Sometimes offbeat casting works, as demonstrated by the new comedy "5 Flights Up," now on Blu-ray and DVD.
5 Flights Up (Universal/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital, 2015, PG-13). As an old married couple, Morgan Freeman and Diane Keaton demonstrate a casual chemistry that perfectly suits their characters in this easygoing comedy, and their interplay is a joy to watch.
With or without Keaton, much of this feels like Woody Allen-light, as they prepare to sell the New York fifth-floor walk-up theyve lived in for 40 years, concerned that without an elevator those five flights may become a trial as they get older. So eccentric strangers wander through their home and they begin to wonder if selling is really in their best interest.
This story would be delightful all by itself, but the film is unfortunately overstuffed with subplots, ranging from their dog falling ill to a possible terrorist attack blaring on everyones TV to flashbacks about how they met and married, etc. None of this is bad; its just too much.
But Freeman and Keaton dominate the proceedings, and they are an absolute delight, funny and warm, and fully engaging.
Maggie (Lionsgate/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital, 2015, PG-13, deleted scene, 7audio commentary, featurettes). If you arent zombied out, heres an apocalyptic tale in a very low key as an infected girl (Abigail Breslin), who is starting to turn is embraced by her devoted father (Arnold Schwarzenegger) who is determined to protect her. Unusual fare for Schwarzenegger, but this nicely modulated character-driven piece boasts strong performances from all. Joely Richardson co-stars.
Underdog Kids (Anchor Bay/DVD/Digital/On Demand, 2015, PG). This childrens yarn is warmed-over Karate Kid, with uneven performances and the kind of vulgar humor that we have, unfortunately, come to expect in pictures aimed at youngsters. Writer-director Phillip Rhee stars as the former mixed-martial arts champ Lightning Bolt who trains a group of ragamuffins to go up against the nasty, entitled championship karate team. Familiar faces in support include Beau Bridges, Max Gail and Tom Arnold.
Slow West (Lionsgate/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital, 2015, R for violence and language, deleted scenes, featurette). Strangely fascinating but extremely bleak Western (filmed in New Zealand) about a Scottish boy of 16 (Kodi Smit-McPhee) who follows a girl to the American West and has one horrifically violent adventure after another in the company of a bounty hunter (Michael Fassbender).
71 (Lionsgate/DVD/Digital/On Demand, 2015, R for violence and language, audio commentary). Jack OConnell (Unbroken) stars in this gripping thriller as a young British soldier cut off from the other troops in his unit as they try to quell a riot in Belfast, Ireland, circa 1971, which has broken out to protest police brutality. The film chronicles the soldiers attempts to survive the night and rejoin his regiment.
Teen Beach 2 (Disney/DVD, 2015, not rated, featurette; replica of Lelas friendship necklace). A Disney Channel musical sequel with much of the same young cast (led by Ross Lynch and Maia Mitchell) returning in this fantasy that reverses what happened in the first film: This time the players in Wet Side Story land in the contemporary real world and they are the fish out of water.
The Drop Box (Virgil/DVD/Digital, 2015, not rated, featurettes). Rather unstructured but nonetheless heart-tugging documentary about the efforts of Korean pastor Lee Jong-raks to care for abandoned children in Seoul, setting up a drop box in the side of his home as a place for unwanted babies to be left anonymously. (A portion of the proceeds goes to Pastor Lees ministry.)
Merchants of Doubt (Sony Classics/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital, 2015, PG-13, deleted scenes, audio commentary, featurettes). Unsettling documentary about spin doctors, so-called experts that employ deceptive advertising in various forms to mislead the public on subjects ranging from tobacco smoke to climate change to toxic waste to pharmaceuticals. Scientists, whistleblowers, media sharks and politicians respond as the filmmakers breakdown arguments on both sides.
The Encore of Tony Duran (Cinedigm/DVD/Digital, 2015, not rated, video commentary, featurette, promo). A self-loathing failed former singer (Gene Pietragallo) cant find work and even flops when he dips his toe into crime. But an old show-biz pal (Elliott Gould) helps him work toward a second chance. Gould steals the show, and William Katt has an amusing bit as a drug dealer.
The Road Within (Well Go/Blu-ray/DVD, 2015; R for language, sex, nudity, drugs; deleted scenes, featurettes, music video). This road-trip comedy-drama has a young man (Robert Sheehan) with Tourettes syndrome escaping a behavioral clinic with his OCD roommate (Dev Patel) and an anorexic girl (Zoe Kravitz). Robert Patrick and Kyra Sedgwick co-star.
