{"id":18730,"date":"2019-07-16T00:26:13","date_gmt":"2019-07-16T07:26:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=18730"},"modified":"2019-07-16T00:26:13","modified_gmt":"2019-07-16T07:26:13","slug":"dvd-blu-ray-roundup-for-july-16th-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=18730","title":{"rendered":"DVD\/Blu-ray Roundup for July 16th, 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome back to another edition of new release highlights on\nBlu-ray and DVD. As always, there’s plenty\nto choose from in a wide variety of genres (and if you see any links, be sure\nto click on them in order to read more detailed reviews). So if you can’t make\nit 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

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Abduction<\/em> – A SWAT team member wakes up in a park\nfountain in the Far East, believing it is the year 1985\nand having no memory of who he is or how he got there. After trying to put\nfragmented memories together, he determines that he was out searching for his\nkidnapped young daughter. He then teams up with a gangster who is hunting for\nhis own missing wife and the pair try to solve the mystery. What they soon discover\nmay be more bizarre than they ever thought possible. This Chinese sci-fi action\nB-movie is making its debut on disc, so as of right now there are no reviews\navailable. It features Scott Adkins, Andy On, Truong Ngoc Anh and Lily Ji.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ash is Purest White<\/em> – Set against the backdrop of the\nChinese criminal underworld, this tale follows the lives of a wannabe mobster\nand his sharp-witted girlfriend as they attempt to make their mark and take\ndown common enemies. The story follows them over several time periods as their\nlives and duties change over the years as new situations and conflicts arise.\nThis picture received great notices from the press. They called the characters\ninteresting and performances great, as well as stating that the movie does a\nsuperb job of showing viewers the criminal world from a wide and\nup-close-and-personal point of view. The cast includes Tao Zhao, Liao fan and\nZheng Xu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales…<\/em> – This French\nanimated effort from the team behind the extraordinarily well-regarded 2014’s Ernest\n& Celestine<\/em> includes three stories about forest animals with\npsychological troubles. There’s a fox who thinks he’s a chicken, a rabbit that\nacts like a stork and a duck looking to take the place of Santa Claus. Those\nwho follow the tales will see how their unusual lives play out. Critics were\nvery, very upbeat about this production. It’s difficult to find anything bad\nwritten about the film. Most called it a charming and entertaining piece of\ntraditionally drawn animation with entertainingly quirky animals and a lot of\nlaughs. Apparently, this release includes the original French version with\nEnglish subtitles as well as an English-language audio track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Blood <\/em>Paradise<\/em> – Looks\nlike it’s a great week for foreign-language titles. In this low-budget horror\/comedy,\na crime-writer depressed over bad reviews and sales for her latest book heads\nto the Swedish countryside to recharge. Unfortunately, she soon begins to\nsuspect sinister goings on at the farm and nearby village, where she\nexperiences uncomfortable encounters with obsessed fans, a violently jealous\nwoman and a psychotic local. Guess at least she’ll get material for her next\nbook. There are only a few write-ups available for this title and they’re\nfairly mixed, suggesting it has some funny moments but is wildly uneven. Andrea\nWinter headlines the film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Breakthrough<\/em> – A teen from St. Louis falls through the ice of a local lake. After almost drowning, he is pulled from the waters in a near-death state. After his mother prays for his recovery, the kid begins to respond to emergency workers and miraculously survives the ordeal. As you might have already guessed, this drama is a faith-based film. The press gave the effort mixed reviews. Those who enjoyed it stated that the strong cast for this type of film helped to sell the story and supporters would find it to be better than others of its ilk. The others suggested that the performers couldn’t salvage the clunky and predictable script, also finding the message rather bluntly delivered. It stars Topher Grace, Josh Lucas, Chrissy Metz, Mike Colter and Dennis Haysbert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Dogman<\/em> – In this foreign-language crime film from Italy,\na poor and timid dog groomer from the wrong side of the tracks finds himself\ninvolved with violent acquaintances who pose a threat to the entire\nneighborhood. The man first chooses to ignore the problems and meekly follows\nthe orders given to him, but complications arise that force him to take action.\nThis feature earned excellent notices. It was competed for the Palm d’Or at Cannes\nand the lead won the festival’s Best Actor Prize. Admittedly, a few critics in\nthis part of the world found the events overly grim and didn’t care for the\nprotagonist’s passive nature, but the vast majority thought it was a gritty and\ntense character study. The movie is being released exclusively on DVD\nright now, but hopefully a Blu-ray will follow in the coming weeks. Marcello\nFonte plays the lead. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Fast Color<\/em> – A young woman finds herself on the run\nfrom authorities after discovering she has unusual and very powerful abilities.\nWith various pursuers on her tail, she decides to hide out with her estranged\nfamily at their farmhouse. Once there, she attempts to mend relationships and\nbegins to strategize her next move. Reviews were generally positive for this\nindependent, low-key, sci-fi take on a superhero movie. A few thought that the\nmovie could have done with more conflict and needed better pacing to make a\nstronger impact. However, most complimented the film’s unique approach and\nthought it build momentum as it progressed and ultimately came together in\nsatisfying manner. It features Gugu Mbatha-Raw, David Strathairn and Lorraine\nToussaint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Relaxer<\/em> – Set on the verge of Y2K, two brothers await\nan impending apocalypse. The older one challenges his younger sibling with an\nimpossible (and ridiculous) task… to stay on the couch and continue playing\nPac-Man until he beats the 256th level. As the challenge continues and the\ndeadline looms closer, events gets decidedly more surreal and strange. This\nindependent comedy feature received more praise than it did pans. A segment of\nreviewers did find it something of an ordeal to sit and couldn’t relate to the\nleads. However, the consensus was that the movie was a wild, totally unique\nexperience that certainly felt like a cult film in the making. Joshua Burge,\nDavid Dastmalchian and Andre Hyland headline the flick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Shazam!<\/em> – Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman may be some of the most popular DC characters, but that isn’t stopping movie studios from giving some other superheroes a shot. This effort follows young Billy Batson, an orphan who accidentally finds himself bestowed with a magical gift enabling him to transform into a muscular, caped do-gooder. Unfortunately, that mean he also has to square off against some very dangerous and clever adult super-villains. Reaction was quite good towards this take on the comic book character. There was a group who criticized it for being tonally imbalanced. But overall, it seemed that most thought it was heartfelt, funny and a significantly better flick than recent entries from more famous DC characters. It stars Zachary Levi, Mark Strong, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer and Djimon Hounsou. To read this site’s review of the film, just click here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Teen Spirit<\/em> – A shy teenager from a small town wants\nto take part in a singing competition. An acquaintance who used to be a famous\nopera singer decides to help coach and manage the youngster in the contest.\nTogether, they strive to beat the odds and win. Critics gave the film a passing\nscore. A small percentage liked the cast but found the story by-the-numbers and\ndidn’t think the filmmakers did much to generate excitement. Still, more found\nthe cast very likable and thought the movie was sweet and heartwarming enough\nto recommend. The cast includes Elle Fanning, Rebecca Hall, Zlatko Buric and\nAgnieszka Grochowska.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Plenty of curious older titles are arriving on Blu-ray as well. MVD Visual are releasing Shortcut to Happiness<\/em> (2003) as part of their Marquee Collection line. Based on the short story The Devil and Daniel Webster<\/em>, this little-seen film follows a writer who makes a deal with the Devil for fame and fortune. He eventually comes to regret his decision and goes to court to try and reclaim his soul. The movie shot back in 2001 and stars Alec Baldwin, Anthony Hopkins, Dan Aykroyd, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Kim Cattrall and many others, but a studio bankruptcy caused the feature to be shelved for many years. Now it’s getting the high definition treatment. Read all about the release right here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Arrow are delivering a Special Edition Blu-ray of the\nhard-to-find horror picture, The Chill Factor <\/em>(1993). It involves some\nsnowmobile enthusiasts and snowboarders who accidentally come across a Ouija\nboard and release an evil force that possesses victims. This flick has pretty\nmuch disappeared since its initial VHS release and is hitting Blu-ray with a\nnew 2K restoration from the original film elements, a commentary with the\nspecial effects artist and a horror writer, interviews with other make-up team\nmembers, the production manager, the stunt coordinator and publicity materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their arthouse line, Arrow\n Academy, a releasing a Special\nEdition as well. It’s for Hold Back the Dawn<\/em> (1941), an immigrant drama\nwith Olivia de Havilland that was co-written by Billy Wilder (The Apartment<\/em>,\nSome Like It Hot<\/em>). This Blu-ray includes a transfer from the original\nfilm elements, a film scholar audio commentary, a video appreciation of the\nfilm, a career spanning interview with the star, an hour-long radio adaptation\nof the story from the same year as its release, as well as stills and\npromotional materials. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

