By Bob Bloom The following Blu-rays and DVDs are being released on Tuesday, June 21, unless otherwise noted: Midnight Special (Blu-ray) Details: 2016, Warner Home Video Rated: PG-13, violence and action The lowdown: Writer-director Jeff Nichols and actor Michael Shannon continue their successful cinematic collaboration with this compelling story of a father and son on the run. What propels the movie is the way in which Nichols layers the story as we learn events piece-by-piece before grasping the entire picture. Young Jaeden Lieberher as Alton gives a fresh and compelling performance. The A-list cast also includes Joel Edgerton, Kirsten Dunst and Adam Driver. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 (16x9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English 5.1 audio descriptive track and French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles. Don’t miss: Extras include featurettes on five main characters and one with Nichols about the unseen world that Alton can see.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (Blu-ray + DVD + Ultraviolet) Details: 2016, Universal Studios Home Entertainment Rated: PG-13, suggestive sexual material The lowdown: Nia Vardalos and John Corbett return as Toula and Ian who, still married, have a 17-year-old daughter, Paris, who has been raised in the midst of Toula’s big and loud family. Now Paris wants to break the bonds and head out on her own. But an unexpected discovery creates the setting for another big fat Greek wedding, which could disrupt the tightly knit clan’s balance and plans. The film was not as warmly received as the original, earning a 29 percent positive rating at Rottentomatoes.com. Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English 2.0 Dolby digital audio descriptive track and Spanish and French 5.1 DTS digital surround; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles; DVD: 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen picture; English, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital and English 2.0 Dolby digital audio descriptive track; English SDH, Spanish and French subtitles. Don’t miss: Supplemental materials include a look at the making of the movie, a behind-the-scenes featurette on creating a big fat Greek dinner and a gag reel.
The Brothers Grimsby (Blu-ray + Ultraviolet) Details: 2016, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Rated: R, crude sexual content, nudity, violence, language drug use The lowdown: A low-brow comedy co-written by and co-starring Sasha Baron Cohen as Nobby, a nice guy with very little upstairs who sets out to find his younger brother from whom he was separated 28 years earlier. It turns out his brother, Sebastian (Mark Strong), is MI6’s most skilled and proficient assassin. Nobby’s surprise reuniting with little brother sends both men on the lam, as Sebastian is now accused of turning traitor. Like most Baron Cohen comedies, the film is filled with excessive and gross comedic situations that will make you either laugh or cringe. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English and French 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and English 5.1 Dolby digital audio descriptive track; English SDH, English, French and Spanish subtitles. Don’t miss: Extras include a making of featurette, an “Elephant in the Room” featurette, deleted and extended scenes, a blooper reel and line-o-rama outtakes.
The Wave (Blu-ray) Details: 2016, Magnolia Home Entertainment Rated: R, language, disaster images The lowdown: This Norwegian disaster movie is refreshing as it focuses more on people than special effects. The story takes place in the town of Geiranger, which draws thousands of tourists annually because of its spectacular fjord and mountain scenery. But the mountain is unstable, and when tons of rock plummet into the fjord, it creates a massive, nearly 300-foot tsunami that heads directly for the town. The residents and visitors have mere minutes to reach higher ground before being inundated. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 (16x9 enhanced) widescreen picture; Norwegian Dolby Atmos and English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD; English SDH, English and Spanish subtitles. Don’t miss: Extras include a behind-the-scenes featurette, a look at the visual effects and an interview with director Roar Uthaug.
Shrek: Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray + DVD + Ultraviolet) Release date: June 7 Details: 2000, DreamWorks-Fox Home Entertainment Rated: PG, crude humor, language The lowdown: Return to that swamp to learn how that unfriendly ogre turned fairy tales on their heads in this delightfully hilarious and witty animated feature. Mike Myers gives life to Shrek as he undertakes a quest to rescue Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) in order to save his beloved muck land. Eddie Murphy’s rat-a-tat-tat vocal Donkey and the scheming Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow) are along for the ride. This is a movie that, no matter how many times you view it, never grows old. Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 7.1 Dolby TrueHD, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital and English audio descriptive track; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles; DVD: 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital, English 2.0 Dolby digital and English audio descriptive track; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles. Don’t miss: Bonus offerings include deleted scenes, a commentary track, music videos, a Shrek’s interactive journey featurette, a karaoke dance party, a secrets of Shrek featurette, a spotlight on Donkey featurette and a look at the animators’ corner.
