Three of the new DVD releases this week deal with disasters in unique ways.
• “Justice League”; 2 stars: Director Zack Snyder has not put together a complete action film since “Watchmen.” In that film, Snyder showed a great skill at blending very personal moments with plenty of fist-throwing action. Since then, his action scenes are more chaotic than cleverly controlled.
The two best things going for “Justice League” is a running time of 119 minutes (including secret scenes) and that it came out in the wake of so many recent stumbles with DC Comics movies. Buried under a stack of problems is a core of a good idea that could be used should the franchise continue.
• “I, Tonya”; 3.5 stars: This tale of infamous ice skater Tonya Harding — from her first days on the ice to the aftermath of what is known as “the incident” — is a well-written, cleverly directed and fun look at a headline-making story that has been told before. It gets that boost from director Craig Gillespie (“Lars and the Real Girl”) working from an original screenplay by Steven Rogers (“P.S. I Love You”). The film is a weird hybrid of fact, fiction and documentary.
The main reasons to check out the DVD are the performances by Margot Robbie as Harding and Allison Janney (“Mom”) as her mother. Robbie’s skill comes through on and off the ice as she gets across the blue collar elements of Harding that worked against her in competitions.
But, it is Janney who steals the movie. If Harding’s mother was one-millionth as cruel and brutal as Janney plays her, it’s a wonder Harding didn’t go around breaking kneecaps all the time. Her work alone makes this a wickedly fun film to watch.
• “The Disaster Artist”; 3 stars: Depending on how much background you have with the 2003 feature film “The Room” (not to be confused with the 2015 Brie Larson film) will make the difference in watching “The Disaster Artist” of thinking James Franco is brilliant or he’s completely lost his acting mind. Those seeing it with no knowledge of the original production will find “The Disaster Artist” to be a quirky look at the movie business. Anyone who has seen “The Room” — or at least looked at clips from the film on YouTube — will see this as an incredible peek at what happens when those with no business making movies produce a film.
Franco has placed enough links to the original film that his based-on-fact look at the making of “The Room” is weirdly fun on its own and one of the most creative films of the year.
Also new on DVD
• “The Shape of Water”: An otherworldly fairy tale is set against the backdrop of Cold War-era America circa 1962.
• “Ferdinand”: After being mistaken for a dangerous beast and torn from his home, a bull rallies a team of friends to help him return to his family.
• “Call Me by Your Name”: Teenager begins a relationship with an older man. Armie Hammer stars.
• “Fear the Walking Dead: Season 3”: Families must come together to survive the apocalypse and combat the deadly threats on all sides as society collapses around them.
• “The Handmaid’s Tale: Season One”: Series starring Elisabeth Moss based on Margaret Atwood’s award-winning, best-selling novel.
• “Major Crimes: The Sixth and Final Season”: Includes the last 13 episodes from the police drama plus a gag reel and never-before-seen deleted scenes.
• “When the Starlight Ends”: Story of love, relationships and the struggle to find the perfect fairy tale ending. Sam Heughan stars.
• “The Good Fight: Season One”: Diane Lockhart (Christine Baranski) is forced to put off retiring and join a new firm in the series that aired online at CBS All Access.
• “The Wonder Years: The Complete Series”: The 26-Disc deluxe edition featuring all 115 episodes is being released to mark the 30th anniversary of the TV series.
• “Pastor Paul”: American tourist is possessed by a ghost after being cast in a low-budget production of “Hamlet.”
