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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nBrahms: The Boy II<\/em> \u2013 This sequel to the underrated 2016 chiller finds a new family moving into the estate once terrorized by a porcelain doll. Once on site, they discover the very same creepy figure popping up in and around the property in strange places. Soon, the young son of the new owners takes a liking to it and befriends the toy. However, it isn\u2019t long before the horrific history of the home is discovered and the lives of all of the residents are put in danger. Reaction was negative towards this horror flick. One or two enjoyed the added story wrinkle in making one of the characters take a shine to the film\u2019s doll. However, almost all others complained that the surprise was gone, said that the script didn\u2019t add anything new to the story and found the pacing was too slow. It features Katie Holmes, Owain Yeoman, Christopher Convery and Ralph Ineson. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Buffaloed<\/em> \u2013 A blue-collar woman from Buffalo yearns\nto get out of her home town, go to an Ivy League school and become a financial success.\nShe manages to get accepted into an impressive post-secondary school, but\nquickly realizes she can\u2019t afford the tuition. With the help of a debt collector,\nthe protagonist plots and begins an elaborate scheme to earn the funds to pay\nfor her university stint. This independent comedy earned solid reviews. There\nwere a few who criticized the picture as being cute but unmemorable, and stating\nthat it didn\u2019t really delve into the socioeconomic issues it raised, Still,\nmost complimented this feature as being a fun ride with charismatic leads set\nagainst a colorful and quirky backdrop. The cast includes Zoey Deutch, Judy\nGreer, Jai Courtney, Jermaine Fowler and Noah Reid. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Downhill<\/em> \u2013 An American family take a vacation to the Austrian Alps. A sudden and unexpected avalanche results in the husband making an instinctive and less-than-heroic decision. His actions result in some awkward conversations and ripples in their marriage as they try to analyze exactly what happened and how to move forward. This remake of the Swedish, 2014 critically lauded feature Force Majeure<\/em> did not earn many accolades from the press. There was a small contingent who liked the flick, admitting that it was a plainer and blunter version of the story, but noting that it still provided a few striking moments. However, the consensus was that it just couldn\u2019t match the original, and that its dulled and less-nuanced approach did not suit the material nearly as well. It stars Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, Will Ferrell, Zach Woods, Zoe Chao and Miranda Otto. To read this site\u2019s review of the film, click here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Emma.<\/em> – Jane\nAustin\u2019s famous novel receives yet another adaptation in this fresh take on the\nstory. Set in England during the 1800s, it follows a wealthy, well-intentioned\nbut selfish woman trying to influence and manipulate the love lives of her various\nfriends. Along the way, she ends up involved in the fracas and comes to some\nlife-altering conclusions about her own relationships. Overall, critics were\nvery positive about this update of the tale. A few voices suggested that this\nwas never one of the author\u2019s best works and called the picture light and pretty,\nbut overlong and insubstantial. Still, most thought that it improved as it\nprogressed and the excellent cast helped make for a sweet and charming concoction.\nAnya Taylor-Joy, Johnny Flynn, Bill Nighy, Mia Goth and Miranda Hart headline\nthe picture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Justice League Dark: Apokolips War<\/em> \u2013 Like your DC comic\nbook flicks grimy, dark and apocalyptic? This animated direct-to-disc effort is\na sequel to the 2017 release Justice League Dark<\/em> (as well as a finale to\nthe series in general, which includes all other movies from the past 7 years featuring\nindividual heroes like Superman and Wonder Woman). Set after the all-powerful\nand villainous Darkseid has laid waste to many areas on Earth, the remaining\nsuperheroes reform and team-up to take a last stand against their foe before\nthe planet is destroyed. Write-ups were generally upbeat for this effort. While\nmost stated that the movie had some issues, they commented that it was fast and\nexciting, with some big moments and R-rated thrills that would impress adult\ncomic book fans. The voice cast includes Jerry O\u2019Connell, Shermar Moore, Tony\nTodd, Rebecca Romijn, Rosario Dawson, Rainn Wilson and Matt Ryan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Longevity Film<\/em> \u2013 This documentary looks into human\nlife expectancy\u2026 specifically, communities in the world with the happiest,\nhealthiest and longest-living populations. The filmmakers involved in this production\nvisit three spots with an extraordinarily high quality of life. Viewers are taken\nto Okinawa, Japan, Loma Linda, California and Ikaria, Greece. Once there, the crew\nexamines their lives and tries to determine exactly what is helping the aged\nlive happier, more fulfilled lives with significantly fewer cases of disease. This\ntitle appears to be debuting on disc and as such there isn\u2019t much buzz about it.