{"id":19370,"date":"2019-10-28T15:41:17","date_gmt":"2019-10-28T22:41:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=19370"},"modified":"2019-10-28T15:41:17","modified_gmt":"2019-10-28T22:41:17","slug":"blu-ray-dvd-roundup-for-october-29th-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=19370","title":{"rendered":"Blu-ray\/DVD Roundup for October 29th, 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Greetings and welcome back to another look at highlights\narriving on Blu-ray and DVD. As you might have guessed, there are some\ninteresting new releases along with plenty of seasonal Halloween-themed discs\ncoming your way. So, if you can\u2019t make it out to the movies this week, be sure\nto 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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10 Minutes Gone<\/em> – A man taking part in an elaborate heist to steal priceless jewels finds himself set up and being hunted down by the cops. After taking a blow to the head and suffering amnesia, the protagonist tries to piece together all the available information and recover a very specific ten minutes of his life when things went sideways. Of course, this is all so that he can get revenge on the responsible party. This independent crime thriller hasn\u2019t gotten much of a positive reception from reviewers so far. They wrote that it wastes a great cast and complained that the twist was easy to figure out, with the screenplay resorting to every dull action flick clich\u00e9 ever conceived. It stars Bruce Willis, Michael Chiklis, Meadow Williams, Kyle Schmid and Texas Battle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A Cinderella Story: Christmas Wish<\/em> \u2013 Halloween may\nhave only just occurred, but distributors are already set to push the next big\nholiday on us. This direct-to-disc feature is an update on the Cinderella<\/em>\nstory. It\u2019s about a struggling singer-songwriter with a nasty stepmom and\nstepsisters. Desperate for cash, the protagonist takes a job as an elf at a\nholiday wonderland. There, she meets a handsome costumed Santa Claus, but can\ntheir relationship survive her mean-spirited family? Probably, one would guess.\nAnyway, this title is premiering on Blu-ray and DVD, so it hasn\u2019t been screened\nfor the press. Potential viewers will have to hope and wish that there\u2019s some\nholiday chemistry present onscreen. The cast includes Laura Marano, Gregg\nSulkin, Isabella Gomez and Garfield Wilson. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Jay Myself<\/em> \u2013 This documentary follows photographer\nStephen Wilkes as he details the life and career of his mentor, Jay Maisel. Viewers\nwill discover that the New Yorker bought a six story, 30,000 square-foot\nbuilding in the Bowery decades ago for next to nothing. He would display his\nphotos as well as a series of interesting found objects collected over the past\n40 years in this massive space. Now, Maisel prepares to sell the structure for\ntens of millions of dollars, and goes through all of his work and collections,\nleading to some self-reflection about his career. The film has played several\nfilm festivals and received praise from critics. They thought the subject was\nan entertaining eccentric and enjoyed visiting the old building and seeing art\nin the most unlikely of places.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Jirga<\/em> \u2013 A former soldier from Australia who served in\nAfghanistan decides to return to the war-torn country and attempt to find the\nfamily of a man whom he accidentally killed during the conflict. Hoping to be\ngranted forgiveness and tie up loose ends for all involved, he eventually finds\nthe village and attempts to heal wounds. This low-budget, independent feature\nearned generally good notices from the press. They all appreciated the\nearnestness on display and attempts to bring a human side to the war. While a\nfew commented that it didn\u2019t ultimately make as big of an emotional impact as\nhoped for, most thought that its attempts were laudable and admired the overall\npicture overall. It features Sam Smith and Mohammad Mosam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Legend of the Demon Cat<\/em> \u2013 Set during the Tang dynasty\nin China, this foreign-language fantasy picture involves a poet and a monk who are\ntasked with solving a strange murder. The pair soon discover that it is all\ntied to a black cat with supernatural powers\u2026 who may be possessing others and\ncausing havoc in the city. As it turns out, they learn that a hidden secret about\nthe kingdom and empire could help stop this unusual threat. Reaction was upbeat\ntowards this oddball creation. A small grouping didn\u2019t find the story involving\nand critiqued the picture for relying too much on visuals. However, almost all\nothers called the movie silly yet extremely entertaining, with jaw-dropping\nimagery and high level of humor and enthusiasm. \nXuan Huang, Shota Sometani and Yuqi Zhang headline the feature. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Luce<\/em> \u2013 A married American couple adopt a young boy\nfrom war-torn Eritrea. Nearly a decade later, the youngster is an all-star academic\nat his high school. When he turns in an assignment about a historical figure\nwhom he admires, his teacher becomes concerned about the content and contacts\nthe parents. This sets off a chain of events as tensions rise between all\nparties and fractures form both at school and at home. Reviews were excellent\nfor this heavy drama. It appears that one or two found the themes too serious\nwithout offering clear answers. However, that it exactly what others enjoyed\nabout it, calling the performances first rate and stating that the movie forces\neveryone to think about and deal with controversial subjects. It stars Naomi\nWatts, Octavia Spencer, Tim Roth and Kelvin Harrison Jr. The movie is currently\nonly being made available on DVD, so hopefully a Blu-ray release will follow\nshortly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Mike Wallace is Here<\/em> \u2013 60 Minutes<\/em> newsman Mike\nWallace is the subject of this documentary. The film charts his storied career,\nhis personal troubles and shows archival footage of some his most famous and\ncombative interviews. Over the course of the running time, viewers get a\nsharper picture of the man, how he thought, and approached his many discussions\nwith famous and powerful figures worldwide. Critics greatly enjoyed this title\nas well. A few complained that some of the film\u2019s attempts to make comparisons between\nWallace and with modern-day journalistic techniques are a bit of a stretch. Regardless,\nthe consensus was that the film painted a sharp, clear and unflinching portrait\nof one of television\u2019s greatest interviewers. For those curious, please note\nthat this movie is being released on DVD only at this time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Rainbow<\/em> \u2013 Located in Los Angeles on the famous\nSunset Strip, the Rainbow Bar & Grill is considered one of the country\u2019s\nmost iconic Rock \u2018n Roll venues. This documentary details its history and the\nmany crazy shows, events and meetings that have occurred on the property and\ntransformed the business. Using interviews with various participants and\nmusicians, viewers will learn all about the spot and the various celebrities\nwho have passed through its doors. The picture is debuting on disc, so there\ncurrently aren\u2019t any reviews available for it as of yet. Still, it boasts\ndiscussions and interviews with plenty of familiar faces, including Slash, Ozzy\nOsbourne, Gene Simmons, Mickey Dolenz, Lita Ford, Lemmy, Robert Lamm and Steve\nRiley.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Santa Girl<\/em> \u2013 The second Christmas-themed movie to hit\nstore shelves just in time for Halloween is this romantic comedy about a\nSanta\u2019s daughter, Cassie. Wanting to experience the real world before she is\nmarried to the son of Jack Frost, Cassie is allowed to attend college for a\nsemester before heading back to the North Pole. She then falls for a sweet,\nkind classmate, causing her to question the future that has been planned for\nher.  This is another picture that is\npremiering on disc, and so there is no word on it from the press. It certainly\nsounds like the kind of flick you\u2019d find on the Hallmark Channel, though. The\ncast includes Barry Bostwick, Jennifer Stone and Devon Werkheiser. Merry\nHalloween!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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As you might have guessed, there are plenty of horror-themed\nreleases arriving this week. Arrow Video is releasing a Limited Edition \u2013\nSpecial Edition Blu-ray of An American Werewolf in London<\/em> (1981). The\npicture is about a pair of friends backpacking across the UK. When they are\nattacked by a strange creature on the moors, one of them begins to wonder if he\nhasn\u2019t been turned into a monster himself. This werewolf film was famous in its\nday for deftly mixing scares with a sense of dark humor (which was revolutionary\nat the time) and it still stands as one of the best of its kind. Not only is it\nboth chilling and funny, but it also features an on-camera man-to-monster\ntransformation that was so good, it earned make-up effects man Rick Baker an\nAcademy Award. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The movie has been given a new 4K restoration from the original camera negative, and comes with two commentary tracks (one with stars David Naughton and Griffin Dunne and another with a movie historian and authority), a new documentary on the feature, a second new feature-length documentary on werewolf pictures in general, a recent talk with writer\/director John Landis (Animal House<\/em>, The Blues Brothers<\/em>, Three Amigos<\/em>, Coming to America<\/em>), a piece on the movie\u2019s legendary effects, extra interviews with cast and crew, outtakes, publicity material and so much more. It has got everything you could possibly want and more. Read all about the release right here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The same company are also putting out The Ringu\nCollection<\/em>, a 3-disc Blu-ray Collector\u2019s Edition Set that includes the\nentire Japanese horror series. Ringu<\/em> (1998) is about a reporter\ninvestigating an urban legend about a videotape that can kill the viewer if\nthey don\u2019t pass it along and make another person watch it within a limited time\nframe. The movie was remade for US audiences in 2002 as The Ring<\/em>, but\nmany consider the first film the most effective.  This set includes Ringu<\/em> along with Ringu\n2<\/em> (1999), the origin story Ringu 0<\/em> (2000), and the \u201clost\u201d original\nsequel, The Spiral<\/em> (1998) aka Rasen<\/em>. You\u2019ll get a brand new 4K\nrestoration from the original camera negative of the first title, as well a\nhistorian audio track and a critic commentary, interviews on the series and its\ninfluence on horror, discussions on the career of director Hideo Nakata, new\ntalks about the series, deleted scenes and other extras. And if you\u2019re only\ninterested in the original feature, you can also buy it on Blu-ray separately\nfrom the box set.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And there\u2019s more. Arrow Academy have a Blu-ray of Man of\na Thousand Faces<\/em> (1957) with James Cagney playing the legendary silent film\nstar, Lon Chaney. It follows the effects man\u2019s early life as a clown and work\nplaying the Hunchback of Notre Dame and Phantom of the Opera onscreen. The film\nhas been given a brand-new restoration from the original negative by Arrow\nFilms and includes a film scholar commentary, a look at Chaney and his legacy,\nan image gallery and the original trailer. Sounds like a great disc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Not to be outdone, Shout! Factory have some fantastic titles\nas well. The first is a Collector\u2019s Edition Blu-ray of The Blob<\/em> (1988),\na remake of the 1958 chiller about a jellified substance from space attacking\nand absorbing the residents of a small town. While it wasn\u2019t a big hit with\naudiences or critics during its initial release, it\u2019s actually about as\nimpressive a redo as one could ever hope for. The effects work was a vast\nimprovement over the first film and the screenplay was much sharper than it was\never given credit for being. Co-writer Frank Darabont would later be praised\nfor his work as writer\/director on The Shawshank Redemption<\/em> (1994), The\nGreen Mile<\/em> (1999) and the first season of the hit TV-series, The Walking\nDead<\/em> (2010). This release includes a new audio commentary with director\nChuck Russell (The Mask<\/em>) and a second track with co-star Shawnee Smith.\nAdditionally, the Blu-ray includes interviews with just about every cast and\ncrew member (with the exception of Darabont), as well an archived commentary\ntrack with the director and all of the film\u2019s marketing materials. Horror fans\nwill certainly enjoy this underrated title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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They also can\u2019t go wrong with the Hammer flick, The Devil\nRides Out<\/em> (1968), which features Christopher Lee as a man trying to protect\na youngster from a sinister cult who will stop at nothing to bring the youth\ninto their fold. It\u2019s a fast-paced and exciting little UK Hammer horror effort\nand the Blu-ray has been given a wealth of materials. You\u2019ll get a new 2K scan\nof the 20th<\/sup> Century Fox interpositive of the film, as well as a\nrestored master from Studio Canal in Europe. It also comes with a new movie\nhistorian audio commentary, some talks with other experts about the feature, an\narchived commentary with the late, great Christopher Lee, specials on the\nmaking-of the picture, a World of Hammer episode and trailers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On a less horrific note, you can now pick up the teen\nromantic comedy Private School<\/em> (1983) on Blu-ray. This title stars\nPhoebe Cates and Matthew Modine, and the disc includes new interviews with\nModine and cast member Betsy Russell, an audio commentary with another cast\nmember, a teen film expert informational track, a VHS version of the feature\nand marketing materials. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Criterion are also bringing some monsters to disc for the\nholiday. They have a massive box set, Godzilla: The Showa-Era Films<\/em>\n(1954 \u2013 1975) which contains the big green lizard\u2019s first 15 movies (and 17\ncuts, since there were a couple of versions of the original and 1963\u2019s King\nKong vs. Godzilla<\/em>). You get all of the great flicks like Destroy All\nMonsters<\/em> (1968), and the extremely enjoyable but not-so-great sequels like Godzilla\nvs. Megalon<\/em> (1973) and 1976\u2019s Son of Godzilla<\/em> (which actually has\nthe identical plot as the later Hollywood hit, Home Alone<\/em>). The set\nincludes film historian audio commentaries on a few of the titles, interviews\nwith authorities and experts on Japanese monster movies, programs detailing the\nspecial effects, new interviews with cast and crew members, a feature on the\nreal-life tragedy that inspired the original movie and so much more. If you\nhave the dough available, this is a must-own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The distributor also has the drama Matewan<\/em> (1987)\nfrom writer\/director John Sayles. This one is set in West Virginia and details\na coal miner strike from 1920 that develops into a violent revolt. It was\nnominated for several Oscars and comes highly recommended. The movie has been\nreceived a new 4K restoration, a director and cinematographer commentary, a new\ndocumentary on the making of the film with interviews including most of the\ncast and crew, as well as programs on the production design, the score and\npublicity materials. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Two Evil Eyes<\/em> (1990) is also getting a Blu-ray\nupgrade courtesy of Blue Underground in the form of a 3-disc Limited Edition.\nThis film tells two stories based on the written work of Edgar Allan Poe from\ndirectors George A. Romero (Night of the Living Dead<\/em>, Dawn of the\nDead<\/em>, Creepshow<\/em>) and Dario Argento (Deep Red<\/em>, Suspiria<\/em>).\nIt\u2019s a fun little horror flick that should satisfy fans of the filmmakers.\nAccording to reports, the disc includes a spotless 4K restoration of the\nfeature on Blu-ray and DVD (and a CD of the score), as well as a fresh\ncommentary from an Argento expert, new interviews with most of the cast and\ncrew, archived interviews with Romero and Argento, a look at the special\neffects by Tom Savini and a trip to his home, which is filled with props from\nhis career. There\u2019s too much to go into here, but the disc generally looks\ngreat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Vinegar Syndrome are a label devoted to small and obscure\nlittle genre films. This week, they\u2019re releasing a number of titles to Blu-ray.\nAmityville: The Cursed Collection<\/em> (1989 \u2013 1996) is a box set that contains\nfour of the later sequels in the Amityville<\/em> franchise (when follow-ups\nbegan hitting the market as straight-to-video releases). The titles include The\nEvil Escapes<\/em> (1989), It\u2019s About Time<\/em> (1992), A New Generation<\/em>\n(1993) and Dollhouse<\/em> (1996). All the films have been newly scanned and\nrestored in 4K and come with interviews with the directors as well as some of\nthe crew members. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They also have Blu-rays of Berserker<\/em> (1987), Beyond\nthe Door III<\/em> (1989), Bloody New Year<\/em> (1987), Nightbeast<\/em>\n(1982), Satan\u2019s Slave<\/em> (1976), Unmasked Part 25<\/em> (1989) and Watch\nMe When I Kill<\/em> (1977). The picture quality on all of the titles has been\nupgraded so they should look much sharper than they ever have before, and each\ncomes with a few extras as well. The last title listed is a Special Edition and\nwill have even more bonuses. If B-movie horror is your thing, you may find\nsomething here to your liking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kino have a wide variety of high definition releases too. First,\nthere\u2019s the box set, The 3D Nudie Cuties Collection<\/em> (1951 \u2013 1962)\ncontains a series of R-rated adult films featuring an added dimension \u2013 one of\nwhich was co-directed by a very young Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather<\/em>,\nApocalypse Now<\/em>). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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On a completely different note, you can pick up a Special Edition\nBlu-ray of the Oscar-nominated Kundun<\/em> (1997) from Martin Scorcese (Taxi\nDriver<\/em>, Goodfellas<\/em>, The Departed<\/em>). It tells the life story and\ndifficulties faced by the 14th<\/sup> Dalai Lama. The disc includes a\nfeature-length making-of documentary, an hour-long doc on the Dalai Lama, a 30-minute\ntalk with Scorcese, the full EPK, a film historian audio commentary and\ninterviews with the movie\u2019s composer and editor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also pick up the Michael J. Fox show-biz comedy Life\nwith Mikey<\/em> (1993) on Blu-ray, in addition to the French film La\nMarseillaise<\/em> (1938) and the anthology comedy New York Stories<\/em> (1989),\nwhich features three different segments directed by Martini Scorcese, Francis\nFord Coppola and Woody Allen. Additionally, the distributor has a Special Edition\nBlu-ray of the women-in-prison picture, Nightmare in Badham County<\/em>\n(1976). This release includes 2K transfers of two cuts of the film (the TV and\nR-ratecd theatrical cut) along with a director interview and a film historian\ncommentary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Severin also has some B-movie horror coming your way on\nBlu-ray. Their titles include Byleth: The Demon of Incest<\/em> (1972), a\nLimited Edition of Paganini Horror<\/em> (1989) and the old monster movie, Werewolf\nin a Girls\u2019 Dormitory<\/em> (1961).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

VCI have decided to release the Bela Lugosi flick, The\nHuman Monster<\/em> (1939) aka Dark Eyes of London on Blu-ray. This one arrives\nwith a film historian commentary and a few other bonuses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mill Creek are well known for their affordably priced Blu-rays.\nThis week sees them putting out a double feature disc of Little Women<\/em>\n(1994) and Marie Antoinette<\/em> (2006).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Warner Archive have a couple of notable made-to-order Blu-rays\nto boast about as well. The first is the Oscar-winning Jack Lemmon drama, Days\nof Wine and Roses<\/em> (1962), about a young woman who marries an alcoholic and\ndevelops his affliction. The second is the Jackie Chan action flick, Mr.\nNice Guy<\/em> (1997). It\u2019s about a reported who videotapes a gangland deal and is\nhunted down. She accidentally bumps into a chef\/TV-show host and switches tapes\nwith him. He must use his kung-fu to avoid being killed by various thugs. Sammo\nHung directs and has a part in the proceedings. The film has been given a new 4K\nscan of the original camera negative and is presented in its complete form (the\nNorth American theatrical release had 9 minutes of material edited out of it). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s the 25th<\/sup> anniversary of the animated feature\nThe Swan Princess<\/em> (1994) and Sony are celebrating with a Blu-ray release.\nLoosely based on the ballet Swan Lake, it features the voice talent of Jack\nPalance, Sandy Duncan, Steven Wright and John Cleese. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Finally, some of the bigger studios are also making a few catalogue titles available in 4K with improved picture and sound. Lionsgate have the fun, underrated Arnold Schwarzenegger\/Jim Belushi buddy action flick, Red Heat<\/em> (1988). It was directed by action veteran Walter Hill (The Warriors<\/em>, Southern Comfort<\/em>, 48 Hrs.<\/em>, Streets of Fire<\/em>, Trespass<\/em>, Last Man Standing<\/em>) and has some great interplay between its leads. Paramount are rereleasing the Jimmy Stewart classic, It\u2019s A Wonderful Life<\/em> (1946) on Blu-ray. And Warner Bros. would like you to be aware of a new 80th<\/sup> Anniversary 4K edition of the family favorite, The Wizard of Oz<\/em> (1939). Most of these titles come pack with the same extras along with the picture upgrade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Here are some titles that may appeal to youngsters and the\nyoung-at-heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Swan Princess<\/em> (1994) 25th<\/sup> Anniversary
The Wizard of Oz<\/em> (1939) 80th<\/sup> Anniversary 4K Edition <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

And here are the week\u2019s TV-themed releases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Animal Babies: First Year on Earth <\/em>(PBS)
Batman Beyond<\/em>: The Complete Series & Return of the Joker<\/em> (Animated)
A Discovery of Witches<\/em>: Series 1
A French Village<\/em>: The Complete Series
Queens of Mystery<\/em>: Series 1
Warrior<\/em>: Season 1 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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