Avengers: Infinity War is a title many Blu-ray, DVD, and digital enthusiasts will scoop up. Aside from the title being one of Marvel’s best features, the disc is worth picking up on Blu-ray thanks to its in-depth look at the storyline’s epic battles on Wakanda and Titan.
“Beyond The Battle: Wakanda” and “Beyond The Battle Titan” offer up different looks at how the cast, filmmakers and special effects team worked in different environments to pull off these visually arresting sequences. The Titan confrontation between Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and Thanos (Josh Brolin) is the centerpiece of the impressive Titan feature, as witness how the actors collaborate on their collaboration.
There are ten minutes worth of deleted scenes, one of which has Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) attempting to keep paparazzi way from Tony Stark (Downey Jr.) and Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow). There’s also a bit more banter among the Guardians as they try to find Gamora (Zoe Saldana), and it’s a sequence set to Ace Frehley’s “New York Groove.”
The commentary track, which features filmmakers Anthony and Joe Russo and the screenwriters (Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeeley), features a deeper look into the story. One interesting fact discussed during the talk centered on Iron Man’s pivotal moment with Spider-Man (Tom Holland). Without giving away any spoilers, that moment was actually going to be much shorter, but the Russos decided to elongate the exchange for dramatic effect.
Avengers: Infinity War is an excellent movie and worth picking up just for the overall quality, but thankfully the Blu-ray has enough special features to make this a much more value added purchase.
Based on the Nick Hornby (High Fidelity) novel, Juliet, Naked centers on Annie (Rose Byrne), a woman whose boyfriend Duncan (Chris O’Dowd) has had a long standing obsession with Tucker Crowe (Ethan Hawke). The rocker drifted off some 25 year ago, and due to a simple twist of fate Annie befriends Tucker via a series of email exchanges.
Along with a great selection of music, most of which are performed by Hawke (including the Coner Oberst track “LAX), the movie also boasts a tranquil seaside location that’s absolutely eye catching. Click on the media bar to hear director Jesse Peretz (Our Idiot Brother) talk about creating the fictional town that serves as the backdrop of Juliet, Naked (the east Kent locales of Ramsgate and Broadstairs are prominently featured in the flick):
Though its bread and butter has been covering the music landscape, Rolling Stone has also been an iconic publication thanks to its dedication to hard hitting and culture defining journalism. HBO Documentary Films’ Rolling Stone: Stories from the Edge, hits Blu-ray and DVD on September 11 via Shout! Factory.
Narrated by Jeff Daniels and directed by Alex Gibney (Zero Days, The Armstrong Lie), the six part documentary features performances from The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Janis Joplin, and The Clash. Chance the Rapper, Bob Dylan, and John Lennon are also spotlighted on the project. Co-founder Jann Wenner described the documentary as a “love letter to the magazine.”
Special features include deleted scenes with extended interviews with Cameron Crowe, Ice-T, Gus Wenner, Jane Wenner, Janet Reitman, Matt Taibbi, and Victor Juhasz.
Glenn Close gives a riveting performance in The Wife, playing Joan Castelman, woman whose passion for writing and her husband Joe have been seemingly peaceful bedfellows for years. Their union takes a turn for the worse after Joe is awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.
Based on Meg Wolitzer’s novel, the story also focuses on the origins of Joan (Annie Starke, Close’s real life daughter) and Joe (Harry Lloyd) as they form a seemingly indestructible partnership. “I think one of the things that intrigued me was, for example, why she never left him,” said Close. “I wanted every other woman to understand that. Working together around the table before we started work, we started to lay the groundwork of this relationship. The shooting of it was very organic and fab.”
During our interview with Close, the actress gives her thoughts on the complex relationship between Joan and Joe Castleman (co-star Christian Slater, who plays a writer in the flick, is heard in the background):
The Wife opens August 17 in New York and Los Angeles.
ABC’s new drama, A Million Little Things, centers around a group of friends who start to re-evaluate their lives after one of them commits suicide. With its strong emotional component and real-life feel, it’s already drawn a few comparisons to NBC’s This Is Us. The show’s creator, DJ Nash, and producer James Griffiths told us that if they’re going to be compared to another show, it’s an honor for it to be This Is Us. (Click on the media bar below to hear DJ Nash & James Griffiths)
A Million Little Things premieres September 26 on ABC.
Mark Wahlberg may have earned himself an Oscar nomination for his role in 2006’s The Departed, but many fans still remember him best from his career-making role as Dirk Diggler in 1997’s Boogie Nights. Two decades after playing the decadent porn star, Wahlberg looks at the role a lot differently; more and more, he’s been distancing himself from it. Family and faith have changed his perception of Boogie Nights, and he doesn’t think he would ever do a movie as racy as that again. (Click on the media bar below to hear Mark Wahlberg)
Wahlberg’s new movie is the spy thriller Mile 22, and it opens in theaters on Friday.
Philadelphia, of course, is a city that’s rich in history. It was the first capital of the United States, and it’s also the country’s first World Heritage city. Lately, of course, it’s also served as the backdrop to FXX’s raunchy sitcom, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Has that been a positive for the city? Sunny stars Rob McElhenney and Danny DeVito think the show has only enhanced Philly’s reputation. (Click on the media bar below to hear Rob McElhenney & Danny DeVito)
The new season of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia premieres Wednesday, September 5 on FXX.
The upcoming documentary City of Joyfocuses on the friendship that developed among Congolese doctor (and Nobel Peace Prize nominee) Dr. Denis Mukwege, The Vagina Monologues playwright Eve Ensler, and Congolese human rights activist Christine Schuler Deschryver. Their bond led to the 2011 creation of City of Joy, which is described as a “transformational leadership community for women survivors of violence.”
One of the community’s focus is to turn “pain to power” and give these women tools to enhance their own lives and become leaders of their respective environments. The feature is directed by Madeleine Gavin, who has carved out a successful career as the editor of such films as Nerve, The Wilde Wedding, Song One, and What Maisie Knew.
Check out the evocative trailer below and tell us what you think!
Written and directed by Nick Scown, Pretty Bad Actress centers on Gloria Green (Heather McComb), a former child star whose popularity has waned over the years. Thanks to her addiction to pills and hot tempered personality, Green is occasionally her worst enemy, and working in show business can take an exacting toll on one’s psyche. The dark comedy follows Green’s journey towards redemption, as she attempts to escape the clutches of a stalker (John Hensley) who has also kidnapped a huge Green fan named Dawnee (Stephanie Hodes).
One of Green’s talents is her ability to cry on demand, and we asked the actress if she held a similar talent. “Well, it’s actually really funny. I was a child actor,” said McComb, who was the lead in the Francis Ford Coppola project Life Without Zoe, a segment from the feature New York Stories. “I started when I was very very young. I knew a lot of Gloria Greens in my life. When I was growing up, I was sort of known for that. They would say ‘We need a crier so call Heather in.’ That is something that I was known for, especially as a child actor, was my being able to cry on cue (laughs). It was really fun to be able to use that in the movie.”
Click on the media bar to hear McComb discuss how, though rooted in comedy, Pretty Bad Actress is grounded in a lot of truth:
Pretty Bad Actress is now out in theaters and VOD.
On any televised talent show, the goal is to create stars. That’s certainly the case for America’s Got Talent, but when people ask Howie Mandel if a new star will be born on the show this season, he usually gives a somewhat unexpected answer. (Click on the media bar below to hear Howie Mandel)
America’s Got Talent airs Tuesday nights at 8/7c on NBC.
