Blu-ray Disc Movies

 

Seven horror fans attend an invite-only party on a secluded farm, and awaken to find themselves in the world of George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead in director Douglas Schulze's gruesome homage to the classic zombie film. Russell (Taylor Piedmonte) and Duane (Allen Maldonado) are attendees at a horror convention when they cross paths with pretty goth girl Judith (Lauren Mae Shafer) who invites them both to join her at an exclusive after-hours party. Once there, the mood quickly turns menacing. But before they can make a quick getaway, Russell and Duane are knocked out cold. Awakening in different clothes and strangely familiar surroundings, the horror fans find themselves trapped in a remote farmhouse that's under siege by the living dead. Terrified by the fact that they've seen this story before - and everyone dies - the dwindling survivors must use their knowledge of the film to find a way out of the frightening predicament. Meanwhile, anyone brave enough to try and break free from the plot gets a nasty surprise. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Adapted from a novel by Shichiro Fukazawa, The Ballad of Narayama is built around an ancient Japanese custom. Centuries ago, it was customary for the younger citizens of a remote Japanese mountain village to shepherd all those over the age of seventy to the snowy crags of Mt. Narayama. There the elders would be left to die from exposure and starvation--a fate they were expected to meet with stoic resignation. As the film observes, this custom was not universally accepted even in ancient times: Some of the old folks put up a physical struggle against their exile, others accept the inevitable under verbal protest, and some of the younger relatives question whether they have the right to go along with this questionable "cleansing" process. Heartbreakingly brilliant, The Ballad of Narayama was remade in 1983; the latter version won the Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A pet project of Walt Disney's since 1939, this animated version of James M. Barrie's Peter Pan reached full fruition in 1953. Eschewing much of Barrie's gentle whimsy (not to mention the more sinister aspects of the leading character), Disney and his staff fashioned a cheery, tuneful cartoon extravaganza, which cost $4 million and reaped several times that amount. The straightforward story concerns the Darling family, specifically the children: Wendy, Michael and John. Wendy enjoys telling her younger siblings stories about the mythical Peter Pan, the little boy who never grew up. One night, much to everyone's surprise, Peter flies into the Darling nursery, in search of his shadow, which Wendy had previously captured. Sprinkling the kids with magic pixie dust, Peter flies off to Never-Never Land, with Wendy, Michael and John following behind. Once in Peter's domain, the children are terrorized by Captain Hook, who intends to capture Peter and do away with him.

After rescuing Indian princess Tiger Lily from Captain Hook, Peter must save the children, not to mention his own "Lost Boys," from the diabolical pirate captain. In addition, he must contend with the jealousy of tiny sprite Tinker Bell, who doesn't like Wendy one little bit. Breaking with several traditions, Peter had been played by a girl in all previous incarnations, Tinker Bell had always been depicted by a shaft of light, etc ... this "Disneyized" version of Peter Pan may not be authentic James Barrie, but it has never failed to enthrall audiences of all ages. Adding to the fun are the spirited voiceover performances by Bobby Driscoll (Peter), Hans Conried (Captain Hook and Mr. Darling), Kathryn Beaumont (Wendy) and Bill Thompson (Smee), and the sprightly songs by Sammy Cahn, Sammy Fain, Ollie Wallace, Erdman Penner, Ted Sears, Winston Hibler, Frank Churchill and Jack Lawrence. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A famed author and noted skeptic attempts to debunk a haunting at a prestigious London prep school, and encounters a supernatural force that seems beyond human comprehension in director Nick Murphy's creepy gothic chiller. England, 1921: As the high cost of war takes a heavy toll on the national psyche, many people turn to spiritualism and the supernatural for reassurance that something better awaits us in the beyond. But Florence Cathcart (Rebecca Hall) isn't buying it. A noted academic, Florence favors logic over fantasy, and she's built her career on proving that ghosts don't exist. Meanwhile, at Rockwood Boarding School, the recent death of a young boy has parents uneasy, and students convinced that the boy still wanders their hallowed halls in spectral form. Summoned to Rockwood by Headmaster Robert Mallory (Dominic West), Florence becomes more determined than ever before to reveal the haunting as a hoax. But when the staunch cynic fails to find a rational explanation for the eerie occurrences around the school, her steely resolve is soon overpowered by sheer terror. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Fred Schepisi's familial drama The Eye of the Storm stars Charlotte Rampling as Elizabeth Hunter, the wealthy, dying mother to Basil (Geoffrey Rush) a successful actor, and Dorothy (Judy Davis), who exists on the money she made when she divorced a low-level member of Italian royalty. The children arrive at the mother's estate, hoping to get some cash from mom, and also make peace with the hurts she inflicted on them when they were teenagers. For her part, Elizabeth keeps playing mind games with her kids up to the very end. The film played at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

 

A hot-shot Hollywood horror director (David Newcomer) is taken hostage in his own home by a vengeful father (Academy Award-nominee Michael O'Keefe) whose daughter was killed in an episode that directly reflected the filmmaker's gruesome handiwork. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Two teenage girls enter into a passionate romance that threatens to fall apart when one announces that she will soon be leaving for school, which creates a swell of emotions and brings about a disturbing transformation. When it comes to love, New York City tomboy Jack (Riley Keough) always plays it cool. But when she meets Diane (Juno Temple), something just clicks. Beautiful and unassuming, Diane captures Jack's heart almost instantly. But trouble starts to brew when Diane reveals that she won't be in the city much longer. School is starting, and when it does, she'll head back to Europe. Crestfallen, Jack puts up an emotional wall that Diane does her best to break through. Upon realizing Jack has no intention of continuing their relationship, Diane finds her emotions surging out of control, and the disturbing visions that have been haunting her threaten to lead them both down a terrifying path from which neither may ever return. Kylie Minogue co-stars. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A '55 Chevy takes on a '70 GTO in a race across the Southwest in Monte Hellman's cult favorite. The Driver (James Taylor) and the Mechanic (Dennis Wilson) phlegmatically slouch from race to race, pitting their gray Chevy against any and all gearheads in order to make money for gas and food. They and the tag-along Girl (Laurie Bird) meet their match in "Oh Maybelline" fan GTO (Warren Oates), and they all set off on a cross-country race to Washington D.C., with the winner getting the loser's car. But it isn't the end that really counts; it is the process of getting there, as the Girl's fickleness forces the Driver to decide what matters more: endless races or her. Shot on location from a spare script by Rudolph Wurlitzer and Will Corry, Two-Lane Blacktop was trumpeted as the "film of the year" in Esquire magazine before its release. It bombed, and disputes over music rights kept it from home video until 1999, but repertory and TV screenings have gained it an avid following for its automotive detail, flashes of authentic idiosyncrasy, and artfully abstract examination of the urge to forge ahead, whether or not there is anywhere to go. ~ Lucia Bozzola, Rovi

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie is the live-action, feature film adaptation of the cult comic book and the popular animated television show. After prolonged exposure to radiation, four teenage turtles--Michelangelo, Raphael, Leonardo, and Donatello--have mutated into ninjas and have begun living in the sewers of a large city. Under the guidance of a ninja master Splinter the Rat and television reporter April, the Turtles embark on a mission to run crime out of the city and battle the warlord Shredder. The Turtles have been designed by Jim Henson Productions and effortlessly fit into the live-action surroundings. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi