Blu-ray & DVD: The Digital Dread Report for 7/21

*Check out our other Release Date Pages: Blu-ray & DVD, Theatrical, VOD, TV.
Some murderous 90's jailbait; the tale of a loving father and his mutant son; and a killer Norwegian tsunami... this is another small, but very satisfying week in Blu-ray releases.

So let's check out this week's New Releases below, and be sure to click the pics to order yourself some flicks!

"A man who should know better. A much younger teenager. No way should there be any kind of romance between them. Yet from the moment 14-year-old Adrian met Nick, she was crazy about him. There must be something she can say or do. Some way she can show him this is not just a crush. What can she do? What won't she do?"

Alicia Silverstone was only 15-years-old when The Crush was made (17 when it was released), which makes it even more controversial, given the overtly sexual nature of the flick. Then again, this is a cheesy B-grade Thriller from the 90's, and it's pretty tame by today's standards, so maybe it's not all that controversial after all.

It's a cool movie from back in the day though, and I'm curious to see what Shout Factory has done with it on Blu-ray.

Special Features:

• NEW Audio Commentary with writer/director Alan Shapiro.
• NEW The Doting Father – an interview with actor Kurtwood Smith.
• NEW Stung By Love - an interview with actress Jennifer Rubin.
• Original Theatrical Trailer.
• TV Spot.

"In the sci-fi thriller Midnight Special, writer/director Jeff Nichols proves again that he is one of the most compelling storytellers of our time, as a father (Michael Shannon), goes on the run to protect his young son, Alton (Jaeden Lieberher), and uncover the truth behind the boy's special powers."

The more I think about Midnight Special, the more I'm coming around to the idea that it's one of the best Sci-Fi movies of the past few years. The Blu-ray is pretty bare-bones, but it's bound to look and sound gorgeous, so it's a worthy addition to any Sci-Fi collection.  

Special Features:

• A Closer Look at the Five Characters in Origins (Featurettes)
• The Unseen World -- Director Jeff Nichols shows how the unique, unseen world exists alongside out own, why only Alton can see it and what its existence means to us.

"Nestled in Norway's Sunnmøre region, Geiranger is one of the most spectacular tourist draws on the planet. With the mountain Åkerneset overlooking the village — and constantly threatening to collapse into the fjord — it is also a place where cataclysm could strike at any moment. After putting in several years at Geiranger's warning centre, geologist Kristian (Kristoffer Joner) is moving on to a prestigious gig with an oil company. But the very day he's about to drive his family to their new life in the city, Kristian senses something isn't right. The substrata are shifting. No one wants to believe that this could be the big one, especially with tourist season at its peak, but when that mountain begins to crumble, every soul in Geiranger has 10 minutes to get to high ground before a tsunami hits, consuming everything in its path."

The Wave is easily one  of the best disaster movies that we've ever seen. It's exciting, intense, earnest, and its characters felt real. It's an extremely well-constructed movie that Hollywood could really learn a lesson (or ten) from when it comes to how to do a "big" movie in a very small, effective way.

This is one move that we're definitely eager to re-visit on Blu-ray. 

Special Features:

• Behind the Scenes of The Wave.
• The Wave Visual Effects Featurettes.
• Interview with Director Roar Uthaug.
• Theatrical Trailer.

• At 72, Danny Trejo is still kicking ass, and Dead in Tombstone also has Mickey Rourke as Satan, so what the hell, we'll check it out. 
• The Criterion Collection's release of Fantastic Planet should be a huge hit with lovers of animation.
• Scream Factory's release of Rollercoaster hearkens back to a time in the 70's where every situation was turned into a disaster movie, no matter how ridiculous or mundane. Should be fun to relive this one.
• We'd give Dark Awakening a go, based on Lance Henriksen's involvement alone. 
• And everything else, as always, it a crap-shoot.