The Blacklist: The Complete Second Season (Blu-ray & Digital copy)
For decades, ex-government agent Raymond “Red” Reddington (James Spader) has been one of the FBI’s Most Wanted fugitives. Last season, he mysteriously surrendered to the FBI but now the FBI works for him as he identifies a “blacklist” of politicians, mobsters, spies and international terrorists. He will help catch them all with the caveat that Elizabeth “Liz” Keen (Megan Boone) continues to work as his partner. Red will teach Liz to think like a criminal and see the bigger picture whether she wants to or not.
This movie combines the crime procedural with the more action-oriented conspiracy plot that carries through the whole series. As a result, it’s not necessary to remember the details of the previous season or see every episode; in fact, in case you’re unable to follow that closely the show repeats itself to some extent to make sure you can follow along. There is a great two-episode story arc featuring Ron Perlman and a black site containing priority criminals. It’s also revealed what exactly Reddington is holding over the Cabal, and how it and he is connected to Liz. The regular perpetrators they need to apprehend include a serial killer nicknamed “Deer Hunter” and a family that stuffs and displays their victims. The season finale seems like the end of the line of the series’ current narrative, but only time will tell.
Special features include: commentary by executive producer on select episodes; deleted scenes; “Raymond Reddington: Man of the World”; “Building a Blacklister: Vanessa Cruz”; “Known Associates: Red’s Inner Circle”; and “After the Game: Luther Braxton.” (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
Cub (Blu-ray & DVD)
A young imaginative twelve-year-old boy named Sam (Maurice Luijten) heads off to camp with his Cub Scouts pack, leaders Peter (Stef Aerts) and Kris (Titus De Voogdt) and quartermaster Jasmijn (Evelien Bosmans). Once they enter the woods, Sam quickly feels something is not quite right. He soon stumbles upon a mysterious tree house and meets a shifty, masked feral-looking child. When Sam tries to warn his leaders, they ignore him. As Sam gets more and more isolated from the other scouts, he becomes convinced a terrible fate awaits them: the Feral Child, it turns out, is the helper of the Poacher, an evil psychopath who is intent on slaughtering the scouts one by one.
Not really a traditional slasher flick, the movie begins with the legend of the Kai, or werewolf. When Sam encounters a feral child near his age in the woods, he assumes he’s the source of the tale and tries to befriend him. The traps are one of the most ingenious aspects of the picture. A series of trip wires and lures with varying levels of lethalness litter the wooded area, waiting for an unsuspecting victim. A large tree is rigged to fall, crushing anything in its path. A baby cries ceaselessly in the forest, waiting for someone to stumble on its location. The best and most unique is the false promise of assistance achieved by the illusion of a nearby road. However, there is still one more twist to the story that has the audience guessing until the last moment.
Special features include: deleted scenes; SFX reel; short film; music video; and trailers. (Artsploitation Films, Anchor Bay Entertainment Canada & Raven Banner Entertainment)
Ejecta (DVD)
Two men witness an unexplainable event in the sky as a historic solar storm approaches, and they try to survive as a terrifying life form hunts them.
This movie is split into two narratives — one in the past seen through found footage and another in the present that is shot more traditionally. The “older” material is recorded by paranormal researcher Joe Sullivan (Adam Seybold), who is excited to film his meeting with recluse, William Cassidy (Julian Richings), who claims to have had multiple alien encounters. The later events show William being interrogated by an unidentified military unit demanding to know more about the aliens as the beings close in. Written by eccentric Tony Burgess, it features the frenetic storytelling style that’s become synonymous with his work. However, the constant switching between timelines makes it difficult to become involved in the story even though both are interesting separately.
There are no special features. (Anchor Bay Entertainment Canada, Foresight Features & Raven Banner Entertainment)
Hackers (Blu-ray)
While practicing the tricks of the trade, a neophyte “hacker” accomplishes the nearly impossible: he hacks the highly secured computer at the Ellingson Mineral Corporation. But in doing so, he unknowingly taps into a high-tech embezzling scheme masked by a computer virus with the potential to destroy the world’s ecosystem. And when the young hacker and his pals are targeted for the crime, the group must launch a massive cyberspace attack — one that will hopefully clear their names and prevent ecological disaster.
Though most of this picture is ridiculous conjecture and fantasy, it still grabbed the imaginations of audiences to become a lasting influence and enduring favourite now marking its 20th anniversary. The characters have memorable personalities from Ellingson’s security mastermind to the teenage hacker on rollerblades to Marc Anthony’s government crony. The hacker challenges, virtual armies and visual mainframes created a world that was captivating and exciting because (at the time) it was unexplored. The electronic soundtrack is an additional asset that enhanced the film’s frenetic energy. Before they were stars, Jonny Lee Miller, Angelina Jolie and Matthew Lillard formed a group of ne’er-do-wells with complementary skills and personalities that captured viewers with an abstract idea that made the prospect of sitting in front of a computer for hours seem cool.
