Hayao Miyazaki was supposed to have retired in 2013. The legendary director of such great films as My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke, and Howl’s Moving Castle was in his 70s at the time (he is currently 83) – too old to be working the long hours it takes to make a feature film. Thank God he didn’t. If scientists invent a potion that causes eternal life, Miyazaki should be the first to get it (Martin Scorsese should be next in line). I wish he could make films forever.
Buy The Boy and the Heron Blu-rayI know nothing about The Boy and the Heron. I don’t want to know anything about it. Unfortunately, I was unable to see it in theaters, but I’m so excited to finally get to watch it at home. Whatever it is about I know it will be lovely. Miyazaki doesn’t make anything less.
Le Samourai: Alain Delon stars in this Jean-Pierre Melville-directed masterpiece about a meticulous hitman who finds himself being hunted. Criterion is releasing a 4K UHD edition.
Doctor Who: Tom Baker – Complete Season Four: One of my favorite Tom Baker seasons of classic Who is finally getting a Blu-ray release and all of the cool extras we’ve come to expect with these sets. Episodes include The Invisible Enemy, Image of the Fendahl, The Sun Makers, Underworld, and The Invasion of Time.
Civil War: Alex Garland’s drama about a group of journalists racing to the White House to stop a rebel attack got very mixed reviews upon release. But I’ve liked his previous movies and this one stars Kirsten Dunst and Nick Offerman so I’m excited to finally watch it at home.
True Detective: Night Country: For the fourth season of this anthology series from HBO Issa López stepped in as head writer and showrunner, taking over from creator Nic Pizzolatto. It stars Jodie Foster and Kali Reis as Alaskan detectives solving the disappearance of eight scientists from a mysterious research station.
Challengers: Luca Guadagnino directs Zendaya Coleman in this drama about a tennis coach whose champion husband has hit a slump. To get him out of it she signs him up for a low-stakes tournament that just happens to be against her former lover and his ex-best friend.
Abigail: This horror flick is about a group of people who kidnap a little girl, take her to an isolated mansion, and discover she is no ordinary little girl.
Off Balance: Ruggero Deodato (best known for directing Cannibal Holocaust) helms this murder mystery in which the perpetrator has a strange illness that causes him to age rapidly.
