{"id":21209,"date":"2020-09-07T14:49:08","date_gmt":"2020-09-07T21:49:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=21209"},"modified":"2020-09-07T14:49:08","modified_gmt":"2020-09-07T21:49:08","slug":"blu-ray-dvd-review-roundup-september-8th-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=21209","title":{"rendered":"Blu-ray\/DVD Roundup for September 8th, 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome to yet another look at highlights coming your way on\nBlu-ray and DVD. Once again, there\u2019s plenty of exciting stuff here to choose\nfrom in a wide variety of genres. So, since you likely can\u2019t make it out to the\nmovies this week, be sure to 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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Bad Education<\/em> \u2013 This picture is actually a\nmade-for-cable film from HBO. Based on a true story that occurred in the early\n2000s, the feature tells the tale of a beloved superintendent of a New York\nschool district. When government forces appear and begin making arrests, the\nfigure along with staff and friends all become suspects in a massive embezzlement\nscandal in which millions of dollars were gradually stolen. Critics were very\nimpressed with this tale. A very small number of them complained that they\ncouldn\u2019t figure out if this was a comedy or drama. However, the overwhelming\nmajority wrote that this picture was a restrained but fascinating tale with\nexceptional performances that shed light on the scandal. It stars Hugh Jackman,\nAllison Janney, Ray Romano, Welker White and Geraldine Viswanathan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Big Ugly<\/em> \u2013 A London mob enforcer is sent by his boss to help broker a deal with an American oil man in West Virginia. Things are initially friendly and the two set up an \u201cbusiness\u201d arrangement. When the enforcer\u2019s girlfriend shows up, the entire group decide to celebrate the deal. However, soon afterward she disappears without a trace soon afterward. The furious and vengeful protagonist begins to take action in order to find out what happened to, causing trouble with the oilman. Reaction was mixed-negative towards this action thriller. A percentage found it appropriately tense and appreciated the work of the cast. Still, slightly more suggested that the story was too formulaic and that the flick could have benefitted from a sense of humor. The cast includes Vinnie Jones, Ron Perlman, Malcolm McDowell and Leven Rambin. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Cordillera of Dreams<\/em> \u2013 This documentary follows a Chilean man who left his home country 40 years ago after a military dictatorship took control of the country. Now, he decides to return to Chile and in order to process and examine his experiences and feelings about the place as well as revisit and reconnect with some of its most beautiful locations (including a vast chain of mountains). The press greatly admired this non-fiction effort. One or two felt that the metaphors being used to detail his feelings were a little too on-the-nose and felt that the movie overstayed its welcome. Everyone else felt very differently about the feature. They called it a beautifully shot, poetic, moving and completely personal tribute to the country and the mixed and complicated feelings he still harbors so many decades later. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Desert One<\/em> \u2013 In 1979, the US government undertook a secret operation and attempted to rescue 52 US citizens who were taken hostage by Iranian revolutionaries in Tehran. The operation did not go as planned and this documentary tells the story of what happened using archival sources, never-before-seen footage and exclusive interviews with the people involved (including President Jimmy Carter). The film earned raves almost across the board from reviewers. A couple of them had minor issues, stating that the movie was too talky and didn\u2019t tell them anything new about the ordeal. However, the rest all felt very differently. They thought the newly discovered footage and sound was powerful and also thought the story was put together in such a way that it made viewers feel as if there were right there with the participants. At this moment, this feature is only available on DVD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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First Cow<\/em> \u2013 Set in the 19th<\/sup> century, this drama follows a cook who decides to head west. After arriving in Oregon Territory, he befriends a group of fur-trappers and develops a close working relationship with a Chinese immigrant. Together, the two men set out to start their own business. The two quickly realize that the success of their venture depends on the health and safety of a specific milking cow. Critics gave this drama extremely high marks. A small number of them did find the feature slow-moving, obtuse and impenetrable. Everyone else thought it was excellent, stating they were impressed with the photography, found the story engaging and believable, and felt that the movie also had plenty of things to say about the pitfalls of capitalism. The movie stars John Magaro, Orion Lee, Ewan Bremner and Rene Auberjonios.