\nThere also haven\u2019t been many festival screenings or even reviews posted at this\npoint, so it\u2019s impossible to know exactly what to expect from the title. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Mover<\/em> \u2013 Based on a true story, this Latvian foreign-language\nfeature tells the story of Zanis Lipke and his family. Set in the port town of\nRiga during WWII, the country falls under German occupation. Horrified by Nazis\nenlisting the local population into their army, as well as and their horrific attempts\nto arrest and execute the Jewish population, the clan sets out to maintain\ntheir humanity by rescuing, hiding and protecting as many people as they can. This\n2018 picture hasn\u2019t really been seen outside of eastern Europe and was only recently\npicked up for distribution in this part of the world. However, it was well-received\nat various festival screenings. The movie won numerous awards in Latvia, as\nwell as at the Moscow International Film Festival. It features Arturs Skrastins,\nIlze Blauberga and Matiss Kipluks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Onward<\/em> \u2013 The latest animated feature form Pixar (who made the Toy Story<\/em>, Incredibles<\/em> and Cars<\/em> films), was released only a couple of weeks before the Corona-virus outbreak before finding its way onto the Disney+ site. Today, it\u2019s officially being released on physical media. The plot is set in a modernized, suburban fantasy world where trolls and elves have forgotten about the power of magic. When a young elf gets a birthday message from his deceased father, he and his brother set out on an adventure to be reunited with their dad. The press was generally positive about the film. There were a couple of naysayers who didn\u2019t like the characters or visuals as much as in other projects from the studio. Still, most called it a potent and likable mixture of humor and observations about family and loss. The voice talent includes Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Octavia Spencer and Julia Louis-Dreyfuss. To read this site\u2019s review, click here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Postcard Killings<\/em> \u2013 Based on the New York Times\nbestseller, this independent mystery\/suspense film is about a detective whose daughter\nand son-in-law are murdered while visiting London. He determines that it is the\nwork of a maniacal killer moving across Europe who leaves postcards at the sites\nof his many slayings. The protagonist decides to do whatever it takes to find\nthe responsible party and deliver justice. This little thriller didn\u2019t make much\nof an impact on reviewers. A few were positive and stated that the story was predictable,\nbut that the cast were strong and it offered some thrills and lovely locations.\nMore suggested that the plotting and execution was simply too run-of-the-mill, wishing\nthat filmmakers had spruced the tale up with more invention. It stars Jeffrey\nDean Morgan, Famke Janssen, Cush Jumbo and Joachim Krol. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Promare<\/em> \u2013 If you\u2019re a fan of Japanese anime, you\nmight be interested in this animated feature. The story is set in a future where\nfirefighters use giant robots to battle blazes. They also need their machinery\nto battle the Burnish, a group of villainous mutants who can control fire and\nuse it to cause panic and destruction. When the Burnish attack, the heroic team\nset out to do battle and save the world before it\u2019s completely burnt to ash. Critics\nin North America were quite taken by the picture. One or two described it as\nbeing all spectacle that otherwise made little narrative sense. Still, the vast\nmajority commented that this was an eye-popping visual treat with incredible\naction and sights that you could only see in an animated film. It is assumed\nthat this release includes the original Japanese track with English subtitles\nand an English-language version.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Raft<\/em> \u2013 In the 1970s, a university professor studying anthropology and the origins of violence, secured funding for an incredible social experiment. He interviewed and selected several participants to join him on a raft and drift at sea for months on end. Little did those chosen know that their leader would be manipulating them, trying to drum up conflict in order to gain data for his thesis. Using archival footage and interviews with participants, the movie details what happened on the journey. Notices were very good for the non-fiction feature. A couple of write-ups found it too dry and expected more anger and fury from the participants. Still, most reviewers complimented those subjects who endured this ordeal and called it a fascinating and strange tale. This release is arriving exclusively on DVD. To read a full review of the movie, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sonic the Hedgehog<\/em> \u2013 Based on the popular Sega video game, this live-action involves a magical blue hedgehog who travels to Earth in order to hide his immense powers from enemies. When a nasty scientist arrives with the intention of capturing the animal and stealing his powers, Sonic teams up with a small-town sheriff to evade capture and stop a potential invasion from another world. Write-ups were slightly more positive than negative for this title. Those who didn\u2019t care for the flick said that it was a safe and bland adaptation, suggesting it would only appeal to the youngest of family members. Slightly more thought that the movie was simple escapist entertainment that came with a nice message. They stated that while it wouldn\u2019t set the world on fire, the end results could have been much worse. It stars James Marsden, the voice of Ben Schwartz, Tika Sumpter, Jim Carrey and Neal McDonough. To read this site\u2019s review of the flick, follow the link here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Way Back<\/em> \u2013 In this sports drama, an alcoholic\nconstruction worker finds his life in shambles after his wife leaves him. He\nreceives a call from his old high school, where he was a revered basketball\nplayer who helped the institute earn several championships. They ask him to\ncoach their team and try to help return the school to its glory days. With nothing\nto lose, he takes the job, hoping to encourage new talent and overcome his own personal\nissues. Reaction was positive towards this effort. A limited number of reviews\nthought that while the cast was good, the story was too predictable and never\nquite reached its potential. Still, the majority were pleased by the\nproduction, noting that the lead performance was so strong that it made up for\nthe familiar plotting. The cast includes Ben Affleck, Al Madrigal, Janina\nGavankar, Michaela Watkins and Glynn Turman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Blasts from the Past!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n And there are just as many older titles getting new Blu-ray releases this week. Shout! Factory have a big one in the form of Danger: Diabolik<\/em> (1968), an outrageous Italian caper from director Mario Bava (Black Sunday<\/em>, Black Sabbath<\/em>, Blood and Black Lace<\/em>, Planet of the Vampires<\/em>) that oozes style and eye-popping color and set design from just about every frame. Inspired by a comic book series, it\u2019s about a thief who steals from the super-rich to fund his own lavish lifestyle, kind of like a comic cross between Robin Hood and James Bond. Cult movie fans should be thrilled about this release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The movie has never been put out on Blu-ray in this part of the world, and the disc includes a new film historian audio commentary, an archived audio track with the star and a director biographer, a featurette on the production, the Beastie Boys music video \u201cBody Movin\u2019\u201d (which was inspired by the movie) along with a commentary from band member Adam Yauch. It also comes with a teaser and theatrical trailer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Hammer fans will be happy to see a Collector\u2019s Edition of The\nEvil of Frankenstein<\/em> (1964). This is the third chapter in the studio\u2019s Frankenstein<\/em>\nseries and once again features Peter Cushing as the mad doctor. In this follow-up,\nFrankenstein retreats to a mountain and finds his creation frozen in a block of\nice. He thaws the monster out, eventually causing more chaos. This Blu-ray features\na new 4K scan of the inter-positive and comes with a film historian audio\ntrack, a special on director\/cinematographer Freddie Francis, an interview with\nthe assistant director and a cast member, a TV version of the film, a lengthy making-of\nfeaturing interviews with most of the cast and crew, a TV pilot to a spin-off\nshow, publicity materials, and even more extras.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kino also have some fascinating Blu-rays coming your way.\nThe first is an early live-action adaptation of Alice in Wonderland<\/em> (1933).