{"id":22222,"date":"2021-02-22T16:26:26","date_gmt":"2021-02-23T00:26:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=22222"},"modified":"2021-02-22T16:26:26","modified_gmt":"2021-02-23T00:26:26","slug":"blu-ray-dvd-roundup-for-february-23rd-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=22222","title":{"rendered":"Blu-ray\/DVD Roundup for February 23rd, 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome back to another look at new films arriving on\nBlu-ray and DVD. This is another busy edition filled with all types of features\nin just about every genre imaginable. So, since you can\u2019t or likely shouldn\u2019t\ngo 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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Centigrade<\/em> \u2013 Purported to be based on a true story, this literal chiller tells the story of a pregnant author and her significant other driving through Scandinavia on a book tour. When a winter storm hits the open road, they find themselves buried under ice and snow inside their vehicle. Tensions rise as the pair try to attract attention and find a way out in order to save themselves. This effort received slightly more negative reviews than positive ones. Those who enjoyed it called the movie claustrophobic and the increasingly nasty behavior from the lead characters unsettling to watch. However, more complained that the protagonists were too unlikable and said that they had difficulty buying in to the general concept. It stars Genesis Rodriguez and Vincent Piazza. To read this site\u2019s review of the film, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Collective <\/em>\u2013 In this documentary, team of\ninvestigators at the Romanian newspaper Gazeta Sporturilor follow a story lead\nand uncover a conspiracy. They look into a 2015 tragedy and discover a\nhealth-care fraud scam involving local political figures and moguls stealing\nmoney, resulting in the unnecessary deaths of numerous citizens. The film crew\nfollows these journalists as they get to the bottom of it all and present their\nfindings. Critics were extremely impressed by this feature, so much so that it\nreceived only one mixed review. Everyone else was blown away by the story they\nhad witnessed. They called the movie a shocking expose of horrible people in\npositions of power, whose crimes wouldn\u2019t have been uncovered were it not for\nthe great work of the writers. This title is making its debut exclusively on DVD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Croods: A New Age<\/em> \u2013 This sequel to the animated\n2013 feature The Croods<\/em> continues the story of a prehistoric family. The\nadventure begins with the protagonists locating a walled-in paradise that provides\nthem with everything and more they would need to survive. However, they soon meet\nanother family squatting on the site. But when a new and dangerous threat\nappears, the groups must overcome their differences and team up to save the day.\nThe press generally liked this feature. A small group didn\u2019t think the\nfollow-up was unique or funny enough to win them over. Yet the majority felt that\nit was colorful, well-animated and that there were plenty of laughs and\nenjoyable moments that would entertain the entire family. The voice cast\nincludes Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Catherine Keener, Cloris\nLeachman, Clark Duke, Leslie Mann, Peter Dinklage and Kelly Marie Tran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Donna<\/em> \u2013 Also known as Donna, Stronger Than Pretty<\/em>,\nthis independent drama follows three decades in the life of a sweet but\ndowntrodden woman. The lead character finds it difficult to live up the\nexpectations of her traditional Italian family. After enduring years of torment\nfrom her conservative husband, she finally finds the courage to stand up for\nherself and make a new start in her life. Over last year, this low-budget movie\nmanaged to earn a few awards at film festivals. There haven\u2019t been many notices\nwritten about the picture, but the ones that have appeared have been decent.\nWhile one or two found the lead\u2019s character early behavior frustrating, they\nstill complimented the cast and called the movie an empowering ode to women\nsuffering from abuse. If features Kate Amundsen, James Aronson and Sandy Bainum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Last Call<\/em> \u2013 Here\u2019s another indie drama that has\nearned some good press. This film involves a misdial that brings together two\ncompletely different individuals. When a depressed man about to kill himself\ncalls a suicide hotline, he accidentally ends up speaking to the building\u2019s\nlate-night janitor after she answers the phone. With little knowledge of how to\nhandle the situation, she tries to keep the man engaged in order to convince\nhim to spare his own life. This movie played at a few festivals in 2019 and\nreceived awards for its cast and narrative. One or two critics said that the\nconversation depicted simply couldn\u2019t justify the feature\u2019s running time.\nStill, the majority appreciated the work of the actors and called the film a\npersonal and compelling depiction of depression. Sarah Booth and Daved Wilkins\nheadline the movie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Last Vermeer<\/em> \u2013 This period drama is based on a\ntrue story that occurred at the close of World War II. A solider arrives in the\nNetherlands to investigate eccentric the Dutch artist Han Van Meegeren, who is\naccused of collaborating with the Nazis and providing them with priceless Vermeer\nmasterpieces. The investigator finds the oddball difficult, but begins to\nsuspect that he may be innocent of the crimes he has been charged with and\ndecides to defend him in court. The majority of write-ups for the movie were\npositive. A small number found the story fascinating but the execution of the\nstory a little too ordinary, saying that the courtroom drama became tiring.\nStill, many asserted that Van Meegeren was an engaging character and the\ndetails of his scheme were compelling to watch. It stars Guy Pearce, Claes Bang, Vicky Krieps, Roland M\u00f8ller, August Diehl and Adrian Scarborough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Mallory<\/em> \u2013 The subject of this documentary is Mallory\nGrossman, a seemingly happy 12-year-old who loved gymnastics and cheerleading. After\nsuffering endless abuse from bullies both at school and online, this youngster\nultimately ended up committing suicide. The feature tells her story and investigates\nthe various parties who participated in the taunting and allowed the behavior\nto continue (including the school\u2019s staff). The victim\u2019s parents discuss the\nfrustration they felt because of the lack of accountability by those running\nthe institute. It can be assumed that the movie also deals with ways in which\nthese series issues can be addressed. This non-fiction effort is premiering on\ndisc, so as of right now there are no reviews available for it.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Our Quincea\u00f1era<\/em> \u2013 Here\u2019s another noteworthy\ndocumentary arriving on disc. A film crew travel to a small town in Texas where\na high school principal hosts a yearly Quincea\u00f1era for students who can\u2019t\nafford one (for those unfamiliar with such an event, it is a young woman\u2019s 15th<\/sup>\nbirthday celebration). The entire town decides to get involved and the\ncommunity does its best to inspire students to make their dreams come true and work\ntogether to accomplish their goals. This title had screenings at numerous film\nfestivals over the past year and won an audience favorite award at one showing.\nThe film has been available to stream for a few weeks, but it hasn\u2019t been\nreviewed by the press yet, so interested parties will have to join in without\nany more details about the party.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Rage <\/em>\u2013 This Australian thriller begins with a violent\nhome invasion that leaves a husband in a coma and a wife in trauma. The man\ndoes reawaken and recover, but his significant other is shattered by the ordeal\nand the couple are told that one of the perpetrators evaded arrest. After going\nout in public for the day, the wife thinks she recognizes the attacker. This\nspurs the leads on a journey of revenge, although things may not be as they\ninitially appear. The film hasn\u2019t been seen by many reviewers outside of its\nhome country. However, the write-ups it did receive were solid and the feature\nalso earned faves in its homeland. It has been described as a gripping and\ntense little feature that includes excellent performances from the leads. The\ncast includes Matt Theo, Hayley Beveridge, Richard Norton and Tottie Goldsmith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Redemption Day<\/em> \u2013 A war veteran and hero returns home\none day to discover that his wife has been kidnapped by mysterious and sinister\nforces. Naturally, the protagonist decides to find out why this occurred and retrieve\nher using any means necessary. The hero wipes out each and every villain he\nencounters along the way. Alas, the press largely panned this effort. A couple of\nreviewers admired the actors and the film\u2019s attempts to give the protagonist\nand his spouse a little more character development than other action pictures.\nStill, almost everyone else said that the plot was bland and predictable and\nthe fight scenes generic and forgettable. For the time being, this title is\nbeing released only on DVD. It features Gary Dourdan, Serinda Swan, Andy\nGarcia, Ernie Hudson and Martin Donovan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Red Woods<\/em> \u2013 Some explorers get themselves into\ntrouble after heading out to the Appalachian backwoods to record video of\nthemselves searching abandoned properties. Not long after they arrive, the\ngroup begin to suspect that they\u2019ve actually become the stars of someone else\u2019s\nproduction\u2026 specifically, a psychopath who wants to make a very different kind\nof movie. It appears as though this found-footage horror effort is debuting on\ndisc, so thus far only a few reviews have appeared on genre sites. These\nnotices state that the movie isn\u2019t half-bad, saying that while the plot was\npredictable and the movie suffered from a very low-budget, it did have an\ninteresting premise and a well-executed finale. Michael Barnett, Brian E.\nStead, Jacquelynn Ware and Justin Rose headline the title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sacrifice<\/em> \u2013 This UK horror flick involves a New York man\nwhose Norwegian mother passes away. He and his pregnant wife travel to his\nbirthplace across the Atlantic to sort out legal matters including his\ninheritance. But while they\u2019re at the old home, dark family secrets are\nrevealed. In fact, the two find themselves being pursued by a sea-monster\nworshipping cult who want to use them in a bizarre ritual. Response was\ngenerally upbeat towards this genre picture. A small group of reviewers called\nthe movie tame and complained that the end results didn\u2019t stand out enough from\nother titles of its ilk. Still, most countered that the feature was\nwell-photographed, atmospheric, tense and had some creepy moments. This feature\nis currently a DVD only release. It stars Barbara Crampton, Sophie Stevens, Ludovic Hughes and Lukas\nLoughran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Silk Road<\/em> \u2013 Stay off of the \u201cDark Web\u201d, everyone.\nThis thriller claims to be inspired by real events, detailing the rise of Silk\nRoad, one of these aforementioned websites. When a programmer creates a free online\nmarketplace, he initially believes that he\u2019s going make incredibly sums of\nmoney. But it isn\u2019t long before sellers begin using the service to make\nmultimillion-dollar drug deals. This puts the lead\u2019s life in danger from both\ncriminals and a potentially corrupt DEA agent. Critics were split on this film.\nHalf thought that it rushed through proceedings and didn\u2019t ultimately know what\nit was trying to say about its subject. The same number suggested that there\nwere some thrills and elements that were intriguing enough to earn the flick a\nrecommendation. Jason Clarke, Nick Robinson, Kate Aselton and Jimmi Simpson\nheadline the feature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Wrong Turn<\/em> \u2013 Based on genre movies, the Appalachian\nMountains may be the most dangerous region to visit in the entire world. This\nremake of the 2003 horror hit sends a new group of youths to the area. While\nhiking, they encounter a group of maniacs living the mountains ready to rob,\nmurder and eat them. As they\u2019re being attacked, one of their dads attempts to locate\nand rescue them. This creeper earned slightly more positive reviews than it did\nnegative ones. Some were critical of the movie\u2019s tonal shifts and stated that\nit didn\u2019t properly resolve several of its plot threads. However, the majority\nsuggested that while it was uneven, there were some effective jolts and eerie scenes\nthat would please horror enthusiasts. It features Charlotte Vega, Adain Bradley,\nBill Sage, Emma Dumont and Matthew Modine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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While there are plenty of new titles this week, there are just\nas many classic features receiving new Blu-ray releases. Arrow are presenting a\nnew Steelbook edition of the classic, An American Werewolf in London<\/em>\n(1981). Those who remember the earlier disc release from last year will know\nthat this incredible movie came with an assortment of new documentaries and\nincredible bonuses features. If you didn\u2019t pick it up the earlier version, you\ncan now get the same release packaged in a Steelbook with brand new art.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The distributor is also releasing a Special Edition Blu-ray of the Japanese grindhouse feature, Shogun\u2019s Joy of Torture<\/em> <\/a>(1968). It\u2019s a horror anthology from cult director Teruo Ishii (perhaps better known at the time for his Yakuza crime features) involving several disturbing tales that ultimately involve extreme forms of punishment and abuse. The disc includes a commentary from a Japanese cinema authority, a discussion with another expert on the genre, a segment with a critic detailing the history of this subgenre, as well as publicity materials for the film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Kino are debuting some Blu-ray titles that have never been\nreleased in high definition. The first is for the beach-party comedy, The\nAllnighter<\/em> (1987). This one starred Suzanna Hoffs (lead singer of the rock\nband, The Bangles) and follows her character as she searches for \u201cMr. Right\u201d at\nthe biggest celebration of the year. You\u2019ll get a commentary with star Hoffs\nand her mother (who directed the feature), a film historian audio track, a\nmusic video for the film and a trailer.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Speaking of musicians taking on acting roles, Hard to\nHold<\/em> (1984) is also arriving on Blu-ray. This drama features performer Rick\nSpringfield (of \u201cJessie\u2019s Girl\u201d fame) as a rock star who finds himself falling\nfor a child psychologist and intellectual. The flick featured several original\nsongs from the performer, including the top 40 hit, \u201cLove Somebody\u201d as well as tunes\nby Peter Gabriel and Graham Parker. The Blu-ray arrives with a commentary with\ndirector Larry Peerce, a second track with an entertainment journalist, a\ntrailer and 11 radio spots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The same distributor is putting out a double-feature Blu-ray of dramas The Other Side of the Mountain<\/em> (1975) and The Other Side of the Mountain: Part II<\/em> (1978), which follow a young ski champion who is paralyzed in an accident, but manages to make a new start in life after falling in love. Director Larry Peerce (who also helmed Hard to Hold<\/em>) appears in a bonus interview on the release. Trailers are also included on the disc.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They also have a Blu-ray of the German feature Port of\nFreedom<\/em> (1944), a melancholy drama set in Europe. The narrative was shot\nduring WWII and reportedly is a great example of how filmmakers were able to\nget around rules imposed by the Third Reich in order to create humanist dramas\nwith anti-Nazi undertones. The movie has been given a 4K color restoration and\narrives with a film historian commentary. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Criterion are releasing a Blu-ray of the award-winning\nindependent drama, Chop Shop<\/em> (2007). The story follows a struggling\norphan who finds work at an auto-body garage in Queens. This disc includes a\ndirector-approved high-definition digital transfer of the feature. Filmmaker\nRamin Bahrani also provides a commentary track and a new conversation about the\nmovie with most of the cast and crew. In addition, there\u2019s a special that\nincludes the director and writer in conversation, and rehearsal footage of the\ncast just before the shoot.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They also have an earlier feature from writer\/director Bahrani\ncalled, Man Push Cart<\/em> (2005). It\u2019s a well-received drama about a famous\nPakistani rock star who moves to the US and ends up selling coffee from a cart\nin Manhattan. This Blu-ray also includes a director-approved transfer, an audio\ncommentary, a new conversation featuring Bahrani with the cast and crew, a\nconversation featuring the moviemaker and a movie scholar, as well as an early\nshort film by the director.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Film Movement are presenting a Blu-ray of the UK comedy, The\nBelles of St. Trinian\u2019s<\/em> (1954), starring Alastair Sim. Performing in drag, he\nplays a headmistress trying to stop his female students from betting on horses.\nThe situation is complicated when the kids find a surprising amount of success\nat the racetrack. This disc comes with a featurette on the production, a movie\nhistorian interview, a discussion of the film with a film studies lecturer, a\ntalk with Alastair Sim\u2019s daughter and another analysis featuring a professor of\nBritish cinema. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This week, Paramount are rereleasing some titles on Blu-ray\nat discounted prices. They\u2019re mostly Miramax titles that were acquired when the\nstudio was shut down and will likely be identical to previous editions. The\ntitles arriving this week are Chasing Amy<\/em> (1997), Doubt<\/em> (2008), a\ndouble-feature disc including Ella Enchanted<\/em> (2004) and Finding\nNeverland<\/em> (2004), as well as dramas The English Patient<\/em> (1996), Frida<\/em>\n(2002), Gone Baby Gone<\/em> (2007) and the Bruce Willis action picture, Hostage<\/em>\n(2005).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The studio is also putting out the John Hughes: 5-Movie\nCollection<\/em> Blu-ray box-set. You\u2019ll get most of Paramount\u2019s selections that\nwere produced with Hughes, including Ferris Bueller\u2019s Day Off<\/em> (1986), Planes,\nTrains and Automobiles<\/em> (1987), Pretty in Pink<\/em> (1986), She\u2019s\nHaving a Baby<\/em> (1988) and Some Kind of Wonderful<\/em> (1987) Not bad\nfor those looking to pick up a bunch of the filmmaker\u2019s titles in one jam-packed\nrelease. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And there\u2019s more. Paramount have Blu-rays of Lady Sings\nthe Blues<\/em> (1972) with Diana Ross and Richard Pryor, Like Water for\nChocolate<\/em> (1992), Paid in Full<\/em> (2002), The Queen<\/em> (2006), Rounders<\/em>\n(1998), Shakespeare in Love<\/em> (1998), Sling Blade<\/em> (1996) and Danny\nBoyle\u2019s exceptional comedy\/drama, Trainspotting<\/em> (1996).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

