Welcome to another look at some of the highlights arriving on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD. Next week is incredibly busy with several big tiles, while this edition features some curious independent efforts that may be of interest. So, if you can’t make it out to the movies this week or need to stay indoors for a while, be sure to give one of these titles a try!
BIG NEW RELEASES!
BOBCAT MORETTI – This independent feature involves an obese man who is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. He decides to get healthy to try and combat the condition, taking up boxing, a sport his late father participated in. A trainer at his local gym decides to help and get him on the right path, helping the lead lose over 150 pounds and start to regain confidence in himself. This independent drama was seen by a handful of critics who were generally positive about the results. One or two thought that while well-intentioned, the movie was awkwardly put together and didn’t make a lasting impression. However, everyone also called it sweet and inspiring, stating that there were plenty of fun surprises in the storytelling. For the time being this is a DVD-only release. It stars Tim Realbuto, Vivica A. Fox, Taryn Manning, Coolio and Sally Kirkland.
CHASING WONDERS – A young boy of Spanish descent helps his family run a vineyard in Australia. He’s curious about why they live in such a remote area, but his father refuses to give an answer. After talking with a grandparent, the youngster becomes determined to visit Spain and see where he came from. He runs away, causing rifts in the family. Five years later, the story reconnects with the youngster and shows what has transpired. This picture was made back in 2020 and was released in several territories, but is only now arriving on Blu-ray in North America. Overall, the response was positive. A number of reviewers did complain that the characters needed more development and described the film as melodramatic. However, consensus on the movie was that it was a low-key but heartwarming coming-of-age drama with gorgeous cinematography and solid performances. They were also impressed by the five-year break in production that allowed the young star to grow up. The cast includes Michael Crisafulli, Antonio de la Torre, Paz Vega and Edward James Olmos.
FROM THE SHADOWS – This independent found footage horror film details a paranormal authority investigating a brutal incident involving the leader of a cult and his followers. As she visits the location where the incident occurred with survivors from the tragedy, the lead discovers that this sect may have actually raised a group of demons. The protagonist and others attempt to survive these supernatural forces. As of right now, very few have seen this picture. There are a handful of online notices stating that the movie has a good cast and is better than many extremely low-budget efforts, but that it does suffer from budgetary issues. Several wrote that it doesn’t raise enough chills to recommend. This is a DVD-only release. It features Keith David, Bruce Davison, Selena Anduze, Max MacKenzie and Ed Lover.
LORD OF MISRULE – Set in the UK, this story follows a female priest who arrives in a new village, only to have her child disappear during a harvest festival. The lead and her husband allow the police to try and find their daughter, but when the youngster doesn’t turn up, they begin campaigning at church. The parishioners warn them that an evil spirit living in the nearby woods is responsible and so the parents head out to confront whatever this might be. More members of the press liked the picture than disliked it. About one-third of them complained that the movie just wasn’t very suspenseful and fell flat. While the rest admitted it wasn’t quite as strong as similarly-themed films like The Wicker Man, they did find the story tense and were surprised by many elements. Tuppence Middleton, Ralph Innes, Mat Stokoe, Rosalind March and Anton Saunders headline the movie.
MOON GARDEN – A five-year-old girl is involved in a horrible accident and falls into a coma. She awakens in a strange dream world filled with nightmarish creatures. Some are friendly, while others want to devour her. When the youngster begins hearing the voice of her mother, she attempts to follow it and find her way back to the real world. This independent fantasy was made in 2022 but took a little while to find distribution in North America. Reaction towards the film was generally positive. A small number suggested that while it looked good, there wasn’t much of a story to truly involve them in this child’s disturbing visions. The rest called it incredible to behold, delving deeply into the psyche of a youngster going through a terrifying ordeal and delivering stunning imagery in the process. It stars Angie Duke, Brionne Davis and Haven Lee Harris.
THE PRINCE OF EGYPT: THE MUSICAL – In recent years there have been a great many Broadway and musical productions that have been recorded on stage and released to the public on disc. This title captures a performance of a musical based on the 1998 animated feature The Prince of Egypt. It tells the Bible story of Moses as he attempts to lead the children of Israel safely out of Egypt. Not many saw the picture during its brief theatrical showings, but those who did were upbeat about it. They all stated that the sets were very impressive and that the staging was filled with excellent songs and performances from a very accomplished cast. Apparently, if you’ve seen this musical on stage and enjoyed it, then you’ll likely appreciate this disc. It features Luke Brady, Liam Tamne, Christine Allado, Alexia Khadime, Joe Dixon and Gary Wilmot.
