From the Criterion Collection this week is Alfred Hitchcock’s 1934 version The Man Who Knew Too Much. Like most Criterion Collection re-releases, The Man Who Knew Too Much has a number of features, including a commentary from film historian Philip Kemp, interviews with Hitchcock and Guillermo del Toro, and a booklet with a film essay.
First Release
- Taken 2 (DVD and Blu-ray)
- To Rome With Love (DVD and Blu-ray)
- The Possession (DVD and Blu-ray)
- Won’t Back Down (DVD and Blu-ray)
- About Cherry (DVD and Blu-ray)
- I Am Bruce Lee (DVD and Blu-ray)
- The Other Dream Team (DVD and Blu-ray)
Re-Release
- The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934) (DVD and Blu-ray)
- The Tin Drum (1979) (DVD and Blu-ray)
- Wake in Fright (1971) (DVD and Blu-ray)
- Wild River (1960) (DVD and Blu-ray)
- Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) (Blu-ray)
- Sleeper (1973) (Blu-ray)
- How Green is My Valley (1941) (Blu-ray)
- Wimbledon (2004) (Blu-ray)
- Wuthering Heights (1939) (DVD)
- The Bishop’s Wife (1947) (DVD)
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934) (DVD and Blu-ray) *Recommendation of the Week*
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Written by Charles Bennett, D.B. Wyndham-Lewis (screenplay), Edwin Greenwood, A.R. Rawlinson (scenario)
Starring: Leslie Banks, Edna Best, Peter Lorre
Alfred Hitchcock made many movies in his native Britain and one of his most famous is The Man Who Knew Too Much, the only movie of his that he remade. This thriller sees married couple Bob and Jill Lawrence (Leslie Banks and Edna Best) thrown into an extraordinary situation when they find out about an assassination attempt on a foreign head of state in London, and plotters kidnap their daughter whilst vacationing in Switzerland to keep them silent. Back in London, it is up to Bob to stop the assassination and find his daughter.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 86% (excellent)
Entertainment Fuse Score: 8.0/10
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: New audio commentary featuring film historian Philip Kemp; New interview with filmmaker Guillermo del Toro; The Illustrated Hitchcock, an extensive interview with director Alfred Hitchcock from 1972, conducted by journalist Pia Lindstrom and film historian William Everson; Audio excerpts from filmmaker François Truffaut’s legendary 1962 interviews with Hitchcock; Restoration demonstration; PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by critic Farran Smith Nehme
Amazon Price: $24.99 (DVD), $24.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): Content 4 stars, Video 4.5 stars, Audio 3.5 stars, Extras 4 stars, Replay 4 stars (out of 5). Highly Recommended.
It is a disappointing week of new releases, with the best quality movies being the documentaries I Am Bruce Lee and The Other Dream Team. The biggest release of the week is the action sequel Taken 2. A number of classic movies are coming out on Blu-ray, including two more re-releases from the Criterion Collection and two re-releases of Woody Allen movies to join the release of To Rome With Love.
Taken 2 (DVD and Blu-ray)
Directed by Olivier Megaton
Written by Luc Besson, Robert Mark Kamen
Starring: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen, Rade Šerbedžija
The 2008 action-thriller Taken was a surprise hit, earning back more than ten times its $25 million budget. It also helped turn Liam Neeson into one of the biggest action stars in the world. Now, at the young age of 60, Neeson reprised his role as ex-CIA agent Bryan Mills. Olivier Megaton (Transporter 3) replaces Pierce Morel in the director’s chair, and it seems a second sequel is on the way despite the negative critical reception that Taken 2 received.
Bryan Mills has taken a new job in Istanbul, and his wife, Lenore (Famke Janssen), and daughter, Kim (Maggie Grace), pay him a surprise visit. But the father (Rade Šerbedžija, Snatch, X-Men: First Class) of one of the sex traffickers from the first movie wants revenge for the death of his son, so he kidnaps Bryan and Lenore. It is up to Kim to save them.
