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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nFor the Sake of Vicious<\/em> \u2013 After a long Halloween\nshift, a nurse and single mother comes home to discover a masked figure and a\nhostage taking refuge there. She also discovers that the pair are being pursued\nby a street gang that are about to try and break in. Surrounded on all sides\nand desperate to protect her family, the woman must find out who these people\nare and find a way to fight back against attackers. This independent\naction\/thriller\/horror received decent reviews from the press. A small group stated\nthat the feature was ugly and violent, calling it a chore to endure. However,\nthe majority commented that the story was compelling and this it was a solid,\ngritty B-movie with impressive stunts and make-up effects. The film even won a\nfew awards at horror film festivals over the past year. It stars Lora Burke,\nNick Smyth, Colin Paradine and James Fler. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A Ghost Waits<\/em> \u2013 This little genre picture follows a\nhandyman who is hired to clean up a dilapidated old manor. He quickly discovers\nthat the site is haunted by a female spirit. Initially, the fearful lead does\nall he can to try and exorcise the unwanted ghost. After finding a way to\ncommunicate with the woman, the lead learns that she has been assigned to keep\nliving people out of the house. Things become even more complicated when the\ntwo begin to fall in love. Critics really enjoyed this supernatural romantic-comedy.\nOne or two complained that the movie was too low-key and needed more laughs.\nHowever, everyone else complimented the black and white photography, stated\nthat the cast was charming and said it offered an interesting and sweet twist\non the genre. The cast includes MacLeod Andrews, Sydney Vollmer and Natalie\nWalker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Judas and the Black Messiah<\/em> \u2013 The story of Black\nPanther Fred Hampton is relayed in this biographical drama. Set in Chicago\nduring the late 1960s, Hampton served as the chairman of the Illinois chapter\nof the organization. When a 17-year-old teenager is arrested for a petty crime,\nthe FBI decides to manipulate the youngster. They force him to become an\nundercover government agent, providing information about Hampton. The movie won\ntwo Academy Awards and earned raves from reviewers. A tiny contingent stated\nthat the movie had difficulty in focusing its story, jumping between Hampton\nand the recruit so much that the film suffered. The rest were blown away by the\nperformances and called the movie a gripping and passionate drama that had\nimportant things to say about all the individuals involved. It stars Daniel\nKaluuya, LaKeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons, Dominique\nFishback, Ashton Sanders, Algee Smith, Darrell\nBritt-Gibson, Lil Rel Howery and Martin Sheen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Little Things<\/em> \u2013 A tired and burnt-out deputy\nsheriff is asked to travel from Kern Country to Los Angeles and deliver\nevidence to detectives working a serial killer case. The small-town deputy\u2019s\nfinicky nature proves to be an asset to the investigation and he is asked to\nhelp out. Unfortunately, his checkered past, disdain for superiors and\nrule-breaking behavior begins to create tension within the group. This thriller\nearned a Golden Globe nomination for Supporting Actor earlier in the year, but\nsplit the press. Almost half of them stated that the work of the performers was\nso good that it made up for the familiarity and predictability of the plot. However,\nmore thought that the movie was capable of more, commenting that it was\nslow-moving and complaining that end results were unmemorable. Denzel\nWashington, Rami Malek, Jared Leto and Chris Bauer headline the feature. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Painkiller <\/em>\u2013 After losing his daughter to an opioid\naddiction, a frustrated father decides to stop the same fate from occurring to\nothers. He begins a podcast campaign to interview and question big pharma executives\nand doctors. Little do they know that the protagonist is actually using his\nshow to get close to the white-collar criminals behind the epidemic so that he\ncan enact revenge. This little film hasn\u2019t received many write-ups so far, but\nthe ones that have appeared have been decent, if not exceptional. They note\nthat the movie is heavy-handed and has pacing issues, but also suggest that it\nis well-acted, has a great score and ultimately serves as a reasonable little\nrevenge thriller. It stars Michael Par\u00e9, Bill Oberst Jr., Alexander Pennecke\nand Scot Scurlock. For the time being, it is only available on DVD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Roe v. Wade<\/em> \u2013 This conservative-backed drama is inspired by the landmark Supreme Court case about abortion rights for women. The synopsis states that the film tells the story of Dr. Bernard Nathanson and Dr. Mildred Jefferson and their courtroom battle, while also uncovering a secret conspiracy that results in the final verdict. This movie will only be available on DVD and it received unanimous pans from reviewers. Some said it was clumsily made, others called it blunt, dishonest, over-the-top and sexist. And a few said it wouldn\u2019t even work as a propaganda piece. Online reviews have also warned that when the film ends and credits begin, a title card appears admitting that the events and characters portrayed in the biopic are completely fictitious. The cast includes Corbin Bernsen,\u00a0Greer Grammer,\u00a0Jamie Kennedy,\u00a0John Schneider,\u00a0Jon Voight,\u00a0Joseph Lawrence,\u00a0Robert Davi,\u00a0Stacey Dash and Steve Guttenberg. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Virtuoso<\/em> \u2013 A hitman is given information from an\nemployer on where to track and locate his next target. Other than knowing that\nthe person he has been hired to eliminate is a rogue assassin, the protagonist is\ngiven little other information. After being led to a small diner, he finds\nseveral potential options at the site. The killer sets out to find out who the\ntarget really is, encountering even more difficulties after meeting an alluring\nwoman. Reaction wasn\u2019t particularly positive towards this thriller. A few\nreviewers enjoyed the interplay between the characters and though it was a fun\nlittle B-movie. However, all others noted that they were consistently ahead of\nthe plot and that the movie didn\u2019t end up providing many thrills. It features Anson\nMount, Anthony Hopkins, Abbie Cornish, Diora Baird, Eddie Marsan and David\nMorse. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Blasts from the Past!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n There are plenty of older titles arriving on Blu-ray with spiffy new upgrades. Kino are debuting CB4: The Movie<\/em> (1993) in high definition. This effort stars Chris Rock as a young man who decides to become a rapper. He decides to assume the name and persona of a felon to appeal to audiences, but it eventually draws the attention of the very angry figure whose identity he stole. This flick is generally well-regarded and has developed a significant following over the years. The disc includes a film historian commentary, an interview with the director and a trailer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re looking for more movies featuring music, you can also give the notorious Cool as Ice<\/em> (1991) a try. This picture starred rapper Vanilla Ice as a young artist who visits suburbia. He unexpectedly falls for a straight-A student whose family happens to be in witness protection. Outside forces attempt to stop their love from blossoming, forcing the protagonist to prove his worth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This picture from Universal Studios was a massive box-office failure and a critical bomb. It was nominated for several Razzies and took home an award for Worst New Star after its release. However, over time it has developed a cult following. Some of this is due to the fact that it is was an early feature shot by Oscar-winning cinematographer and frequent Steven Spielberg collaborator Janusz Kaminski (Schindler’s List<\/em>, The Lost World: Jurassic Park<\/em>, Saving Private Ryan<\/em>, War of the Worlds<\/em>, War Horse<\/em>, Ready Player One<\/em>). Many also enjoy it because of its sheer bizarreness, as well as the fact that it has been difficult to find since its disastrous release. This Blu-ray comes with a film expert commentary (who will no doubt have a lot to talk about) and a trailer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n F.T.A.<\/em> (1971) is a movie about a comedy stage show with\nJane Fonda and Donald Sutherland that toured various army bases in Southeast\nAsia during the Vietnam War. The film has been out of circulation for decades\nand is now making its debut on Blu-ray. The movie has been fully restored in 4K\nand the disc includes an introduction and interview with Fonda, as well as\nfeature-length documentary on the production, a trailer and a booklet of essays\nabout the production. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking of restorations, you can also pick up a 2K Special\nEdition Blu-ray of the steamy thriller, The Hot Spot<\/em> (1990), featuring\nDon Johnson, Virginia Madsen and Jennifer Connolly. It\u2019s about a man who stages\na robbery and then has to contend with a pair of attractive women who may be\nmanipulating him. The new transfer has been approved by the cinematographer and\nthe release includes a movie journalist commentary, interviews with Madsen and\nco-star William Sadler, as well as a trailer. If you\u2019re looking for a comedy,\nyou can pick up The Last Married Couple in America<\/em> (1980), which details\na messy divorce. The movie stars Natalie Wood and Peter Segal and comes with a\nfilm historian commentary and trailer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The very same bonus features come with the Blu-ray of Sweet\nLiberty<\/em> (1986), a comedy with Alan Alda, Michelle Pfeiffer and Bob Hoskins\nabout a professor and author whose life is turned upside down after a film crew\narrive to turn his latest book into a movie. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Mill Creek have another set of budget-friendly Blu-rays.\nTypically, their discs don\u2019t feature much in the way of extras, but do provide\na quick and inexpensive way to movie enthusiasts to find and collect older\nmovies. The first title is the John Wayne flick, Hellfighters<\/em> (1968). It\nfollows an oil rig fireman dealing with his dangerous profession and a failing\nmarriage. They also have the comedy MacGruber<\/em> (2010), based on the Saturday\nNight Live<\/em> character who is a parody the 1980s TV show character MacGyver<\/em>.