Never fear, Ant-Man is here! Or perhaps this means nothing to you at all. Perhaps all your fears are perfectly well-founded. Flick Picks is not here to tell you how to feel. We are here merely to report on new arrivals on DVD. Joining the aforementioned Mr. Ant, we have the even more decidedly cartoonish figures of Minions. Meanwhile, for the more serious film fan, the cineaste one might even say, there is the welcome arrival of Satyajit Ray's Apu Trilogy. It's something to behold.
Feature Films
ANT-MAN
Yes, Ant-Man is here, in the amiable form of Paul Rudd. The latest Marvel Comics superhero makes it to the big screen in pretty good form, abetted by some solid writing and strong cast. And lots of action, of course.
MINIONS
A combination prequel and spin-off to the Despicable Me franchise, Minions little yellow single-cell creatures have existed since the beginning of time (as we all know), serving only the most nefarious of masters. You might well recognize the voices of Jon Hamm, Michael Keaton and Sandra Bullock, among others. We have multiple copies of Minions in regular DVD and Blu-ray.
Also new: The excellent David Oyelowo (who played Martin Luther King so memorably in Selma) is mesmerizing in the odd, slightly claustrophobic HBO film, NIGHTINGALE.
Foreign Film
APU TRILOGY
These three films by the Indian master Satyjit Ray star the same young actor (Kanu Banerjee) in a coming of age tale like no other in cinema history (sorry, Boyhood). There is a great deal to appreciate here, including often shimmering cinematography and a wonderfully evocative score by Ravi Shankar. The Apu Trilogy - Panther Panchali (1955), Aparajito (1956) and Apur Sansar (1959) - is often listed among the greatest achievements in film history. Watch the new Criterion Collection Apu Trilogy set and see why.
Classics
SPEEDY
Hooray for Harold Lloyd. The too-often-overlooked silent film star and daredevil is up to his old tricks in Speedy (1928), his last silent film to be released in theaters. In Speedy, Harold attempts to save the last horse-drawn streetcar in New York, the film contrasting the rush of contemporary urban life with the more genteel pace of yesteryear. Look for Yankee slugger Babe Ruth as one of Harold's passengers.
Series
DOC MARTIN, SERIES SEVEN
The seventh series of this popular British series is here. Martin Clunes stars as general practitioner, ever amusingly at odds with his patients in the small, imagined Cornwall village of Portwenn.
DOCTOR WHO, SERIES NINE (part 1).
Scottish actor Peter Capaldi turns out to be a flamboyant natural as the 12th incarnation of Doctor Who, the title character of the beloved BBC series which has been running - off and on - since 1963.
UNDER THE DOME, SEASON THREE
This is the third and final season of the CBS series based of the novel of the same title by Stephen in which the beleaguered residents of Chester's Mill struggle beneath a mysterious dome which has separated them from the rest of the world, cutting off most communication (including cell phone and Internet - the horror!).
Also new: ELEMENTARY, SEASON THREE
Documentary
SINATRA: ALL OR NOTHING AT ALL
2015 marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Francis Albert Sinatra. Perhaps you've heard of him? Far, far more than the basic documentary that has been running on HBO, Sinatra: All or Nothing At All is a four-disc bonanza for Sinatra fans that includes a 46-minute interview with Walter Cronkite and the singer's 1971 "retirement" concert.
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