris (Super Fly), Doug Savant (Melrose Place), and Robert Forster (Jackie Brown) in this thrilling third entry from Maniac Cop creator Larry Cohen (God Told Me To). Featuring a brand-new 4K High Definition transfer from the original uncensored negative, this definitive presentation of Maniac Cop 3: Badge Of Silence comes packed with exclusive Extras!
Special Features:
o Wrong Arm Of The Law: The Making Of Maniac Cop 3
o Deleted and Extended Scenes
o Theatrical Trailer
o Poster & Still Gallery
o Original Synopsis
Where to Watch: Blu-ray, DVD, Amazon Instant Streaming, Vudu
“Treme: The Complete Third Season”
I wish I liked “Treme” more. It’s a show that I respect thoroughly. It’s incredibly well-made, smart, and beautifully shot. The performances are great throughout and I have a feeling that I’ll go back when it’s all donw — after the soon-to-air final season — and be able to appreciate it more as a four-season work of art. Until then, pick this up, put it aside, and prepare to experience the whole thing when the fourth season becomes available on HBO Go in the very near future.
Synopsis:
First, the people came back. Then, the crime. Now, more than two years after the near death of a great city, the money is starting to arrive. For the people of New Orleans, even the promises of redevelopment come with strings attached, and every dollar that shows up carries with it new dynamics and new risks. Those who know and love the Crescent City must find their way back to what matters in the life of their city. Little of what they can bring to bear yields a quick result, and nothing about New Orleans works as it should. Nothing is easy, In the end, their only weapons are community. And culture.
Special Features:
o Down In The Treme: A Look At The Music And Culture Of New Orleans
o The Music Of Treme
o Behind Treme: Chef Dinner
o Behind Treme: Neville Brothers
o Behind Treme: David Simon
o Audio Commentaries
o Music Commentaries
Where to Watch: HBO Go, Blu-ray, DVD, Amazon Instant Streaming, Vudu, iTunes
“The To Do List”
I love the cast here. There are SO MANY talented and funny people in “The To Do List” that one wishes the final product was a bit smarter and funnier itself. It reminds one of better films too often to stand out, even with so many talented people involved. Still, there are a few moments that might warrant a rental on a snowy evening. And I want everyone involved to get a LOT more regular work. See it to support future, better movies.
Synopsis:
Class of ‘93 valedictorian Brandy Klark (Aubrey Plaza) wants to get “educated” before she goes off to college, so she assembles a “to do list” of all the sexual activities she missed out on in high school. Quickly realizing that she’s way out of her league, Brandy solicits her best friends, older sister (Rachel Bilson) and burnt-out boss (Bill Hader) for their help and advice. As Brandy crams for her sexual finals, a supporting cast of horny misfits - an orally-challenged classmate (Donald Glover), a grunge-singing doofus (Andy Samberg) - eagerly offer their assistance and shocking mayhem ensues…
Special Features:
o The Re-Do List: Gag Reel
o Maggie Carey: Directing Her To Do List
o Dirty Mouth: Naughty Word Montage
o Deleted & Extended Scenes
o Commentary With Bill Hader And Director Maggie Carey
Where to Watch: Blu-ray, DVD, Amazon Instant Streaming, Vudu, iTunes
“Tank Girl”
“Tank Girl” was a high-profile bomb when it was first released, practically ending the career of star Lori Petty. Over the years, audiences have taken to this punk-rock sci-fi flick, turning it into the kind of cult hit that should have been out on Blu-ray years ago. Seriously, what took so long? A great gift for those of you on your holiday shopping list with purple hair who are over 30.
Synopsis:
If you’re into in-your-face visuals, outrageous action sequences and non-stop explosive laughs, this is your “rip-roaring power surge of a movie” (L.A. Weekly).
The year’s 2033 and since a humongous meteor hit earth, the world just hasn’t been the same. No Movies, No Cable TV, NO WATER!!! A mega-villain, Kesslee (Malcolm McDowell), the leader of Water & Power, holds the world in his grasp since he controls all the H2O down to the last drop…or so he thinks. Two colossal enemies stand in his way: (1) The Rippers - an army of half-men/half-kangaroo people whose sole purpose is to bring down the W & P, and (2) a chick with a tank and tons of attitude - a.k.a. Tank Girl (Lori Petty). Kesslee had better get a grip on reality and his water jugs because not even a run in her stocking is going to stop her from saving the world.
Special Features:
o Audio Commentary With Director Rachel Talalay And Actress Lori Petty
o Interviews With Lori Petty and Production Designer Catherine Hardwicke
o Vintage Featurette
o Theatrical Trailer
Where to Watch: Blu-ray
“Crystal Fairy and the Magical Cactus”
The first film I saw at Sundance this year is this Michael Cera road trip with a great supporting performance from Gaby Hoffman but a grating one from Michael Cera and a story that meanders as much as its influenced characters. There are some good ideas in this movie that was made as a lark while the producers were waiting for more financing on “Magic Magic” but they never come together. For hardcore Cera fans only.
