{"id":22405,"date":"2021-03-22T14:50:24","date_gmt":"2021-03-22T21:50:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=22405"},"modified":"2021-03-22T14:50:24","modified_gmt":"2021-03-22T21:50:24","slug":"blu-ray-dvd-roundup-for-march-23rd-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=22405","title":{"rendered":"Blu-ray\/DVD Roundup for March 23rd, 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome to another look at some of the highlights headed\nyour way on Blu-ray and DVD. This is another strong edition with a couple of\nmajor releases in addition to some interesting independent fare. So, since you\ncan\u2019t or likely shouldn\u2019t be going out to the movies this week, be sure to give\none of these titles a try!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Big New Releases!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Arbors<\/em> \u2013 In a small town, a reclusive locksmith lives\na quiet life avoiding people and staying in as much as possible. One day, he discovers\nan odd and mysterious creature on his property. He takes it in and tries to\nfigure out exactly what it is, eventually forming a connection with the strange\nvisitor. But the lead becomes suspicious of it after a series of bizarre and unexplained\nkillings occur. This independent production is said to be less of a monster\nmovie than one might expect and is more focused on the lead character and his psychological\nstate. There aren\u2019t many reviews available for it, but the ones that have\npopped up have been upbeat. The movie has been described as being tense and atmospheric\nthroughout. It features Drew Matthews, Ryan Davenport and Sarah Cochrane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Baby Done<\/em> \u2013 A woman with dreams of becoming an\nadventurer finds her life headed in a different direction after learning that\nshe is pregnant. While the lead\u2019s boyfriend is thrilled by the news, she\nbecomes concerned about the impact motherhood will have on her ambitions. Suddenly,\nshe decides to squeeze as much action and excitement into her life as possible\nbefore the baby arrives. This little comedy out of New Zealand garnered a lot of\npositive attention from the press. Admittedly, a couple of write-ups complained\nthat the somewhat impulsive main character was a little hard to like. However,\nall others stated that the feature was very funny, had good performances and\nfelt authentic in its treatment of the lead\u2019s situation. The cast includes Rose\nMatafeo, Matthew Lewis and Emily Barclay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Bloodhound<\/em> \u2013 This chiller is loosely inspired by\nthe writings of Edgar Allan Poe. It involves a young man who decides to head\nout to the fancy home of a childhood pal whose health has taken a turn for the\nworse. Wanting to reconnect, he arrives for a short stay, but is disturbed by both\nhis ill friend\u2019s weird behavior, as well as that of the figure\u2019s twin sister.\nIt turns out to be an awkward stay as the visitor talks to and learns more about\nthis disturbed family. Critics seemed to appreciate this eerie effort. A small percentage\ndid suggest that the flick was a dreary, pretentious and at times baffling affair\nthat didn\u2019t provide much in the way of chills. Still, the majority complemented\nthe production as being stylish and called the movie an intriguing and\neffective mood piece. Liam Aiken, Joe Adler and Annalise Basso headline the\nfilm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Breaking News in Yuba County<\/em> \u2013 This comedy follows a suburban\nhousewife who becomes something of a celebrity after her husband (whom she wasn\u2019t\non the greatest of terms with) goes missing. She finds herself enjoying all the\nmedia attention as she sets up a city-wide search party to locate him. While\ntraveling around, the woman gets into all sorts of misadventures as she encounters\nvarious local eccentrics and criminals. Reviews were terrible for this feature,\ndespite it boasting an impressive cast. One or two thought it had some chuckles\nand was diverting enough to recommend. Yet most thought that the stars had been\nleft adrift, the attempts at humor fell flat and the satire didn\u2019t work at all.\nIt stars Allison Janney, Mila Kunis, Regina Hall, Awkwafina, Wanda Sykes, Ellen\nBarkin, Matthew Modine and Juliette Lewis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Cosmoball<\/em> \u2013 Remember the dystopian action movie Rollerball<\/em>?\nIt looks like this picture is the Russian equivalent of that flick. After a galactic\nwar has ravaged the planet, the world is in ruins. A new sport has emerged, combining\nelements of soccer with gladiator fighting. A nice guy in Moscow who just wants\nto provide for his family ends up being recruited by a local team and ends up battling\nfor his life inside the arena. This foreign-language effort has been seen by\nvery few in this part of the world. Some of the Russian reviews online have\ncalled the effort, well, a bit crazy and also say that it more closely\nresembles a superhero picture than a gritty action movie. It was nominated in\nits homeland for its visual effects, so it might provide some nifty visuals and\na laugh or two for those who appreciate wacky entertainment. The cast includes Evgeniy\nMironov, Viktoriya Agalakova, Evgeniy Romantsov and Georgiy Bestaev. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Hero Dog: The Journey Home<\/em> \u2013 Well, the title already\nexplains who the main character in this film is. The story details the\nexperiences of an Alaskan malamute named Chinook. When a boat crashes on shore\nin the northern wilderness, the dog decides to lead a blind man who has crawled\nonshore to safety. The two must traverse great distances and face numerous\nobstacles along the way. It looks like this family flick may have been shot as\na sequel to a 2013 film called Against the Wild<\/em>. Perhaps the distributor\ndidn\u2019t think that the connection to the earlier title was noteworthy or worth\nadvertising. At present, the movie is premiering exclusively on DVD and there\naren\u2019t any reviews available for it, so curious parties will have to take a\nchance on the title. It features Steve Byers, Zackary Arthur and Natasha Henstridge.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Madame<\/em> – In this documentary from Switzerland, a gay\nfilmmaker (whose previous non-fiction feature, Garden of Stars<\/em>, was\nabout an unusual cemetery in the city of Berlin) presents footage of himself\nconversing with his flamboyant and taboo-breaking 90-year-old grandmother. The\ntwo talk about issues like patriarchy, sexuality and gender identity. Together,\nthey discuss their own experiences, what they\u2019ve learned in life and how the public\u2019s\nviews on these subjects have gradually changed over the last century. This\ntitle hasn\u2019t been seen by many viewers outside of Europe and appears to be\nmaking its North American debut on streaming services and on disc. It has\nplayed at various film festivals over the past year, where it won a few awards.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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News of the World<\/em> \u2013 One of the week\u2019s biggest new releases is this Oscar-nominated western. Set a few years after the end of the Civil War, an ex-captain travels from town-to-town reading newspapers to the paying public. When he discovers an uncommunicative 10-year-old girl on the road, he attempts to escort her across Texas and deliver the child to relatives. Naturally, the dangerous route puts both of their lives at risk. Response was very positive towards this feature. A small contingent didn\u2019t find the story unique or exciting enough to hold their attention. Yet the consensus was that the performances were excellent and that the filmmakers delivered a solid and engaging western that would appeal to genre fans. The movie is currently nominated for its cinematography, production design, original score and sound. It stars Tom Hanks, Helena Zengel, Mare Winningham and Michael Angelo Covino. To read this site\u2019s review of the film, click here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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One and the Same<\/em> \u2013 This independent feature has\nappeared without much warning and looks to be premiering on disc (and perhaps\non streaming platforms as well). Apparently, it\u2019s a science-fiction\/mystery and\nthe only other information available about it comes from the film\u2019s plot synopsis.\nIt says that the story follows a young woman who discovers an experiment beyond\nspace and time. She soon discovers that she once had a past life as a teenage\nboy. The lead sets out for revenge after figuring out that her alter-ego was\nmurdered by an ex-con. Almost nothing else is known about picture, so if you\u2019re\ninterested in the story, you\u2019ll have to go in with no other information about\nit. The cast includes Acory\u00e9 White, Makena Taylor, Glenn Plummer and Ignacyo Matynia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Reunion<\/em> \u2013 If you\u2019re looking for something to send a\nchill down your spine, this genre picture may be for you. It involves a\npregnant woman who learns of her grandmother\u2019s passing and decides to return\nhome to spend time with her estranged mother. Their initial meeting is tense\nand only gets more unsettling as time passes. One hopes that she soon realizes\nthat the lives of both she and her unborn daughter are at risk. Response from\ncritics towards this feature was reasonable overall. A small group critiqued the\nmovie for being too slow moving and not delivering on some of the promising themes\nand ideas that it introduces. Yet far more thought that the film got stronger\nand stronger as it progressed and ending up as a memorable and eerie exercise.\nJulia Ormond, Emma Draper, John Bach and Nancy Brunning headline the feature. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Soul <\/em>\u2013 The latest from Pixar and Disney is this animated family flick about a middle-school music teacher who aspires to play jazz professionally. He eventually gets an audition with a legend and makes an impression, but suffers a terrible accident on his way home. The teacher is transported an otherworldly realm and meets a grouchy soul who doesn\u2019t want to inhabit an Earthly body. So, the two strike a deal to help each other out. The press adored this movie and it has been nominated at the Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature, Best Score and Best Sound. There was a minor contingent who stated that the movie played it too safe, talked down to the audience and wasn\u2019t memorable. Yet the majority thought it was fun and gorgeously animated, admiring most of the ideas that were being communicated. The voice cast includes Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Phylicia Rashad, Questlove, Angela Bassett, Alice Braga, Richard Ayoade and Wes Studi. To read this site\u2019s review of the film, click here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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Lots of notable older features are also getting high-definition\nupgrades this week. Shout! are releasing a Collector\u2019s Edition Blu-ray of the\nsci-fi\/horror film, Event Horizon<\/em> (1997). This tale follows the crew of a\nspaceship who discover another lost vessel and investigate what happened to it.\nIt isn\u2019t long before they realize that the ship discovered something truly nightmarish.\nThe movie starred Lawrence Fishburne, Sam Neill, Joely Richardson, Richard T. Jones,\nJason Isaacs and Sean Pertwee. It was noted during its original release for\nbeing quite stylish, but otherwise a missed opportunity. In fact, rumors\ncirculated that the finished product was quite different from the original\nscript and that the studio had tinkered and cut many elements out during post-production.\nDespite the criticism, the feature amassed a following over the years and there\nare still rumors of a director\u2019s cut floating around with roughly 40 extra\nminutes and a different ending. This nifty Blu-ray doesn\u2019t include that original\nversion (which is currently lost), but it does feature tons of new bonus materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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You\u2019ll get a commentary with director Paul W.S. Anderson (Mortal\nKombat<\/em>, the Resident Evil<\/em> series, Monster Hunter<\/em>), an\ninterview with the filmmaker, as well as discussions with the writer, the production\ndesigner, the set decorator, the production manager, the second unit director,\nthe location manager and the sound designer. There are also conversations with co-stars\nKathleen Quinlan, Jack Noseworthy and Peter Marinker. You\u2019ll also get a documentary\non the picture that runs over an hour in length, more on-set footage, about 10\nminutes of deleted scenes, another bit of concept art from two scenes that didn\u2019t\nget shot and some publicity materials. For fans of the flick, that\u2019s a lot of remarkable\nstuff to digest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The distributor is also releasing a Blu-ray of the recent\nFrench horror title, Raw<\/em> (2016). It\u2019s about a vet student who develops a\ndisturbing taste for raw meat. Soon, she begins indulging herself and behaving\nin more and more disconcerting ways. This release includes a writer\/director\ncommentary, a discussion between the moviemaker and a critic, the Australian\npremiere of the title with a Q&A, a panel about female filmmakers, more\ninterview footage, deleted scenes, trailers, TV spots and a promotional video. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Kino also have some interesting features arriving this week.\nCrossed Swords<\/em> (1977) aka The Prince and the Pauper<\/em> is a period effort\nfrom the UK. Based on the story by Mark Twain, it\u2019s about two men from very different\nbackgrounds who look very similar. They switch clothes as a joke and end up\nhaving to live out each other\u2019s lives. The Blu-ray includes a new 4K transfer\nof the movie, a film historian audio commentary, an interview with star Mark\nLester and a trailer. You\u2019ll also received an extended international cut of the\nfilm in standard definition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the western front, you can also pick up the Stacy Keach effort,\nDoc<\/em> (1971). This film is another take on the famous O.K. Corral story.\nThis Blu-ray provides an improved 2K master of the movie, a commentary from western\nauthority Alex Cox (who also directed the film, Repo Man<\/em>) as well as a\ntrailer. The Kaiser of California<\/em> (1936) is a German western that has also\nbeen given a 2K upgrade. It was made during the reign of the Third Reich, but apparently\nfeatures some great cinematography. The disc also comes with a film historian\ncommentary. They also have a Gregory Peck gunslinger picture called Shoot\nOut<\/em> (1971), which comes with a film critic audio track and a trailer. The\nsame extras are included for the Blu-ray of Showdown<\/em> (1973), a western featuring\nRock Hudson and Dean Martin as long-time friends who find themselves on opposite\nsides of the law must square off against each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Wong Kar Wai is a celebrated Hong Kong filmmaker and Criterion\nare releasing a 7-movie box set of his features called The World of Wong Kar\nWai<\/em>. It includes the titles As Tears Go By<\/em> (1988), Days of Being\nWild<\/em> (1990), Chungking Express<\/em> (1994), Fallen Angels<\/em> (1995), Happy\nTogether<\/em> (1997), In the Mood for Love<\/em> (2000) and 2046 <\/em>(2004).