Taken 2 has been criticized for toning down the violence of the first movie, recycling the first movie’s plot, and having unintentionally funny moments like Kim being ordered to throw grenades off a building.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes: 21% (very bad)
Entertainment Fuse Score: 3.5/10 (read our review)
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: N/A
Amazon Price: $16.99 (DVD), $19.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): Content 4 stars, Video 4.5 stars, Audio 5 stars, Extras 3.5 stars, Replay 3.5 stars (out of 5). Highly Recommended. MUST EDIT
To Rome With Love (DVD and Blu-ray)
Written and directed by Woody Allen
Starring: Woody Allen, Roberto Benigni, Penélope Cruz, Alec Baldwin, Jesse Eisenberg, Ellen Page, Greta Gerwig, Alison Pill
Woody Allen had a great return to form when he made Midnight in Paris, but he was sadly unable to successfully follow it up with the ensemble comedy To Rome With Love. To Rome With Love tells four unrelated stories about characters in the Eternal City. Leopoldo (Robert Benigni, Life is Beautiful) becomes an instant celebrity, much to his dismay. Opera director Jerry (Allen) is looking for a new star. A young couple goes on their honeymoon. And an architect (Alec Baldwin) takes a trip back to the street he lived on many years ago.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 44% (poor)
Entertainment Fuse Score: 5.0/10 (read our review)
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: N/A
Amazon Price: $16.99 (DVD), $19.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): Content 3 stars, Video 4 stars, Audio 4.5 stars, Extras 3 stars, Replay 3.5 stars (out of 5). Rent It.
The Possession (DVD and Blu-ray)
Directed by Ole Bornedal
Written by Juliet Snowden, Stiles White
Starring: Natasha Calis, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Krya Sedgwick
Produced by Sam Raimi, The Possession is supposedly based a true story (in other words, it's completely false). Clyde (Jeffery Dean Morgan, Watchmen) and Stephanie (Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer) are a recently divorced couple concerned about their youngest daughter, Em (Natasha Calis, The Firm, 2012) when her behavior drastically changes after she becomes attached to a box with Dibbuk spirit.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 39% (poor)
Entertainment Fuse Score: 3.0/10 (read our review)
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Audio Commentary with director Ole Bornedal; Audio Commentary with writers Juliet Snowden and Stiles White; “The Real History of the Dibbuk Box” Featurette; Theatrical Trailer
Amazon Price: $14.99 (DVD), $19.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): Content 2.5 stars, Video 4 stars, Audio 4 stars, Extras 3 stars, Replay 2 stars (out of 5). Rent It.
Won’t Back Down (DVD and Blu-ray)
Directed by Daniel Barnz
Written by Brin Hill, Daniel Barnz
Starring: Maggie Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Holly Hunter
Won’t Back Down is a drama movie with an ensemble cast featuring Maggie Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Holly Hunter, Ving Rhames and Oscar Isaac (Drive).
Jamie (Gyllenhaal) and Nona (Davis) are two determined mothers who want to improve their inner city school for the sake of the children but have to battle a hardened bureaucracy that's resistant to change.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 33% (poor)
Entertainment Fuse Score: N/A
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Theatrical Feature; Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary by Director Daniel Barnz; A Tribute to Teachers; The Importance of Education; Audio Commentary with Director Daniel Barnz; Theatrical Trailer; Sneak Peek
Amazon Price: $14.99 (DVD), $19.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A
About Cherry (DVD and Blu-ray)
Directed by Stephen Elliot
Written by Lorelei Lee, Stephen Elliot
Starring: Ashley Hinshaw, James Franco, Heather Graham, Dev Patel
About Cherry is an independent drama from first-time director Stephen Elliot. Ashley Hinshaw (Chronicle) stars as Angelina, an 18-year-old girl with a troubled home life and few prospects. She moves to San Francisco where she starts to dating a cocaine-addicted lawyer (James Franco) and goes to work in the porn industry.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 11% (awful)
Entertainment Fuse Score: N/A
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: N/A
Amazon Price: $19.99 (DVD), $24.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A
I Am Bruce Lee (DVD and Blu-ray)
Directed by Paul McCormack
Starring: Daniele Bolelli, Paul Bowman, Richard Bustillo
Bruce Lee is, of course, one of the greatest artists and action stars ever, and his influence broke boundaries and made the Hong Kong film industry the third biggest in the world. From documentary filmmaker Paul McCormack, I Am Bruce Lee attempts to explore Lee’s influence on action cinema and his status as a culture icon.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 70% (good)
Entertainment Fuse Score: N/A
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: This documentary examinines the legacy of martial-arts icon Bruce Lee with archival footage and interviews, battle re-creations, and observations from entertainers and athletes. ~ Michael Chant
Amazon Price: $15.99 (DVD), $22.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): Content 4 stars, Video 3.5 stars, Audio 3 stars, Extras 2.5 stars, Replay 3 stars (out of 5). Recommended.
