That time in October 2021 where Troy reviewed all the DVDs in the insane mail pile [Review]

Seriously, you’re going to love the way our October 2021 DVDs look. If you don’t, then come find us at the abandoned Men’s Wearhouse on the edge of town. The bathroom has no running water, but we’ve got a Doors poster on the wall.

Aalto arrives from Film Movement now on DVD

Aalto is a fun look at Finnish architecture. By fun, I mean it’s the kind of movie you put on when you want your kids to quit whining about hogging the TV. They will grab their iPads and leave the room when this starts. That being said, I appreciated learning about Alvar Aalto and his impact on iconic buildings. There is a lot of archival footage that is interesting to me since I started aging into Dad levels of minutia fascination.

Sweet Thing arrives from Film Movement on October 12th

Sweet Thing is the latest film from Alexandre Rockwell. While he shoots in stunning black and white and evokes Burnett at times, Sweet Thing is its own thing. What that serves as is a throwback to 90s indie drama about real people surviving real troubles. Will Patton and Karyn Parsons play the parents of these loving teen kids who are just putting up with their family going in different directions. One deals with addiction, while the other is trying to make her kids love her boyfriend. The DVD comes with a short film.

The Shepherd arrives from Corinth Films on October 26th

The Shepherd is a brutal drama about a man fighting the system. All he wants to do is take care of his pasture and sheep. While he fights back against the locals, certain truths come out. Honestly, the film feels like it could go bad super fast. Yet, it hangs to true and earnest honesty at any given moment. Really loved this one and I hope more people check it out on DVD.

Held is now available from Magnet

Held took three times for me to watch. Why? Well, because I kept thinking I was watching The Rental. But, I remembered The Rental being good. This October, you have a choice of many things to watch. While there are audiences for this kind of thriller, I can’t say that it’s at the top of my list.

The DVD boasts strong enough A/V Quality. However, I spent some time listening to the commentary to try and find some strong take I could mine out of the movie. None came around. Not the worst thing I watched in October, but far from the best.

Lady Usher and Fear Pharm 2 hits Digital HD and DVD on October 12th from Indican

Lady Usher is the first of an Indican double feature I checked out in the past week. George Adams directs this modern adaptation of The Fall of the House of Usher. While low budget filmmaking can work with telling Poe tales, the film slides into melodramatic territory at times. It’s a fun mid-day watch in October. However, I can’t say that it thrilled me.

Fear Pharm 2 is a sequel to a film that arrived mid last year. Honestly, I didn’t think there was enough there to make a sequel. But, I’ve been surprised by bigger developments. During October, I watch a ton of scary movies. Some of us oldheads don’t have the time to make react videos to horror movies you should have watched before High School.

So when I use October to catch up on movies like Lady Usher and Fear Pharm 2, it’s because I want to give the next generation of entertainment a chance. I just wish I could say I enjoyed it.