{"id":23569,"date":"2021-09-27T13:03:37","date_gmt":"2021-09-27T20:03:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=23569"},"modified":"2021-09-27T13:03:37","modified_gmt":"2021-09-27T20:03:37","slug":"blu-ray-dvd-roundup-for-september-28th-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=23569","title":{"rendered":"Blu-ray\/DVD Roundup for September 28th, 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome to another edition running down many of the new\nBlu-rays and DVDs hitting store shelves. You\u2019ll find plenty of notable films,\ninteresting independents and a few high-definition upgrades of familiar features\nfrom the past. So, if you can\u2019t or shouldn\u2019t be heading out to the movies this\nweek, 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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BEATS <\/em>\u2013 Set in 1994, this Scottish feature follows a pair of teens who share a deep appreciation of electronic dance music. With the two about to finish high school and go their separate ways, they realize that their time together is nearing an end. When the government imposes a ban on all dance raves, the leads decide that their final celebration will be to attend an illegal rave in a cave on the outskirts of town. The press liked this film a great deal and the majority of write-ups were positive. One sole voice thought the story and scale of the feature was too small and unrelatable. Everyone else thought it perfectly captured the era\u2019s rave craze and presented an engaging story with interesting characters. They even noted that the film managed to resonate with them on an emotional level. It features Christian Ortega, Lorn Macdonald, Laura Fraser, Martin Donaghy, Brian Ferguson and Rachel Jackson. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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BLITHE SPIRIT<\/em> \u2013 Based on a work by author Noel\nCoward, this comedy follows a spiritualist\/medium who is hired by an author\nsuffering from writer\u2019s block to hold an inspirational s\u00e9ance. He travels out\nto the site with his wife and manages to raise a spirit, but is shocked to\nlearn that the ghostly presence is his previous spouse who died a few years\nearlier. This spirit is none-too-happy that her husband has moved on, causing\nfriction for all of the attendees. Despite a great cast, the final results\nunderwhelmed critics. A number of them called the film a fast-paced and breezy\nscrewball comedy with a few amusing turns. However, the majority complained\nthat the story and jokes were dated and that the flat and static camera and\nediting techniques made the experience a slog. Dan Stevens, Judie Dench, Leslie\nMann, Isla Fisher and Aimee-Ffion Edwards headline the film. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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C.I.APE<\/em> \u2013 A villainous figure decides to take over the world with a new secret weapon. When a young C.I.A. employee learns about the threat, she makes an odd suggestion to her superiors. The lead asserts that the new agent she has been training is the world\u2019s only hope to neutralize the threat. Of course, she\u2019s referring to a talking chimp (but curiously enough, not an ape). Anyway, she coaches the primate on a mission to save the day. This picture debuted on streaming platforms last week and is now arriving as a DVD-only release. There are no reviews available, but is seems clear that this title has been made exclusively for young viewers. And a wince-inducing trailer that showcases the talking, CGI-chimp doesn\u2019t make the movie look promising. The cast includes Sophia Alongi, Skip Schwink, Madelyn Kientz, Leah N.H. Philpott and Scott Anthony Gould as the voice of the chimp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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CRAZY ABOUT YOU<\/em> \u2013 Also released under the title The\nNaked Wanderer<\/em>, this Australian tale follows a man who is devasted after\nhis girlfriend turns down his marriage proposal. Unsure of what to do next with\nhis life, the protagonist decides to walk up the entire western coast of Australia\nfor charity\u2026. and do it without any clothing. Along the way, he braves the\nunforgiving elements and meets new animals, and several surprised people. This\ncomedy was released in its homeland before the pandemic and is now arriving in\nNorth America on streaming platforms and DVD. Reaction towards the film has\nbeen a little tepid. Notices that have appeared call it a sweet flick with a\nlikable lead, but suggest it suffers from bland direction and a lack of tension\nor thrills. The movie stars Angus McLaren, Sophie Kennedy Clark, Natasha Liu\nBordizzo and John Cleese.