AGFA also have some quirky gems in the form of a Blu-ray\/DVD\nSpecial Edition double feature release. The first title in this set is Satanis:\nThe Devil’s Mass<\/em> (1970), a documentary about the Church\n of Satan formed by Anton Szandor\nLaVey. That’s followed by the narrative feature Satan’s Children<\/em> (1975),\nabout a runaway teen who joins a cult of Satanists, but soon tries to leave the\ngroup. Both of these pictures have been given a 2K scan from a theatrical print\nand come with trailers and features connected with the subject matter.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Shout! are putting out the Ronald Reagan western Law and\nOrder<\/em> (1953), about a marshal turned cattle rancher out to stop some\nsinister rustlers. This Blu-ray has a film historian commentary, a trailer and\nimage galleries as bonus features. They are also releasing The Leopard Man<\/em>\n(1943) in high definition. This classic from producer Val Lewton (I Walked\nWith a Zombie<\/em>) and director Jacques Tourneur (Cat People<\/em>, Curse\nof the Demon<\/em>) is a mystery about a series of murders that may or may not\nhave been the work of either an escape animal or a monster. The movie has been\ngiven a new 4K scan from the nitrate camera negative and extras include a film\nhistorian commentary, a second audio track with director William Friedkin\n(who’s a fan of the flick) as well as a trailer and still gallery. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’re looking for a more recent horror effort, you can\nalso pick up a Blu-ray of the killer cat flick, Strays <\/em>(1991), which\nfeatures stars Timothy Busfield and Kathleen Quinlan being terrorized by\nmalevolent kitties. Apparently, many believe it provides some B-movie fun and\nis noted for having been written by pop star Shaun Cassidy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Kino also have some noteworthy Blu-ray releases. They include a 2K transfer of the Katharine Hepburn\/Nick Nolte comedy Grace Quigley<\/em> (1985). It comes with a film historian commentary and a trailer. You can also pick up another comedy in the form of Hello Again<\/em> (1987). This one stars Shelley Long (who was enjoying some popularity at the time as the co-star of the hit TV-series, Cheers<\/em>) as a housewife who dies choking on a meatball and comes back from the dead to put things right in her personal life. It arrives with a critic commentary and some trailers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Nolte fans will also be happy that the distributor is releasing a Special Edition Blu-ray of the Merchant\/Ivory period drama, Jefferson in Paris<\/em> (1995). This release includes a James Ivory commentary track and trailer. And you can also pick up a Special Edition of the comedy Mumford<\/em> (1999) from writer\/director Lawrence Kasdan (Body Heat<\/em>, The Big Chill<\/em>, The Accidental Tourist<\/em> and many others). This one is about a mysterious psychologist who arrives in a small town to help locals with their personal issues. However, he may not be what he initially seems, and also falls for one of his patients. If memory serves, this is a pretty decent, low-key comedy and features a great cast that includes the likes of Loren Dean, Mary McDonnell, Jason Lee, Martin Short, Alfre Woodard, Elisabeth Moss, Robert Stack, Zooey Deschanel and many others. The disc comes with a director commentary, a making-of featurette and a trailer.\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Criterion are delivering the French comedy\/drama The\nBaker’s Wife<\/em> (1938) on Blu-ray. The movie arrives with a new 4K digital\nrestoration, a selected-scene film scholar commentary, an archived intro to the\nmovie from the director and a lengthy TV-interview with him, a news short about\nthe feature’s picturesque locations, and an essay. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Thriller fans should be pleased to see Criterion presenting Klute<\/em>\n(1971) in high definition. Jane Fonda won an Oscar for her work as a call girl\ncaught up in a missing person investigation. The movie has received a 4K\ndigital transfer supervised by the camera operator. It also comes with a new\ninterview with Fonda, as well as one with the writer, a recently completed\nprogram about the film featuring talks with many members of the cast and crew,\na documentary about the shoot and other extras. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

