{"id":19411,"date":"2019-11-05T00:16:17","date_gmt":"2019-11-05T08:16:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=19411"},"modified":"2019-11-05T00:16:17","modified_gmt":"2019-11-05T08:16:17","slug":"blu-ray-dvd-roundup-for-november-5th-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=19411","title":{"rendered":"Blu-ray\/DVD Roundup for November 5th, 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Hello and welcome to another look at highlights arriving this\nweek on Blu-ray and DVD. There\u2019s a little mix of everything in this edition\nthat includes big Hollywood productions along with small, independent efforts. As\nalways, you can click on any links you see to find out more about some of the\nreleases. So, if you can\u2019t make it out to the movies this week, be sure to give\none of these titles a try!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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Ambition<\/em> \u2013 This independent thriller involves a young\nviolinist preparing for a life-changing audition. However, when a suspicious\ndeath occurs the musician begins to fear that she may be the next target. The\nlead starts to suspect her friends of the crime, as well as a mysterious new\nneighbor who has just moved in. She must determine who the responsible party is\nbefore she ends up dead. This picture is directed by New Line Cinema founder\nRobert Shaye and is making its debut on disc through Shout! Factory. It\nreceived a limited run at theaters a few weeks ago and there haven\u2019t been any\nreviews posted yet, so interested parties will just have to take a listen\nwithout any prior knowledge. The cast includes Katherine Hughes, Jared Bankens\nand Dylan McNamara. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Art of Racing in the Rain<\/em> \u2013 Based on the bestselling novel, this drama follows an aspiring Formula One racer whose life is narrated from the point of view of this pet dog. As the man meets his wife, gets married, has a child, begins his career, and goes through various joys and trials, the pooch offers his own analysis of the events and deciphers what it all means. More critics disliked the philosophies being relayed than enjoyed them. A smaller contingent suggested that it stirred up emotions in them and worked better than other titles of its ilk. Still, most commented that it was clich\u00e9d, ridiculously sentimental and ultimately came across as false and manipulative. It stars Milo Ventimiglia, Amanda Seyfried, Kathy Baker, Marin Donovan, Gary Cole and Kevin Costner (as the voice of the dog). To read this site\u2019s less-than-enthusiastic review, click here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Boy Genius<\/em> \u2013 A 12-year-old prodigy enrolls in high\nschool, struggling to make new chums. When his friendly older brother is\naccused of theft and those around threaten to send him to boarding school, the\nlead becomes determined to use his brain in order to prove his sibling\u2019s\ninnocence. He enlists the help of fellow outcasts as well as eccentric adults,\nincluding a science teacher and a crime novelist. This independent comedy\nreceived a very limited release at cinemas about a month ago and is now hitting\ndisc. Reviews were generally mixed. Just about all of the write-ups said that\nthe cast were charming and likable, but warned that the story itself was fluffy\nand didn\u2019t amount to much more than something you\u2019d see on TV. It features\nMiles Brown, Rita Wilson, Nora Dunn, Skylan Brooks and Zach Gilford.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Corporate Animals<\/em> \u2013 Corporate team-building exercises are poked fun at in this horror\/comedy. A megalomaniac CEO decides to drag her assistants and employees and do some spelunking in New Mexico. When they become trapped underground and have to wait for a rescue party, the angry group must fight the urge to turn on each other. Of course, they fail, and violence (as well as cannibalism) soon follows. The press didn\u2019t find this effort all that amusing or scary. A small group did admire the performers and some of the outrageous and unhinged behavior displayed. However, the consensus was that the characters were difficult to like and that viewers would get tired of the screaming and fighting pretty quickly. Demi Moore, Ed Helms, Jessica Williams <\/a>and Karan Soni headline the feature. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw<\/em> \u2013 This spin-off of the Fast & Furious<\/em> series follows two enemies, one a lawman and the other a criminal, who are forced into partnering when the world is threatened by a cyber-terrorist. Along the way, further tensions and bickering arises between the leads arise when one of the heroes falls for the other\u2019s sister (who also happens to be a secret agent). Notices were more positive than negative for the latest entry in this franchise. While the cast were likable, some suggested that the story was so brainless and dopey that the movie felt like a missed opportunity. Still, slightly more commented that the picture was enjoyable dopey and self-aware of its silliness. Now audiences can decide for themselves. It features Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Idris Elba, Vanessa Kirby, Cliff Curtis and Helen Mirren. To read this site\u2019s full review, click here<\/a>.