Better Call Saul: The Complete First Season (Blu-ray)
Before Saul Goodman met Walter White, he was struggling attorney Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk). In this prequel to the Emmy-winning series Breaking Bad, Jimmy teams up with “fixer” Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks) and begins his transformation from optimistic underdog into Albuquerque’s most notorious legal legend.
This spin-off from the award-winning series was highly anticipated as Saul was a captivating character who warranted further exploration. Jimmy has little in common with his future self at the start of the show. Down on his luck, he does public defender work at the courthouse trying to plead down the charges of the unlucky and unwise before returning home to his office in the back of a nail salon. His first case demonstrates his ability to talk; if he wasn’t a lawyer he’d be a salesman, though apparently conman was a more rewarding previous life. Now he does his best to stay out of trouble, though minor slips generally do more good than harm. The secondary story involves his mentally ill older brother who was a partner at a prestigious law firm before developing a debilitating allergy. Their relationship is central to this season’s narrative and Jimmy’s progression to becoming Saul Goodman.
Special features include: commentaries by cast and crew on every episode; deleted scenes with commentary by Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould and Thomas Schnauz; “Creating the First Season”; “In Conversation: Bob Odenkirk and Michael McKean”; “Good Cop, Bad Cop: Becoming Mike”; “Kettle Kommentary with Craig and Betsy Kettleman”; “Jimmy in the courtroom with introduction by “Mijo” director Michelle MacLaren”; “Jimmy Kaleidoscope with Introduction by co-creator and executive producer Peter Gould”; cast and crew table read on “Uno”; “In the Studio with Junior Brown”; “Better Call Saul: Day One”; Better Call Saul music video; and gag reel. (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
Gone with the Wind: 75th Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray & Digital copy)
In the South during the Civil War, the handsome Rhett Butler (Clark Gable) has a turbulent love affair with the sassy, headstrong heroine Scarlett O’Hara (Vivien Leigh). Scarlett thought Ashley (Leslie Howard) was her true love and she pleads with him to marry her instead of his cousin, but his mind will not be changed. Scarlett then fights to keep her plantation while everything falls apart around her. Rhett is practical and roguish, refusing to be play Scarlett’s games and uttering the famous line, “Scarlett, I don’t give a damn.”
This film is one of the grandest and most spectacular pieces of filmmaking in history. It is not only a must-see classic, but a Hollywood epic. There are several other well-known events in the film, including the making of Scarlett’s dress from large velvet green curtains and the burning of Atlanta as she and Rhett escape. The 75th anniversary of this picture, which won 10 Academy Awards including best picture, is definitely an occasion to be celebrated as it can be enjoyed by every generation of film lovers. The passion between Rhett and Scarlett is undoubtedly the film’s most captivating quality as every moment in which they share the screen, the atmosphere of the picture immediately alters. The extras included in the limited, numbered box only enhance the film’s attraction, as well as expand on all the work behind-the-scenes that went into its creation.
Special features include: commentary by historian Rudy Behlmer; “The Making of a Legend”; “Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Presents 1939: Hollywood’s Greatest War”; “Gone with the Wind: The Legend Lives On”; “Gable: The King Remembered”; “Vivien Leigh: Scarlett and Beyond”; “Melanie Remembers: Reflections by Olivia de Havilland”; Telefilm Moviola’s “The Scarlett O’Hara War”; “Old South/New South”; “Gone with the Wind: Hollywood Comes to Atlanta”; “MGM: When the Lion Roars” documentary; a collectible music box and handkerchief; and 36-page book, “Forever Scarlett: The Immortal Style of Gone with the Wind.” (Warner Home Video)
Gosei Sentai Dairanger: The Complete Series (DVD)
The three Tribes of the Daos Empire — Shura, Dai and Gorma — were peaceful until the Gorma set out to conquer the planet, launching a magical war between the Gorma and Dai Tribes that lasted for centuries. In the end, both civilizations were lost… until now. The evil Gorma have returned. Now, it’s up to Master Kaku to assemble a team of kids with high levels of Ch’i to become the protectors of the Earth known as the Dairangers.
