Review: This week’s releases must wait for the truth to reveal itself
This week’s releases include a horror story rooted in realistic terror; a period ghost story; a new season of fighting crime; a provocative love story; and a series that was both ridiculous and popular.
Aqua Teen Hunger Force: The Baffler Meal Complete Collection (DVD)
Three unique detectives, the Aqua Teen Hunger Force, share a rental house in New Jersey. This mystery-solving trio is comprised of human-sized food products: Master Shake, the big-mouthed, self-appointed team leader with a short attention span and no work ethic; Frylock, the only reasonable member of the group, who happens to be a box of French-fried potatoes-spuds with power; and Meatwad, a talented round mound of meat who can take the shape of a hot dog or an igloo. Together, this triple threat tackles unusual cases from the luxury of a neighbor’s swimming pool — unless they’re confronted by danger. Then, of course, the three run like hell.
This was a short-form animated series that ran for 11 seasons between 2000 and 2015, featuring 139 episodes — it was the longest-running Adult Swim series until it was surpassed by Robot Chicken in 2019. While the initial premise included solving mysteries, it was quickly abandoned to focus entirely on these anthropomorphized fast food items doing random things each episode. Their dynamic was very familial as their personalities both complement and contradict each other. Conversely, they rarely get along with their crude, human neighbour, Carl, who is obsessed with sex and sports. It’s a show that defies logic in its absolute absurdity, but that’s always been Adult Swim’s speciality, which is why it was one of the station’s most popular shows.
There are no special features. (Adult Swim & Warner Bros. Discovery)
The Black Phone [Collector’s Edition] (Blu-ray, DVD & Digital code)
Finney (Mason Thames), a shy but clever 13-year-old boy, is abducted by a sadistic killer (Ethan Hawke) and trapped in a soundproof basement where screaming is of little use. When a disconnected phone on the wall begins to ring, Finney discovers that he can hear the voices of the killer’s previous victims. And they are dead set on making sure that what happened to them doesn’t happen to Finney.
Audiences are drawn into a nightmare of abused children and a sadistic abductor who toys with the adolescent boys as he lures them into playing game to which only he knows the rules. While the details of the previous boys’ experiences remain off-screen, viewers are provided enough clues to understand the fate Finney is determined to avoid. Director Scott Derrickson broke his teeth on horror movies before eventually being handed the keys to Marvel’s Doctor Strange. He’s now returned to genre filmmaking to deliver a hauntingly satisfying story that combines real world terror with supernatural horror. The picture is based on a story by speculative fiction writer Joe Hill (Stephen King’s son) and skillfully adapted for the screen in a manner that keeps audiences on the edge of their seats in spite of some intermittent humour. This isn’t a role that one would immediately pick Hawke for, but he captures the character’s unusual and heinous personality perfectly.
Special features include: commentary by producer/co-writer/director Scott Derrickson; deleted scenes; “Ethan Hawke’s Evil Turn”; “Answering the Call: Behind the Scenes of The Black Phone”; “Devil in the Design”; “Super 8 Set”; and “Shadowprowler.” (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment)
The Equalizer: Season Two (DVD)
Robyn McCall (Queen Latifah) is reeling from the fallout of Delilah’s (Laya DeLeon Hayes) discovery that her mother is The Equalizer. While McCall struggles to reconnect with Delilah, she is dismayed to learn that her vigilante profile is growing exponentially online. Just as McCall considers ending her work as The Equalizer due to the social chatter and the district attorney’s commitment to bringing her to justice, she takes on an unexpected client: Detective Marcus Dante (Tory Kittles). Dante approaches McCall to help him find a highly tactical and untraceable group of bank robbers who killed and injured multiple police officers in a recent bank heist. Together, they attempt to run down the criminals and are shocked when their investigation leads them to the highest levels of U.S. intelligence and American politics.
This season feels more engaging than the first as it better engages with the characters’ personal relationships and features more interesting cases. Robyn’s nemesis returns this season, giving her another opportunity to put an end to his terrorism, while also worrying all those around her as she’s consumed by the hunt for him. More screentime is also allotted the supporting characters as Aunt Vi fights for justice in the courtroom, Delilah tries to help a classmate in an all-too-common precarious position, Melody must connect with her past to stop a new threat and Harry rides a rollercoaster of incarceration and freedom. The season ends on a pretty big cliff-hanger that will undoubtedly inform the direction of the new season.
Special features include: deleted scene; and gag reel. (Paramount Home Entertainment)
Post Mortem (Blu-ray)
In the aftermath of a near-death experience in the final days of the First World War, former soldier Tomás (Viktor Klem) has become a photographer with a particular — and peculiar — expertise. Presenting the bereaved an opportunity for one final, indelible memory of their dead loved ones, Tomás creates family photos in which the living and the dead are posed together. Haunted by a vision of an orphaned girl (Fruzsina Hais), Tomás is drawn to a disease-stricken village that its inhabitants claim is overrun by ghosts. With the young orphan at his side, Tomás digs deeper into the mysteries of the village — and of what lies between life and death.
Though Tomás’ job sounds unusual, it was actually common practice for a period in the 19th century to take posed photographs with deceased loved ones, particularly children, prior to their burial as an alternative to a painted portrait by which to remember them. Tomás has a gift in making the dead appear nearly revived for the photos and there’s no shortage of bodies in the small village as they wait for the ground to thaw in the Spring. The film quickly establishes an eerie atmosphere with unnatural noises, shadows and movements. As Tomás and the girl dig deeper for answers, the town’s spirits become restless and more emboldened. The conclusion is a bit strange, but remains aligned with the movie’s creepy occurrences.
Special features include: deleted scenes; and trailer. (Scream Factory)
Sex and Lucía [Unrated Director’s Cut] (Blu-ray)
After the loss of her longtime boyfriend, Lorenzo (Tristán Ulloa), the beautiful, passionate Lucia (Paz Vega) leaves Madrid for a secluded, sun-bleached Mediterranean island, where she kindles a new flirtation with a mysterious diver, and starts to discover the dark secrets of the island and her own tangled relationships.
First released in 2001, the film became a worldwide sensation. It’s one of the most provocative love stories to reach mainstream cinema, balancing raw sex with emotional connections. The narrative goes back-and-forth between Lucia’s grief-stricken present and the past. The flashbacks are experienced via different perspectives as they each hold a different part of the story, which the viewer is piecing together as the tale progresses. The carnal scenes are raw and seductive, capturing their lust for each other without hiding behind shadows or bedsheets. The actors are fully committed to their roles, emotionally and physically. As more is revealed, the story takes some unexpected turns, bringing together characters who are unknowingly connected but were perhaps never meant to meet. Following this path, the conclusion is unexpected, yet perfectly fitting.
Special features include: making-of featurette; interviews with cast and crew; “Lucia in Wonderland,” new video essay by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas; photo gallery; and theatrical trailers. (Music Box Films)