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Kitchen<\/em> \u2013 Set in the 1970s, this flick follows the wives of a group of gangsters working out of Hell\u2019s Kitchen. After the men are all arrested and sent to prison, their spouses decide to take over the criminal family business, learning on the fly how to deal with their competition and the FBI, using any means necessary. Unfortunately, reaction towards this drama was far-than-enthusiastic. A few did enjoy seeing the female cast take charge and violently oust their competition. Still, many critics stated that the script was lacking, failing to develop its characters properly or present situations that were in any way believable. The movie stars Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish, Elisabeth Moss, Domhnall Gleeson <\/a>and James Badge Dale. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Life Without Basketball<\/em> \u2013 This documentary tells the\nstory of Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir, a female college basketball player who, due to her\nreligious beliefs, dressing in a hijab while competing on the courts. The honor\nstudent broke several records while playing in college for the University of\nMemphis, but found her professional career stalled after FIBA (the organization\nwho govern the sport of basketball worldwide) refused to allow her to play in\ntraditional garb. This documentary details the athlete life\u2019s after the ruling and\nher attempts to start a non-profit organization to promote the game and help\ninspire youngsters to stay true to their beliefs. The doc has played a few\nfestivals to positive response and is now debuting on disc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Live the Stream: The Story of Joe Humphries<\/em> \u2013 For Joe\nHumphries, fly fishing is the most important thing in the entire world. This\nPennsylvanian fisherman is also a conservationist, author and educator striving\nto keep the practice alive and teaching anyone who will listen about his\nenthusiasm for the sport. This documentary uses interviews with the 90-year-old\nlegend along with family, friends and acquaintances to tell his life story, the\nimportance of keeping rivers clean and detail his fly-fishing techniques and the\npractices that he has learned over a lifetime. The film played numerous film\nfestivals and has won some awards along the way. It is now being released\nstraight-to-disc so that any fishing enthusiasts can catch up with it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Memory: The Origins of Alien<\/em> \u2013 It has been 40 years\nsince Alien <\/em>hit cinema screens, introducing an iconic monster, spawning\na franchise of films and building a massive fan base. This documentary goes\ninto exhaustive detail about how the concept for the original feature came to\nbe and how the movie itself was all put together. Pouring through the unseen archives\nof screenwriter Dan O\u2019Bannon and artist H.R. Giger, the project offers new\ninsight into the sci-fi\/horror masterpiece. On the whole, critics liked what\nwas presented to them. While a small number didn\u2019t think the movie was quite as\nin depth or revealing as it claimed to be and fawned over its creators too much,\nthe majority thought the details presented were interesting and added insight\ninto the film\u2019s subtext.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ophelia<\/em> \u2013 Most know the name Ophelia from the\nShakespeare play Hamlet<\/em>. This take on the character tells the famous\ntale from her perspective. Set in Demark, the story follows her response to the\nevents involving a young prince driven mad by the need for vengeance after his\nfather is murdered by his uncle. This version details Ophelia\u2019s struggle to\nchoose between her boyfriend and the kingdom\u2019s rulers. The press had a mixed\nreception to the picture. Almost half thought the storytelling was clunky and\npacing lax, also noting that those who knew the play wouldn\u2019t appreciate all of\nthe changes and modernizations to the text. Slightly more admired the cast and\nwrote that it was a phenomenal-looking, if melodramatic adaptation. It stars\nDaisy Ridley, Naomi Watts, Clive Owen, George McKay and Tom Felton.