A dozen Disney theatrical cartoons from the past 15 years have been pulled together for a new Blu-ray collection, which goes on sale this week.
Walt Disney Animation Studios Short Films Collection (Disney/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital, 2000-15, two discs, 12 cartoons, featurettes). Frozen has snowballed (no pun intended well, maybe a little) into such an animation phenomenon that its no wonder Disney is selling this collection primarily as a way to get the films first spinoff, Frozen Fever. But that cartoon short is just the tip of the iceberg (sorry).
The other 11 cartoons, most originally shown theatrically with various Disney feature films, include a wide variety of artistic styles, along with comic and/or sentimental storytelling. My personal favorites are Paperman, the blending of black-and-white and color Mickey Mouse in Get a Horse! and Goofys How to Hook Up Your Home Theater, which still seems relevant. The Little Matchgirl, Lorenzo, Feast and others are also great fun.
This is strictly a collection of 21st century cartoons, most of them available on other Blu-ray/DVDs. And while its nice to have them all together, its a real shame Disney couldnt have included such 1990s rarities as Redux Riding Hood (which earned an Oscar nomination) or Off His Rockers or Petal to the Metal, or the 2008 Giagos Guest none of which has ever been released on DVD.
Little Boy (Universal/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital/On Demand, 2015, PG-13, deleted scenes, animated short: Snack Attack). Theres also a funny little cartoon short on this disc, Snack Attack, which is worth a look. The movie, Little Boy, is less satisfying as it tells the story of a young boy who tries to will his fathers safe return from World War II, while he also befriends an elderly Japanese man fresh from an internment camp who is being harassed.
This is a faith film with rich production values and a cast of familiar actors (Emily Watson, Tom Wilkinson, Michael Rapaport, Kevin James), but it unfortunately sinks under the weight of a very heavy hand in both the script and direction.
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared (Music Box/DVD, 2015, R for language and violence, in English and Swedish with English subtitles, featurettes, trailer). Whimsy is very difficult but for some reason Nordic filmmakers make it seem easy (check out the films of Aki Kaurismaki). And this low-key, wacky comedy achieves it very well, the R-rated language and violence sounding the only false notes.
On his 100th birthday, as he escapes a rest home, the title character inadvertently comes into possession of a suitcase full of money. Naturally, the criminals that stole it want it back. During an impromptu road trip, our hero meets a variety of zany characters and flashes back to younger periods of his life. Lead actor Robert Gustafsson is a revelation and his aging makeup is quite convincing.
Hackers (MGM/Shout!/Blu-ray, 1995, PG-13, featurettes, trailer). This mid-90s yarn about young hackers (led by Angelina Jolie and Elementary star Jonny Lee Miller) accidentally uncovering a corporate conspiracy and unleashing the wrath of an evil programmer (Fisher Stevens) is both ahead of its time and now rather quaint in its usage of computers. It's undemanding but entertaining, with an array of then-unknown, now-familiar faces, including Matthew Lillard, Lorraine Bracco, Penn Jillette and Felicity Huffman, among others.
Blood Cells (Garden Thieves/DVD/On Demand, 2015, not rated). British melodrama about an aimless young man (Barry Ward) whos been living in self-imposed exile from his family for more than a decade after their farm was destroyed by a foot-and-mouth epidemic. After being summoned by his brother for a family event, he realizes the time to make amends is now or never, but while on the road he delays his arrival by wallowing in decadent digressions.
5 to 7 (IFC/DVD, 2015, R for sex, featurette, trailer). Atmospheric romance about a young aspiring writer (Anton Yelchin) who falls into a love affair with a glamorous French woman (Berenice Marlohe) who is in an open marriage, but shes only free for hotel trysts between 5 and 7 p.m. Of course, for him its not enough. Glenn Close and Frank Langella appear briefly.
The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe (Lifetime/Lionsgate/DVD/Digital, 2015, not rated). Yet another movie (actually a two-part TV miniseries) about MM, this one from the Lifetime cable channel. Kelli Garner stars as the iconic star, Susan Sarandon is her mother, Emily Watson is her aunt and Jeffrey Dean Morgan plays one of her husbands, Joe DiMaggio.
Z Storm (Well Go/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital, 2015, not rated, in Cantonese with English subtitles, featurettes, trailer). The Independent Commission Against Corruption, a real-life Hong Kong organization tasked with cleaning up government corruption, is the vehicle for this thriller about an investigation into a charity fund that leads to the discovery of a Ponzi scheme linked to high levels of power.
Lambert & Stamp (Sony Classics/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital/On Demand, 2015; R for language, drugs, nudity; audio commentaries, featurettes). Documentary about the rise of the legendary 1960s rock group The Who. The focus is on Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp, a pair of aspiring counterculture filmmakers looking for subjects for a documentary when they stumble on a fledgling band called the High Numbers. They soon abandon the film and begin managing the band, which evolves into The Who. Pete Townshend and Roger Daltry are among those interviewed.
The Riot Club (IFC/DVD, 2015; R for violence, language, sex, nudity, drugs; trailer). British cautionary tale about a fictionalized version of a real Oxford drinking club, where rich and entitled male students indulge their most hedonistic behavior in despicable ways. When one pummels a bar owner, putting him in the hospital, the members close ranks but contrive evidence to frame their newest member (Max Irons, son of Jeremy).
Vendetta (Lionsgate/DVD/Digital, 2015, R for violence and language, featurettes). This B-action flick stars Dean Cain as a tough cop who arrests Paul The Big Show Wight (of World Wrestling Entertainment) but cant hold him. Later, it appears Wight has avenged himself by killing Cains wife, and he goes to prison for it. So Cain gets himself arrested and sent to prison in order to exact revenge, only to find the penitentiary is a den of corruption.
