Every Tuesday, discriminating viewers are confronted with a flurry of choices: new releases on disc and on demand, vintage and original movies on any number of streaming platforms, catalogue titles making a splash on Blu-ray or 4K. This twice-monthly column sifts through all of those choices to pluck out the movies most worth your time, no matter how you\u2019re watching.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n PICK OF THE WEEK: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Gang Related<\/em><\/strong><\/a>: <\/strong>When Tupac Shakur was murdered in 1996, he had completed work on two unreleased films: Gridlock\u2019d <\/em>and this cop drama from writer\/director Jim Kouf. The former was seen as a prestigious indie project; this was treated like the redheaded stepchild, a throwaway thriller that basically went straight to video in which Pac played second fiddle to Jim Belushi<\/em>, of all people. I might never have bothered to see it were it not for this stellar-as-usual Blu-ray release from Cin\u00e9matographe, and that\u2019s why it\u2019s such a great label, because this is a true unsung gem. Kouf\u2019s script is a Swiss watch that keeps turning itself upside down and inside out, as a pair of dirty cops (Belushi and Shakur) watch a bad drug rip-off snowball into an inescapable bear trap. Their energies are a surprisingly good match, and Kouf saw what it would take David Lynch to also identify: that beneath Belushi\u2019s gregarious guy\u2019s-guy exterior is an aptitude for villainy. And the supporting cast is bananas \u2014 any movie where James Earl Jones just shows up halfway through is worth your time. (Includes audio commentary, interviews, featurette, trailer, and essays by Quatoyiah Murry, Brandon Streussnig, and Travis Woods.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n ON 4K \/ BLU-RAY \/ DVD \/ VOD:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Flow<\/em><\/strong><\/a>: <\/strong>Perhaps the most delightful upset at the most recent Academy Awards came in the Best Animated Feature category, where the behemoths of Disney\/Pixar, DreamWorks, and Netflix all lost to this indie international animated movie (now joining the Criterion Collection) that was made entirely on open-source software. Co-writer\/director Gints Zilbalodis keeps his story straightforward (and dialogue-free), following a sweet little grey kitty on a series of adventures, some modest, some thrilling. The easy-breezy vibes are immediately cozy and the animation is striking yet simple. And, just a tip: cat owners, watch this one with your pets, who will quickly be mesmerized by the real meows on the soundtrack \u2014 Sound designer Gurwal Co\u00efc-Gallas used his own cat Miut as the voice of our hero. (Includes audio commentary, feature-length animatic, interviews, featurettes, unused footage, trailers, TV spots, proof-of-concept teasers, short films, Zibalodis\u2019s debut feature Away<\/em>, and essay by Nicolas Rapold.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n ON BLU-RAY \/ DVD \/ VOD:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 28 Years Later<\/em><\/strong><\/a>: <\/strong>The imagery is powerful and the gore is plentiful in director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland\u2019s return to the zombie franchise they began (and fast-zombie glut they similarly started) with 2003\u2019s 28 Days Later<\/em>. But as with Boyle\u2019s mournful, melancholy T2: Trainspotting<\/em>, this sequel isn\u2019t a nostalgia play or an easy paycheck; he takes care to update his style and storytelling to our current, frantic mood, via kinetic camerawork and a pulsing soundscape. Jodie Comer continues to amaze, newcomer Alfie Williams is superb, and Ralph Fiennes dazzles in one of those third-act, \u201coh right he<\/em>\u2019s in this too\u201d turns that he does so well. (Also streaming on Netflix<\/em><\/a>.<\/em>) <\/em>(Includes featurettes.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n