{"id":23176,"date":"2021-07-19T14:51:26","date_gmt":"2021-07-19T21:51:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=23176"},"modified":"2021-07-19T14:51:26","modified_gmt":"2021-07-19T21:51:26","slug":"blu-ray-dvd-roundup-for-july-20th-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=23176","title":{"rendered":"Blu-ray\/DVD Roundup for July 20th, 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome to another look at highlights arriving on Blu-ray\nand DVD. This is yet another busy edition filled with interesting titles in a\nwide variety of genres. So, if you can\u2019t make it out to the movies this week,\nbe 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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AN AMERICAN IN PARIS: THE MUSICAL<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 Based on\nthe 1951 feature film, this story was adapted to the stage in 2014 as a Tony\nAward-winning Broadway musical. The original was a grand success, featuring tunes\nwritten by George and Ira Gershwin. This theatrical recreation of the story\nretains all of the memorable numbers. The narrative follows a World War II\nveteran in France embarking on a career as an artist and falling for a\nsocialite. As you may have already guessed, this release is a recording of a 2018\nproduction from London\u2019s West End. There haven\u2019t been a great many reviews of\nthe disc yet, but the ones that have appeared online state it is an\nimpressively mounted show that will certainly impress theater fans. The cast\nincludes Robbie Fairchild, Leanne Cope, Zoe Rainey, Sophie Apollonia and\nDaniela Norman.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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ANTARCTICA<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 Two teenage misfits in small town\nAmerica attempt to endure their final year of high school and support each\nother through this difficult time. They have a more unusual experiences than most\nover the course of their final classes, dealing with sex, drugs, gun crazy\njanitors and even time-traveling boyfriends. However, the toughest challenge\narrives when they unexpectedly become popular with their fellow students. This\nindependent coming-of-age comedy was well received by critics. A few commented\nthat the film seemed smug and felt that the leads were unlikable and appeared to\nbe overly self-involved. However, the vast majority wrote that the cast were\ncharismatic and that the movie tackled numerous themes in interesting and\namusing ways. It stars Chlo\u00eb Levine, Kimie Muroya, Bubba Weiler, Steve Lipman\nand Clea Lewis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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DIE IN A GUNFIGHT<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 Using Shakespeare\u2019s Romeo and Juliet<\/em> as inspiration, this romantic crime comedy involves two warring families in New York who run huge media empires. When a young man and woman from separate sides fall for each other, their relatives conspire to keep them apart. This only works for so long and the two are reunited while being chased by assassins, which causes bloodshed between both groups. This film was given a limited and streaming release last week. Reaction was very negative towards the movie. A couple of reviewers called it slickly-produced, campy fun that added something fresh to a familiar story. Yet almost everyone else thought it offered little in the way of wit or cleverness to back up its bravado – they called the end results dull and tiresome. Alexandra Daddario, Diego Boneta, Justin Chatwin, Wade Allain-Marcus, Billy Crudup and Emmanuelle Chriqui headline the film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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DREAM HORSE<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 Based on a true story, this biopic follows a woman who works as a bartender in a small Welsh town. Yearning for some excitement in her life, she overhears a conversation about breeding racehorses and tries to convince those in her community to pool their financial resources and give it a shot for themselves. They meet numerous obstacles along the way, but soon find their own horse competing professionally on the track. This British feature garnered a warm response from the press. There was a limited contingent who found it all a bit too sentimental and obvious in its attempts to manipulate audiences. Still, the consensus was that the performers were first rate and that the picture was an amusing and sincere tale certain to earn goodwill from viewers. It stars Toni Collette, Damian Lewis, Owen Teale, Joanna Page and Karl Johnson. For the time being, this feature is being released exclusively on DVD. If you’d like to read a full review of the movie, click this link<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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FIRE<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 A group of Ariel Forest Protection\nService Firefighters are detailed in this Russian narrative. The team commander\nbecomes cranky after learning that his daughter is dating a firefighting rookie\nfrom Moscow. When the two men are assigned to protect a village from a massive\nblaze in the country\u2019s interior, they are forced to put aside their differences\nand help each other survive. Also known as \u201cNo Escapes\u201d and \u201cOgon\u201d in its\nhomeland, this feature was picked up for distribution in North America by\nShout! Factory. Apparently, many of the dangerous stunts on display were done\nlive and around real flames. It was nominated for a Best Picture APKIT Award in\nits homeland. The movie hasn\u2019t been seen by many in this part of the world.\nReviews from Eastern Europe say that while the story is predictable, the movie\nis technically accomplished and visually stunning. The cast includes Konstantin\nKhabenskiy, Ivan Yankovskiy and Stasya Miloslavskaya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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HELD<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 If horror movies tell us anything, it\u2019s\nthat attempting to reconnect with a loved one at a remote location is a\nterrible idea. That\u2019s what the protagonists learn in this film after deciding\nto stay in a lavish estate with a top-of-the-line A.I. security system. The\nrenters begin to suspect they are being watched and decide to leave, only to\nfind themselves trapped inside by the automated protector. If that wasn\u2019t bad\nenough, a voice with secret knowledge about their lives begins tormenting them\non the loudspeaker. Critics also seemed to be tormented by what they saw. One\nthird of them thought the movie was stylish and had enough twists to keep them\ninterested. Still, more said that the film didn\u2019t generate much suspense, had major\nlogistical lapses and didn\u2019t effectively address its themes. It features Jill\nAwbrey, Bart Johnson and Travis Cluff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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HYDRA <\/em><\/strong>\u2013 This Japanese feature is set at a\nTokyo sushi bar. A chef works quietly behind the counter, avoiding any sort of\ninteractions with customers. The reason for his antisocial behavior soon\nbecomes clear. This man feels compelled to secretly watch and protect the owner\nof the establishment. When a crooked officer threatens the woman, we learn that\nthe lead was once part of an organization devoted to eliminating police\ncorruption. He soon realized that he may be forced into doling out his brand of\njustice. There aren\u2019t many notices available for this feature yet and the ones\nthat have appeared online are mixed. About half have complained that the\ncharacters and story aren\u2019t well developed. Still, all the write-ups note that\nthe fight choreography and action is exceptionally handled. The cast includes Masanori\nMimoto, Miu and Tasuku Nagase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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INITIATION<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 Things at a college party during\na university pledge week get even more unpleasant than usual in this tale.\nAfter entering the bedroom of a star athlete, a group of students discover his\nbody impaled on a spire. Police arrive and the classmates involved try to\ninvestigate the death on their own. They discover a series of sinister social\nmedia messages that may reveal the truth behind the slaying. This horror\npicture earned slightly more positive reviews than negative ones. Those who\ndisliked the picture thought it was a bit of a mess, writing that the\ncharacters weren\u2019t interesting and that the story\u2019s revelations were full of plot\nholes that were impossible to overlook. Yet, slightly more appreciated the\nmovie\u2019s attempt to address bullying and thought it would entertain genre\nenthusiasts. Isabella G\u00f3mez, Lindsay LaVanchy and Froy Gutierrez headline the\nfilm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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JAKOB\u2019S WIFE<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 A pastor\u2019s wife begins to feel\ntaken for granted by her husband after 30 years of marriage. After an old flame\nreturns to town and tries to rekindle their old relationship, she really begins\nto consider a change. Unexpected, supernatural events occur and the woman discovers\nthat she has powerful abilities and a new taste for blood. It leads to various\nrealizations and confrontations that turn violent. Overall, the press was very\nupbeat about this independent horror flick. A tiny number didn\u2019t appreciate the\nhumor and thought the movie was tonally unbalanced. Still, the consensus was\nthat the leads were exceptional and that the film delivered plenty of laughs,\nmemorable scenes and some insight into strained marriages. It stars Barbara\nCrampton, Larry Fessenden, Bonnie Aarons and Nyisha Bell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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SPIRAL: FROM THE BOOK OF