Heralded animated films ‘Boy & the World,’ ‘Only Yesterday’ get DVD, Blu-ray releases
New on Blu-ray
“Boy & the World” (Universal DVD 29.98; Blu-ray, $34.98)
“Only Yesterday” (Universal DVD 29.98; Blu-ray, $34.98)
Since its 2008 founding, American film distributor GKIDS has been responsible for importing some of the best animated films from around the world, including two unique features arriving on DVD and Blu-ray this week. Isao Takahata’s 1991 classic “Only Yesterday” jumps back and forth between a 27-year-old Tokyo office worker’s vacation in the country and her memories of going through puberty in the mid-1960s. Brazilian animator Alê Abreu’s fable “Boy & the World” is more abstract, following a child who leaves the increasing pollution of his family’s farm to experience the even more dehumanizing life in the city. The films have very different styles — “Only Yesterday” is muted and realistic, while “Boy & the World” is colorful and symbolic — but both are moving works of art, suitable for thoughtful older children and adults who love sharp design.
Special features: An assortment of featurettes on both releases.
VOD
“Morris from America” (available on DirecTV Cinema 7/7)
One of the most charming movies from the 2016 Sundance film festival, Chad Hartigan’s “Morris from America” makes a fine follow-up to his artful slice-of-life “This Is Martin Bonner.” Talented young actor Markees Christmas plays an awkwardly shy, hip-hop-loving American teenager who’s stuck in Heidelberg, Germany, with his widowed father (Craig Robinson), trying to make friends with local kids who view him as a freak. The story’s stakes are low, but there’s a refreshing lack of forced melodrama to “Morris,” which is more about capturing the feelings of a kid dealing with profound loneliness and casual racism. The movie also features one tear-jerking monologue by Robinson that might just net him an Oscar nomination. (It already got him a Sundance Special Jury Prize.)
TV set of the week
“House of Cards: The Complete Fourth Season” (Sony DVD, $55.99; $65.99)
With everything happening in real-world politics lately, the twists and turns of Netflix’s “House of Cards” no longer seem as crazy as they once did — which may be why the show has lost some of its buzz. But in Season 4, Kevin Spacey is as good as ever at playing a ruthless puppet master turned American president; and Robin Wright has her best year yet as his wife, co-conspirator and occasional enemy. As over-the-top as this series can be, in a way it’s never been more relevant, given how it explains how politicians tend to put self-aggrandizement and revenge over public service.
Special features: None
From the archives
“The Taking of Pelham One Two Three: 42nd Anniversary Special Edition” (Kino Lorber Blu-ray, $29.95)
The early 1970s were a heyday for the New York City crime picture, and few are as entertaining as “The Taking of Pelham One Two Three,” an adaptation of a John Godey’s pulp novel about a meticulously planned subway hijacking. Walter Matthau plays a crotchety Transit Authority policeman who works his magic in the command center to unravel the caper. Robert Shaw plays the head crook whose men use code names like “Mr. Blue” and “Mr. Brown” (a shtick Quentin Tarantino later “borrowed” for “Reservoir Dogs”). Director Joseph Sargent and composer David Shire shoulder the rest of the load, creating an energy that reflects the edgy, noisy energy of a metropolis in crisis. The result is an action-movie classic, which looks better than ever on this new Blu-ray edition.
Special features: Lengthy interviews with cast and crew, plus a special fan commentary track by actor Pat Healy and his historian brother, Jim.
Three more to see
“By the Sea” (Universal DVD, $22.98; Blu-ray, $26.98; also available on VOD); “I Saw the Light” (Sony DVD, $25.99; Blu-ray, $26.99; also available on VOD); “The Mermaid” (Sony DVD, $25.99; Blu-ray, $30.99)