{"id":18379,"date":"2019-05-27T14:13:56","date_gmt":"2019-05-27T21:13:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=18379"},"modified":"2019-05-27T14:13:56","modified_gmt":"2019-05-27T21:13:56","slug":"dvd-blu-ray-roundup-for-may-28th-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=18379","title":{"rendered":"DVD\/Blu-ray Roundup for May 28th, 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Happy long weekend for those who had a holiday! Seems like it’s time for another look at highlights arriving on Blu-ray and DVD. This edition features an impressive variety of films in several different genres (and as always, you can read more about some of them by clicking on any links you see). 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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Bisbee ’17<\/em> – This documentary was scheduled for\nrelease a month ago, but got delayed. It is about an Arizona\nmining town on the US\/Mexico border and the horrific events that occurred in\n1917; 1200 immigrant workers were rounded up by locals, deported and left to\ndie in the desert. The community puts on a recreation of the event, which\nforces the locals to come to terms with and understand the severity of these\nactions. Critics were impressed with the production. While one or two didn’t\nthink that the film’s unusual approach quite hit the mark, the consensus was that\nthis was one of the better non-fiction features of the 2018. They wrote that\nthe still-relevant topic dealt with its difficult subject in a creative way and\ncarried an air of authenticity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Climax<\/em> – 20 French dancers decide to take part in a\n3-day rehearsal in a closed-down boarding school to prepare for an upcoming\nevent. However, things take a strange turn when the troupe have a party and\ningest sangrias laced with LSD – they experience wild hallucinations and begin acting\nout. This French\/Belgian foreign-language horror flick from Gaspar No\u00e9 (Irreversible<\/em>,\nEnter the Void<\/em>) garnered generally good notices. A percentage did state\nthat the filmmaker was repeating old tricks and trying too hard to shock\nviewers, also noting that the cast wasn’t exceptional. However, most\ncomplimented the movie as fascinatingly disturbing, experimental and trippy. It\nfeatures Sofia Boutella, Romain Guillermic and Souheila Yacoub. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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General Commander<\/em> – An ex-CIA\nagent turned specialized security agent convinces a Hong Kong\nbillionaire to fund an operation in which he trains operatives to bring down\nall sorts of international criminals. After recruiting a young team, he plots a\ndangerous assignment to stop evil forces using the Dark Web and their nefarious\nactivities (apparently, a few agents and some money\/weapons is all it takes to\nshut down a sinister organization). This low-budget action feature is\npremiering on disc, so there aren’t any reviews available for it as of yet. Don’t\nexpect too much, though. The cast includes Steven Seagal, Sonia Couling, Ron\nSmoorenburg and Mica Javier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Greta<\/em> – A lonely college student depressed over the death of her mother finds a purse left on the subway and decides to return it. She meets the owner, a French piano teacher whose daughter lives out of the country. The woman soon takes on the role of surrogate mom to the protagonist. However, it eventually becomes clear that the older female may very well be a psychotic stalker. This suspense picture from Neil Jordan (Byzantium<\/em>, Interview with the Vampire<\/em>) received a wide variety of write-ups, although more were positive than negative. Those who didn’t like it thought it was simply a dressed up, over-the-top B-movie. Still, slightly more called it a wild thriller and appreciated the filmmaking skill on display, as well as the deliciously sinister antagonist. It stars Isabelle Huppert, Chlo\u00eb Grace Moretz, Maika Monroe and Stephen Rea. To read a full review, click here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In the Last Days of the City<\/em>  -This foreign-language arthouse drama follows\na filmmaker living in Cairo, Egypt\nand struggling to make a movie about his own city. He finds that the place is\nchanging rapidly and that some of his favorite elements have moved elsewhere or\ndisappeared. Then his friends living abroad begin to send videos of their\nexperiences in foreign lands, which begin to change the way he views Cairo\nand the his perspective on life. Critics liked the film overall. One or two did\ncomment that the story did not have as much of a narrative focus as they would\nhave liked. Still, the majority appreciated the work, calling it thoughtful,\nbeautifully filmed with its meaning left open to interpretation. It features\nKhalid Abdalla, Laila Samy and Hanan Youssef. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Lords of Chaos<\/em> – Set in the 1990’s, this European biopic\ndrama follows the Death Metal music scene in Norway.\nSpecifically, a teenager’s efforts to create and popularize it through his own\nband, Mayhem. As the movement and the youngster’s own popularity grows, the\ncharacter begins taking on more of the extreme traits present in his stage\npersona. It all results in criminal acts, including a horrific murder. Critics\ngenerally spoke well of the final product. Some complained that it didn’t go\ndeep enough into its subject’s mental illness and found the leads lacking in\ncharm. Yet overall, comments asserted that the movie was effectively unsettling\nand showed just how quickly the youngsters confused their fictional stage characters\nwith their real lives. The cast includes Rory Culkin, Emory Cohen, Jack Kilmer\nand Sky Ferreira.