SAW<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 In this spin-off of the \u201cSaw\u201d horror franchise, a trio of detectives investigate a new series of crimes involving brutal death traps. They research similar events that occurred in the past and try to find a connection between the old and new killings, soon finding themselves as targets in a psychopath\u2019s nasty games. This is the ninth title in the series. Based on the critical reception, reviewers weren\u2019t all that pleased with this follow-up. There was a minor contingent who claimed that it was a decent sequel with a memorably disturbing moment or two that would please \u201cSaw\u201d fans. Unfortunately, all others thought that the story didn\u2019t make sense and that it felt like those behind the camera were simply delivering more of the same gruesomeness. The cast includes Chris Rock, Max Minghella, Samuel L. Jackson and Marisol Nichols.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BLASTS FROM THE PAST!<\/strong>
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It\u2019s another remarkably busy week for older films receiving Blu-ray upgrades. Blue Underground are getting the ball rolling with an impressive \u201cLimited Edition\u201d 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray presentation of Dead & Buried<\/em> (1981). This is a creepy horror gem that got lost in the shuffle during its initial release at theaters 40 years ago. The story involves a small-town cop investigating a series of violent slayings that appear to be the work of various locals. The performances are excellent and the movie features plenty of thrills and chills that have slowly turned this film into a cult classic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Besides a major 4K restoration of the film with improved picture quality, the disc comes with four commentary tracks, behind-the-scenes footage, a look at the locations used in the feature, a new interview with the director and score composer, a discussion with the author of novelization and a special featurette on make-up effects man Stan Winston. You\u2019ll also get an interview with co-writer Dan O\u2019Bannon, a featurette on co-star Robert Englund (who would later star as Freddy Kreuger in A Nightmare on Elm Street<\/em>) and tons of publicity materials. Additionally, this set comes with a CD of the complete score, as well as a lengthy essay on the film and its importance in the horror genre. This is an impressive set worth picking up. Read a full review of the Blu-ray here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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MVD Visual have some\ninteresting discs coming your way as well. The first is a Double-Feature\nBlu-ray containing the action flicks, Close Range<\/em> (2015) and Savage\nDog<\/em> (2015). The release includes trailers for both films and a couple of\nbehind-the-scenes featurettes for the second title. 2014 marked the release of\nthe critically acclaimed documentary Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold\nStory of Cannon Films<\/em>. It chronicled the careers of eccentric producers\nMenahem Golan and Yoram Globus, who tried to create their own big Hollywood\nstudio and made numerous films (most of which were incredibly cheesy) during\nthe late 70s and 80s. As the previously mentioned documentary was being\ncompleted, the two subjects of the film decided to produce their own feature\nabout their lives. The Go-Go Boys: The Inside Story of Cannon Films<\/em>\n(2014) is now getting a Blu-ray release, so those who want to hear their version\nof events can now pick it up. The disc comes with a trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Back in the 80s,\njust about every kid rented a VHS tape from Vestron Video. Most of the titles\nthey released with low-budget genre films. Lionsgate picked up their catalog a\nfew years back and started to put out Blu-rays under the Vestron name. They\ntook a break from putting out new product for a little while, but have returned\nwith a new disc this week. The Wraith<\/em> (1986) is about a mysterious\nfigure who appears in a desert town, driving around in an impressive black roadster\nand seeking revenge on a gang of killers. It\u2019s a ridiculous flick that features\nsome great driving and, if memory serves, a very memorable explosion about two\nthirds of the way into the feature. Charlie Sheen, Sherilyn Fenn, Nick\nCassavetes, Randy Quaid and Clint Howard make up the notable cast. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This Blu-ray is\nreasonably priced and includes extras like a director commentary, an audio\ntrack with a couple of members of the supporting cast, interviews with the\nfilmmaker, Clint Howard, the stunt coordinator, the visual effects producer.\nThere\u2019s also a featurette on the locations, an alternate title sequence and\npublicity materials. For the price listed online, it seems pretty hard to\nresist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Severin are also\nputting out Blu-rays of a selection of genre films as well. Born for Hell<\/em>\n(1976) is a multinational production between Canada and a few European nations\nabout a Vietnam vet who goes on the rampage and terrorizes nurses at a\nhospital. The story was loosely based on real-life figure Richard Speck. This \u201cDirector\u2019s\nCut\u201d arrives on disc with a 2K image restoration and comes with cast\ninterviews, numerous discussions about Speck himself, as well as the alternate\nUS release cut. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Siege<\/em> (1983) aka\nSelf Defense<\/em> is another notable Canadian exploitation film that was made\nin Halifax, Nova Scotia. It follows a group of right-wing vigilantes who decide\nto hunt down the patrons of a gay bar. The survivor takes refuge in an\napartment and attempts to fight back. I can recall watching an old VHS copy of\nthis movie decades ago and the image quality was so dark that it was difficult\nto make out what was going on. Severin have found the original negative and\ngiven the movie a 2K restoration transfer for Blu-ray, so it should look like a\nnew movie. The disc comes with a co-director audio commentary and trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And they also have\nthe US-made horror comedy Skinned Deep<\/em> (2004), about a family being\npursued by deranged killers. Like the others, this title has received a 2K\nrestoration for Blu-ray and comes with a cast & crew commentary, a look\nback at the feature with interviews from the participants and archival material.\nInterested parties should note that if you order this title directly from the\nSeverin website, you\u2019ll also receive a CD with the soundtrack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Code Red have a 4K\nBlu-ray of J.C.<\/em> (1972) about a biker in a gang who becomes something of a\nprophet and gets into a violent confrontation with local authorities. Studio\nCanal provided the upgraded transfer and the disc also includes a trailer.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scorpion are\ndelivering the low-budget, Australian sci-fi\/action picture, The Time\nGuardian<\/em> (1987) on Blu-ray. It\u2019s set in a desolate future where monsters rampage\nthe land and follows a man as he travels back in time to try and save the\nworld. The movie has been given a new HD master from a 2K Scan of the\ninter-positive and the disc also includes a trailer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Shout! Factory are\npremiering Eight Legged Freaks<\/em> (2002) on Blu-ray. This is a fun, PG-13\ngenre film about a small desert town being invaded by giant, mutant spiders. It\nstars David Arquette and Kari Wuhrer and features an early appearance by a very\nyoung Scarlett Johansson as the female lead\u2019s teenage daughter. The movie is\nbeing presented with a new 2K scan and comes with a newly created making-of\nfeaturing interviews featuring many members of the cast and crew. You\u2019ll also\nget a previously recorded commentary with the director, producer and star\nArquette. And there are eight added scenes included, as well as a trailer and a\nshort film with a similar concept from the director.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If baseball is more\nto your liking, the distributor also has a Blu-ray of Little Big League<\/em>\n(1994). The story involves a 12-year-old boy who inherits the Minnesota Twins baseball\nteam and decides to manage them personally. Extras include interviews with cast\nmembers Luke Edwards and Timothy Busfield as well as a vintage\nbehind-the-scenes featurette and a trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A Stranger is\nWatching<\/em> (1982) is a thriller from Sean S. Cunningham (Friday the 13th<\/sup><\/em>,\nDeepStar Six<\/em>) about a woman and daughter who are kidnapped by a\npsychopath under Grand Central Station in New York City. The pair have to find\na way to escape and fend off the maniac in the process. This feature has also\nbeen given a 2K restoration and comes with an interview and an introduction\nfrom Cunningham, a film historian commentary and publicity materials.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kino have a great\nmany new Blu-rays arriving this week. The first is a Double-Feature containing\nthe war pictures 633 Squadron<\/em> (1964) and Mosquito Squadron<\/em> (1969).\nBoth movies come with film historian commentaries and trailers. The Bride\nComes Home<\/em> (1936) is a screwball comedy with Claudette Colbert and Fred\nMacMurray, while The Gilded Lady<\/em> (1935) is another comedy featuring\nColbert. Both titles arrive with a movie critic audio track and a trailer. And\nthe distributor is delivering another Double-Feature Blu-ray containing 2K\nupgrades of the potboilers Girl Gang<\/em> (1954) and Pin-Down Girl<\/em>\n(1951) aka Racket Girls<\/em>. This release contains trailers and commentaries\nwith exploitation film authorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They also have the\nsilent French drama Nana<\/em> (1926) from director Jean Renoir and based on\nthe classic Emile Zola novel. The Blu-ray presents a 4K restoration of the\nmovie and arrives with a film critic commentary, a before-and-after restoration\ncomparison and a new score by Antonio Coppola. Cecil B. DeMille\u2019s western The\nPlainsman<\/em> (1936) is also arriving on disc. It comes with a commentary track\nwith a movie historian. The same features are present on Thunderbolt<\/em>\n(1929) and DeMille\u2019s Gary Cooper period feature, Unconquered<\/em> (1947). And\nthe distributor is releasing another silent Renoir title called Whirlpool of\nFate <\/em>(1925). The movie has also received a 4K restoration and arrives with\na film expert commentary, a restoration comparison and music by Antonio\nCoppola.