{"id":22616,"date":"2021-04-26T17:18:40","date_gmt":"2021-04-27T00:18:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=22616"},"modified":"2021-04-26T17:18:40","modified_gmt":"2021-04-27T00:18:40","slug":"blu-ray-dvd-roundup-for-april-27th-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=22616","title":{"rendered":"Blu-ray\/DVD Roundup for April 27th, 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome back to another look at some of the highlights\ncoming this week on Blu-ray and DVD. There\u2019s a big title that earned plenty of\npraise and won prizes at the Academy Awards on Sunday, as well as some interesting\nindependent features. So, if you are still waiting to have a safe moviegoing\nexperience at the cinema, why not give one of these titles a try!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Bad Witch<\/em> \u2013 A male witch whose powers have caused him\nnothing but trouble decides to make a change for the good and help a local teen\nbeing bullied at school. The pair become close and the protagonist does his\nbest to make life better for his new friend. However, when the spells begin to\nbackfire and cause utter chaos, the youngster starts to regret the budding relationship\nand finds himself in a difficult spot. This independent film is premiering this\nweek on streaming platforms and on disc, so there aren\u2019t many reviews of the\nfeature available just yet. One or two have popped up online and have been\ncomplementary, stating that the performances are strong, the practical effects\nare well done and that the movie is generally amusing. It features Chris\nKozlowski and Jackson Trent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Lieutenant Jangles<\/em> \u2013 This feature was scheduled to\narrive on Blu-ray back in June of 2020, but vanished from the schedule moments before\nits release. It is now finally coming this week. The film is an indie comedy\nfrom Australia set in the 1980s that follows a hard-nosed cop in the criminal\ncesspool of Brisbane (that\u2019s according to the plot synopsis\u2026 I\u2019m sure it\u2019s a\nfine and lovely city). After his partner is killed by thugs, the lieutenant\nheads out for revenge. He shoots and blows up anything standing in his way,\nleaving wreckage behind as he \u201csaves\u201d the metropolis from an underworld boss.\nThere aren\u2019t many in this part of the world who have seen this picture, but it\nfared very well at genre film festivals over the past couple of years.\nApparently, it\u2019s amusingly over-the-top with an enjoyably crude and rude hero. It\nhas been suggested that those who enjoy 80s action flicks like Cobra<\/em> and Commando<\/em> will\nget a kick out of this parody. The movie stars Matt Dickie, Justin Gerardin and\nGraham K. Furness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Murder Bury Win<\/em> \u2013 A trio of friends come up with a\nconcept for a board game about getting away with murder that they believe will\nbe a huge success and make them rich. They set up a crowdfunding site, but it\nfails to raise the funding necessary to make their project a reality. A man\nappears out of the blue and makes an offer on the condition that he gets full public\ncredit for the discovery. The pals agree, but the relationship goes bad and the\nleads find elements of the game actually occurring in real life. So far, the press\nhas enjoyed little this independent comedy. One or two complained that the\nmovie wasn\u2019t as clever or cutting as it could have been, but most called it a sharp\nand funny feature that pokes fun at the gaming industry. It features Erich\nLane, Henry Alexander Kelly, Craig\nCackowski and Mikelen Walker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Nomadland <\/em>\u2013 After its Academy Award wins for Best Picture, Best Actress and Best Director, this drama is now arriving on disc. The story follows a proud, widowed woman in her 60s. Due to financial issues, she has been forced to live out of her van and travel across the country in order to search for employment. Viewers witness her endure harsh living conditions and struggle to survive as she journeys through America looking for her next temporary position. Critics adored this feature and gave it extremely high marks. A tiny percentage stated that the movie lacked a sense of rage or passion and was too muted in tone to engage them. However, the vast majority called it a subtle exploration of this unusual lifestyle and called the performances and direction exceptional. It stars Frances McDormand and David Strathairn. To read this site\u2019s review of the film, click here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles<\/em> \u2013 Food\nenthusiasts might be interested in this documentary. It details the efforts of\ncelebrity chef Yotam Ottolenghi to put on a Versailles-themed culinary gala at\nthe New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. The crew captures him assembling a\nstar-studded team and captures them doing everything they can to make event the\nbest that it can be. Notices were solid for this feature. A group did comment\nthat the film didn\u2019t really tell us much about the participants and felt like\nlittle more than a slick Food Channel