\nAll of the movies included have been given 4K restorations so they look as\nsharp and stylish as they did during their original runs in cinemas. There\u2019s a program\nin which Wai answers questions about his movies from other famous filmmakers,\nnumerous short films by the director, tons of interviews and footage from various\nfestivals, deleted scenes, alternate footage from various titles and much, much\nmore (too much to list here, in fact). If you\u2019re a fan of Wong Kar Wai, you certainly\ncan\u2019t go wrong with this set. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re looking for some old exploitation flicks, Code Red\nhave you covered. They have a Blu-ray of the horror film Schoolgirls in\nChains<\/em> (1973), about a maniac who kidnaps victims as used them as playthings.\nThe distributor describes the film as slimy and \u201cmorally corrupt\u201d, so that\u2019s\nwhat you should be ready for if you pick it up. Oddly enough, the movie\u2019s\ncinematographer would go on to shoot some famous TV shows and movies (like Twin\nPeaks: Fire Walk with Me<\/em>), proving the point that everyone has to start\nsomewhere. This release features a 2K scan from the original negative and comes\nwith three audio commentaries (one with cast members, another with the director\nand a third with the director and cinematographer). There\u2019s also a making-of\nand a trailer included.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those of you who are Marvel movie fans but just want the\nteam-up flicks can now pick up a new Disney set, Avengers: 4-Movie\nCollection<\/em>, which contains all of the big superhero epics that were released\nunder that title between 2012 and 2019. One assumes it\u2019s a repackaging of\npreviously released discs and will contain all of the bonuses from the individual\neditions of the movies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sony are presenting one of the best science-fiction movies\nof the past few decades in a new 4K Blu-ray edition. The film in question is Gattaca\n<\/em>(1997), which is set in a future where one\u2019s life path is predetermined based\non their genetic make-up. A man must go to extremes and break the rules in\norder to fulfil his dream of being an astronaut. It\u2019s a powerful movie starring\nEthan Hawke, Uma Thurman and Jude Law. Apparently, the extras are all the same\nbut the image upgrade is quite significant, so if you\u2019re a fan of the film who\nhas the set-up for a high-resolution display, you\u2019ll likely want to grab this disc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paramount are releasing a Blu-ray box set called 10 Best Pictures<\/em>.\nAs you might have already guessed, it includes ten Best Picture Oscar winners\nproduced by the studio. Alphabetically, you\u2019ll get American Beauty<\/em>\n(1999), The English Patient<\/em> (1996), Forrest Gump<\/em> (1994), Gladiator<\/em>\n(2000), The Godfather<\/em> (1972), My Fair Lady<\/em> (1964), No Country\nfor Old Men<\/em> (2007), Terms of Endearment<\/em> (1983), Titanic<\/em>\n(1997) and Wings<\/em> (1927). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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And Warner Brothers are also putting out 4K versions of a\ncouple of their titles. You can now pick up a 4K Blu-ray edition of the DC superhero\nflick, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice<\/em> (2016). This release seems\ntimed to coincide with a new streaming-only HBO Max release of the recent\nfour-plus hour cut of Zach Snyder\u2019s Justice League<\/em> (which is the\nfollow-up to this film). While the latter title has been garnering a lot of\npress since its premiere on HBO Max, it will eventually be coming out on Blu-ray\nin May.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their other 4K Blu-ray is an upgrade of the recent Godzilla<\/em>\n(2014) feature. This title may have come out to coincide with next week\u2019s new monster\nmovie from the studio featuring the giant green lizard. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Here\u2019s some titles that may provide some kid-friendly entertainment.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anne of Green Gables<\/em>: Three Movie Collection (PBS)
Berenstain Bears<\/em>: The Complete Collection
Hero Dog: The Journey Home\ufeff<\/em>
PAW Patrol: Dino Rescue – Roar to the Rescue\ufeff<\/em>
Pinkalicious and Peterrific: Playtime with Pinkalicious! <\/em>(PBS Kids)
Soul<\/em> (Pixar\/Disney)
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On the Tube!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

American Masters: Flannery<\/em> (PBS)
American Masters: How It Feels to be Free<\/em> (PBS)
Animal Kingdom<\/em>: Season 4
Anne of Green Gables<\/em>: Three Movie Collection (PBS)
Berenstain Bears<\/em>: The Complete Collection
Beverly Hills 90210<\/em>: The Ultimate Collection
The Black Church: This is Our Story, This is Our Song<\/em> (PBS)
Finding Your Roots<\/em>: Season 6
The Jamie Kennedy Experiment<\/em>: First Season
The Jamie Kennedy Experiment<\/em>: Second Season
The Jamie Kennedy Experiment<\/em>: Third Season
MacGuyver<\/em>: Season 2
Pinkalicious and Peterrific: Playtime with Pinkalicious!<\/em> (PBS Kids)
Run\u2019s House<\/em>: The Complete First and Second Seasons
Secrets in Our DNA<\/em> (PBS)
Soulmates<\/em>: Season 1
The State<\/em>: The Complete Series
The Undoing<\/em> (Limited Series) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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