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Criterion are\npresenting a Blu-ray of the French Riviera-set drama, La Piscine<\/em> (1969)\nwith Alain Delon. It\u2019s about a group of vacationers who get violent as sexual\ntension arises at the pool. The distributor is providing a 4K digital transfer\nof the title. This disc also comes with the English-language version of the\nfilm, a 2019 documentary on the production featuring interviews with the cast\nand crew, a discussion with a critic about the movie\u2019s legacy, archival footage\nof the production, an alternate ending and trailers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The action\/comedy The\nBoondock Saints<\/em> (2000) has built up quite a following over the years and\nSamuel Goldwyn films have decided to celebrate the feature with a 20th<\/sup>\nAnniversary Edition Blu-ray. At present, the bonuses haven\u2019t been listed so\nyou\u2019ll have to seek out the details to find out more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the recent\narrival of Spiral: From the Book of Saw<\/em> on Blu-ray, Lionsgate are\nrereleasing Blu-ray of all previous chapters in the Saw<\/em> franchise. They\nhave new packaging and presumably come with all of the same extras as previous\nversions.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Fans of classic science-fiction\npictures may be interested to know that The Film Detective are putting out an\nelaborate \u201cSpecial Edition\u201d of Flight to Mars<\/em> (1951). It\u2019s about a group\nof astronauts who arrive on the red planet and meet an alien species, only to\nlearn that these creatures may be planning to steal their ship to invade Earth.\nThe Blu-ray arrives with a 4K restoration of the feature, a film historian\ncommentary, a documentary short about sci-fi movies of this period and a full\ncolor insert booklet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sony have several\nBlu-rays on offer, including the musical Bye Bye Birdie<\/em> (1963). With the\nrelease of Snake Eyes<\/em> at cinemas this week, the studio is also putting\nout 4K editions of G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra<\/em> (2009) and G.I. Joe:\nRetaliation<\/em> (2013). Pal Joey<\/em> (1957) stars Rita Hayworth, Kim Novak\nand Frank Sinatra. Sinatra plays a nightclub singer trying to raise the funds\nto open his own club and starting a love triangle in the process. And action\nfans can pick up the original Sniper<\/em> (1993) on Blu-ray with Tom Berenger\nand Billy Zane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paramount are\noffering a DVD box set this week called Jerry Lewis \u2013 The Essential Twenty\nFilm Collection<\/em>. As you might have guessed, it includes numerous movies\nmade by the studio starring the legendary comedian, including The Bellboy<\/em>\n(1960), The Nutty Professor<\/em> (1964) among many others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, Warner\nArchives are releasing a trio of new made-to-order titles. In case you haven\u2019t\nbeen to their site recently, they have moved operations and are now officially\npart of Amazon. So, that\u2019s where you\u2019ll have to go in order to find their\ncatalog of Blu-ray and DVD titles. This week, you can pick up Blu-rays of the\nfilm noirs I Wouldn\u2019t Be in Your Shoes<\/em> (1948) and Step by Step<\/em>\n(1946), as well as the musical Take Me Out to the Ball Game<\/em> (1949).<\/p>\n\n\n\n


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

There isn\u2019t much for kids this week, but if you\u2019re\ndesperate, you could try some older movies featuring comedian Jerry Lewis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jerry Lewis \u2013 The Essential Twenty Film Collection<\/em>\nDVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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

Aqua Teen Hunger Force<\/em>: Volume 1
Bordertown<\/em>: Season 3
The Brokenwood Mysteries<\/em>: Series 7
Gangs of London<\/em>: Season 1
Great Performances: Broadway Musicals \u2013 A Jewish Legacy<\/em> (PBS)
Hallmark 2-Movie Collection<\/em>: Just the Way You Are<\/em> & Be My Valentine<\/em> (Hallmark) DVD
Head of the Class<\/em>: Season 3
Inside the Met<\/em> (PBS)
Love in Design<\/em> (Hallmark) DVD
NOVA: Fighting for Fertility<\/em> (PBS)
Shameless<\/em>: Season 11
Star Trek: Discovery<\/em>: Season 3
The Walking Dead<\/em>: Season 10 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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