{"id":23105,"date":"2021-07-12T16:52:41","date_gmt":"2021-07-12T23:52:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=23105"},"modified":"2021-07-12T16:52:41","modified_gmt":"2021-07-12T23:52:41","slug":"blu-ray-dvd-roundup-for-july-13th-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=23105","title":{"rendered":"Blu-ray\/DVD Roundup for July 13th, 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome back to another look at some of the highlights\narriving on Blu-ray and DVD. This is a very busy week with a number of notable and\nhigh-profile releases coming your way. So, if you can\u2019t make it out to the\nmovies 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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LIMBO<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 In this comedy\/drama, a Syrian refugee arrives in Scotland hoping to make a new start. First, he and other asylum seekers attend comically odd classes on adapting to life in the UK. Then, the protagonist makes new acquaintances while waiting to find out who will be accepted into the country.  Sitting around also leaves the lead contending with feelings of guilt about leaving his family behind. Most of the press gave this picture rave reviews. There was a small contingent who couldn\u2019t get on the movie\u2019s wavelength and didn\u2019t care for the quirky characters. However, the majority stated that the film had great performances and deftly weaved humor with insightful observations about the difficulties immigrants go through when arriving in a new country. It stars Amir El-Masry, Vikash Bhai, Ola Orebiyi, Sidse Babett Knudsen and Kenneth Collard. To read this site\u2019s review of the film, just click on this link<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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THE MONSTER COLLECTION: THE FRANKENSTEIN COMPLEX &\nPHIL TIPPETT: MAD DREAMS AND MONSTERS<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 Phil Tippett: Mad Dreams and\nMonsters<\/em> is a documentary on the career of the visual-effects supervisor,\nwho designed creatures for titles like Robocop<\/em>, Willow<\/em>, Honey,\nI Shrunk the Kids<\/em>, Jurassic Park<\/em>, Starship Troopers<\/em> and Jurassic\nWorld<\/em>. The movie includes interviews with the man himself, alongside\nfilmmakers like Joe Dante and Paul Verhoeven, who discuss collaborating with\nhim. This film played at a few festivals in 2019 before the pandemic and is now\ndebuting on Blu-ray. In order to sweeten the deal, this release also contains a\n2015 documentary from the same filmmakers called The Frankenstein Complex<\/em>\naka Creature Designers: The Frankenstein Complex<\/em>. This flick goes of the\nhistory of monsters in cinema and how various iconic figures were created.\nThere aren\u2019t many reviews available for the flicks, but they\u2019ll likely be\nentertaining and informative for genre fans. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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MORTAL KOMBAT<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 A mixed-martial arts fighter\ndiscovers that he has a strange and unusual heritage after he is hunted down by\na fighter from the \u201cOutworld\u201d. The heroic figure soon discovers that he will\nhave to compete in a deadly competition to save the universe. He stands with\nEarth\u2019s greatest champions in the ring against strange and supernatural\nopponents. Many will be aware of the fact that this film is based on a very popular\narcade game. Critics were generally split on this adaptation. Nearly half of\nthem said that the central story wasn\u2019t interesting and that the repetitive\nnature of the violent fights actually became increasingly dull as the movie\nprogressed. A few more wrote that they were expecting much worse from the\nfeature and had a great time seeing some of the familiar game characters beat\neach other up. It features Lewis Tan, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Joe Taslim\nand Mehcad Brooks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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THE NIGHT<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 This horror picture follows a married Iranian couple who go out to visit some friends with their newborn. When they have trouble getting home, they decide to stop at a hotel in downtown LA. Eerily enough, the place is almost empty and the two soon begin experiencing strange supernatural phenomena that seem related to events from their past. Tension rises as the family struggles to find their way out of the building. Reaction was very upbeat towards this chiller. There was a small group of reviewers who complained that the movie didn\u2019t frighten them and state that the ending was unsatisfying. Still, the consensus on the film was that the cast were engaging, it had great atmosphere and that the events depicted were consistently unsettling. The cast includes Shahab Hosseini, Kathreen Khavari, Niousha Noor and Leah Oganyan. Read a full review of the feature right here<\/a>.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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NO MAN\u2019S LAND<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 Members of an American family living on the Mexican border decide to join a vigilante patrol. When they encounter a group of migrants, a confrontation leaves one immigrant boy dead. The young man responsible for the tragedy flees from authorities on horseback into Mexico. Once there, he experiences life on the run. After coming to a clearer understanding of the suffering of others, he attempts to find the victim\u2019s father in the hopes of being forgiven for his previous acts. Write-ups weren\u2019t particularly positive for this drama. A number of them did admire what the movie was trying to accomplish in teaching empathy to viewers and appreciated the work of the cast. However, far more found that the movie was cliched and poorly paced, saying it didn\u2019t deal with its themes