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A DIM VALLEY<\/em> \u2013 In this independent comedy, a\nbiologist heads out to a cabin in the woods with his graduate students. They collect\nbutterflies, soil and mosses for their studies. When a group of backpackers\nunexpectedly arrive looking for a place to stay, the team share their\naccommodations. Over the course of the next few days, the characters begin to\nquestion their life choices. This small feature earned more positive reviews\nthan negative ones. Those who disliked the movie suggested it was performed in\nfar too low-key and deadpan a manner, failing to connect or register on an\nemotional level. Reviewers who enjoyed it commented that the script was\ninteresting and that the dreamy journey of the protagonist was intriguing to\nwatch. Robert Longstreet, Rosalie Lowe, Rachel McKeon and Whitmer Thomas headline the film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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THE FOREVER PURGE<\/em> \u2013 This is the fifth feature in The Purge<\/em> franchise and has been promoted as the last in the series. It is set in a world where, for one evening a year, murder and crime is legal. The leads in this film live in Texas and decide to lock themselves inside their homes and wait out the ordeal. However, when the morning comes, the group discover that a sizable mob has decided to continue murdering people, mostly targeting immigrants. Terrified, the protagonists try to escape to safety in Mexico. This follow-up split the press. Half stated that they were tired of the franchise and that this sequel didn\u2019t work as a political commentary. Roughly the same number countered that the movie\u2019s message felt on point and called it was a tense exercise that provided plenty of B-movie thrills. It stars Ana de la Reguera, Josh Lucas, Tenoch Huerta, Leven Rambin, Will Patton and Cassidy Freeman. Read a review of the movie right here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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NEVER GONNA SNOW AGAIN<\/em> \u2013 A Russian masseuse arrives\nin Poland and immediately wanders into a gated community. Once there, he\nintroduces himself and begins providing services to the downcast locals. Using\ntechniques that resemble hypnosis, the neighborhood finds itself drawn to the\nman. He helps them unlock their inner wishes and deal with various issues and troubles\nin their lives. This foreign-language comedy\/drama earned raves from critics.\nOne or two of them thought that it looked beautiful, but couldn\u2019t figure out\nexactly what the movie was trying to say. However, everyone else stated that\nwhile the movie would require some interpretation, it was sweet and completely\nunique. A few even commented that they were enraptured by the main character\nand the feature\u2019s strange charms. The credited cast includes Alec Utgoff, Maja Ostaszewska, Agata Kulesza and Weronika Rosati.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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SKIPPING STONES<\/em> \u2013 More than a decade after a tragic\naccident resulted in the passing of a young man, the sister and best friend of\nthe deceased still haven\u2019t come to terms with the loss. The friend returns to\nhis hometown to settle personal affairs and reunites with the sister, who explains\nthat she is still feels trapped under the weight of her parent\u2019s grief. The two\nattempt to help each other process the death and move forward. There aren\u2019t\nmany reviews available for this independent drama at present. Still, it played\na few film festivals over the past couple of years and earned a few nods and\nprizes. One online review that has appeared calls the picture a moving story\nthat deals sensitively with its subject matter. Nathaniel Ansbach, Gabrielle Kalomiris, Michael Ironside and Patricia Charbonneau headline the\nfeature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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THE SPARKS BROTHERS<\/em> \u2013 This documentary tells the\nstory of musicians Ron and Russell Mael, who are considered legends in the Los\nAngeles music scene. Despite not being well-known to the masses, the pair have\nrecorded more than 25 albums since the early 1970s and have influenced many later\nacts. In fact, they were largely responsible for new musical Annette<\/em>\nwith Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard (which is available on Amazon Prime).\nDirector Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead<\/em>, Hot Fuzz<\/em> and Baby\nDriver<\/em>) interviews the two men and utilizes interviews from fans like Beck,\nFlea, Jason Schwartzman and Jane Wiedlin to fill viewers in on these artists\nand their importance in the music scene. The press was generally thrilled by\nthis feature. There were a few who weren\u2019t fans of the artist\u2019s work and though\nthe film was overlong and repetitive. However, the overwhelming majority called\nit a fantastic tribute that was as entertainingly quirky as the siblings\nthemselves and would likely introduce a new and bigger audience to these\nmusicians. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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TWIST<\/em> \u2013 Oliver Twist<\/em> gets a modern-day update\nin this British feature. A youngster living on the streets of London tries to\nmake his mark in the world with elaborate spray-paintings. He\u2019s discovered and taken\nto the elderly leader of a young crew of hustlers, hackers and\nparkour\/free-runners. Together, the team take on an elaborate and dangerous\nheist to steal paintings that their mastermind says were stolen from him.