Special features include: interviews with director Iain Softley, cast members Fisher Stevens and Penn Jillette, VFX artist Peter Chiang, wardrobe designer Roger Burton, hacking consultants Emmanuel Goldstein and Nicholas Jarecki, film critic Mark Kermode and more. (Shout Factory)
The Knick: The Complete First Season (Blu-ray & Digital copy)
Brilliant surgeon John Thackery (Clive Owen) pushes the boundaries of medicine, morality and race relations in 1900 at a downtown NYC hospital known as The Knick. While he searches to solve a plethora of medical mysteries and develops an unhealthy addiction to cocaine, which was legal at the time, the fate of The Knickerbocker Hospital hangs in the balance. Thanks to the influence of rich patrons like Cornelia Robertson (Juliet Rylance), Thackery is paired against his will with a young black doctor, Algernon Edwards (André Holland), whose intelligence and at-all-costs methods rivals Thackery’s, and who is hired over Thackery’s protégé, Dr. Everett Gallinger (Eric Johnson). Other supporters of Thackery at the hospital include Dr. “Bertie” Chickering Jr. (Michael Angarano), a young surgeon secretly in love with nurse Lucy Elkins (Eve Hewson), who is drawn to Thackery; Sister Harriet (Cara Seymour), who runs the foundling hospital and maternity ward; Herman Barrow (Jeremy Bobb), the Knick’s crooked superintendent, awash in debt and willing to risk The Knick’s future to pay it off; and Tom Cleary (Chris Sullivan), the ambulance driver who will stoop to the lowest depths to bring the right kind of patients to The Knick.
Anyone with a weak constitution should be warned that the first two episodes contain extremely graphic and realistic operations, though they move primarily off-screen afterwards. Getting past those scenes, however, is very rewarding. Thackery is the Dr. House of the 1900s if he was applying his knowledge to surgical innovation rather than challenging diagnoses. From the addiction to often brusque attitude, Thackery is a genius on the brink of collapse. Edwards, conversely, is equally capable but impeded by more inherent disadvantages. His strategies for overcoming the discrimination are dangerous but effective; though his method of dealing with any emotional wounds is less so. The lives of the other characters are similarly fraught with issues of morality and being unable to measure up to certain expectations. Vices and ignorance affect them as much as their superiors. Academy award-winning Steven Soderbergh directs all 10 episodes of this intensely fascinating drama, which also sees Owen return to form.
Special features include: commentaries; and episode post-ops. (HBO Home Entertainment)
Lambert & Stamp (Blu-ray)
Chris Stamp and Kit Lambert were aspiring filmmakers who set out to find a subject for their underground movie, leading them to discover, mentor and manage the iconic band that would become known as The Who. They forged a complex and moving relationship, fueling the band’s artistic development, which would leave an indelible imprint on its time and on generations to come.
Music biopics unsurprisingly tend to focus on musicians, but there have been a handful of managers and producers that warrant their own examination. Lambert and Stamp have been described as the fifth and sixth members of the British rock band. As managers they helped shape the group’s image and sound, which was contrary to much of what was available at the time. Unfortunately half the participants didn’t survive to tell the tale, including Lambert, but filmmakers use the library of archival footage available to incorporate their voices. Still, unless the viewer has more than a passing interest in The Who’s history this documentary likely won’t appeal to them very much as it explores the relationships behind the scenes more than what occurred on stage.
Special features include: commentary with director James D. Cooper; Q&A with Henry Rollins and Cooper; and never-before-seen archival footage of The Who. (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
Nomads (Blu-ray)
They creep, they kill and no one knows who they are or where they came from. But when these rootless, demonic spirits descend on a determined doctor, all hell breaks loose. Bitten by a dying madman named Jean Pommier (Pierce Brosnan), Dr. Eileen Flax (Lesley-Anne Down) becomes the vessel for his turbulent and insane thoughts. Thrust into his last days, she is shocked to discover the existence of mysterious and murderous demons on a quest for destruction and begins her own mission to somehow stop them before she joins Pommier in his horrifying fate.
The opening scenes of this picture seem rather fragmented, which makes it difficult to become initially engaged. But as what’s happening becomes clearer and the focus is tilted towards Pommier’s unofficial investigation into these seemingly ruthless hooligans who never sleep, the story gains momentum and earns the viewer’s attention. Flax is only interesting in so far as her relation to his story. His obsession with learning more about these thugs eventually goes well beyond the educational fascination of an anthropologist; similarly, their desire to pursue him in turn is more effort than the typical crooks exhibit. Ignoring Brosnan’s poor French accent, this is a decent thriller with a very satisfying conclusion.
