{"id":23400,"date":"2021-08-30T16:46:12","date_gmt":"2021-08-30T23:46:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=23400"},"modified":"2021-08-30T16:46:12","modified_gmt":"2021-08-30T23:46:12","slug":"blu-ray-dvd-roundup-for-august-31st-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=23400","title":{"rendered":"Blu-ray\/DVD Roundup for August 31st, 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome back to another look at the latest Blu-rays and DVDs\nthat are now available for purchase. There are a couple of big titles being\nreleased this week, as well as a large selection of older features getting\nhigh-definition upgrades. So, if you shouldn\u2019t be heading out or can\u2019t make it\nto the movies 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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12 MIGHTY ORPHANS<\/strong> \u2013 Based on a true story, this\nbiopic is set during the Great Depression. A Fort Worth, Texas high school\nfootball team made up of orphans struggle to get by, lacking the basic\nnecessities of life. When a coach decides to step in, help out and train the\ngroup, the squad begin winning. Soon, they find themselves making the state\nchampionships and inspiring a nation. Overall, reviews for this sports drama\nwere decent. About a third of the write-ups complained that it didn\u2019t attempt\nto do anything new with its underdog tale and described the sentimentalism on\ndisplay as being overplayed. Still, the majority thought that it was a sweet\nand earnest family flick that would provide viewers with an old-fashioned,\ninspirational story. It stars Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall, Luke Wilson, Vinessa\nShaw, Wayne Knight, Treat Williams and Carlson Young.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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AWAKEN<\/strong> \u2013 Terrence Malick (Badlands<\/em>, The\nThin Red Line<\/em>, The Tree of Life<\/em>, A Hidden Life<\/em>) is the\nexecutive producer of this documentary. The film was made by one of his\ncameramen worked with him on the Voyage of Time<\/em> project that played on\nIMAX screens a few years back. This feature was made in 2018 but had difficulty\nfinding a North American distributor. It features an interpretive series of striking\nimages taken in over 35 countries that show off the world, all in the hopes of\ncelebrating the planet. The film was finally released this year and seems to\nhave split critics right down the middle. Half were completely baffled by what\nthey witnessed, stating that it was just a bunch of footage that didn\u2019t appear\nto have a point. However, the same number admitted that while it didn\u2019t make\nits intentions clear, the gorgeous, trippy cinematography was jaw-dropping to behold\nand that it generated a certain mood and atmosphere that they appreciated. This\nrelease includes both a Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD disc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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BERLIN ALEXANDERPLATZ<\/strong> \u2013 Based on the well-regarded\n1929 novel by Alfred D\u00f6blin, this adaptation tells the story of an undocumented\nimmigrant in Berlin. After arriving from Africa, the protagonist vows to do his\nbest to fit in and make a new life for himself. Unfortunately, the man runs\ninto difficulties getting his work permit. He is approached by a high-paying,\ndangerous gangster and struggles to turn down an offer to join a high-paying\ncriminal outfit. There was a beloved German miniseries produced from this\nmaterial decades ago, but reviewers have not been nearly as impressed by the\nlatest version. A small group thought this foreign-language film was stylish\nand were taken in by the lead and his struggle for survival. Alas, more stated\nthat it all felt like a slog and didn\u2019t make its points clearly or effectively.\nIt features Welket Bungu\u00e9, Albrecht\nSchuch, Jella Haase and Annabelle\nMandeng.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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IN THE HEIGHTS<\/strong> \u2013 Viewers who enjoy song and dance will be happy to see this official adaptation of the award-winning Lin-Manuel Miranda Broadway musical. The story follows a Washington Heights, New York bodega owner. Each day, he works and saves his money with the intention of moving and reopening his dad\u2019s business in the Dominican Republic. But as his plans come to fruition, he finds it more and more difficult to leave his friends and neighbors behind. Response was very upbeat toward this feature. A few complained that the story was too cluttered with extra, unnecessary characters and could have examined the immigrant experience in more depth. Still, the vast majority found it enjoyably earnest and warm-hearted. They also appreciated the high-energy and elaborate