The Best New Blu-Ray Releases: Barbie, The Others, And More
Our latest Blu-ray round-up is surprisingly horror-heavy this week! With the notable exception of Greta Gerwig's bright, bubbly "Barbie," every other film featured this week is part of the horror genre. Of course, that shouldn't be too surprising — this is spooky season, after all. Below, you'll find looks at not one but two very different haunted house movies, a new horror hit from A24, a vampire box office flop, and, as already mentioned, a trip to Barbieland. So let's dive in, and as always, I urge you to keep spinning those discs! Streaming comes and goes, but physical media is forever.
Barbie
One of 2023's most delightful surprises, Greta Gerwig's "Barbie" took what could've easily been a soulless piece of junk and spun it into a sweet, heartfelt bit of pop art. Not everything Gerwig and co-writer Noah Baumbach conjure up here works, but what does work works exceedingly well. Margot Robbie is but one Barbie living in an entire universe full of Barbies, but something is off: dark, depressing thoughts suddenly puncture her pink-colored world. Then her usually arched feet go flat. What's going on here? The solution has Barbie traveling into the real world, accompanied by Ken, played by a movie-stealing Ryan Gosling. Funny and breezy with just the perfect amount of existentialism, "Barbie" is both silly and smart, loaded with touching moments that feel both honest and, yes, a little manipulative. But there's a certain kind of magic cooked into this film, and while Gosling walks away with nearly every scene he has, Robbie's performance, which is both funny and even a little melancholy, shouldn't be overlooked, either. There are a million ways "Barbie" could've gone wrong, and it's something of a minor miracle that Gerwig and company were able to craft something so effective and successful.
Special features:
- Welcome to Barbie Land – featurette
- Becoming Barbie – featurette
- Playing Dress-Up – featurette
- Musical Make-Believe – featurette
- All-Star Barbie Party – featurette
- It's A Weird World – featurette
The Others
One of the best ghost movies of the 21st century comes to the Criterion Collection on October 24, 2023. Alejandro Amenábar's "The Others" is a spooky, gothic dream; a haunting tale of a haunted house with more than a few twists up its sleeve. You likely know those twists by now, but just to be safe, I won't spoil them. Just know that the film is set in a damp, sprawling mansion on the island of Jersey sometime around World War II. Grace (Nicole Kidman) lives there with her two children, both of whom are extremely photosensitive and can't stand sunlight. After three new servants arrive at the house, scary things begin to happen. Is it ghosts? Or is this all a reflection of Grace's fractured mental state? She's clearly unwell, and the fact that her husband (Christopher Eccleston) has yet to return from the war isn't helping matters. Full of foggy landscapes and shadowy rooms, "The Others" is dripping with an ominous atmosphere that seeps into your bones like a chill in the night.
Special features:
- New 4K digital restoration, approved by director Alejandro Amenábar, with Dolby Atmos soundtrack
- One 4K UHD disc of the film and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
- Audio commentary featuring Amenábar
- New conversation between Amenábar and film critic Pau Gómez
- New making-of program from Studiocanal UK featuring Amenábar, actors Nicole Kidman and Christopher Eccleston, and producer Fernando Bovaira
- Archival programs about the film's production, soundtrack, and visual effects, featuring interviews and footage recorded on the set
- Audition footage of actors Alakina Mann and James Bentley and photography from the "Book of the Dead"
- Seven deleted scenes
- Trailer
- English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- PLUS: An essay by scholar Philip Horne
Haunted Mansion
Why is it so hard to adapt The Haunted Mansion to the big screen? Disney has tried this twice now, and both times have been busts. Their latest attempt, Justin Simien's "Haunted Mansion," is a disappointing, overlong affair that doesn't even come close to capturing the spirited fun of the ride that inspired it. Look, I'm not saying it's easy to turn a theme park attraction into a movie, but the first "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie pulled it off, so there's no reason that success can't carry over to The Haunted Mansion. Instead, we get this bloated disappointment that opens with the deeply cursed credit "And Jared Leto as the Hatbox Ghost." Talk about spooky! LaKeith Stanfield is admittedly wonderful playing a grieving skeptic who gets recruited to help a mother (Rosario Dawson) and her son (Chase W. Dillon) who have just moved into a very haunted mansion. Also along for the ride: Owen Wilson as a priest, Tiffany Haddish as a psychic, and Danny DeVito as a professor. These are all very talented people, and yet they're not given anything to work with here. You'd think at the very least the production design would be something special since there's a ton of material for the film to draw on. But even that is kind of flat and lifeless. Throw in a runtime that clocks in at over 2 hours and you have an alarmingly disappointing experience. I still think there's a good movie to be made based on The Haunted Mansion, but this ain't it, folks. Maybe the third time will be the charm?