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark<\/em> \u2013 Based on the\npopular young adult book series, this horror anthology is set in 1968 and follows\nthree friends who meet a mysterious drifter carrying a sinister notebook of terrifying\nstories\u2026 a text that also transcends time. The kids read several of these tales,\nonly to find themselves a part of the story by the time they reach the climax. Overall,\nreviewers gave this creeper reasonable marks. Nearly a quarter of them\ncomplained that the movie was too derivative of other horror anthologies and\ndidn\u2019t stand out from the pack. However, three times as many thought the clich\u00e9s\nwere well delivered and noted that the movie providing plenty of fun jolts and\nspooky monsters. The cast includes Zoe Margaret Colletti, Michael Garza, Gabriel\nRush, Austin Abrams and Dean Norris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Undercover Brother 2 <\/em>\u2013 The original Undercover Brother<\/em>\nwas an amusing little comedy starring Eddie Griffin that was released way back in\n2002. It was about a secret agent attempting to stop \u201cThe Man\u201d and his syndicate\n(known as The Organization) from unleashing a hallucinogenic drug and turning\nthe public into brainless zombies. This sequel of sorts picks up with the\noriginal lead and his brother being found frozen in a snow drift. Unfortunately,\nthe younger brother is the only one of the pair whom rescuers are able to thaw\nout. As a result, the sibling is forced to take on \u201cThe Man\u201d and another threat\nto the black community. This picture is debuting on disc and so as of right now\nthere are absolutely no reviews of it available. It features Michael Jai White,\nBarry Bostwick, Jeff Daniel Phillips and Gary Owen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Wrong Todd<\/em> \u2013 This independent sci-fi\/comedy tells\nthe story of a man whose relatively happy life comes under attack from an\nunexpected visitor\u2026 his evil twin from a parallel universe. Specifically, the sinister\narrival has designs on stealing the lead\u2019s girlfriend, forcing the hero to try\nand convince his partner that he is the more suitable and valuable partner to spend\nher life with. This small feature has played a few film festivals in Austin, Los\nAngeles and Rhode Island and has received some positive notices. The write-ups\nthat have appeared online call the film a simple but sweet and heartfelt\nexamination of how we all need to change and adapt in relationships. Jesse\nRosen, Anna Rizzo and Sean Carmichael headline the feature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Yinz<\/em> \u2013 Here\u2019s another little production made on a\nshoestring in Pennsylvania. It has played a couple of festivals but is also making\nits official debut on disc. According to the plot synopsis, it is about the\nlives of three upper class teenagers and how their world is turned completely\nupside down after an unexpected murder. Nothing else is known about the picture\nat this time other than the fact that it is categorized as a thriller. Once\nagain, there have been no official reviews either, so those curious about this independent\neffort will have to simply take a chance on it without any other information.\nThe cast includes Samuel H. Levine, Hailey Hansard and Teo Rapp-Olsson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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It\u2019s another busy week for classic and, well, not-so-classic\ntitles receiving high definition upgrades. Arrow Video have a Special Edition\nBlu-ray of the thriller, Apprentice to Murder<\/em> (1988). This film is set during\na sickness that is plaguing a community in the early 19th<\/sup> century.  An investigation is undertaken by a young man\nand faith healer to find the cause of the outbreak. It stars Chad Lowe and Donald\nSutherland. This disc includes a new 2K restoration of the film, a film critic audio\ncommentary, a talk about religious horror cinemas with an expert in the field,\nan interview with the cinematographer and the make-up supervisor, as well as a\ntrailer. Sounds like an interesting release.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Shout! Factory are delivering a Collector\u2019s Edition Blu-ray\nof the period drama, Snow Falling on Cedars<\/em> (1999). It features Ethan\nHawke as a journalist reporting on a murder case that he discovers involves his\nex-lover. This title arrives with a new 4K transfer supervised by the cinematographer\n(Robert Richardson), as well as a look back on the movie with writer\/director Scott\nHicks (Shine<\/em>, Hearts in Atlantis<\/em>), the author of the novel that\nthe film is based upon, the director of photography and composer. There is also\na look at this new restoration with Richardson (who recently shot Hugo<\/em>\nand Once Upon a Time\u2026 in Hollywood<\/em>), a feature commentary with Hicks,\ndeleted scenes and a trailer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kino have a large grouping of Blu-rays as well. First is the\nbox set, Hitchcock: British International Pictures Collection<\/em> (1927 \u2013\n1931) which includes five movies made in the UK from early in the director\u2019s\ncareer. Titles include the silent features The Ring<\/em> (1927), The\nFarmer\u2019s Wife<\/em> (1928), Champagne<\/em> (1928) and The Manxman<\/em> (1929),\nas well as one sound title, The Skin Game<\/em> (1931). The set includes new\nscores for some of the pictures, archival audio interviews with Hitchcock, and film\nhistorian commentaries on some of the flicks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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You can also pick up a Special Edition of the well-regarded UK\ncrime\/drama It Always Rains on Sunday<\/em> (1947). This film noir