program. However, most found it to be a sweet\nexperience and thought that there were elements that made the viewer think about\nor maybe even question the motives behind the participants. For the time being,\nthis film is making its debut exclusively on DVD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Pipeline <\/em>\u2013 Before buying or renting a house, always\nmake sure to check the plumbing! This low-budget independent chiller features a\ngroup who rent a abode while they visit a nearby festival. They soon discover\nthe strange creaks and sounds coming from the pipes are hiding a monster. The\ncreature prevents them from leaving and presumably crawls out of bathtubs,\nsinks, washing machines and toilets to attack the visitors. This feature is\ndebuting on DVD only and as of right now there aren\u2019t any professional critic\nreviews available. A couple of online ones have arisen on websites. These\nnotices state that while it is reasonably made, there is no explanation of the\nmonster\u2019s abilities and that the end product isn\u2019t memorable. It features\nAshley Ballard, Elizabeth Cascarelli, Jason Alan Cook, Keaton Ray and Marc\nGoodman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Tiny Life of Butcher Duke<\/em> \u2013 This low-budget comedy\ninvolves an amateur tennis played whose life falls apart after losing a highly\npublicized match against a local TV personality. 20 years after the\ncompetition, the protagonist is still living at home with his mother and is\nestranged from his daughter. Suddenly, the son of the TV personality appears\nout of the blue and suggests a new match, offering a tiny home as a prize for\nthe winner. Our hero must decide if the offer is legitimate and whether he\nreturning to the court will get his life back on track. This indie feature is premiering\non disc, so there are no reviews available for it yet and interested parties will\nhave to go in cold. The cast includes Mike Akel, Chad Werner, Emily Hoitt and\nJeff McQuitty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Two for Joy<\/em> \u2013 This small film from the UK tells the\nstory of a troubled family who take a camper on vacation in a seaside town. The\nstory implies that the patriarch of the family has recently passed away,\nleaving the wife suffering from grief and depression. Her teenage daughter ends\nup serving as the caregiver to the group, keeping her siblings in line while\ntrying to pull her mother out of a catatonic state. It has taken a couple of\nyears for this bleak effort to reach this part of the world, but the press was\nvery positive about the film. It also was nominated for and won awards at a few\nEuropean film festivals. The general consensus is that this heavy and harrowing\nfamily drama is beautifully acted, moving and authentic. It stars Samantha\nMorton, Billie Piper, Daniel Mays, Emilia Jones and Bella Ramsey. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Tyger Tyger<\/em> \u2013 As a pandemic takes hold in their city,\nan eccentric woman and her mute friend decide to fight back against the system\nby attempting to rob a pharmacy. They steal a supply of live-saving drugs and kidnap\na drug dealer to help them traverse through their lawless community and get the\nmedication to those who need it. Reviewers really disliked this effort. While\nthe movie hasn\u2019t received a large number of write-ups yet, all of the ones that\nhave been released are negative. They asserted that while the concept itself was\ninteresting, the execution was deeply flawed. According to these sources, the\nmovie is dramatically flat, doesn\u2019t have anything important to say and meanders\npointlessly in too many directions. The cast includes Sam Quartin, Dylan Sprouse, Nekhebet Kum Juch and\nCraig Stark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Vanquish<\/em> \u2013 After working many years as a cold-hearted\ndrug courier, a new mother tries to quit the business and leave her past\nbehind. Unfortunately, a retired cop locates the woman, kidnaps her baby and\nforces her to do his bidding. The protagonist must use all her fighting skills\nand tricked-out motorcycle to complete her assignment and win back her\noffspring. But will surviving the job bring her true freedom? According to\ncritics, the answer to this question isn\u2019t worth the time or attention. Notices\nwere generally very poor. A tiny contingent thought the action presented was\nentertaining to watch. However, everyone else called it a below-average B-movie\nwith no character development, terrible dialogue and unmemorable set pieces. It\nfeatures Morgan Freeman, Ruby Rose, Patrick Muldoon and Nick Vallelonga.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