musical numbers. The cast includes Anthony Ramos, Melissa Barrera, Corey Hawkins, Leslie Grace, Olga Merediz and Jimmy Smits. To read this site\u2019s review of the film, click here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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MORTAL KOMBAT LEGENDS: BATTLE OF THE REALMS<\/strong> \u2013 The\npopular video game Mortal Kombat<\/em> has been receiving a lot of press\nlately, perhaps because of the release of a new live-action Warner Bros. film\nbased on the property. Now, the studio has produced an R-rated animated feature\nthat takes the game characters and has them compete to the death in another\nmartial arts tournament. Members of the press who saw this film seemed to enjoy\nit more than the live-action feature that preceded it. There was a small\ncontingent who said that the story was poor and that the blood-soaked, graphic\nfights were so repetitive that the movie became dull. Still, most claimed that\nthe title would definitely entertain fans of the game, calling it a more\nfaithful adaptation that delivered plenty of jaw-dropping carnage. The voice\ncast includes Joel McHale, Jennifer Carpenter, Grey Griffin, Jordan Rodrigues\nand Patrick Seitz. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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SPIRIT UNTAMED<\/strong> \u2013 This picture has been described as both\na reboot of the 2002 animated feature Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron<\/em>\nand spin-off of the Netflix-exclusive series, Spirit Riding Free<\/em>. The\nplot involves a young girl from the city who gets into trouble at home and is\nsent to stay with family members on the American frontier. She befriends a wild\nmustang and sets out to protect the animal and its herd from a villainous\nwrangler. This picture split reviewers with slightly more panning the final\nresults. Those who gave it a pass said that it was cute and would definitely\nappeal to young children who love horses. Unfortunately, slightly more thought\nit was an unnecessary and ordinary rehash of the franchise, noting that the\nstory was predictable and that it dismissed earlier themes of leaving wild\nanimals alone in nature. Isabela Merced, Marsai Martin, Mckenna Grace, Walton Goggins, Andre\nBraugher, Julianne Moore and Jake Gyllenhaal\nprovide voices for the characters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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SUMMER OF 85<\/strong> \u2013 In this French period drama, a\n16-year-old boy in Normandy goes boating. When the lead falls into the water\nand nearly drowns, he is rescued by another young man. The two become close\nfriends and eventually fall in love. Seeking to recreate the dangerous and\nexciting circumstances of how they met, they sneak away from others to test\ntheir own limits. The pair risk their lives and try to figure out who they are\nin the process. Overall, notices were positive for this feature. Some felt that\nwhile the concept was interesting, the storytelling was unfocused and\nultimately didn\u2019t provide a believable or convincing love story. However, more\nfound the narrative unpredictable, appreciated the work of the cast and called\nthe movie an interesting examination of teen angst. It stars Benjamin Voisin,\nValeria Bruni Tedeschi, Melvil Poupaud, Isabelle Nanty, and F\u00e9lix Lefebvre<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Arrow Video have a couple of interesting Blu-rays available\nfor purchase. Those who enjoy drive-in horror features from the 1970s may be\ninterested in The Brotherhood of Satan<\/em> (1971). It\u2019s about a family on\nvacation who find themselves in a town filled with Satanic followers. The\nvillains attempt to steal the couple\u2019s newborn infant. This disc includes a new\ncritic commentary, a visual essay discussing this Devil-themed thriller and\nothers like it that were common in the 70s. It also comes with exclusive new\ndiscussions with a couple of the cast members and lots of publicity materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The distributor\u2019s most notable title of the week is Dune<\/em>\n(1984), the studio epic based on the classic Frank Herbert novel. This original\nadaptation wad directed by auteur David Lynch (who, rumor has it, signed on to direct\nthe project so that producer Dino de Laurentiis would finance his follow-up\nfilm, the legendary Blue Velvet<\/em>). This sci-fi opus didn\u2019t fare well at\nthe box office and certainly has its flaws, but it is a visual marvel that that\nturned heads during its original release. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The title has been out-of-print for some time and is arriving\nas a special \u201cLimited Edition\u201d. You can either pick the movie up in 4K Ultra HD\nwith a Blu-ray full of bonus features, or as a regular 2-disc Blu-ray edition.