This Week in Blu-ray / DVD Releases: Turtles 2, Neighbors 2, Labyrinth

By John Law

September 20th 2016, 10:55am

Last Updated on July 31, 2021

This Week: Another serving of Turtles and Neighbors, goodbye to The Good Wife, and revisiting Labyrinth.

► Even the Turtles weren’t immune to this year’s great sequel collapse. TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: OUT OF THE SHADOWS, despite by all accounts being better than the 2014 reboot, made more than $100 million LESS than that one at the box office. And yes, that silence you hear is Paramount still not announcing a third movie. Megan Fox and Will Arnett return, as Shredder escapes and teams up with nutty professor Tyler Perry and his henchmen (one of them is the WWE’s Sheamus). Adding to the villain parade is Brad Garrett voicing Krang. Despite its rough ride, this may actually be the best Ninja Turtles movie.

► Comedy sequels may be even more maligned than horror sequels, but NEIGHBORS 2: SORORITY RISING nicely bucked the trend. A fun follow-up to the 2014 hit, it has Mac and Kelly (Seth Rogan and Rose Byrne) ready to sell their house with another kid on the way. While the place is in escrow, angry freshman Chloe Grace Moretz forms an independent sorority next door to snub her nose at school tradition. To combat their new nemesis, the couple gets help from former frat boy nemesis Teddy (Zac Efron). Extras include commentary, deleted scenes and a look at the ‘Ultimate Tailgate.’

► It was amusing to watch the same fans who championed THE GOOD WIFE as a smart exception to predictable network drama gripe at the surprisingly dark series finale. Did they miss the point? That Alicia (Julianna Margulies) basically turned into her shady State Attorney husband (Chris Noth) by the end, right down to the resentful slap which started the series? The show’s seventh and final season had Alicia starting out at rock bottom as bond court attorney before rejoining her old firm and flirting with a political career that could surpass her husband. A satisfying end to the only network show which could compete with cable. Extras include clips from the finale party, and a farewell to Alicia Florrick.

► LABYRINTH was such a bust when it opened 30 years, it sent creator Jim Henson into a depression. It would be the last movie he ever directed before his death four years later. So cue the film’s critical re-evaluation over the years, and you’ve got a spiffy new 30th anniversary blu-ray to savor. Besides a 4K restoration you get a featurette on Henson’s legacy with star Jennifer Connelly talking to his family, an anniversary Q&A, a closer look at David Bowie’s Goblin King, and the documentary ‘Inside the Labyrinth.’

► Some good intentions went unrewarded with Gary Ross’ FREE STATE OF JONES, the true story of a Southern farmer (Matthew McConaughey) who rallies other farmers and slaves into a rebellion against the Confederacy during the Civil War. Extras include the history of Jones County, Mississippi, one of the more fascinating footnotes of the Civil War. The flick, however, was a box office wipeout and isn’t likely to get the Oscar love it was clearly made for.

► There isn’t a Platinum, Diamond or Collector’s Edition of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Disney hasn’t churned out by now, but the 25th anniversary calls for another one. The first animated movie to ever get a Best Picture nomination and kickstarted another golden age of Disney animation. It can be argued this is Disney’s greatest movie…I won’t disagree much. This edition includes a retrospective on Alan Menken, commentary from directors Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise, and a sneak peak at the upcoming live-action remake.

► The Criterion Collection was practically made for the Coen Brothers. The company gives their first flick, 1984’s BLOOD SIMPLE, the special treatment this week with a stacked blu-ray that includes a restored 4K transfer, a new chat with the Coens and cinematographer Barry Sonnenfeld about the film’s look, the Coens and author Dave Eggers on the production, new interviews with stars Frances McDormand and M. Emmet Walsh, and an essay by critic/novelist Nathaniel Rich. A blu-ray befitting this noir classic.

► On the Mount Rushmore of westerns, HIGH NOON (1952) gets a new 4K restoration from Olive Films for its Signature Series. Extras include a look at the film’s masterful editing, a feature on larger-then-life producer Stanley Kramer, the film’s production history, and an interesting short on the film’s blacklist history. The movie, a favorite of many U.S. presidents but hated by John Wayne for some reason, won Gary Cooper his second Oscar for Best Actor.

Also out this week: