Welcome to another look at highlights arriving on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD. This is another relatively quiet edition, but there are a few notable releases arriving on disc. So, if you can’t make it out to the movies this week or need to stay indoors, be sure to give one of these titles a try.
BIG NEW RELEASES!
FAR HAVEN – In this western, a Civil War veteran returns to his hometown after serving time for fighting with superiors. He discovers that his father-in-law has been brutally attacked by a gang of criminals who are threatening the entire area. When the lead discovers that his children are also at risk, the protagonist decides that he must deliver justice. This picture is a faith-based film that is a DVD-only release. It has played a few festivals though, where response from its target audience was upbeat. Write-ups state that it has some violence and isn’t for small kids, but also complimented the movie for corralling a strong cast and attempting to explore important issues like treatment of Native Americans. The cast includes Bailey Chase, Amanda Righetti, Bruce Boxleitner, Nancy Stafford, Martin Kove, Chris Mulkey, Jeremy Gauna and Don Most.
THE HIGHEST OF STAKES – For those familiar with cryptocurrency, the name Richard Heart and the HEX Token may sound familiar. This documentary tells Heart’s story and shows his attempts to change the world of finance by creating a payment network called PulseChain. He is interviewed by critics who question him about being a potential scammer and taking advantage of his investors. Apparently, the filmmakers try to present an unbiased picture and leave the audience to decide how trustworthy he is. So far, reaction from members of the press who saw the feature is positive. They describe it as a fascinating portrait of an arrogant but fascinating figure. They claimed that the film would provide plenty of interesting and informative details about the growth and interest in cryptocurrency.
THE MENTAL STATE – Based on a 2016 stage play by Josh Adell, this independent thriller involves a high school senior in Kentucky who believes that a mysterious and sinister figure is preparing to shoot several townspeople. He investigates and thinks that he has discovered the identity of the person, but can’t get anyone to believe him. As his stress grows, he becomes more and more irrational. As things escalate, his mother tries to seek help for the lead. There haven’t been many reviews for this effort yet, but it has been nominated for awards at indie film festivals and has also received a few positive notices. These critics thought that while the movie may have attempted to tackle too many elements, it does have some strong moments and an important message about mental health issues. It stars Jance Enslin, Carly Pope, Alyssa Sutherland, Bryan Greenberg and Alison Thornton.
SUITABLE FLESH – Loosely based on the 1937 H.P. Lovecraft story, The Thing on the Doorstep, this independent horror/thriller involves a psychiatrist living a seemingly idyllic life. One day, a young man visits her office, telling her that he believes his dad is attempting to possess his body. She eventually becomes personally involved with her patient and begins to experience strange phenomena including moments of body swapping. Reviewers generally enjoyed the results. A small number did complain that the movie played more like a campy erotic thriller than a chiller and didn’t think this approach worked well. But the vast majority were very amused by the tone and the movie’s performances, calling the film a stylish and darkly funny adaptation that would also raise hairs on the necks of viewers. Heather Graham, Judah Lewis, Bruce Davison, Johnathan Schaech and Barbara Crampton headline the picture.
THEY TURNED US INTO KILLERS – A young woman suspects that her boyfriend is going to murder her and pens a letter to her best friend. Sure enough, the lady is assaulted and killed, but the letter does manage to get sent and arrive at its destination. Furious, the pal of the deceased plots revenge against the boyfriend and his brothers who helped cover up the crime. She hunts them down one by one, reading the letter to them before she takes their lives. This picture is debuting on disc and on streaming platforms this week. As such, no critics have seen the movie yet (so those interested might want to exercise caution and wait for a few notices to come in before making any rentals or purchases). It does feature a familiar genre cast that includes Taryn Manning, Scout Taylor, Michael Berryman, Bill Moseley, Kane Hodder and Lauren Francesca.
BLASTS FROM THE PAST!
There are plenty of options this week for anyone looking to pick up an older title. Criterion is putting on a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray of the fantastic thriller, Blood Simple (1984). This is the debut film of the Coen Brothers (Raising Arizona, Miller’s Crossing, Barton Fink, The Hudsucker Proxy, Fargo, The Big Lebowski, No Country for Old Men, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs and countless other titles) and involves a Texas bar owner who learns that his wife is having an affair. He plots to have his wife and her lover murdered, but things go awry.
The 4K restoration was supervised by cinematographer Barry Sonnenfeld (who eventually became a director himself with The Addams Family and Men in Black series). It comes with a conversation between Sonnenfeld and the Coens on the look of the movie, a discussion with the Coens about the production, as well as interviews with the score composer, the sound editor and cast members Frances McDormand and M. Emmet Walsh. Trailers are also included.
Stony Island (1978) aka My Main Man from Stony Island is arriving in a Blu-ray and DVD combo pack from Freestyle Digital Media. It’s a musical drama that tells the story of a Chicago-based rhythm and blues band trying to break into the music business. This was the first film of director Andrew Davis (Under Siege, The Fugitive, Holes). The movie was well received by critics but flopped at the box office.
Kino is delivering another Blu-ray box set called Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema XVI, which contains The Mystery of Marie Roget (1942), Chicago Deadline (1949) and Iron Man (1951). The films have been restored in 2K and, as with other sets, they arrive with film historian commentary tracks and trailers.
Has Anybody Seen My Gal (1952) is getting a Special Edition Blu-ray from the distributor. This comedy from Douglas Sirk (All That Heaven Allows) about an aging, heirless millionaire who wants to leave his fortune to the family of his first love. But first, he decides to test them by pretending to be a poor boarder renting a room at their home. It stars Piper Laurie and Rock Hudson and the disc features a 2K scan of the film interpositive, a recently recorded audio commentary with the late Piper Laurie (along with Gigi Perreau), in addition to a trailer.
The Hell with Heroes (1968) is a post-WW II drama with Rod Taylor taking part in a smuggling operation. This Blu-ray contains a 2K picture restoration, a film critic commentary and a trailer.
Odds Against Tomorrow (1959) from Robert Wise (The Day the Earth Stood Still, West Side Story, The Sound of Music) is considered the first film noir to feature a black protagonist and stars Harry Belafonte, Robert Ryan, Shelley Winters, Ed Begley and Gloria Grahame. It comes with a movie expert commentary and trailer. It also comes in a slipcase.
The Outside Man (1973) aka Un Homme est Mort is an action picture about a hit man from Paris who is tasked with assassinating the biggest mob boss in Los Angeles. The cast includes Jean-Louis Trintignant, Roy Scheider, Umberto Orsini, Angie Dickinson and Ann-Margret. On this two-Blu-ray set, you’ll get the uncut English and French versions of the film with a 4K restoration prepared by Gaumont. Additionally, it comes with a film historian commentary, trailers, reversible art and a slipcase.
If you appreciate the Bing Crosby/Bob Hope “Road to…” movies, The Road to Hong Kong (1962) is the final collaboration between the pair. The pair co-star with Joan Collins and Peter Sellers as they get involved in a spy adventure in the title locale. The Blu-ray features a film historian commentary and trailer.
You can also pick up the drama Split Image (1982) on Blu-ray. Miles O’Keefe plays a young man who becomes brainwashed by a religious cult. His parents end up hiring a man to kidnap their boy and deprogram him. The cast includes Karen Allen, Peter Fonda, James Woods and Brian Dennehy. The picture has been given a 2K upgrade and the Blu-ray comes with a film historian commentary and trailer.
Massacre Video is presenting 555 (1988) on Blu-ray. It follows two cops hunting down a homicidal maniac who strikes every five years. You can also pick up a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray of the fantasy action picture BloodRayne (2005). This video game adaptation from Uwe Boll (House of the Dead) features Kristanna Loken, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Rodriguez, Michael Madsen, Udo Kier, Meatloaf, Michael Pare and Billy Zane and arrives with all extras from the previous DVD, in addition to a new Boll commentary. This distributor is also releasing a Blu-ray of the German splatter film, Dard Divorce (2007).
A Blu-ray of the Japanese horror/occult film Curse of the Dog God (1977) is arriving from Mondo Macabro. It’s about a man trying to mine uranium, only to find himself tormented by the supernatural title creation. The movie has been given a 2K restoration and arrives with a director interview, a trailer, a film expert commentary trailer and more.
The Inferno (1979) aka Hell is another Japanese genre title. This one follows a female daredevil race car driver who uncovers supernatural secrets about her mother and past. This edition includes similar technical specs and extras to the above film.
Paramount is releasing the stand-up film, Eddie Murphy: Raw (1987) on Blu-ray. Additionally, you can pick up a Blu-ray of the George Clooney/Nicole Kidman thriller The Peacemaker (1997).
The studio is also giving the football coming-of-age drama Varsity Blues (1999) a spiffy new upgrade. It’s arriving in a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray set in celebration of the movie’s 25th anniversary. Currently, it also looks like bonuses from earlier editions, like the director commentary, will be included in this set.
Shout! Factory is delivering some Charles Bronson action on Blu-ray. St. Ives (1976) features the actor playing an ex-crime reporter who finds himself in the middle of a negotiation between some intimidating criminals. It also features Jacqueline Bisset, John Houseman, Jeff Goldblum and Robert Englund. The movie has been given a new scan for this Blu-ray and comes with a behind-the-scenes featurette and a trailer.
Telefon (1977) is a spy thriller about secret, hypnotized Russian agents planted in the US during the Stalin era who don’t know they have been programmed to be killers. The group are suddenly awakened and Bronson must team up with another agent to stop them. This title has also been newly scanned and comes with a trailer.
Finally, Australian distributor Via Vision is putting out a Blu-ray box set called On the Buses: Film Collection (it is currently listed on Amazon as On the Buses: The Ultimate Collection). For those unfamiliar with the title, On the Buses was a hugely popular British sitcom about public transit workers. The show was so successful that the cast appeared in movies based on the show. This set contains On the Buses (1971), Mutiny on the Buses (1972) and Holiday on the Buses (1973). Studiocanal has done the film transfers and there is a television historian commentary track, featurettes on the franchise, interviews with experts on the films, publicity materials and more.
YOU KNOW, FOR KIDS!
Here is a kid-friendly for those seeking out G-rated entertainment.
PBS Kids: Book Buddies (PBS Kids) DVD
ON THE TUBE!
And all of the week’s TV-related releases are listed below.
America Outdoors with Baratunde Thurston: Season 2 (PBS) DVD
Doctor Who: The Underwater Menace (1967) (BBC) Blu-ray
Magnum P.I.: The Complete Series (Paramount) DVD
Magnum P.I.: The Final Season (Paramount) DVD
Native America: Season 2 (PBS) DVD
PBS Kids: Book Buddies (PBS Kids) DVD