If you like science-fiction pictures, the small but\nfascinating film Moon<\/em> (2009) is one of the best in recent years. Sony\nhave given the title a 4K upgrade for its 10th Anniversary Edition. So not only\ndoes it arrive with all of the previously released bonuses, but it’ll also look\nsharper than it ever has before. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

B-movie enthusiasts will be happy to see the very 80s Italian\nslasher picture, Murder Rock<\/em> (1984) on Blu-ray courtesy of Scorpion\nReleasing. This is also a Special Edition that will include a film historian\naudio commentary, as well as a few interviews with cast and crew members,\nincluding director Lucio Fulci (Zombie<\/em>). Fulci fans can also pick up\nanother one of his titles this week, The Psychic<\/em> (1977). This Blu-ray\nSpecial Edition comes with a 2K scan of the film and a similar assortment of\nextras to what buyers will find on the other release. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Redemption are also putting out a Blu-ray of the Jess Franco\nspy parody, Attack of the Robots<\/em> (1966).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, Warner Archive are making the James Cagney\nmusical\/comedy Footlight Parade<\/em> (1933) available to order on Blu-ray\nthrough their site and other online retailers. It’s one of those old Hollywood\nfilms that features incredibly elaborate numbers on enormous sets with dozens\nof dancers pulling off some incredible choreography .  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

These are some titles that may be of interest to children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales<\/em>
Garfield & Friends<\/em>: Season 1
Titans<\/em>: Season 1 <\/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

American Masters: Robert Shaw: Man of Many Voices<\/em> (PBS)
The Crossword Mysteries: A Puzzle to Die For<\/em> (Hallmark TV-movie)
From the Earth to the Moon<\/em> (1998 HBO Series)
Garfield & Friends<\/em>: Season 1
Luther<\/em>: The Complete Series (BBC)
Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood<\/em>: Would You Be Mine Collection (PBS)
Nazi Megastructures: America’s War<\/em> (National Geographic)
NOVA: First Horse Warriors<\/em> (PBS)
NOVA: Saving the Dead Sea<\/em> (PBS)
Signed, Sealed, Delivered: To the Alter<\/em> (Hallmark TV-movie)
Space: 1999<\/em>: The Complete Series
Superstructures: Engineering Marvels<\/em> (National Geographic)
Titans<\/em>: Season 1 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n