The Other Dream Team (DVD)
Directed by Marius A. Markevičius
Written by Jon Weinbach, Marius A. Markevičius
Starring: Jim Lampley, Yao Ming, Bill Walton, Arvdas Sabonis
The Other Dream Team is a critically acclaimed documentary about the 1992 Lithuanian basketball team, which became a symbol of the Lithuanian independence movement.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes: 88% (excellent)
Entertainment Fuse Score: N/A
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Closed Caption; Audio commentary with Producer Jon Weinbach and Director Marius A. Markevicius; Screening Q&A with Producer Jon Weinbach and Director Marius A. Markevicius
Amazon Price: $19.99 (DVD)
Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A
The Tin Drum (1979) (DVD and Blu-ray)
Directed by Volker Schlöndorff
Written by Volker Schlöndorff, Jean-Claude Carrière, Franz Seitz (screenplay), Günter Grass (novel)
Starring: David Bennent, Mario Adorf, Angela Winkler, Daniel Olbrychski, Katharina Thalback, Charles Azavous
Based on Günter Grass’ novel of the same name, The Tin Drum is German movie that won the Palme d’Or at the 1979 Cannes Film Festival and an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Feature. Oskar Matzerath (David Bennent) is an intelligent boy who at the age of three refuses to grow up when he sees the hypocrisy of adults. His tin drum is sign of defiance as Germany descents towards war.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes: 75% (very good)
Entertainment Fuse Score: 5.0/10
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: New, restored high-definition digital transfer of the complete version, approved by director Volker Schlöndorff; Newly remastered 5.1 surround soundtrack, approved by Schlöndorff; New interview with Schlöndorff about the making of The Tin Drum and the creation of the 2010 restored, complete version; New interview with film scholar Timothy Corrigan; German audio recording from 1987 of author Günter Grass reading an excerpt from his novel The Tin Drum with musical accompaniment, illustrated with the corresponding scene from the film; Television interview excerpts featuring Schlöndorff, Grass, actors David Bennent and Mario Adorf, and cowriter Jean-Claude Carrière reflecting on their experiences making the film; Trailer; New English subtitle translation; PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by critic Michael Atkinson and 1978 statements by Grass about the adaptation of his novel
Amazon Price: $24.99 (DVD), $34.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): Content 4 stars, Video 4.5 stars, Audio 4 stars, Extras 4 stars, Replay 4 stars (out of 5). Highly Recommended.
Wake In Fright (1971) (DVD and Blu-ray)
Directed by Ted Kotcheff
Written by Evan Jones (screenplay), Kenneth Cook (novel)
Starring: Gary Bond, Donald Pleasence, Chips Rafferty
From the director of First Blood, Ted Kotcheff, comes this Australian New Wave film Wake in Fright. Based on a novel by Kenneth Cook, Wake in Fright focuses on John Grant (Gary Bond, Zulu), an educated teacher who in stays in an Outback mining town, a town of brutality and depravity.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes: 100% (excellent)
Entertainment Fuse Score: N/A
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: Audio commentary with director Ted Kotcheff and editor Anthony Buckley; To the ‘Yabba and Back…’ featurette by Not Quite Hollywood Director Mark Hartley; Q&A with Kotcheff at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival; ’ABC’s 7:30 Report’ on the rediscovery and restoration of the film; Who Needs Art?: Vintage segment on Wake in Fright; Chips Rafferty obituary; Theatrical trailers; 28-page booklet
Amazon Price: $24.99 (DVD), $21.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A
Wild River (1960) (DVD and Blu-ray)
Directed by Elia Kazan
Written by Paul Osborn (screenplay), Borden Deal (novel ‘Dunbar’s Cover), William Bradford Huie (novel ‘Mud on the Stars’)
Starring: Montgomery Clift, Lee Remick
Set in the 1930s, Wild River tells the story of Chuck Glover (Montgomery Clift), a Tennessee Valley Authority administrator who is sent to a small town to oversee the construction of a dam. But he comes across fierce opposition from the townspeople, particularly from an 80-year-old woman, Ella (Jo Van Fleet), who refuses to sell her land to the federal government.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes: 100% (excellent)
Entertainment Fuse Score: N/A
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: N/A
Amazon Price: $12.99 (DVD), $19.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A
Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) (Blu-ray)
Written and directed by Woody Allen
Starring: Woody Allen, Michael Caine, Mia Farrow, Carrie Fisher, Barbara Herschey, Lloyd Nolan, Maureen O’Sullivan, Daniel Stern, Max von Sydow, Dianne Wiest
Hannah and Her Sisters is often considered one of Woody Allen's best movies. It won Academy Awards for Best Original Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Supporting Actress and was Allen’s most financially successful movie until Midnight in Paris.
