Performances standout in ‘Hostiles’
“Hostiles” (2017, Lionsgate, R, $25) is a stunning western about the futility of prejudice.
Christian Bale delivers a terrific performance as Capt. Joe Blocker, a former Indian fighter tasked with leading a party to Montana in order to return a cancer-stricken Native-American chief (Wes Studi) to his homeland.
Over the course of the grueling journey, Walker slowly learns the meaning of compassion with help from a widow (Rosamund Pike) still reeling from the loss of her entire family in a brutal Comanche attack. While it is occasionally too somber for its own good, it’s boosted by superb performances and astonishing cinematography by Masanobu Takayanagi. Extras: featurettes.
Also New to DVD
Den of Thieves (2018, Universal, R, $28): While this heist movie hardly boasts precision plotting, it has a fun twist ending and a unique, rambling rhythm that makes time for scenes involving the personal lives of its protagonists. It’s all about the intersecting fortunes of an elite unit of the LA Country Sheriff’s Department, led by a testy cop (Gerard Butler), and California’s most successful bank robbery gang, overseen by a former Marine (Pablo Schreiber). Butler captures a bad guy (O’Shea Jackson Jr.) and gets him to talk but, of course, not all is as it seems. “Den” will do, at least until the next Michael Mann joint comes along. Extras: featurettes.
I Am Somebody - Three Films By Madeline Anderson (1960-1970, Icarus, unrated, $30): Available for the first time on one DVD are three shorts about the civil rights movement directed by the pioneering African-American filmmaker. All of the entries are worth checking out but “I Am Somebody” is a real find. The 30-minute movie chronicles a 1969 strike by 400 hospital workers in Charleston, South Carolina in which the mostly African-American workers demanded union recognition and a wage increase, only to find themselves in confronta--
tion with the National Guard and the state government. Extras: featurettes.
The Awful Truth (1937, Criterion, unrated, $30): One of the most sublime screwball comedies of the 1930s stars Irene Dunne and Cary Grant as a married couple who, on the eve of their divorce, realize they’re still in love. As they try to derail each other’s rebound relationships, they instigate all kinds of comic chaos. Everything clicks perfectly from the sparkling screenplay by Vina Delmar to Leo McCarey’s Oscar-winning direction which never allows the goings-on to become too chaotic. Now on Blu-ray, “The Awful Truth” is pure magic. Extras: featurettes and radio show. Liquid Sky (1983, Vinegar Syndrome, unrated, $30): Newly restored in 4K, this one-of-a-kind oddity is a treat for sci-fi fans who appreciate filmmakers who rely more on their imaginations than special effects. Set against the downtown Manhattan club scene of the early 1980s, the movie tracks the adventures of a lesbian model (Anne Carlisle) and her drug-dealing girlfriend (Paula E. Sheppard) who are unaware that tiny aliens have invaded their apartment in search of chemicals released in the brain during sex. More likeable characters would have boosted “Liquid Sky” but it’s so bizarre that it’s worth tracking down. Extras: introductions, featurettes, deleted scenes and commentaries.
Grease - 40th Anniversary (1977, Paramount, PG-13, $22): One of those movies that never seems to age, the latest edition of the John Travolta/Olivia Newton-John musical arrives on 4K looking and sounding better than ever. From the opening animated sequence to the finale with Olivia Newton-John turning in an electrifyin’ transformation alongside John Travolta, this musical remains a feel-good delight. Extras: featurettes, commentary by director Randal Kleiser and alternative opening and closing scenes.
Shakespeare Wallah (1965, Cohen, unrated, $30): Only the second collaboration between director James Ivory, scripter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala and producer Ismail Merchant, this beguiling coming-of-age gem benefits from a gorgeous Blu-ray restoration. The setting is India where a troupe of Shakespearean actors are eking out a living performing for dwindling crowds. In the midst of hard times, the teenaged Lizzie (Felicity Kendal) falls in love with an Indian playboy (Shashi Kapoor) already attached to a film star (Madhur Jaffrey). Ivory’s depiction of the characters, particularly the elderly actors still eager to trod the boards, is strangely haunting. Extras: featurettes. Dear Murderer - Series 1 (2018, Acorn, unrated, $40): Fans of legal dramas will want to check out this lively series about real-life New Zealand attorney Mike Bungay (Mark Mitchinson). Whether defending alleged murderers, spies or gang members, Bungay practices law in his own idiosyncratic fashion, usually making plenty of enemies along the way. There are five involving episodes spread over two discs. Extras: none.
Shameless - The Complete Eighth Season (2017, Warner, unrated, $30): Still going strong after eight years, the latest episodes of the Showtime series catch the Gallaghers enjoying a rare bit of good luck. Frank (William H. Macy) has finally snapped out of a drug-induced haze while Fiona (Emmy Rossum) settles into life as a landlady. Best of all is the storyline involving recovering addict Lip (Jeremy Allen White), who is forced to try and stay sober while simultaneously attempting to figure his relationship with Sierra (Ruby Modine). Extras: featurettes and deleted scenes.