The following Blu-rays and DVDs are being released on Tuesday, June 27, unless otherwise indicated:
T2 Trainspotting (Blu-ray + Ultraviolet) Details: 2017, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Rated: R, drug use, language, violence, nudity, sexual content The lowdown: “T2 Trainspotting” is a movie reeking of desperation, made by a director going through a malaise, looking for a spark to reignite his creative juices. That the director is Academy Award-winner Danny Boyle should not concern anyone about a decline in talent. Doyle returns to the city and characters that added him to the cinematic landscape: Edinburgh and Mark Renton (Ewan McGregor), Sick Boy (Jonny Lee Miller), Spud (Ewen Bremmer) and Begbie (Robert Carlyle). The story picks up 20 years after the events in “Trainspotting,” in which Renton ran off with money he stole from his mates after a drug-money heist. Renton’s homecoming initiates a chain of events that follows the movie’s ongoing mantra: “First there was an opportunity … then, there was a betrayal.” Despite receiving a 78 percent fresh rating at Rottentomatoes.com, the movie feels flat and disjointed. However, most fans of the original should enjoy revisiting the characters. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English and French 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and English and French audio description tracks; English SDH, English, French and Spanish subtitles. Don’t miss: Bonus materials include a conversation with Boyle and cast members, a commentary and deleted scenes.
CHiPS (Blu-ray + DVD + Ultraviolet) Details: 2017, Warner Home Video Rated: R, crude sexual content and humor, nudity, language, violence, drug use The lowdown: Dax Shepard and Michael Peña star in this misfire adaptation of the classic TV series about the California Highway Patrol. The problem with the film is its humor, which is sexist and misogynistic. It goes for cheap and obvious laughs. The story, which deals with a multimillion dollar robbery, follows Shepard’s rookie Jon Baker and Peña’s undercover FBI agent Frank “Ponch” Poncherello as they try to solve the heist and discover the mole among their fellow CHIPs officers. The story is formulaic and predicable. Critics demolished the film, giving it a 16 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes. Even fans of the TV series may find it underwhelming and a disappointment. Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 (16x9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and 5.1 descriptive audio and French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, Spanish and French subtitles; DVD: 1.85:1 (16x9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles. Don’t miss: Bonus offerings include a behind-the-scenes featurette with Shepard, who also directed the movie, sharing his inspiration for the film, as well as going behind the scenes to look at the stunts, and deleted scenes.
Wilson (Blu-ray + DVD + digital HD) Release date: June 20 Details: 2017, Fox Home Entertainment Rated: R, language, sexual content The lowdown: Woody Harrelson gives a stellar performance in this adaptation of Daniel Clowes’ graphic novel about a lonely, neurotic and brutally honest middle-aged misanthrope who reunites with his estranged ex-wife (Laura Dern) when he discovers he has a teenage daughter he has never met. The performances are solid, but the movie — adapted by Clowes — cannot sustain the character’s singular outlook on a consistent basis, even as Wilson attempts to connect — in his own unique way — with his teenage offspring, played by Isabelle Amara. The film lacks the sharpness and edginess required to propel the story. Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English 5.1 descriptive audio and Spanish and French 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles; DVD: 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital and 5.1 descriptive audio and Spanish and French 2.0 Dolby digital surround; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles. Don’t miss: Extras include deleted scenes, a featurette on adapting the graphic novel for the screen, a look at Wilson and a featurette on the movie’s women characters.
Dirty Dancing Details: 2017, Lionsgate Home Entertainment Rated: Not rated The lowdown: This made-for-TV remake of the popular film that starred Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey reimagines the 1987 film from a different perspective. The basic plot remains: Frances “Baby” Houseman (Abigail Breslin) spends the summer with her family at a Catskills resort where she falls in love with the camp’s dance instructor, Johnny Castle (newcomer Colt Prattes). This version contains many of the songs that made the original so memorable, including “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life,” “Hungry Eyes” And “She’s Like the Wind.” It also adds such standards as “Fever” and “They Can’t Take That Away From Me.” The movie also follows Baby and Johnny after their magical summer. Technical aspects: 1.78:1 (16x9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH and Spanish subtitles. Don’t miss: Supplemental offerings include a featurette on carrying on the legacy of the original and a behind-the-scenes look at the dance numbers.
“The Pink Panther Film Collection” Details: 1964-82, Shout! Factory Rated: Not rated, G, PG The lowdown: A six-disc set from the Shout Select series featuring the six movies in which Peter Sellers starred as the bumbling and hilarious Inspector Jacques Clouseau. Each of the movies was directed by Blake Edwards, who mixed slapstick with sly humor and wordplay. The films in the set are: “The Pink Panther” (1964), “A Shot in the Dark” (1964), “The Return of the Pink Panther” (1975), “The Pink Panther Strikes Again” (1976), “Revenge of the Pink Panther” (1978) and “Trail of the Pink Panther” (1982). The films capture the comedic magic of Sellers, who is adept at physical as well as verbal humor. It is a treat to watch him perform. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, widescreen pictures; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and monaural. Don’t miss: The set is loaded with extras, including making of featurettes, a featurette on the Pink Panther cartoons, other new and archival featurettes and interviews with such costars as Robert Wagner, Claudia Cardinale and Lesley-Anne Down and commentary tracks.
Joe Versus the Volcano (Blu-ray) Release date: June 20 Details: 1990, Warner Archive Collection Rated: PG The lowdown: Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan costarred for the first time in this fantasy-comedy written and directed by playwright John Patrick Shanley. Hanks plays a stressed-out man in a dead-end job who gets some bad news that he has a terminal “brain cloud” and will be dead within five months. Lloyd Bridges plays the ultra-rich crazy man who offers Joe a taste of the good life in exchange for traveling to a remote Pacific island and leaping into its volcano. Ryan plays three roles as women who meet Joe at various stages in his journey. The release is a made-on-demand Blu-ray from the Warner Archive Collection and can be found at www.wb.com/warnerarchive or at other online retailers. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 (16x9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio stereo surround; English SDH subtitles. Don’t miss: Extras include a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the movie and a music video.
Trespass: Collector’s Edition (Blu-ray) Details: 1992, Shout! Factory Rated: R, violence, language The lowdown: Walter Hill directed this thriller starring Bill Paxton, William Sadler, Ice Cube and Ice-T. The story centers on two Arkansas firefighters, Vince (Paxton) and Don (Sadler), who discover a map leading to a large cache of stolen gold hidden in an abandoned East St. Louis tenement. Unbeknownst to them, the building is headquarters to a vicious gang led by King James (Ice-T) and Savon (Ice Cube). When the firefighters accidentally witness the execution of the some of the gang’s enemies, they become the criminals next targets. The movie features a lot of action, which fits right into Hill’s wheelhouse. Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio stereo; English subtitles. Don’t miss: Extras include interviews with Sadler, co-writer Bob Gale and producer Neil Canton, featurettes on the movie’s stunts and weapons, a music video, deleted scenes and a vintage featurette taking viewers behind the scenes of the filming.
Other Blu-rays and DVDs being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
The Autopsy of Jane Doe (Blu-ray + DVD) (IFC Midnight-Scream Factory) Incorporated: Season One (CBS DVD-Paramount Home Entertainment, June 20)
FOR KIDS Bunnicula: Season 1, Part 1 (Warner Home Video)
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD and STREAMING Correspondence (Fox Home Entertainment) The Fate of the Furious (Universal Studios Home Entertainment) Money (Fox Home Entertainment) Song to Song (Broad Green Pictures) Inconceivable (Lionsgate Home Entertainment, June 30) Tommy’s Honour (Lionsgate Home Entertainment, June 30) Janet King: Series 3 (Acorn TV, July 3)
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.