This Week in Blu-ray / DVD Releases: X-Men: Days of Future Past, Fargo

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

This week: The best, biggest, X-Menniest X-Men movie yet. Plus – Cable TV kicks from Fargo and Penny Dreadful; and the blu-ray debut of four Spielberg flicks.

► How big was the challenge in front of X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST? It not only had to serve as a sequel to the excellent ‘First Class’ and dismal ‘The Last Stand,’ it not only had to unite the two casts, it had a beloved 33-year-old comic story to live up to. Put a check mark next to all three as director Bryan Singer came home and delivered the best (and most successful) movie of the franchise. Yes, it’s a bit convoluted – how could it not be? – but Singer locks down the story and characters with the emotional weight this classic tale required. Lots more Jennifer Lawrence this time, the brief Quicksilver scene is a blast, and the Sentinels were worth the wait. Seriously, what a year for Marvel movies.

► FX’s FARGO is disconcerting at first, as your mind tries to connect things to the film, until you realize this is a whole new story set in the film’s universe (the appearance of a pivotal item from the movie, buried in the snow, is a clever link). It ends up being one of the great TV shows of the year, nailing the spirit of the Coens while adding its own twisted brilliance. Martin Freeman is fantastic as the insurance salesman who kills his wife in a fit of rage, Allison Tolman is the deputy trying to nail him, and Billy Bob Thornton is the psycho hit man who owns the show. These ten episodes were the equal of any movie this year.

► Peabody and Sherman were always the weird cartoons growing up, full of historical figures and adult jokes I never got but liked anyway because cartoons were like crack to a kid in the ‘70s. Likewise, MR. PEABODY & SHERMAN the movie brings back all the time-traveling, wise-cracking, educational weirdness, but today’s kids weren’t biting. This flop actually was a big reason DreamWorks shares slid 51 cents, leading CEO Jeff Katzenberg to predict ‘How to Train Your Dragon 2’ will “put us back on track.” Oops.

► It’s not a traditional horror flick, but there’s likely nothing more disturbing than Katrin Gebbe’s NOTHING BAD CAN HAPPEN coming out this month. Like ‘Martyrs’ as done by Van Trier, and supposedly inspired by true events, it follows a young Jesus convert (Julius Feldmeier) taken in by a dysfunctional family, where his faith gets tested by the home’s deranged patriarch. Divided audiences at Cannes last year, but won the New Auter Award at AFI Fest and Best Feature Film at the German Film Critics Association Awards. Extras include an interview with Gebbe and a 20-page booklet.

► I kept waiting for Showtime’s PENNY DREADFUL to go off the rails, but this pulpy nod to Victorian-era horror stuck to its guns. Eva Green and Timothy Dalton are on the hunt for Dracula, crossing paths with Dr. Frankenstein, Dorian Gray and assorted other freaks along the way. Josh Hartnett is the hired gun who has a secret of his own. Borders on ‘True Blood’ camp but knows when to pull back and deliver some scares – something ‘American Horror Story’ can’t bother with. Executive produced by Sam Mendes. Extras include a look at the show’s literary roots.

► The big deal about Universal’s STEVEN SPIELBERG DIRECTOR’S COLLECTION is that it offers ‘Duel,’ ‘The Sugarland Express,’ ‘1941’ and ‘Always’ on blu-ray for the first time – with the extended version of ‘1941’ to boot. The rest include some of his Universal blockbusters – ‘Jaws,’ ‘Jurassic Park,’ ‘ET.’ – getting their umpteenth release. The omission of ‘Schindler’s List’ makes no sense, if this set is supposed to celebrate Spielberg as a filmmaker. Set includes a 58-page booklet and most of the bonus features from previous releases.

► Back when the Farrelly Brothers were killing it with every movie, 1996’s KINGPIN was a blast of bad hair, gross gags and an epic Bill Murray performance as bad guy bowler ‘Big Ern’ McCracken. This was the Farrellys’ follow-up to their debut, ‘Dumb & Dumber,’ and it’s overlooked in its shadow (plus the one that came after, ‘There’s Something About Mary’). Woody Harrelson and Randy Quaid have never been funnier, and the script constantly finds new ways to skewer the clichéd sports comeback story. The blu-ray debut includes the R-rated extended version (four extra minutes) with commentary, and new interviews with the Farrellys.

► Criterion serves up the 1946 John Ford western MY DARLING CLEMENTINE this week, at once a bonafide classic and still overshadowed in the Ford cannon by ‘The Searchers’ and ‘The Grapes of Wrath.’ Henry Fonda stars as Wyatt Earp as he arrives in Tombstone and the events leading to the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral are set in motion. Blu-ray includes both the theatrical and pre-release versions of the film, as well as commentary for Ford biographer Joseph McBride.

Also out this week: