Welcome to another look at some of the highlights arriving on Blu-ray and DVD. This is another busy edition with plenty of notable Hollywood titles, alongside interesting independent and international fare. 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!
THE BOOGEYMAN – After their mother dies tragically, two sisters struggle to cope with their loss. They get no help from their father, a therapist who seems too busy dealing with his own issues. When one of the dad’s patients arrives at the family home begging for help, they all take him in. Unfortunately, the individual brings a supernatural presence that thrives on loss and pain. This film is based on a short story by Stephen King and critical response was more positive than negative. A sizable number complained that it took too many liberties with the source material and that the plotting felt muddled and confused. Still, the majority claimed the title was atmospheric and noted that it delivered enough effective jolts to earn a recommendation. It stars Sophie Thatcher, Chris Messina, Vivien Lyra Blair and David Dastmalchian.
CREEPY CRAWLY – A group of guests at a hotel in Thailand are quarantined during the pandemic. While holed up, they hear stories about disturbing insects who can possess souls. When some of them begin disappearing, the trapped guests realize that the legend may be real. This foreign-language Thai production split reviewers in North America. Half stated that the bug bits were creepy, but that the human drama was the weakest element and that the characters were generic. Just as many wrote that the cast were engaging and the bugs did send chills down the spine. They believed that the movie was icky enough to leave a lasting impression on viewers. The cast includes Mike Pirat Nitipaisalkul, Chanya McClory, Benjamin Joseph Varney and Kulteera Yordchang.
FORGOTTEN EXPERIMENT – An inventor/businessman brings together a group of scientists to work on a new power source and aircraft. The individual decides to test the plane with his brother, but there are issues with the flight that force them to land on a remote island. A strange fog rolls in and shows the pair visions of the past, present, as well as a catastrophic future. The two must decipher the visions in order to prevent a global disaster from occurring. This foreign-language science-fiction thriller from Russia hasn’t received many notices yet. A few online European write-ups have appeared, but have not been complementary. They noted that the pacing was slow, the CGI effects were poor and that the climax was overextended. It features Viktor Dobronravov, Egor Koreshkov and Valeriya Shikrando.
IMPURATUS – In this period chiller, a detective is summoned to a Pennsylvania hospital to hear a death-bed confession from a mysterious and deranged Civil War veteran. Oddly enough, the hero is told that his presence was specifically asked for, despite not knowing the individual. After meeting with the head of the psychiatric institute, he hears the figure’s bizarre supernatural tale. The lead investigates the claims and begins to realize that the story is authentic. This feature was financed and made independently. The unproduced screenplay won an award back in 2016 and the film took some time to complete before playing at several festivals over the past couple of years. At this point, it still hasn’t received many reviews and is only now arriving on disc. The cast includes the late Tom Sizemore, Lew Temple, Robert Miano and Silvia Spross.
JULES – This eccentric independent science-fiction/comedy follows an oddball senior living a quiet life in a small town. Most of his time is spent irritating locals, but one night a UFO unexpectedly crashes in his backyard. The protagonist comes face to face with an alien, befriending it and eventually caring for the creature. Initially, no one believes his claims, but that changes when the government arrives asking questions about his unusual visitor. The press was generally upbeat about the title. A small number suggested it was sweet and had a few funny lines, but didn’t make a lasting impact. Regardless, the general consensus was that the picture was unique and entertaining, telling a simple but charming story about seniors interacting with an alien and addressing their own issues in the process. It stars Ben Kingsley, Harriet Sansom Harris, Jane Curtin and Teddy Cañez.
KING OF KILLERS – I’m not sure why anyone would agree to the assignment, but this tale involves a former hitman who is offered a $10 million dollar contract to eliminate the world’s greatest assassin. Despite not having the same reputation, he figures he can get the job done and travels to Tokyo to meet his client. After arriving, it becomes clear that many others in his line of work have also been invited. A battle ensues between all parties. This independent action picture was panned by reviewers. One lone voice asserted that the action scenes were good and that the movie would satisfy those wanted B-movie thrills. Everyone else called it complete nonsense with little to no plot. They even disliked the action scenes, referring to them as flatly directed. The cast includes Frank Grillo, Alain Moussi, Stephen Dorff, Marie Avgeropoulos and Kevin Grevioux.
THE MOUNTAIN – Frustrated and unhappy with his life in the city, a Parisian engineer decides to take a job in the Alps. He is thrilled by what he witnesses and decides to stay, camping out alone in the mountains. During his trip, he meets and befriends a woman working in a mountaintop alpine restaurant. He also becomes infatuated with a mysterious glitter in the deep mountains and ultimately sets out to find it. This effort did not captivate members of the North American press. Less than half admired the photography and wrote that the story was a low-key but interesting examination of solitude. More complained that the lead was hard to relate to and the final result meandering, ponderous and ineffective. For the time being, this is a DVD only release. It features Thomas Salvador and Louise Bourgoin.
