{"id":21954,"date":"2021-01-11T15:42:22","date_gmt":"2021-01-11T23:42:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=21954"},"modified":"2021-01-11T15:42:22","modified_gmt":"2021-01-11T23:42:22","slug":"blu-ray-dvd-roundup-for-january-12th-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=21954","title":{"rendered":"Blu-ray\/DVD Roundup for January 12th, 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome back to another look at highlights arriving on\nBlu-ray and DVD. It\u2019s another edition filled with plenty of interesting and\nunique little flicks. So, since you can\u2019t or likely shouldn\u2019t head out to the movies\nthis 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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American Dream<\/em> \u2013 This little thriller follows two\nentrepreneurs desperate for funding in order to finish their construction\nproject. They approach a Russian mobster, but fail to reach a deal. However,\nafter securing a legitimate deal with other sources, the mob decides to involve\nthemselves in the project. As the story progresses, tension ultimately leads to\nviolence. This movie from LionsGate is only being released on DVD for the time\nbeing and there aren\u2019t any reviews for it available as of this writing.\nHowever, there are some big names involved in the production. It is directed by\nnotable Oscar-winning cinematographer Janusz Kaminski (who has shot the\nmajority of Steven Spielberg\u2019s films over the last 30 years) and stars Michiel\nHuisman, Luke Bracey, Nick Stahl and Agnieszka\nGrochowska.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Epicentro<\/em> \u2013 Havana, Cuba is the focus of this\ndocumentary. According to the official plot synopsis, the movie details the\ncountry from its Spanish and American colonial eras to present day, detailing\nthe development of cinema as a propaganda tool. The press release also states\nthat the filmmakers explore a century of interventionism and myth-making while\ncelebrating the spirit and perseverance of the nation\u2019s children. Reaction\ntowards the film was very strong overall. One or two stated that the movie\nshould have been more focused on specific issues. However, the majority of\ncritics called it an impressive, detailed and informative journey into a nation\u2019s\nhistory, sharing the good and bad aspects of its storied and tumultuous history.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Go\/Don\u2019t Go<\/em> \u2013 After a mysterious event ends almost\nall human life on Earth, the last remaining survivor goes on, living an\nisolated and quiet existence and keeping a daily routine in order to maintain\nhis sanity. However, when strange things begin occurring around him that\nsuggest the protagonist may not be alone, the increasingly paranoid figure\nbegins to questions if he hasn\u2019t actually gone mad. This title appears to be\nmaking its premiere on disc and so there are only a handful of write-ups\navailable for it. The small number that appeared online are generally positive,\ncalling the movie an imperfect but interesting psychological thriller that\ndeals with loneliness and its effects on an individual. The cast includes Alex\nKnapp (who also wrote and directed the picture), Olivia Luccardi and Nore Davis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Heart of the Home<\/em> \u2013 Here\u2019s another independent\nfeature that it debuting on disc this week. In fact, there is little that is known\nabout the flick other than what has been stated in a press release. It suggests\nthat the movie is about two women looking for a new roommate to share their\nspace with. Desperate for rent money, they approve a woman without a renter\u2019s\ncontract or doing a background check on her. As it turns out, this is a bad\nidea! Things quickly devolve as the new arrival pits everyone against each\nother and causes a living nightmare for all the residents. The protagonists\neventually discover the underlying reason for the new arrival\u2019s cruelty and try\nto force her out. For those interested in giving the movie a shot, it features Elisabeth\nSteen-Nokleberg, Miho Ando and Yukina Takase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Hot Mess<\/em> \u2013 A 25-year-old aspiring playwright begins\nquestioning her career choices and life decisions in this comedy. She seriously\nconsiders making a new start after meeting a charming young man who suggests\nhe\u2019ll take care of her if she quits writing, agrees to marry him and then move\nout to the suburbs. This Australian feature was officially released a couple of\nyears ago, but is only now making its North American DVD debut (a Blu-ray\nrelease hasn\u2019t been announced yet). The feature won an award in its homeland\nfor Best Independent Feature and earned decent notices from critics down under.\nThey wrote that while produced on an extremely low-budget, the movie delivers\nsome laughs thanks to its sharp and bluntly humorous script. Sarah Gaul, Hannah\nLehmann and Marshall Campbell headline the film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Jonathan Scott\u2019s Power Trip<\/em> \u2013 Many are familiar with Jonathan Silver Scott as the co-host of the HGTV series Property Brothers<\/em>. In this documentary, Scott looks into the benefits of solar power. In doing so, he becomes aware of fossil fuel monopolies and their disturbing efforts to stifle the use of renewable energy, all done to protect their own wealth and power. He also interviews officials, solar panel experts and coal miners to determine what can be done to help everyone as the world focuses on increasing the implementation of new energy production practices. There aren\u2019t a great many reviews for the feature just yet, but it did play at various documentary film festivals over the past year to positive response. Bernie Sanders and Al Gore also appear to share their thoughts on the subject. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Jungleland <\/em>\u2013 As if losing a big fight in the ring\nisn\u2019t unfortunate enough, a boxer and his brother\/manager encounter more\ntroubles after it is revealed that they owe a significant sum to local crime\nboss. In order to pay the villain back, they are forced to enter a dangerous\nbare-knuckle boxing tournament, one which the pugilist must win if he and his sibling\nwant their lives to return to normal. On the whole, the press enjoyed this\nsports drama. A small percentage complained that the story didn\u2019t offer many\nsurprises and mentioned they had more and more trouble suspending disbelief as events\nprogressed. However, the majority thought the film was a stylish and\natmospheric effort with great performances. It stars Charlie Hunnam, Jack\nO’Connell, Jessica Barden, Jonathan Majors and Fran Kranz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Lupin III: The First<\/em> \u2013 In case you might be wondering,\nthis animated feature is not a sequel. It\u2019s actually based on a Japanese manga\ncomic book series Lupin III<\/em>. The story is set in the 1960s and follows a\ngentlemen thief and his team, who trek from Paris to Brazil in order to locate\na lost and incredibly rare item that will grant its possessor enormous wealth.\nThey must race against a group of Nazi-treasure hunters also out for the prize.\nResponse was very upbeat towards this adventure film and it won plenty of\nawards in its homeland. Only one reviewer in this part of the world criticized\nthe story, saying it lacked excitement. Everyone else described the movie as a\nfun, impressively animated caper that also served as an excellent adaptation of\nthe source material. You can watch it either in its original language with\nEnglish subtitles or dubbed into English.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Monsoon<\/em> \u2013 This drama involves a child who escaped Ho\nChi Minh City with his family during the Vietnam war. Now an adult living in\nthe UK, he decides to return home for the very first time since leaving, all in\nan effort to rediscover his homeland. He struggles to acclimatize to the\nchanged country, but meets various family members as well as a potential\nromantic interest. The lead then must determine if he should return to Britain\nor start a new life in Vietnam. Critics admired the feature. There were a few\nwho stated that the movie was too subdued and subtle, leaving them uninvolved\nin the proceedings. However, the vast majority called it a beautifully shot,\nconsiderate and well-acted drama detailing the inner concerns of an immigrant.\nIt stars Henry Golding, David Tran, Parker Sawyers and Molly Harris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Skylines<\/em> \u2013 Remember the 2010 alien invasion movie, Skyline<\/em>?\nIt was not well received, but did inspire a sequel that earned slightly\nstronger notices. This is the third feature in the franchise and continues the\nstory after an epic battle leaves much of Earth being rebuilt. When a strange\nvirus begins causing problems for the planet\u2019s survivors, a military official\nleads a team to an alien world to face their foes one more time. This effort\nreceived a mixed reaction. Half said that while it was another improvement over\nthe previous chapters, it was still derivative and didn\u2019t make a whole lot of\nsense. Just as many commented that it was reasonably entertaining B-movie fun\nthat would entertain fans of the series. Lindsey Morgan, Jonathan Howard, Daniel Bernhardt and Rhona Mitra\nheadline the flick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Spell <\/em>\u2013 A pilot decides to fly with his family in a\npersonal aircraft so that they can attend a family funeral in rural Appalachia.\nThey crash and the lead awakens to find himself under the personal care of a\nstranger. Although she is friendly, she reveals that she is a voodoo\npractitioner who will heal him using a doll made from his own blood and skin. He\nsoon learns that he is a captive and attempts to escape. This independent\nhorror flick divided reviewers. Almost half wrote that the movie was\natmospheric and thought it was an interesting spin on the genre that reminded\nthem of the 1990 feature, Misery<\/em>. Slightly more criticized the movie for\nnot adding any new ideas or commentary to the concept and suggesting that it\nbecome increasingly ridiculous as it proceeded. The cast includes Omari\nHardwick and Loretta Devine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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It\u2019s yet another busy period with plenty for new Blu-ray\nupgrades of older features. Mill Creek Entertainment are continuing their\npractice of releasing movies from the 1980s and 90s with covers perfectly mimicking\nthe original VHS box art. They\u2019ve got several underrated titles ready for\npurchase. The discs themselves don\u2019t offer extras and may not be stellar in\nterms of picture quality, but will look better than their DVD counterparts and are\npriced at a very affordable rate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first title on the slate is the Rutger Hauer action\/comedy, Blind Fury<\/em> (1989). It\u2019s an amusingly goofy little picture with the star playing a blind Viet Nam vet who learns the ways of the samurai (including how to handle a sword). When he returns to the US to help the family of an old friend being targeted by crooks, the hero shocks the villains with his amazing skills with a blade. Director Phillip Noyce (Dead Calm<\/em>, Patriot Games<\/em>, Rabbit-Proof Fence<\/em>, Salt<\/em>) handles the action scenes well and ably delivers some B-movie fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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They also have the music-themed drama, Crossroads<\/em>\n(1986), which features Ralph Macchio (The Karate Kid<\/em>) as a\nguitar-playing kid who wants to learn the blues and ends up helping out a\nmusical idol whose success came as a result of making a deal with the Devil. This\neffort comes from director Walter Hill (The Warriors, Southern Comfort<\/em>, 48\nHrs.