{"id":17960,"date":"2019-03-11T18:09:48","date_gmt":"2019-03-12T01:09:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=17960"},"modified":"2019-03-11T18:09:48","modified_gmt":"2019-03-12T01:09:48","slug":"dvd-blu-ray-roundup-for-march-12th-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=17960","title":{"rendered":"DVD\/Blu-ray Roundup for March 12th, 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It’s time for another look at highlights arriving on Blu-ray\nand DVD. This week sees a wide variety of\nblockbusters and independent features coming to store shelves, meaning that\nthere’s plenty to choose from. So if you can’t make it out to the movies this\nweek, be sure to give one of these titles a try!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Big New Releases!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Beneath the Leaves<\/em> – In this effort, a mentally\nunhinged man decides to reunite orphaned children with their deceased parents,\nbut is stopped while attempting a kidnapping. Decades later, the figure breaks\nout of captivity and decides to finish the original job. One of the victims,\nnow a police officer, takes it upon herself to get involved and personally stop\nthe pursuer. This title hasn’t gotten a lot of press thus far and the advance\nword hasn’t been exceptional. One reviewer thought that it was a simple and\neffective piece, but the consensus so far is that while the cast is good,\nthey’re forced to go through the motions in a routine thriller. It stars Doug\nJones, Mira Sorvino and Paul Sorvino.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Daughter of Mine<\/em> – A 10-year-old girl in Sardinia\nfinds herself torn between two guardians fighting for her attention. The first\nis her adopted mother, who has loved and cared for her for years. Second is her\nbiological mom, an ex-party girl experiencing financial troubles who wants to\nget to spend time with her child before she is forced to leave. Complications\nand tension arises between the three parties. Critics liked this Italian\nforeign-language feature. A few complained that this character study didn’t\ndevelop into much of note. However, most believed that the events felt\nauthentic and the movie avoided sentimentality. The cast includes Valeria\nGolino, Alba Rohrwacher, Sara Casu and Udo Kier. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Divide and Conquer: The Story of Roger Ailes<\/em> – This\ndocumentary chronicles far right media mogul and Fox News founder Roger Ailes,\ndisplaying his authority over politics and the Republican party. It shows his\nbeginnings as a talk show producer, his rise to power and how he supported and\ncoached the likes of Richard Nixon, the Tea Party, and Donald Trump. Of course,\nthis movie also goes into depth abut his resignation after several sexual\nharassment allegations. Notices were very good for the film. A small percentage\nstated that it was a broad overview and could have gone further into its subject’s\nlife, but almost all thought it effectively managed to keep its distance while\ndisplaying the frightening influence that the man’s media empire exerted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald<\/em> – The second chapter of this Harry Potter<\/em> spin-off follows creature expert\/author Newt Scamander and his efforts to thwart the rise of a new and evil threat named Grindelwald. Of course, he and his friend’s efforts lead them into danger, as the nasty villain plots to build an army of pure-blood wizards who will take control of the world. This follow-up wasn’t nearly as well received as previous films in the series. A small group did compliment it for efficiently setting up future chapters, but the vast majority called the movie underwhelming and filled with exposition instead of thrills. It features Eddie Redmayne, Kathleen Watertson, Dan Fogler, Zoe Kravitz, Jude Law and Johnny Depp. To read this site’s review, click here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Green Book<\/em> – Set in the early 60s, this drama tells\nthe story of an Italian bouncer who finds himself out of work. He takes a job\nas driver for African-American classical pianist Don Shirley on a tour through\nthe deep south. As they venture forth, the very different men are forced into\ndealing with racism, and find themselves becoming friends in the process. The\nmovie won the Best Picture Academy Award and earned a mostly positive reception\nfrom the press. Those who disliked the movie stated that it was too\nold-fashioned and would have benefited more from telling its story from the\npoint-of-view of the artist. However, most said that despite its flaws, the two\nleads shared great chemistry onscreen and were fun to watch together. It stars\nViggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali, Linda Cardelini and Don Stark. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Jane and Emma<\/em> – This religious period drama features\ntwo characters from different places who slowly become deep personal friends. It\nfollows Jane Manning, one of the first women of African-American descent to\nenter Utah, and her close relationship\nwith Emma Smith, wife to the leader of the Church\n of Latter-day Saints. The film\nseems clearly made for a specific group of viewers and as of right now hasn’t\nbeen seen by all that many critics outside of its target demographic. Those who\ndid see it commented that the performances are good and that it is a\nwell-produced faith-based feature. The cast includes Danielle Deadwyler and\nEmily Goss. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Last Man<\/em> – Set in a dystopian future, this\nscience-fiction effort follows an ex-soldier suffering from PTSD who meets a\nman he believes to be a messiah. He also decides that a catastrophic storm is\ncoming and begins building an underground shelter to prepare himself for the\nend of the world. Naturally, as his work increases, his grip on reality begins\nto slip even more. This independent effort hasn’t been seen by many and word is\nless-than-stellar. Unfortunately, most say that the plot and dialogue isn’t\nparticularly well written, distancing viewers and leaving the cast completely\nadrift. Hayden Christensen, Harvey Keitel and Marco Leonardi headline the film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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London<\/em>\nFields<\/em> – This flick was written up a couple of weeks back but was delayed\nat the last minute and is only arriving on disc now. Its a thriller about a\nfemme fatale with clairvoyant abilities begins to see her impending demise.\nHoping to turn the tables, she begins to investigate her lovers and identify\nwhich one of them wants to murder her. This movie had a troubled history; it\nwas shot in 2013 and received a limited release a few months ago (the director\nsued the producers for reediting the movie without his knowledge). According to\nthe press, it’s a disaster. The flick has yet to receive a single\nrecommendation, with reviews stating that it’s both ridiculous and dull, with a\nplot that makes no sense. It also earned a Razzie nomination. Amber Heard,\nGemma Chan, Jason Isaacs, Theo James, Billy Bob Thronton and Jim Sturgess\nappear in the feature. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Miseducation of Cameron Post<\/em> – When a teenage\nhigh school student is caught making out with one of her friends at school, her\nparents ship her out to a conversion therapy center to try and change her\nsexual orientation. This drama\/comedy presents the horrifying, bizarre and\nsometimes ridiculous methods used as treatment. However, as time passes, the\ninstitutionalized lead begins to form bonds with other gay students and find her\nplace in the world. Critics gave this effort high marks. There were a few who\nfelt that the subject deserved a more somber and serious approach, but the\nconsensus was that the movie presented likable characters used a soft, humorous\ntouch to make its argument. It stars Chloe Grace Moretz, John Gallagher Jr., Sasha\n Lane and Jennifer Ehle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Mortal Engines<\/em> – Based on a series of YA novels with\na screenplay co-written by Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens (of Lord\nof the Rings<\/em> and The Hobbit<\/em> fame), this dystopian science-fiction\nfilm is set in a land where cities move around on wheels and fight each other\nfor the planet’s last elements. When one city threatens to wipe the other\nmobile homes out, a feral girl teams up with an outlaw and other eccentrics to\nstop the rampage. Reviews weren’t particularly strong for this attempt at a new\nfranchise. All wrote that the visuals looked phenomenal and about a quarter\ncalled it ambitious enough to recommend. However, the remainder said that the\nstory and human characters left them cold. It features Hera Hilmar, Robert\nSheehan, Hugo Weaving and Stephen Lang.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Piercing<\/em> – A businessman leaves his family to go on\nwhat he claims is a “work-related” trip. However, it is soon revealed\nthat he has disturbing impulses and the reason for his journey is to find a\nrandom person to murder. He soon gets more than he bargained for after hiring a\nsharp-witted prostitute ready to take him on. This horror\/thriller received\nabove average notices. Some did critique the movie as being a bit unseemly and\nnot providing enough lurid thrills. But most suggested that the plot was\ntwisty, the performances unexpectedly involving and the cinematography striking.\nThe cast includes Christopher Abbott, Mia Wasikowska and Laia Costa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Tyrel<\/em> – In this independent comedy\/drama, a man is\ninvited up to the Catskills for a weekend birthday celebration filled with\nbooze. After arriving, he realizes that he is the only black man present. While\nthose around are initially friendly, he begins to feel uncomfortable as the\npartygoers become more and more inebriated, and their behavior becomes aggressive.\nThis feature also earned a majority of recommendations. A small contingent\nsuggested that the elements didn’t all gel. Still, most asserted that the movie\nwas a subtle and effective satire, pointing out the ways in which racism is\nsubtly present and prevalent everywhere. Jason Mitchell, Christopher Abbott,\nMichael Cera and Caleb Landry Jones headline the film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                