No Way Jose (Sony/DVD/Digital, 2015, R for language, deleted scenes, audio commentary, bloopers). Character actor Adam Goldberg co-wrote and directed this middle-age-crazy comedy and stars as an indie-rocker who cant catch a break. So he seeks advice from friends and family, many of whom are even more dysfunctional than he is.
Kill Me Three Times (Magnolia/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital, 2015; R for violence, language, sex, nudity; deleted scene, audio commentaries, featurettes, photo/poster gallery, storyboards). Quentin Tarantino-ish gore-filled comedy-thriller filmed in Australia stars Simon Pegg as a hitman hired to kill a motel moguls wife (Alice Braga). But hes got some competition. Bryan Brown is among the supporting players.
For the Emperor (Well Go/Blu-ray/DVD, 2015, not rated, in Korean with English subtitles). This Korean action story is of a disgraced baseball player who goes to work for a loan shark with mob connections. But when his girlfriend goes missing, he plots revenge.
The Lovers (IFC/Blu-ray/DVD, 2015, R for violence and language, featurette, trailer). Filmmaker Roland Joffes best work, The Killing Fields and The Mission, were some 30 years ago, and this ill-fated time-travel romance wont boost his reputation. Josh Hartnett is a marine archaeologist in a coma, dreaming about a female warrior (Bollywood star Bipasha Basu).
All the Wrong Reasons (Monarch/DVD, 2015, not rated). The late Cory Monteith (TVs Glee), in one of his final films, is part of the ensemble in this story of employees in a big-box store who have trouble touching other people, both literally and figuratively.
Absolution (Lionsgate/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital, 2015; R for violence, language, drugs; audio commentary, featurettes). Steven Seagal yes, hes still around plays a government-sanctioned contract killer who finds his loyalties tested when he tries to protect a girl on the run from mobsters.
The Pact 2 (IFC/Blu-ray/DVD, 2015, not rated, featurette, trailer). This sequel has a young woman in Los Angeles plagued by nightmares that place her in a killers point of view. But is it more than merely a dream? An FBI agent tries to help.
Fight of the Living Dead (Cinedigm/DVD/Digital, 2015, not rated, feature-length and episodic versions, featurettes). YouTube stars attempt to survive and escape a simulated zombie apocalypse.
5 Flights Up (Universal/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital, 2015, PG-13). As an old married couple, Morgan Freeman and Diane Keaton demonstrate a casual chemistry that perfectly suits their characters in this easygoing comedy, and their interplay is a joy to watch.
With or without Keaton, much of this feels like Woody Allen-light, as they prepare to sell the New York fifth-floor walk-up theyve lived in for 40 years, concerned that without an elevator those five flights may become a trial as they get older. So eccentric strangers wander through their home and they begin to wonder if selling is really in their best interest.
This story would be delightful all by itself, but the film is unfortunately overstuffed with subplots, ranging from their dog falling ill to a possible terrorist attack blaring on everyones TV to flashbacks about how they met and married, etc. None of this is bad; its just too much.
But Freeman and Keaton dominate the proceedings, and they are an absolute delight, funny and warm, and fully engaging.
Maggie (Lionsgate/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital, 2015, PG-13, deleted scene, 7audio commentary, featurettes). If you arent zombied out, heres an apocalyptic tale in a very low key as an infected girl (Abigail Breslin), who is starting to turn is embraced by her devoted father (Arnold Schwarzenegger) who is determined to protect her. Unusual fare for Schwarzenegger, but this nicely modulated character-driven piece boasts strong performances from all. Joely Richardson co-stars.
Underdog Kids (Anchor Bay/DVD/Digital/On Demand, 2015, PG). This childrens yarn is warmed-over Karate Kid, with uneven performances and the kind of vulgar humor that we have, unfortunately, come to expect in pictures aimed at youngsters. Writer-director Phillip Rhee stars as the former mixed-martial arts champ Lightning Bolt who trains a group of ragamuffins to go up against the nasty, entitled championship karate team. Familiar faces in support include Beau Bridges, Max Gail and Tom Arnold.
Slow West (Lionsgate/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital, 2015, R for violence and language, deleted scenes, featurette). Strangely fascinating but extremely bleak Western (filmed in New Zealand) about a Scottish boy of 16 (Kodi Smit-McPhee) who follows a girl to the American West and has one horrifically violent adventure after another in the company of a bounty hunter (Michael Fassbender).
