{"id":23950,"date":"2021-12-06T20:14:00","date_gmt":"2021-12-07T04:14:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=23950"},"modified":"2021-12-06T20:14:00","modified_gmt":"2021-12-07T04:14:00","slug":"blu-ray-dvd-roundup-for-december-7th-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=23950","title":{"rendered":"Blu-ray\/DVD Roundup for December 7th, 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome to another look at some of the Blu-ray and DVD highlights that are arriving on store shelves. This edition is jam-packed with a variety of big titles and well-received independent fare. So, if you can\u2019t or shouldn\u2019t be heading out to the movies just yet, so you need to get a DVD player, a good TV, a tv wall mount full motion<\/a>, and 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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13 MINUTES<\/em> \u2013 This independent disaster movie begins\nwith a massive tornado heading towards a small, midwestern farming town. With\nonly 13 minutes warning, four families in the area who don\u2019t get along must not\nonly prepare for and survive the storm, but also deal with the after effects\nand devastation. Critics weren\u2019t particularly thrilled by this picture. About a\nquarter of them were engrossed in what they saw and appreciated that the story\nwas focused on the characters rather than epic scenes of destruction. However,\nthe majority stated that the story copied all the usual disaster-movie tropes\nand offered no surprises. They also called the writing and dialogue corny. It\nfeatures Amy Smart, Thora Birch, Peter Facinelli, Trace Adkins, Paz Vega and\nAnne Heche. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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BROADCAST SINGAL INTRUSION \u2013 In this chiller, a young man at\na TV station logging old broadcast tapes makes a disturbing discovery. He sees\na bizarre figure onscreen related to a television signal hijacking that\noccurred decades earlier. The man quickly becomes obsessed with this unsolved\nmystery, using the tapes to investigate and dig deeper into what occurred. Reviewers\ngave this independent feature more positive reviews than it did negative ones.\nThose who disliked it said the story wasn\u2019t adequately resolved and that the\nmovie fell apart after a setting up an interesting premise. Still, most commented\nthat even if some elements were flawed, this was a moody, fascinating picture\nthat kept their attention throughout and sent shivers down the spine. The cast\nincludes Harry Shum Jr., Kelley Mack and Chris Sullivan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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COPSHOP \u2013 A con artist learns that a powerful figure he once\nstole from has put a contract on his head. The thief decides to get himself\narrested and hide out in a smalltown police station. Unfortunately, a lethal\nassassin soon shows up at the site to kill the crook. A rookie police officer\nfinds herself caught in the crosshairs and must make a choice to either protect\nthe con artist or allow him to be murdered. This action picture from\nwriter\/director Joe Carnahan (The A Team<\/em>, The Grey<\/em>) earned strong\nnotices from the press. A small contingent complained that there was no one to\nroot for in this movie and that it didn\u2019t hold their attention. Still, the\nconsensus was that this was an effective and entertaining B-movie with a\ncharismatic cast and some fun twists and turns. It stars Gerard Butler, Frank\nGrillo, Alexis Louder, Toby Huss and Chad L. Coleman. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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CRY MACHO \u2013 The latest from Clint Eastwood is a period piece set in 1979. He plays a cash-strapped ex-rodeo star and washed-up horse breeder who accepts a dangerous job from an ex-employer. The senior is forced to head into Mexico and take the man\u2019s son from his alcoholic mother. The lead does find the young man and tires to sneak him away without drawing attention. As they travel, the old man makes an unlikely connection with the boy. Notices for this feature appeared to be split. Almost half thought the tale was predictable and thought the screenplay became too sentimental and clumsy as it progressed. Others called it old-fashioned but effective and said they appreciated seeing a 91-year-old Eastwood playing a character who reflects on his life and regrets. Eastwood, Eduardo Minett, Dwight Yoakam, Natalia Traven and Fernanda Urrejola headline the picture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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DEAR EVAN HANSEN \u2013 Based on the hit Broadway musical, this film adaptation tells the story of an isolated high school outcast with a social anxiety disorder who crosses paths with a troubled figure at his school. The