This week on home video, we’ve got the penultimate installment of the Hunger Games franchise, the final installment of the Night at the Museum franchise, and a handful of other releases. It was a pretty thin week for big titles, but there are a couple of smaller films worth a look. Read on for details:
Yes, technically speaking, this came out last week on Friday. But since it bucked the typical “Tuesday release” trend, we’re doing a bit of our own trend-bucking and talking about it today. Chances are that you won’t pick this up for yourself if you haven’t seen the first two films, and if you saw the first two films, you’re probably a fan, which means you more than likely saw Mockingjay Part 1 in the theaters. In other words, it’s probably enough just to know that it’s officially available. But for the sake of tradition, we’ll just say that the film picks up where Catching Fire left off, with the Hunger Games broken and Katniss uniting with a resistance force that wants to utilize her notoriety for its cause. Will she lead the rebellion and save Peeta? You already know, but now you can watch it at home.
If there’s one thing the Night at the Museum franchise is, it’s consistent. The first two films both notched 44 percent on the Tomatometer, and the final installment, Secret of the Tomb earned a 49 percent score. The film stars Ben Stiller as everyman museum security guard Larry Daley, whose friends consist of exhibits brought to life by an ancient mystical tablet. This time around, Larry discovers the magic of the tablet is fading, so he and a select few members of the gang visit the British Museum in London for answers, and hijinks ensue. Sadly, this film is likely to be most remembered as the final onscreen performance of Robin Williams, who offers a touching and surprisingly fitting goodbye as Teddy Roosevelt to Stiller’s Larry, but the series has been successful and popular with the kids, so it’s probably not a terrible home library pickup.
The Sound of Music (1965) (85 percent) is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a new Blu-ray release.
The Breakfast Club (1985) (90 percent) is also celebrating an anniversary this year — its 30th — so there’s a new Blu-ray release for that as well.
Listen Up Philip (2014) (84 percent), starring Jason Schwartzman and Elizabeth Moss in a comedy about a writer who accepts an invitation to stay at his idol’s summer home.
R100 (2015) (82 percent), Hitoshi Matsumoto’s off-beat comedy-drama about a man who indulges in a unique S&M service, only to be randomly accosted by dominatrixes of different varieties in public.
WolfCop (2014) (65 percent), a Canadian horror-comedy about, well, a wolf cop.
Low Down (2014) (51 percent), starring John Hawkes and Elle Fanning in a drama set in 1970s Hollywood about a heroin-addicted musician and his relationship to his daughter.
