‘Ricki and the Flash’ hits the right chords
Ricki and the Flash Sony, $30.99; Blu-ray, $34.99 Available on VOD Tuesday
The entire plot of the dramedy could be written on a sticky note, but writer Diablo Cody and director Jonathan Demme — and a cast that includes Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline and Audra McDonald — all elevate the material into something offbeat and affecting. Streep plays an aging never-was rocker who returns to the husband and kids she abandoned, but only after she hears that her daughter (played by Streep’s own kid, Mamie Gummer) is going through a tough time. A lot of exasperated bickering ensues, but the actors and filmmakers keep it from feeling too shrill. This is a movie that recognizes how disagreement can be healthy and natural, even when it tests the bonds of family. Longtime music buff Demme also pays special attention to the scenes of Ricki rocking out, believing in the power of a great song to heal deep rifts. The DVD and Bluray come with deleted scenes and featurettes.
Shaun the Sheep: The Movie Lionsgate, $29.95; Blu-ray, $34.99 Available on VOD Tuesday
Given how obnoxious and exhausting so much children’s entertainment is, it’s especially welcome when a film as charming as this comes along. Expanding on Aardman Animations’ internationally popular TV series, the big-screen version of “Shaun the Sheep” follows the adventurous farm animal as he leads his flock on an expedition into the city, where they pass as people and duck the law. As always with this series, the humor is gentle and visual, relying on meticulously constructed sight gags and sweet-natured whimsy. Though aimed at the younger crowd, the movie can be enjoyed by anyone who loves old, silent comedies. The DVD and Blu-ray add featurettes.
The Quay Brothers: Collected Short Films Zeitgeist Films Blu-ray, $34.99
From the moment they released their first short in 1979, avant-garde animators Stephen and Timothy Quay have been recognized as masters of the medium and studied by filmmakers around the world. One of those fans is “Interstellar” director Christopher Nolan, who made his own short, “Quay,” expressing his appreciation for the brothers — and recently helped curate a touring repertory program of his favorite Quay films. Zeitgeist Film’s new Blu-ray set serves as a kind of home version of Nolan’s roadshow, with many more examples of the brothers’ painstakingly crafted surrealism. In addition to stopmotion classics like “Rehearsals for Extinct Anatomies” and “Street of Crocodiles,” the two-disc collection contains selected commentary tracks and a Nolan intro, plus his “Quay.” It’s an essential introduction to a pair of uncommon geniuses who’ve spent their careers advancing their art form.
Applesauce MPI, $24.98; Blu-ray, $29.98
Onur Tukel has been writing, directing, producing and starring in his own indie films for nearly 20 years, building up a reputation on the festival circuit and in the art cinemas of his home base, New York City. Tukel’s dark comedy “Applesauce” may make him more widely known. He plays a charismatic high school teacher who makes the mistake of confessing the worst thing he’s ever done to his wife and their friends, which in turn inspires their own confessions, setting up a string of arguments, pranks and threats, shattering his previously stable life. “Applesauce” is a little overcommitted to being grim and shocking, but the premise is original and the execution lively, in ways that are rare for this kind of ultralow-budget project. The DVD and Blu-ray include a commentary track and deleted scenes.
And…
American Ultra Lionsgate, $21.98; Blu-ray, $29.99 Available on VOD Tuesday The New Rijksmuseum First Run, $27.95 1971 First Run, $24.95 No Escape Starz/Anchor Bay, $29.98; Bluray, $39.99 Available on VOD Tuesday