It's full steam ahead for Amy Schumer in 'Trainwreck'

It’s full steam ahead for Amy Schumer in ‘Trainwreck’

By Noel Murray

Nov. 8, 2015 8 AM PT

Trainwreck

Universal, $29.98; Blu-ray, $34.98

Available on VOD Tuesday

Stand-up comic Amy Schumer effectively translates her stage persona to the big screen in this raunchy romance, playing a libertine young New Yorker who doesn’t know how to cope with her feelings when she stumbles into a committed relationship with a kindly sports surgeon played by Bill Hader. Producer-director Judd Apatow doesn’t do enough to shape Schumer’s script into something as taut or surprising as it needs to be, but his improvisatory style does elicit great performances from a cast of comedians and athletes. Plus, Apatow and cinematographer Jody Lee Lipes give NYC a suitably romantic glow, captured on 35-millimeter celluloid film (not digitally). “Trainwreck” may be shambling, but it’s highly appealing — a promising cinematic breakthrough for Schumer, a modern TV sketch comedy maestro. The DVD and Blu-ray add a commentary track, deleted scenes, featurettes and additional jokes.

Tangerine

Magnolia, $26.98; Blu-ray, $29.98

Available on VOD Tuesday

One of 2015’s most original films, writer-director Sean S. Baker’s micro-budget comedy — shot entirely by iPhones — follows two trans prostitutes through one long Christmas Eve day and night on the seedy side of Hollywood. The heroines are outsiders, and the movie’s look and tone are so bright and boisterous that it borders on shrill, yet “Tangerine” is ultimately fairly traditional. It has the structure of screwball, filed with broad characters and wacky misunderstandings. And there’s more tension here than in most indie comedies too because it’s uncertain whether these characters will land safely on their feet of if they’ll be pushed further toward the margins.

Mr. Holmes

Lionsgate, $19.98; Blu-ray, $24.99

Available on VOD Tuesday

Movie theaters and television screens haven’t lacked for Sherlock Holmes stories lately, but “Mr. Holmes” is worth seeking out because of its unique take on the character. Adapted by Oscar-winning director Bill Condon and screenwriter Jeffrey Hatcher from Mitch Cullin’s novel “A Slight Trick of the Mind,” the film stars Ian McKellen as an elderly, late-1940s version of Holmes, coping with memory loss by trying to recall the details of his last cases. Both a sketch of Britain post-WWII and a elegy for one of detective fiction’s greatest creations, “Mr Holmes” is rich and poignant — a fitting homage. The DVD and Blu-ray include a pair of brief featurettes.

Better Call Saul: The Complete First Season

Sony, $55.99; Blu-ray, $69.99

TV spinoffs don’t have the best track record, but the “Breaking Bad” prequel finds a fresh way to navigate the morally gray, irony-laden Albuquerque of the original series. Bob Odenkirk returns as sleazy lawyer Saul Goodman, seen here in his early days when he was operating under his birth name, Jimmy McGill, and trying to run a clean practice. Similar to its parent show, “Better Call Saul” is about how the quick fixes of criminality draw people in and won’t let them go. The difference is that Jimmy is a basically sweet guy, unlike the weaselly Walter White. The result is a drama that’s just as cleverly plotted and darkly funny as “Breaking Bad” but imbued with more humanity. The DVD and Blu-ray set contain all 10 first-season episodes, plus commentary tracks, deleted scenes and featurettes.

And…

Bound to Vengeance

MPI/IFC Midnight Blu-ray, $29.99

Code Unknown

Criterion, $29.95; Blu-ray, $39.95

Far From Men

Kino Lorber, $29.95

Forbidden Zone: Special Edition

MVD/VSC, $19.95; Blu-ray, $29.95/$39.95

Justice League Unlimited: The Complete Series

Warner Archive Blu-ray, $35.99

Mala Mala