LITTLE Q<\/strong> \u2013 Adapted from a popular Japanese novel,\nthis foreign-language drama is told from the point-of-view of a guide dog.\nAfter being assigned to an ill-tempered and misanthropic celebrity chef suffering\nfrom blindness, the dog is less-than-impressed with his new master. But as time\npasses, the golden-hued Labrador forms a close bond with the man as they try to\nmake a life together. There aren\u2019t many write-ups for this feature that have\nappeared in this part of the world, but a few have popped up online. Those\nnotices were generally mixed. Most felt that the dog was adorable and that those\nlooking for a tearjerker would appreciate the feature. Yet, just as many\nsuggested that the movie was too sentimental and felt obvious in its attempts\nto manipulate viewers, leaving them cold. It features Simon Yam, Gigi Leung,\nHim Law and Charlie Yeung.<\/p>\n\n\n\nTHE MAID<\/strong> \u2013 A new maid arrives to start work at a\nfancy royal residence. She soon learns that the previous domestic help whom she\nis replacing disappeared without a trace. The servant starts seeing strange\nsights and sounds, eventually believing that she and the family are being\ntormented by the spirit of the previous maid. She decides to investigate and\nfind out what really happened to the old employee. This horror film from\nThailand hasn\u2019t been seen by many in North America, but a few in other parts of\nthe world have reviewed it. The movie received middling reactions from those\noutlets. Most of them say that the pacing is a bit slow and while atmospheric,\nsome elements are clumsily put together. However, a few noted that the story\ntakes an unexpected twist in the last act, resulting in a memorable ending. The\ncast includes Ploy Sornarin, Savika Chaiyadej, Teerapat Sajakul and Kannaporn\nPuangtong.<\/p>\n\n\n\nMIDNIGHT DINER<\/strong> \u2013 This comedy\/drama from China is\nactually a remake of a hit Japanese feature. The plot follows the owner of a\nlittle restaurant on a side street. He opens his business at midnight, serving\na wide variety of customers. The lead listens to their stories and problems\nwhile making each of them a specific and appropriate dish. As mentioned, the\noriginal films were incredibly popular and as a result this redo has received a\nmore muted response across the sea. Write-ups complain that the original film\nand series is much better, stating that the set of stories presented here are predictable\nand corny. In fact, they also said that the movie didn\u2019t develop the characters\nappropriately or show enough of the dishes to make much of an impact. Tony\nLeung Ka-fai, Tony Yo-ning Yang, Tao Liu, Yibai Zhang and Elaine Jin headline\nthe feature.<\/p>\n\n\n\nTHE REBELS OF PT-218<\/strong> \u2013 Based on a true story, this\ntale is set during World War II and follows the crew of an American torpedo\nboat stationed in the Mediterranean Sea. The team find themselves being\nbombarded and attacked by German forces at the height of the war and struggle\nto survive a brutal and seemingly unending onslaught. The movie recently\npremiered on streaming services and is now arriving on disc. There aren\u2019t many\nreviews available for the feature thus far and the few that have appeared aren\u2019t\nexemplary. These pieces state that the movie certainly deals with an\ninteresting subject and aspires to greatness, but doesn\u2019t possess a production\nbudget high enough to tells its story in an exciting or dynamic fashion. The\nfeature stars Eric Roberts, William Baldwin, Geoff Meed and Danny Trejo. <\/p>\n\n\n\nRIDERS OF JUSTICE<\/strong> \u2013 After his wife is killed and\ndaughter injured in a horrible train crash, a soldier returns home to pick up\nthe pieces. A mathematician and two colleagues appear and soon change the\nfather\u2019s outlook on what occurred. These visitors, who were also onboard,\npresent the lead with a theory about the crash being intentional. The group egg\neach other on and head out to take down those whom they believe are responsible\nfor the tragedy. This foreign-language, Danish production sounds like an action\nfilm, but is as much of a dark comedy as a revenge picture. It won awards in\nits homeland and also received raves from the press. Only one or two reviewers\nhad trouble getting on the film\u2019s wavelength or appreciating the gallows humor.\nEveryone else called the movie completely unique, unpredictable and very funny,\ntearing apart traditional genre tropes and presenting them in a new way. The cast\nincludes Mads Mikkelsen, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Andrea Heick Gadeberg and Lars Brygmann.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSHOOK<\/strong> \u2013 A social media star gets a taste of her own\nmedicine when a follower decides to embark on an online terror campaign against\nthe celebrity. The mysterious figure sends a series of cryptic texts to the\nprotagonist. She must solve the puzzle being presented to her to prevent those\nshe cares about from being murdered. This horror film premiered on the\nstreaming service Shudder and is now making its debut as a DVD-only release.\nReaction towards the picture was split down the middle. Those who didn\u2019t care\nfor the movie stated that it wasn\u2019t frightening and that the story fell apart\nby the close with a preposterous and ineffective reveal. The same number\nthought it was a reasonably tense chiller that attempted to deal with its\nsubject in an interesting manner. Daisye Tutor, Emily Goss and Nicola Posener headline the feature.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSTAY OUT OF THE ATTIC<\/strong> \u2013 Also known as Stay Out of\nthe F**king Attic<\/em>, this low-budget creeper follows a group of ex-cons who\nstart a moving business. Despite their criminal past, the group are eventually\nhired by a creepy client for a last-minute, all-night job. After arriving at a\nVictorian manor to pack boxes, the group are targeted by disturbing figures.\nNotices weren\u2019t very strong for this horror picture. A small percentage appreciated\nthat a lot of time was spent developing the main characters before the\nsupernatural shenanigans begin and found that the jump-scares worked. Still, the\nmajority thought the original title of the feature was the best thing about it.\nThey complained that the movie was plodding, lacked tension and didn\u2019t make a\nlasting impression. It features Ryan Francis, Michael Flynn, Morgan Alexandria\nand Bryce Fernelius. <\/p>\n\n\n\nTHE TRUFFLE HUNTERS<\/strong> \u2013 Foodies will likely be intrigued\nby this documentary that details the unique work of truffle hunters in\nPiedmont, Italy. An Alba truffle is a valuable and sought-after fungi that is\nsimilar to a mushroom. It can\u2019t be cultivated and is only found hidden in the\nsoil. A film crew follows a group of old men and their devoted animals as they\ntry to locate these items and deal with obstacles from competitors. Many\ncritics groups honored the movie with awards last year and it also received\npositive write-ups. There were a few who thought that the movie dragged, didn\u2019t\nreally provide a detailed picture of the business\u2019s darker side and even felt\nstaged in certain scenes. However, the overall consensus was that this was an\ninteresting, insightful and beautifully shot picture about an incredibly rare\nand unusual line of work. <\/p>\n\n\n\nTHE WATER MAN<\/strong> \u2013 In this family feature, a lonely young\nboy moves with his family to Oregon. The child begins to feel especially\nisolated after his dad is forced out of town for work. After the lead learns\nthat his pregnant mother is suffering from leukemia, he sets out to find a\nmystical figure whom he believes will help heal his parent. Along the way, the\nboy meets and befriends a young girl who attempts to assist him on his journey.\nResponse towards this feature was generally upbeat. A small percentage did critique\nthe screenplay for being slightly overcooked and succumbing to cliches. Still,\nmost noted that the movie was sweet and earnest and called the performances and\ncharacters exceptionally strong and engaging. The title stars Rosario Dawson, Maria\nBello, Alfred Molina, Lonnie Chavis, Amiah Miller and David Oyelowo (who also\ndirected the film).<\/p>\n\n\n\nBLASTS FROM THE PAST!<\/strong>If you\u2019re looking for upgrades of older releases, you\u2019re in luck this week. Shout! Factory are debuting a Blu-ray of the cult flick, The Borrower<\/em> (1991). This horror\/comedy from writer\/director John McNaughton (Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer<\/em>, Mad Dog and Glory<\/em>, Wild Things<\/em>) is about a violent alien who is sent to Earth by his own species for its various crimes. When its head gets damaged, the alien starts stealing craniums and other body parts from victims in order to continue a reign of terror. The movie\u2019s inter-positive has been given a 2K scan that has been approved by the director. This disc also comes with a commentary track featuring McNaughton and the film\u2019s producer, an interview with the make-up effects artist, early make-up test footage, the VHS trailer, a still gallery and storyboards. Sounds like some wild and gruesome fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\nKino have a few new Blu-rays as well. The Emperor Waltz<\/em>\n(1948) is a musical\/comedy from Hollywood legend Billy Wilder (Double\nIndemnity<\/em>, The Lost Weekend<\/em>, Sunset Blvd.<\/em>, Ace in the Hole<\/em>,\nSome Like It Hot<\/em>, The Apartment<\/em>). It stars Bing Crosby as a\ngramophone salesman in pre-World War I Austria trying to earn a product\nendorsement from the country\u2019s royalty. The disc comes with a film historian\ncommentary, an archived interview with Wilder about the movie and some\ntrailers. <\/p>\n\n\n\nIn the comedy, Fitzwilly<\/em> (1967), Dick Van Dyke appears\nas a butler. When he learns of his elderly, philanthropist employer\u2019s dire\nfinancial situation, he tries to assist her by stealing riches from other\nwell-to-do families in town. The Blu-ray extras for this comedy includes a\nmovie expert audio track and a trailer. The Fortune Cookie<\/em> (1966) is\nanother feature from filmmaker Billy Wilder about two men who feign a head\ninjury in order to extort a fortune in insurance claims. Jack Lemmon and Walter\nMatthau take on the lead roles. This disc includes a film expert commentary, a\nspecial with Jack Lemmon seeking out extras for the movie, another featurette\non the movie\u2019s stars, as well as some trailers. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\nCriterion also have an interesting new release. It\u2019s a\ndocumentary that details what goes on behind-the-scenes when Broadway musical\nperformers are asked to make an album of their play. Original Cast Album:\n\u201cCompany\u201d <\/em>(1970) follows the stars of Stephen Sondheim\u2019s groundbreaking\nconcept musical Company<\/em> in the recording studio. With Sondheim himself at\nthe helm, what resulted was a legendary, marathon session that left many actors\npushed to their limits. This film is extremely well-regarded and has been\nhard-to-find for several decades. Now, it\u2019s premiering on Blu-ray features with\na new, restored 4K digital transfer, a recently recorded commentary with\nSondheim himself, a second track from 2001 with the director, various\ninterviews with Sondheim, film critics and other composers. Bonuses also\ninclude a 2020 reunion of the surviving cast and crew, an episode of the Documentary\nNow!<\/em> comedy series that parodies the movie and much more.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSony have a trio of Blu-ray titles that may amuse those who\ngrew up in the 1980s and early 90s. Bingo<\/em> (1991) tells the story of a\nrunaway circus dog who comes encounters and helps a shy young boy. The two\nstruggle to stay together after the kid\u2019s parents decide to leave the dog\nbehind while they move across the country. To be frank, the only thing I\nremember most about this title was the terrible poster art that featured the lead\ndog\u2019s head photoshopped on the body of a stuffed animal. It looks like they\u2019ve\ncropped it a bit for the new Blu-ray cover. The movie didn\u2019t make a big\nimpression at theaters, but may have developed a following over the years\nthanks to frequent TV airings. <\/p>\n\n\n\nOf course, most kids remember the Care Bears<\/em> plush\nanimal toy line. Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation<\/em> (1986) is the\nfollow-up to hit 1985 animated feature, The Care Bears Movie<\/em> (which has\nyet to be released on Blu-ray, likely because a different studio owns the\nrights to the original film). This follow-up primarily involves the story of\nthe bears and the strange and magical world where they come from. The disc is a\n35th<\/sup> Anniversary edition, but the press release doesn\u2019t say if the\ndisc will include any bonuses. <\/p>\n\n\n\nPerhaps most notably, the studio is putting out a 35th<\/sup>\nAnniversary, 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital set containing the cult fantasy\nfilm, Labyrinth<\/em> (1986). Jim Henson (The Muppet Show<\/em>, Fraggle\nRock<\/em>) directed this tale of a teen who finds herself lost in a visually\nstunning fantasy world. It stars Jennifer Connelly, David Bowie and plenty of\nincredible puppets. You\u2019ll receive the movie with much-improved image quality,\na 28-page booklet with rare photos from the production and over an hour of new\nand rare, never-before-seen special features. Just a couple of these extra bits\ninclude deleted and alternate scenes (with commentary from Henson\u2019s son), as\nwell as original audition footage featuring the cast. This looks like a great package\nfor fans of the film. <\/p>\n\n\n\nAs mentioned in a previous column, Lionsgate have brought\nback their