\nEach set contains a vastly superior transfer of the feature created from the original\ncamera negative, two new commentaries featuring film historians, a lengthy 2003\ndocumentary on the making of the movie, featurettes on the production design,\nmodel effects, visual effects, costume designs, deleted scenes, as well as\npublicity materials. And it comes with a 60-page book on the production. As if\nthat wasn\u2019t enough, you\u2019ll also get a featurette on the score by Toto featuring\ndiscussions with the band members, interviews with two make-up effects artists\non the film, production coordinator and cast member Paul Smith as well as a\ndetailed look at the merchandizing tie-ins for the film. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It all looks like a phenomenal product, even if purchasers\nshould note that Lynch had a very bad experience making this movie and has\nnever involved himself in any releases of the title. And due to other licensing\nissues, the lengthy network TV-cut that was made without the permission of the\ndirector isn\u2019t included here \u2013 that version of the film is still only available\nin North America on a rare, \u201cExtended Edition\u201d Steelbook DVD released in 2005.\nStill, there\u2019s so much other amazing material on this new Blu-ray that anyone\nwho appreciates the film will need to pick it up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

AGFA are providing B-movie thrills with their Blu-ray\nrelease of She Freak<\/em> (1967). It\u2019s about a woman who joins a traveling\ncarnival and freakshow, only to encounter great danger behind the curtain.\nInspired in part by Tod Browning\u2019s 1932 film Freaks<\/em>, this creeper goes\nto extreme lengths to disturb viewers. The Blu-ray contains a 4K restoration of\nthe movie from the original camera negative, an archival commentary track with\nthe film\u2019s producer, extra footage from the film preserved in 2K, vintage\ncarnival midway shorts, promotional materials and more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Shout! Factory has licensed several titles from\naward-winning animation company Laika Studios and are releasing two of them on\nBlu-ray. The first is the underrated effort, The Boxtrolls<\/em> (2014), which\ntells the story of an orphaned boy who is adopted by trash collecting creatures\nwho live underground. In addition to an audio track with the directors, deleted\nscenes, a making-of, and some featurettes, you\u2019ll also get never-before-seen\ntest footage from the production, a look at the old puppets used in the movie,\nfeature-length storyboards and character concept art. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are also presenting a new Blu-ray of Coraline<\/em> (2009). Pictured above and to the left, this excellent treat follows a bored young girl who finds a secret door to a magical world. Once there, she meets a new mother figure who caters to her every whim. Unfortunately, the protagonist soon learns that she has fallen into a trap and that her life is in peril. It\u2019s an impressive flick and, for those interested, the extras on this Blu-ray are almost identical to those found in the previous title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Paramount Presents have some really special coming your way. Bugsy Malone<\/em> (1976) is a wild, one-of-a-kind period mobster musical with an all-kid cast. Yep, the flick featured pint-sized youngsters firing at each other with cream-filled tommy-guns while singing catchy songs. The movie is notable for several reasons. It marked the directorial debut of Alan Parker, who would go on to make Midnight Express<\/em>, Pink Floyd: The Wall<\/em>, The Commitments<\/em> and Evita<\/em>. The impressive songs were written by Paul Williams (with my personal highlight being, \u201cYou Give a Little Love\u201d) and it starred a very young Jodie Foster and Scott Baio. If I remember correctly from my younger days, it\u2019s actually a fun and zippy movie, yet it has never been released on either DVD or Blu-ray in North America. This very welcome new \u201cLimited Edition\u201d disc contains a 4K picture restoration, a featurette on Paul Williams, a discussion with the executive producer, theatrical trailers and a fold-out box with the original poster. Looks like a great disc!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kino have plenty of new Blu-rays to choose from. The Comedy of Terrors<\/em> (1963) is a horror\/comedy featuring stars both in front of and behind the camera. Legendary Jacques Tourneur (Cat People<\/em>, I Walked with a Zombie<\/em>, Curse of the Demon<\/em>) directs Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre and Vincent Price in a story about an undertaker who murders people to generate more cash for his mortuary business. The disc contains a film historian commentary, a feature on author\/screenwriter Richard Matheson, a trailer and a \u201cLimited Edition\u201d slipcase for its first run. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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You can also pick up a Blu-ray of the Vincent Price horror picture, The Last Man on Earth<\/em> (1964). It is set in a post-apocalyptic world when one lonely man tries to survive nightly attacks from vampiric figures. Based on the famous novel, I Am Legend<\/em> by author Richard Matheson, this picture arguably stands as the strongest adaptation of the source material. The disc includes a film critic commentary, a trailer for the movie with commentary by director Joe Dante, a special featurette on author Matheson (the same extra as the one listed on The Comedy of Terrors <\/em>release), two TV spots, an alternate ending, various trailers for the feature and a special slipcase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want to see Price and writer Matheson team up on an\nadventure film, Master of the World<\/em> (1961) might be for you. It\u2019s about\na well-intentioned but maniacal inventor who builds a massive, armed airship to\neradicate all of the world\u2019s military forces. The title has been remastered for\nBlu-ray and comes with an informative movie historian commentary, a second\ntrack featuring a cast member, the previously-noted Matheson featurette, a\ntrailer and a slipcase for the disc.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also pick up the Edgar Allan Poe adaptation of The\nRaven<\/em> (1963) in high definition. This version stars Price, Karloff and\nLorre and arrives with a historian commentary, an interview with\nproducer\/director Roger Corman, a trailer and another with some added info from\nfilmmaker Mick Garris and the Matheson featurette (he also wrote the screenplay\nfor this title).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kino also have a Blu-ray of cult director Walerian\nBorowczyk\u2019s final film, Love Rites<\/em> (1987). It\u2019s a very eccentric and\nunusual erotic drama that the Polish director made in France. The Blu-ray\ncontains the full version of the movie and a director\u2019s cut, a short film by\nBorowczyk, a movie expert commentary and an interview with one of the stars, as\nwell as a trailer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Criterion have a noteworthy Blu-ray release too. Beasts\nof No Nation<\/em> (2015) is the critically acclaimed Netflix war picture about a\nchild soldier fighting a civil war in an unnamed West African country. The youngster\nwitnesses and is forced to take part in horrific acts, eventually questioning\nhis leaders and their motives. This is a disturbing but excellent movie and the\nBlu-ray presents a 2K master of the feature that was approved by director Cary\nJoji Fukunaga (Jane Eyre<\/em>, the upcoming No Time to Die<\/em>) a\ncommentary with the filmmaker, two new documentaries on the feature, additional\nconversations with Fukunaga and the costume designer, as well as a trailer and an\nessay on the movie. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking for some action? Scorpion have The Devil\u2019s 8<\/em>\n(1969) on Blu-ray. It follows a federal agent who rounds up a group of convicts\nto raid a vicious criminal moonshine operation in return for a reduced\nsentence. The concept sounds very familiar to the popular Suicide Squad<\/em>\ncomic-book series and films. This disc includes a new 2K master of the film, an\ninterview with cast member Larry Bishop and a trailer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recently, Vinegar Syndrome have released a huge number of\nBlu-rays. There are plenty of fascinating titles being offered, although those\ninterested should note that the best place to order them is through the\nofficial company website. First off, they have the horror\/comedy, Auntie\nLee\u2019s Meat Pies<\/em> (1992). You can already imagine what the main ingredient is\nin the titular food item. The movie has been restored in 4K from the original\ncamera negative and the disc includes several interviews with cast members\n(including Michael Berryman). They are also putting out a double-feature\nBlu-ray of the Australian sex-comedies Fantasm<\/em> (1976) and Fantasm\nComes Again<\/em> (1977). These titles have been restored in 2K and feature\ninterviews with crew members. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Forgotten Gialli: Volume 2<\/em> is a new Blu-ray set that\nincludes the low-budget thrillers, The French Sex Murders<\/em> (1972), Girl\nin Room 2A<\/em> (1974) and My Dear Killer<\/em> (1972). Once again, these\nflicks have been given new high-definition restorations and come with visual\nessays and some film historian commentary tracks. This particular release is\navailable on the Vinegar Syndrome site, as well as on Amazon. If you want more,\nthere\u2019s also a Volume 3<\/em> that is now available on the company website. The\ndistributor also has the Philadelphia-set slasher, Girls School Screamers<\/em>\n(1985). This Blu-ray presents the film restored in 2K along with an extended\nmaking-of documentary featuring cast and crew, in addition to multiple\ncommentaries.