As we say goodbye to Pride month, we’ve got a few more releases that you’ll be proud of: First it’s a one-two-three punch of Hollywood hotness with Channing Tatum in 21 Jump Street, Sam Worthington in Wrath of the Titans and Oscar winner Jean Dujardin in The Artist.
Ladies we love get a nod, too, with Julia Roberts in the Snow White redux Mirror Mirror and Kathleen Turner as a serial off-kilter mom in The Perfect Family (above). And with LGBT film festival season under way, it’s the perfect time to pick up Blue Briefs, which features six excellent gay shorts that made the rounds in the past few years.
UP FIRST: Silence is golden in The Artist
The Artist
($35.99 Blu-ray; $30.99 DVD; Sony Pictures)
We hope you caught this love letter to Hollywood’s silent era in the theater, where its Guillaume Schiffman’s amazing cinematography and the film’s delightful score are best enjoyed. Still, home viewers will still be enchanted by this Star is Born tale of an actor (Jean Dujardin) whose career in on the wane just as his girlfriend (Bérénice Bejo) sees her prospects soar. DVD extras include a making-of featurette, a Q&A with the filmmakers and cast, a blooper reel, and a colorized, dubbed version.(kidding!)
NEXT: The kids ain’t all right in 21 Jump Street
21 Jump Street
($35.99 Blu-ray, $30.99 DVD; Sony)
Having just the slimmest connection to the 80s’ TV show it got its name form, this film could easily have been called Two Friends Become Cops—or Yo-Ho-Ho and a Bottle of Rum, for that matter. Still, it packs more laughs that expected, especially for a film co-starring Channing Tatum, who joins Jonah Hill as buddy cops who go undercover as high school students. A pethora of Blu-ray extras includes a gag reel, deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes featurettes and audio commentary.
NEXT: The gods are more than crazy in Wrath of the Titans
Wrath of the Titans
($35.99 Blu-ray, $28.98 DVD; Warner Brothers)
This splashy, effects-loaded sequel to 2010’s Clash of the Titans remake sees Sam Worthington’s demigod Perseus doing battle with a variety of gigantic creatures to free Zeus (Liam Neeson) from the captivity of his uncle Hades (Ralph Fiennes). Director Jonathan Liebesman delivers plenty of spectacle and makes the 99-minute running time blaze by. The Blu-ray features Warner Bros.’s Maximum Movie Mode, which lets you both go behind the scenes of the film, and learn about the mythology of these legendary characters.
NEXT: Snow White gets a makeover in Mirror Mirror
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Mirror Mirror
($29.98 DVD, $39.99 Blu-ray; Relativity Media)
Unlike the sword-and-sorcery version starring Charlize Theron, Tarsim Singh (Immortals) gives us a fairy tale with more laughs and romance than blood and guts. Julia Roberts stars as the evil witchy-poo, joined by Lily Collins (The Blind Side) as Snow White and Armie Hammer (The Social Network) as Prince Charming. DVD extras include “Looking Through the Mirror” and “Prince and Puppies” featurettes. The Blu-ray edition sports deleted scenes, an alternate beginning, and additional vignettes.
NEXT: Keeping it short in Blue Briefs
Blue Briefs
($24.99 DVD, Guest House Films)
Director Rob Williams (Make the Yuletide Gay) selected the half-dozen shorts about the pain of love for this compilation, with situations ranging from an uncomfortable roommate situation (Boys Like You) and possible infidelity (The In-Between) to an Iranian boy’s personal protest (Revolution). There are several award winners here, so remember size queens: less can be more!
NEXT: Practice makes The Perfect Family
The Perfect Family
($24.99 DVD, Virgil Films)
Finally back with a starring turn in this comedy, Kathleen Turner channels a bit of Serial Mom realness playing Eileen, a suburban mother who finds her chances of winning Catholic Woman of the Year honors endangered by a lesbian daughter (Emily Deschanel), a boozy hubby, and an adulterous son. How far will Turner go to put the kibosh on her clan’s subversiveness and snag the prize? Out actor Richard Chamberlain appears with a priest collar, while DVD extras include a behind-the-scenes and Kathleen Turner commentary. Alas, there are no prank calls to Mink Stole here.
Bullhead
Deliverance: 40th Anniversary Edition
A Thousand Words
MC
Why do critics/reviewers hardly ever mention the excellent performance of Emily Deschanel in “The Perfect Family”?