REVOLUTION X – Described as a science-fiction noir, this low-budget indie feature from the UK tells the story of a struggling artist whose work will ultimately have a huge Impact on the world. So much so that a sinister group who possess his work in the future decide to send agents back in time to manipulate and end his life, all so they can possess all his art and use it as they see fit. But it seems their plan doesn’t go smoothly, causing more ripples in time. There aren’t many notices for this feature outside of its homeland. Reviews that have popped up comment that the movie manages to look impressive and benefits from decent performances. But they also note that there is a ton of exposition, and with the various timelines the story is confusing. Tee Morris, Imogen Archer, Pippa Winslow, Carlotta Ryan and Ruggero Barlaba headline the movie.
THE SWEARING JAR – This independent romantic-comedy involves a high school music teacher plotting a big surprise for her husband’s birthday. She wants to perform an ode to their life together and ends up teaming with a young guitarist to help her create the songs. Over the course of their sessions together, they become close and she reveals a major issue within the marriage that is causing strife. As his birthday approaches, she must decide what she really wants for herself. Reaction towards this little feature was quite strong. A very tiny contingent thought that the script and editing were problematic and nullified the movie’s impact. All others felt that the movie was earnest, emotional and involving, drawing them in and keeping them involved with laughs and tears. It features Adelaide Clemens, Douglas Smith, Partick J. Adams, David Hewlett and Kathleen Turner.
WHAT REMAINS – Here is another title from a couple of years ago that took a while to get noticed. It was given an internet release, but only now is it appearing on disc. A smalltown priest decides to forgive the criminal who murdered his wife. But when the killer returns to town following parole and a similar slaying occurs, the protagonist is forced to reevaluate his feelings. The press was split over this independent drama. Some called it overly somber and even sanctimonious in its moralizing, making it a difficult slog. Just as many admired the film’s attempts to deal with a very serious theme. They were also impressed by the performances and thought the resulting effort was an effective tale about tolerance. The cast includes Anne Heche (in her final film role), Cress Williams, Kellan Lutz and Juliana Destefano.
WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE – A troubled 16-year-old from a good home begins to act out in class. Things get worse after she finds a letter written by her mother to an ex-con whom she believes to be her biological father. When the teen makes a pass at a teacher, her mortified parents send her off to a boarding school. The lead ultimately runs away and tracks down the man from the letter, slowly building a relationship with him before the truth is eventually revealed. This indie drama played at film festivals and was well-received. One or two voices stated that the tone shifts from dark family drama to lighter laughs and the shifts were distracting. However, more complimented the movie for adding wrinkles to its coming-of-age story and appreciated the work of the performers. It stars Ema Horvath, Devon Sawa, Alyssa Milano, John Ales, Yeardley Smith and Peter Parros.
BLASTS FROM THE PAST!
There is plenty to choose from this week if you’d prefer to watch something a little older. The documentary Unbranded (2015) is being released on Blu-ray from Gravitas Ventures after going out-of-print for a few years. It follows a group of four men who decide to ride sixteen wild mustangs from Mexico all the way up to Canada. The disc comes with a director commentary, a scenic reel and a music video.
Kino is putting out a pair of spaghetti westerns as “Special Editions” on Blu-ray. Death Rides a Horse (1967) with Lee Van Cleef is one of the features getting the treatment. The star plays one of a pair looking for revenge on the bandits who killed their families. Bonuses include an audio commentary from director and western authority Alex Cox (Repo Man, Sid and Nancy, Walker) and a trailer.
A Fistful of Dynamite (1971) aka Duck, You Sucker! is an effort from legendary filmmaker Sergio Leone (A Fist Full of Dollars, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Once Upon a Time in the West) about a member of the IRA who joins Mexican revolutionaries to rebel against the government. The disc arrives with two film historian commentaries (one featuring Alex Cox), six featurettes detailing the production, a trailer commentary with Leone enthusiast and Australian moviemaker Brian Trenchard-Smith (The Man from Hong Kong, BMX Bandits, Dead End Drive-In) and a ton of publicity materials.
The period drama The Lion in Winter (1968) is also receiving a “Special Edition” Blu-ray. Peter O’Toole and Katharine Hepburn star in this tale of political intrigue around King Henry II and Queen Eleanor. The film has been given a 4K restoration and arrives with a director commentary, an interview with the sound recordist and a trailer.