Special features include: new interviews with actress Lesley-Ann Down and composer Bill Conti; still gallery; radio spot; and theatrical trailer. (Scream Factory)
Once Upon a Time: The Complete Fourth Season (Blu-ray)
Soon after Emma (Jennifer Morrison) and Hook (Colin O’Donoghue) unwittingly bring Elsa of Arendelle (Georgina Haig) to Storybrooke, they encounter the mysterious Snow Queen, whose relentless obsession with both Emma and Elsa has chilling consequences. Meanwhile, it appears Regina (Lana Parrilla) has at last found true love with Robin Hood (Sean Maguire), but how will she react when her happy ending is thwarted yet again by a maddening twist of fate? Then, a banished Rumplestiltskin (Robert Carlyle) enlists the Queens of Darkness (Maleficent, Ursula, Cruella De Vil) in an insidious scheme to rewrite their own endings and corrupt the Savior by turning her newly blissful heart pitch-black.
As has become customary with this series, several new characters were introduced this season, including Will Scarlet who made the jump from Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, which only lasted one season. The Snow Queen and Queens of Darkness are at the centre of much of the action, allowing the seemingly limited story structure to remain fresh — incorporating the protagonists from the enormously popular animated movie Frozen probably didn’t hurt either with Elsa’s temperamental powers continuing to wreak havoc in Storybrooke. In addition, Regina and Henry’s search for the “Author” spans most of the season with surprising results. Of course no fairy tale is complete without love found and lost (and found again), and quests for vengeance.
Special features include: commentaries; deleted scenes; “Defrosting Frozen”; “Behind the Magic Tour”; “Three Who Stayed”; and bloopers. (ABC Studios)
Person of Interest: The Complete Fourth Season (DVD)
Although they’ve saved countless lives thanks to The Machine’s omniscience, Reese (Jim Caviezel) and Finch (Michael Emerson), along with lethal operative Shaw (Sarah Shahi) and unpredictable cyber-hacker Root (Amy Acker) now face an uncertain future with the emergence of the second machine, Samaritan.
With the threat of the Samaritan looming, the team is forced to create second identities to avoid detection. Therefore most fittingly, Reese becomes a police detective partnered with Fusco and Finch takes on the role of a university professor. Backed by the U.S. government, the malevolent artificial intelligence hunts the team relentlessly; therefore each time the watchers fulfill one of The Machine’s missions to protect the innocent, they risk exposing themselves. Not only are they contending with this diabolical tech, the team must also cope with the rise of The Brotherhood. And in the midst of all this danger, Reese is still having trouble dealing with the loss of Detective Carter.
Special features include: “Music of Interest”; “Going Underground with Root and Finch”; 2014 Comic-Con Panel; and gag reel. (Warner Home Video)
The Rebel: The Complete Series (DVD)
Former Confederate soldier Johnny Yuma (Nick Adams) is haunted by his experiences in the Civil War and obsessed with chronicling his adventures in his journal. The young and intense Yuma wanders the West in search of causes to champion, wrongs to be righted and his own inner peace. With both a revolver and a double-barreled shotgun at the ready, Yuma is more than a match for anyone who crosses his path.
This series first aired in 1959, beginning with a young man returned from the war to find his family terrorized by criminals. Being clever and a quick draw keeps Johnny alive as he travels thwarting offenders wherever they cross his path. He also finds the time to keep a boy on the straight-and-narrow when he’s found stealing Johnny’s gun. Adams’ clean-cut, baby-faced appearance doesn’t seem suited for the type of life Johnny leads, but his innocent look is sometimes an asset. Each episode is comprised of a self-contained story that starts and ends with the show’s credits — a popular style of storytelling at the time that lasted 76 episodes.
Special features include: “Looking Back at The Rebel with series writer and producer A.J. Fenady”; “Nick Adams Remembered: An Interview with Allyson and Jeb Adams”; pilot for A.J. Fenady’s proposed companion series, The Yank; commercials featuring Nick Adams; and production stills gallery. (Timeless Media Group)
Walt Disney Animation Studios Short Films Collection (Blu-ray, DVD & Digital copy)
From Walt Disney Animation Studios comes a new collection of award-winning and beloved short films featuring Disney’s Frozen Fever, starring Anna, Elsa, Olaf, Sven and Kristoff, and the Oscar-nominated Lorenzo (Best Animated Short, 2004). The Short Films Collection includes contemporary shorts starring classic characters, such as the ground-breaking 2013 Mickey Mouse cartoon, Get a Horse! And the holiday treat Prep & Landing: Operation: Secret Santa, as well as celebrated Oscar winners Paperman (2012) and Feast (2014).
This compilation includes some of the studio’s more popular shorts, which people may have seen accompanying features such as Cinderella (Frozen Fever), Wreck-It Ralph (Paperman) and Big Hero 6 (Feast). However most of the dozen pictures included may not be at all familiar to viewers. For some animators reached into the past, such as Get a Horse!, in which an early black-and-white Mickey Mouse cartoon is given a modern twist, and How to Hook Up your Home Theatre, which features the recently reclusive Goofy in an amusing how-to video. Lorenzo is a lovely, wordless short set to a tango, while John Henry is the musical retelling of the robust legend. Though there’s no relation between the movies, they are all very entertaining in spite of their brevity.
Special features include: an inside look at the process of developing and producing a short. (Disney Home Entertainment)