Vestron Video line, which specializes in genre films from the VHS\nera. This week, they have a Blu-ray Collector\u2019s Edition of the horror\/comedy, Sundown:\nThe Vampire in Retreat<\/em> (1989). It combines elements of westerns combined\nwith the vampire film. The cast includes a lot of familiar faces like David\nCarradine, Morgan Brittany, Maxwell Caulfield, Bruce Campbell, John Ireland,\nDeborah Foreman and Dana Ashbrook. This disc also provides an audio commentary\nwith the director and cinematographer, interviews with many members of the cast\nand crew, as well as publicity materials. It is also affordably-priced on many\nonline sites and may be of interest to genre fans. <\/p>\n\n\n\nLooking for a very eccentric British comedy? Code Red are\npresenting Percy <\/em>(1971) on Blu-ray. The story involves a man who has a\ndebilitation accident and receives a penis transplant. He begins to feel\ndifferently after his recovery and decides to look into the life of his new\norgan\u2019s previous owner. The cult movie stars Hywel Bennett, Denholm Elliott,\nElke Sommer and Britt Ekland and perhaps is most notable for its excellent\nsoundtrack that was written and recorded by rock band The Kinks<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\nMill Creek are delivering plenty of inexpensive Blu-ray\nentertainment as well. First, they are rereleasing a Blu-ray of the Tim\nAllen\/Kirstie Alley comedy, For Richer or Poorer<\/em> (1997). It\u2019s about a\nManhattan socialite couple being chased by the IRS who hide out in an Amish\ncommunity. If you like Mighty Morphin Power Rangers<\/em>, you may also want\nto give the Japanese show Gridman: The Hyper Agent<\/em>: Season 1 (1993) a\ntry. It features a trio of kids fighting digitized monsters and demons on their\ncomputers. And the company are also rereleasing the cult flick, Rad<\/em>\n(1986). This title involves BMX-riding kids who get involved in a local race. <\/p>\n\n\n\nIf you enjoy old movies about horses, ClassicFlix have you\ncovered with The Black Beauty DVD Collection<\/em>, which contains the\nwell-regarded Black Beauty<\/em> (1946) and Courage of Black Beauty<\/em>\n(1957). <\/p>\n\n\n\nAnd Warner Bros. are beginning to provide image quality upgrades\nto one of their most notable franchises. The smash fantasy film Harry Potter\nand the Sorcerer\u2019s Stone<\/em> (2001) is arriving on shelves to celebrate its 20th<\/sup>\nanniversary and there will be two editions. One is a 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray Steelbook\nthat will be available exclusively at Best Buy. The second version will be\navailable everywhere. It is a 2-disc Blu-ray set that contains two different\ncuts of the movie and offers a \u201cMagical Movie Mode\u201d feature that can present\ntrivia and picture-in-picture supplements as the movie is playing. <\/p>\n\n\n\nFinally, the Warner Archive line is debuting the romantic-comedy\/musical, In the Good Old Summertime<\/em> (1949) on Blu-ray. It\u2019s about a pair of employees at a music store who don’t get along at all. However, neither of the two realize that they are actually pen pals who are falling deeply in love with one another through their mail communications. And you can also pick up Shadow of the Thin Man<\/em> (1941), a sequel in the long-running Thin Man<\/em> mystery series. The stories involve a husband-and-wife detective team solving crimes. This film sees them at a racetrack investigating a murder. <\/p>\n\n\n\nYOU KNOW, FOR KIDS!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nThere are plenty of new and classic titles being made available for children and tweens this week!\u00a0
Bingo<\/em> (1991) Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation<\/em> (1986) Charlie’s Colorforms City: Fantastick Adventures!<\/em> Gridman: The Hyper Agent<\/em>: Season 1 (1993) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer\u2019s Stone<\/em> (2001) 4K Steelbook (Best Buy Exclusive) and \u201cMagical Movie Mode\u201d Edition Labyrinth<\/em> (1986) 4K Rainbow Rangers: Off to Save the World!<\/em> (Nick Jr.) The Water Man<\/em> ON THE TUBE!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nAnd here is a list of all of the TV-themed titles coming\nyour way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A Discovery of Witches<\/em>: Season 2 Gridman: The Hyper Agent<\/em>: Season 1 (1993) The Indian Doctor<\/em>: The Complete Series NCIS<\/em>: Season 18 NOVA: Ships That Changed the World<\/em> (PBS) Rainbow Rangers: Off to Save the World!<\/em> (Nick Jr.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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