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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nBroken Swords: The Last in Line<\/em> \u2013 This independent\neffort takes its cue from fantasy shows like Game of Thrones<\/em>. According\nthe plot synopsis, it\u2019s about a group of 12 mercenaries protecting an important\nfigure from vast invading forces. They are forced to take shelter in a barn and\nargue over their next move as their enemies close in. Alas, this picture is\ndebuting on disc and as such there are no reviews at present. Those who decide\nto give it a chance shouldn\u2019t expect too much, especially given its small budget\nand fresh faces in the cast and crew. Kelly Lynn Reiter, Clark Sarullo, Jason\nVail, Geo Kaiser and Tom Gore take on the lead roles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Bulletproof 2<\/em> \u2013 The original Bulletproof<\/em> was a\n1996 comedy flick featuring Damon Wayans and Adam Sandler about a criminal who\nreveals to an underworld pal that he\u2019s actually an undercover federal agent.\nThis follow-up recasts the characters and reunites them some 25 years later.\nWhile out on a new assignment to infiltrate and take down a South African crime\nfamily, the agent decides to use his old pal\u2019s identity, which puts both of the\nmen in danger and brings them back into contact. It\u2019s a difficult concept to\nbuy into and the flick is debuting on disc without having been shown to anyone,\nso those interested should approach it with caution. It features Faizon Love,\nKirk Fox and Tony Todd. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Chained for Life<\/em> \u2013 A talented actress decides to take part in the English-language debut of a visionary European filmmaker. She has difficulty adjusting to the experience and struggles to get along with her co-star, a man with a facial disfigurement. This indie effort is said to be a satirical drama and it received uniformly exceptional notices from the press. They called it a completely unique film that takes you in unexpected directions and has a very sharp edge. The film was also complimented for its attempts to address and critique our traditional, old-fashioned concepts and ideas of beauty. Jess Wexler, Adam Pearson, Stephen Plunkett <\/a>and Charlie Korsmo headline the feature. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Crown Vic<\/em> \u2013 In this gritty drama, a veteran Los\nAngeles cop heads out on the beat with a new recruit. Over the course of one\nevening, they must contend with two cop killers roaming the streets, another\nrogue vigilante officer out to settle a score\u2026 as well as seeking out a missing\ngirl. Sounds like a tense and dangerous night. Critics were generally positive\nabout this effort. A small percentage complained that the characters weren\u2019t\neasy to empathize with and that many of the story elements were overly\nfamiliar. However, more admired the performances and thought that while\nfamiliar, this was an effectively told story with a few striking moments. It\nstars Thomas Jane, David Krumholtz and Bridget Moynahan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Depraved<\/em> \u2013 Mary Shelley\u2019s Frankenstein<\/em> gets a\nfresh update in this independent horror flick. A disillusioned Brooklyn field\nsurgeon with PTSD (caused from his time serving overseas as a medic) decides to\nfashion a man out of body parts and bring it to life. Despite being initially\nsuccessful, the creator finds it increasingly hard to teach his creation how to\nsurvive in the modern world. The press was quite positive about the finished\nresults. A few wrote that the movie didn\u2019t add enough that was new to really earn\nit a recommendation, but almost all others thought it did add a bit of\nemotional heft to the story and called the film a clever and effective\nmodernization of the famous monster tale. The cast includes David Call, Joshua\nLeonard and Alex Breaux. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Girl on the Third Floor<\/em> \u2013 Why do people keep\nattempting to live in haunted houses? This horror film tells another tale that\nfollows a troubled husband who decides to make up for past mistakes with his\nfamily by buying a home with a violent history and renovating it. He begins\ntearing down and rebuilding the property, only to find the home fighting back\nin unexpected ways. Notices actually weren\u2019t half bad for this little creeper.\nA small contingent did comment that the twists and turns were obvious, as well\nas its attempts to deal with the story\u2019s central themes. However, the majority thought\nthat it was a moody and unsettling film that handled the lead character\u2019s issues\nin an interesting manner. It features C.M. Punk, Trieste Kelly Dunn and Sarah\nBrooks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Imprisoned<\/em> \u2013 This drama involves an ex-con attempting\na positive change in life by making amends for his past and starting fresh with\nhis true love. Unfortunately, the town\u2019s new prison warden holds plenty of past\ngrudges against the protagonist, even going so far as to frame him for a crime\nhe didn\u2019t commit and landing him back in jail. When a riot breaks out, it puts\nthe two men in direct conflict and forces the lead to make a choice between\nrevenge and righteousness. Unfortunately, reviews for the picture were\nterrible. They suggested that while well-meaning, the end result was slow,\nclumsy and ineffective. Laurence Fishburne, Juan Pablo Raba, Juana Acosta, Esai\nMorales and Edward James Olmos headline the film. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Joker<\/em> \u2013 The week\u2019s biggest release is this new take on the iconic Batman villain. It\u2019s an origin story that follows the unhinged, aspiring comedian as he struggles while working as a clown-for-hire. As his life spirals downward and he is disregarded by co-workers and celebrities, the man begins to take drastic and dangerous actions to change his life. The movie was a huge hit and has even earned awards, but has received widely varied reactions from critics. Just about all of them praised the lead performance. However, a good portion found it superficial and didn\u2019t think all of the elements works. But in the end, more thought this dark examination of the character was intriguing and disturbing. It stars Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Francis Conroy and Brett Cullen. To read this site\u2019s review, click here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Lighthouse<\/em> \u2013 A pair of lighthouse workers in the 1890s arrive for a long stay on an isolated island and are forced to deal with unsettling events. As the weeks extend, the men begin witnessing odd things and even battling local seagulls. The pair eventually become antagonistic towards each other and struggle with their mental health. This unique psychological horror film was shot entirely in black and white. It earned strong reviews, although they did come with something of a warning. A few critiqued it for being beautiful but little more than that, stating that the pacing would eventually wear on the patience of viewers. Yet others were so impressed by the two leads and cinematography that they enjoyed simply soaking up the atmosphere. Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe play the lead roles. To read this site\u2019s review of the film, click here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Paradise Hills<\/em> \u2013 In this science-fiction flick, a\nteenager is transported to a boarding school on a mysterious island. The\ninstitute is revealed to be for upper class families, teaching beauty techniques,\nproper etiquette and manners in order to transform them into perfect versions\nof themselves. The protagonist befriends and teams up with other students to\ndetermine what is really going on at the school. The press was slightly more\npositive than negative about the feature. Those who disliked it commented that\nthis was a very weak, teenage take on The Stepford Wives<\/em> with\nunderdeveloped characters. Still, a slightly larger group thought it was trippy\nfun with lots of great visuals and a nifty concept. The cast includes Emma\nRoberts, Danielle Macdonald, Awkwafina, Eliza Gonzalez and Milla Jovovich.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Shed<\/em> \u2013 This independent horror picture follows\ntwo teens who are abused and mistreated by both caregivers and schoolmates. When\na monster arrives and takes up residence in a shed behind the house of one of\nthe kids, the two begin to plot how they might use the new arrival to their advantage.\nThis involves luring various bullying forces to the creature in the hopes of it\nridding their problems. Reaction towards this effort was reasonable. Almost\nhalf did complain that the characters followed all of the genre tropes and made\nunbelievably poor decisions, taking viewers out of the film. Still, slightly\nmore thought there was some subtext to the story and believed it would entertain\nhorror fans. It features Jay Jay Warren, Cody Kostro, Siobhan Fallon Hogan, Frank\nWhaley and Timothy Bottoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trespassers<\/em> \u2013 Two young couples going through a rough\npatch in their relationships decide to rent an isolated home out in the desert.\nThey try to unwind and reconnect with a wild weekend, but are interrupted by\nthe arrival of a stranded motorist. The strange woman asks to take refuge with\nthem, but before long masked killers arrive and the protagonists are put into mortal\njeopardy. Critics gave this thriller a mixed-positive reception. A large\ncontingent did say that while the movie looked good, the characters were dopey\nand that there were no surprises in the story. However, more did admit that the\nfeature was consistently tense and, at times, even shocking. Angela Trimbur,\nJanel Parrish, Fairuza Balk, Jonathan Howard and Zach Avery headline the title.