One of this month’s top Blu-ray releases is one of cinema’s most beloved romantic comedies, as When Harry Met Sally… is once again front and center thanks to Shout Select (a division of Shout! Factory).
The collector’s edition celebrates the 30th anniversary of the film’s release, and cinephiles will be treated to a 4K scan of the original negative. Although the movie is worth watching even on a grainy DVD edition, it’s great to see beautiful transfer of the Rob Reiner directed classic.
Penned by Nora Ephron, the narrative centers on the friendship between Harry Burns (Billy Crystal) and Sally Albright (Meg Ryan). They shared a somewhat uneasy (yet comical) drive as relative strangers from Chicago to New York in their early twenties, and in the ensuing decade a couple of chance encounters led to a lasting friendship (and eventual romance). Co-starring late actors Carrie Fisher and Bruno Kirby as their close friends, the picture has transcended time and weather over the years, and it also turned Harry Connick Jr. into a star (the soundtrack features Connick Jr. renditions of the “Where Or When” and “It Had To Be You”).
The disc also comes with “Scenes From A Friendship,” a new feature that’s exclusive to 30th Anniversary Edition. For 44 minutes Reiner and Crystal reminisce, sans an interviewer, about their respective journey on the film. During the conversation, the pair get personal with their close knit relationship which started more than a decade earlier (Crystal was a guest star on All In the Family). Previous special features, including audio commentary from Reiner, Ephron, and Crystal are also featured in the collection.
Matthew McConaugheyreunites with Interstellar co-star Anne Hathaway in the film noir infused thriller Serenity. Directed and penned by Steven Knight, the tale centers on a fishing boat captain (McConaughey) who is living an intentionally obscure life in the seemingly peaceful environment of Plymouth Island. When his ex-wife (Hathaway) shows up and offers him a deal to kill her new husband (Jason Clarke), his life understandably turns chaotic.
“It’s really well written,” said McConaughey. “And Steven is very common sensical and calm about how he goes about everything. He put together a great script, one that I found thrilling and one where I said, ‘that’s one I want to see.'”
Click on the media bar to hear McConaughey talk about the joys of working with his Serenity castmates (which also includes his Amistadco-star Djimon Hounsou and Diane Lane).
The tense trailer Little Woods has just been released and, upon first impression, this looks to be an excellent vehicle for Tessa Thompson (Creed II) and Lily James (Cinderella).
Set in Little Woods, North Dakota, the tale centers on Ollie (Thompson), a woman who’s on her final days of probation after illegally transporting prescription pills over the Canadian border. A tragedy leads Ollie to reconnect with her estranged sister Deb (James). Deb, who has an unplanned pregnancy, teams up with Ollie to find a way to make money and save their mother’s house from foreclosure.
Ollie’s return to selling pills, though filled with good intentions, will probably come at a price, and though the subject matter is grim the trailer ends on a subtle comedic note. The feature, directed by Nia DaCosta was a Best Narrative Feature nominee at the Tribeca Film Festival and received Honorable Mention at the Denver Film Festival for the American Independent Award. Check out the trailer and tell us what you think!
Little Woods, co-starring James Badge Dale, opens in theaters April 19,
Liam Neeson has braved adversity in the snow with 2011’s The Grey, and now he’s back for a bit more frosty weather in the action thriller Cold Pursuit. The feature centers on a snowplow driver (Neeson) who is hunting down the drug dealers he believed killed his son (Micheål Richardson, who is Neeson’s actual son).
“It’s a good character driven revenge thriller with very sort of interesting bad guys,” said Neeson. “And there’s a very dark undercurrent element of humor that kinda runs through it too that is quite appealing.”
Click on the media bar to hear Neeson talk about working with his son in Cold Pursuit.
Cold Pursuit, co-starring Laura Dern and Emmy Rossum, hits theaters February 8.
Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) and Kevin Hart have a challenging task with The Upside, as it is a remake of the critically acclaimed 2011 feature The Intouchables.
The story centers on a quadriplegic rich man’s (Cranston) gradual friendship with the ex-convict (Hart) who takes care of him. The tale is inspired by the relationship between French businessman Philippe Pozzo Di Borgo and his caretaker Abdel Sellou.
“He was very gracious and willing to tell me what he could of himself and his life,” said Cranston who discusses his own contact with Di Borgo. “And he had no delusions of what he is and what his life is like. It’s challenging, still to this day. He’s been in the chair for 25 years and that’s a long time for someone who is in that position. He lives in Morocco and he and Abdel are still friends to this day.”
Click on the media bar to hear Cranston discuss why he was more than willing to star in this remake.
The Upside, directed by Neil Burger (Limitless) opens nationwide January 11.
Captain Marvel’s first trailer dealt with Carol Danvers’ (Brie Larson) origin story, and now the latest trailer (Marvel dubs it a “special look”) features Danvers bantering with a much younger Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). The feature is set in the 1990s, and kudos for the creative team behind this trailer for placing the catchy and emblematic track “Connection” from Elastica in the clip!
Hearing from ’90s bands and seeing Nick Fury sans the eye patch are not the only reason to see the trailer, as Danvers shows her ability to shoot a photo blast from her hands at a moment’s notice. Half Nelson and Mississippi Grind filmmakers are Captain Marvel’s directors. Check out the trailer and tell us what you think!
Captain Marvel, co-starring Jude Law and Gemma Chan hits theaters March 8.