They Were Expendable (Blu-ray) Release date: June 7 Details: 1945, Warner Archive Collection Rated: Not rated The lowdown: This John Ford-directed feature, produced in 1945, looks back at the early dark days of the war when Japan was overrunning the Pacific. The film deals with PT-boat commanders John Brickley (Robert Montgomery) and Rusty Ryan (John Wayne), who are tasked with defending the Philippines while the U.S. war effort regroups after the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor. Montgomery served during World War II as a PT-boat commander while Ford filmed the Oscar-winning documentary, “The Battle of Midway.” The movie’s cast also includes Donna Reed, Jack Holt, Ward Bond, Russell Simpson, Leon Ames and Tom Tyler. The release is part of the Warner Archive Collection and can be found at www.wbshop.com and other online retailers. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 full-screen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Rollercoaster (Blu-ray) Details: 1977, Shout! Factory Rated: PG, violence The lowdown: A suspense thriller about a terrorist, played by Timothy Bottoms, who targets amusement park rides — specifically rollercoasters. Trying to capture this madman is a safety inspector, played by George Segal. The movie, which costars, Richard Widmark, Harry Guardino, Susan Strasberg and Henry Fonda, includes the original Sensurround soundtrack. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English 3.1 Dolby TrueHD, including the original Sensurround; English subtitles. Don’t miss: The major bonus feature is an interview with writer Tommy Cook.
Chisum (Blu-ray) Release date: June 7 Details: 1970, Warner Home Video Rated: G The lowdown: John Wayne stars as cattle king John Chisum in this action-packed Western that focuses on the Lincoln County war in 1878 New Mexico. The sprawling supporting cast includes Forrest Tucker as a land-grabbing developer, Geoffrey Deuel as Billy the Kid, Glenn Corbett as Pat Garratt as well as Christopher George, Ben Johnson, Lynda Day, Bruce Cabot and Patric Knowles. Andrew V. McLaglen was behind the camera, as he was for many of the films in the twilight of Wayne’s career. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 (16x9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural and French and Spanish 2.0 Dolby digital monaural; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles. Don’t miss: A vintage feature about the making of the movie and a commentary with McLaglen comprise the major bonus offerings.
The Crush (Blu-ray) Details: 1993, Scream Factory Rated: R, violence, sexual situations, language The lowdown: A thriller about a 14-year-old girl, played by Alicia Silverstone, who develops a crush on a neighbor, played by Cary Elwes. At first, the man is flattered by the teen’s flirtations, then grows fearful as she becomes more and more obsessed with him, leading to grave consequences. The film, written and directed by Alan Shapiro, also features Jennifer Rubin and Kurtwood Smith. The feature was Silverstone’s breakthrough performance. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles. Don’t miss: Extras include interviews with Rubin and Smith as well as a commentary track.
The Midnight After Details: 2014, Well Go USA Entertainment Rated: Not rated, violence The lowdown: An end-of-the-world satire focusing on 16 people on a bus who emerge from a tunnel to find the entire population of the city has vanished. The film follows the passengers as they make a horrific discovery about what happened and realize they may have to fight for their lives. The movie combines horror, mystery, science fiction and comedy. Technical aspects: 16:9 widescreen picture; Cantonese 5.1 Dolby digital stereo and surround sound; English and Chinese subtitles.
Other Blu-rays and DVDs being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated: The Black Jacket (Virgil Films) Going Away (Blu-ray) (Cohen Media Group)
FOR KIDS Tom and Jerry: Back to Oz (Warner Home Video)
DIGITAL DOWNLOADS AND STREAMING Miracles From Heaven (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
Confirmation (HBO Home Entertainment, June 27) Very British Problems: Series 2 (Acorn TV, June 27)
Bob Bloom is a member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. He reviews movies, Blu-rays and DVDs for ReelBob (ReelBob.com), The Film Yap and other print and online publications. He can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com. You also can follow Bloom on Twitter @ReelBobBloom and on Facebook. Movie reviews by Bloom also can be found at Rottentomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com.