Posted February 15, 2021 01:23 AM by Sean Greenwood
For the week of February 15th, Paramount Home Media Distribution serves up the 1997 Nickelodeon film Good Burger, starring Kel Mitchell, Kenan Thompson, Sinbad, Abe Vigoda, and Shar Jackson. The comedy was the second film produced under the Nickelodeon Movies banner and was based on the sketch of the same name from the network's popular sketch show All That. Included on the Blu-ray as an extra feature is the original "Good Burger" sketch from the show.
Next, Warner Archive Collection has multiple releases this week, starting with Harley Quinn: The Complete First and Second Seasons. The adult animated action comedy is part of a wave of stardom for the Harley Quinn character, who was originally conceived back in 1992 as a sidekick and romantic interest for the Joker in Batman: Animated Series, but has now earned her own series, both seasons of which have garnered critical acclaim. All 26 episodes are included in this three-disc set.
Remastered classics from Warner Archive this week include W.S. Van Dyke's Oscar-winning 1936 musical drama San Francisco, starring Clark Gable, Jeanette MacDonald and Spencer Tracy and Elia Kazan's Baby Doll, starring Karl Malden, Carroll Baker and Eli Wallach. San Francisco is taken from a brand new master created from the best surviving elements. Randy Miller praises both the picture and sound, and says in part regarding the film's DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono audio: "the dialogue is clean and crisp, background noise blends in nicely, and the lively music -- whether it be the original score or one of Jeanette MacDonald's many solos -- has a very full and dynamic presence than commands attention. But the film's inarguable audio highlight is its third-act earthquake scene, which roars to life and features perhaps the most impressive low end activity I've heard in a mono track from any era and really heightens all the chaos during those turbulent few minutes". Several extras are also included on the disc, including a 45-minute documentary Clark Gable: Tall, Dark and Handsome and three vintage short films, as well as an alternate ending and the film's trailer.
Premiering in 1956, Baby Doll, which was adapted for the screen by Tennessee Williams from one of his plays, was the subject of much controversy due to its sexual themes, from a scene where Wallach sexually seduces Baker's character for information, right down to original artwork (reproduced for the Blu-ray cover) that features Baker wearing a short nightgown, lying in a crib and sucking her thumb seductively. The film's content saw it condemned by the Catholic Legion of Decency and lest you think the hysteria surrounding the film abated after the 50s, when it was introduced to the MPAA, apparently in 1969, it received an R rating, which is still present on the back cover of the Blu-ray, making it one of the oldest Hollywood films to carry an age-restricted rating. Debuting on Blu-ray with a brand new master and lossless original mono audio, Baby Doll also includes the 2006 featurette "See No Evil", which features then-new interviews with Malden, Baker and Wallach, as well as the film's theatrical trailer. In his review of the Blu-ray, Randy Miller says the film "impresses on Blu-ray thanks to its stunning, silvery black-and-white cinematography by Boris Kaufman. Much of the film takes place in and around the run-down but still picturesque mansion owned by Archie Lee, from its long front staircase to the dark and dilapidated attic Baby Doll almost falls through. Simple but visually potent compositions keep things interesting from start to finish, bolstered by memorable sequences such as the initial cat-and-mouse meeting between Baby Doll and Silva, as well as the climactic nighttime shootout that's partially lit by a car's headlights. Deep silvery gradients and a huge amount of natural film grain adorn countless close-ups and mid-range shots alike (which run the gamut from deep blacks to whites that show no blooming), although some of the wider moments -- including a few establishing shots outside the mansion and a scene set within a segregated restaurant -- are extremely soft and much flatter in direct comparison. These are likely source material issues and nothing more. As a whole, Baby Doll looks remarkably consistent and purely vibrant in its visual proficiency".
Kino Lorber also has multiple titles this week, amongst them are: Jetsons: The Movie, a 1990 theatrical adventure for space-age animated family from Hanna-Barbera, featuring the voices of George O'Hanlon, Penny Singleton, Don Messick and Mel Blanc, all returning from the original TV series. Kino's Blu-ray includes an audio commentary by author and film historian Lee Gambin, an interview with voice actor Jeff Bergman and the film's theatrical trailer. Next from Kino is Jon Avnet's drama The War (1994), starring Kevin Costner, Elijah Wood, Mare Winningham, Lucas Black, and Raynor Scheine. The Blu-ray contains two new audio commentaries, one with Avnet and one with critics Emma Westwood and Paul Anthony Nelson. Finally from Kino is a Blu-ray for Tony Zierra's Filmworker, a documentary about Stanley Kubrick's longtime assistant Leon Vitali. Included on the disc is a Q&A with Leon Vitali and Director Tony Zierra.
