NEW TO STREAMING:
A House of Dynamite (**) Oscar winning director Kathryn Bigelow returns with her first film since the 2017 historical drama, Detroit, and the results are less than stellar. The premise is simplistic in that a missile has been launched at the US and is heading for Chicago. The bulk of the story dramatizes how US leaders would react in the situation, but the film has problems on multiple levels. First, the thin premise is retold from multiple points of view over and over revealing how little story there is to carry the film’s 110-minute run time. Then the script refuses to take political sides ala last year’s woefully inept, Civil War, attempting to have its cake and eat it too. Lastly, the film has a nonending which always reeks of lazy screenwriting and even more so here. A misfire to be sure, no pun intended. Viewers are better off watching a much superior film with a similar premise, Fail Safe (1964). (Netflix).
Stiller and Meara – Nothing is Lost (*** ½) is a wonderfully moving new documentary from director Ben Stiller chronicling the life and times of his famed parents, the comedy team of Stiller and Meara. The film is both touching and informative. (Apple TV)
Mr. Scorsese (***) is another interesting documentary on another cinematic giant, renowned filmmaker, Martin Scorsese. The five-hour affair, directed by Rebecca Miller, is reasonably compelling but is filled with glaring omissions (Hugo) in the director’s career and some films given short shrift (Cape Fear) that keep it from being the solid home run it should have been. (Apple TV)
NEW TO DISC:
Criterion:
New 4K releases from the label this week include Nightmare Alley (2021) and Deep Crimson (1996).
Kino:
Dan Curtis Classic Monsters (1974) is a Blu Ray collection featuring the famed producer/director’s ABC TV adaptations of Frankenstein, Dracula and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. New commentaries are included.
Also being issued on Blu Ray for the first time is Curtis’s made for TV horror anthology effort, Dead of Night (1977). A new commentary is included as well as a few other bonus goodies.
Other new releases from the label are the 4K debuts of Death Wish 3 (1985) and Dust Devil (1992) and a Blu Ray debut of For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943). These also include new commentaries.
Warner Archive:
New Blu Ray releases from the label this week include, The Master of Ballantrae (1953), The Mad Miss Manton (1938), Out of the Fog (1941) and Manhattan Melodrama (1934). Bonus materials vary on each release.
Shout/Scream:
Mike Nichols’ big budget adaptation of the classic Joseph Heller novel, Catch-22 (1970), receives the 4K treatment this week for the first time.
Disney:
Tim Burton’s beloved modern day fairy tale, Edward Scissorhands (1990), comes to the 4K format this week. Most of the previous bonus materials have been retained.
Arrow:
New 4K releases from the label this week include the John Carpenter horror entry, In the Mouth of Madness (1994) and Abel Ferrara’s controversial revenge thriller, Ms. 45 (1981). Both releases include the usual copious amount of bonus materials for which the label is known.
Cineverse:
The label is issuing in 4K the long-delayed remake of The Toxic Avenger (2023) starring Peter Dinklage. Some supplemental material is also included.
Questions/comments? filmfan1970@hotmail.com
