{"id":18342,"date":"2019-05-20T23:45:40","date_gmt":"2019-05-21T06:45:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=18342"},"modified":"2019-05-20T23:45:40","modified_gmt":"2019-05-21T06:45:40","slug":"dvd-blu-ray-roundup-for-may-21st-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=18342","title":{"rendered":"DVD\/Blu-ray Roundup for May 21st, 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome to another look at new releases arriving on Blu-ray\nand DVD. It’s a busy edition with a wide\nvariety of discs hitting store shelves (and if you want to know more about the\nfeatures themselves, click on any links you see to read more about them). So if\nyou can’t make it out to the movies this week, be sure to give one of these\ntitles a try.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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Big Brother<\/em> – Released in Hong Kong\nas Taai si hing<\/em>, this foreign-language action\/comedy follows an ex-soldier\nturned schoolteacher who is tasked with instructing a group of delinquent kids.\nWhen a nasty entrepreneur decides he’d like to tear down the institute, the\nhero and kids team up to stop the hostile takeover. The movie was successful in\nits homeland. While there aren’t a lot of notices for it in this part of the\nworld, the ones that have appeared online are complimentary. They state that\nwhile the movie doesn’t offer many surprises, the cast are good, and the\nmartial arts scenes on display are exceptional. The cast includes Donnie Yen,\nJoe Chen and Kang Yu. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A Dark Place<\/em>\n– A socially awkward Pennsylvania\ngarbage man tries to make ends meet and take care of his daughter. However,\nwhen a young child in the area goes missing, the trash collector starts to\nbecome obsessed with figuring out what happened. Using his job and familiarity\nwith the residents, the protagonist begins to uncover strange leads that put\nhim on the outs with locals. Reaction towards this thriller was mixed. Half\nthought that the screenplay simply wasn’t strong enough and left too many plot\nholes to overcome. Still, just as many admired the lead performance and thought\nhis work made up for the movie’s weaknesses. It stars Andrew Scott, Denise\nGough, Bronagh Waugh and J.D. Evermore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Drunk Parents<\/em> – After sending their daughter off to\ncollege, a couple realize that they need more cash to support her education.\nThe pair decide to hold a secret evening garage sale and furnish the event (and\nthemselves) with copious amounts of alcohol. Over the course of events, they’re\nforced to deal with difficult neighbors as well as their own issues. This\ncomedy didn’t get a big release and as a result there aren’t a lot of write-ups\nfor it. However, those that have been released aren’t positive. Despite the\nimpressive cast, complaints have been raised about the screenplay, asserting\nthat the movie is nothing more than a series of bluntly delivered and unfunny\ngags. Alec Baldwin, Salma Hayek, Jim Gaffigan, Joe Manganiello, Treat Williams,\nMichelle Veintimilla and Colin Quinn headline the feature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Garry Winogrand: All Things are Photographable<\/em> – This\ndocumentary chronicles the life of “street photographer” Garry\nWinogrand, whose work displayed the cultural upheaval in American cities like New\n York during the 60s and 70s. Using interviews and\nshots from his collection, the movie paints a picture of his life. And when\nreels of undeveloped film are discovered, the makers reveal new snapshots from\nthe famous artist. This feature earned excellent reviews from critics. The\nmajority commented that the movie did an excellent job of giving background\ninformation about the subject to newcomers, and thought it displayed some\nfascinating photos, both new and old, from the artist. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World<\/em> – The third (and presumably final) chapter in this popular animated series continues the story of Berk and his dragon pal. Now leader of a new utopia where humans and dragons coexist, the hero finds his kingdom in danger from a new threat. In order to save the group, he searches for a fabled land that can provide safety from the invading force. The press were upbeat about this follow-up. One or two called it the weakest in the series and didn’t think it matched its predecessors. However, everyone else implied that it a perfectly fine and fitting finale to the family series, with plenty of great visuals, excitement and a few laughs. The voice cast includes Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, Cate Blanchett, Kit Harrington, Craig Ferguson and F. Murray Abraham. To read this site’s review, click here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Image Book<\/em> – The latest from acclaimed French\nfilmmaker Jean-Luc Godard (Breathless<\/em>, Alphaville<\/em>, 2 or 3\nThings I Know About Her<\/em>) is a unique documentary believed to be a\nrumination on dreams and their meanings, as well as their influence on us as\nhuman beings. Or at least, that’s what some reviewers thought that it might be\nabout. Overall, they seemed to like the film. A very small group found it\nrambling, ponderous and simply couldn’t get on its wavelength. Yet the majority\nexplained that the movie would please Godard’s fans and offer up plenty of food\nfor thought about life, and the language of cinema. They also complemented it\nfor being ambitious and completely different from anything else out there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Isn’t It Romantic<\/em> – A cynical working girl disenchanted with romance takes a knock on the head and finds herself transplanted into a colorful, film-like world of true love. Initially, the lead is horrified by everyone’s friendliness and their ability to instantly fall for one another. However, she begins to question her own biases about love and romance as she finds herself pursued by a suitor. Notices were very good for this rom-com. A minor percentage stated that it was predictable and thought fans of the genre wouldn’t appreciate the gripes and criticisms directed at these types of films. Still, most found the star appealing and enjoyed its attempts to poke fun at the more exaggerated elements of these flicks. It features Rebel Wilson, Liam Hemsworth, Adam Devine and Priyanka Chopra. To read a full review, click here<\/a>.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Let the Sunshine In<\/em> – This foreign-language rom-com\nfrom France\ninvolves a divorced Parisian painter who decides to move forward with her life\nand date new people. After finding potential suitors, she struggles with\noptions that include a married banker, a self-involved actor dealing with his\nown hang-ups, and an artist with commitment issues. These encounters lead the\nwoman to wonder if she really needs a man at all. Reaction towards the movie\nhas been positive. There were complaints about the film being too talky and the\ncharacters coming off as too wrapped up in themselves, but the consensus was\nthat this effort felt far more authentic and entertaining than typical romantic\ncomedies. The cast includes Juliette Binoche, Xavier Beauvois and Gerard\nDepardieu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Science Fair<\/em> – Each year, high school students\ninterested in pursuing a career in science compete at local science fairs in\nthe hopes of qualifying to take part in the International Science Fair. This\ndocumentary follows 9 specific individuals (among the 1700 competitors from 78\ndifferent countries) who do make it to the final stage. It shows how they deal\nwith stress, adapt their concepts and ideas into a compelling presentation, and\npresent the material to various judges. Write-ups for the movie were uniformly\nexcellent. While there weren’t any shocking revelations, all of them\ncomplimented the movie for being an upbeat and positive endeavor that promotes science,\nwhile also providing enough drama to keep the average viewer engaged. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sorry Angel<\/em> – Set in 1993, this French drama involves\na married writer who meets a young film student while traveling to Brittany.\nTo two men become smitten with each other and begin a relationship, leading to\nnumerous complications. The summary of the film suggests that the tale is a\ngenerational snapshot of courting, and deals with the complexity and emotions\ninvolved in their unexpectedly accelerated and intense courtship. Reviews were\ngenerally strong. While a percentage found the characters annoying and didn’t\nthink it dealt well with heavy issues, most appreciated it as a subtle, sincere\nand effective love story that improves as it progresses. It features Vincent\nLacoste and Pierre Deladonchamps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Trading Paint<\/em> – This action film involves car racing\nand depicts a father and son whose winning streak behind the wheel begins to\nfalter. As their team begins losing, the two begin to disagree over how to\ncorrect the problem. Soon, a rival offers the younger man a position racing\nwith his squad. Soon, both men are on the track and competing against each\nother in a series of dangerous competitions. This title has not made a good\nimpression on critics, having yet to receive any positive notices. The articles\nnote that despite the solid concept and lead actor, the end results were dull,\npredictable and lacking in thrills. The movie stars John Travolta, Toby\nSebastian, Shania Twain, Michael Madsen and Kevin Dunn.