This is another great week for older titles arriving on\nBlu-ray. Arrow Video are getting the ball rolling with a 2-disc Limited Edition\nCollector\u2019s Set of the incredible cult film, Donnie Darko<\/em> (2001). It\nstars Jake Gyllenhaal as a troubled, suburban teen who begins having strange\nand disturbing visions of a figure in a bunny suit who tells him that the world\nwill end in less than a month. This new Blu-ray edition includes 4K\nrestorations of both the theatrical version and director\u2019s cut, supervised and\napproved by writer\/director Richard Kelly and the cinematographer. You\u2019ll get\nmultiple audio commentaries, a documentary on the film, deleted scenes, an\narchival making-of doc, featurettes and interviews from the movie\u2019s release. In\nfact, there so much more included in the set that there isn\u2019t enough space to\nlist it all here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Last year, the distributor also put out a Special Edition of\nthe horror B-movie themed comedy, Elvira: Mistress of the Dark<\/em> (1988).\nIt was an impressive disc and now they\u2019re releasing a \u201cLimited Edition\u201d Blu-ray\nSteelbook version. It contains the movie and all the wonderful extras from the\nprevious version in fancy new packaging. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The biggest Arrow release of the week may be the Special Edition Blu-ray of Switchblade Sisters<\/em> (1975). This tale involves a gang of teenage girls struggling to survive on the streets and in the schools of LA. A bond forms between a new member and the group leader, but their friendship is tested by a jealousy and inter-gang squabbles. This disc marks the debut of the title on Blu-ray. It arrives with a high-definition presentation, a film historian commentary, an archival documentary about the flick and another segment detailing the shooting locations. You\u2019ll also get interviews with the filmmaker and cast members from the 1990s, as well as a discussion at a screening in 2007. And all kinds of publicity materials like posters, stills and movies trailers are also included. Want to know more about it? Read all about the Blu-ray here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Kino are offering plenty of Blu-ray entertainment as well. If\nwar movies to your liking, you can pick up Battle Hymn<\/em> (1957) with Rock\nHudson. It\u2019s about a traumatized pilot trying to right the wrongs he carried\nout during a violent conflict. The movie was made by famed director Douglas\nSirk (All That Heaven Allows<\/em>, The Tarnished Angels<\/em>) and comes\nwith a film historian commentary. \nWestern fans can now pick up a new 4K Blu-ray edition of the\nspaghetti-western classic, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly<\/em> (1966). This\ndisc includes both the extended and theatrical versions of the film with new\ncolor grading and superior image quality, along with dozens of extras including\na making-of, featurettes on the production, deleted scenes, not to mention just\nabout any other bonus that you could hope for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The distributor is also releasing Blu-rays of Heartworn\nHighways<\/em> (1976) and its recent follow-up, Heartworn Highways Revisited<\/em>\n(2015). The first title is a documentary capturing performances of various\ncountry and western music artists like Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt and David\nAllan Cole. It arrives with a new restoration, a producer commentary track,\nnearly an hour of bonus footage and trailers. As for the latter feature, it\nexplores and examines the original film and its influence, using discussions\nwith the musicians featured in the original as well as the next generation of\nartists influenced by the movie. The disc comes with a director commentary,\nadditional scenes and a trailer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kino also have a Blu-ray of the Kirk Douglas private eye\nthriller, A Lovely Way to Die<\/em> (1968). This title arrives with a film\ncritic audio commentary and a couple of trailers for the movie. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Those who enjoy low-budget genre flicks will have plenty to\nchoose from this week. Vinegar Syndrome are releasing limited edition Blu-rays\nthat will only be available through their own website. If you go to the site,\nyou can find and purchase the gritty action picture, Death Promise<\/em>\n(1977). It has been given a 2K transfer and arrives with and editor interview\nand publicity materials. Last Gasp<\/em> (1995) with Robert Patrick (Terminator\n2: Judgment Day<\/em>) is about a nasty real estate developer who is possessed\nand turned into a killer. This title has been scanned in 4K and comes with\nextensive outtakes from the production. Rush Week<\/em> (1989) follows a\ncollege newspaper reporter investigating a series of slaying on campus. The\nBlu-ray comes with a 2K image, a film authority commentary track and interviews\nwith cast members. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scorpion has a Blu-ray of the sea-set thriller, Sharks’ Treasure<\/em> (1975) with Cornel Wilde and Yaphet Kotto. It follows a group of desperate men searching for goods in shark-infested waters. The movie has received a new 2019 master, so it should look sharper than ever before. The Time Travelers<\/em> (1964) is a drive-in sci-fi effort about scientists who go more than 100 years into the future and find a barren wasteland filled with angry mutants. This title arrives with a 2020 2K scan and a trailer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And Code Red are delivering a Blu-ray of Werewolves on\nWheels<\/em> (1971), which tells the story of an outlaw biker gang who become hairy\nmonsters. The HD master of the film is new and the disc comes with a trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re looking for something, well, classier, Criterion\nhave a Blu-ray of the award-winning drama, Irma Vep<\/em> (1996). The story\ninvolves a Hong Kong actress who travels to France to star in a vampire flick,\nonly to find a chaotic set filled with troubled personalities. This disc has a\n2K digital restoration of the feature, an interview with the director, archival\ndiscussions with the cast and crew, an episode from the vampire serial that\ninspired this movie, as well as a short from the filmmaker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Masculin F\u00e9minin<\/em> (1966) is a French title from famous\nauteur Jean-Luc Godard (Breathless<\/em>, 2 or 3 Things I Know About Her<\/em>),\nabout a young anti-establishment intellectual who meets and ultimately falls\nfor a pop star. The movie arrives with a 4K digital restoration, archival\ninterviews with the cast and crew, a discussion between critics about the\nproject, as well as a segment featuring Godard directing part a sequence from\nthe movie.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cohen Media have a Blu-ray double feature disc that contains\nthe film-noirs Cast a Dark Shadow<\/em> (1955) and Wanted for Murder<\/em>\n(1955). Both titles have been given 2K restorations and come with trailers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bayview Films are offering a DVD of the Hong Kong\nmusical\/comedy The Office<\/em> (2015) aka Johnnie To\u2019s Office<\/em>. The\nfeature details the inner working of a corporate headquarters, telling its\nstory through humorous situations and songs. The movie won numerous Hong Kong\nFilm Awards during its original run and is in Mandarin with English\nsubtitles.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dirty Dancing<\/em> (1987) has a lot of devoted fans and\nLionsgate are offering the film on Blu-ray as a special Steelbook. It seems\nthat the disc itself will likely be the same as in previous editions, so it\u2019s\nthe packaging that is the major selling point for this rerelease. The Steelbook\nwill only be available at Best Buy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Paramount are digging into their catalog as well, presenting\nsome of their titles in high definition for the first time. They have the\ncomedy, Dear God<\/em> (1996) with Greg Kinnear, in addition to the political\ncomedy, Head of State<\/em> (2003). The latter feature stars Chris Rock, who\nalso directed and wrote the movie. The studio is putting out the Saturday\nNight Life<\/em> spin-off flick The Ladies Man<\/em> (2000) with Tim Meadows as the\ntitle character who is a wannabe Casanova. They also have a Blu-ray of the\ncomedy, Pootie Tang<\/em> (2001). It follows an inner-city folk hero who\nfights against corporate America. The impressive cast includes Lance Crouther,\nJ.B. Smooth, Chris Rock, Jennifer Coolidge, Wanda Sykes, Kristen Bell and David\nCross. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sony are going into their vaults too. For those interested,\nthey\u2019ll be releasing a Blu-ray of the Jane Fond and George Segal comedy\nclassic, Fun with Dick and Jane<\/em> (1977). They also have the dramedy Punchline<\/em>\n(1988), which stars Tom Hanks and Sally Field as aspiring stand-up comics,\ndetailing the trials the pair face in trying to become famous. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

And Warner Archive has some notable made-to-order Blu-ray\nreleases. Another Thin Man<\/em> (1939) follows a crime-solving husband and\nwife who take on an investigation involving the murder of a manufacturer of\nexplosives. Each Dawn I Die<\/em> (1939) is a well-regarded film noir about a\ncorrupt D.A. who decides to frame a reporter before stories about his\ncorruption are printed and ruin his career. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, my Warner Brothers highlight is the Blu-ray release\nof the excellent crime-comedy, Quick Change<\/em> (1990). This is one of those\ngreat films that didn\u2019t make an impact during its original release, but is well\nworth checking out. Bill Murray, Geena Davis and Randy Quaid play a trio of New\nYorkers who decide to rob a bank. Their initial plan goes off without a hitch,\nbut unfortunately every attempt they make to get themselves out of the chaotic city\ngoes agonizingly and frustratingly awry. Interestingly enough, the movie marks\nMurray\u2019s sole directing effort (technically, he co-directed with writer Richard\nFranklin) and shows that the star has plenty of talent in the filmmaking\ndepartment. Maybe he should give it another go in the future. It\u2019s wonderful\nthat the flick is arriving on Blu-ray and can now be seen by more people.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

It\u2019s a slow week for family-friendly entertainment, but\nhopefully next week will have more to offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

And there\u2019s only one option for TV-themed releases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wisting<\/em>: Season 1<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n