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Oath<\/em> – A couple react in shock and horror when\nthe government institutes a policy stating that every American should sign a\nloyalty oath to the President. Over the Thanksgiving holiday, visiting family\nmembers express their conflicting views, while agents show up at the door\ndemanding that the leads sign the document or face the consequences. This\nindependent, dark comedy earned slightly more recommendations than negative\nresponses. A group suggested this political satire was overlong, uneven and\nneeded some fine tuning. Still, the overall impression was that while a bit\nuneven, the movie aspires to be more substantial and delves into a lot of\ncurrent issues. It stars Ike Barinholtz, Tiffany Haddish, Nora Dunn, Chris\nEllis, Carrie Brownstein, Jay Duplass, Billy Magnussen and John Cho. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Unity of Heroes<\/em> – This Chinese action effort\nretells the story of legendary folk hero, Wong Fei-hung (he has been the\nsubject of well of 100 movies out of the country). This remake once again\nintroduces audiences to the moralistic and heroic martial arts instructor, who\nmust protect his people from invading foreigners and sinister characters. There\nhaven’t been many reviews in this part of the world for thus recent take on the\nrole. One or two online voices say that it is a nice throwback to martial arts\nfilms of old. However, it seems that the majority are complaining that the\nmovie isn’t as vibrant or as well choreographed as either of the incarnation\nfrom the 1990s with Jet Li and Jackie Chan. At least kung fu fans now have the\nopportunity to make up their own minds. Vincent Zhao takes on the role.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A Vigilante<\/em> – In this drama, an abuse survivor bulks\nup and decides to dedicate her life to helping other women in distress. She\nsteps in to provide physical payback and does so effectively, but soon has to\ncontend with her own husband, an intimidating man’s whose horrific actions have\nleft deep scars. The movie earned very strong notices. A small contingent did\nstate that while it attempted to do more with the material, it was still a\nfairly standard revenge flick. However, most noted the compelling work of the\nlead actress (whom they stated is more known for her comedic chops) and stated\nthat the movie effectively captured the fear, brutality and suffering faced by\nvictims of abuse. The cast includes Olivia Wilde, Morgan Spector, Kyle Catlett\nand C.J. Wilson. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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It’s a very, very busy week for some older titles to receive\nhigh definition upgrades. First off, MVD are releasing a Collector’s Edition Blu-ray\nof the Jean-Claude Van Damme action flick, Double Impact<\/em> (1991). This\ntitle features the star playing twin brothers who are separated as kids after\nthe murder of their parents. When they are unexpectedly reunited in Hong\n Kong, the pair team up to beat down the guilty parties. This disc\nincludes a two-part, feature length retrospective documentary about the making\nof the movie (which features Van Damme himself), nearly an hour’s worth of\ndeleted\/extended scenes, the director discussion the anatomy of putting\ntogether an important moment, and publicity materials. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Shout! Factory have several noteworthy titles as well. For\ninstance, you can now pick up the monster movie The Alligator People<\/em>\n(1959) on Blu-ray. It’s about a woman who marries a man who starts to develop\nreptilian traits. She then must travel to the bayou to find out the reason why\nher husband is turning into a creature. It arrives with a commentary track with\nThe Monster Party podcasters, the original trailer and a stills gallery. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They also have the notorious drama Boom!<\/em> (1968) aka Boom<\/em> being released as part of their Shout Select line. Starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, this exaggerated and emotionally overcharged film bombed during its original release but has since developed a cult following. The Blu-ray arrives with a commentary from filmmaker and fan John Waters (Pink Flamingos, Hairspray, Cry-Baby), a film critic analysis, a trailer and vintage photo galleries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In addition, they are putting out To Wong Fu, Thanks for\nEverything, Julie Newmar <\/em>(1995). This road movie about a trio of drag\nqueens traveling across the country stars Patrick Swayze, John Leguizamo and\nWesley Snipes. It comes with a new documentary about the production, deleted\nscenes and all sorts of publicity materials. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Back on the horror front, Shout! also have When a\nStranger Calls Back<\/em> (1993). This sequel to the 1979 original classic\nfeatures a new babysitter who finds herself being taunted over the phone by an\nincreasingly menacing threat. Thankfully, the survivor from the predecessor\narrives to help the protagonist square off against the villain. This follow-up\nwas actually made as a TV movie in the US,\nbut has developed a following over the years. The Blu-ray includes new 2K scans\nof the movie in 1.33:1 and 1.78:1 aspect ratios, new interviews with the\ndirector (as well as a short film he made in the 70s that inspired both\nflicks), talks with stars Jill Schoelen and Carol Kane and TV spots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Criterion have some incredible stuff this week as well. The\nfirst title is the David Lynch (Eraserhead<\/em>, The Elephant Man<\/em>, Twin\n Peaks<\/em>, Wild at Heart<\/em>, Mulholland Dr.<\/em>) masterpiece,\nBlue Velvet<\/em> (1986). This tale of a young man who finds a severed ear in\nhis all-American neighborhood and investigates, finding danger and, well,\nstrangeness at every turn. The Blu-ray includes a new 4K restoration of the\nfilm supervised by Lynch, 53 minutes of deleted scenes, a feature-length\nretrospective documentary on the movie, a second, 70 minute documentary on the\nfilm from 2003, an interview with composer Angelo Badalamenti, a 2019 doc\nfeaturing cast\/crew sharing their memories along with trips to shooting\nlocations, and Lynch reading from a 2018 book he coauthored about his life and\nthe creative process. Sounds like a must-own for fans of the filmmaker. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the same company have a Blu-ray of the French feminist\nmusical\/drama, One Sings, the Other Doesn’t<\/em> (1977). This release\nincludes a 2K digital restoration supervised by the filmmaker and director of\nphotography along with new subtitle translations, a 1977 documentary about the\nmaking of the movie, a short film from the director, and an interview from the\nsame period in which the maker addresses womanhood, as well as a trailer.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Kino also have a bevy of Blu-rays for your perusal. They\ninclude a Blu-ray of the family film, Arabian Adventure<\/em> (1979), which\nfeatures Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing in supporting roles. The disc\nincludes a director commentary and theatrical trailer. And there’s a Special\nEdition Blu-ray of the Lana Turner movie, Madame X<\/em> (1966). This\nadaptation of the play arrives with a film historian audio commentary. From\nearlier in the decade, Portrait in Black<\/em> (1960) is another Turner\neffort; this thriller features the same bonuses as in the previous Blu-ray. And\nthe company are also distributing a Blu-ray of the French effort, Woman in\nChains<\/em> (1968) aka La Prisonniere<\/em>. Like the other titles, it has a\nfilm historian audio commentary and a trailer. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Scary movie fans may be happy to see the release of the “killer cat” Amicus anthology, The Uncanny<\/em> (1977), hitting high definition. Severin is releasing this title, which stars Peter Cushing, Ray Millard, Donald Pleasance and others all having very negative experiences with felines. The disc comes with a trailer and interview with co-star Susan Penhaligon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sony are also making a few out-of-print titles available on\nBlu-ray. They’ve got the weepy drama, Steel Magnolias<\/em> (1989).\nApparently, the video quality on this release is very good and it comes with a\ndirector commentary, as well as a director and producer interview and a few\ndeleted scenes. They’re also supposed to be releasing a Blu-ray of the Tommy\nLee Jones effort, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada<\/em> (2005), but it\nseems a little more difficult to find online right now. (hopefully it hasn’t\nbeen pushed back, but that may be the case).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Not to be outdone, Warner Archives are making two of their\ncatalog titles available on Blu-ray. You can see more adventure movies with\nflying carpets courtesy of the Tab Hunter flick, The Golden Arrow<\/em> (1962),\nwhich has been given a new remaster from the studio. They’ve also got the\ndrama, A Patch of Blue<\/em> (1965), with Sidney Poitier, Elizabeth Hartman\nand Shelly Winters. No word yet on whether this Blu-ray has any extras. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, Juno Films are releasing the crime\/comedy Penny\nPoints to Paradise<\/em> (1951) on Blu-ray. This flick is about a man who wins\nmoney in a football\/soccer pool, goes on vacation with his pal to celebrate,\nand finds all sorts of people out to steal his winnings. The movie features\nperhaps the first onscreen appearance of Peter Sellers, and of course, he plays\nmore than one part (including the prize winner). This release also includes the\nSellers short, Let’s Go Crazy<\/em> (1951).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Not too much for the kids in this edition, but this is what is being made available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sonic X<\/em>: The Complete English Dubbed Series<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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

Blood<\/em>: Series 1
Captain Marleau<\/em>: Volume 1
Captain Marleau<\/em>: Volume 2
FRONTLINE: The Trail of Ratko Mladic<\/em> (PBS)
Outlander<\/em>: Season 4
Primal Survival<\/em>: Season 3 (National Geographic)
SouthPark<\/em>: Season 22
Velvet<\/em>: The Complete Series
Velvet<\/em>: Season 1
Velvet<\/em>: Season 2
Velvet<\/em>: Season 3
Velvet<\/em>: Season 4 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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