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Upside<\/em> – An ex-convict is forced into applying for various jobs to cash in his unemployment check. One of his scheduled interviews is for taking on the role of caregiver to a paraplegic writer. The scribe takes a shine to the man’s honesty and straight-forwardness towards his condition. The two form a close personal relationship and influence each other in various ways. It appears that the press had a mixed-negative response to this remake of the 2011 French hit, The Intouchables<\/em>. A certain number did think that the chemistry of the leads was solid and appreciated spending time with them, but most called the movie’s screenplay manipulative and hackneyed. It stars Bryan Cranston, Kevin Hart and Nicole Kidman. To read this site’s review of the movie, click here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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White Chamber<\/em> – This sci-fi thriller is set in a\nfuture where the UK\nhas come under the control of an oppressive government. A woman wakes up in a\nsolitary cell, where she is grilled by officials about her involvement in a\nrevolutionary movement. As her captor engages in sophisticated methods to extract\ninformation, the audience must determine what is happening and who is actually telling\nthe truth. Responses towards this independent feature were varied. Nearly half\nthought that it did offer some surprises and unanticipated twists, while the\nrest felt that the reveal came too late to salvage earlier sections of the\nfilm. The cast includes Shauna MacDonald and Oded Fehr.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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Plenty of older titles are getting high definiton upgrades\nas well. Arrow Video have a Blu-ray of the cult female biker flick, She-Devils\non Wheels<\/em> (1968). This low-budget flick from Herschell Gordon Lewis (Blood\nFeast<\/em>, 2000 Maniacs<\/em>) definitely has a following, and this release\nincludes a bevy of bonuses. They include a second Lewis feature called Just\nfor the Hell of It!<\/em> (1968), as well as introductions to both movies from\nthe director himself, a director commentary, discussions from horror historians\non the filmmaker and his influence, a promo gallery, and an interview with\nLewis on another title he made the same year, The Alley Tramp<\/em> (1968). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are also releasing Trapped Alive<\/em> (1988) as a\nSpecial Edition Blu-ray. This one’s about a home invasion that leads to\ncriminals and their hostages falling into a mine, and then being pursued by a\nmonstrous cannibal. The release includes a 2K restoration of the movie, three\naudio commentaries (one with the director, another with the special effects\nteam and writer, and a final fan track), a brand new making-of documentary, a\n1988 TV special on the making of the movie, and an interview with the\nfilmmaker. Sounds like a lot of bonuses for a relatively obscure horror flick. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Shout! Factory have plenty of new Blu-rays as well. The\nfirst is a 2-disc Collector’s Edition of the crazy disaster flick, Earthquake<\/em>\n(1974). This one features an all-star cast of performers (including Charlton\nHeston, Ava Gardiner, George Kennedy, Lorne Greene, Richard Roundtree, andWalter\nMatthau) enduring a massive earthquake in Los Angeles. The disc includes a new\n2K scan of the interpositive of the theatrical cut, with archival interviews\nwith the cast, as well as all kinds of publicity materials. The second disc\ncontains a 2K scan reconstruction of the extended TV-cut (which runs 20 minutes\nlonger), new featurettes on the Sensurround process used for the movie, the\nmatte painting world and the score. The release also includes even more additional\nTV footage taken from the best available elements. Sounds like a blast!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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They are also putting out a Blu-ray of The Hunted<\/em>\n(1995), an action film starring Christopher Lambert as a businessman who\nwitnesses a murder while in Japan,\nand becomes a target of a criminal organization. The disc includes a new\ndirector audio commentary, deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes footage and some\npromo material. Most interestingly, it also contains a Workprint Cut of the\nmovie (in standard definition) with extended, alternate and deleted scenes. I\nhad always heard that the feature had been heavily edited and will be very interested\nto see the original assembly.