71 (Lionsgate/DVD/Digital/On Demand, 2015, R for violence and language, audio commentary). Jack OConnell (Unbroken) stars in this gripping thriller as a young British soldier cut off from the other troops in his unit as they try to quell a riot in Belfast, Ireland, circa 1971, which has broken out to protest police brutality. The film chronicles the soldiers attempts to survive the night and rejoin his regiment.
Teen Beach 2 (Disney/DVD, 2015, not rated, featurette; replica of Lelas friendship necklace). A Disney Channel musical sequel with much of the same young cast (led by Ross Lynch and Maia Mitchell) returning in this fantasy that reverses what happened in the first film: This time the players in Wet Side Story land in the contemporary real world and they are the fish out of water.
The Drop Box (Virgil/DVD/Digital, 2015, not rated, featurettes). Rather unstructured but nonetheless heart-tugging documentary about the efforts of Korean pastor Lee Jong-raks to care for abandoned children in Seoul, setting up a drop box in the side of his home as a place for unwanted babies to be left anonymously. (A portion of the proceeds goes to Pastor Lees ministry.)
Merchants of Doubt (Sony Classics/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital, 2015, PG-13, deleted scenes, audio commentary, featurettes). Unsettling documentary about spin doctors, so-called experts that employ deceptive advertising in various forms to mislead the public on subjects ranging from tobacco smoke to climate change to toxic waste to pharmaceuticals. Scientists, whistleblowers, media sharks and politicians respond as the filmmakers breakdown arguments on both sides.
The Encore of Tony Duran (Cinedigm/DVD/Digital, 2015, not rated, video commentary, featurette, promo). A self-loathing failed former singer (Gene Pietragallo) cant find work and even flops when he dips his toe into crime. But an old show-biz pal (Elliott Gould) helps him work toward a second chance. Gould steals the show, and William Katt has an amusing bit as a drug dealer.
The Road Within (Well Go/Blu-ray/DVD, 2015; R for language, sex, nudity, drugs; deleted scenes, featurettes, music video). This road-trip comedy-drama has a young man (Robert Sheehan) with Tourettes syndrome escaping a behavioral clinic with his OCD roommate (Dev Patel) and an anorexic girl (Zoe Kravitz). Robert Patrick and Kyra Sedgwick co-star.
No Way Jose (Sony/DVD/Digital, 2015, R for language, deleted scenes, audio commentary, bloopers). Character actor Adam Goldberg co-wrote and directed this middle-age-crazy comedy and stars as an indie-rocker who cant catch a break. So he seeks advice from friends and family, many of whom are even more dysfunctional than he is.
Kill Me Three Times (Magnolia/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital, 2015; R for violence, language, sex, nudity; deleted scene, audio commentaries, featurettes, photo/poster gallery, storyboards). Quentin Tarantino-ish gore-filled comedy-thriller filmed in Australia stars Simon Pegg as a hitman hired to kill a motel moguls wife (Alice Braga). But hes got some competition. Bryan Brown is among the supporting players.
For the Emperor (Well Go/Blu-ray/DVD, 2015, not rated, in Korean with English subtitles). This Korean action story is of a disgraced baseball player who goes to work for a loan shark with mob connections. But when his girlfriend goes missing, he plots revenge.
The Lovers (IFC/Blu-ray/DVD, 2015, R for violence and language, featurette, trailer). Filmmaker Roland Joffes best work, The Killing Fields and The Mission, were some 30 years ago, and this ill-fated time-travel romance wont boost his reputation. Josh Hartnett is a marine archaeologist in a coma, dreaming about a female warrior (Bollywood star Bipasha Basu).
All the Wrong Reasons (Monarch/DVD, 2015, not rated). The late Cory Monteith (TVs Glee), in one of his final films, is part of the ensemble in this story of employees in a big-box store who have trouble touching other people, both literally and figuratively.
Absolution (Lionsgate/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital, 2015; R for violence, language, drugs; audio commentary, featurettes). Steven Seagal yes, hes still around plays a government-sanctioned contract killer who finds his loyalties tested when he tries to protect a girl on the run from mobsters.
The Pact 2 (IFC/Blu-ray/DVD, 2015, not rated, featurette, trailer). This sequel has a young woman in Los Angeles plagued by nightmares that place her in a killers point of view. But is it more than merely a dream? An FBI agent tries to help.
Fight of the Living Dead (Cinedigm/DVD/Digital, 2015, not rated, feature-length and episodic versions, featurettes). YouTube stars attempt to survive and escape a simulated zombie apocalypse.