This Japanese series was the basis for season two of the American TV adaptation, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Yet it was the seventeenth programme in the long-running Super Sentai franchise of tokusatsu programmes. While much of the hand-to-hand Power Ranger fight scenes were still lifted from the previously released Super Sentai Zyuranger series, this show contributed by providing the Thunderzords sequences as well as footage featuring the White Ranger in battle. Once again, the conflicts feature familiar villains but in different contexts than they were used in the American version.
There are no special features. (Shout Factory)
Nathan For You: Seasons One and Two (DVD)
Nathan Fielder helps real small businesses turn a profit with marketing tactics that no traditional consultant would dare attempt. Whether it’s creating a coffee shop called Dumb Starbucks, inventing a poo-flavored yogurt or staging an elaborate viral video where a pig saves a goat, no idea is too daring. While Nathan’s efforts may not always succeed, they always have big results.
In a cross between sketch comedy and a reality series, Nathan concocts some of the most ridiculous and ill-advised promotional ideas, and more astoundingly people actually agree to let him test it out on their business. Some of the more foolish concepts include permitting shoplifting to promote word-of-mouth; staging a film production to trick “extras” into buying items at a souvenir gift shop; and setting up an unauthorized pop-up North Pole in a mall. On the other hand, a select number of his ideas actually work to some degree, such as allowing people to use a restaurant bathroom and then employing in-stall advertising to convince them to stay as customers. Its humour is incredibly inconsistent, which can make watching difficult… and then satisfying… and then difficult again.
Special features include: commentary on select episodes by Nathan Fielder and Michael Koman with special guests; deleted and extended scenes; and extended parody songs and full press conference from “Dumb Starbucks.” (Shout Factory)
Pay the Ghost (Blu-ray)
One year after his young son disappeared during a Halloween carnival, Mike Lawford (Nicolas Cage) is haunted by eerie images and terrifying messages he can’t explain. Together with his estranged wife (Sarah Wayne Callies), he will stop at nothing to unravel the mystery and find their son — and, in doing so, he unearths a legend that refuses to remain buried in the past.
Cage’s own beliefs regarding the supernatural adds a little extra something to his involvement in this picture; perhaps the general quality of the ghost story convinced the actor to star in the first movie in his career to deal directly with the subject. It all unfolds rather quickly, leaving little time to really establish a backstory for the disappearance; though they do manage to develop a rather remarkable, convincing and pitiful origin for the evil that plagues the city via two successive conversations with historical experts in the final act. The incidents of paranormal activity intensify leading up to the Halloween following the kidnapping of Mike’s son. Rather than the customary attempts to scare people, each of the ghost’s acts is executed with purpose. The structure of the film is lacking in some respects, but the supernatural backdrop is fairly solid.
There are no special features. (RLJ Entertainment & VVS Films)
Self/Less (Blu-ray)
Damian (Ben Kingsley), an ailing billionaire, undergoes a radical medical procedure that transfers his consciousness into the body of a healthy young man (Ryan Reynolds), but all is not as it seems when he starts to uncover the mystery of the body’s origin and the organization that will kill to protect its secret.
Most efforts are usually concentrated on extending one’s life by improving and caring for one’s own body; the concept of bypassing that necessity by purchasing a backup is incredibly dangerous. Other films have dealt with the idea of breeding people to be organ donors — The Island centred on human clones grown for that reason — but body jumping is a whole other beast. There’s an obvious effort made to illustrate Kingsley’s and Reynolds’ character are the same person, such as insignificant yet noticeable gestures. It also presents an intriguing moral dilemma, which enhances the villainy of some of the other characters. The fascinating sci-fi story becomes a chase film as Damian tries to put together the clues he glimpses in his fractured mind.