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Additionally, Shout! are releasing The Seduction<\/em>\n(1982), a thriller starring Morgan Fairchild about a woman being stalked by a\npsychopath. This Blu-ray includes new interviews with Fairchild, co-starAndrew\nStevens and the producer. You’ll also get an audio commentary with the\nwriter\/director and producer, multiple featurettes with the cast and crew and\ntrailers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kino have loads of new Blu-rays as well. They’ve got a Special Edition of the well regarded Roman Polanski thriller, Bitter Moon<\/em> (1992). It comes with a new interview with co-star Peter Coyote, a film historian audio commentary, and a trailer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also pick up a Special Edition Blu-ray of Black Moon Rising<\/em> (1986). This action-thriller starring Tommy Lee Jones includes a film historian commentary, an interview with the film’s director, talks with the producer and score composer, a short about the film’s screenwriter, John Carpenter (Halloween<\/em>), an archival documentary, alternate scenes from the Hong Kong version, and the trailer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And there’s more! Kino are releasing Midas Run<\/em> (1969)\non Blu-ray with a film historian commentary. On top of that, they’ve got a\nSpecial Edition of Oliver Stone’s biopic, Nixon <\/em>(1995) that includes the\ntheatrical and director’s cuts, a new film expert commentary, an hour of deleted\nscenes introduced by Stone, a Nixon documentary, an interview with the\ndirector, a making-of and the trailer. Additionally, you can pick up Ring of\nBright Water<\/em> (1969), a tale which involves a mischievous otter. This\nBlu-ray also comes with a critic commentary. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, Kino are putting out a Blu-ray of the UK crime\nflick, Robbery<\/em> (1967) (which also includes a film expert track) and the\nWWI fighter pilot flick, Von Richtofen and Brown<\/em> (1971). The latter disc\ncomes with a new interview with director Roger Corman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Warner Archive have something really special this week… a Shaft\nTriple Feature<\/em> on Blu-ray, no doubt as a result of a new redo hitting\ncinemas in the near future. You can pick up Shaft<\/em> (1971), Shaft’s Big\nScore! <\/em>(1972) and Shaft in <\/em>Africa<\/em>\n(1973) all together in one package, or buy any of the films individually.\nRichard Roundtree stars as the titular private detective who hunts for a kidnap\nvictim in the first title, investigates the murder of a friend in the sequel,\nand takes down a slavery cartel in the third and final flick of the original\ntrilogy. They’re all extremely entertaining and it’s exciting to see them all\nhit Blu-ray.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But that’s not all. There are two box sets arriving called\nthe RKO Classics Romances Collection<\/em>. The titles featured include Sin\nTakes a Holiday<\/em>, Millie<\/em>, Kept Husbands<\/em>, The lady Refuses<\/em>\nand The Woman Between<\/em> (all made between 1930 and 1931). Their other\nrelease, the RKO Classic Adventures Collection<\/em>, contains The Pay-Off<\/em>,\nThe Silver Horde<\/em> and The Painted Desert<\/em> (also produced between\n1930 and 1931). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, the Cohen Media Group are delivering a Blu-ray of\nthe James Ivory period drama, The Bostonians<\/em> (1984), featuring\nChristopher Reeve and Vanessa Redgrave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Here are some kid friendly releases coming your way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Loud House: Relative Chaos<\/em> – Season 2, Volume 1 (Nickelodeon)
Pokemon: The Series – Sun & Moon Ultimate Adventures<\/em>
Splash and Bubbles: The KelpForest<\/em> (PBS Kids)
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On the Tube!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

13 Reasons Why<\/em>: Season 2
Call the Midwife<\/em>: Series 8
Les Miserables<\/em> (2018 – 2019)\u00a0 (PBS)
Lost Treasures of the Maya<\/em> (National Geographic)
The Loud House: Relative Chaos <\/em>– Season 2, Volume 1 (Nickelodeon)
The Perfect Bride: Wedding Bells<\/em> (Hallmark TV-movie)
Splash and Bubbles: The KelpForest<\/em> (PBS Kids) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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