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are also presenting the rancher comedy Rancho Deluxe<\/em>\n(1975) with Fun City as a \u201cLimited Edition\u201d Blu-ray. This movie stars Jeff\nBridges and Sam Waterston as cattle rustlers causing trouble in Montana. The\nprint run is only 2000 and comes with a slipcover featuring art designed by\nfrequent Mondo poster artists \u201cWe Buy Your Kids\u201d. Besides a new 2K restoration,\nthe disc comes with a couple of video interviews about the film (including one\nwith Bridges himself), an audio commentary and publicity materials. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Terminal Island<\/em> (1973) is a B-picture about an island\nwhere convicts are sent to live on their own and do battle with each other.\nThis flick marks an early appearance by future star Tom Selleck. This Blu-ray\nincludes a sharper image (it was scanned in 4K), an extended interview with\ndirector\/co-writer Stephanie Rothman, discussions with the lead actress and\nother cast members, a new featurette delivering a critic analysis of the\nmovie\u2019s female\u2019s perspective along with trailers and ads. They also have a\nBlu-ray of the Satanic thriller, Through the Fire<\/em> (1988) aka The\nGates of Hell Part II<\/em>. The disc comes with both versions of the movie under\ndifferent titles, director commentary tracks on both cuts, as well as\ninterviews with the filmmaker, a clip about the make-up effects and a\ndiscussion with the artists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Vinegar Syndrome\u2019s highlight this week may be the notorious\ncritical bomb, Tough Guys Don\u2019t Dance<\/em> (1987). Written and directed by\nNorman Mailer, the movie stars Ryan O\u2019Neal as an abrasive writer with a\ndrinking problem who awakens to find himself embroiled in a murder. Isabella\nRossellini co-stars in the film. It\u2019s over-the-top in every possible way (with\nthe stand-put moment being the \u201cOh man, oh God, oh man, oh God!\u201d scene). The\nmovie earned numerous Razzie nominations, while also winning an award or two at\nfilm festivals. The movie is finally being presented on Blu-ray with a 2K scan,\nnew interviews with co-star Wings Hauser, the cinematographer, Mailer\u2019s\nbiographer and his son, an archival piece on the film and a trailer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And Severin are also delivering the action picture Whatever\nIt Takes<\/em> (1998) on Blu-ray. The story involves a group of cops\ninvestigating a steroid epidemic in body-building culture and facing off\nagainst a villainous dealer. Don \u201cThe Dragon\u201d Wilson, Fred Williamson and\nAndrew Dice Clay headline the title. The flick has been newly scanned and\nrestored in 4K and comes with interviews with Wilson, Williamson and a\ndouble-sided mini-poster for the movie. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you grew up watching Japanese animated shows about\nheroic, giant-robots piloted by humans and fighting evildoers, you may be\nexcited about the new release from Discotek Media. They are presenting all 47\nepisodes of the TV series, Future Robot Daltanious<\/em> (1979-1980). The\nBlu-ray will present the show in its original Japanese language with an English\nsubtitle track. Additionally, they are also putting put the animated show Lupin\nthe 3rd<\/sup> Part III: The Pink Jacket Adventures<\/em> (1984 \u2013 1985) on\nBlu-ray.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, the Cohen Media Group are releasing a\ndouble-feature of the gritty, French Alain Delon crime pictures The Gang<\/em>\n(1977) and Three Men to Kill<\/em> (1980).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

There are plenty of movies for kids of all ages arriving or\nbeing re-released this week. Here\u2019s a list!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Boss Baby: Back in Business: Seasons 1 & 2<\/em>
The Boxtrolls<\/em>
Bugsy Malone<\/em>
Coraline<\/em>
Future Robot Daltanious<\/em> (1979-1980)
Spirit Untamed<\/em>
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ON THE TUBE!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And you\u2019ll plenty of TV-themed releases below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blue Bloods<\/em>: Season 11
The Boss Baby: Back in Business<\/em>: Seasons 1 & 2
Fear the Walking Dead<\/em>: Season 6
The Good Doctor<\/em> (2014): Season 4
Magnum P.I.<\/em>: Season 3
Murdoch Mysteries<\/em>: Season 14
NCIS: New Orleans<\/em>: The Final Season
NCIS: New Orleans<\/em>: The Complete Series <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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