The World War II thriller Dunkirk and the latest Lego movie are on Blu-ray, DVD and streaming platforms this week.
Dunkirk (Warner, 2017, PG-13, featurettes). Christopher Nolan sets aside his fantasy blockbusters (Interstellar, Inception, the Dark Knight trilogy) to take a stab at World War II history with this lavishly produced, epic retelling of the Dunkirk evacuation. Character development is lacking, but Nolan has served up a visual feast, filming wide vistas with large-format cameras. The result is going to lose something on a small TV (or, worse, a tablet or phone), but viewed on a large-screen television, it remains an enveloping visual feast. Kenneth Branagh heads the large ensemble cast.
The Lego Ninjago Movie (Warner, 2017, PG, deleted scenes, audio commentary, featurettes, outtakes, mini-movies, music videos, promos/trailers). Based on the Lego Ninjago toy line, this animated feature follows high school student Lloyd (voiced by Dave Franco), who takes on the persona of Green Ninja by night for adventures with his friends but to thwart a villain, he will need some training from Master Wu (Jackie Chan).
Killing Gunther (Lionsgate, 2017, R for violence and language, deleted scenes, bloopers). If Arnold Schwarzenegger was guest-hosting Saturday Night Live, the writers might develop a skit like this for him but it would be, mercifully, 85 minutes shorter. In what amounts to an extended cameo, Schwarzenegger is a veteran hitman being pursued by a novice (SNL alum Taran Killam, who also wrote and directed) who wants to kill him for the glory. The film also stars Bobby Moynihan (another former SNL comic) and Cobie Smulders.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (Lionsgate, 1991, R for violence and language, three versions, new documentary, deleted scenes, audio commentaries, featurettes, trailers). This new 4K release of the classic sci-fi thriller from James Cameron offers a better role for Schwarzenegger than the film above. After all, who better to play a robot?
Acceptable Risk (Acorn, 2017, two discs, six episodes, featurettes). When her husband is killed, Sarah Manning (Elaine Cassidy) discovers she knew nothing of his past or his work at a pharmaceutical company. So she sets out to learn more, and, along with a police detective (Angeline Ball), discovers evidence of a conspiracy that takes her from her home in Dublin to Montreal. "Acceptable Risk" is an intriguing, if overlong, British miniseries.
The Strain: The Complete Series (FX/Fox, 2014-17, 14 discs, 46 episodes, deleted scenes, audio commentaries, featurettes, bloopers). A freak ancient vampire virus strikes New York, giving rise to human hybrids with a taste for human blood. Corey Stoll heads the cast of this FX horror series, which also features Sean Astin and Samantha Mathis and was co-created by Guillermo del Toro (whose latest film, The Shape of Water, is in theaters now).
A Town Called Panic: The Collection (Shout!/GKids, 2002-16, 20 episodes, short films: Christmas Panic and Back to School Panic, new short film: The Sound of the Grey). This decidedly eccentric French animated series focuses on three plastic toys Cowboy, Indian and Horse as they have very strange adventures. Included are all 20 episodes of the TV series and two of the franchises short movies.
Dunkirk (Warner, 2017, PG-13, featurettes). Christopher Nolan sets aside his fantasy blockbusters (Interstellar, Inception, the Dark Knight trilogy) to take a stab at World War II history with this lavishly produced, epic retelling of the Dunkirk evacuation. Character development is lacking, but Nolan has served up a visual feast, filming wide vistas with large-format cameras. The result is going to lose something on a small TV (or, worse, a tablet or phone), but viewed on a large-screen television, it remains an enveloping visual feast. Kenneth Branagh heads the large ensemble cast.
The Lego Ninjago Movie (Warner, 2017, PG, deleted scenes, audio commentary, featurettes, outtakes, mini-movies, music videos, promos/trailers). Based on the Lego Ninjago toy line, this animated feature follows high school student Lloyd (voiced by Dave Franco), who takes on the persona of Green Ninja by night for adventures with his friends but to thwart a villain, he will need some training from Master Wu (Jackie Chan).
Killing Gunther (Lionsgate, 2017, R for violence and language, deleted scenes, bloopers). If Arnold Schwarzenegger was guest-hosting Saturday Night Live, the writers might develop a skit like this for him but it would be, mercifully, 85 minutes shorter. In what amounts to an extended cameo, Schwarzenegger is a veteran hitman being pursued by a novice (SNL alum Taran Killam, who also wrote and directed) who wants to kill him for the glory. The film also stars Bobby Moynihan (another former SNL comic) and Cobie Smulders.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (Lionsgate, 1991, R for violence and language, three versions, new documentary, deleted scenes, audio commentaries, featurettes, trailers). This new 4K release of the classic sci-fi thriller from James Cameron offers a better role for Schwarzenegger than the film above. After all, who better to play a robot?
Acceptable Risk (Acorn, 2017, two discs, six episodes, featurettes). When her husband is killed, Sarah Manning (Elaine Cassidy) discovers she knew nothing of his past or his work at a pharmaceutical company. So she sets out to learn more, and, along with a police detective (Angeline Ball), discovers evidence of a conspiracy that takes her from her home in Dublin to Montreal. "Acceptable Risk" is an intriguing, if overlong, British miniseries.
The Strain: The Complete Series (FX/Fox, 2014-17, 14 discs, 46 episodes, deleted scenes, audio commentaries, featurettes, bloopers). A freak ancient vampire virus strikes New York, giving rise to human hybrids with a taste for human blood. Corey Stoll heads the cast of this FX horror series, which also features Sean Astin and Samantha Mathis and was co-created by Guillermo del Toro (whose latest film, The Shape of Water, is in theaters now).
A Town Called Panic: The Collection (Shout!/GKids, 2002-16, 20 episodes, short films: Christmas Panic and Back to School Panic, new short film: The Sound of the Grey). This decidedly eccentric French animated series focuses on three plastic toys Cowboy, Indian and Horse as they have very strange adventures. Included are all 20 episodes of the TV series and two of the franchises short movies.