production\nfrom Ealing Studios is considered by many to be one of the greatest British titles\never and comes with a film historian commentary, and a piece on the production\nas well as the locations. Speaking of film noir, they are also putting out a\nSpecial Edition Blu-ray of the thriller, The Man Between<\/em> (1953). This feature\nfrom Carol Reed (The Third Man<\/em>, The Running Man<\/em>) also comes with a\nfilm expert commentary track, a lengthy piece on director Reed, as well as an\ninterview with cast member Claire Bloom and a 1967 BFI audio talk with star\nJames Mason. Additionally, Kino are releasing the US film-noir Naked Alibi<\/em>\n(1954) with Sterling Hayden. It comes with a film historian commentary as well\nas a trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The distributor is also making available the more recent high\nschool-set drama, New Port South<\/em> (2001), as well as the UK-made atom\nbomb thriller, Seven Days to Noon<\/em> (1950). They\u2019ve also got the Hollywood\nfilm-noir, Woman in Hiding<\/em> (1950). The first two Blu-rays include\ntrailers, while the third features a film historian commentary track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Budget friendly Mill Creek Entertainment have decided to get on the holiday bandwagon and put out the very cheesy Santa With Muscles<\/em> (1996) on Blu-ray. Hulk Hogan leads the cast of this critically reviled comedy about an evil millionaire on the run who disguises himself as Santa Claus, takes a knock to the head and awakens to believe that he is the real figure. The cast includes a young Mila Kunis, as well as Garrett Morris, Clint Howard and Ed Begley, Jr.. It may provide some inexpensive high definition entertainment for bad movie fans.     <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Believe it or not, Galaxy Quest<\/em> (1999) was released two decades ago and Paramount are celebrating with their \u201c20th<\/sup> Anniversary – Never Give Up, Never Surrender Special Edition.\u201d The movie comes in a Steelbook package and, one assumes, includes all of the previously released extras.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Universal are also putting out a couple of catalogue titles Blu-rays. This week, they include the well-reviewed Ellen Burstyn fantasy\/drama, Resurrection <\/em>(1980). It\u2019s about a woman who loses her husband in a car accident and awakens to find that she suddenly has healing powers. Additionally, a 4K Steelbook of the Oscar-winning WWII drama, Schindler\u2019s List<\/em> (1993), will be hitting shelves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Speaking of re-releases, Lionsgate have decided to give\nEdgar Wright\u2019s Cornetto Trilogy<\/em> a picture upgrade. That means this week you\ncan pick up 4K Blu-ray ray editions of Shaun of the Dead<\/em> (2004), Hot\nFuzz<\/em> (2007) and The World\u2019s End<\/em> (2013). They\u2019re all exceptional\nmovies and well worth picking up if you haven\u2019t already. Now you can pick up the\nset along with some drumstick ice-cream cones and get in on the fun.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Disney are giving the long-forgotten sequel, 101\nDalmations II: Patch\u2019s London Adventure<\/em> (2003) a Blu-ray release. Finally,\nthey are also getting on the 4K bandwagon by re-releasing several of their\nanimated titles with improved picture quality. The titles coming your way include\nBig Hero 6<\/em> (2014), Moana<\/em> (2016), The Princess and the Frog<\/em>\n(2009), Tangled<\/em> (2010), and Zootopia<\/em> (2016).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

There is lots of kid-friendly entertainment arriving this\nweek. The highlights are listed below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

101 Dalmations II: Patch\u2019s London Adventure<\/em> (2003) Disney
The Berenstain Bears: Lend A Helping Hand<\/em> (PBS Kids)
Big Hero 6<\/em> (2014) 4K
Christmas Break-In<\/em> (2018 family TV-movie with Denise Richards and Danny Glover)
Christmas With Molang\ufeff<\/em>
Garfield and Friends<\/em>: Season 2
Merry Christmas Llama Llama!<\/em>
Moana<\/em> (2016) 4K
The Princess and the Frog<\/em> (2009) 4K
Tangled<\/em> (2010) 4K
The Wiggles \u2013 Party Time!\ufeff<\/em>
Zootopia<\/em> (2016) 4K
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On the Tube!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And here are all of the TV-related discs coming your way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bronx SIU<\/em>: Season 2
Christmas Break-In<\/em> (2018 family TV-movie with Denise Richards and Danny Glover)
Christmas Everlasting<\/em> (Hallmark TV-movie)
Garfield and Friends<\/em>: Season 2
A Godwink Christmas<\/em> (Hallmark TV-movie)
Good Omens<\/em> (Amazon)
A Joyous Christmas<\/em> (Hallmark TV-movie)
Letterkenny<\/em>: Seasons 1 & 2
Ms. Fisher\u2019s Modern Murder Mysteries<\/em>: Series 1
Odyssey: The Chamber Music Society in Greece<\/em>
Road to Christmas<\/em> (Hallmark TV-movie)
Rocky Mountain Christmas<\/em> (Hallmark TV-movie)
The Simple Heist<\/em>: Series 2
Yellowstone<\/em>: Season 2
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