<\/em>, Streets of Fire<\/em>, Red Heat<\/em>, Trespass<\/em>, Undisputed<\/em>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Freshman<\/em> (1990) is a great comedy from\nwriter\/director Andrew Bergman (who wrote and directed Honeymoon in Vegas<\/em>\nand also penned the screenplays for Fletch<\/em> as well as co-writing Blazing\nSaddles<\/em>). Matthew Broderick plays a NYC film student who accidentally\nbefriends a mysterious figure (played by Marlon Brando), whom the young man\nbelieves may be a mafia boss. Comic shenanigans ensue. The distributor also has\nthe body-swapping comedy Like Father, Like Son<\/em> (1987) with Dudley Moore\nand Kirk Cameron. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kino are releasing a couple of new Blu-rays as well. The\nfirst is the action\/comedy Stretch<\/em> (2014), about a debt-ridden limo\ndriver (Patrick Wilson) who takes an assignment with a big-tipping but completely\ninsane passenger who gets the pair into all sorts of danger. The feature\narrives with a new commentary from writer\/producer\/director Joe Carnahan (The\nGrey<\/em>, The A-Team<\/em>), a film historian audio track and a trailer. They\nare also putting out a Blu-ray of the unrated director\u2019s cut of the thriller, Thursday<\/em>\n(1998). This one follows a shakedown artist who accidentally finds himself in\nthe middle a dangerous drug scam. The disc includes a film critic commentary,\nan interview with star Thomas Jane and a trailer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If pulse-pounding films are for you, then you can\u2019t go wrong\nwith The Raid Collection<\/em> Blu-ray set from Sony. It contains The Raid:\nRedemption<\/em> (2011) and The Raid 2<\/em> (2014), two Indonesian flicks with\nsome of the wildest, craziest and best martial arts sequences seen over the past\ndecade. The first movie, about a SWAT team trapped in a mobster\u2019s tenement who\nmust square off against an army of killers, is something of an action\nmasterpiece. This release allows you to own both flicks for a low price.    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If art films are more to your liking, Arbelos Films <\/a>have a Blu-ray of Satantango<\/em> (1994). It\u2019s a Hungarian feature about a family who plan on selling their farm and leaving the area for good, until the presumed-dead owner reappears unexpectedly with other plans for the household. This movie has received a 4K restoration from the original 35mm camera negative and a new subtitle translation. It also comes with a video interview the film\u2019s composer (who is also a cast member), a video essay on the feature, an archival interview with the director and another featurette on the meanings behind the movie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If low-budget genre films are for you, Media Blasters are\npresenting Blood Sisters<\/em> (1987) and the Japanese fantasy\/horror flick Devilman<\/em>\n(2004) on Blu-ray. The first title has even been given a 4K restoration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Code Red are putting out a Blu-ray of The Devil\u2019s Wedding\nNight<\/em> (1973) in conjunction with Kino. This Italian effort follows a\nTransylvanian Countess ready to bring Count Dracula back to life using any\nmeans necessary. This release presents the remastered US version, trailers and\na special intro revealing background information about the project. They also\nhave Just Before Dawn<\/em> (1981). This is a slasher featuring campers\ngetting killed off by psycho with a machete. It includes both the uncut US\nversion and the extended international edition, both restored from the original\n35mm inter-negative. The disc also includes interviews with cast members Gregg\nHenry, Chris Lemmon, as well as several crew members. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, Flicker Alley also have an interesting 2-disc\nBlu-ray set called Laurel and Hardy: Early Solo Films of Stan Laurel and\nOliver Hardy<\/em> (1914 \u2013 1926). As you might imagine, it contains over 35\ncomedic shorts featuring each performer before they teamed up. All of the\nflicks have been restored in 2K. The disc also includes an image gallery and\nnew musical scores composed and recorded specifically for the shorts, as well\nas notes on each film. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Here are some kid-friendly titles coming your way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SpongeBob SquarePants<\/em>: Season 12 (Nickelodeon)
Ultraman Taro<\/em>: The Complete Series (1973 \u2013 1974) Mill Creek <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

And these are all of the TV-themed releases arriving this\nweek.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fashionably Yours<\/em> (Hallmark)
Legacies<\/em>: The Complete Second Season (Warner Archive)
Manifest<\/em>: The Complete Second Season (Warner Archive)
NATURE: Australian Bushfire Rescue<\/em> (PBS)
NCIS<\/em>: Seasons 1 – 4
NCIS<\/em>: Seasons 5 – 8
NOVA: Touching the Asteroid<\/em> (PBS)
SpongeBob SquarePants<\/em>: Season 12 (Nickelodeon)
The Twilight Zone<\/em>: Season 2 (new series)
Workaholics<\/em>: The Complete Series (Comedy Central)
Ultraman Taro<\/em>: The Complete Series (1973 \u2013 1974) Mill Creek <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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