{"id":18168,"date":"2019-04-15T15:53:46","date_gmt":"2019-04-15T22:53:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=18168"},"modified":"2019-04-15T15:53:46","modified_gmt":"2019-04-15T22:53:46","slug":"dvd-blu-ray-roundup-for-april-16-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=18168","title":{"rendered":"DVD\/Blu-ray Roundup for April 16, 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It’s time once again to take a look at highlights coming your way on Blu-ray and DVD. There are several notable releases in this edition as well as interesting older titles as well. So if you can’t make it out to the movies this week, 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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Chimera Strain<\/em> – A scientist obsessed with creating\nutopia and preserving the life of his offspring takes overly extreme measures\nwhen he cryogenically freezes his kids… while they are still breathing. As\nhis research continues, the lead finds that incorporating regenerative\njellyfish genetic material into human DNA could keep them alive eternally, but\nhis work ends up attracting the attention of a sinister figure. This independent\nscience-fiction\/drama garnered more positive write-ups than negative ones.\nThose who didn’t like it suggested that the film had pacing\/editing issues and\nthat the characters weren’t relatable. However, slightly more thought it was an\ninteresting take on the Frankenstein<\/em> story. The cast includes Henry Ian\nCusick, Kathleen Quinlan and Jenna Harrison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Glass<\/em> – The latest from M. Night Shyamalan follows\nthe leads from two of the filmmaker’s previous successes (Unbreakable<\/em>\nand Split<\/em>). Three men with abnormal abilities are locked in an asylum by\na mysterious psychiatrist, who tries to convince the trio that they do not\npossess superhuman powers. Eventually, they attempt to break free and prove\ntheir abilities to the world. This follow-up didn’t impress as many critics as\nprevious chapters in the series did. A small percentage complimented the\nperformances and wrote that the film’s events were interestingly dark and\nunpredictable. However, most wanted the movie to abandon its somber tone, and\ncomplained that it didn’t provide the required action and thrills. It stars\nBruce Willis, James McAvoy, Samuel L. Jackson, Sarah Paulson and Anya\nTaylor-Joy. To read this site’s review, click here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Kid Who Would Be King<\/em> – This modern day,\nlive-action, family fantasy take on the King Arthur legend involves an outcast\nwho finds the magical Excalibur sword while on a construction site. He and his\nfriends suddenly find themselves thrust into the middle of an adventure when\nthey discover that the powerful sorceress Morgana has returned to life and\nplans to rule the world. While the movie wasn’t a big hit at the box office,\nthe press were very taken with it. A tiny group did assert that the movie\noutstayed its welcome. Still, the overwhelming majority called it an energetic\nand witty family tale with some great action and plenty of laughs. Louis\nAshbourne Serkis, Patrick Stewart, Rebecca Ferguson and Dean Chaumou headline\nthe feature. To read a full-length review of the flick, click here.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Master of Dark Shadows<\/em> – The Dark Shadows<\/em>\nTV-series, which ran from 1966 until 1971, was the first of its kind. Following\na governess who arrives at the Collins family estate, the show featured tropes\nfrom soap operas, but merged these elements with horror staples and ended up\ncreating a cult sensation. Barnabas Collins, a clan member with a vampire\ncurse, eventually moved to the forefront as the program’s most iconic\ncharacter. Using rare behind-the-scenes footage from the production, this\ndocumentary charts the show’s beginnings with creator Dan Curtis and how to was\nbrought to the television screen. Various actors from the series, and even a\nfew celebrity fans, comment on the show’s importance. As of right now, there\naren’t any reviews available, but enthusiasts will probably enjoy checking it\nout. The doc is narrated by Ian McShane. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Replicas<\/em> – After his entire family die in a traffic\naccident, a synthetic biologist decides to do everything he can to reverse the\ntragedy. Thank goodness he works in the private lab of a company that specializes\nin the creation of clones! The protagonist decides to transfer the\nconsciousness of his late wife and children into replicas. Unfortunately, he\ndiscovers that there are complications to the process, adding more pain and\nsuffering to an already horrible situation. Reaction towards this feature was\nvery poor. One or two thought it had an interesting concept and were fascinated\nto see it play out, but almost everyone else thought the screenplay was a mess and\nthe dialogue terrible, leaving its talented cast little to work with. It stars\nKeanu Reeves, Alice Eve, Thomas Middleditch and John Ortiz. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Sex Trip<\/em> – A shallow womanizer promoting a book\nabout how to pick-up ladies gets more than he bargained for when he encounters\na random stranger on the street. After behaving poorly toward the lady, she\ncurses him and he wakes up the following day to see that he has been\ntransformed into a woman. He then experiences first-hand what it’s like to be\ntreated by those who follow his word. As of this moment, this body-swapping\nB-movie has received very few write-ups or reviews. The ones that have appeared\nare very poor, stating that the gags are familiar and forced, and that the\nmovie simply doesn’t work. The cast includes Jade Ramsey, Louis Mandylor and\nMarc Crumpton.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Stray<\/em> – This crime thriller involves an orphaned\nteenager who hires a detective to help solve the murder of her mother. As the\ninvestigation continues, they become friends and discover that supernatural\nforces may be responsible for the killing. Naturally, this puts the youth and\nher helper at great risk as more bizarreness is uncovered. This little\nindependent effort has earned mixed notices, although it did garner slightly\nmore recommendations than pans. Those who didn’t care for it noted that while\nwell-made, the story didn’t build up much suspense and ultimately left them\ncold. Slightly more wrote that despite its flaws, the solid performances made\nit an engrossing effort. It features Karen Fukuhara, Christine Woods and\nMiyavi. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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There are also a lot of interesting older titles making\ntheir high definition debuts. The spaghetti western Keoma<\/em> (1976) is\narriving on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video. This one stars Franco Nero as a\ngunslinger out to rescue a plague-ridden town from a nasty gang. The movie has\nbeen given a 2K restoration from the original 35mm camera negative, newly\ntranslated English subtitles, a feature commentary with spaghetti western\nexperts, new interviews with star Nero, as well as the director, the writer,\nthe editor, and several of the cast members. It also comes with an introduction\nfrom filmmaker and western enthusiast Alex Cox (Repo Man<\/em>, Sid &\nNancy<\/em>, Straight to Hell<\/em>), a video appreciation and publicity\nmaterials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shout! Factory have several releases too. Grave of the\nVampire<\/em> (1972) is a horror picture featuring a newborn who is revealed to\nbe a bloodsucker. The Blu-ray release includes two new film historian\ncommentaries, deleted scenes, a trailer and an image gallery. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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They also have a Blu-ray of the over-the-top monster movie, The\nManitou<\/em> (1978). This ridiculous movie is about a woman plagued by a\nvillainous fetus; she also becomes possessed by an ancient Native American\ndemon. If memory serves, it’s a really bad flick but will provide plenty of\nlaughs for B-movie fans in the right frame of mind. The movie has been given a\nnew 4K scan from the original film elements and a restored stereo soundtrack.\nIt also comes with a movie historian audio commentary, an interview with the\nexecutive producer, the author of the book on which the film is based, as well\nas trailers and TV spots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the distributor are releasing Superstition<\/em> (1982), a horror flick about an alcoholic minister and his family coming under attack from what a witch who happened to drown in the area centuries ago. The original film elements have been given a new 2K scan, and the Blu-ray has extras like an interview with the director, another with the lead actor, and publicity materials too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If you like action movies, then Mill Creek Entertainment\nhave some interesting features coming your way. The first Blu-ray is a\n“Double Feature” of Black Gunn<\/em> (1972) with the great Jim\nBrown, and The Take<\/em> (1974), which stars Billy Dee Williams. They’re both\nabout African-American heroes laying down the law and taking on the mob. Sounds\nlike a fun release for 70s action fans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The same distributor is giving a Blu-ray upgrade to a couple\nof their best-selling DVD titles. Hard Ticket\nto Hawaii<\/em> (1987) comes from Andy Sedaris and is an ultra-cheesy, low-budget\nB-movie action flick featuring gun-toting heroes, explosions and buxom women\nwith big 80s hairdos facing off against villainous foes. This Blu-ray presents\nthe movie in widescreen for the very first time, using an all-new 4K transfer.\nAlthough the specifics of the disc aren’t listed, it is said to be filled to\nthe brim with bonuses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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And they’re also putting out the equally campy Malibu\nExpress<\/em> (1985), which is essentially the same kind of movie from the\nidentical production company and filmmaker. Expect a new 4K transfer, loads of\nbonuses and an intro from Sidaris himself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kino have some flicks making their high definition debuts as\nwell. They include Becky Sharp<\/em> (1935), a romance flick that has been\ngiven as 4K restoration from the original nitrate negative. It comes with a\nfilm historian audio commentary and a trailer. Bend<\/em>\nof the River<\/em> (1952) is a Jimmy Stewart western about pioneers on the Oregon\n trail. This release also features a movie expert commentary and\ntheatrical trailer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They also have a Blu-ray of the more recent Highway\nPatrolman<\/em> (1991). This cult title comes from the director Alex Cox (Repo\nMan<\/em>, Sid & Nancy<\/em>, etc.). The movie has been given a new 4K\ntransfer and comes with commentary from Cox, legnthy featurettes on the\nproduction, and a short film from the director. Sounds like it could be an\ninteresting one to catch up with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Burt Reynolds fans will be happy to see Smokey and the\nBandit II<\/em> (1980) and, to a lesser extend, Smokey and the Bandit Part 3<\/em>\n(1983), which are coming to Blu-ray from Universal. These sequels are not\nnearly as well thought of as the original (and the third only features a cameo\nfrom Reynolds), but they still have a large fan base. This writer hasn’t been\nable to determine if there will be any extras featured, but at least those who\nlike the series can now purchase all of the films in high definition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Criterion have a Blu-ray of the well-regarded Czech wartime drama, Diamonds of the Night<\/em> (1964). It’s tells the story of two Jewish boys trying to escape from a train hurtling them towards a concentration camp. The movie has been given a new 4K digital restoration and comes with a 2009 interview with the director Jan Nemec, Nemec’s student thesis film, a documentary on the figure and other extras. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And finally, Scorpion are releasing Brief Encounter<\/em> (1974) on Blu-ray. This is a remake of the 1945 classic about two married people who meet on a train, fall for each other and discuss whether or not to begin an affair. The remake stars Sophia Lauren and Richard Burton. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Here are some releases that may appeal to youngsters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Justice League vs. The Fatal Five<\/em> (DC animated)
WordWorld: Fun and Games!<\/em> (PBS Kids) <\/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

American Experience: Sealab<\/em> (PBS)
American Master: Jospeh Pulitzer – Voice of the People<\/em> (PBS)
The Big C<\/em>: The Complete Series
The Heart Guy<\/em>: Series 1
The Heart Guy<\/em>: Series 2
NOVA: Kilauea: Hawaii on Fire<\/em> (PBS)
Steven Universe<\/em>: Season 2 (Giftset)
The Toys That Made Us<\/em>: Seasons 1 & 2 (Netflix series – DVD only)
Victoria<\/em>: Season 3 (PBS)
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