From Matt Fagerholm’s theatrical review [23]: “Though its overarching structure is more or less familiar, the execution is jarringly unpredictable in ways both exciting and frustrating. The picture frequently lurches between moments of visceral intensity, such as the Jamie’s disturbing initial reaction to the San Pedro, and forced whimsy.”
Synopsis:
During a road trip through Chile, boorish American expatriate Jamie (Michael Cera) and three Chilean brothers plan to set off in search of the prized San Pedro cactus and its promise of unrivaled hallucinations. But during a night’s drunken stupor Jamie invites free-spirited fellow American Crystal Fairy (Gaby Hoffmann) along on their psychedelic-driven journey, and before long Crystal’s devil-may-care attitude gives them more of an adventure than any of them had bargained for. “A mix of the acerbic, the spaced out and the heartfelt” (Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times), director Sebastian Silva’s (The Maid) Crystal Fairy & The Magical Cactus is a coming-of-age road movie experience unlike any other.
Special Features:
o Behind the Scenes
o Trailer
Where to Watch: Netflix, Blu-ray, DVD, Amazon Instant Streaming, iTunes
“We’re the Millers”
Jason Sudeikis had a surprisingly strong comedy hit this summer with this disappointing flick about a drug dealer forced to form a fake family to smuggle weed across the border. The great concept is wasted on a dull script that’s simply not funny despite the best efforts of its talented cast. Every time it threatens to become something consistently engaging, there’s a scene like the one in which Aniston has to prove her status as a stripper that brings the entire thing to a grinding halt. Too long, not funny, and more annoying than enjoyable. And that’s coming from someone who would call himself a fan of every member of the cast. I can’t imagine how you’ll feel if you’re not.
From Patrick McDonald’s ">film review: “There was a point in “We’re the Millers” when the story fell off the table like a Slinky from a mountaintop. It’s as if other writers took over from a far superior dark comedy, and injected “heart” and middle age “stripping.” This all adds up to a difficult 110 minutes of lost life time.”
Synopsis:
Small-time pot dealer David Clark (Jason Sudeikis) must become a big-time drug smuggler, and devises a foolproof plan. He convinces his neighbors - stripper Rose (Jennifer Aniston), loser Kenny (Will Poulter) and runaway Casey (Emma Roberts) - to create a fake family. With one huge RV and a ton of laughs, the Millers head south of the border for a Fourth of July weekend that is sure to end with a bang.
Special Features:
o 45 Minutes Of Smoking-Hot Extras
o Outrageous Outtakes
o Millers Unleashed
o Gag Reel
o Deleted Scenes
o Extreme Aniston
o The Miller Makeovers
Where to Watch: Blu-ray, DVD, Amazon Instant Streaming, Vudu, iTunes
“Planes”
Just awful. This cheap tie-in to the “Cars” franchise is more creatively bankrupt than most Saturday morning cartoons. It’s designed to play off the families with kids who love the Pixar auto hits and might want to see something similar in the sky. While I’m not a fan of “Cars” and HATE “Cars 2” at least those had strong production values and good voice work, neither of which is on display here. Everything about “Planes” screams commercial product instead of creative one. And it doesn’t even work at that. The ultimate test? My two kids, one of whom love actual planes, checked out after about twenty minutes.
Synopsis:
The world of Cars takes flight in Planes, Disney’s high-flying animated comedy revved up with action and adventure. Join Dusty, a crop duster with sky-high dreams and a once-in-a-lifetime chance to take on the world’s fastest flyers in the greatest air race ever. Dusty has a huge heart but two big problems… he’s not exactly built for speed, plus he’s afraid of heights. His courage is put to the ultimate test as this unlikely hero aims higher than he ever imagined. With a little help from his friends, Dusty finds the courage to be more than he was built for - and the inspiration to soar. Experience Disney’s uplifting story of bravery and friendship on Blu-ray with never-before-seen bonus features.
Special Features:
o Deleted Scenes
o Exclusive! Franz’s Song
o Top Ten Flyers: Count Down The World’s Most Famous Aviators With Host Colin Cowherd
o Meet The Racers
o Klay’s Flight Plan
o Digital Copy Included
Where to Watch: Blu-ray, DVD, Amazon Instant Streaming, Vudu, iTunes
 [24] | By BRIAN TALLERICO [25] |
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[5] http://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/disney
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[13] http://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/netflix
[14] http://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/planes
[15] http://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/tank-girl
[16] http://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/the-to-do-list
[17] http://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/the-vivien-leigh-anniversary-collection
[18] http://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/treme
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