QUICKSAND – An American couple attempts to repair their fracturing marriage by spending time together in Columbia while attending a work conference. On a day off, they decide to hike in a rainforest and get caught in a heavy shower. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the pair become trapped in quicksand. They struggle to find a way out, slowly sink into the muck and are forced to deal with a venomous snake. This picture premiered on the Shudder streaming site and is now appearing on disc as a DVD-only title. Critics were not impressed with what they saw. One-third claimed that the premise gave them the shivers and that the movie effectively dramatized the difficult relationship between the leads. But everyone else was simply annoyed by the protagonists, stating they consistently made irritating, irrational mistakes and failed to engage viewers. Allan Hawco and Carolina Gaitán headline the picture.
SANCTIFIED – This faith-based western involves a young man who has grown up under the wing of a monstrous gang leader. Tired of being forced to commit criminal acts against innocent parties, he decides to leave but is beaten and left for dead. The protagonist is soon discovered by a nun whom he had robbed months earlier. She shows forgiveness and treats his wounds, before asking him to guide her to a church in the Badlands. The two must fight the gang along the way. They also butt heads with each other, but the lead is ultimately converted by her faith. There are currently no reviews available for this title. The film may appeal to its target demographic, but others may want to wait and hear more before committing the time to watch it. The cast includes Daniel Bielinski, Tiffany Cornwell, Andrew E. Wheeler and Carl Swanson.
SNIPER: G.R.I.T. – GLOBAL RESPONSE & INTELLIGENCE TEAM – Yes, they keep on making Sniper movies. This tenth effort in the franchise is another direct-to-disc effort. In this follow-up, the sharp-shooting military heroes get word that a former ally has been taken hostage in Malta. They head out to locate and rescue her. The group uncover a new foe within their ranks and must band together to take on a terrorist organization out to cause destruction. There are only a handful of notices so far and all have been written by casual viewers and not film critics. A couple have commented that this is the worst sequel in the series, featuring bad writing and lame attempts at humor, while others liked the lighter tone and stated that it delivers the action goods for fans of the series. This is also a DVD-only release. It stars Chad Michael Collins, Ryan Robbins, Luna Fujimoto, Dennis Haysbert, Josh Brener and Matthew Sim.
TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEASTS – Speaking of sequels to long-running series, the latest epic based on the popular toy line features a planet-eating villainous transformer. When the villain attacks a planet of animal-like robots attempting to obtain a key that can open portals in time, the beaten-down beasts use it to flee to Earth in the 1990s. They team with the Autobots to protect the powerful item and universe from the sinister force. Reaction was split towards this effort. Almost half wrote that the story was confusing, the action exhausting and the end result silly and uninvolving. The same number plus one or two commented that the visual effects were impressive, the robotic heroes were entertaining and found the1990s references fun. It features Anthony Ramos, Dominique Fishback and the voices of Ron Perlman, Michelle Yeoh and Pete Davidson.
BLASTS FROM THE PAST!
A great number of older features are receiving high-definition upgrades. 88 Films is delivering a Blu-ray of Hard Boiled II – The Last Blood (1990). You may be confused by the title, which appears to suggest that it is a sequel to the 1992 John Woo action classic. However, the movie is a sequel in name only (the synopsis suggests it is a tribute to Woo’s movie). Perhaps rereleased after Hard Boiled to capitalize on that movie’s success, the story follows a police and Hong Kong anti-terrorist agent who must get a cowardly con man to the hospital to give blood in order to save an important religious figure. It comes with a film expert commentary and a trailer.
If you enjoy fancy packaging, you can pick up a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray Steelbook of the recent independent horror film Terrifier 2 (2022) through distributor Cinedigm. Extras should be the same as the previous edition.
Criterion is giving the creepy effort Videodrome (1983) the 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray treatment. This film from David Cronenberg (The Brood, The Dead Zone, The Fly, Eastern Promises, A History of Violence, Crimes of the Future) follows a man looking for new programming for a sensationalistic cable TV station. He gets in over his head when he discovers disturbing and addictive programming that may cause brain tumors and other maladies. Besides the upgraded picture, this edition includes a commentary with Cronenberg and cinematographer Mark Irwin, and a second with stars James Woods and Debbie Harry. You’ll also get a short by the director, featurettes on the make-up effects, visual effects, complete transmissions from “Videodrome”, a roundtable discussion featuring Cronenberg, John Carpenter, John Landis and Mick Garris, as well as tons of promotional materials.
Cult Epics is releasing the Dutch effort The Last Island (1990) on Blu-ray. From writer/director Marleen Gorris (Broken Mirrors) it follows five men and two women who are stranded on an island after a plane crash. They learn that they may be the only survivors of a worldwide disaster and must decide what to do next. The film has been given a 2K restoration, comes with an introduction from filmmaker/fan Dick Maas (The Lift, Amsterdamned), a film historian commentary, behind-the-scenes footage, a discussion on the film, a trailer and a promotional gallery.
Disney is making the animated classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) available on a variety of formats. You can purchase a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray set, or pick up a Wal-Mart Exclusive with the same discs and a special collectible pin. Best Buy is releasing the title in Exclusive Steelbook packaging, while the Disney Movie Club Exclusive contains a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray of the film, as well as a DVD that isn’t available in the other packages.