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wild Bunch on Ice<\/em> \u2013 Here\u2019s a strange one that has\njust appeared on disc out of nowhere. It\u2019s a family film about a small-town kid\nwho dreams of being a hockey star. To do so, the boy decides to form a hockey\nteam with a diverse group of friends who have never played the game. Together,\nthey must organize and find a way to achieve their goals. Frankly, there is\nliterally no information about this title, other than it being an independent feature\nmade up in Edmonton, Alberta. Strangely enough, the lead character has also\nbeen featured in three other homemade indie films by the same writer\/director\nthat comedically depict his career in the majors. This prequel of sorts stars\nNick Armstrong, Brayden Belmore and Kevin Farley. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Blasts from the Past!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n T<\/strong>here are plenty of older titles arriving on Blu-ray this\nweek as well. Shout! Factory have The Final Programme<\/em> (1973) aka The\nLast Days of Man on Earth<\/em>. It\u2019s a British science-fiction flick about a scientist\nand computer expert searching for a man with self-replicating formula that\ncould bring about the end of the world. The disc includes a commentary track\nwith the director and lead actress as well as a US theatrical trailer and TV\nspot. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Kino have a Special Edition of the entertaining cult film, Brick<\/em>\n(2005). It\u2019s an effective neo-noir about a high school student (Joseph Gordon-Levitt)\ninvestigating the death of a loved one that takes him into the strange\nunderworld within his own educational institution. The Blu-ray includes a new 4K\nrestoration of the film supervised by director Rian Johnson (Knives Out<\/em>),\nas well as an audio commentary and 8 deleted and extended scenes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n They also have a Special Edition Blu-ray of the adventure flick Cobra Woman<\/em> (1944), which includes a film historian audio commentary. The same goes for the science fiction flick, Doctor Cyclops<\/em> (1940) aka Dr. Cyclops<\/em>, about a sinister madman who finds a way to shrink his enemies to a mere 14 inches in height. He then keeps his victims as captives, until they decide to fight back. Besides the commentary track and trailers, the movie has been given a new 4K master. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If Spaghetti Westerns are more to your liking, you have a trio of options. First, you can pick up a 4K restoration of The Hellbenders<\/em> (1967), which includes a commentary by filmmaker and western authority Alex Cox (Repo Man<\/em>, Sid & Nancy<\/em>, Straight to Hell<\/em>). And if you\u2019d like more, they have another Italian western called Kill Them All and Come Back Alone<\/em> (1968). The Blu-ray includes pretty much all of the same extra features as the previous title. The same goes for The Specialists<\/em> (1969), another Spaghetti Western. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And Kino also are putting out a Blu-ray of the British juvenile delinquent film, The Slasher<\/em> (1953) aka Cosh Boy<\/em>, which features Joan Collins in a supporting role. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Criterion are delivering a Blu-ray of the Katherine Hepburn\/Cary Grant romantic comedy, Holiday<\/em> (1938). It\u2019s about an eccentric, free-spirited man who falls for woman and must convince her parents that he\u2019s, well, not crazy and a good match for her. The stars and director of this well-regarded feature would reteam just a couple of years later on The Philadelphia Story<\/em>. Sounds like it’ll be a lot of fun for classic film fans. The movie has been given a 4K restoration and includes a 1930 film adaptation of the same story, a well as conversation with film critics about the movie and audio excerpts with the director recorded in 1970.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s also a new Bad Boys<\/em> film arriving in cinemas in\nthe next few weeks, and Sony are gearing up for the release by putting out a\ndouble feature disc the includes the first two titles in the series, Bad\nBoys<\/em> (1995) and Bad Boys II<\/em> (2003). <\/p>\n\n\n\n And finally, Scorpion are releasing a couple of action flicks\non Blu-ray, including the Ken Wuhl thriller Omega Syndrome<\/em> (1986) and\nthe Charles Durning home invasion flick, Stand Alone<\/em> (1985). Pam Grier\nand Stacey Keach also make appearances in the latter film. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You Know, For Kids!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are some titles that kids might enjoy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Highlights: Holiday Fun!<\/em> On the Tube!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n And these are the week\u2019s TV-themed releases. <\/p>\n\n\n\n American Masters: Rothko \u2013 Pictures Must Be Miraculous<\/em> (PBS) ![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/DVD-bulletproof-2-poster.jpg\")
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Wild Bunch on Ice<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Big Little Lies<\/em>: Season 2
NATURE: Okavango River of Dreams<\/em> (PBS)
NOVA: Why Bridges Collapse<\/em> (PBS)
Vera<\/em>: Set 9 <\/p>\n\n\n\n