New releases this week include Warner Bros. Home Entertainment's Lovecraft Country: The Complete First Season, a three-disc set available in both standard and Best Buy Exclusive SteelBook editions, and with several extra features included, as detailed in our review by Jeffrey Kauffman. Studio description: Based on the 2016 novel by Matt Ruff, Lovecraft Country follows Atticus Freeman (Jonathan Majors) as he joins up with his childhood friend Leti Lewis (Jurnee Smollett) and his Uncle George (Courtney B. Vance) to embark on a road trip from Chicago across 1950s Jim Crow America in search of his missing father, Montrose Freeman (Michael K. Williams). Their search-and-rescue turns into a struggle to survive and overcome both the racist terrors of white America and monstrous creatures that could be ripped from an H.P. Lovecraft paperback.
Also this week, Well Go USA presents Choi Jae-hoon's The Swordsman, which has been reviewed by by Jeffrey Kauffman here. Synopsis: After being blinded in a coup against the king, Joseon's greatest swordsman (Jang Hyuk) goes into hiding, far removed from his city's anguish. But when traffickers kidnap his daughter, he has no choice but to unsheathe his sword once more. Also starring Kim Hyeon-soo (Be With You), Joe Taslim (The Raid: Redemption, Fast & Furious 6), Jeong Man-sik (Beasts Clawing at Straws), Lee Na-kyung (Battle for Incheon: Operation Chromite) and Lee Min-hyuk (A Love to Kill).
There are two releases this week from RLJ Entertainment. First is Jay Baruchel's Random Acts of Violence, starring Jordana Brewster, Jay Baruchel, Jesse Williams, Aviva Mongillo, and Niamh Wilson. Synopsis: Comic book creator Todd Walkley (Jesse Williams), his wife Kathy (Jordana Brewster), assistant Aurora (Niamh Wilson) and best friend, Hard Calibre Comics owner Ezra (Jay Baruchel), embark upon a road trip from Toronto to NYC comic con and bad things start to happen—people start getting killed. It soon becomes clear that a crazed fan is using Todd's "SLASHERMAN" comic as inspiration for the killings and as the bodies pile up, and Todd's friends and family become victims themselves, Todd will be forced to take artistic responsibility. Directed by Jay Baruchel.
Then from RLJ is Adam Egypt Mortimer's thriller Archenemy, starring Luis Kelly-Duarte, Skylan Brooks, Zolee Griggs, Joe Manganiello, and Paul Scheer. The Blu-ray will include a featurette, The Making of Archenemy. Label description: In Archenemy, Max Fist (Joe Manganiello) is a local drunk who claims to be a superhero from the planet Chromium. He tells anyone who will listen that he was pulled into a wormhole, falling through time and space, and dropped to earth without any of his powers. No one pays any attention to Max except a teenager named Hamster (Skylan Brooks) who can't get enough of Max's stories. When Hamster and his sister (Zolee Griggs) get in trouble with a vicious drug syndicate led by The Manager (Glenn Howerton), Max takes to the streets as a brutal vigilante hellbent on proving himself as the hero no one believes him to be. Written and directed by Adam Egypt Mortimer (Daniel Isn't Real, Some Kind of Hate).
Finally this week, two new releases from Lionsgate Home Entertainment. First is the long-delayed US premiere of ndrea Di Stefano's action thriller The Informer (2019), starring Joel Kinnaman, Common, Clive Owen, and Rosamund Pike. This film was released in most territories back in 2019, but is only premiered in the US back in November 2020. Synopsis: Honorably discharged Special Ops soldier Pete Koslow's (Joel Kinnaman) world is turned upside-down when he is jailed after a fight to protect his wife (Ana de Armas). He's given a chance for early release by becoming an informant for the FBI (Academy Award nominees Rosamund Pike and Clive Owen) and using his covert skills in an operation to take down The General, the most powerful crime boss in New York. But when the FBI sting meant to finally earn Koslow his freedom results in the death of an undercover NYPD cop, Koslow finds himself caught in the crossfire between the mob and the FBI. The General insists Koslow takes the heat and sends him back to prison to spearhead a drug operation from inside, and the FBI affirms that going back to jail to do The General's bidding is the only way for Koslow to keep his deal with them alive. Caught in a world of impossible choices, Koslow must return to prison, where he formulates a plan to escape the clutches of three of New York City's most powerful organizations – the mob, the NYPD and the FBI – in order to save himself and his family.
And lastly from Lionsgate is Dean Murphy's The Very Excellent Mr. Dundee (2020), starring Paul Hogan, John Cleese, Rachael Carpani, Nate Torrence, and Kerry Armstrong. Synopsis: Paul Hogan plays himself in this raucous comedy. Retired in L.A. and overshadowed by his Crocodile Dundee character, Hogan is offered a knighthood by the Queen of England. But before he can accept it, Hogan gets caught up in a series of comical scandals that dominate gossip shows and social media feeds. Can he keep his reputation clean long enough to hang onto his prize — and his dignity? Hilarious celebrity co-stars include Chevy Chase, John Cleese, Olivia Newton-John, and more!