This Week in Home Video: Spring Breakers, The Host, The Gatekeepers, and Flood movies
This Week in Home Video previews all the latest Blu-ray, DVD and on-demand titles hitting the street this week, plus lost gems, crazed Cancon, outrageous cult titles and the best places to rent or buy movies in Toronto.
Spring Breakers (VVS)
Harmony "Trash Humpers" Korine's filmic Trojan horse brings European style avant-garde to the Belieber set with mixed results, so bring a pillow. His fans maintain it is intentionally boring, but even so, what's the point? Watching the ex-Disney Princesses' smoke bongs and butt wiggle to the thundering dubstep basslines of Skrillex makes for some great visuals, while James Franco's utterly terrifying "Alien" gangster crowns this the ultimate Afterschool Special for parents with young daughters: YOLO never rang so hollow.
Bonus features include an even more sizzurped shenanigans with a look at the music of Spring Breakers, some Vice Magazine content, audio commentary and deleted scenes. While you've probably heard much about Franco's improved "look at my shit" monologue, it really is worth its weight in gold, even though the rest of the movie is as confused as the generation it seeks to titillate.
ALSO OUT THIS WEEK
The Host (eOne)
Poor Stephanie Meyer's The Host. Like JK Rowling's The Casual Vacancy, fans desperately want to love it as mush as the cash cow cult series which preceeded it, but something is clearly missing. Sadly whatever merits the book had are squandered by the almost TV movie like quality of the movie, which shamelessly mimic's all of TWILIGHT's tics right down to the placement of the main characters on the poster. Bonus Features include Deleted scenes, audio commentary with Stephanie Meyer, Andrew Niccol and Nick Wechsler, and more.
The Gatekeepers (Sony)
Ice cold look at the Shin Bet - Israel's no nonsense Secret Service from the eyes of six former heads of the agency. Accused of shilling propaganda from all sides, this is actually an exercise in master class documentary filmmaking - letting the subject speak while the camera listens. If only all modern docs followed that simple ethos!
Dynasty Season 7 (Paramount)
In 2013, the fur flying camp fest famous for throw down cat fights that epitomized 80s excess looks like it was beamed from another planet. This season covers the usual "dizzing wealth, unbridled ambition and cunning betrayl" with stars John Forsythe, Joan Collins, and Linda Evans. Big hair, big cars, big dreams.
Hands of the Ripper (Synapse)
Renowned UK Hammer Horror studio's cracking and gruesome take on the Jack the Ripper legend. Unavailble for many years in North Amercia, this bells and whistles edition features a brand spanking new transfer as well as a host of extras including "The Devil's Bloody Plaything: Possessed by the Hands of the Ripper" and "Slaughter of the Innocence: The Evolution of Hammer Gore".
Kentucky Fried Movie (Shout Factory)
John Landis started small with this sketch comedy collection which lampoons news programs, commercials, porno, kung fu, disaster films, blaxploitation, spy films, mafia films, and even Spaghetti Westerns. Landis followed this up with Animal House, The Blues Brothers and An American Werewolf in London, and it's fascinating to see many of the threads start here.
STILL FRESH
FLOOD MOVIES
Wanna relive the drama and excitement of Monday's #FloodTO? Any one of these fine Disaster movies should tick that box.
Stay Dry!
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