This ensemble comedy focuses on Hannah (Mia Farrow), the de facto leader of her family over the course of a year, looking at her relationships and her sisters.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 93% (excellent)
Entertainment Fuse Score: N/A
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: N/A
Amazon Price: $21.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A
Sleeper (1973) (Blu-ray)
Directed by Woody Allen
Written by Woody Allen, Marshall Brickman (screenplay), H.G. Wells (novel ‘The Sleeper Awake’)
Starring: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, John Beck, Marya Small, Susan Miller
The final Woody Allen movie of the week is his sci-fi comedy Sleeper. Allen plays Miles Monroe, a jazz musician and health food store owner who freezes himself and awakes 200 years in the future where America has turned into a dyspotic totalitarian state.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes: 100% (excellent)
Entertainment Fuse Score: N/A
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: N/A
Amazon Price: $19.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A
How Green Was My Valley (1941) (Blu-ray)
Directed by John Ford
Written by Philip Dunne (screenplay), Richard Llewellyn
Starring: Walter Pidgeon, Maureen O’Hara, Anna Lee, Donald Crisp, Roddy McDowall
Based on Richard Llewellyn’s novel, John Ford’s adaptation of How Green Was My Valley was the movie that beat Citizen Kane to a Best Picture Oscar. Set at the turn of the 20th century in South Wales, How Green Was My Valley focuses on the Morgan family, particularly 10-year-old Huw (Roddy McDowall) as he learns life lessons from a preacher (Walter Pidgeon).
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes: 88% (excellent)
Entertainment Fuse Score: N/A
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: N/A
Amazon Price: $18.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A
Wimbledon (2004) (Blu-ray)
Directed by Richard Loncraine
Written by Adam Brooks, Jennifer Flackett, Mark Levin
Starring: Paul Bettany, Kirsten Dunst
Wimbledon is both a sports drama and a rom-com, telling the story of British tennis player Peter Colt (Paul Bettany). Peter was once ranked 11th in the world, but he has entered the twilight of his career and is set to retire. Yet, at his final Wimbledon competition, he meets American tennis star Lizzie Bradbury (Kirsten Dunst), and the two start a relationship. Peter begins performing above expectations at the tournament, but Lizzie underperforms because of the distraction of the relationship.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes: 61% (good)
Entertainment Fuse Score: 7.0/10
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: N/A
Amazon Price: $34.99 (Blu-ray)
Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A
Wuthering Heights (1939) (DVD)
Directed by William Wyler
Written by Charles MacArthur, Ben Hecht (screenplay), Emily Brontë (novel)
Starring: Merle Oberon, Laurence Olivier, David Niven, Geraldine Fitzgerald
The 1939 version of Emily Brontë’s gothic romance Wuthering Heights is one of the most famous adaptations of the classic: it is also one of the most disloyal, as the movie stops at chapter 16 of the novel.
Wuthering Heights tells the tragic romance of Heathcliff (Laurence Olivier) and Cathy (Merle Oberon), who first meet as children and are separated by prejudice.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes: 100% (excellent)
Entertainment Fuse Score: N/A
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: N/A
Amazon Price: $12.99 (DVD)
Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A
The Bishop’s Wife (1947) (DVD)
Directed by Henry Koster
Written by Leonardo Bercovici, Robert E. Sherwood (screenplay), Robert Nathan (novel)
Starring: Cary Grant, Loretta Young, David Niven
The Bishop’s Wife is a light hearted comedy about a bishop (David Niven) who is demanded to build a cathedral by an angel, Dudley (Cary Grant), who comes down from heaven to show him what really matters.
Critics Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): 80% (very good)
Entertainment Fuse Score: N/A
DISC DETAILS
DVD Special Features: N/A
Amazon Price: $12.99 (DVD)
Score (DVDTalk.com): N/A