two don\u2019t get along, but when the stranger ends his life, people mistakenly begin to think the pair were friends. Pleased with the newfound popularity, the protagonist makes new friends and attempts to keep the ruse going. Response to the picture was extreme. A small group suggested that the movie was reasonably faithful to the stage show and had catchy musical numbers, as well as a strong cast. However, most hated it, calling the film miscast, schmaltzy, painful to endure and schizophrenic in tone. Some even ranked it among the biggest misfires of the year. It stars Ben Platt, Amy Adams, Julianne Moore, Kaitlyn Dever, Amanda Stenberg and Nik Dodani. Read a full review of the movie here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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FILM ABOUT A FATHER WHO \u2013 Ira Sachs Sr. has been described\nas a hippie businessman and developer who fathered nine children by six\ndifferent women. This documentary was made by one of his adult children, who is\nnow a renowned independent filmmaker attempting to better understand her father\nand his strange behavior. To do so, she presents footage of the man shot on\nvarious formats over a period of 35 years and narrates her experiences with him.\nReaction towards this title was uniformly positive. The group all said that the\ndifferent source material spliced together created an appropriately hectic feel\nto the movie. They also noted that it was fascinating to witness the moviemaker\ntry to understand her dad and make sense of his wild eccentricities, even when\nhe seemed selfish and uncaring in his personal relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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THE JESUS MUSIC \u2013 This documentary focuses on the rise of\nChristian music from the 1960s to present day. The filmmakers follow the\ngenre\u2019s rise in popularity and how its artists eventually broke into the\nmainstream and found themselves on Top 40 radio. Musicians like Amy Grant, Michael\nW. Smith, TobyMac, Kirk Franklin, and Lauren Daigle share their memories of\nrecording their music, unexpectedly finding millions of fans in the process.\nCritics gave the movie more positive write-ups than negative ones. Those who\ndidn\u2019t care for it stated that it glossed over its subject without revealing\nany insight. They also stated that it wouldn\u2019t appeal to anyone who wasn\u2019t\nalready a Christian music fan. Slightly more complimented it as being\nenlightening. They liked that it showed some of the difficulties and hard times\nthe performers went through being during their careers after scoring a few chart\nhits.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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LAST SHOOT OUT \u2013 A newlywed gets a shock at the beginning of\nthis western when she learns that her new husband was responsible for murdering\nher father. She decides to flee their ranch home and hides out with a gunman at\na remote outpost. By the time the husband appears to reclaim his wife, the two\nfugitives decide to take revenge the woman\u2019s murdering spouse for his acts.\nThis picture looks to be primarily debuting on streaming platforms and on disc,\nso there aren\u2019t many reviews online for the picture. Of those that have\nappeared, one believed that it would please western enthusiasts, while the\nother called it a dull and predictable effort that should be avoided. The movie\nfeatures Brock Harris, Skylar\nWitte, Peter Sherayko, Jay Pickett, David\nDeLuise and Bruce Dern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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THE MONKEY KING REBORN \u2013 The Monkey King is a famous\nmythical figure who has appeared in Chinese literature for hundreds of years,\nas well as numerous films in recent history. The latest feature to use this character\nis an animated family feature. The title prankster causes problems and offends\nthe monstrous Demon King. The sinister creature then kidnaps the lead\u2019s master\nand threatens the world. The protagonist must quickly learn some demonology to save\nthe planet and accept a few lessons about his bad behavior. There aren\u2019t many\nnotices for this title, but a couple that have appeared online suggest it is impressively\nanimated and reasonably entertaining. The disc contains both the original\nMandarin language track and an English dub of the movie. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI – This Amazon Original drama released at the end of 2020 was nominated for three Academy Awards, but failed to make any sort of appearance on Blu-ray or DVD afterward. This was no doubt done to lure people into subscribing to the retailer\u2019s streaming service, but now the movie is finally arriving on disc via the Criterion line. This is a fictional account of real-life figures Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown and Sam Cooke, who meet at a hotel and discuss the trials and tribulations in their lives. Critics generally loved the movie. A couple of them complained that the main characters were simplified versions of the actual figures, but all others thought the film was beautifully acted and perfectly captured the people and feelings of the era. It stars Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree, Aldis Hodge and Leslie Odom Jr. and Lance Reddick. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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ONE SHOT \u2013 An elite squad of Navy SEALs and a junior CIA\nanalyst investigating a potential terrorist threat in Washington D.C. decide\nthat the only person who can help them is an inmate at a CIA black site prison.\nAfter the warden refuses their request, they decide to break this figure out,\nonly to encounter and square off against the terrorists that they\u2019re looking\nfor. According to reports, the entire feature flows together in a single shot\nand the technique seemed to resonate with reviewers. A sizable group of them\ndid feel that the single-shot approach was gimmicky and didn\u2019t make-up for the\nroutine story. However, more were impressed with the camerawork and called it a\ntense and better-than-average B-movie with a good cast. Scott Adkins, Ashley\nGreene, Ryan Phillippe and Emmanuel Imani headline the feature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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RON\u2019S GONE WRONG \u2013 An awkward middle-school student decides\nto try out a digitally-connected device that promises to be his best friend.\nThe two get on immediately, but the program appears to be glitchy, causing\nhilarious malfunctions that send the two on a wild and crazy adventure. This\nanimated family feature received solid reviews upon its release at cinemas. A\nsmall contingent opined that the movie didn\u2019t really address the ill-effects of\nmodern media with any savvy and even whiffed on some of the attempts at humor.\nStill, the majority though the film was entertaining, good-natured and funny,\naddressing both the positive and negative effects of modern technology on our\nlives. The voice cast includes Jack Dylan Grazer, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms, Olivia\nColman, Rob Delaney and Justice Smith. The movie is available in a 4K Ultra HD and\nBlu-ray set or a Blu-ray only edition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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SWIMMING OUT TILL THE SEA TURNS BLUE \u2013 This documentary from\nChina was made by filmmaker Jia Zhang Ke (Ash is Purest White<\/em>, A\nTouch of Sin<\/em>). It attempts to capture Chinese society since 1949 using\ninterviews with three prominent authors as source material. Jia Pingwa, Yu Hua,\nand Liang Hong were born in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s and all share their\nexperiences growing up, including the rough conditions they witnessed growing\nup in rural areas. They also detail how things have changed since then. The\npress was generally upbeat about the picture. There was a sizable group who\ndidn\u2019t respond to the feature, finding the final product overlong and\nless-than-subtle in its overall message. Still, many thought that the stories\nand storytellers were interesting and that their tales felt authentic and\nmoving. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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WEREWOLVES WITHIN \u2013 A new forest ranger arrives to start his first day of work in a small town, only to encounter a series of unexpected difficulties. The residents are extremely eccentric, many of them are battling over a proposed pipeline being built under the ground\u2026 and there\u2019s a ravenous werewolf murdering locals. When a snowstorm hits, the forest ranger has to calm the nerves of the panicky residents and keep as many as he can from being slaughtered. Notices were great for this independent horror\/comedy. A small contingent couldn\u2019t get on the film\u2019s wavelength and found the caricatures on display unamusing. Yet the vast majority argued that the movie was laugh-out-loud funny and had an excellent cast who eked every laugh they could out of the material. Some even felt the movie was certain to become a cult classic among horror movie enthusiasts. Sam Richardson and Milana Vayntrub headline the feature. Here is a full review of the feature<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Arrow Video are always good for some unusual European cult\ntitles and this week is no exception. The Giallo Essentials Collection Vol.