Psychopaths, Femme Fatales, Feral Irish Kids, Depressing Superheroes and More on Blu-ray and DVD

Welcome back to This Week In Discs!

As always, if you see something you like, click on the image to buy it.

The Woodsman and the Rain (UK)

A small mountain town in Japan is invaded by a film production crew making a zombie movie, but few of the locals seem all that interested. Katsu (Koji Yakusho), an older lumberjack, takes issue with their presence but soon comes to befriend the inexperienced director. The two men learn from each other

This is a sweet and unassuming little film that manages laughs alongside a small amount of light drama. The townspeople’s reaction to the film crew ranges from indifference to awe, and it’s a joy seeing Yakusho in a fun, lightweight role. His enthusiasm once he joins the crew is infectious and clear on his face, and it’s an expression anyone who loves movies has shared more than once. Also available on Blu-ray. [Extras: Deleted scenes, interviews, trailers] *NOTE: This is a UK region 2 release meaning US residents will need a region free player to watch.*

Seven Psychopaths

Pitch: “You can’t let the animals die in a movie. Only the women…”

Why Buy? Marty (Colin Farrell) is a screenwriter battling writer’s block over his script about a series of psychopaths, but when he turns to his friends (Sam Rockwell, Christopher Walken) for inspiration he finds himself caught up in a deadly and dangerous story.

Martin McDonagh‘s follow-up to the incredible In Bruges matches that film laugh for laugh even if it can’t compare in the dramatic weight department. This time around he’s more interested in meta commentary and the screenwriting process than he is in characters with real depth, but you can’t go wrong with a sharp and dark script brought to life by such a phenomenal cast (which also includes Woody Harrelson, Tom Waits and Olga Kurylenko). Also available on Blu-ray. [Extras: Featurettes]

Citadel

Pitch: Irish babies are magically delicious…

Why Rent? Tommy lost his wife to a violent urban youth gang, and the incident has left him suffering from severe agoraphobia. His days now are spent cowering in fear and trying to protect his newborn from threats both real and imagined. But when the child is taken Tommy’s forced to venture out and confront his fear directly.

This Irish chiller offers up some real scares as the hooded youths terrorize the populace of Tommy’s neglected city block, and much of that is due to the film’s atmospheric and claustrophobic visuals. It does reach some frustrating levels though as Tommy’s behavior leans toward the annoying on more than one occasion. Still, fans of mood-oriented creepiness will want to give it a watch. Also available on DVD. [Extras: Making of, interviews, b-roll footage]

Femme Fatales: The Complete First Season

Pitch: This is a dirty, dirty show. I verified that for you through all fourteen episodes…

Why Rent? Women are supposedly the weaker sex, but don’t tell that to any of the deadly vixens strutting their way through this new series from Cinemax. Each episode features a story loaded with deceit, death and extremely naked ladies, and the set is loaded with special features.

Anyone with fond memories of HBO’s series The Hitchhiker will enjoy this dirtier yet lesser cousin. The stories never really reach the level of great, but there are some fun ones  featuring a mix of solid and predictable twists. The one constant though is the constant stream of nekkid bad girls doing very bad things. [Extras: Commentaries, deleted scenes, featurettes, bloopers, music tracks, photos]

Hotel Transylvania

Pitch: The incidentals bill is still the scariest thing in this hotel…

Why Rent? Dracula (Adam Sandler) lost his wife decades ago and has dedicated his life to protecting his daughter (Selena Gomez) from the human world by building a hotel where all monsters are safe from burning torches. His plans face a challenge though when a human finds his way to the hotel and falls for the teenage-ish vampire.

Sony Pictures Animation isn’t one of the big three animation houses, but they’ve managed some real winners including Arthur Christmas and Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. This one doesn’t reach the heights of those two, but it offers a fun idea paired with some laughs and sharp animation. The voice talent makes it seem like a film brainstormed on the set of Grown-Ups, but don’t hold that against it. Folks like Andy Samberg, Kevin James and David Spade aren’t any more or less funny as voices only. [Extras: Mini-movie, music video, deleted scenes, commentary, games, featurettes, 2-D and 3-D versions of film]

All Superheroes Must Die

Pitch: Imagine a film with no budget. Now imagine they run out of money…

Why Avoid? When four superheroes awaken in a strangely empty neighborhood stripped of their powers they quickly realize something is amiss. Because they’re superheroes. Their arch nemesis (James Remar) has taken them prisoner and devised a deadly game for his own entertainment.

This low-to-no budget movie earns points for an interesting take on the superhero genre, even going so far as to have these heroes kill innocent civilians, but the execution pales beside the idea. The characters are uninteresting, the action is far from exciting and the pace is non-existent. Also available on DVD. [Extras: None]

Skip it and watch Mystery Men instead.

Cherry Tree Lane

Pitch: Home invasions are for kids…

Why Avoid? Mike and Christine are settling in for a pleasant evening of dinner and light conversation when the doorbell ring portends a change in plans. A trio of thugs break in and quickly beat down and secure the couple. They’re waiting for the son to return home, and terrible things will happen in the meantime.

This British thriller has an unavoidably frightening premise that it unfortunately never makes the most of. It’s suspenseful in theory, but since we never really care about the couple, the invaders are idiotic and little happens until the final moments it’s difficult to get to wrapped up in the story. [Extras: None]

Skip it and watch Kidnapped instead. (Just be sure to turn it off one minute before the end.)

Also out this week, but I haven’t seen the movie/TV show, review material was unavailable, and I have no blind opinion:

The Awakening
Bangkok Assassins
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
The Cold Light of Day
The Eye of the Storm
Hello I Must Be Going
Paranormal Activity 4
That Obscure Object of Desire
White Zombie