Titles mom can enjoy on her own movie night
So, you’ve waited until the last minute to pick out a Mother’s Day present? Don’t worry. There are scores of newly released DVDs and Blu-rays which would make great gifts for mom. Below are eight of the best of this year’s newly-released entries:
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame In Concert (2018, TimeLife, unrated, $40): If your mother is a fan of classic rock, she’ll want to turn up the volume on this Blu-ray set which boasts 53 performances from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies. The highlights include Pearl Jam thundering through “Alive,” “Given To Fly” and “Better Man,” Ringo Starr being introduced by Paul McCartney, and Bruce Springsteen joining the E Street Band for the classic “E-Street Shuffle.”
Ruby Gentry (1952, Kino,
unrated, $20): New to Blu-ray, this ridiculously entertaining melodrama reteams Jennifer Jones with her “Duel in the Sun” director King Vidor for another deep dive into lust, betrayal and vengeance. Spurned by the wealthy man (Charlton Heston) she loves, workingclass Ruby weds an even richer man (Karl Malden) out of pure spite. Many complications ensue. The miracle of the movie is how sympathetic all of the characters are, from the tormented Heston to the forlorn Malden to the vivacious Ruby who, in the end, is portrayed as a woman trying to grab the most out of life. The Divine Order (2017, Kino, unrated, $25): Set in Switzerland in 1971, when women were still denied the right to vote, this lively saga pivots on a small-town housewife (Marie Leuenberger) who begins to see the light after discovering books about feminism. Soon, she’s become the poster child for her village’s
suffragette movement, which sends shockwaves through her family. Director Petra Volpe’s cleareyed empathy extends to almost all of the characters, including the women strong enough to speak up for equality, and their husbands who mostly react with fear and anger to the changing times. Mermaids (1990, Olive,
unrated, $25): A celebration of unconventional families set in the early 1960s, this coming-of-age comedy overuses voice-over narration but once it really gets going, it winds up being a lively character study of a confused teenager named Charlotte (Winona Ryder) who’s struggling to come to terms with her flamboyant single mom (Cher). A few less scenes depicting Charlotte’s obsession with religion and a few more scenes featuring Bob Hoskins as Cher’s warmhearted suitor would have improved the movie. Still, as it is, “Mermaids” makes perfect Mother’s Day viewing. The Age of Innocence (1993, Criterion, PG13, $30): One of Martin Scorsese’s most underrated movies pivots on the intimate rebellion of Newland Archer (Daniel Day-Lewis), a 19th century upper-cruster who has the misfortune of meeting the love of his life (Michelle Pfeiffer) an hour or so after he’s proposed to her cousin and his longtime girlfriend (Winona Ryder). Cue a series of extravagantly staged balls, 13-course dinners and nights at the opera, all charged with repressed desire and tense emotion. From the first scene to the heartbreaking finale, “Age of Innocence” is an astonishment. MGM’s Big Parade of Comedy (1963, Warner
Archive, unrated, $20):
A decade before “That’s Entertainment” paid tribute to MGM musicals, this compendium showcased some of the studio’s premiere clowns. Overseen by Robert Youngson, who’s most famous for his silent screen celebration “The Golden Age of Comedy,” this breezy clips package serves up classic routines featuring Buster Keaton, Jean Harlow and the the Marx Brothers as well as quick takes starring Marion Davies, Carole Lombard, Lucille Ball and Clark Gable. It’s not definitive but it is delightful. Hilda Crane (1956, Twilight Time, unrated, $30): Jean Simmons delivers one of her best turns in this underrated character study of a divorcee returning home to the small college town she escaped years earlier. Even though Hilda is a relatively liberated woman, she winds up marrying a man (Guy Madison) she doesn’t love while longing for a relationship with an old flame (Jean-Pierre Aumont).
It gets pretty soapy with suicide attempts, fist fights and badly timed heart attacks but it works beautifully as a subversive portrait of the “perfection” of suburban life in the 1950s.
Hope And Glory (1987, Olive, PG-13, $25): A World War II film like no other, John Boorman’s autobiographical stunner, now on Blu-ray, is set in London during the Blitz, and features the Rohan family (Sarah Miles, Sammi
Davis) coping with nightly bombings and dwindling rations. It might sound like a downer but, in fact, the movie is a joyous affair that celebrates the changing morals and increased freedoms of the War years. The movie is narrated by Billy (Sebastian Rice Edwards), a ten year old whose eyes are suddenly opened up to a new world. But its Miles and Davis, as a warring but warm mother and daughter duo, who really give the film