And the excellent all-star western The Long Riders (1980) from Walter Hill (The Warriors, Southern Comfort, 48 Hrs., Streets of Fire) is receiving a 4K restoration for a new Special Edition Blu-ray. The Jesse James gang biopic feature comes with a 2017 4K restoration of the movie, a film historian commentary, interviews with cast members Keith and Robert Carradine, Stacy and James Keach, Nicholas Guest, composer Ry Cooder, producer Tim Zinnemann and director Hill. It also comes with a 1-hour making-of, an analysis of an action scene, a discussion with Hill about director Sam Peckinpah and a trailer.
Lionsgate is presenting The Expendables: 4-Film Collection box set containing Blu-rays and DVDs of the 2010 original and the sequels from 2012, 2014 and 2023. The discs should all be the same as in previous versions, they have just all been collected here in one package.
The same goes for the distributor’s Saw 10-Film Collection set which has Blu-rays of all the movies (thus far) in the nearly 20-year long horror series.
If you happen to be collecting Walmart exclusive Blu-ray Steelbooks, you have a few options, including the Jean-Claude Van Damme martial arts picture Kickboxer (1989), the Howie Mandel comedy Little Monsters (1989) and the early David Cronenberg horror film, Shivers (1975).
Paramount Pictures is lining up a classic western for a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray combo pack. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) from famed director John Ford (Stagecoach, The Searchers) features Jimmy Stewart and John Wayne. Stewart plays a senator who tells a story about himself and a heroic figure who was the real hero during a conflict with an outlaw. Besides the picture upgrade, the set features critic Leonard Maltin talking about the movie, a commentary from fan and filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich (along with his own archival recordings of John Wanye and John Ford), selected scene commentary with archival recordings of Ford, Stewart and Lee Marvin, seven featurettes on the production and a trailer. The case also contains a fold-out panel containing the movie’s theatrical poster.
RLJ Entertainment is delivering a trio of Walmart Steelbook exclusives. The first is the remake of Children of the Corn (2020) that contains the movie on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray. You can also pick up a Blu-ray Steelbook of the Stephen Yeun virus-thriller Mayhem (2017), as well as a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray combo of the eccentric Nicolas Cage action picture, Prisoners of the Ghostland (2021).
Blueberry (2004) is a French western based on a comic book that features and incredible cast that includes Vincent Cassel, Juliette Lewis, Michael Madsen, Temuera Morrison, Ernest Borgnine, Djimon Hounsou, Geoffrey Lewis, Techeky Karyo, Eddie Izzard and Colm Meaney. If you want to give it a shot, Samuel Goldwyn Films is releasing the Blu-ray.
Shout! Factory is delivering a Blu-ray of the well-regarded drama, Over the Edge (1979). It features a young Matt Dillon and Vincent Spano as teens acting out in a planned community and eventually starting a riot. The movie was directed by Jonathan Kaplan (Heart Like a Wheel, The Accused, Unlawful Entry). Extras include a 2K picture restoration from a film interpositive, interviews with Kaplan, co-writer Charlie Haas, and a discussion with the director about his father Sol, who served as composer on the picture. There is also a 7-part retrospective documentary, a commentary with Kaplan, producer Geroge Litto, writers Haas and Tim Hunter, a second commentary featuring a cast member, the full educational video excerpted within the film, and a ton of promotional materials. Sounds like an interesting release.
Universal is presenting a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray edition of the action picture The 355 (2022). Walmart exclusive Steelbook collectors can also purchase a 4K Ultra HD, 3D Blu-ray and regular Blu-ray version of the monster movie classic, Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954). They should be identical to previous editions just with the different packaging.
And finally, Zeitgeist Films is putting out a Blu-ray of Archangel (1990) from director Guy Madden. It’s an unusual parody of silent films set in 1919 and is a love-story set featuring a Canadian soldier who falls in love with a married woman while in Russia during the first World War. The feature has been restored in 4K and comes with a director commentary and trailer.
YOU KNOW, FOR KIDS!
Alas, this is a slow edition for kids, but things will pick up again shortly.
ON THE TUBE!
All of the week’s TV-themed releases are listed below.
Ancient Aliens: Seasons 11-18 (Lionsgate/History Network) DVD
Heroes: The Complete Collection (Universal) Blu-ray
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.: The Complete Series (repackage) (Warner Bros.) DVD