\nThis one features Cary Grant, Gary Cooper and W.C. Fields in supporting roles. The\nCaptive Heart<\/em> (1946) is a British thriller from Ealing Studios (Dead of\nNight<\/em>, Kind Hearts and Coronets<\/em>, The Man in the White Suit<\/em>, The\nLadykillers<\/em>) about a Czech soldier who assumes the identity of a dead British\nofficer during WWII. Both of these releases include a film historian commentary\ntrack and trailers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Kirk Douglas stars in Lonely Are the Brave<\/em> (1962), a\nwell-regarded western about a man on the run from the law who is hunted by a sympathetic\nsheriff. Walter Matthau also appears as the man tasked with catching the\ncriminal. The new Blu-ray disc includes a movie expert information track, a tribute\nto the movie featuring star Douglas, Steven Spielberg and Michael Douglas (among\nothers), a featurette on the score and the theatrical trailer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n They also have a couple more British titles on the way. The first is The Long and the Short and the Tall<\/em> (1961) aka Jungle Fighters<\/em>, a war picture. And the second is The Night My Number Came Up<\/em> (1955), a story about an air marshal. When his friend has a nightmare about a flight going wrong and leading to disaster, the protagonist laughs it off, only to find himself on board a plane and experiencing everything that was foretold by his pal. All of the UK productions mentioned above were nominated for BAFTA awards and the latter disc comes with a film historian commentary and trailer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you enjoy classic cartoons, the distributor is also putting\nout The Pink Panther Classic Cartoon Collection<\/em> (1964 \u2013 1980), which contains\njust about every cartoon featuring the popular animated character that was ever\nproduced. And they have The Runner Stumbles<\/em> (1979), a drama about a\npriest who is accused of murdering a nun whom he recently befriended. This one\nstars Dick Van Dyke and was the final film of director Stanley Kramer (On\nthe Beach<\/em>, Inherit the Wind<\/em>, Judgment at Nuremberg<\/em>, Guess\nWho\u2019s Coming to Dinner<\/em>). The Blu-ray includes trailers and a movie authority\naudio track. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And there\u2019s more! Scorpion are also planning on bringing\nsome cult flicks to Blu-ray. The first is Johnny Cool<\/em> (1963), a Henry\nSilva crime flick about some crooks who pull a fast on a Sicilian mob boss,\nonly to be targeted by an assassin for their actions. The second is a new\nedition of Lone Wolf McQuade<\/em> (1983) in which Chuck Norris plays a Texas Ranger\nwho squares off against a devious criminal played by David Carradine. If memory\nserves, the action is good and it\u2019s quite funny in an over-the-top sort of way (I\nrecall the lead living in a trailer and drinking a lot of beer and romancing\nthe ladies, when he isn\u2019t taking on his foes). This disc is supposed to include\na new 2K scan from the inter-positive, a recently recorded commentary with the\ndirector, producer and some of the cast members, as well as bonus interviews. A\nMay 21st<\/sup> release has been planned for these two Blu-rays, but the\ndate hasn\u2019t been confirmed. Hopefully it\u2019ll make the release, but If not, keep\nchecking the Ronin Flix website (roninflix.com) for updates. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Their third Blu-ray title is Pretty Smart<\/em> (1987), a\ncomedy starring Patricia Arquette, Tricia Leigh Fisher and Joely Fisher. It\u2019s\nabout a student who gets into trouble and tangles with a headmaster while\nattending a posh school in the Mediterranean. Scorpion have teamed up with Kino\nfor this release. The movie has been given a new 2020 2K master and arrives\nwith trailers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Many of those who saw the bonkers Nicolas Cage flick, Mandy<\/em>\n(2018) were very taken by the outrageousness on display. Distributor RLJ have\ndecided to rerelease the picture on Blu-ray (presumably with all the same bonuses\nincluded previously) with special Steelbook packaging, so the disc with extra-large\nart and packaging can now sit proudly in your personal collection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Criterion are presenting a Blu-ray of the drama, Dance,\nGirl, Dance<\/em> (1940). Set in the show business world, the story follows two\nchorus girls and their attempts to succeed in Los Angeles. This is one of the few\nHollywood films of its era to have been directed by a woman and is noted for\nits feminist sensibility, especially as it attempts to deal with the trials facing\nyoung female performers. The movie has been given a restored 4K digital\ntransfer and includes a film expert introduction and an interview with director\nFrancis Ford Coppola about the movie and its influence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Additionally, this is a big week for genre film distributor\nVinegar Syndrome. Towards the end of the week is their Halfway to Black Friday\nSale, beginning on May 22nd<\/sup> at vinegarsyndrome.com. During the\nevent, they traditionally offer 50% off of all of their previously released Blu-ray\nand DVD titles. And they always put out a couple of new secret films that no\none knew was coming. <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/DVD-buffaloed-phone-1024x560.jpg\")
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