This week sees the release of several notable new releases. The ones that most people are going to buy are Furious 7 and Cinderella, and the ones indie buffs are likely to pick up are Heaven Knows What and The Overnight (unfortunately only available on DVD), but I’d like to get a good word out for Love & Mercy, the Brian Wilson biopic which thankfully avoids many of the pitfalls associated with these kind of movies. In fact, it often more strongly resembles Todd Haynes’ I’m Not There than the likes of Ray or Walk the Line (no doubt because that film’s co-writer, Oren Moverman, co-wrote this as well), what with the back-and-forth structure between young Wilson (Paul Dano) and older Wilson (John Cusack) and Atticus Ross’s music, which is less of a score than a transmission from Brian Wilson’s head. Plus it has excellent performances from Dano, Cusack, Elizabeth Banks, and Paul Giamatti (playing the one person in Wilson’s life who was even worse than Mike Love), and lovely, sun-kissed cinematography by Wes Anderson alum Robert Yeoman. It’s definitely worth checking out if you haven’t done so already.
As for catalog titles, Criterion stays in the Kieslowski business by releasing his 1981/87 masterwork Blind Chance, which, in synopsis form, is basically Sliding Doors, but good. Unfortunately, not a lot of features are included, but the transfer is such a massive leap from the old DVD that it makes this release essential on its own. If you’re in the mood for a good old sleazy horror movie, Arrow Video has you covered with Eaten Alive, Tobe Hooper’s follow-up to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which Arrow has given a 2K restoration and spit-polish, plus a wealth of new and old features, including new interviews with Hooper and several cast and crew members. And if you missed Arrow’s extensive box set on the unfortunately-forgotten Polish director Walerian Borowczyk, Arrow has you covered with individual releases of two of Borowczyk’s most infamous films, Immoral Tales and The Beast.
The Beast (Arrow)
The Big Picture (Mill Creek)
Billy Two Hats (Kino)
Blind Chance (Criterion)
Cinderella (Disney)
Eaten Alive (Arrow)
Fast & Furious 1-7 Collection (Limited Edition) (Universal)
Furious 7 (Extended Edition) (Universal)
Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (Unrated Producer’s Cut) (Liongate)
Heaven Knows What (Anchor Bay)
House of the Long Shadows (Kino)
Immoral Tales (Arrow Video)
The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst (HBO)
Jumanji (20th Anniversary Edition) (Sony)
The Legacy (Shout! Factory)
Love & Mercy (Lionsgate)
Monkey Kingdom (Disney)
Murder, My Sweet (Warner)
Nightingale (HBO)
The Overnight (Paramount, DVD-only)
Reality (Shout! Factory)
Spaced Invaders (Mill Creek)
Unforgettable (Kino)
Zardoz (Arrow, UK-only, Region B)