This Week in Blu-ray / DVD Releases: Midnight Special, Greek Wedding 2

June 21st 2016, 1:31am

Last Updated on July 31, 2021

This Week: Shining a light on Midnight Special, gagging over The Brothers Grimsby, and going to a bigger, fatter Greek Wedding.

► ‘Take Shelter’ director Jeff Nichols is back with Michael Shannon for the even better MIDNIGHT SPECIAL. Shannon plays a dad who has gotten his gifted son away from a Texas cult, and must then flee the authorities while trying to get him to a location where something world-changing might happen. Jaeden Lieberher plays the eight-year-old boy with powers no one can understand. Blu-ray includes ‘origins’ features for many of the characters.

► The reason MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING 2 felt like such a sitcom is that, well, it was a sitcom first. Nia Vardalos followed up her fluke 2002 hit a year later with the CBS show ‘My Big Fat Greek Life.’ It lasted just seven episodes. Thirteen years later, this by-the-book sequel touched on many of the same things, catching up with a frazzled Toula (Vardalos) as she struggles with marriage, her quirky family and a flatlining career. Blu-ray extras include more laughs over Greek stereotypes.

► Being a Sacha Baron Cohen flick, it’s no surprise the best scene in THE BROTHERS GRIMSBY involves a gallon of elephant jizz. But unlike the perverse hilarity of ‘Borat’ and ‘Bruno,’ his flock wasn’t as interested in a spy caper. He plays the dimwit brother of an M16 assassin (Mark Strong). After they’re reunited, they’re called into action against an imminent terrorist attack. Violent, grotesque and – yes – frequently funny. Blu-ray includes the aptly-titled featurette ‘The Elephant in the Room.’

► Season 6 of Comedy Central’s WORKAHOLICS has our cubicle slackers dealing with a new boss after a transfer, Adam and Ders convinced Blake is being catfished after he meets a girl online, and the guys trying to recover their beloved porn tape The Nuttin’ Professor. Set includes ‘drunkumentary’ on every episode.

► Norwegian disaster flick THE WAVE was inspired by a 1934 rock-slide tsunami which wiped out the village of Tafjord and killed 40 people. With some convincing effects and believable characters, it looks at the aftermath of a massive chunk of rock which falls into the sea, leaving a small Norwegian village just 10 minutes to prepare for a 300-foot tsunami heading its way.

► Forty years too late, SHARK EXORCIST might be the most ‘70s horror flick ever. In a small fishing village, a nun-gone-bad summons Satan to take over the body of a Great White Shark. Compelled by Christ (and maybe Quint), a Catholic priest goes mano-a-sharko with all the special effects a $300,000 budget will allow.

► The Criterion Collection turns its attention to the freaky 1973 French/Czech flick FANTASTIC PLANET, about giant blue humanoids who keep humans as pets on their world The cutout animation by Roland Topor is matched by Alain Goraguer’s psychedelic jazz score. Blu-ray offers new digital restoration, an alternate English soundtrack, two early short films from director Rene Laloux and a 2009 documentary on Laloux, who died in 2004.

► Following up on its DVD debut 11 years ago, the restored BORN TO BOOGIE makes its blu-ray debut. Ringo Starr directed this 1972 T. Rex concert flick filmed at Wembley Empire Pool. Includes a bunch of outtakes with Starr and Elton John, interviews, and weird detours which showed Starr still hadn’t gotten ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ out of his system yet. The psychedelic nonsense is worth it for the killer concert footage

Also out this week: