This week on home video, we’ve got a couple of Oscar winners, a comedy sequel, and the final season of a popular drama. Then, we’ve got another Oscar nominee and a handful of smaller releases that might be worth your time. Read on for details:
It’s official: Big Hero 6 is the Best Animated Feature of 2014 according to the Academy, and now you can chortle and coo at Baymax in the comfort of your own living room. Loosely based on the Marvel comic of the same name, the film takes place in the fictional metropolis of San Fransokyo, where a young robotics prodigy named Hiro Hamada (voiced by Ryan Potter) who enrolls in a super exclusive school for gifted scientists after the death of his older brother. Faced with the possibility of tracking down his brother’s killer, Hiro teams up with his new friends — and invents some hi-tech gear for them — in order to bring the villain to justice. Critics were big fans of the animation in Big Hero 6, as well as the action-packed story and surprisingly heartfelt touches, leading to a Certified Fresh 90 percent Tomatometer score. As a bonus, the Blu-ray will also get you the Oscar-winning animated short Feast, as well as the requisite behind-the-scenes featurettes and deleted scenes.
Speaking of Oscar wins, the one category that was arguably a complete lock was Best Supporting Actor, which went to J.K. Simmons for his portrayal of a draconian music conductor in Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash. Based on Chazelle’s own experiences, the film starred Miles Teller as ambitious jazz drummer Andrew Neiman, who comes under the tutelage of notoriously brutal instructor Terence Fletcher (Simmons) at a prestigious music school. Fletcher pushes Andrew to extremes, leading to a battle of wills and a climactic showdown. Critics gushed over Whiplash, rewarding it with a Certified Fresh 95 percent on the Tomatometer not only for the impressive performances from Simmons and Teller, but also for the film’s sustained tension and superb sound and editing. The particularly notable audio commentary track features Simmons and Chazelle, but the Blu-ray also comes with a 43-minute piece on professional drummers, Chazelle’s original 18-minute short which was expanded into the feature film, and more.
2011’s Horrible Bosses was a successful ensemble comedy that made the most of its stars talents, and while the film didn’t feel especially ripe for a sequel, it was somewhat inevitable. This time around, pals Nick (Jason Bateman), Kurt (Jason Sudeikis), and Dale (Charlie Day) embark on an entrepreneurial venture producing a new shower head. When the trio is duped by an unscrupulous investor (Christoph Waltz), they decide the best course of action is to kidnap his son (Chris Pine) for ransom. It’s often rare for comedy franchises to strike gold twice in a row, especially when the first film relies on a specific premise that’s abandoned in its sequel, and Horrible Bosses 2 fell prey to the sophomore jinx, clocking in at 35 percent on the Tomatometer. Critics were unamused by what they called lazy writing and witless humor, but it might still tickle your fancy if you’re a fan of its three stars.
Late last year, FX’s popular biker drama Sons of Anarchy finally came to a close after seven seasons, and by most counts, its final year was a success. Built on a foundation of deep character development, bursts of violent action, and dark family drama, SOA hurtled into its finale with six straight Fresh seasons under its belt — all at 78 percent or above. The final episode itself was well-received at 88 percent, and though its Shakespearean conclusion was something of a given, most agreed it was satisfying and effective nonetheless. The complete series was previously available with an empty slot for the season seven package, and you can pick that up this week — or you can pick up the complete series with season seven included as well.
This week at the movies, we’ve got just one new wide release: Captain America: The Winter Soldier, starring Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson, and Scarlett Johansson in the latest Marvel superhero adventure. What do the critics have to say?
It’s become fashionable in some film-going circles to dismiss the recent spate of comic book adaptations as evidence that Hollywood is bereft of ideas. Critics say Captain America: The Winter Soldier offers a powerful rebuttal, delivering outstanding performances and a thoughtful political undercurrent to complement its visceral thrills. This time out, Captain America (Chris Evans) is working undercover for S.H.I.EL.D., but quickly discovers that the organization is far more secretive than he suspected. Meanwhile, a mysterious assassin known as the Winter Soldier has carried out a series of killings — and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) seems to know more about his identity than she’s telling. The pundits say the Certified Fresh Captain America: The Winter Soldier should please both newcomers and Marvel diehards — it’s slick and action-packed, and most intriguingly, often has the feel of a paranoid thriller from the 1970s. (Check out this week’s Total Recall for a list of memorable superhero franchise part twos..)
Ilo Ilo, a drama about a the trials and tribulations of a middle-class Singaporean family during the Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s, is at 100 percent.
Afflicted, a horror film about a young man suffering from a sinister condition while on a globetrotting vacation with a friend, is at 92 percent.
The Retrieval, a Civil War-era drama about a man and his nephew on a mission to apprehend a fugitive ex-slave, is at 90 percent.
Alan Partridge, starring Steve Coogan as the narcissistic chat show host he made famous in Britain is Certified Fresh at 86 percent.
Under the Skin, starring Scarlett Johansson in a sci-fi thriller about a predatory alien disguised as a woman, is Certified Fresh at 82 percent.
Errol Morris‘ The Unknown Known, a documentary portrait of former U.S Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, is Certified Fresh at 81 percent.
Watermark, a documentary about humankind’s complex relationship with water, is at 75 percent.
The Borderlands, a horror film about a group of tasked with investigating paranormal activity in rural England, is at 75 percent.
Lars von Trier‘s Nymphomaniac: Volume II, starring Charlotte Gainsbourg and Shia LaBeouf in a drama about a sex-obsessed woman who tells her life story to a stranger, is at 65 percent.
Island Of Lemurs: Madagascar, a nature documentary narrated by Morgan Freeman about the adorable but endangered primates, is at 60 percent.
Dom Hemingway, starring Jude Law and Richard E. Grant in a dramedy about a wild-and-crazy safecracker who tries to reconnect with his estranged daughter, is at 55 percent.
The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came To Eden, a documentary about intrigue and murder among a group of eccentrics on a remote island, is at 50 percent.
In the Blood, starring Gina Carano and Danny Trejo in an action flick about a woman who goes looking for her missing husband, is at 42 percent.
The Players, starring Jean Dujardin in a series of comedic sketches about infidelity, is at 35 percent.
Goodbye World, starring Adrian Grenier and Gaby Hoffmann in a dramedy about a group of old friends who gather in a remote house to wait out the apocalypse, is at 25 percent.
Alien Abduction, a found-footage sci-fi thriller about a vacationing family that encounters extraterrestrial life, is at 25 percent.
Frankie & Alice, starring Halle Berry and Stellan Skarsgård in a drama about a woman suffering from multiple personality disorder, is at 24 percent.