\nBlasts from the Past!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This week, Arrow Video are releasing a Blu-ray of the indie\nhorror film, Kolobos<\/em> (1999). It has been reported the this title, about\na group of friends coming under attack in a house, was ahead of its time and\noverlooked by audiences during its original release. The distributor are\nattempting to rectify the problem, giving the movie a new 2K restoration from\nthe original negative. This release also comes with an audio commentary with\nco-writers and co-directors Daniel Liatowitsch and David Todd Ocvirk, new\nfeaturette on the making of the movie, interviews with the composer and one of\nthe cast members, a behind-the-scenes image gallery, a Super-8 short film by\none of the filmmakers with commentary and the movie’s trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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VCI are delivering Beyond Atlantis<\/em> (1973) on Blu-ray.\nThis aquatic fantasy\/sci-fi picture is about treasure hunters on a remote\nisland who find a fortune and face off against the half-human, half-fish locals.\nThe release comes with numerous bonuses, including interviews with cast members\nlike Sid Haig, a filmmaker commentary track by the filmmaker alond with a\ncinema historian, and the original 30 & 60 second TV spots as well as the\ntheatrical trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It’s another busy week for Shout! Factory. They are\nreleasing a Collector’s Edition Blu-ray of the cult teenage horror flick, The\nCraft<\/em> (1996). This tale of a new student at a school who falls in with a\ngroup of witches features many familiar faces. The release includes brand new interviews\nwith co-writer\/director, Andrew Fleming, producer Douglas Wick, co-writer Peter\nFilardi, make-up effects supervisor Tony Gardner. It also includes a director\naudio commentary, a pair of vintage featurettes, deleted scenes with optional\ncommentary and the movie’s trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If horror pictures involving vicious animals are more to\nyour liking, the distributor also have a Blu-ray of Man’s Best Friend<\/em>\n(1993). It features a genetically enhanced guard dog who escapes from his lab. Without\nhis medication, the animal’s aggressive instincts take over, causing terror for\nthose he encounters. The disc presents a 2K scan of the original film elements,\ncomes with a commentary from writer\/director John Lafia (Child’s Play 2), and\nincludes publicity materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the thriller vein, Shout! are releasing Someone to\nWatch Over Me<\/em> (1987) on Blu-ray. This effort from Ridley Scott (Alien<\/em>,\nBlade Runner<\/em>) is about a romantic bond that forms between and detective\nand a murder witness whom he’s assigned to protect. This disc comes with an\ninterview with the screenwriter and the cinematographer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Kino are preparing to release The Earthling<\/em> (1980) on Blu-ray. This survival drama stars William Holden and Rick Schroder and involves an adult and child who find themselves lost in the Australian wilderness and fending for their lives. The disc comes with some interesting bonus. The company are presenting both the 97 minute US version and the 99 minute International cut of the feature in 2K (so there should be an uptick in quality), along with deleted scenes and a trailer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Mill Creek are always a good bet for those looking for cost-effective entertainment options. This week, they are putting out a Blu-ray double feature of two westerns, Fort Yuma Gold<\/em> (1966) and Damned Hot Day of Fire<\/em> (1968). They’re also putting out more Blu-ray titles with Retro VHS cover art. This week, the titles featured are the cult John Belushi\/Dan Aykroyd comedy, Neighbors<\/em> (1981), the uber-cheesy, Razzie-nominated adventure flick Sheena<\/em> (1984). This one is a Tarzan<\/em> knock-off that many critics lambasted during its original release (and based on the trailer, one can certainly see why). Additionally, Mill Creek are also putting out the well-regarded Chris Khristofferson\/Willie Nelson musical drama, Songwriter<\/em> (1984).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Criterion are releasing a Blu-ray of the Harold Lloyd\nwestern\/comedy, The Kid Brother<\/em> (1927). This slapstick classic has been\ngiven a new 4K restoration and comes with two different scores, a conversation\nwith Lloyd’s granddaughter, a video essay on the film, abehind-the-scenes still\ngallery, a video essay on the shooting locations, an archived interview with\nLloyd from 1962, a featurette with about the star’s home, two restored early\nLloyd shorts and more.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, Criterion are also putting out a Blu-ray of Ingmar\nBergman’s The Magic Flute<\/em> (1975). Contents include a new 2K digital\nrestoration, an interview with director Ingmar Bergman recorded in 1974 for\nSwedish television, a new discussion with film scholar Peter Cowie and a\nfeature-length documentary produced for Swedish television about the making of\nthe film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You Know, For Kids!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some titles geared towards youngsters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends<\/em>: The Complete Series
Caillou: Caillou Visits the Doctor<\/em> (PBS Kids)
Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles<\/em> (Nickelodeon)
Sonic Boom: Here Comes the Boom!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the Tube!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And these are the week’s TV-themed releases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ancient Aliens<\/em>: Season 11, Vol. 2
The Last Ship<\/em>: Season 5
Man From Atlantis<\/em> (Warner Archive)
The Simple Heist<\/em>: Series 1 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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