Blu Tuesday is a weekly column where we review the newest Blu-ray and 4K releases, along with a brief rundown of the included bonus material, to determine whether they’re worth buying, renting or skipping.
Pick of the Week: “Isle of Dogs”
Wes Anderson’s first foray into stop-motion animation, 2009’s “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” is an absolute gem that gets better with every viewing. It also happens to be one of my favorite films, so imagine my delight when Anderson returned to the medium for 2018’s “Isle of Dogs,” a criminally underrated flick in the director’s oeuvre that is finally getting the Criterion treatment. Though “Isle of Dogs” isn’t as lighthearted or whimsical as “Fantastic Mr. Fox” — it’s a more serious, politically-charged film that deals with themes of fascism and xenophobia — the movie is not without Anderson’s signature deadpan humor. Featuring a top-notch voice cast led by Bryan Cranston, as well as the meticulous, well-crafted visuals that we’ve come to expect from Anderson’s work, “Isle of Dogs” is an exceptionally charming love letter to Japanese cinema and man’s best friend that’s bursting with its filmmaker’s unique personality.
Extras include an audio commentary by Anderson and actor Jeff Goldblum, as well as a making-of featurette, a video essay by filmmakers Taylor Ramos and Tony Zhou, animation tests, visual effects breakdowns and much more. FINAL VERDICT: BUY
Also Out This Week:
“The Life of Chuck” — Based on the 2020 short story of the same name, “The Life of Chuck” is a major departure from Stephen King and director Mike Flanagan’s usual horror work. Though King has delivered some of his best material outside the horror genre, “The Life of Chuck” is not one of them. Told in reverse chronological order, the movie’s first act (Act III) is so dull and ultimately pointless that it doesn’t add much to the story other than to purposely confuse its audience. The other two acts are considerably better, but for a movie about the connections we make throughout our lives, “The Life of Chuck” doesn’t really connect in the way that Flanagan and King intended. It’s a perfectly decent story with some bright spots scattered throughout (especially the busker dance scene), but the movie isn’t nearly as profound as it would like you to believe. Extras include an audio commentary by Flanagan, a making-of featurette and interviews with actors Tom Hiddleston, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Mark Hamill. FINAL VERDICT: RENT
Disclosure: Bullz-Eye was provided a copy of the above titles for review purposes.