Special features:
- Making Haunted Mansion: Hear from cast, crew and filmmakers about creating this grim grinning adventure based on the world-famous ride. See how the ghosts were "brought to life," what role new technology played, and how the wildly popular attraction inspired the film's design.
- 999 Happy Haunts: There are 999 Happy Haunts inside the Disney Parks' attraction...but always room for one more! See all the Easter eggs (well, maybe not all of them) where characters big, small, alive, departed, human and otherwise appear in both the movie and the ride.
- DELETED SCENES: Take a look at some moments that passed on before the final version of Haunted Mansion was finished.
- GAG REEL: Who knew making a scary movie could be so funny!
Talk To Me
Danny and Michael Philippou's "Talk to Me" is a nasty piece of work, and I mean that as a compliment. In this frequently brutal spookshow, a group of Australian teens like to get together and summon the dead. Kids these days, am I right? The teens call forth spirits by using an embalmed hand, inviting the ghouls to inhabit their bodies for a brief period of time. It's like a drug trip but with ghosts. Of course, there are rules — you can only be possessed for a short amount of time, or else things will go wrong. Needless to say ... things go wrong. At the center of this is Mia (Sophie Wilde), who is still grieving the death of her mother. Her grief colors her decisions, and that often leads to some not-very-pleasant results. The Philippous are incredibly inventive young filmmakers, and they're able to create several brutal set pieces that feel like they're channeling the glory (gory) days of Sam Raimi. This is the type of feature debut to get excited about, and I can't wait to see what the Philippous get up to next (there's already a "Talk to Me" sequel on the way).
Special features:
- Audio Commentary with Cowriter-Director Danny Philippou and Director Michael Philippou
- "In the Grip of Terror" Featurette
- Deleted Scenes
- Theatrical Trailer
- Talk to Me Q&A with Filmmakers Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou (Amazon Exclusive)
The Last Voyage of the Demeter
"The Last Voyage of the Demeter" was a box office flop, but is it better than its reputation suggests? Eh ... kind of? The idea — taking a chapter from "Dracula" and expanding it into a feature film — isn't bad, nor is the fact that the film is clearly heavily influenced by Ridley Scott's "Alien." But this take on Bram Stoker's famous vampire never quite clicks. The premise has a ship unknowingly carrying Dracula to England. At night, the vampire — who is very much a monster and not the suave, dapper count we've seen in other movies — slithers up from the bowels of the ship to feed on the crew. Can the survivors band together to stop the vampire before he reaches his destination? If you've read the book or seen any other "Dracula" movie, you know the answer is no. But that doesn't mean there isn't bloody fun to be had with this premise. Alas, "Demeter" lacks bite. I wanted to love this movie, but I merely came away sort of appreciating it, but not by much.
Special features:
- ALTERNATE OPENING – Commentary available with Director André Øvredal and Producer Bradley J. Fischer
- DELETED SCENES – Commentary available with Director André Øvredal and Producer Bradley J. Fischer
- FROM THE PITS OF HELL: DRACULA REIMAGINED – Learn how the creative team behind THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER conjured a new nightmare.
- EVIL IS ABOARD: THE MAKING OF THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER – Set sail for an exclusive journey inside the making of the movie with the filmmakers and cast.
- DRACULA & THE DIGITAL AGE – Visual effects supervisor Brad Parker leads a detailed look at the imaginative work that adds fresh layers of fear to Dracula, creates realistic water, and enhances scenery with bleeding-edge VFX.
- FEATURE COMMENTARY WITH DIRECTOR ANDRÉ ØVREDAL AND PRODUCER BRADLEY J. FISCHER