Special features include: commentary by director Tarsem Singh; “Inside Self/Less”; and “Shedding” featurette. (VVS Films)
TCM Greatest Classic Films Collection: Hammer Horror (DVD)
Horror of Dracula: Dracula (Christopher Lee), a centuries-old vampire, and Van Helsing (Peter Cushing), his implacable foe, battle for the souls of Londoners.
Dracula has Risen from the Grave: A village trembles in fear. A priest forsakes his vows to serve evil. Young beauties fall victim to a mysterious seducer. Christopher Lee returns for the third time in his signature role.
The Curse of Frankenstein: Baron Victor Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) has discovered life’s secret and unleashed a blood-curdling chain of events resulting from his creation: a cursed creature (Christopher Lee) with a horrid face and a tendency to kill.
Frankenstein Must be Destroyed: Baron Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) attempts to perfect his new technique of brain transplant surgery trigger more tragedy and horror.
Following the success of the Universal monster movies, Hammer Film Productions picked up the baton and revived the classic horror tales for the screen. Cushing and Lee were their stars and their recurring presence in these roles cemented their connections to the genre and immortalized them for admirers. The pictures that launched these franchises were less concerned with recreating the source material for the screen than producing attractive horror movies that would satisfy fans by capturing the spirit of the tales. Each would spawn multiple sequels, one of each of which is included in this collection. The second reappearance of Dracula is about superstitions and fear that just happen to be true. Frankenstein’s fourth sequel is a bit more interesting as the doctor has upstaged his modus operandi by focusing on the organ that doomed his first experiment: the brain.
Special features include: theatrical trailers. (Warner Home Video)
Terminator Genisys (3D Blu-ray, Blu-ray, DVD & Digital copy)
In the war of man against machine, Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) is sent back to 1984 by resistance leader John Connor (Jason Clarke) to protect his young mother, Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke). However, this time unexpected events have altered the past and threaten the future for all mankind. Now Reese must join forces with Sarah and her “Guardian” (Arnold Schwarzenegger) to save the world and stop the next evolution of Terminators.
This reboot was intended to reset the clock and lay the foundation for a new generation of Terminator movies. On the one hand, it’s entertaining and captures the spirit of the first two films that fans love. The return of Schwarzenegger in his most memorable role also contributes to the nostalgia element of the film. However it did suffer from some other issues, including an unfortunate and significant spoiler in the trailer. In addition, the movie’s desire to connect to its predecessors results in a lot of direct borrowing and reconstructing — viewers can play a game of identifying the scenes and dialogue that were lifted straight from the other pictures. Predictably, watching this film fosters mixed emotions and divergent reactions. Unfortunately the 3D effects only add layers to certain scenes and the rest of its applications are pretty gimmicky.
Special features include: “Family Dynamics”; “Infiltration and Termination”; and “Upgrades: VFX of Terminator Genisys.” (Paramount Home Media Distribution)
Z for Zachariah (Blu-ray)
In the wake of a nuclear disaster, a young woman (Margot Robbie) survives on her own, fearing she may be the last living person on earth until she discovers a distraught scientist (Chiwetel Ejiofor), who has nearly been driven mad by radiation exposure and his desperate search for others. A fragile strand of trust connects them, but when a stranger (Chris Pine) enters the valley, their bond begins to violently unravel.
This is one of the quietest, subtlest post-apocalypse movies to ever hit screens. There’s no panic or monsters causing chaos at every turn. No hooligans running amok trying to rule with fear and force. The woman lives in solitude, maintaining a daily routine that keeps her safe and healthy. Coming across the scientist, both are wary of other survivors but they eventually find solace in each other’s company. The disruption caused by the stranger’s arrival is a different sort of violence inflicted on their peaceful dynamic as the men delicately battle for the affections of possibly the last woman on Earth. Their relationships change quickly, resulting in unexpectedly intense conflicts and choices. Tasked with carrying such an intricate narrative, the actors are all exceptional in their carefully defined roles. And Compliance director Craig Zobel continues to display an aptitude for small-scale drama that has incredible future potential.
Special features include: deleted scenes; making-of featurette; and extended interviews with cast and crew. (VVS Films)