Lionsgate is rereleasing Blu-ray and DVD sets of some out-of-print Quentin Tarantino pictures. You can purchase Jackie Brown (1997), Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003) and Kill Bill: Volume 2 (2004). Contents of the discs should be identical to the previous versions.
Additionally, the distributor is putting out a 60th Anniversary Blu-ray of the French Jean-Luc Godard drama, Le Mepris (1963). The disc contains a new 4K restoration of the film with an introduction to the movie by a critic.
Paramount is making a “Limited Edition” 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray Steelbook available of the famous slasher film, Friday the 13th (1980). It’s described as an “Uncut Deluxe Edition”, but fans might be wiser to try and hunt down the extras-packed 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray edition that was released by Shout! a little while ago.
You can also pick up a 55th Anniversary edition of the Roman Polanski classic Rosemary’s Baby (1968) presented on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray. In addition to the improved picture, extras include a retrospective on the movie, a featurette with the star and director and a pair of trailers.
Recently, this site announced the arrival of the well-regarded Spanish chiller The Dead Mother (1993) on Blu-ray from Radiance Films. Apparently, it was delayed at the last minute, but is now finally arriving on the format. The story involves a sociopathic killer who runs into the teenage daughter of a victim 10 years after the crime and, afraid that she will identify him, ends up kidnapping her.
If you want a Steelbook of the recent horror reboot Jeepers Creepers: Reborn (2022), Screen Media is making one available for purchase as a Wal-Mart Exclusive Steelbook. It appears that the disc contents will be the same, only the packaging is different.
Shout! Factory is giving horror fans several options for one of their catalog titles. Pumpkinhead (1988) is arriving on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray as a “Collector’s Edition” that includes a new and improved scan of the original camera negative. The picture stars Lance Henricksen as a grieving father who calls upon the title monster to murder the teens who accidentally run down his little boy with their car. This release comes with a co-screenwriter and FX creators commentary track, a tribute to director/make-up effects master Stan Winston, interviews with the producer, cast members, a five-part making of documentary, lots of publicity materials and much more.
If you would prefer a Steelbook edition of the title, it is also available as a Blu-ray Best Buy exclusive. You can also go to the official Shout! Factory site and order their “Exclusive Edition” that contains everything plus an enamel pin set, poster, prism sticker and lobby cards.
Anyone looking for something that’s family friendly will appreciate Wallace & Gromit: The Complete Cracking Collection, a Blu-ray that includes all four wonderful 30-minute specials from 1989 to 2008, as well as 10 shorts featuring the characters that were made in 2002.
And the distributor is also putting out a “Limited Edition” Wal-Mart Exclusive Steelbook Blu-ray of the low-budget effort Winnie the Pooh: Blood & Honey (2023). After the famous literary character went into the public domain, an independent filmmaker decided to make a gory horror flick featuring the bear.
The gritty Robert De Niro/Chazz Palminteri drama A Bronx Tale (1993) is arriving in various forms from Tribeca Films. It’s about a boy torn between his hard-working father and charismatic mobsters. You can pick the movie up in 4K Ultra HD or purchase a Blu-ray on their own. For those who want both, Amazon is making a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray set available that is exclusive to the retailer.
If you like the Tremors franchise, Universal is making the Tremors: Ultimate Film and Complete TV-Series Collection available. The set is DVD-only and won’t contain Blu-rays of any of the titles.
Additionally, you can pick up Universal’s Halloween Trilogy 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray Steelbook box set, which is a Best Buy Exclusive. The set contains recent efforts Halloween (2018), Halloween Kills (2021) and Halloween Ends (2022).
And finally, the studio is rereleasing the Unrated Cut of their horror hit M3GAN (2022) on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray. Once again, if you prefer Steelbook packaging, a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray Best Buy exclusive Steelbook will also be available.
YOU KNOW, FOR KIDS!
Kid-friendly releases can be found below.
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: The Complete Series (2021 series) (Mill Creek) DVD
Sesame Street: Elmo’s Holiday Spectacular: The Nutcracker and Other Tales (Shout! Factory) DVD
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) (Disney) 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray, also Wal-Mart Exclusive with Pin, Best Buy Exclusive Steelbook and Movie Club Exclusive containing 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD
Wallace & Gromit: The Complete Cracking Collection (all four 30-minute Specials from 1989 to 2008 and 10 shorts from 2002) (Shout!) Blu-ray
ON THE TUBE!
And here are all of the TV-themed releases coming your way.
The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet: Season 13 (MPI Home Video) DVD
The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet: Season 14 (MPI Home Video) DVD
The Crown: Season 5 (Sony) Blu-ray
Fatal Attraction: Season 1 (Paramount) DVD
Hallmark 3-Movie Collection: Holiday Heritage, All Saints Christmas, Inventing the Christmas Prince (Hallmark) DVD
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: The Complete Series (2021 series) (Mill Creek) DVD
London Kills: Series 4 (Acorn) DVD
Miss Scarlet & the Duke (Masterpiece Mystery!): Seasons 1, 2 & 3 (PBS) DVD
Westworld: The Complete Series (Warner Bros.) Blu-ray
Yellowjackets: Season 2 (Showtime) Blu-ray