Paramount:
Office Christmas Party (2016) (**) To impress a client, a couple of hard partying office workers (TJ Miller, Jason Bateman) decide to stage a massive Christmas party. Bland in the extreme. Extras include: Unrated cut of the film, deleted/extended scenes, director commentary and a featurette.
Monster Trucks (2016) (* 1/2) is a family film in the Transformers vein, albeit one that doesn’t work. Here, a teen looking to escape from his dull small town builds a monster truck which comes in handy when he later tangles with a creature. Extras include three featurettes, gag reel, production diaries and deleted scenes.
Warner Archive (can be purchased at www.wbshop.com)
Spencer’s Mountain (1963) (** 1/2) stars Henry Fonda as a hard working Wyoming farmer trying to provide a living for his wife (Maureen O’ Hara) and family in rural Wyoming. This was the precursor to the long running TV series, The Waltons. Extras include a featurette, trailer and interviews with star Henry Fonda.
Ride the High Country (1962) (*** ½) One of director Sam Peckinpah’s earliest efforts as a director and also one of his all time best. This tale of a retired lawman transporting a load of gold with a traitorous friend in tow provides Joel McCrea and Randolph Scott with some of the best work of their later years. Extras include a featurette and audio commentary.
The Wheeler Dealers (1963) (***) stars James Garner as a Texas flim flam man who runs out of money and enlists a stock analyst (Lee Remick) in his latest scheme. No extras.
Olive Films:
Ophelia (1962) (** ½) is French director Claude Chabrol’s reworking of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. No extras
The Walerian Borowczyk Short Film Collection (ratings vary) Fifteen of the Polish director’s short films spanning the years 1959-84 are featured in this collection. Extras include an introduction by director Terry Gilliam and an interview with Borowczyk.
Criterion:
Rumble Fish (1983) (**) is director Francis Ford Coppola’s technically dazzling but dramatically inert adaptation of the celebrated S.E. Hinton young adult novel. Extras include director commentary, new interviews with cast/crew, archival interviews, a pair of documentaries, music video and theatrical trailer.
Tampopo (1985) (** ½) If a Japanese film about people cooking noodles sounds enticing this one’s for you. Two truck drivers attempt to get into the restaurant business in this cult film. An acquired taste, pun intended. Extras include a ninety minute documentary on the making of the film, video essay, theatrical trailers and interviews.
Audrey Hepburn, How to steal a million (1966) starring Peter O’Toole
Well Go USA Entertainment: Punching Henry (** 1/2) A comedian (Henry Phillips) gets the chance to turn his act into a TV show but things do not go as planned in this interesting comedy vehicle. Extras include featurettes.
Twilight Time (limited to 3,000 units and available for order at www.screenarchives.com and www.twilighttimemovies.com)
The Fortune Cookie (1966) (***) was the first onscreen teaming of Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau. Matthau nabbed an Oscar as the ambulance chasing lawyer attempting to convince his brother in law (Lemmon) to participate in an insurance scam. Co-written/directed by Billy Wilder and loaded with his signature touches. Extras include music track and theatrical trailer.
Another Woman (1988) (***) This tale of a middle aged professor (Gena Rowlands) taking a long hard look at her life choices is one of writer/director Woody Allen’s lesser known films and that’s too bad. It’s a well acted character study in the Ingmar Bergman vein that resonates. Extras include music track and theatrical trailer.
How To Steal a Million (1966) (***) pairs Audrey Hepburn and Peter O’Toole in a very entertaining crime caper directed by William Wyler (Ben Hur). Extras include audio commentary, isolated music track, trailer and Audrey Hepburn featurette.
You’ll Never Get Rich (1941) (***) A delightful romantic comedy featuring Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth as a dancer and a chorus girl who are thrown together under unusual circumstances. Extras include music track and theatrical trailer.
Coming in May: Saturday Night Fever: Director’s Cut, Ghost World, Streets of Fire, Willard (1971), Ben, Fifty Shades Darker, The Accidental Tourist, Rings and The Salesman.