\n2<\/em> is their latest Blu-ray box set, containing the over-the-top Italian\nthrillers Torso<\/em> (1973), What Have They Done to Your Daughters? <\/em>(1974)\nand Strip Nude for Your Killer<\/em> (1975). The distributor has released them\nall before on Blu-ray, but never together in a single package. As you might\nhave already guessed, extras include all of the same features from Arrow\u2019s\nprevious individual discs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Action movie enthusiasts may get a kick out of the cheesy\nB-movie Final Justice<\/em> (1988), arriving courtesy of the MVD Rewind\nCollection. Joe Don Baker stars as a Texas sheriff assigned to escort a killer from\nthe US back to Italy. During a stopover in Malta, things get wild. The criminal\nescapes and the lead must hunt him down. This disc includes a feature-length\nmaking-of with the cast and crew, an audio commentary with podcasters from\n\u201cHack the Movies\u201d, a trailer and a collectable mini-poster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Shout! are presenting a Collector\u2019s Edition 4K Ultra HD +\nBlu-ray of Krampus \u2013 The Naughty Cut<\/em> (2015). Apparently, when Krampus<\/em>\nwas originally released at theaters, it was cut down significantly to receive a\nPG-13 rating. This is the complete cut of the movie with more gruesomeness and\nbad language included. Besides the image quality upgrade, it comes with new\ninterviews with the writer\/director, the producer, as well as cast members\nDavid Koechner, Allison Tolman and Emjay Anthony. You\u2019ll also get discussions\nwith crew members who worked on the special effects and a talk with the man who\ncomposed the score for the movie. Additionally, all of the bonuses from the\nregular Blu-ray (including the filmmaker commentary, gag reel, extended ending,\ndeleted scenes and publicity materials) are included too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kino are putting out some interesting Blu-rays as well. 21\nHours at Munich<\/em> (1976) is a dramatization of the \u201cBlack September\u201d story\nstarring William Holden and Franco Nero. The disc contains the film in two\naspect ratios, a film historian commentary and a trailer. They also have a\nBlu-ray with a 2K restoration of the Lionel Barrymore WWI drama, Broken\nLullaby<\/em> (1932). It also comes with a critic commentary. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Busting<\/em> (1974) with Elliott Gould and Robert Blake is\na cop picture made in the mold of The French Connection<\/em>. It\u2019s about two\ncops who will do just about anything, legal or illegal, to catch their man. The\nfeature has become something of a cult film and so Kino are presenting a Blu-ray\n\u201cLimited Edition Reissue\u201d of the title. It comes with a director commentary and\na second audio track featuring star Elliott Gould. The release also includes a\ntrailer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If music from the 1980s is to your liking, you may want to\ncheck out Get Crazy<\/em> (1983). It\u2019s about an independent music promoter\ntrying to put on a concert, while a big-time agent attempts to stop him from\nsucceeding. This flick stars Malcolm McDowell, Allen Garfield and Daniel Stern.\nIt features tons of music from bands like Ramones and a theme song by Sparks.\nThe movie has been given a 2K restoration approved by the director. The Blu-ray\nincludes a filmmaker commentary, a feature-length documentary on the production\nfeaturing most of the cast and crew, music videos for some of the original\ntunes in the flick and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If you enjoy Jean-Claude Van Damme pictures, then Hard\nTarget<\/em> (1993) is likely in your all-time top five. It appears to be one of\nKino\u2019s favorite titles too, as they are releasing a 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray of\nthe film (or you can also just pick up a Blu-ray only version). Besides a\nhigher quality restoration of the unrated international cut (which is much better\nthan the US theatrical version), it comes with new interviews with director\nJohn Woo, actor Lance Henricksen, actress Yancy Butler and the movie\u2019s stunt\ncoordinator. There\u2019s also an audio commentary from a pair of action film\nhistorians included and a trailer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Long Goodbye<\/em> (1973) is another Elliott Gould\nflick arriving on Blu-ray. Directed by Robert Altman (M*A*S*H*<\/em>), this\ndetective movie arrives from a 4K master that was sourced for this edition. It\nalso comes with a film historian commentary, multiple featurettes on many of\nthe cast and crew members. Additionally, it comes with plenty of publicity\nmaterials. The distributor has also used a 2K remaster to present an upgraded\nBlu-ray of the Charles Bronson action flick, Mr. Majestyk<\/em> (1974). This\ndisc also includes all of the extras from Kino\u2019s previous version. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And Kino also have a Blu-ray of the Alfred Hitchcock\nthriller, Number Seventeen<\/em> (1932). It follows a group of thieves being\npursued by cops after a robbery. The disc contains a 4K restoration of the\nmovie, a film critic commentary, audio interviews between the director and Francois\nTruffaut, and a documentary on Hitchcock\u2019s early career and titles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Code Red are presenting the goofy monster movie Blue\nMonkey<\/em> (1987) aka Insect<\/em> on Blu-ray. The plot features a giant big\nthat grows in an unused floor of a hospital and begins attacking the staff and\npatients. The movie has been remastered from the original negative and arrives\nwith multiple trailers and a \u201climited edition\u201d card that fits around the case. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And they are putting out Checkered Flag or Crash<\/em>\n(1977) on Blu-ray. This picture stars Joe Don Baker, Susan Sarandon, Larry\nHagman and more competing in a wild off-road race. The disc includes a 2K\nrestoration of the film and a newly remastered trailer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Disney have decided to give one of their hit films an\nupgrade. Who Framed Roger Rabbit<\/em> (1988) is arriving in a 4K Ultra HD +\nBlu-ray package. For those too young to remember, the movie is set in a world\nwhere humans and cartoons interact. Bob Hoskins stars as a detective hired by\nthe title character to help clear his name. The set contains loads of extras\nabout the movie, including a director commentary, multiple making-of\nfeaturettes, deleted scenes and several short films featuring the animated\ncharacters from the film. You\u2019ll also get a brand new short in this release.\nThis 4K + Blu-ray edition will also be available in exclusive Steelbook\npackaging at Best Buy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mill Creek would like you to know that they have a Steelbook\nBlu-ray of the goofy Jean-Claude Van Damme picture Street Fighter<\/em> (1994),\nwhich is a film adaptation of the arcade game. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Paramount are digging into the vaults to debut Beavis and\nButt-Head Do America<\/em> (1996) on Blu-ray. Celebrating the 25th<\/sup>\nanniversary of the animated movie, this disc includes a filmmaker commentary, a\nretrospective making-of, a featurette detailing how the score and music for the\nfilm was created and much, much more!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The special Paramount Presents line are releasing a Blu-ray of Harold and Maude<\/em> (1971). This cult comedy (pictured above and to the right) was released 50 years ago and follows an unusual and amusing relationship between a troubled young man and an elderly woman. The film has received a 4K restoration including an extensive image clean-up. You\u2019ll also get a commentary on the movie featuring fans\/filmmakers Larry Karaszewski and Cameron Crowe, a discussion with Yusuf\/Cat Stevens on the music, multiple trailers for the movie and collectable packaging featuring a fold-out of the movie poster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sony has decided to make a 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray set available\ncalled The Karate Kid Collection<\/em>. As you might have already guessed, it\nincludes The Karate Kid<\/em> (1984), The Karate Kid Part II<\/em> (1986) and\nThe Karate Kid Part III <\/em>(1989). Essentially, it contains only the first\nthree films in the franchise starring Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita. Besides the\nimproved picture quality, you will also receive all extras that were present on\npreviously released Blu-rays and DVDs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, Warner Archive are making the James Cagney flick Angels\nwith Dirty Faces<\/em> (1938) available as a made-to-order Blu-ray. You can\npurchase this title through Amazon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

If you\u2019re looking for something for the kids, there are\nplenty of options. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Avatar: The Last Airbender \/ The Legend of Korra \u2013 The Complete Collection<\/em> (contains 1 Season, 6 Movies)
The Monkey King Reborn\ufeff<\/em>
Ron\u2019s Gone Wrong\ufeff<\/em>
Who Framed Roger Rabbit<\/em> (1988) 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray \u2013 Disney, also available as Best Buy Exclusive Steelbook
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ON THE TUBE!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And here are all of the TV-themed releases coming your way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Andy Griffith Show<\/em>: The Complete Series
Creepshow<\/em>: Season 2
Gomorrah<\/em>: Season 2
My Life is Murder<\/em>: Series 2
Rick and Morty<\/em>: Season 5
Ride with Norman Reedus<\/em>: Season 2 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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