DVD Releases of the Week: Liam Neeson's 'Run All Night,' 'Chappie' and Oscar Nominated 'Wild Tales' To Be Released
A slew of new releases will be available on DVD this week, including one science fiction film, one action thriller and an Academy Award-nominated film.
"Chappie": Directed by Neill Blomkamp, Sony will release the science fiction film that flopped back in March. The movie, which stars Dev Patel, Hugh Jackman and Sharlto Copley, tells the story of Chappie, the first robot with the ability to think and feel for himself.
The film received terrible reviews when it was released and had very little buzz even though Sony gave it a huge marketing campaign. Also, similarities with Blomkamp's previous two films and bad reviews prevented it from being a success. It also did not help that "Elysium," Blomkamp's previous film, had been disliked by audiences. For those who are interested in science fiction, this may be interesting. However, with so much in the market, "Chappie" will likely be forgotten. Sony will release the film on Blu-Ray and DVD with an Ultra violet digital copy.
"Run All Night": Liam Neeson's latest film tells the story of a Mobster and hit man Jimmy Conlon who has one night to figure out where his loyalties lie: with his estranged son, Mike, whose life is in danger, or his longtime best friend, mob boss Shawn Maguire, who wants Mike to pay for the death of his own son. The film also stars Genesis Rodriguez, Ed Harris and Common and was directed by Jaume Collet-Serra. After a number of hits, Warner Bros. expected that Neeson could sell the film and make it another franchise. However, after its March release, the movie ended up flopping and demonstrated that Neeson no longer had the same selling power he had five years ago. It was also marred by bad reviews and by competition from "Cinderella." "Run All Night" will likely find an audience on DVD especially from Neeson fans. Warner Bros. is releasing a combo pack as well as a separate DVD with a digital copy.
"Wild Tales": Argentina's Academy Award nominee will be released after breaking out in art house cinemas. The feature tells the story of six short stories involving distressed people. "Wild Tales" was nominated for Best Foreign Film after being the toast of the festival circuit and having had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. Sony Pictures Classics hopes to gain a bigger audience on home video especially with art house crowds and foreign film lovers. The company also hopes Pedro Almodovar fans will be attracted especially since he was the producer.
Other releases include the "The Lazarus Effect" starring Olivia Wilde and Mark Duplass. The low budget horror movie was a huge surprise at the box office in February and should draw horror fans.
Fox will also release "Unfinished Business." The movie flopped back in March and proved that Vince Vaughn was no longer a big box office draw. Nonetheless, the film will draw his diminishing fans.
Other releases include "Beyond the Reach" with Michael Douglas and Jeremy Irvine and "Playing it Cool." Kristen Wiig's "Welcome to Me" will also be released after be a huge hit at the Sundance Film Festival.