Christopher Webster [DVD News 06.17.14] scifi horror action thriller



Lots of great releases today, Blu-ray buffs. First up we've got a very different film from the usually funny David Gordon Green (Your Highness, The Sitter) called JOE. It stars Nicolas Cage as an ex-con who becomes and unlikely role model for a teenage boy played by Tye Sheridan who is getting a lot of buzz from his turns in Mud and Tree of Life. Cage rage ensues when the boy is in need of a little help from an abusive father.

I decided to lead this list with Joe because the buzz around Cage's performance in this film is very good.


Also out this week:



From IFC's Midnight Movie banner come Almost Human, an gory little indie about some New Englanders who discover their friend has been abducted by aliens and has returned home with some new found killer instincts. Another one I haven't caught up with yet, but word from fests was strong in horror circles. Worth a VOD rental at least.




A favourite here at Quiet Earth, The Machine is a haunting and fascinating study of AI that Marina described as being "far more interested in ideas, discussions and mining the deep and rich discussions around repercussions of sentient AI." If you like indie sci-fi that will make you think you can't lose with The Machine.

Also, be sure to check out our interview with director Caradog W. James.




Peter Weir's Picnic at Hanging Rock is a cherished classic of what is often referred to as "the Australian new wave." Often described as enigmatic and ambiguous, I'll give you a hint: it's about sexual awakening and transcendence. It's all about that red dress.

Criterion releases the film on blu-ray for the first time with a remaster supervised by Weir. If you haven't seen the film yet, do. If you have, it's likely a film you'll want to revisit in high-def.




I am very conflicted about this whole VHS love. On the one hand, I have a real problem with people fetishizing an inferior product like VHS. Like, who cares about this crummy vehicle by which we received our films? Of course, I know that the nostalgia is not actually about the product, but about the experience that VHS allowed us to have. The format caused a video store boom and many of us spent our childhood browsing the shelves and finding the weirdest, wildest movies we otherwise would have never come across. I too miss video stores and that Friday night experience with friends and family.

So anyway, Adjust Your Tracking is a documentary all about how VHS changed the world and movie fandom and contains over 100 collectors, filmmakers, producers, and video store owners express how VHS changed their lives. Adjust Your Tracking shows a vibrant world of collectors and movie fans who are keeping the format, and the movies, alive.


Honourable Mentions:
The Grand Budapest Hotel
House of Cards: Season 2
Joy Ride 3: Roadkill

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Marina (7 years ago) Reply

Oooooo. Picnic in Blu. That's a MUST buy!

agentorange (7 years ago) Reply

I'm very curious to see the transfer.

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