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Machine <\/em>\u2013 Artificial Intelligence is the subject of this documentary. The film promises to give viewers insight into how the technology is already being used in our lives and how the AI will expand over the following decades. The synopsis states that the movie also looks into the future and asks questions about who is controlling its progress and what will happen when humanity ceases to be the smartest form of life on the planet. This movie is premiering on disc in this part of the world, so there currently aren\u2019t a lot of reviews available. It has played at film festivals and has been nominated for prizes and a few online reviews have popped up that have been positive. They say it\u2019s a well-made and even-handed doc that will leave viewers asking questions about the future of AI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Mighty Oak<\/em> \u2013 A band manager is shattered after her brother, a talented musician and vocalist, dies in a car crash. Some ten years later she crosses paths with a young guitar prodigy looking for help in jump-starting his career. The lead becomes convinced that the kid may actually be the reincarnation of her brother. This independent comedy\/drama is arriving exclusively on DVD this week. It received slightly more positive write-ups than it did negative ones. Those who didn\u2019t care for the flick stated that they found the tone odd, noting that it was a family film, yet dealt with dark subjects like drug addiction and did so in a syrupy manner. Slightly more thought it was flawed but well-intention with a good cast and solid music. Janiel Parrish, Alexa PanaVega, Tommy Ragen and Levi Dylan headline the film. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Night into Day<\/em> \u2013 A couple in the middle of a divorce are forced to get together in Los Angeles in order to sort out their personal items and address some final details. The timing turns out to be incredibly poor and a nuclear attack breaks out. Locked inside and waiting for help after the detonation, the two are forced to try and survive as they deal with a lack of food and radiation sickness. One imagines they soon go after each other and discuss what went wrong between them. Sounds like a lot of fun! This low-budget indie title is debuting on disc and so it appears that no one has actually seen it as of this writing. Those interested will have to walk right into the blast zone without knowing what they\u2019re in for. The cast includes Justin Gaston, April Gooding and Ray Corasani. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Retaliation<\/em> \u2013 This UK thriller was shot and released a couple of years back under the title Romans<\/em>. It\u2019s about a demolition worker who heads out to the pub one night with some friends. He catches sight of a figure from his past, a man who molested him as a child. Enraged, he decides to confront the figure and seek vengeance\u2026. after all, his profession involves the tools needed to do so. The movie earned strong notices upon its original release and, after some time on the sidelines has finally nabbed a US distributor. A few critics suggested that it lacked nuance and found the movie to be a rough ride. Still, the majority stated that the lead performance was excellent and this was an effective dark and brooding drama. It features Orlando Bloom, Janet Montgomery, Anne Reid and Charlie Creed-Miles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Standard<\/em> \u2013 According to many, GORUCK\u2019s Selection is one of the toughest endurance events in the world. It\u2019s a 48+ hour, 80-mile challenge that allows civilians the opportunity to embark on a condensed version of the US Army\u2019s Assessment and Selection process in which they choose members of their Special Forces. It is all done in the hopes of bridging the military-civilian divide and showing what they go through. In this documentary, cameras follow several participants in an event that less than 2% of participants manage to complete. This picture is debuting on disc and so it difficult to find any review of it at present. However, those curious about the challenge and what it entails will certainly get a good idea of how it pushes all to their limits simply by watching this film.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Superman: Man of Tomorrow<\/em> <\/a>\u2013 It seems like Warner Bros. release more and more titles in their line of animated, adult-themed DC superhero flicks just about every week. This PG-13 effort depicts the early days of Clark Kent and Superman. The plot follows Kent as is hired by the Daily Planet. He struggles to balance his professional career in Metropolis after the city comes under assault from villains like Lobo and Parasite. The press gave this effort solid marks. In fact, so far there haven\u2019t been any negative write-ups. They all state that while it isn\u2019t the deepest or most insightful of superhero flicks, it is a well-animated and entertaining feature that does a good job it depicting the origins of the character. The voice talent includes Darrin Criss, Zachary Quinto, Alexandra Daddario, Ike Amadi, Ryan Hurst and David Chen.