US Blu-ray and DVD Releases: Nomadland, Doors, The Winter Lake and Cast a Dark Shadow/Wanted for Murder Double Feature

Frances McDormand in the film NOMADLAND. Photo Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2020 20th Century Studios All Rights Reserved

Well, it’s another tiny release week as Hollywood is still holding most of their big films for release this year, and the home video wells have run a little dry. Here’s what is available this week:

Nomadland – As I’m writing this, Nomadland just scored big at last night’s Academy Awards, picking up statues for Best Film, Best Director (Chloe Zhao), and Best Actress (Frances McDormand). In a rare case of absolutely perfect timing, Nomadland hits home video this week, making sure everyone who was intrigued by its multiple award wins can check it out while it’s still top of mind. Now, Nomadland is not the kind of film I usually gravitate towards. It tells the story of McDormand’s Fern, a woman whose hometown essentially vanished when the industrial plant there shut down (soon followed by her husband dying), leaving her a homeless Nomad. As she searches for a new job (at an Amazon distribution center, of all places, which I don’t think was a throwaway choice), she meets other fellow Nomads and a community of sorts is discovered. Nomadland is a quiet film, but it lives and breathes thanks to the unbelievable performance by McDormand and also Chloe Zhao’s effortless direction, which gives the film such a great identity. While it’s not the kind of movie I’ll watch over and over again, it’s hard to deny the quality on the screen.

Doors – Doors is a new science fiction film that’s grasp exceeds its reach. The basic premise is this: alien dimensional doors start appearing all over the earth, and we follow the stories of a handful of people who interact with them in different ways. But what you really need to know about the film is that it’s an anthology of sorts, with three stories made by three different directors, each exploring a unique aspect of these doors. That’s an intriguing concept, and it would be awesome if all three segments delivered at the same level of quality, but they vary from segment to segment. Personally, I found each one a little less effective than the previous one, with the first segment being the best and the last segment being the weakest. It’s an interesting idea and it’s not a bad film per se, but I can’t say you need to rush out and track it down, either.