‘A Cure For Wellness’ is the work of a visionary
Other releases this week include “Early Women Filmmakers: An International Anthology.”
“A Cure For Wellness” (2017, Fox, R, $30), the latest from Gore Verbinski (“Pirates of the Caribbean”), is old-fashioned in all the right ways.
There’s a creepy vibe to the suspenser which opts for atmosphere over gore. The story involves a whiz kid financier (Allentown native Dane DeHaan) who is dispatched to a mysterious spa in Switzerland to retrieve a senior partner.
At 146 minutes, “Cure” is far too long but, thanks to the breathtaking visuals and intricate plotting, it feels like the work of a true visionary. In a world of formula films, here’s a chance to check out a real rarity: a movie with too much ambition instead of too little. Extras: featurettes and deleted scene.
Also New To DVD
Frantz (2017, Music Box, PG-13, $30): Set in a small German town at the end of World War I, this quietly moving drama centers on a woman (Paula Beer) still reeling from the death of her soldier boyfriend when she encounters a stranger (Pierre Niney) putting flowers on his grave. Who is the mystery man? Shot in silky black and white, with the occasional bursts of color to signal revelatory moments, “Frantz” tackles big themes, including guilt and forgiveness. But it is director Francois Ozon’s humanist touch which makes the film feel particularly indispensable. Extras: featurettes and deleted scenes. Showing Roots (2017, Lionsgate, unrated, $15): Available exclusively at Walmart, this Lifetime TV movie swirls together the initial broadcast of TV’s “Roots” in 1977 with the decision by a handful of African-American women to forgo their wigs in favor of more natural ‘dos. Maggie Grace and Uzo Aduba (“Orange Is The New Black”) star as pals who open a beauty salon together, defying their former, bigoted boss (Elizabeth McGovern). Something of a mash-up of “The Help” and “Steel Magnolias,” “Showing Roots” is occasionally silly but it does do a good job selling its girl-power message. Extras: featurette. Early Women Filmmakers: An International Anthology (1902-1943, Flicker Alley, unrated, $70): Did you know that in the early days of cinema, more women worked as directors than at any time since? The movies of these pioneers are collected in an essential six disc, 25-film collection. There’s shorts, features, live-action, animation and experimental works. Among the delights is Lois Weber’s surprisingly sophisticated “Suspense” (1913), which pioneers the use of cross-cutting and split screens to tell the story of a woman menaced by a vagrant; and Mabel Normand’s “Mabel’s Strange Predicament” (1914,) which boasts the first-ever appearance by Charlie Chaplin as the Tramp. Extras: booklet and commentary. Straw Dogs (1971, Criterion, R, $30): Sam Peckinpah’s most controversial film stars Dustin Hoffman as a mathematician who discovers that pacifism and territory-infringing thugs add up to trouble. After his cat is strangled, his wife (Susan George) sexually assaulted and his home invaded, Hoffman finally decides to take action — and then discovers he might enjoy violence a little more than he imagined. Still provocative after all these years, “Straw Dogs” practically demands that you spend some time afterwards debating its deeper meanings. Extras: commentary and featurettes. The Paul Naschy Collection (1973-1981, Shout Factory, unrated, $80): Often dubbed “the Spanish Lon Chaney” for his ability to play classic monsters such as the Wolfman, Count Dracula and the Mummy, this nifty Blu-ray box set showcases five of Naschy’s best, including “Horror Rises From The Dead,” which pivots on a sinister warlock and “Night of the Werewolf” about a doomed lycanthrope. The most eye-catching of the entries is “Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll,” a who-dunit with Naschy as a drifter who’s blamed for a series of murders. Extras: deleted scenes and commentaries. Juice: 25th Anniversary (1992, Paramount, R, $15): After shooting “Do The Right Thing” for Spike Lee, cinematographer Ernest Dickerson made his directorial debut with this hip-hop noir which has aged astonishingly well. “Juice” spins the story of four Harlem buddies - Q (Omar Epps), Bishop (Tupac Shakur ), Steel (Jermaine Hopkins) and Raheem (Khalil Kain) – searching for ways out of the projects. Q yearns to become a deejay but Bishop believes armed robbery is the gang’s only option. The beauty of “Juice” is the way it begins on such a light-hearted note and then slowly darkens into a life-or-death thriller. Great cameo by Queen Latifah too. Extras: featurettes and commentary by Dickerson. The Red Queen Kills Seven Times (1972, Arrow, unrated, $30): Italian filmmaker Emilio Miraglia never reached the heights of his countrymen Dario Argento and Mario Bava but this blood-soaked whodunit about a family curse pulses with energy and originality. A pair of sisters (Barbara Bouchet, Marina Malfatti) stand to inherit their wealthy grandfather’s fortune following his murder but first they have to survive a curse involving a Red Queen who returns from the dead every 100years. Miraglia gets a lot of mileage out of the sinister settings but it’s a bizarre dream sequence and the rat-infested finale which will keep you up nights. Extras: extensive featurettes. Joan of Arcadia - The Complete Series (20032005, Paramount, unrated, $36): All of the episodes of this unusual series are included in a 12-disc boxed set that’s bursting with special features. Amber Tamblyn stars as the title character, a teenager who reluctantly moves with her folks (Mary Steenburgen, Joe Mantegna) and siblings to the small town of Arcadia. Soon after her arrival, Joan finds herself talking to God in the form of random strangers who give her assignments to help people around her. Extras: commentaries and featurettes. Under The Dome - The Complete Series (2017, Paramount, unrated, $40): Based on a Stephen King novel, this threeseason series pivots on a small, idyllic town which is suddenly and inexplicably sealed off from the rest of the world via an indestructible dome. “Under the Dome” runs out of steam before the series finale but there’s enough surprises to keep you intrigued. Extras: featurettes and deleted scenes.