in an effective manner. It stars Jake Allyn, Frank Grillo, Andie MacDowell, Jorge A. Jimenez and George Lopez. To read this site\u2019s take on the movie, click on this link<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SPONGE ON THE RUN<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 The\nthird feature based on the popular animated TV series deals with a mysterious\ndisappearance under the sea. When SpongeBob learns that his pet snail Gary has\ngone missing, he sets out with his best friend Patrick to locate the shelled\ncreature. Clues suggest that the nefarious King Poseidon is the kidnapper and\nthe protagonists attempt to rescue the snail. Reaction was generally positive\ntowards the movie, although it wasn\u2019t quite as highly rated as previous films\nin the series. Some took issue with the story and called the flick a series of\nlittle sketches with hit-and-miss gags. Still, the general consensus was that,\nwhile flawed, there were enough wild and looney laughs on display to earn the\nflick a recommendation. The voice cast includes Tom Kenny, Bill Fagerbakke,\nClancy Brown, Rodger Bumpass, Carolyn Lawrence, Awkwafina, Matt Berry and Keanu\nReeves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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WRATH OF MAN<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 A newly hired armored car security driver shocks his coworkers when he foils a heist with his exceptional fighting skills. The man\u2019s boss takes an immediate shine to the employee, but several coworkers become suspicious of the figure. As it turns out, some of the individuals working for the firm are involved in some criminal activities on the side. Viewers soon learn that the lead may have a personal score to settle with some of those involved. Overall, response was upbeat towards this gritty crime flick. A significant portion of critics did state that the movie didn\u2019t offer much in the way of surprises and delivered little more than the expected story beats. Still, the majority thought that it provided pulpy thrills and noted that the lead was charismatic enough to overcome any story issues. It stars Jason Statham, Holt McCallany, Jeffrey Donovan, Josh Hartnett, Laz Alonso and Eddie Marsan. To read a full review of the feature, click here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

BLASTS FROM THE PAST!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are a great many older titles receiving high-definition\nupgrades this week. Shout! Factory are putting out a Blu-ray\/DVD combo of the\nFrench\/Belgian animated feature, Ernest & Celestine<\/em> (2012) about a\nhardworking mouse who makes a new and unexpected friend in a large, grumpy\nbear. The feature received an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated\nFeature. This Blu-ray includes an interview with the director, an early\nanimatic of the feature and a making-of. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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They are also releasing a \u201cCollector\u2019s Edition\u201d Blu-ray of\nthe remake of the horror film, House of Wax<\/em> (2005). It follows a group\nof friends who find themselves trapped in a small town after their car breaks\ndown. They discover a wax museum and soon become the victims of a mysterious\nkiller. The movie has been given a 2K scan from the inter-positive. Extras\ninclude an interview with co-star Paris Hilton, discussions with other cast\nmembers, the makeup effects artist and score composer. You\u2019ll also get bloopers\nwith cast commentary, a number of featurettes for the movie, an alternate\nopening to the film, vintage promotional materials and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Shout! Select line is putting out The Pianist<\/em>\n(2002) on Blu-ray. This Oscar-winning film (which earned prizes for Best Actor,\nBest Director and Best Adapted Screenplay) tells the true story of a Jewish\npianist in Warsaw, Poland during the Nazi occupation. Viewers witness his\nattempt to evade capture and survive in the war-torn ruins of the capital city.\nThe disc includes a behind-the-scenes featurette, an interview with the\nscreenwriter, a talk with the son of the man who the film is based on and a\ntrailer.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kino are digging in their vaults to release the film noir Alias\nNick Beal<\/em> (1949) with Ray Milland. This Blu-ray comes with a film historian\naudio commentary and a trailer. The Great Gabbo<\/em> (1929) is a musical\narriving in high definition through the Kino Classics subheading. This picture\nhas received a 2K restoration from 35mm materials provided by the Library of\nCongress. It also comes with a movie expert commentary track giving trivia and\nnotes about the production. Those looking for more film noir entertainment can\npick up Blu-rays of Larceny<\/em> (1948) and The Web<\/em> (1947) starring Edmund\nO\u2019Brien. Both of these Blu-rays include a film scholar commentary and trailers.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Criterion also have some intriguing Blu-ray titles arriving\non store shelves. Deep Cover<\/em> (1992) features Lawrence Fishburne as an\nundercover agent out to stop a drug trafficker (played by Jeff Goldblum). This\nwell-regarded crime film was seen by many as a clever modern-day film noir. The\nmovie arrives on disc with a 4K restoration, a new interview with the director,\na conversation between film scholars on the movie and its significance, a\nsecond discussion on the hip-hop music featured on the soundtrack. Also\nincluded is a panel discussion between the director and star Fishburne, as well\nas a trailer.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They also have a Blu-ray of Working Girls<\/em> (1986). Not\nto be confused with the 1988 Melanie Griffith\/Harrison Ford comedy Working\nGirl<\/em>, this well-received independent film tells the story of a working\nprostitute. It attempts to show an authentic portrait of workers at a Manhattan\nbrothel. The movie has received a 4K restoration supervised by the director.