‘Zombieland: Double Tap’ is good, goofy fun
New on Blu-ray
“Zombieland: Double Tap” (Sony DVD, $19.96; Blu-ray, $34.99; 4K, $45.99; also available on VOD)
Ten years after the horror-comedy “Zombieland” became a surprise hit with critics and moviegoers, the cast reunites with director Ruben Fleischer and “Deadpool” screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick for this cheeky sequel, which once again combines over-the-top monster-fighting violence with wacky romantic complications. Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson reprise their roles as Columbus and Tallahassee, respectively, who hit the road to help save their friends Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) from a new, more powerful breed of ghoul. As with the first movie, “Double Tap” is filled with winking self-reference and likable characters — including winning turns by series newcomers Rosario Dawson, Zoey Deutch, Luke Wilson and Thomas Middleditch. This picture doesn’t do anything new, but it’s still good, goofy fun.
[Special features: A Fleischer commentary track, deleted scenes and featurettes]
VOD
“The Red Shadows” (available Jan. 23 on Sundance Now)
In the six-part French crime drama, Nadia Farès plays Aurore, a cop who uncovers new evidence in a long-cold kidnapping case. The twist? The missing person is her younger sister, Clara, who disappeared 25 years ago during a ransom exchange that left their mother dead. This slow-burning mystery — with new episodes arriving weekly on Sundance Now — uses its initial hook as a way to pull viewers into a complex tale of dark family secrets.
TV set of the week
“You: The Complete First Season” (Warner Archive DVD, $24.99; also available on VOD)
Audiences were slow to catch up to the romantic thriller; the show drew low ratings in its first season on Lifetime before becoming a phenomenon after it arrived on Netflix. (The streaming service has since backed a second season, which recently debuted.) Based on a Caroline Kepnes novel, the series stars Penn Badgley as an especially deft stalker, who in Season 1 meets a struggling young writer (played by Elizabeth Lail). This ruthless psychopath then takes advantage of the copious personal information his prey has posted on the internet so he can present himself to her as the perfect man. At once gripping and disturbing, the series is a well-acted and well-written potboiler, tapping into a uniquely modern kind of paranoia.
[Special features: None]
From the archives
“Gregory’s Girl” (Film Movement Classics Blu-ray, $29.95)
One of the most popular foreign imports of the 1980s, Bill Forsyth’s 1981 romantic comedy is charmingly simple, telling the story of a love-struck high-schooler (played by John Gordon Sinclair) who tries to woo Dorothy (Dee Hepburn), the attractive and athletic bombshell who’s just joined his soccer team. The movie barely has any plot, with most of the action confined to the final third, when Gregory enjoys an unexpectedly eye-opening evening with Dorothy’s friends. Nearly 40 years ago, American art-house patrons were enchanted both by Forsyth’s casual feminism and by his detailed exploration of Scottish teenage lives. The movie holds up well for the way it presents familiar adolescent emotions and situations in a winningly low-key way.
[Special features: A commentary track and interviews]
Three more to see
“Age Out” (Gravitas Ventures Blu-ray, $36.99; also available on VOD); “Anthropocene: The Human Epoch” (Kino Lorber DVD, $29.95; Blu-ray, $34.95; 4K, $34.99); “Sliding Doors” (Shout Select Blu-ray, $27.99)