Review: New on DVD for April 26 (Includes first-hand account)

A newly married couple (Dakota Fanning and Theo James) are forced to navigate the all-consuming interest of a powerful, mysterious, and possessive philanthropist (Richard Gere) upon their return to Philadelphia.

It’s difficult to determine whether the movie is a thriller or family drama, and that is owed in large part to Gere’s exceptional portrayal of the rich benefactor. He often appears a little off-centre, toeing the line between eccentric and insane. His costumes are fantastic, consisting of many scarves that match his boisterous personality. Fanning’s character is somewhat accustomed to his flourishes, but James’ is justifiably suspicious of his erratic behaviour. Gere’s true colours are revealed midway through the film, informing the direction of the remainder of the narrative. The actors work well together to bring this intriguing and increasingly tragic story to the screen.

There are no special features. (VVS Films)

The Driftless Area (DVD)

Pierre (Anton Yelchin) returns to his hometown after the death of his parents and falls under the spell of the enchanting, mysterious Stella (Zooey Deschanel). As their relationship deepens, Pierre finds himself in a dangerous situation with a volatile criminal (John Hawkes) who abruptly altered the course of Stella’s life.

The narrative direction of this movie is a little messy, though its heart is in the right place. The story travels back-and-forth in time as if someone began to recount a tale, but is required to backtrack to ensure the listener has all the necessary details to understand why what occurs next is significant. The style doesn’t really work for this script, which would’ve benefited more from a linear structure. Nonetheless, Yelchin and Deschanel are great together and it’s easy for viewers to root for their relationship no matter how bizarre. Frank Langella also appears as Stella’s guide through the unknown, acting as the sage old man who looks more capable then he lets on in most situations.

Special features include: making-of featurette. (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)

Krampus (Blu-ray, DVD & Digital copy)

When his dysfunctional family clashes over the holidays, young Max (Emjay Anthony) is disillusioned and turns his back on Christmas. Little does he know, this lack of festive spirit has unleashed the wrath of Krampus: a demonic force of ancient evil intent on punishing non-believers. All hell breaks loose as beloved holiday icons take on a monstrous life of their own, laying siege to the fractured family’s home and forcing them to fight for each other if they hope to survive.

In some homes, the Christmas horror movie is as much a tradition as the more timeless, heartwarming classics. Fortunately in recent years, fans desiring a different shade of red decorating the walls have been provided more options with the release of a number of new holiday themed genre films. This picture draws on a frightening folktale essentially featuring the anti-Santa Claus. He’s made several appearances recently, but this is his first title role. The family in question — played by a cast including Adam Scott, Toni Collette and David Koechner — is somewhat annoying and selfish, but not quite enough to wish these terrible things upon them. The practical monsters and special effects are a key part of the film’s charm as these creepy creatures palpably exist in the real world — their creation is thoroughly explored in the bonus features.

Special features include: commentary by director/co-writer Michael Dougherty and co-writers Todd Casey and Zach Shields; deleted and extended scenes; alternate ending; “The Naughty Ones: Meet The Cast”; “Krampus and His Minions”; “Practical Danger”; “Inside the Snowglobe: Production Design”; “Behind the Scenes at Weta Workshop: Krampus”; “Dougherty’s Vision”; still galleries; and gag reel. (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment)

Lumberjack Man (DVD)

As the staff of Good Friends Church Camp prepares for a spring break filled with “Fun under the Son,” a demon logger rises from his sap boiler to wreak his vengeance and feast on flapjacks soaked in the blood of his victims.

For horror fans, sometimes the worst movie can be almost as entertaining as a well-made alternative; this is one of those films. Everything that happens in this narrative is so ridiculous, it’s generally impossible not to laugh or exclaim in disbelief. From (purposely?) poor acting to silly kills to a total lack of logic, this picture is a playlist of all the worst horror movie stereotypes. At one point, a character finds the villain’s kryptonite — a container of maple syrup — and rather than throw it directly onto him is convinced it would be better to pour it over her half-naked body and confront him. Michael Madsen is the most notable name in the cast and yuks it up with equal fervour.

There are no special features. (Anchor Bay Entertainment)

Ride Along 2 (Blu-ray, DVD & Digital copy)

The brothers-in-law are back! Ben (Kevin Hart), a recently graduated police rookie, now aspires to be a detective like his soon-to-be brother-in-law, but James (Ice Cube) still doesn’t think that he has what it takes for the job. He reluctantly takes Ben with him to follow up on a lead in Miami. Plans for a quick trip go awry when their unorthodox policing gets them into a compromising situation that threatens to derail a major case and Ben’s upcoming wedding day.

This buddy-cop sequel begins where the previous picture left off: with Ben making a fool of himself and jeopardizing a bust. And once again, James agrees to partner with Ben in an effort to discourage him from pursuing his law enforcement career. Olivia Munn appears as the female version of James’ tough-as-nails cop, borrowing some of the social awkwardness of her character in The Newsroom. Ken Jeong is expectedly comical portraying a hacker-turned-informant. When they’re not chasing bad guys, Ben’s groom-zilla approach to the wedding and their planner is quite funny. However, the last act gets pretty serious as the trio is repeatedly thwarted by Benjamin Bratt‘s charming and clever criminal and have one last chance to get it right.

Special features include: commentary by director Tim Story; deleted scenes; “Ride Along With Us”; “Behind the Scenes of Ride Along With Us”; “Kevin & Cube: Brothers-In-Law”; “Inside Black Hammer Vision”; The Ride Along Roundtable; “The Ride Diaries”; “The New Recruits”; “Ride Along With Kevin Hart”; “Cori’s Wedding Commercial”; and gag reel. (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment)

Suspension (DVD)

On the 8th anniversary of a sibling’s murder at the hands of her father, 17-year-old Emily (Ellen MacNevin) is having a hard time dealing with cruel classmates and being suspended. But her day is about to get even tougher when a dangerous maniac on the loose just may be Emily’s father. Now home alone looking after her mute little brother, Emily must confront her demons once and for all when Daddy comes home.

The movie opens with a gruesome murder involving people who probably had it coming anyway; the problem with this introduction is it doesn’t fit into the rest of the narrative that is developed afterwards. It’s as if filmmakers had a certain scenario they thought would be cool and tried to shoehorn it into this picture regardless of whether it fit. Perceptive audiences will have an idea of what’s happening, but the film commendably keeps them guessing until nearly the end when it becomes obvious a few kills before the big reveal. Also, tying it into Emily’s gruesome comic book drawings is a nice touch.

Special features include: trailer. (Anchor Bay Entertainment Canada)

Zodiac: Signs of the Apocalypse (DVD)

When a primitive astrology carving is unearthed in Peru, it triggers explosive meteor storms around the world. But this is only the beginning: tsunamis, lightning storms, lava geysers and giant waterspouts erupt globally, each disaster corresponding to a specific sign of the zodiac. Will a mysterious government agency now kill to hide a shocking planetary secret, or can a group of rogue scientists race against time and carnage to activate an ancient civilization’s Armageddon machine?

This is one of those low-budget disaster movies on par with Sharknado, but not as entertaining. The script is just a series of scenes in which characters barely escape some new, poorly realized effect, engage in some discussion and then yell “Run!” again. The plot is often made to be more complicated than seems necessary as they combine science and astrology to solve the problem, while naturally being pursued by trigger-happy government agents who refuse to listen to reason. Christopher Lloyd’s brief appearance is probably the most amusing part of the movie and, unfortunately, that’s not saying much.

There are no special features. (Anchor Bay Entertainment)