\nHowever, when push comes to shove, the protagonist begins to wonder if he can\ntrust all of his new associates. This movie was roundly panned by just about every\nmember of the press. One or two thought that the movie might entertain tweens,\nbut the overall consensus was that the movie was preposterous, cliched and that\nthe story got tiring very quickly. It stars Michael Caine, Rita Ora, Noel\nClarke, Sophie Simnett, Jason Maza, David Williams and Lena Headey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Arrow Video are excited to deliver some new Blu-rays to movie\ncollectors. The first is a 4K edition of Children of the Corn<\/em> (1984), an\nadaptation of the well-known Stephen King story. It follows a couple who visit\na small town, only to discover that a cult of kids has murdered all of the\nadults and are following the leadership of a monster in the cornfields. This\nmovie has been given a \u201cSpecial Edition\u201d which presents a new 4K restoration of\nthe film for readers who own high-definition televisions. All of the extras\nhave also been ported over from previous editions, including multiple\ncommentary tracks, a retrospective making-of, as well as interviews with cast\nand crew and publicity materials. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The distributor\u2019s most notable release this week is Legend<\/em>\n(1985), an elaborate fantasy film starring Tom Cruise, Tim Curry and Mia Sarah.\nDirected by Ridley Scott (Alien<\/em>, Blade Runner<\/em>, Thelma &\nLouise<\/em>, Gladiator<\/em>, Prometheus<\/em>, The Martian<\/em>), the\npicture is notable for its eye-popping production design and cinematography.\nThis is a 2-disc limited edition includes a 2K restoration of the theatrical\ncut and a director\u2019s cut on the second disc that is considerably longer and has\na completely different score. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bonuses on the first disc include a film historian commentary, isolated music track, a featurette on the production, a 2003 documentary on Scott, the Bryan Ferry music video for the film, a visual essay on the differences between the music and the two cuts themselves. On the second, Scott provides a commentary track and there\u2019s a lengthy 2002 documentary on the production. You\u2019ll also receive an alternate opening and deleted scenes, storyboard galleries, two drafts of the screenplay, different footage from the overseas release, publicity materials and more. If you like this movie, then you\u2019ll definitely need to pick the Blu-ray up. You can read a full review of the elaborate disc right here<\/a>. NOTE: This title won’t be available for purchase on Amazon until October 12.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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And Kino have plenty of new Blu-rays coming your way. 13\nWashington Square<\/em> (1928) is an early silent romantic-comedy from Universal\nPictures. The feature has received a 4K restoration for Blu-ray and arrives\nwith a film historian commentary and a new music track. Also arriving with a\nsimilar set of bonuses is A Full Day\u2019s Work<\/em> (1973), which is a French\ncrime-comedy. It\u2019s about a father who decides to murder the nine jury members\nwho convicted his son. The distributor also has a Blu-ray of the silent horror\nclassic, The Hunchback of Notre Dame<\/em> (1923), starring Lon Chaney as the\ntitular monster. This disc includes a critic commentary, an essay on the film,\na newsreel with home-movie Chaney, some recently recorded music for the\nfeature, as well as a slideshow of production correspondence and production\nstills. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also pick up The Hunter Will Get You<\/em> (1976),\na French crime flick about a mercenary working for a police force. The disc\nincludes a film historian audio track, an interview with the writer\/director\nand a trailer. Illustrious Corpses<\/em> (1976) is another Gallic title in the\nsame genre about a detective on a case that involves murders of some Supreme\nCourt justices. The Blu-ray includes a 4K restoration of the movie, a\ncommentary by filmmaker Alex Cox and a trailer.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Lucky Luciano <\/em>(1973) is a biopic of the famous\nmobster that features Vincent Gardenia and Rod Steiger in supporting roles. The\nBlu-ray presents the film with a new 4K restoration and comes with a critic\ncommentary and trailers. Those looking for something funnier can try Masquerade<\/em>\n(1965), an international spy caper with Cliff Robertson. This release includes\na 2K master of the film, a film expert commentary and a trailer. And the\ndistributor is putting out a Blu-ray of Seven Days\u2026 Seven Nights<\/em> (1960),\na French title about two strangers who witness a murder and fall in love while\nwaiting to testify. The distributor is teaming up with Code Red for a Blu-ray\nof Story of a Woman<\/em> (1970), an Italian drama about a woman who reunites\nwith a man she once had an affair with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Criterion have some noteworthy Blu-ray releases as well. The\nDamned<\/em> (1969) from Luchino Visconti (The Leopard<\/em>, Death in Venice<\/em>)\nis about a wealthy industrialist whose family is slowly torn apart during the\nreign of the Third Reich. The disc includes a 2K digital restoration of the\nfilm, an alternate Italian soundtrack, a 1970 interview with Visconti, archived\ndiscussions with cast members Helmut Berger, Ingrid Thulin and Charlotte\nRampling, a behind-the-scenes documentary on the picture, a featurette on the\nsexual politics in the movie and more bonuses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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They also have an impressive Blu-ray box set called Melvin\nVan Peebles: Four Films<\/em>. It contains some of the famous African-American\nfilmmaker\u2019s most notable efforts, including The Story of a Three-Day Pass<\/em>\n(1967) and Watermelon Man<\/em> (1970), a film that marked his only foray into\nHollywood studio filmmaking. Van Peebles\u2019 most famous title, Sweet\nSweetback\u2019s Baadasssss Song <\/em>(1971) is also included in the set, as well as Don\u2019t\nPlay Us Cheap<\/em> (1972), an adaptation of a Tony-award winning musical. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

All four films have received 4K digital restorations and it\nappears as though the moviemaker\u2019s son, Mario Van Peebles, has been\nsignificantly involved in this edition. In fact, he talks with various film\nhistorians about his father\u2019s movies. Mario Van Peebles 2003 film Baadasssss!<\/em>\nis also included. The fictional movie was inspired by diary entries and ideas\nwritten by his dad. This bonus includes a commentary featurinig both Mario and\nMelvin Van Peebles. If that wasn\u2019t enough, there are other extras like a\ndirector commentary and a making-of featurette on Sweet Sweetback\u2019s\nBaadasssss Song<\/em>, three early shorts directed by the moviemaker, a 2005\ndocumentary about Van Peebles, multiple interviews with the figure from various\npromotional tours, not to mention introductions to all of the movies by their\ncreator. This looks like another great release! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

AGFA are also releasing a Blu-ray with multiple titles. It\u2019s\ncalled What Really Happened to Baby Jane? and the Films of the Gay Girls\nRiding Club<\/em> and it includes a series of pictures made between 1962 and 1972\nby Ray Harrison. The filmmaker was noted for making spoofs of various Hollywood\nhits with drag queens. All of the features arrive on Blu-ray with 2K\npreservations and\/or restorations from the only known 16mm prints in existence.\nIt includes outtakes from one of the titles and the main feature comes with a\ncommentary from a queer film historian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Severin are presenting A Day of Judgment<\/em> (1981) on\nBlu-ray. This is an obscure slasher about a mysterious figure stalking a\ncommunity with a scythe. It comes with a 2K restoration of the film, an\ninterview with a genre film critic about the movie and a discussion with the\ndirector and writer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The company\u2019s big Blu-ray release this week may be Drop Dead Fred<\/em> (1991), a cult comedy starring Phoebe Cates and Rik Mayall. It\u2019s about a put-upon woman whose imaginary childhood friend appear to wreak juvenile havoc on those who have wronged her. Critics despised this movie when it originally played at theaters and it flopped at the box office. However, as time has passed a few reviewers have come around to appreciating the movie. It is now appearing on Blu-ray in North America for the first time ever. The picture has received a 2K restoration and comes with a director audio commentary, a conversation with the filmmaker and the producer, interviews with the co-writers and executive producers, as discussions with the visual effects team. There\u2019s even an interview with co-star Ashley Peldon and a text interview with Phoebe Cates. Deleted scenes and outtakes and a trailer are also included. Is the movie a misjudged masterpiece or are its fans completely off-base? Now you can find out for yourself.    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, Severin also has some horror titles coming your\nway. The Fourth Victim<\/em> (1971) is an Italian\/Spanish genre film about a\nman whose wives keep dying mysteriously. The Blu-ray comes with a 2K\nrestoration, an interview with the biographer of the director, a deleted scene\nand a trailer. Midnight <\/em>(1982) from John Russo (co-writer of Night of\nthe Living Dead<\/em>) features a group of teens being murdered by Satanists. The\nBlu-ray includes a 4K restoration of the film, an interview with Russo, the\nproducer, a cast member John Amplas and effects artist Tom Savini. It also\ncomes with promotional clips. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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SRS Cinema are releasing a Blu-ray with a limited run of\n1000 copies. The film in question is the wild Japanese feature, The Legend\nof the Stardust Brothers<\/em> (1985), which apparently must be seen to be\nbelieved. The story involves a pair of aspiring musicians with backgrounds in\npunk and new wave music. When their sinister manager tries to transform them\ninto a pop duo, the two find out that being famous isn\u2019t all its cracked up to\nbe and try to fight for their freedom. At one point, they even take on a bizarre\nmonster. This cult item has received good reviews that call it a blast of campy\nfun. A new master of the director\u2019s cut has been used for the movie\u2019s North\nAmerican Blu-ray premiere. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vinegar Syndrome are always putting out great cult items on\nBlu-ray with fantastic restorations and loads of bonus features. It appears as\nthough their latest batch of titles are being made available primarily through\ntheir website. This week, you can pick up Blades <\/em>(1989), Devil Story<\/em>\n(1986) and Girls School Screamers<\/em> (1985). They also have a Blu-ray of the\nserial killer thriller, Resurrection<\/em> (1999) which reunites the director\nand star of the 1980s cult flick, Highlander<\/em>. And the company will be\nputting out the Hitchcock-inspired thriller, Shallow Grave<\/em> (1984) in\nhigh definition. All of these discs are jam-packed with extras, so those who\nare interested would be well-advised to check out the distributor\u2019s website. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And there\u2019s more! Media Blasters are presenting the Japanese\neffort, Black Belt<\/em> (2007), a period martial arts film about three karate\npupils whose lives take different turns after leaving their dojo. Shadow:\nDead Riot<\/em> (2006) is an American independent horror feature starring Tony\nTodd about an undead serial killer who leads a force of zombies against some\nincarcerated women at a penitentiary. This disc is supposed to include special\nfeatures, but the specifics haven\u2019t been announced yet. They also have a\nBlu-ray of the Japanese chiller X-Cross<\/em> (2007), which follows a woman\nvisiting a remote health spa who discovers that the locals are raging\npsychopaths. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking of maniacs, Saturn\u2019s Core Audio & Video are\npresenting Psycho Sisters<\/em> (1998) on Blu-ray. It has been described by\nsome genre critics as an amusingly trashy little exploitation movie about a\nmurdering pair of siblings. The disc includes a new transfer of the feature\nfrom the original S-VHS master (guess it was shot on a videocamera), as well as\na demo video for the film, an afterword with the director, interviews with the\ncast and crew, in addition to shorts from the moviemaker and other bonuses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Paramount are digging into their vaults to rerelease the\nunderrated comedy, Clue<\/em> (1985) on Blu-ray. Based on the board game, this\nfilm features an incredible cast playing guests at a dinner party who must\ndetermine who among them committed murder. When the film was originally\nreleased at theaters, it had three completely different endings (depending on\nwhich theater and screening you happened to attend). Naturally, the disc will\nalso contain all of the alternate closings for your perusal. Paramount is also\nrereleasing G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra<\/em> (2009) and G.I. Joe:\nRetaliation<\/em> (2013) on disc for enthusiasts of the series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With The Forever Purge<\/em> hitting Blu-ray this week,\nUniversal Pictures has decided to make The Purge: 5-Movie Collection<\/em> available\nfor purchase. It collects all of the films in the franchise together in one\nbox.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, Warner Archive are releasing the classic Marx\nBrothers comedy, A Night at the Opera<\/em> (1935) in high definition. The\nstory follows the comedians as they try to help a young opera singer and cause\nchaos onstage during a big performance. It is considered by many to be the\nteam\u2019s best work and the made-to-order Blu-ray of the feature will be available\nthrough Amazon.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n


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

There is not a lot of great stuff for kid\u2019s this week, so be\nwarned before making any purchases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

C.I.Ape<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

And you\u2019ll find a listing of most of the TV-themed releases\ncoming your way below. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emergency<\/em>: The Complete Series
A House Divided<\/em>: Season 3
The Mysteries of Mental Illness<\/em> (PBS)
Nancy Drew<\/em>: Season 1
Nancy Drew<\/em>: Season 2
Rick & Morty<\/em>: Season 4
Robotech \u2013 Part 1: The Macross Saga<\/em> (Japanese animated series)
Whitstable Pearl<\/em> (Acorn) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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