B-movie fans can pick up some horror pictures in high-definition\ncourtesy of Severin. This week, they are distributing a Blu-ray of The Attic\nExpeditions<\/em> (2001), a genre picture with a great cast that includes Seth\nGreen, Jeffrey Combs, Ted Raimi, Wendy Robie and Alice Cooper. The movie has\nbeen newly scanned in 2K from the original negative and the disc is said to\ncontain some fun extras. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They also have a new Blu-ray of the German mad-scientist\nflick, Castle of the Creeping Flesh<\/em> (1968). This release comes with\narchival interviews with the cast, a locations featurette, alternate opening\nsequences, a Q&A from an Austrian film festival and trailers. And the\ndistributor is releasing a Blu-ray of Plague Town<\/em> (2008), about a tourist\nfamily lost in the Irish countryside who get attacked in a remote village. This\ndisc includes the uncensored version of the film, a director and producer\ncommentary, a making-of documentary, a behind-the-scenes featurette, a look at\nthe sound design, a trailer and shorts from the filmmaker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Troma are presenting one of their catalog titles on Blu-ray\nas well. Nightbeast<\/em> (1982) is a monster movie that features one of the\nfirst credits of future writer\/producer\/director J.J. Abrams (Star Wars:\nEpisode VII \u2013 The Force Awakens<\/em>, Star Trek<\/em> and the TV-series Alias<\/em>\nand Lost<\/em>). He did the score and sound design for this independent horror\nflick. And Media Blasters are releasing the horror\/comedy Late Fee<\/em>\n(2009) on Blu-ray. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Discotek are presenting the Japanese animated feature 5\nCentimeters per Second<\/em> (2007) in high definition. The director of this\nfeature went on to make the recent anime successes Your Name.<\/em> and Weathering\nwith You<\/em>. They also have Lupin III: The Columbus Files<\/em> (1999),\nanother animated film from Japan based on the manga series about the famous\nthief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, Warner Archive are making some notable titles\navailable as made-to-order Blu-rays. My Dream is Yours<\/em> (1949) is a\nmusical\/comedy with Doris Day that incorporates animated characters. It\u2019s about\na single mother with a great voice who finds herself replacing a popular singer\non a TV show. They also have a reimagining of a popular children\u2019s book\ncharacter with the Swedish\/US coproduction of The New Adventures of Pippi\nLongstocking<\/em> (1988). I vaguely remember this movie playing at theaters back\nin the day, but had completely forgotten that it had even existed. It\u2019s great\nto see the film find the light of day once again. On Moonlight Bay<\/em>\n(1951) is another Doris Day musical getting the high-definition treatment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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One Blu-ray title that will be of serious interest to readers\nof a certain age is Pump Up the Volume<\/em> (1990). This drama starred\nChristian Slater as a high-school pirate radio broadcaster who causes a stir\naround town with his confessional monologues about teenage life. It had a\npopular soundtrack that included tunes by Sonic Youth, The Pixies, The Beastie\nBoys, Ice-T, Soundgarden, Concrete Blonde and Leonard Cohen. The movie became a\nbig success on cable and home video and has steadily grown a cult following\nsince its original release. And director Allan Moyle, who was also responsible\nfor the music-themed Times Square<\/em>, would shoot another cult flick in a\nsimilar vein called Empire Records<\/em> just five years later. This release\nincludes a trailer for the film.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the final Blu-ray release of the week is the musical and\nOscar-nominee Show Boat<\/em> (1951) with Kathryn Grayson and Ava Gardner. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Here are some new releases that may appeal to children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Banana and the Curious Bunch<\/em>: Season 2 (Japanese)
The Croods<\/em>: 2-Movie Collection (2013 and 2020)
The Croods: A New Age\ufeff<\/em>
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On the Tube!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And these are the week\u2019s TV-themed releases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

American Experience: The Codebreaker<\/em> (PBS)
Betty White’s Pet Set<\/em>: The Complete 1971 Series DVD (PBS)
Robert Kirkman\u2019s Secret History of Comics<\/em>: Season 1 (2017 AMC series)
Star Trek: The Next Generation<\/em>: Season 1 (1987 \u2013 1988) Blu-ray <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=33oETC5bOuU\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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