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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nThe Adventures of Thomas and Felix<\/em> \u2013 Also known as Into\nthe Who Knows!<\/em>, this family feature follows a young boy with an imaginary\nfriend who happens to look like a fox. The boy\u2019s parents would rather he make\nreal friends and so they send him to a summer camp. However, the child\nstruggles to fit in. He decides to escape and search for an elusive and mythic\nforest creature with his make-believe projection. This is an independent\nproduction played at a few film festivals in 2017 and 2018 and nabbed a couple\nof prizes. However, it took a while for the flick to land a distributor and is only\nnow making its debut on disc. There are no official reviews for the film at\npresent, so at this point it\u2019s difficult to gauge just how effective the\nfeature is. It features Bryce Gheisar, Delaney Wingrove, Lee Eddy and Macon\nBlair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Batman: Soul of the Dragon<\/em> \u2013 The latest entry in DC\u2019s\ndirect-to-disc animated superhero film series (which consists of 40 titles) is\na new and original new story set in the 1970s. It begins with Bruce Wayne aka\nBatman receiving martial arts training from a brilliant sensei. When a mysterious\nforce arrives and the teacher disappears, the superhero and his fellow students\nmust team up to stop the sinister force responsible for the kidnapping. The\npress gave this effort high marks. While one or two complained that the story\nwasn\u2019t particularly memorable, most called it a fun and well-animated effort\nthat effectively melded comic books and kung-fu flicks together into a pleasing\nwhole. The voice cast includes David Giuntoli, Mark Dacascos, Kelly Hu, Michael\nJai White and James Hong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Born a Champion<\/em> \u2013 This independent action picture\ninvolves a former Marine and jujitsu fighter who is lured into a match in Dubai\nwith a less-than-honest competitor. After the opponent cheats and wins, the\nfrustrated hero retreats into anonymity. Years later, the victor\u2019s nasty methods\nare revealed and the lead is approached to take part in a rematch. He agrees,\nbecoming obsessed with righting past wrongs. However, he begins putting a strain\non his personal life in the process. This feature looks to be debuting on disc,\nso there are only a couple of online write-ups. They seem to be reasonably appreciative\nof the movie, saying that the acting is above average for a martial arts flick\nand that the fight scenes are well-handled. It stars Sean Patrick Flanery, Dennis\nQuaid, Katrina Bowden, Currie Graham and Costas Mandylor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Come Play<\/em> \u2013 A lonely young tot with no friends becomes\nmore and more reliant on his cell phone and tablet. While online, he befriends\na mysterious figure named Larry. As it turns out, Larry is a monster using\nsmart phones and mobile devices to connect with victims. The child\u2019s parents soon\nlearn about the threat and try to stop the creature before he finds a way to manifest\nhimself in the real world. This horror picture earned split notices from\ncritics. Almost half suggested that the movie couldn\u2019t find the right tone and\nwas little more than a series of jump scares. However, slightly more were pleased\nthat this genre flick focused on characters over gore and called it an\neffective chiller. It features Azhy Robertson, Gillian Jacobs, John Gallagher Jr. and Winslow Fegley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eddy\u2019s Kingdom<\/em> <\/a>\u2013 Eccentric Eddy Haymour is the subject of this documentary. The film introduces viewers to this barber, entrepreneur, psychiatric patient, kidnapper and eventual kidnapper. A controversial character, he has been called both a madman and visionary. Viewers witness Haymour’s obsession with creating an island theme park in Kelowna BC, Canada, which culminated in a hostage-taking in Lebanon. The crew also follows the man as he confronts the current BC government in an attempt to get the island back in his possession. This picture is debuting on disc, but it did play at a few independent film festivals over the past year and earned nominations in various categories. If you\u2019re intrigued by watching an obsessive man attempt to make his unique dream a reality, you might want to give the film a try.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fatman<\/em> – Those looking for belated holiday entertainment may be intrigued by this dark tale about Saint Nicholas. Still living in the North Pole but struggling to keep his operation going, Santa faces new challenges after a wealthy young sociopath decides to punish the gift-giver for leaving a lump of coal under the tree. The boy sends a hired killer out to assassinate the holiday icon, leading to a showdown between good and evil. Reaction from the press for this feature was split. Nearly half commented that the cast was entertaining and that the exaggerated and gruesome movie was an odd but intriguingly unique little fable. Slightly more said it took too long to find the right tone and didn\u2019t make the most of its exciting concept. It features Mel Gibson, Walton Goggins, Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Chance Hurstfield. To read a full review of the movie, click here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Ghost Light<\/em> \u2013 If you\u2019ve ever been around actors, you\u2019ll\nknow that there are plenty of superstitions behind the curtain. This comedy\/horror\npicture involves a disgruntled summer stock performer working on a production of\nMacBeth. He decides to break acting tradition and utter the title of the play in\nfront of other cast members (which you should never do). When things start going\nterribly wrong, those on stage begin to wonder if a curse really has been unleashed\nupon them. Reviewers generally liked this little feature. A small percentage\nfelt that the movie didn\u2019t make the most of its concept and thought it over-emphasized\nlengthy dialogue exchanges. Still, most believed it delivered plenty of\nchuckles and was an entertaining supernatural comedy. It stars Roger Bart, Shannyn\nSossamon, Cary Elwes, Danielle Campbell, Carol\nKane and Scott Adsit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hot Money<\/em> \u2013 Here\u2019s another documentary that has\narrived on the scene rather suddenly. The distributor has released a synopsis\nthat asks if viewers are confused by the foundations of our economy, stocks,\nderivatives, cost of energy and taxes? This movie promises to untangle the\ncomplicated realities of the global financial system and its profound\nrelationship to government, politics and climate change. With the help of\ninternational experts and all the humor of a New Yorker cartoon, the filmmakers\npromise to \u201cout\u201d the whole charade that could lead to societal collapse. This\nmovie features Jeff Bridges (who also is the executive producer) and discussions\nwith former NATO Supreme Allied Commander General Wesley Clark and his son Wes\nClark Jr., who provide some analysis and perspective on the subject.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Impetigore<\/em> \u2013 This Indonesian chiller is about a young\nwoman who inherits a house in her ancestral village. When she arrives to take\nstock of the property, she encounters some very strange locals. The protagonist\nsoon learns that she is the physical embodiment of a curse that has negatively\nimpacted the community for years. She discovers residents are readying to kill\nher in order to end their own suffering. Critics found this foreign-language horror\npicture remarkably effective. There is currently only a couple of negative\nwrite-ups in this part of the world, which say that while the start and finish\nare impressive, this tale lags in the middle. Everyone else called the movie\nwild, atmospheric and terrifying, saying it was one of the best Asian genre\npictures in recent years. The cast includes Tara Basro, Ario Bayu and Marissa\nAnita.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Magic Max<\/em> \u2013 Here\u2019s another title being granted an\nunexpected release on disc without a lot of fanfare. Apparently, the story\ninvolves an 11-year-old boy who is suddenly orphaned. The only family member\nwho can possibly step in to take care of the child is his uncle, an irresponsible\nand immature second-rate magician. While the two initially find little in common\nand struggle to get along, as time passes the youth starts to inspire his guardian\nto become a better person and parental figure. This feature did play at a lot\nof film festivals over the past year and earned some appreciative notices from\nattendees. However, there haven\u2019t been any official reviews for the movie released\nat this time. It features Ivan Sergei, Parker Bates, Barry Corbin, Sally\nKirkland and Joe Estevez. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Princess of the Row<\/em> \u2013 A 12-year-old girl in foster\ncare struggles as she bounces around from home to home. When she is told that the\nnext family taking her in live some 10 hours away, the youngster decides to find\nand stay with her military veteran father, who is homeless and living on the streets\nof Los Angeles due to a brain injury. As social services search for her, she makes\na desperate last attempt to locate her dad and escape with him. Response was\nvery positive towards this drama. A few write-ups criticized the movie for having\na predictable story that didn\u2019t offer any surprises. Still, the majority\nthought that the cast were excellent and the movie was touching and managed to deal\nwith some serious issues effectively. It stars Tayler Buck, Edi Gathegi, Martin\nSheen, Jacob Vargas and Ana Ortiz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Respite<\/em> \u2013 This independent crime thriller is about a\ndown-and-out private eye who is hired by the parents of a missing college student\nto locate their boy. The trail leads to several other bodies, until the\ninvestigator begins to believe that he may actually be pursuing a serial killer\ntargeting Muslim men. As the story progresses, the lead also uncovers a child\nsex trafficking ring that may be connected to the case. The film played at an online\nfilm festival a month or two ago, but is otherwise premiering on disc. As a\nresult, there haven\u2019t been any articles about the movie and little more is known\nabout it. Curious parties will have to go into the low-budget feature without\nany background information. The cast includes Monte Bezell, Donald Paul, Karina\nBezell and Guillermo Iv\u00e1n.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Synchronic<\/em> \u2013 Two New Orleans paramedics are called to\nthe scene of a series of bizarre and violent accidents. They quickly determine\nthat an unknown drug found on the scene may be responsible for the events, potentially\ncausing psychedelic hallucinations. As they learn more about the substance, the\ndaughter of one of the men disappears, taking the heroes on a strange odyssey\nas they attempt to get to the bottom of both mysteries. Critics were upbeat\nabout this science-fiction thriller. One or two were disappointed by the story\nand said that it only served as an excuse to create some surreal situations. Yet\nthe rest thought that the two leads were charismatic and that the movie had some\nwild ideas that kept them engaged throughout. Anthony Mackie, Jamie Dornan, Katie\nAselton and Ally Ioannides headline the film. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Tales of the Uncanny<\/em> \u2013 Severin Films is a distributor\ntypically associated with releasing older genre films on Blu-ray. Apparently, a\nfeaturette being shot as a bonus feature for a release turned into this\nfeature-length documentary examining the history of the anthology horror film.\nVarious filmmakers talk about the subgenre and share their favorite segments\nfrom movies through the history of cinema. According to online sources, it\u2019s a\nsuperb and detailed documentary that features great information and excellent\ninterviews that will inspire viewers to track down several titles. Apparently,\nthe disc also contains some extras, including the little seen 1919 German\nfeature Eerie Tales<\/em> (one of, if not the first anthologies ever produced)\nand the 1949 French effort, Unusual Tales<\/em>. Interview subjects include Roger\nCorman, Joe Dante, Ernest R. Dickerson, Larry Fessenden, Mick Garris, Greg\nNicotero, Eli Roth, Tom Savini, Richard Stanley, Brian Trenchard-Smith, Brian\nYuzna and many more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Trafficked: A Parent\u2019s Worst Nightmare<\/em> \u2013 Also known\nsimply as A Parent\u2019s Worst Nightmare<\/em>, this tale begins with a teenager\ncelebrating her 16th<\/sup> birthday. After the girl is kidnapped, her parents\nfind the authorities to be of little assistance and hire a private investigator\nwilling to go to any length to solve the case. He determines that after\nbefriending a boy on social media, the teen was taken and sold into a human\ntrafficking ring. The detective and the girl\u2019s parent race to recover the youngster\nbefore she disappears forever. This drama is only being released on DVD, so\nthose wanting a Blu-ray will have to wait for the time being. There are also no\nreviews available, suggesting that one should expect too much from the feature.\nIt stars Kristy Swanson, Dean Cain and Sophie Bolen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Blasts from the Past!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s another busy week if you\u2019re looking to pick up older features in high definition. Arrow Video are presenting the new Special Edition Blu-ray box set, Gamera: The Heisei Era<\/em> (1995 \u2013 2006). This franchise about a heroic giant turtle saving Japan from various foes began in the 1960s. However, in many ways the newer films actually outdid the originals in terms of quality \u2013 the first two titles in this series are particularly strong\u2026 and there are just as many out there who love the later titles just as much. The set contains four movies, including Gamera, Guardian of the Universe<\/em> (1995), Gamera: Attack of the Legion<\/em> (1996), Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris<\/em> (1999) and Gamera the Brave<\/em> (2006). Each of the flicks contains a new introduction and commentaries from film historians. You\u2019ll also get a documentary on this particular era of giant turtle movies, as well as other featurettes and bonuses. Looks like a great set! And if you want more Gamera afterwards, remember that you can also purchase sets from Arrow containing titles from the earlier era in the franchise\u2019s history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The distributor is also releasing a 2-disc Limited Edition\nBlu-ray of the cult film, Southland Tales<\/em> (2006). This effort from\nRichard Kelly (Donnie Darko<\/em>, The Box<\/em>) features a group of characters\ndealing with an impending economic and environmental disaster. Despite a cast\nthat included Dwayne Johnson, Seann William Scott, Sarah Michelle Gellar and\nJustin Timberlake, the flick baffled a lot of viewers during its original\nrelease at theaters (this odd movie even contained an out-of-the-blue musical\nnumber in it). However, in the years following it has developed a fan following.\nThe disc includes a 2K restoration of the 145-minute theatrical cut and 160-minute\nCannes version, a director audio commentary, an in-depth retrospective on the film,\narchival featurettes on the production, an animated short set in the universe\nof the movie and publicity materials. <\/p>\n\n\n\n AGFA are putting out The AGFA Horror Trailer Show<\/em> on\nBlu-ray. This is a nearly 90-minute compilation disc of the weirdest and\nwildest drive-in horror movie trailers that the distributor could locate, all\nnewly scanned in 2K. In addition, the release contains a bonus movie containing\narchived trailers for low-budget, direct-to-video flicks. Extras also include a\ncommentary from the AGFA team and short described as a found-footage horror\nexperiment. Sounds like a lot of fun for genre movie fans. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Paramount have added another title in their Paramount\nPresents line. This Blu-ray is the 13th<\/sup> in the series and contains\nthe Danny Kaye comedy, The Court Jester<\/em> (1956). It follows a court\njester in a castle who ends up usurping an evil ruler who has overthrown the kingdom\u2019s\nrightful ruler. To celebrate the movie\u2019s 65th<\/sup> anniversary, the\nstudio has remastered the flick from a 6K transfer of the original negative.\nThe disc also includes a featurette with critic Leonard Maltin who talks about\nthe production, along with a theatrical trailer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re looking for low-budget genre flicks, Vinegar Syndrome\nhave a trio of Blu-ray releases arriving. The first is the Mexican chiller, Don\u2019t\nPanic<\/em> (1988), about an evil force that attacks some teens after they\ncelebrate a friend\u2019s 16th<\/sup> birthday by contacting spirits on a Ouija\nboard. The movie has been described as an amusingly \u201cbonkers\u201d knock off of A\nNightmare on Elm Street<\/em>. Besides a new 4K presentation of the movie from the\noriginal camera negative, it arrives with a commentary track and interview with\nthe filmmaker, a second commentary featuring genre fans The Hysteria Continues!,\nas well as other bonuses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n They also are putting out a Blu-ray of the cult film, Fade\nto Black<\/em> (1980). It tells the story of a movie fan who works at a 35mm\nprint depot. He slowly loses touch with reality and goes on a murderous rampage,\nusing classic films for inspiration in his acts. The movie has been newly\nscanned in 4K from the 35mm camera negative, comes with a commentary track with\nstar Dennis Christopher, a film historian audio track and a third commentary\nwith genre fans The Hysteria Continues! Bonuses also include an interview with Christopher,\nas well as one of his co-stars, discussions with the executive producer, the make-up\neffects artist, the editor, the score composer, the film\u2019s hair stylist, an\naudio interview with the female lead, a still gallery and the trailer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Additionally, they have a Blu-ray 2-disc set of Silent Madness 3-D<\/em> <\/a>(1984). This horror picture, about a maniac who escapes from a mental institution and hunts down college coeds, came at the height of the 80s 3-D craze. The new presentation features the film newly scanned and restored in 4K in both 2-D and 3-D. In fact, you\u2019ll get two pairs of anaglyph 3-D glasses and have the ability to watch the 3-D cut in either the anaglyph or in digital 3-D (for those who have the proper TV set-up). There\u2019s a director introduction to the movie and multiple commentary tracks, as well as a 45-minute making-of documentary, several cast and crew interviews and other bonuses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Severin are presenting the worldwide premiere of Family\nPortraits: A Trilogy of America<\/em> (2003), an anthology of disturbing short\nfilms from Douglas Buck (who also directed the 2006 remake of Sisters<\/em>) about\nthe dissolution of the American family. It comes with director and film critic\ncommentaries on all three productions contained as well as some other bonuses.\nThey also have The Theater Bizarre<\/em> (2011), a multi-national horror anthology\nfilm with a segment from Buck and other bits directed by Tom Savini (the 1990 remake\nof Night of the Living Dead<\/em>), Richard Stanley (Hardware<\/em>, Color\nOut of Space<\/em>) and other genre veterans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For those looking for arthouse fare, you can also pick up The\nAscent<\/em> (1977) on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. This is a Russian WWII\nmovie about two men trudging through harsh, snowy conditions to get much needed\nsupplies to a unit of soldiers in Nazi-occupied Belarus. When they\u2019re captured\nby enemy forces, they must choose between dying for their cause or turning in\nthe men they are trying to help. The film has been given a new 4K digital\nrestoration and the disc includes an introduction from the son of the director,\na short from the filmmaker, a selected-scene commentary with a film scholar, an\ninterview with a cast member, two documentaries about the director\u2019s work and plenty\nmore extras. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Famed Japanese writer\/director Hayao Miyazaki is considered a pioneer in animated film, having made features like My Neighbor Totoro<\/em> (1988), Best Animated Film Oscar-winner Spirited Away<\/em> (2001) and Howl\u2019s Moving Castle<\/em> (2004). Discotek Media have decided to release his debut film this week on Blu-ray and in 4K. It\u2019s called Lupin the 3rd: Castle of Cagliostro<\/em> <\/a>(1979) and is an adaptation of a Manga comic series that was later made into a hit a 3-D animated film in 2020 (that title came out on Blu-ray from Shout! Factory two weeks ago). This earlier version tells the story of a dashing thief who helps rescue a princess from an evil count. The feature received raves upon its release 40 years ago and won an award in its homeland. This new Blu-ray includes Japanese audio with multiple English subtitle tracks, a film historian commentary, interviews and other bonuses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And finally, Warner Archive have a number of new made-to-order Blu-rays arriving this week. The titles include After the Thin Man<\/em> (1936) with William Powell, Lyrna Loy and James Stewart, as well as the comedy\/musical, Good News<\/em> (1947). They are also premiering the Doris Day musical, The Pajama Game<\/em> (1957) and the Cary Grant comedy, Room for One More<\/em> (1952). They are also making DVDs available of catalog titles There Was a Crooked Man<\/em> (1970), featuring Kirk Douglas and Henry Fonda, The Princess and the Pirate<\/em> (1944) with Bob Hope and the Elvis Presley musical, Speedway<\/em> <\/a>(1968).<\/p>\n\n\n\n You Know, For Kids!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are some kid-friendly releases coming your way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sabrina, the Teenage Witch<\/em>: The Complete Series On the Tube!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n And you\u2019ll find all of the week\u2019s TV-themed titles listed below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 4400<\/em>: The Complete Series ![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/DVD-batman-soul-of-the-dragon-fixed.jpg\")
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Shimmer and Shine: Magic Mischief\ufeff<\/em>
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bordertown<\/em>: Season 1
Doom Patrol<\/em>: Season 2
Nature: Primates<\/em> (PBS)
Rebecca Martinsson<\/em>: Series 2
Ride with Norman Reedus<\/em>: Season 2
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch<\/em>: The Complete Series
Snowpiercer<\/em>: Season 1
Taxi<\/em>: The Complete Series
You<\/em>: Season 2 (Warner Archive) <\/p>\n\n\n\n