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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n1917<\/em> \u2013 Set during WWI, this tale follows two soldiers tasked with crossing enemy lines and delivering an important message in the hopes of preventing thousands of troops from meeting their death. Using an uninterrupted single shot, the camera moves along with them as they attempt to reach their destination. This war movie was nominated for several Academy Awards including Best Picture. It won Best Cinematography and earned trophies in several other technical categories. Reviews were exceptional overall. There were one or two who found the unusual shooting style distracting. However, the majority stated that the movie was a triumph and allowed viewers to feel like they were on the front lines with the leads. It stars George MacKay, Dean-Charles Chapman, Mark Strong, Andrew Scott, Richard Madden, Claire Duburcq, Colin Firth and Benedict Cumberbatch. To read this site\u2019s review of the film, click here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Asako I & II<\/em> \u2013 This foreign-language film from Japan\ndetails a young woman in Osaka who falls for a man, only to have him disappear\nmysteriously. A couple of years later, she encounters another person who looks\nexactly like her original boyfriend, but has a completely different\npersonality. The lead is attracted to this new person, but must contend with\nfeelings of confusion about the two figures. The press enjoyed witnessing this drama\/romance.\nA small contingent did complain that the protagonist was so inwardly drawn that\nshe didn\u2019t make much of an impression. Still, far more found the concept\nintriguing. They were constantly kept on their toes as to what these strange and\nunexpected encounters meant and what was really going on. The cast includes\nErica Karata and Masahiro Higashide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cabal<\/em> \u2013 Here\u2019s another extremely low-budget, independent\ngenre B-movie that is making its premiere on disc. No one has seen it and there\nare no reviews available. The only piece of information about the flick that\ncan be obtained is a synopsis which states that it is about a military\nassassin, code named Dragonfly, that is hired to hunt and eliminate a serial\nkiller, Sallos, who is preying on innocent young girls. While on assignment, the\nprotagonist learns that there’s a much more sinister figure endangering out\nthere than originally anticipated. The filmmaker has plenty of titles credited to\nhim, all of them are of a similar style and made on a shoestring. Horror would probably\nbe wise to exercise caution. It features Eva Hamilton, Alexandra Fabbri and\nKeely Dervin. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Come to Daddy<\/em> \u2013 A 30-something man living with his\nmother and struggling with alcoholism receives a letter from his estranged\nfather asking him to visit. The lead heads out to his dad\u2019s secluded country home\nin the hopes of reconnecting. However, his parent\u2019s odd behavior makes him\nrealize that he has been invited under false pretenses. Before long, the son\nfinds himself in a waking nightmare. Critics enjoyed this creeper and gave it\nvery positive write-ups. A small group did think that it was all a bit silly as\nhorror pictures go, and eventually lost its way in the second half. However, a\ngreat many thought the flick was B-movie gold, calling it sharp, fun, shocking\nand bizarre in equal measure. It stars Elijah Wood, Stephen McHattie, Martin\nDonovan and Michael Smiley. <\/p>\n\n\n\n D-Day: Battle of Omaha Beach<\/em> \u2013 On the complete\nopposite end of the war movie spectrum, you can also pick up this title which\ndetails the Normandy Beach landings during WWII. In the feature, a group of\nelite American soldiers are tasked with a suicide mission that involves taking\nout a series of German machine gun nests. The group try to get to accomplish their\ngoals and survive the onslaught of bullets. This is another low-budget action\nflick that received a very limited release in a theater or two and is now debuting\non disc. There aren\u2019t any reviews available and it likely won\u2019t be exceptional,\nbut features a potentially amusing cast and might make for a surreal double\nbill with 1917<\/em>. Chuck Liddell, Weston Cage Coppola (son of Nicolas Cage),\nJesse Kove, Randy Couture and Martin Kove headline the film. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\u2019t Be a Dick About It<\/em> \u2013 This little documentary\nfollows a summer in the life of two young siblings in Maryland. It\u2019s a coming-of-age\ntale that depicts their idiosyncratic and unique personal hang-ups. Apparently,\none is terrified of dogs and the other is disturbed by the cereal Cheerios.\nViewers get the opportunity to learn the reasons behind their insecurities and witness\ntheir attempts to overcome these obstacles. The non-fiction film played at a\nfew film festivals and received some awards. It also earned plenty of good notices\nfrom reviewers. They enjoyed watching the young subjects and called the movie a\ncharming and humanistic doc that artfully captured the real and sometimes challenging\nrelationships between family members. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Grudge<\/em> \u2013 Ju-on: The Grudge<\/em> was a popular 2002\nJapanese horror flick that spawned numerous sequels in its homeland, as well as\na successful American remake that was released in 2004. This remake tells\nanother story involving a vengeful ghost who drives mad or kills those who come\ninto the home where she once resided. When a young housewife murders her family\nin the abode, a police detective and single mother set out to investigate and solve\nthe case. This redo was not well received by the press. A couple of them asserted\nthat this reimagining was better than the previous American version and offered\na few jolts. Still, the consensus was that this film was messily constructed, less-than-scary\nand wasted a great cast. It stars Andrea Riseborough, Demian Bichir, John Cho,\nBetty Gilpin, William Sadler, Frankie Faison, Lin Shaye and Jacki Weaver. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Hello Destroyer<\/em> \u2013 Without thinking, a talented young\nhockey player on the ice commits an in-game act of violence and seriously\ninjures an opponent. The lead\u2019s life and future slowly start to fall apart after\nhe is ignored by the coaching staff and shunned by teammates. Despite trying to\nmake amends for his actions, he realizes that he is also being ostracized by\nthe community. Made back in 2016, this Canadian drama for nominated for several\nawards in its homeland. However, it took some time to find US distribution and is\nfinally arriving on DVD (you can also currently stream it on Amazon Prime).\nCritics were very positive about it, although they warned viewers that the story\nwas incredibly bleak. They commented that it did a solid job of examining systemic\nviolence in sports and contradictory messages being sent to young players. The\ncast includes Jared Abrahamson, Darren Mann, Ian Tracy and Sara Canning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Shooting the Mafia<\/em> \u2013 Photographer Letizia Battaglia\nis the subject of this documentary. After photographing a slain woman on the\nstreets of Sicily in the 1970s, she found work for a major news publication and\nbegan taking more and more pictures of brutal killings committed by the mob. In\nthe process, the woman found herself on the front lines between police forces\nand the mafia, endangering her own life in the process. Notices were generally positive\nfor this effort. There were a few that critiqued the film for jumping around\nand focusing too much attention on Battaglia\u2019s personal life, instead of highlighting\nher important work. Regardless, most called it a fascinating portrait of a\ndistinguished and talented woman. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Song of Names<\/em> \u2013 This film follows a young Polish-Jewish violin prodigy who is sent to London to live with an English family during WWII. Thrown together with another youngster in the household, the two are boys forced into trying to live together. As they grow up, the musician begins to draw attention from the public and a concert is arranged, but permanently disappears on the night of his debut. Decades pass and the violinist\u2019s childhood friend sets out to find out what happened and why. Reaction was mixed towards this drama, with slightly more negative reviews than positive ones. Those who enjoyed it called the film intriguing and felt that the music as well as the final reveal, was powerful. Slightly more didn\u2019t care for the temporal jumps and found the protagonists difficult to root for. It stars Tim Roth, Clive Owen, Catherine McCormack, Jonah Hauer-King, Gerran Howell and Saul Rubinek. To read this site\u2019s review, click here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Blasts from the Past!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This week, Arrow Video are delivering a Blu-ray of the very unusual arthouse thriller, The Passion of Darkly Moon<\/em> (1995). It features a remarkable cast that includes Brendan Frasier, Ashley Judd, Viggo Mortensen and Loren Dead. The story follows a wounded man who has spent his life living at a religious compound. When he\u2019s taken in and cared for by a woman and her significant other living in the woods, he begins developing feelings for his female caretaker. The fanatism that has been pumped into the confused man\u2019s brain for decades by his parents begins to take its toll, leading to violence. This title from Philip Ridley (The Reflecting Skin<\/em>) has bizarre elements and wasn\u2019t all that well received during its original run, but has since developed a following. The Blu-ray contains a new 2K restoration of the film, a commentary track with the writer\/director, a retrospective featurette, interviews with the filmmaker, cinematographer, editor and composer, as well as an isolated score track and publicity materials. To read a full review of the disc, just click here.<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Shout! Factory have plenty of fun stuff as well. First up is\na Collector\u2019s Edition Blu-ray of the horror picture, April Fool\u2019s Day<\/em>\n(1986). It\u2019s about a group of college students who are invited to the remote\nisland home of one of their friends and are targeted by a killer. Those who haven\u2019t\nseen it should imagine a Friday the 13th<\/sup><\/em>-style flick featuring\na more significant emphasis on humor. The release includes a new interview with\nthe film\u2019s director and a couple of the stars, another talk with the composer,\nand a discussion with the cinematographer. It also comes with the original\ntheatrical trailer and TV spots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Frankenstein: The True Story<\/em> (1973) is a British take\non the Frankenstein story that was released as a 3-hour TV Miniseries, and in\nsome markets came out in a shortened, theatrical cut. This well-received adaptation\nhas a stellar cast headlined by James Mason, Jane Seymour, John Gielgud and Tom\nBaker. The Blu-ray includes the complete, 3-hour version with an intro\nfeaturing Mason, all scanned in 2K. The disc also comes with a film historian commentary\nand interviews with several of the cast members (including Jane Seymour). <\/p>\n\n\n\n Video game enthusiasts will be happy to see a Blu-ray Collector\u2019s\nEdition of The Wizard<\/em> (1989). It\u2019s about a family trying to get by after\nsuffering a personal tragedy. Two of the youngest members of the clan decide to\nrun away to California in the hopes of entering a video-game related tournament.\nMany adults of a certain age will remember this title with a certain sense of\nnostalgia. The cast includes Fred Savage, Luke Edwards, Jenny Lewis, Beau\nBridges and Christian Slater. This Blu-ray has a 4K transfer of the film, along\nwith a new director audio commentary and never-before-seen deleted scenes. The release\nalso features a documentary looking back on the feature, a Q&A from a\nrecent 2019 screening, an expert analysis of the picture, promotional materials\nand other extras that will certainly please fans of the film. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Kino have several Blu-rays arriving on store shelves as\nwell. The Agatha Christie thriller, Endless Night<\/em> (1972), arrives with a\n4K transfer, a film historian audio commentary and trailers. Lightning Over\nBraddock and Collected Shorts: The Films of Tony Buba<\/em> (1988) is, as the\ntitle suggests, includes a 1988 feature made by a man living in Braddock,\nPennsylvania that chronicles the city\u2019s industrial decline over time. The disc\nalso includes approximately 20 shorts made by the filmmaker in his hometown\nbetween 1972 and 2019. All have been newly restored and the main feature comes\nwith a director commentary. <\/p>\n\n\n\n They also have a Blu-ray of the film-noir My Gun is Quick<\/em>\n(1957), a Mike Hammer flick based on the Mickey Spillane novel. You can also\npick up the Herbert Lom thriller, Return from the Ashes<\/em> (1965). Both of\nthese titles have been given a 2K restoration and come with trailers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And there\u2019s more! Sony Pictures are digging into their\nstudio vaults to release a trio of popular films in high definition. The first\nis the musical Godspell<\/em> (1973). The second is Little Women<\/em> (1994),\nan earlier adaptation of the classic story that was very well received and\nstarred Susan Surandon, Winona Ryder, Trini Alvarado, Claire Danes, Kristin\nDunst, Samantha Mathis, Christian Bale, Gabriel Byrne and Eric Stoltz. And they\nalso have the mystery, Murder in Greenwich Village<\/em> (1937) with Richard\nArlen and Fay Wray.