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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True History of the Kelly Gang<\/em> \u2013 The history of famous Australian outlaw Ned Kelly in depicted in this western\/drama. Viewers witness the figure\u2019s horrific upbringing and the nasty treatment of his family in a British penal colony. After being taken in by another criminal, he begins to learn how to get by on the fringes of society, until authorities start targeting his gang of hoods. Critical response towards this biopic was generally upbeat. There was a group who stated that while the performances were solid, the storytelling was oddly structured and the end results ultimately less-than-dynamic and illuminating. However, more found it enjoyably crazy and admired the work of the cast. It stars George MacKay, Russell Crowe, Nicholas Hoult, Essie Davis, Charlie Hunnam and Thomasin McKenzie. To read this site\u2019s review of the film, click here<\/a>.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Vitalina Varela<\/em> <\/a>\u2013 This foreign-language feature from Portugal takes the name of its lead actress and tells a completely fictionalized story about her. The movie is also a follow-up to another film by the same director with the same lead that was called Horse Money<\/em>. The performer plays a newly arrived immigrant in Lisbon and recent widow who attempts to start a new life while uncovering the disturbing past of her late husband. This drama was very well received by critics. One or two simply couldn\u2019t get into the story and found it all a bit too forced. However, the vast majority described it as a powerful story with impressive photography that deals effective with heavy themes like regret, remorse and anger. The cast includes Vitalina Varela, Ventura, Manuel Travares Almeida and Marina Alves Domingues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

As usual, there are plenty of interesting older titles\ngetting high definition upgrades. Recently, Arrow Video announced a Special\nEdition of the strange UK cult science fiction pic The Comic<\/em> (1985) to\nBlu-ray. Its release was ultimately delayed, but interested parties should be\nhappy to learn that it is now hitting store shelves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Arrow are also putting out a \u201c2-Disc Special Edition\u201d Blu-ray set of a Japanese feature, Graveyard of Honor<\/em>. The story charts the rise and fall of real-life Yakuza gangster Rikio Ishikawa. You\u2019ll get both the 1975 Kinji Fukasaku original and the 2002 Takashi Miike remake. Both of the titles have been given a high definition presentation and arrive with impressive bonuses. On the first disc, there\u2019s a film historian commentary, a visual essay on the feature, a special on the career of Fukusaku that includes interviews with co-wokers scholars, an archival interview with the assistant director and publicity materials. Extras on the remake include a commentary from a Miike biographer, a visual essay on the movie, archival interviews with the director and cast members, archival making-of featurettes, press release interviews, footage from the premier and an image gallery and trailer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you like early Cary Grant pictures, you\u2019ll be happy with a\nnew Blu-ray box set from Kino. It\u2019s called the Cary Grant Collection <\/em>and\nit includes Ladies Should Listen<\/em> (1934), Wedding Present<\/em> (1936) and\nBig Brown Eyes<\/em> (1936). These all appear to be romantic comedies. Two of\nthe three films include a critic commentary and the third disc includes trailers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The distributor also has you covered if you\u2019re a Doctor Who\nfan. Dr. Who and the Daleks<\/em> (1965) is a feature film version of the\nclassic British TV series with Peter Cushing taking over the iconic role. In\nit, the protagonist is transported to the world of the Daleks and must square\noff against them to survive. The movie has been recently restored by StudioCanal\nand, besides the improved picture quality, the Blu-ray comes with a new film\nexpert commentary track, an audio track featuring some of the cast members, an\nhour-long documentary on the Daleks and a featurette on the restoration\nprocess. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That movie was a hit, and it inspired a follow-up called Daleks\u2019\nInvasion Earth: 2150 A.D.<\/em> (1966), which Kino are also releasing. This time\nout Cushing\u2019s Dr. Who tries to stop the villains from taking over Earth. This\nrelease includes a film historian commentary, the Daleks documentary,\ninterviews with an actor and the author of the story, a trailer and a\nrestoration feature. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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And the studio is finally releasing the Canadian period\nwestern The Grey Fox<\/em> (1982) on Blu-ray. This period drama won awards in\nits homeland, the UK and was nominated for a couple of Golden Globes, but kind\nof disappeared from view after its original theatrical and VHS release. It\nstars Richard Farnsworth as an aging gentleman stagecoach bandit from the south\nwho gets out of prison after many years. He has trouble adapting to the updated\nworld, moves to Canada and soon realizes that he really only knows how to do\none thing. As such, the senior undertakes an elaborate and potentially deadly\nplot to rob a train. It\u2019s an excellent good movie and one that deserves to see\nthe light of day once again. A new 4K properly formatted restoration of the\nfilm promises that viewers will finally see its impressive cinematography as\nintended. Director, western enthusiast and fan Alex Cox (Repo Man<\/em>, Sid\n& Nancy<\/em>) provides a commentary and there\u2019s also an interview with the\nproducer, along with a trailer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Criterion have a couple of noteworthy Blu-rays as well. Brute\nForce<\/em> (1947) is a very well-regarded film-noir from Jules Dassin (Night\nand the City<\/em>, Rififi<\/em>) starring Burt Lancaster about a prisoner at a\npenitentiary planning a rebellion against the facility\u2019s cruel chief guard. The\ndownbeat movie earned plenty of respect for its unflinching griminess and\nbrutality. Those who pick up the Blu-ray will see a new 4K restoration of the\nfilm, a commentary from film-noir experts, an archival special about the\nhistory of the \u201cprison film\u201d, a discussion with an acting teacher about the\nmethods used by the cast and a still gallery.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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They also have Dassin\u2019s follow-up film, The Naked City<\/em>\n(1948). It\u2019s a crime flick about the investigation of a murder in the heart of\nNew York City. The movie won two Oscars for cinematography and editing. This\nBlu-ray presents a new 4K restoration of the film, a commentary from 1996\nfeaturing the screenwriter, interviews with a movie scholar about the movie and\nanother featurette detailing the locations used. It also comes with footage of\nthe director being interviewed in 2004 and a stills gallery. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And there\u2019s more. Several studios are delivering 4K upgrades\nof previously released titles. The highest profile set coming this week is The\nAlfred Hitchcock Classics. Collection<\/em> from Universal. If you the proper set\nup, you\u2019ll be able to watch 4K versions of Rear Window<\/em> (1954), Vertigo<\/em>\n(1958), Psycho <\/em>(1960) and The Birds<\/em> (1963) in the best possible\nquality.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Additionally, Universal are rolling out 4K editions of The\nIncredible Hulk<\/em> (2008) and the recent remake of The Invisible Man<\/em>\n(2020). And, if you don\u2019t want the entire Hitchcock set, you\u2019ll be able to pick\nup Psycho<\/em> (1960) on its own in 4K. You\u2019ll have to check the details on\neach in individual title to see if they also include the extras that have been released\non previous editions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LionsGate are also getting in on the 4K action with a new edition\nof the popular Japanese animated feature, Ghost in the Shell<\/em> (1995). And\nthose who enjoy Rob Zombie flicks and want to see all the gruesomeness in the\nhighest quality possible can pick up a Target Exclusive Steelbook of the Rob\nZombie Trilogy<\/em>, which includes all of the flicks featuring members of the villainous\nFirefly family. You\u2019ll get House of 1,000 Corpses<\/em> (2003), The Devil\u2019s\nRejects<\/em> (2005) and the most recent entry, 3 from Hell<\/em> (2019). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, Warner Archive are making the comedy Kentucky\nKernels<\/em> (1934) available through their site as a made-to-order Blu-ray.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Here are some kid-friendly titles that may entertain\nchildren.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JoJo Siwa: Party Pack<\/em> (3-Disc Gift Set) (Nickelodeon)
PAW Patrol: Jet to the Rescue<\/em> (Nickelodeon) (Amazon Early Release Exclusive<\/strong>)
Wiggly Halloween<\/em> (The Wiggles) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

And these are the TV-themed releases coming your way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And She Could Be Next<\/em> (PBS)
Bad Education<\/em> (HBO movie)
Bull<\/em>: Season 4
Frankie Drake Mysteries<\/em>: Season 3 (PBS)
Love, Fall & Order<\/em> (Hallmark TV-movie)
PAW Patrol: Jet to the Rescue<\/em> (Nickelodeon) (Amazon Early Release Exclusive<\/strong>)
Supergirl<\/em>: Season 5 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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