10 NEW TO NETFLIX “American Hustle””The Bourne Identity””Holy Spider””How to Train Your Dragon””Inception””Inside Man””The Last Stand””The Mustang””Psycho””The Raid” 10 NEW TO HBO MAX “Across the Universe””Blazing Saddles””Contact””Coraline””The Exorcist””The Goonies””Office Space””The Shining””Twister””Unforgiven” 6 NEW TO BLU-RAY/DVD Note: Criterion has also just released Steve McQueen’s “Small Axe” films in a box set that will be reviewed individually next week. “The Fisher King” (Criterion) I was recently honored to be on the podcast “A Very Good Year,” wherein a guest picks a year and their five favorite films from it. (Listen here.) I went with 1991 and tried to unpack the films that shaped the taste of a 16-year-old version of me. “The Fisher King” was an easy pick. Terry Gilliam took the brilliant script by Richard LaGravenese and made it his own, blending his dark sense of humor with a story of redemption and trauma. It contains some of the best performances of its era, including an all-timer from Jeff Bridges. And the new Criterion edition includes a 4K restoration approved by Gilliam, along with the spectacular previously available special features, including an audio commentary, multiple interviews, deleted scenes, and more. Buy it here Special FeaturesNew 4K digital restoration, approved by director Terry Gilliam, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrackOne 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special featuresAudio commentary featuring GilliamInterviews with Gilliam, producer Lynda Obst, screenwriter Richard LaGravenese, and actors Jeff Bridges, Amanda Plummer, and Mercedes RuehlInterviews with artists Keith Greco and Vincent Jefferds on the creation of the film’s Red KnightInterview from 2006 with actor Robin WilliamsVideo essay featuring Bridges’s on-set photographsFootage from 1991 of Bridges training as a radio personality with acting coach Stephen W. BridgewaterDeleted scenes, with audio commentary by GilliamCostume testsTrailersEnglish subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearingPLUS: An essay by critic Bilge Ebiri Now streaming on: Powered by JustWatch “House of 1,000 Corpses” It’s hard to believe it’s been two decades since Rob Zombie’s feature debut, now released in a standard special edition and a steelbook one available only at Best Buy. When Zombie dropped his ’70s-inspired gore-stravaganza, it was like a curiosity. Most rock stars don’t transition smoothly to other forms, so it wasn’t clear if Rob’s efforts were a hobby or a new career. Of course, we know now that it’s the latter, as the divisive auteur is still making movies 20 years later. That gives this release a fun bit of historical importance as it’s easier now to see how Zombie was stretching his muscles with this release and how it would be reflected in future works like “The Devil’s Rejects” and “The Lords of Salem” (still his two best, IMO). The steelbook is particularly wicked with excellent cover art that you can see above. Buy it here Special FeaturesDISC ONEDirector CommentaryMaking-of FeaturetteCasting FootageRehearsal FootageCast and Crew InterviewsTheatrical TrailerDISC TWONEW Bonus Disc of Never-Before-Seen Special Features from Rob ZombieCast & Director InterviewsBehind The ScenesIncludes 5 On-Set BTS SegmentsDr. Satan TestProfessor TestElectronic Press Kit Teaser Trailer Now streaming on: Powered by JustWatch “Living” For a lot of people, a remake of something as sacred as Akira Kurosawa’s “Ikiru” was nothing short of blasphemy. That’s a shame because Oliver Hermanus’ Oscar-nominated film stands alongside that masterpiece as its own solid, character-driven drama. It helps to have a screenplay by the incredible Kazuo Ishiguro (“The Remains of the Day”) and career-best work from Bill Nighy as a 1950s London bureaucrat who discovers his days are numbered. What does it do to a man to know that his time is about to be up? Nighy captures the truth of his character without succumbing to the potential melodrama of it all. Despite the Oscar attention, it feels like most people haven’t seen “Living.” You should correct that. (And Sony should have given it a richer Blu-ray release, honestly.) Buy it here Special FeaturesA Life Semi-lived – Featurette Now streaming on: Powered by JustWatch “Missing” Co-writers Aneesh Chaganty and Sev Ohanian came up with the story for “Missing,” making it something of a sequel to their hit “Searching.” Once again, it’s a mystery that unfolds on screens, but the roles are cleverly reversed here, turning it into a story of a child searching for a parent instead of the inverse. There are a few too many twists that clutter the film’s second half, but star Storm Reid holds it together believably as a daughter who learns that she may not have known anything about her mother. It’s a smart performance in a new semi-franchise of movies that’s more promising than most. Buy it here Special FeaturesDeleted ScenesHunting for the MISSING Easter EggsBehind-The-Scenes Featurettes:Storm Reid and the Challenge of MISSINGMisdirects, Online Crimes and the Social Media MysteryThe Screens that Rule Our LivesFilmmaker Commentary Now streaming on: Powered by JustWatch “The Seventh Seal” (Criterion) The Criterion Ingmar Bergman box set is one of the best, but those are all standard Blu-rays, which means serious Bergman fans are going to be tempted to buy the standalone 4K versions that start with 1957’s “The Seventh Seal,” one of the most influential films ever made. The tale of a medieval knight and his encounter with the literal form of death is one of Bergman’s most beloved motion pictures. It’s a perfect fit for 4K, which allows a richer appreciation of Gunnar Fischer’s striking black-and-white cinematography. Beyond the 4K restoration, Criterion includes the previously available special features, including an excellent doc called “Bergman Island” and a smart commentary from Bergman expert Peter Cowie. Buy it here Special Features4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrackOne 4K UHD disc of the film and one Blu-ray with the film and special featuresIntroduction from 2003 by director Ingmar BergmanAudio commentary and video afterword by Bergman expert Peter CowieBergman Island (2006), a feature-length documentary on Bergman by Marie NyrerödAudio interview from 1998 with actor Max von SydowTribute to Bergman from 1989 by filmmaker Woody AllenBergman 101, a selected video filmography tracing Bergman’s career, narrated by CowieTrailerOptional English-dubbed soundtrackPLUS: An essay by critic Gary Giddins Now streaming on: Powered by JustWatch “Triangle of Sadness” (Criterion) Ruben Östlund’s Palme d’Or-winner was a surprising tenth nominee for Best Picture at the Oscars this year. Academy voters were drawn to the social satire of how a disaster doesn’t just eliminate the rules between different classes but invert them. I’m still about as mixed on the film as I was in my theatrical review, falling between its hardcore fans and vocal detractors. I find everything Östlund does interesting, even if he hasn’t matched the brilliance of his earlier “Force Majeure.” The Criterion edition of this divisive satire includes a new interview and two programs about the making of the film. But it’s relatively slight, given the extensive supplemental material Criterion usually provides. Buy it here Special FeaturesNew 4K digital master, approved by director Ruben Östlund, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrackOne 4K UHD disc of the film and one Blu-ray with the film and special featuresNew interview with Östlund and filmmaker and actor Johan JonasonTwo new programs: one about the film’s special effects and one about a challenging day on setDeleted scenesTrailerEnglish subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearingPLUS: An essay by film critic A. S. Hamrah Now streaming on: Powered by JustWatch