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Additionally, Scorpion Releasing have recently put out a trio\nof Blu-rays for sale through their Ronin Flix website (www.roninflix.com). This\nweek\u2019s titles include the martial arts\/action effort, Blind Rage<\/em> (1976).\nThe movie stars Fred Williamson and Leo Fong. It arrives with a new HD master\nand interviews with the cast, as well as a trailer. The second feature is Record\nCity<\/em> (1977), a madcap comedy that chronicles the exploits of employees at a\nrecord store as they get ready for a big talent contest. The cast includes Ed\nBegley Jr., Tim Thomerson, Rick Dees, Frank Gorshin, Ruth Buzzi, Alice Ghostley\nand Larry Storch. It arrives with a new 2018 HD master and trailer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The highlight of the group for horror fans is the Dario Argento\nflick, Sleepless<\/em> (2001) aka Nonhosonno<\/em>. The great Max von Sydow takes\non the role of a retired police detective attempting to help solve a series of brutal\nkillings in Turin, Italy. While Deep Red<\/em> and Suspiria<\/em> are\nconsidered Argento\u2019s best works, this is an effective and underrated effort well\nworth the time of Italian genre film fan. The movie includes a couple of incredibly\ngraphic murder sequences and great photography\/lighting courtesy of Oscar-winning\ncinematographer Ronnie Taylor (Ghandi<\/em>). You\u2019ll never look at an English\nhorn the same way again. This Blu-ray includes the uncut version in both\nEnglish and Italian, a film historian commentary, and new interviews with Argento,\nthe co-screenwriter, and as well as the set designers. This is a limited\nnumbered release, so once it is gone, it is gone for good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And art cinema enthusiasts will also be happy to see\nCriterion put out The Cranes are Flying<\/em> (1957) on Blu-ray. It\u2019s a Russian\ndrama set against the backdrop of WWII. The movie arrives with a new 2K digital\nrestoration and contains a discussion with a film scholar about why this movie\nis a landmark in Soviet cinema, an audio interview with the director recorded\nin 1961, a 2009 documentary on the creator and his complex relationship with\nthe government (whose approval was needed to make the project into a reality),\na 2008 program about the film, footage from its premiere at Cannes in 1958, and\na new subtitle translation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Leave Her to Heaven<\/em> (1945) is an Academy Award-winning\ndrama about a writer who falls for a femme fatale and marries her almost on the\nspot. He soon learns that she will destroy anyone who comes between them. It\nwon an Oscar for its technicolor cinematography, which is said to be stunning. The\nmovie was restored and given a 2K scan by 20th<\/sup> Century Fox and the\nAcademy Archive for this Blu-ray. It also comes with a critic interview and\ndiscussion of the film, as well as a trailer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, Warner Archive are giving the romance flick Dodsworth<\/em>\n(1936) a high definition upgrade. This feature won an Oscar for its art direction.\nThis is one of those made-to-order Blu-rays that one has to purchase through\nthe Warner Archive website. These products are always fine. However, just\nyesterday the site reported that those who purchase it through them will have\nto wait a few weeks for their order to be processed due to staff being sent\nhome. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are some titles that might distract youngsters (and\nthose who are young at heart).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Highlights Watch & Learn!: Happy Birthday, Make a Wish!<\/em> On the Tube!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n And if you like Doctor Who, there\u2019s a TV-related release\ncoming your way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Doctor Who: Sylvester McCoy<\/em>: Season 3<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/DVD-asako-I-and-II.jpg\")
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\nYou Know, For Kids!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Highlights Watch & Learn: Spring Fling!\ufeff<\/em>
The Wizard<\/em> (1989)
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