{"id":21726,"date":"2020-12-07T13:54:04","date_gmt":"2020-12-07T21:54:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=21726"},"modified":"2020-12-07T13:54:04","modified_gmt":"2020-12-07T21:54:04","slug":"blu-ray-dvd-roundup-for-december-8th-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=21726","title":{"rendered":"Blu-ray\/DVD Roundup for December 8th, 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome to another look at some of the new Blu-rays and DVDs\ncoming your way. This edition features plenty of interesting titles both old\nand new to keep viewers entertained. So, since you can\u2019t or likely shouldn\u2019t\nhead out to the movies 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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Comfort Farms<\/em> \u2013 In this documentary, an Army Ranger\nwar veteran sets out to create a new form of therapy. He starts his own farm to\nkeep those at high risk for suicide busy and working in a calm environment.\nHelped by a unique group of veterans, farmers and animal-loving butchers, the\nfilm captures their efforts and development of the project. So far reviews for\nthis feature have been decent. A couple of write-ups thought that the movie was\na surface-level examination of trauma and its subject and wasn\u2019t particularly\nenlightening. They also didn\u2019t care for some of the practices the group were\nemploying as therapy. However, more commented that while aspects of the film\nwere tough to watch, it was an intriguing and unique picture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Faith Based<\/em> \u2013 This independent comedy takes aim at\nsome of the faith-based films productions that have been made over the past few\nyears. The story involves a couple of aspiring moviemakers who learn how\nfinancially successful these pictures are and decide to get rich producing\ntheir own feature in the very same mold. They decide to make a movie about an\nastronaut trying to be the first man to pray in space and the story details the\ncrazy production. Critics were very amused by this feature. One or two couldn\u2019t\ndidn\u2019t appreciate the humor and disliked the film. However, most stated that\nthe lead characters were fun to watch. They also said that this parody was very\nclever but never cruel towards its targets. It stars Luke Barnett, Tanner\nThomason, Lance Reddick, Jason Alexander, Margaret Cho and David Koechner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Faith Under Fire<\/em> \u2013 Speaking of faith-based films,\nthis title actually qualifies as one of those features that the previous title\nis poking fun at. It follows a heroic fireman. After many years rescuing people\nand saving lives on the job, his wife tragically passes away from cancer,\nleaving him feeling despondent and helpless. When his daughter is also\ndiagnosed with the disease, he becomes even more fearful and frustrated.\nHowever, one of his friends challenges him to face grief and aversity with\nfaith. This picture debuted on streaming platforms a couple of weeks ago and is\nnow arriving on disc. There aren\u2019t been many reviews for it available, but one\ncan imagine exactly what they\u2019re in for if they check the flick out. The cast\nincludes Dean Cain, Kevin Sorbo, Nick Vlassopoulos and Tenley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Girl with No Mouth<\/em> \u2013 This foreign-language feature\nfrom Turkey is set in a war-torn, post-apocalyptic world. A young girl with a\nmutation caused by a nearby toxic explosion lives in a remote region of the\nforest. After she is discovered and her guardian is killed, she decides to head\nout on the road and meets a group of kids with other physical anomalies.\nTogether, the children attempt to reach a safe zone. This picture played at\nvarious film festivals in Europe over the past year where it picked up a few\nawards and generated some controversy due to its subject matter. However, there\nhaven\u2019t been more than a few write-ups in these parts for the film. One or two of\nthem didn\u2019t think it offered much insight into its characters, but others called\nit unique picture that addresses society\u2019s treatment of outsiders. Denizhan\nAkbaba, Elif Sevin\u00e7 and Sermet Yesil headline the picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Possessor<\/em> \u2013 A covert organization uses a very unusual method of carrying out assassinations. The minds of killers are briefly implanted into unaware strangers for a day or two, allowing agents to carry out their orders and then return to their proper bodies without being caught. However, the situation becomes complicated for one assassin after she\u2019s beset by strange symptoms after numerous body swapping missions. This grim effort from Brandon Cronenberg (the son of body-horror director David Cronenberg) received plenty of praise from critics. A small portion of them couldn\u2019t relate to the characters and found the movie difficult to endure. Still, the overwhelming majority called the feature remarkably effective and disturbing, addressing fears of modern technology and leaving viewers with plenty to think about between the shocks. It stars Andrea Riseborough, Christopher Abbott, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Sean Bean. To read a full review of the movie, click here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Proxima<\/em> \u2013 A French astronaut trains diligently with\nthe European Space Agency while also attempting to juggle being a single mother\nraising her 8-year-old child. Tensions arise between the two as she spends more\nand more time at work and away from her daughter. When the protagonist is\nchosen to take part in a year-long space mission, these issues and troubles end\nup coming to a boil. The press responded very positively towards this drama. A\nminor contingent thought it was slowly paced and didn\u2019t take many dramatic\nrisks, leaving them less than overwhelmed. Still, almost everyone else admired\nits focus on character and the internal strife of the characters and thought it\ndid well in detailing the personal cost of the lead\u2019s unique line of work. The\ncast includes Eva Green, Z\u00e9lie Boulant and Matt Dillon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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She Dies Tomorrow<\/em> \u2013 In this eccentric thriller, a\nyoung woman becomes convinced that she will die tomorrow, which naturally puts\nher into a panicked state. After confiding in friends, the protagonist actually\nfinds them beginning to believe her claims and also think their own lives are\nabout to end as well. As this psychological contagion goes through the whole\ntown, the lead must first find out if she is correct and what she can do to\nprevent everyone\u2019s demise. Response towards this independent feature was\nupbeat. There was a small group who found it all overblown and thought the\nmovie didn\u2019t do much of interest with its central conceit. The majority wrote\nthat it was a unique and entertaining existentialist drama that established a\nstrong mood. It features Kate Lyn Sheil, Jane Adams, Kentucker Audley, Chris\nMessina, Tunde Adebimpe, Josh Lucas, Adam Wingard and Michelle Rodriguez.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Smiley Face Killers<\/em> \u2013 Speaking of the bizarre and\noddball, this little thriller is another feature that may fall under the\ncategory of unconventional. This tale follows a soccer player who begins to\nbelieve that he is being followed by a menacing force. He ponders whether or\nnot his is going insane, only to learn that his frightening pursuers are a\ngroup of serial killers with a dark and disturbing plan. This picture is\ndirected by Tim Hunter (River\u2019s Edge<\/em>) and written by Bret Easton Ellis\n(author of the novel, American Psycho<\/em>). Despite the notable pedigree\nbehind the camera, little is known at this point about the finished product.\nCurious viewers will have to go in cold and hope that the picture delivers the\ncreepy and darkly humorous goods. The movie stars Ronen Rubinstein, Mia\nSerafino, Crispin Glover and Amadeus Serafini.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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Back in 1990, Francis Ford Coppola released the third and\npresumably final chapter in his Godfather<\/em> series. It followed an older\nMichael Corleone (Al Pacino) trying to legitimize the family business and get\nloved ones out of the mafia. As one might expect, he discovers the simply\nleaving the world of crime behind is far more difficult than initially\nanticipated. Reaction towards the movie wasn\u2019t as strong as it had been for the\nprevious two chapters, but it was positive enough to warrant plenty of Academy\nAward nominations back in the day. Even Coppola admitted at the time that he\nhad been rushed to finish editing the movie and get it into theaters by studio\nheads and that he would have liked to have worked on it for a longer period\nbefore its release. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Thirty years later, Paramount has been given Coppola his opportunity. The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone<\/em> (1990) is the director\u2019s final word on the film, a reedit of the third picture with some alternate and never-before-seen footage taken from the cutting room floor that the director believes addresses the issues that he had with the original theatrical cut. Naturally, the Blu-ray picture has also been cleaned up too. If you\u2019re a fan of this classic series, then you no doubt have to see this revision and compare it to the 1990 cut. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Blu-ray doesn\u2019t come with a lot of bonuses, but does\ninclude a new introduction to the film in which Coppola personally explains his\nintent and reasoning behind the new edit. Early reviews of the movie itself\nhave also been overwhelmingly positive, suggesting that this may be the\ndefinitive version of the picture. Sounds like one of the most exciting Blu-ray\nreleases of the year.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Arrow are delivering a 2-disc Special Edition Blu-ray of the\nJapanese action\/horror flick, Versus<\/em> (2000). This wild and crazy movie\npits sword-wielding convicts and the Yakuza against an army of zombies. The\nfeature arrives with a director-approved 2K restoration from its original\nelements of two different cuts of the movie. It comes with a filmmaker\ncommentary and a second track featuring him with the cast, a video essay on his\ncareer, a lengthy behind-the-scenes documentary of the flick and a featurette\non the movie\u2019s origins. You\u2019ll also get footage from the film\u2019s premiere and\narchived interview materials, as well as deleted scenes, 2 side-story\nmini-movies, publicity materials and much more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re looking for more Japanese cinema, Arrow also have\nthe Blu-ray box set, Survivor Ballads: Three Films by Shohei Imamura<\/em>. It\ncontains three flicks from the Japanese New Wave movement of the 80s by Imamura,\nincluding The Ballad of Narayama<\/em> (1983), Zegen<\/em> (1987) and Black\nRain<\/em> (1989). The discs include film historian audio commentaries on all of\nthe titles, in-depth appreciations of the features, an alternate color ending\nto Black Rain, archival interviews with crew members, multiple trailers and\nimage galleries, press kits for the titles and a lengthy booklet giving more\nbackground information about these movies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Kino are also delivering several noteworthy new Blu-rays.\nThe first is Fellini\u2019s Casanova<\/em> (1976) in which Federico Fellini (La\nDolce Vita<\/em>, 8\u00bd<\/em>) tells the story of the life of the famous womanizer.\nDisc features include a 4K restoration of the movie, both the feature\u2019s English\nand Italian audio tracks, a film critic commentary and a movie scholar essay.\nIf you\u2019re looking for something a little goofier and more recent, you can now\npick up My Science Project<\/em> (1985) on Blu-ray. It\u2019s about a teen whose\nhigh school class assignment accidentally opens portals to different eras,\ntaking his friends on a bizarre adventure within the school walls. Bonuses\ninclude a film historian audio commentary, a new interview with co-star Fisher\nStevens and a trailer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another title from the era was the period adventure and\nsequel, The Return of the Musketeers<\/em> (1989). This all-star production\nincludes the likes of Michael York, Oliver Reed, Frank Finlay, Richard\nChamberlain, C. Thomas Howell, Kim Cattrall, Geraldine Chaplin and Christopher\nLee. This release comes with a film historian commentary image gallery and\ntrailer. And if you\u2019re a fan of Rock Hudson, the distributor is releasing the Rock\nHudson Collection<\/em>, which includes Blu-rays of the movies Seminole<\/em>\n(1953), The Golden Blade<\/em> (1953) and Bengal Brigade<\/em> (1954). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sony are also putting out a great many made-to-order\nBlu-rays of some of their catalog titles. This week, they include Good\nNeighbor Sam<\/em> (1964), The Notorious Landlady<\/em> (1962), Operation Mad\nBall<\/em> (1967), Phffft<\/em> (1954) and Under the Yum-Yum Tree<\/em> (1963).\nIf you\u2019re looking for a theme here, it appears that several of these flicks are\ncomedies starring Jack Lemmon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Those looking for B-movie kicks will find The Greek\nTycoon<\/em> (1978) on Blu-ray courtesy of Scorpion, Code Red\u2019s release of Henry\nSilva in Cry of a Prostitute<\/em> (1974), as well as Sins of the Flesh<\/em>\n(1974) on Blu-ray from Mondo Macabro. All of these come have either new scans\nor 2K upgrades and arrive with various extras that give more insight and\nbackground details about the flicks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paramount are delivering a 4K Blu-ray upgrade of the popular thriller Collateral<\/em> (2004) with Tom Hanks and Jamie Foxx. Action movie fans should be excited about a new tin containing a 30th<\/sup> Anniversary 4K upgrade of Total Recall<\/em> (1990). LionsGate are releasing the Blu-ray and apparently the picture quality is outstanding, as are all of the many bonuses that have also been upconverted. This picture is one of Arnold Schwarzenegger\u2019s best and enthusiasts will be pleased. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those looking for artier fare can pick up a Blu-ray of the\nFrench drama Mouchette<\/em> (1967) from Criterion. This well-regarded\narthouse classic from Robert Bresson (Diary of a Country Priest<\/em>, The\nTrial of Joan of Arc<\/em>) arrives with a 2006 film scholar commentary, a 1967\ndocumentary on the making of the movie, a 1967 French TV program detailing the\nshoot, a trailer and, of course, the movie itself restored in 4K.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The distributor also has Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Two Takes\nby William Greaves<\/em> on Blu-ray, which contains the movies Symbiopsychotaxiplasm\nTake One <\/em>(1968) and Symbiopsychotaxiplasm Take 2\u00bd<\/em> (2005). These are documentary\/fiction\nhybrid films in which the director gathers a crew and assigns them to make a\nmovie on the spot, then captures their artistic process as they try to create\nsomething on the fly. Both films are given high-definition digital transfers\nand come with a documentary on the director, interviews with participants in\nthe projects and other extras. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Film Movement are releasing the Japanese action picture, Raining\nin the Mountain<\/em> (1979) on Blu-ray. Cohen Media Group have a double-feature\ndisc called The Buster Keaton Collection Volume 4<\/em>, which contains the\ncomedies Go West<\/em> (1925) and College<\/em> (1927).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Finally, Warner Archive have a few made-to-order releases\nthat one can pick up via their site or on Amazon. Their latest additions are\nthe Henry Fonda, James Cagney and Jack Lemmon feature, Mister Roberts<\/em>\n(1955). They are also making the very funny comedy Defending Your Life<\/em>\n(1991) available for order on DVD. This effort stars Albert Brooks as a man who\ndies and must prove that he has lived a full and fearless life to a group of\njurors in order to proceed to Heaven. It\u2019s a more challenging proposition for\nthe nervous and anxious man than expected. Meryl Streep co-stars as another\nsoul going through the same process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Here are some new titles that might appeal to youngsters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bobbleheads: The Movie<\/em>
Curious George: Fun with Animals<\/em> \/ Great Outdoors<\/em>
Little Penguin Pororo\u2019s Dinosaur Island Adventure\ufeff<\/em>
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On the Tube!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And if you\u2019re looking to catch up some TV programs, here are\nthe latest releases. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

American Masters: Keith Haring – Street Art Boy<\/em> (PBS)
Death in Paradise<\/em>: Season 9
Father Brown<\/em>: Season 8
Hallmark 2-Movie Collection: Winter Weekend <\/em>& One Winter Proposal<\/em>
Hawaii Five-O<\/em>: The Complete Series
Instinct<\/em>: Season 2
NOVA: Secret Mind of Slime<\/em> (PBS)
The Other One<\/em>: Series 1
Ransom<\/em>: The Complete Series
Secrets of Royal Travel<\/em> (PBS
The Secrets She Keeps<\/em> (Sundance Series)
The Sommerdahl Murders<\/em>: Series 1
True Detective<\/em>: The Complete Seasons 1 \u2013 3
Winter Castle<\/em> (Hallmark Movie)
Yellowstone<\/em>: Season 3
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