\nThe disc includes a 2007 director\u2019s commentary track, a new conversation with\nthe filmmaker, a talk with the stars of the movie and interviews with actual\nsex workers about the title.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scorpion have a Blu-ray of the TV-movie, The Two Worlds\nof Jennie Logan<\/em> (1979). It\u2019s a romantic thriller starring Lindsay Wagner (The\nBionic Woman<\/em>) as a woman who buys an old Victorian home with a portal into\nthe past. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Discount outlet Mill Creek are also delivering some affordably\npriced Blu-rays this week. They don\u2019t come with much in the way of extras, but\nare inexpensive. First, they have the Jason Biggs\/Steve Zahn\/Jack Black comedy Saving\nSilverman<\/em> (2001), which features an appearance by music legend Neil\nDiamond. Speaking of legends, this company is releasing a lesser-known title from\nfamed writer\/director Blake Edwards (Breakfast at Tiffany\u2019s<\/em>, The Pink\nPanther<\/em>, A Shot in the Dark<\/em>, The Party<\/em>, The Great Race<\/em>).\nSkin Deep<\/em> (1989) stars John Ritter as an alcoholic, womanizing writer.\nThe movie gained some notoriety during its original release for a comedic scene\ninvolving the use of a glow-in-the-dark condom. Mill Creek are also presenting\nthe rom-com Two If by Sea<\/em> (1996) on Blu-ray, which features Sandra\nBullock and Denis Leary as art thieves on the run from authorities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Paramount Presents line is adding a new Blu-ray title\nthis week in the form of Almost Famous<\/em> (2000). It\u2019s a fantastic movie set\nin the early 70s about a high-school student who ends up talking Rolling\nStone Magazine<\/em> into letting him tour with a major rock band. He is assigned\nto write an article about his experiences with the group on the road. The movie\nwas based loosely on the real experiences of writer\/director Cameron Crowe (Say\nAnything<\/em>, Jerry Maguire<\/em>) and is a real winner. This disc boasts a 4K\nrestoration of both the theatrical and extended cuts of the film. It comes with\na recent interview with Crowe, as well as new featurette, extended scenes and\nnewly discovered footage. In addition, all of the previously released extras\nfrom earlier editions are included. You\u2019ll receive a director\u2019s commentary, a\nmaking of, discussions about the music of the late 60s and early 70s, the\nactual article that Cameron Crowe wrote for Rolling Stone<\/em> as a youth and\ndozens of other bonuses. You can either buy the Blu-ray in the regular Paramount\nPresents packaging or get a Steelbook edition of the title. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paramount is also rereleasing some of their Blu-rays at\ndiscounted rates. The titles being offered are El Dorado<\/em> (1966), Into\nthe Wild<\/em> (2007), Planes, Trains & Automobiles<\/em> (1987), Scrooged<\/em>\n(1988), Selma<\/em> (2014) and The Warriors: Ultimate Director\u2019s Cut<\/em>\n(1979). Personally, I\u2019m a much bigger fan of the theatrical version of The\nWarriors<\/em> and hope that the studio will one day release that version of the\nfeature on Blu-ray. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grasshopper have a Blu-ray of the Italian drama, Sicilia!<\/em>\n(1999) aka Sicily!<\/em>. This 20th<\/sup> Anniversary edition comes with a\ndigital restoration of the film as well as second narrative feature from the\nera (also made in the region) called Where Does Your Hidden Smile Lie?<\/em>\n(2001).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Disney are digging into their Marvel superhero catalog and\nputting out multi-disc Blu-ray sets based around individual characters. One\nassumes they are for those who don\u2019t want to pick up every single movie in the\nfranchise. You can now purchase the Ant-Man<\/em>: 2-Movie Collection and the Guardians\nof the Galaxy<\/em>: 2-Movie Collection. As you might have expected, they also\nhave an Iron Man<\/em>: 3-Movie Collection and a Thor<\/em>: 3-Movie Collection\nas well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sony have a new 4K Ultra HD disc\/Blu-ray edition of the\ncrime\/comedy, Snatch<\/em> (2000). Apparently, this new restoration is from\nthe original camera negative. Besides the upgraded picture quality, it also\ncomes with all of the previously released extras from older editions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Universal are giving some made-for-video sequels the Blu-ray\ntreatment. You can now pick upTremors 2: Aftershocks<\/em> (1996),Tremors\n3: Back to Perfection<\/em> (2001) andTremors 4: The Legend Begins<\/em>\n(2004) in high definition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, Warner Archives are making the war picture Objective,\nBurma<\/em> (1945) available as a made-to-order Blu-ray that can be ordered\neither through the studio site or through Amazon and other retailers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

YOU KNOW, FOR KIDS!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re looking for family-friendly entertainment, there\u2019s\none major release. However, if you\u2019re also looking for something for slightly\nolder kids, you can also pick up a few PG-rated titles listed below the first\nselection. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run<\/em>
Ernest & Celestine<\/em> (2012)
Ant-Man<\/em>: 2-Movie Collection (2015 \u2013 2018)
Guardians of the Galaxy<\/em>: 2-Movie Collection (2014 \u2013 2017)
Iron Man<\/em>: 3-Movie Collection (2008 \u2013 2010 – 2013)
Thor<\/em>: 3-Movie Collection (2011 \u2013 2013 \u2013 2017) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ON THE TUBE! <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Charmed<\/em>: Season 5 Blu-ray
Charmed<\/em>: Season 6 Blu-ray
Pennyworth<\/em>: Season 2 (Warner Archive) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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