New video: 'My Cousin Rachel' is a lush melodrama that fans of Old Hollywood will love

New video: ‘My Cousin Rachel’ is a lush melodrama that fans of Old Hollywood will love

By Noel Murray

Aug. 26, 2017 6 AM PT

New on Blu-ray

“My Cousin Rachel” (20th Century Fox DVD, $29.98; Blu-ray, $34.99; also available on VOD)

Like Daphne du Maurier’s novel “Rebecca,” her 1951 book “My Cousin Rachel” lies somewhere between romance and suspense, drawing equally on the mystery inherent in both genres. In writer-director Roger Michell’s film adaptation, Rachel Weisz gives one of the best performances of her stellar career playing Rachel Ashley, a widow with a scandalous reputation, who cozies up to her late husband’s heir, Philip (Sam Claflin). Are these two would-be lovebirds experiencing a real connection, or is Rachel conning the inexperienced, easily seduced Philip? Following Du Maurier’s lead, Michell keeps the audience and most of the characters guessing until the end, while spinning the kind of lush, throwback melodrama that fans of Old Hollywood movies should enjoy.

Special features: A commentary track, deleted scenes, and featurettes

VOD

“Goon: Last of the Enforcers” (available Sept. 1)

The cheerfully vulgar 2011 hockey comedy “Goon” gets a belated but welcome sequel in “Goon: Last of the Enforcers,” which brings back Seann William Scott as Doug “The Thug,” a sweet-natured idiot skilled at beating up his fellow skaters. Actor-comedian Jay Baruchel, who co-wrote the original, makes his feature-directing debut in a film that rehashes the reliable underdog sports beats of the original, with pretty much the same cast — including Liev Schreiber, Kim Coates and Alison Pill. The goals are simple: creative profanity, slapstick violence and a celebration of all things Canadian. This “Goon” hits those targets, hard and hilariously. 

TV set of the week

“Will & Grace: Season One” (Universal DVD, $29.98)

Given that award-winning TV shows with LGBTQ protagonists are now the norm, it’s sometimes hard to remember that gay characters Will Truman (Eric McCormack) and Jack McFarland (Sean Hayes) were bracing and refreshing when they first arrived on NBC in 1996. With “Will & Grace” returning to network television this fall, now’s the perfect time to revisit the sitcom’s first season and recall how the show’s frank sexuality and precisely timed farce were revolutionary. The series flagged a bit in later years, but in the early episodes — when Debra Messing’s neurotic Grace Adler and Megan Mullally’s saucy Karen Walker were more complex and funny than almost any other women appearing regularly on the small screen — “Will & Grace” was a revelation.

Special features: Extensive interviews and featurettes

From the archives

“The Lion King: The Signature Collection” (Disney/Buena Vista DVD/Blu-ray combo, $24.95)

The Disney animation revival that began with “The Little Mermaid” and “Beauty and the Beast” hit a commercial peak with 1994’s “The Lion King,” which turned the cute critters and primal narrative pull of Disney’s classic “Bambi” into a snappy musical, with African-inflected pop songs penned by Elton John and Tim Rice. The movie has since become a mini-industry, spawning a hit Broadway show, multiple straight-to-video sequels and merchandise galore. But a new special-edition Blu-ray is a reminder that in its original form, “The Lion King” is one of the great family films of its era: a simple story about a cub on a quest to honor his late father’s legacy, with the help of every righteous animal in the kingdom.

Special features: A commentary track, hours of new and old featurettes and a sing-along option

Three more to see

“Batman & Harley Quinn” (Warner Bros. DVD, $19.98; Blu-ray, $24.98; 4K, $44.98; also available on VOD); “Baywatch” (Paramount DVD, $29.98; Blu-ray, $31.99; 4K, $48.99; also available on VOD); “Born in China” (Disney/Buena Vista DVD/Blu-ray combo, $28.95; also available on VOD)