\nThis release includes both the theatrical and unrated cuts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The distributor also has a couple of movie sets coming your\nway. Scars of War: 4 Vietnam Stories<\/em> includes the titles Alamo Bay<\/em>\n(1985), Birdy<\/em> (1984), Casualties of War<\/em> (1989) and Summertree<\/em>\n(1971). There are some good films in the pack. Casualties of War<\/em> and Birdy<\/em>\nare particularly underrated features for those who haven\u2019t seen them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For those who appreciate really out-of-date \u201csocial hygiene\u201d\nfilms, Forbidden Fruit: The Golden Age of the Exploitation Picture Vol. 10<\/em>\nis arriving on Blu-ray. It contains Wages of Sin<\/em> (1966), a\nless-than-subtle treatise on birth control and unwanted pregnancy. The disc\noffers a bonus feature in the form of The Misery and the Fortune of Women<\/em>\n(1930). You\u2019ll also receive a couple of educational shorts on pregnancy, a\ntrailer gallery and an essay on these types of films.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re looking for arthouse fare, Criterion are\npresenting Trances<\/em> (1981) on Blu-ray. This film is a documentary about the\ngroundbreaking Moroccan band Nass El Ghiwane. You\u2019ll see them at the height of\ntheir popularity, performing live on stage using traditional instruments. The\nimage has been restored in 2K and the disc arrives with an introduction from\nMartin Scorsese (The Irishman<\/em>, The Departed<\/em>, Goodfellas<\/em>, Raging\nBull<\/em>). It also has interviews with the movie\u2019s director and producer, as\nwell as members of the band.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sony are giving a 4K upgrade to the fantasy drama, Big\nFish<\/em> (2003). This title from director Tim Burton (Sleepy Hollow<\/em>, Ed\nWood<\/em>, Edward Scissorhands<\/em>, Batman<\/em>) follows a journalist\nvisiting his terminally ill father and hearing tall tales about his pop\u2019s life\nexperiences. It\u2019s an effective and bittersweet feature that includes some great\nvisuals and will really benefit from the image upgrade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Disney are also jumping onto the 4K bandwagon this week with\nthe release of a new Speed<\/em> (1994) Blu-ray. This movie was originally\nproduced and released by 20th<\/sup> Century Fox, but since Disney have\nbought the company, they are now in control of the property. For those who haven\u2019t\nseen the movie, it was one of the best action flicks of its era. Keanu Reeves\nstars as a policeman who tries to help disarm a bomb on a city bus that will\nexplode if the speedometer goes below 50 mph. The movie also features Sandra\nBullock and Dennis Hopper. It\u2019s a very entertaining chase movie with great\nstunts that will certainly benefit from improved image quality. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Not everyone knows this, but the studio also has a Disney\nMovie Club line on the distributor\u2019s website. It carries hit titles, as well as\nhard-to-find features from their back catalog and aren\u2019t available from other\noutlets. This week, they\u2019re adding to their collection with the animated\nfeatures The Black Cauldron<\/em> (1985) and Valiant <\/em>(2005). These are\n\u201cExclusives\u201d available only through the program and can\u2019t be found anywhere\nelse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The club is a little strange in that it works in a manner\nsimilar to the old Columbia House record program. Essentially, you have to sign\nup and pick a few free Blu-rays of your choosing (that will be mailed to you), on\nthe condition that you promise to buy five more at regular prices over the\nfollowing year. They\u2019ll also send you emails or mailings of their own curated selections\n– if you don\u2019t want these, you have to cancel the order before the deadline or\nyou\u2019ll be charged for them. In the end, while you can purchase major Disney releases\non the site, people normally join to obtain these rarer, Blu-ray \u201cExclusives\u201d.\nSome of the flicks that fall under this category include 20,000 Leagues\nUnder the Sea<\/em> (1954), Swiss Family Robinson<\/em> (1960), The Love Bug<\/em>\n(1968), The Black Hole<\/em> (1979), Return to Oz<\/em> (1985), Honey, I\nShrunk the Kids<\/em> (1989) and Cool Runnings<\/em> (1993). If you\u2019d like to fill\nin some holes in your collection and decide to give it a try, you\u2019d be wise to focus\non the hard-to-get Blu-rays. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You Know, For Kids!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If your family are fans of Sonic the Hedgehog, then you\u2019ll\nhave something to watch this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sonic Boom<\/em>: Season 1<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the Tube!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n And you\u2019ll find all of the TV-themed releases listed below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hallmark 2-Moive Collection<\/em> \u2013 Just Add Romance<\/em> \/ Love on the Menu<\/em> (Hallmark) ![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/DVD-ghost-waits-fixed.jpg\")
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Hemingway<\/em>: A Film by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick (PBS)
PBS Masterpiece Triple Feature<\/em>: The Chaperone<\/em> \/ Flesh & Blood<\/em> \/ Mrs. Wilson<\/em> (PBS)
Sonic Boom<\/em>: Season 1 <\/p>\n\n\n\n