Paramount:
Baywatch (2017) (**) The usual reliable presence of Dwayne Johnson can’t even save this big screen adaptation of the fondly remembered series of the 80s/early 90s. The best that can be said is that it’s tolerable. Extras include four featurettes and an extended cut of the film.
Chuck (2017) (***) The true story of the underdog boxer, Chuck Wepner (Liev Schreiber), who dared to go up against Muhammad Ali is the subject of this interesting biopic. Extras include a featurette.
Lionsgate:
The Circle (2017) (**) A young woman (Emma Watson) goes to work for a tech company, only to find herself in the midst of a morally dubious experiment. Tom Hanks also stars along with the late Bill Paxton and the late Glenne Headley. Extras include three featurettes.
How to be a Latin Lover (2017) (** ½) An aging paramour (Eugenio Derbez) has adjustments to make when he finds himself dumped by his older wife and, as a result, is forced to move back in with his sister (Salma Hayek) and her young son. Extras include deleted/extended scenes, two featurettes and audio commentary.
Britney: Every After (2017) (**) This Lifetime Channel biopic of Britney Spears is about what you’d expect. Still, if you’re among the curious… (DVD only) (No extras)
The Lovers (2017) (***) Tracy Letts and Debra Winger shine as an estranged husband and wife who find their passions for each other reignited, much to the consternation of their lovers. Extras include director commentary and two featurettes.
Warner:
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017) (**) Director Guy Richie attempts to tackle the King Arthur story but brings nothing new to the table. Extras include multiple featurettes.
Everything Everything (2017) (** ½) This adaptation of Nicola Yoon’s YA novel deals with a chronically ill teen, who is unable to leave her home. Things change, of course, when the hunky boy next door appears on the scene. Extras include a featurette and deleted scenes.
Going in Style (2017) (** ½) is a middling remake of the 1979 classic, substituting cheap laughs for the depth found in the original. Alan Arkin, Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine try their best but there’s only so much they can do. Extras include audio commentary and deleted scenes.
Twilight Time: (Pressings are limited to 3,000 units and can be ordered at www.screenarchives.com and www.twilighttimemovies.com)
Suddenly, Last Summer (1959) (**) This celebrated film adaptation of the classic Tennessee Williams play concerns a psychiatrist’s (Montgomery Clift) probing of a disturbed girl’s (Elizabeth Taylor) psyche, among other things. What may have worked for early sixties movie audiences now plays like an endurance test due to its talky, stage-bound nature and its thin plot. At least Katherine Hepburn is on hand to liven things up every now and then. Extras include theatrical trailer and isolated score track.
Eight Heads in a Duffle Bag (1997) (**1/2) Joe Pesci does a variation of his well known gangster persona in this comic tale of a hitman attempting to keep track of the eight heads of the film’s title, which leads to all sorts of comedic shenanigans. Extras include music track and theatrical trailer.
Kid Galahad (1962) (** ½) One of the brighter spots on Elvis Presley’s movie resume features the King as a former Army man moving back to his small town and falling into a career as a boxer. Gig Young and Charles Bronson provide nice support. Extras include isolated music track and theatrical trailer.
The Long Hot Summer (1958) (** ½) Paul Newman is a drifter who shakes up the ordinary lives of a wealthy Southern family in director Martin Ritt’s adaptation of a William Faulkner story. Aided immeasurably by a supporting cast, which includes Orson Welles, Joanne Woodward and Angela Lansbury. Extras include isolated score track, theatrical trailer, movietone newsreel and a featurette on the film’s production.
The Emperor in August (2015) (***) The final period of WWII in the waning days before Japan’s surrender are dramatized nicely in writer/director Masato Harada’s historical film. Extras include isolated music track and theatrical trailers.
Warner Archive: (Can be ordered online at www.wbshop.com)
The Man With Two Brains (1983) (***) Steve Martin stars in this cult comedy as a mad scientist who falls in love with a disembodied brain (voiced by Sissy Spacek) and becomes obsessed with implanting it in the body of his loveless wife (Kathleen Turner). No extras but finally having the movie in widescreen is reason enough to purchase this title.
My Blue Heaven (1990) (** ½) Steve Martin stars as Vinnie Antonelli, a mobster in the witness protection program who can’t seem to adjust to his new life, much to the consternation of the FBI agent (Rick Moranis) sent to watch over him. A pleasant diversion but not one of star Martin’s strongest vehicles. No Extras.
Freebie and the Bean (1974) (***) The cops of the film’s title (Alan Arkin, James Caan) are a mismatched duo who cause havoc everywhere they go while in pursuit of organized criminals. This one’s worth seeing alone for the film’s stunts. No Extras.
Night Moves (1975) (***) Gene Hackman is a troubled Los Angeles PI who gets in over his head when he takes on the case of a missing girl (Melanie Griffith, debuting here). Extras include a featurette and the film’s trailer.
Criterion:
The Breaking Point (1950) (***) John Garfield stars in this second adaptation of Hemmingway’s To Have and Have Not as a sea captain who takes on more than he bargained for in an effort to provide for his family. Extras include three featurettes, an essay and a 1962 episode of The Today Show showing contents of Ernest Hemmingway’s Key West home.
Meantime (1984) (** ½) British director Mike Leigh’s tale of a poverty stricken family trying to survive in working class London during the rule of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher is a slow burn that offers some great moments. This probably will appeal more to Leigh’s legions of fans than the average viewer. Tim Roth, Alfred Molina and Gary Oldman appear in early roles. Extras include multiple interviews and an essay.
Sid and Nancy (1986) (*** ½) The life and times of Sid Vicious—leader of the punk group, The Sex Pistols—and his doomed relationship with his girlfriend, Nancy Spungen, are the subject of director Alex Cox’s excellent biopic. Extras include numerous archived interviews with Vicious and Spungen, making of doc, essay book and several audio commentaries.
Vinegar Syndrome:
Snapshot (1979) (** ½) is the tale of a former hairdresser turned model (Sigrid Thornton) who finds herself being targeted by a stalker. Excellently shot by Vincent Monton, this was released stateside as The Day After Halloween. Extras include director commentary, alternate cut of the film, interviews and TV spots.
Olive Films:
The Island of Dr. Moreau (1977) (** ½) (DVD Only) is an updating of the 1933 chiller The Island of Lost Souls, featuring Burt Lancaster as a mad scientist obsessively cross breeding humans with animals. (The film was remade a third time nineteen years later with disastrous results.) Extras include audio commentary, featurette and a trailer.
Hell Up in Harlem (1973) (** ½) This sequel to Black Caesar finds that character (Fred Williamson) avenging the events in the conclusion of the first film. Extras include director commentary and a trailer.
Coming soon: They Shoot Horses Don’t They, Seven Beauties, The Mummy (2017), The Birthday Party, Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Illustrated Man, Waiting For Guffman, Mr. Mom, Wonder Woman, Close Encounters (40th anniversary).
Featured Image: Steve Martin in The Man With Two Brains