Walt Disney Animation Studios Short Films Collection (Disney/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital, 2000-15, two discs, 12 cartoons, featurettes). Frozen has snowballed (no pun intended well, maybe a little) into such an animation phenomenon that its no wonder Disney is selling this collection primarily as a way to get the films first spinoff, Frozen Fever. But that cartoon short is just the tip of the iceberg (sorry).
The other 11 cartoons, most originally shown theatrically with various Disney feature films, include a wide variety of artistic styles, along with comic and/or sentimental storytelling. My personal favorites are Paperman, the blending of black-and-white and color Mickey Mouse in Get a Horse! and Goofys How to Hook Up Your Home Theater, which still seems relevant. The Little Matchgirl, Lorenzo, Feast and others are also great fun.
This is strictly a collection of 21st century cartoons, most of them available on other Blu-ray/DVDs. And while its nice to have them all together, its a real shame Disney couldnt have included such 1990s rarities as Redux Riding Hood (which earned an Oscar nomination) or Off His Rockers or Petal to the Metal, or the 2008 Giagos Guest none of which has ever been released on DVD.
Little Boy (Universal/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital/On Demand, 2015, PG-13, deleted scenes, animated short: Snack Attack). Theres also a funny little cartoon short on this disc, Snack Attack, which is worth a look. The movie, Little Boy, is less satisfying as it tells the story of a young boy who tries to will his fathers safe return from World War II, while he also befriends an elderly Japanese man fresh from an internment camp who is being harassed.
This is a faith film with rich production values and a cast of familiar actors (Emily Watson, Tom Wilkinson, Michael Rapaport, Kevin James), but it unfortunately sinks under the weight of a very heavy hand in both the script and direction.
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared (Music Box/DVD, 2015, R for language and violence, in English and Swedish with English subtitles, featurettes, trailer). Whimsy is very difficult but for some reason Nordic filmmakers make it seem easy (check out the films of Aki Kaurismaki). And this low-key, wacky comedy achieves it very well, the R-rated language and violence sounding the only false notes.
On his 100th birthday, as he escapes a rest home, the title character inadvertently comes into possession of a suitcase full of money. Naturally, the criminals that stole it want it back. During an impromptu road trip, our hero meets a variety of zany characters and flashes back to younger periods of his life. Lead actor Robert Gustafsson is a revelation and his aging makeup is quite convincing.
Hackers (MGM/Shout!/Blu-ray, 1995, PG-13, featurettes, trailer). This mid-90s yarn about young hackers (led by Angelina Jolie and Elementary star Jonny Lee Miller) accidentally uncovering a corporate conspiracy and unleashing the wrath of an evil programmer (Fisher Stevens) is both ahead of its time and now rather quaint in its usage of computers. It's undemanding but entertaining, with an array of then-unknown, now-familiar faces, including Matthew Lillard, Lorraine Bracco, Penn Jillette and Felicity Huffman, among others.
Blood Cells (Garden Thieves/DVD/On Demand, 2015, not rated). British melodrama about an aimless young man (Barry Ward) whos been living in self-imposed exile from his family for more than a decade after their farm was destroyed by a foot-and-mouth epidemic. After being summoned by his brother for a family event, he realizes the time to make amends is now or never, but while on the road he delays his arrival by wallowing in decadent digressions.
5 to 7 (IFC/DVD, 2015, R for sex, featurette, trailer). Atmospheric romance about a young aspiring writer (Anton Yelchin) who falls into a love affair with a glamorous French woman (Berenice Marlohe) who is in an open marriage, but shes only free for hotel trysts between 5 and 7 p.m. Of course, for him its not enough. Glenn Close and Frank Langella appear briefly.
The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe (Lifetime/Lionsgate/DVD/Digital, 2015, not rated). Yet another movie (actually a two-part TV miniseries) about MM, this one from the Lifetime cable channel. Kelli Garner stars as the iconic star, Susan Sarandon is her mother, Emily Watson is her aunt and Jeffrey Dean Morgan plays one of her husbands, Joe DiMaggio.
Z Storm (Well Go/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital, 2015, not rated, in Cantonese with English subtitles, featurettes, trailer). The Independent Commission Against Corruption, a real-life Hong Kong organization tasked with cleaning up government corruption, is the vehicle for this thriller about an investigation into a charity fund that leads to the discovery of a Ponzi scheme linked to high levels of power.
Lambert & Stamp (Sony Classics/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital/On Demand, 2015; R for language, drugs, nudity; audio commentaries, featurettes). Documentary about the rise of the legendary 1960s rock group The Who. The focus is on Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp, a pair of aspiring counterculture filmmakers looking for subjects for a documentary when they stumble on a fledgling band called the High Numbers. They soon abandon the film and begin managing the band, which evolves into The Who. Pete Townshend and Roger Daltry are among those interviewed.
The Riot Club (IFC/DVD, 2015; R for violence, language, sex, nudity, drugs; trailer). British cautionary tale about a fictionalized version of a real Oxford drinking club, where rich and entitled male students indulge their most hedonistic behavior in despicable ways. When one pummels a bar owner, putting him in the hospital, the members close ranks but contrive evidence to frame their newest member (Max Irons, son of Jeremy).
Vendetta (Lionsgate/DVD/Digital, 2015, R for violence and language, featurettes). This B-action flick stars Dean Cain as a tough cop who arrests Paul The Big Show Wight (of World Wrestling Entertainment) but cant hold him. Later, it appears Wight has avenged himself by killing Cains wife, and he goes to prison for it. So Cain gets himself arrested and sent to prison in order to exact revenge, only to find the penitentiary is a den of corruption.