The fifth week of releases in July is pretty slim pickings except for a strong new DC-based animated movie from Warner Bros. Animation, a violent social parable from Hungary, and a host of strong anime releases including the hikikomori-themed No Game No Life.
Theatrical Movies
The highest-grossing release set for Tuesday is also an animated feature, though one of a much more conventional nature. Dreamworks’ Home (Dreamworks, “PG,” 94 min., $29.98, BD $36.99) which was directed by Tim Johnson, features the vocal talents of Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory) and Rihanna in a buddy comedy that centers on the relationship between a lonely girl and a misfit alien. As conventional as its Gummi Bear coloring, Home, which made $369.4 million worldwide, but still lost money, is 2015’s least challenging and least rewarding major animated film so far, and the film has the 45% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes to prove it.
The indie romantic dramedy Comet (MPI, “R,” 91 min., $24.98), which stars Justin Long and Emily Rossum, is too precious by half for its own good. Still there are some interesting bits in this well-acted but fractured narrative that has more originality than consistency.
The most interesting art film out this week is White Dog (Magnolia, “R,” 121 min., BD $24.98), a social parable and horror movie all rolled into one by Hungarian director Kornel Mundruczo, who films a saga in which unwanted mongrel dogs revolt against the human oppression of canines. Sam Fuller’s 1982 film about American racism, White Dog, was clearly an influence here, and as in Fuller’s films there is plenty of raw violence that should scare away the faint of heart. Whether one thinks that this White Dog attacks either racism or speciesism (or both), this a provocative money that will have you searching for obvious parallels.
Also out this week is Russell Crowe’s inaugural directorial effort, The Water Diviner (Warner Bros., “R,” 111 min., $28.98, $29.99), a heartfelt old-fashioned film based on a true story stemming out of the horrendous slaughter of Australian troops in the ill-fated Gallipolli campaign, a huge mistake that was heavily promoted by Winston Churchill (not his Finest Hour).
Anime
Also due on Tuesday is the supernatural comedy TV anime Inari Konkon: The Complete Collection (Funimation, 250 min., Subtitles Only, BD/DVD Combo $49.98), which collects all 10 episodes (plus an OAV) from the 2014 series from Production IMS that is based on the seinen manga from Morohe Yoshida about a middle school student who saves a fox spirit and is then given the ability to change her shape to imitate any other being.
Another major release this week is Naruto Shippuden Uncut: Set 23 (Viz Media, 300 min, $44.82), which contains episodes 284-296 of the 420+ series from Studio Pierrot based on Masashi Kishimoto’s hugely popular manga. While only one episode in this set (#296) is actually based on the Naruto manga, the set includes one of the best “filler” arcs in the series, the “Power” arc episodes-290-295.
One of this week’s most interesting releases is the No Game No Life Complete Collection (Sentai Filmworks, 300 min., $59.98, BD $69.98, BD CE $129.98), which includes the 12 episode 2014 anime series from Madhouse that is based on the light novel series by Yuu Kamiya about a brother and sister gaming team who are undefeated in the online gaming world. The step-siblings epitomize the “hikikomori,” those reclusive gamers who barely inhabit the “real” world, and this series has generated real heat in Japan.
Another interesting release is the 2005 anime TV series from Production IG, Windy Tales: The Complete Collection (Sentai Filmworks, 325 min., Subtitles Only, $49.98), a slice-of-life drama about a group of Wind Users, who can control the wind. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this series is the way in which it combines a draft-like animation style with 3D elements.
The anime streaming service Crunchyroll is expanding its anime releases by teaming up with Discotek Media, which previously had dealt almost exclusively with vintage anime offerings. This week’s releases from Crunchyroll/Discotek are the supernatural romantic comedy Recently, My Sister is Unusual Complete Collection (Discotek, 325 min., Subtitles Only, $39.98), a 2014 series based on the manga by Mari Matsuzawa, and the Galilei Donna: Complete Collection (Discotek, 275 min., $39.98), a 2013 science fiction series from A-1 Pictures about three sisters who are descendants of the Galileo.
Are these no frills, DVD-only, subtitles-only releases from Crunchyroll/Discotek the wave of the future for anime in America? They do have a lower price point, but will it make a difference? A more traditional Discotek release is the Monster Farm: Complete Collection (Discotek, Subtitles Only, $79.98), which collects all 73 episodes of the 1999-2001 series from TMS that aired here in the States under the title Monster Rancher.
TV on DVD
It’s a very sparse week for releases in this category, so fans will have to be content with Helix: The Complete Second Season (Sony, $45.99, BD $55.99), which includes the final 13 episodes of the now canceled Syfy science fiction medical/horror thriller produced by Battlestar Galactica’s Ronald D. Moore, the celebrity-studded surreal sketch series Comedy Bang! Bang! Season 3 (Starz, 230 min., $24.98), and the classic “bad movie send-up series” Mystery Science Theater 3000: XXXIII (Shout Factory, 480 min., $59.97), in which the MST3K crew make merciless fun of a group of “B” movies including Daddy-O, Earth vs. The Spider, Teenage Crime Wave, and Agent for H.A.R.M.
