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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nAMERICAN SICARIO \u2013 A successful American-born drug lord sets\nhis sights on taking over the Mexican trade and begins making moves to become\nan underworld leader across the border. Unfortunately, he runs into trouble\nwhen a shipment goes wrong. He immediately falls into the crosshairs of many other\ngroups, including deadly cartels and the DEA, as well as Mexican authorities.\nThis independent action\/thriller is debuting on disc and on streaming platforms\nthis week, so currently there are no reviews available for the movie. While it\nmay be enjoyable, all interested parties should exercise caution before making\nany blind buys. At least it features a familiar face in Danny Trejo. The rest\nof the cast includes Philippe A. Haddad, Maurice Compte, Maya Stojan and Jaylen\nMoore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nTHE CARD COUNTER \u2013 A former serviceman with a taste for\ngambling decides to reform an angry and vulnerable young man seeking revenge on\na mutual enemy. Instead of helping him target the figure, the lead sees this as\nan opportunity for redemption. He instead focuses his new friend\u2019s efforts on various\ncard games. Together, they enter the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, but as\nthe tournament progresses the lead has more and more trouble keeping his\nprot\u00e9g\u00e9 focused. Overall, critics gave this drama high marks. A small\ncontingent found the pace slow and the film itself too low-key for their liking.\nIn the end, they didn\u2019t think it added up to much. However, the majority wrote\nthat the performances were excellent and that the movie delivered palpable mood\nand intrigue that would keep viewers invested throughout. It stars Oscar Isaac,\nTiffany Haddish, Tye Sheridan and Willem Dafoe. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nDANGEROUS \u2013 This independent thriller follows an ex-con and\nreformed sociopath trying to keep himself out of trouble. That all changes when\nbrother dies under mysterious circumstances. The main character\u2019s psychiatrist\ntries to encouraging him not to get involved, but the man feels compelled to\nfind out why his sibling was attacked. Eventually, he discovers that a group of\nheavily armed thugs are after something that was hidden by his deceased family\nmember. Response towards this title wasn\u2019t particularly encouraging. A small\ngroup did like the performers and thought the picture offered more twists than\nother movies of its budget. Still, most complained that the script wasn\u2019t up to\nsnuff and that the movie itself would evaporate from memory moments after the\ncredits rolled. Scott Eastwood, Mel Gibson, Tyrese Gibson, Kevin Durand and\nFamke Janssen headline the picture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nTHE END OF THE STORM \u2013 Those who enjoy watching English\nPremier League soccer may be curious about this documentary. It charts the rise\nand success of Liverpool football club over the past few years, including their\nChampions League victory and Premier League title win. The filmmakers\nspecifically detail the 2019\/20 season through the eyes of coach Jurgen Klopp\nand players like Jordan Henderson, Sadio Man\u00e9 and Roberto Firmino (no doubt\nyou\u2019ll also see Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and many others making\nappearances). The press was generally upbeat about this feature. One or two\nthought it felt more like a commercial than an actual documentary. All others stated\nthat it was an entertaining tribute to the team and noted that coach Klopp was\nparticularly informative and charismatic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nFORCE TO FEAR \u2013 A group of college kids decide to throw a\nparty for themselves at an abandoned school. After arriving, they stumble upon\na pair of kidnappers\/vigilantes who are in the middle of torturing a drug\ndealer. Naturally, this puts the surprised youths in great danger as they attempt\nto get out of the building without being killed. This independent action\nthriller played at a few genre film festivals over the past year and is now\narriving on disc. Currently, there aren\u2019t a lot of reviews available for the\npicture, but it did earn some accolades from those screenings and a few online\nnotices have popped up over the past couple of weeks. They appear to be\npositive, stating the movie is fun tribute to low-budget genre flicks from the\n1980s. The cast includes Sable Griedel, Chad Bruns and April Yanko.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nLANGUAGE LESSONS – This independent movie follows the recent trend of telling its story through online conversations using computers and phones. But rather than being a horror film, it instead combines elements of drama and comedy. This film\u2019s plot follows a protagonist whose husband presents him with a gift of online Spanish lessons. The man\u2019s first conversation with his new teacher goes awkwardly and soon after a personal tragedy strikes. The lead ends up forming a complicated and unique relationship with his instructor over the course of the following sessions. Reaction was extremely positive towards the film. One or two didn\u2019t buy into the concept and suggested that the dramatic elements felt forced. Everyone else complimented the charming cast and called the story unique, involving them in the tale from beginning to end. It stars Mark Duplass, Natalie Morales and Desean Terry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nTHE LAST DUEL \u2013 Set during the Hundred Years War and based\non a true story, this feature is set in France and details the country\u2019s last\nsanctioned duel. Apparently, it occurred between a knight named Jean de\nCarroughes and nobleman Jacques Le Gris. When Carroughes\u2019 wife accuses Le Gris of\nrape, unexpected tensions and conflicts arise between all three parties. The\nfilm tells the identical story from the viewpoint of the three central\ncharacters, revealing unexpected details as events progress. The press gave the\nfeature high marks. A small group didn\u2019t like the story structure and a few\neven complained that the female perspective should have been presented first.\nHowever, the vast majority wrote that the movie used the novel storytelling technique\nto its advantage, skillfully detailing the treatment of women centuries ago and\nthe savagery of the era. Matt Damon, Adam Driver, Jodie Comer, Harriet Walter,\nBen Affleck and Marton Csokas headline the feature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nTHE MITCHELLS VS. THE MACHINES \u2013 This animated family film from\nNetflix is getting a Blu-ray release from Sony Pictures. The plot involves a\ncreative outsider about to start film school. She gets an unexpected shock when\nher family announces they are driving her cross-country to her university.\nThings get even more complicated on the road after all of the world\u2019s tech\ndevices begin to revolt against humanity. Critics adored this feature. A handful\ndidn\u2019t find the movie particularly funny and called it overlong. All others\nstated that it was one of the best animated films of the year, deftly mixing\noutrageous humor with heartfelt messages about the importance of family. The\nvoice cast includes Abbi Jacobson, Danny McBride, Maya Rudolph, Michael Rianda,\nEric Andr\u00e9, Olivia Colman, Fred Armisen, Beck Bennett, Chrissy Teigen, John\nLegend, Charlyne Yi and Conan O\u2019Brien. This disc is being referred to as a\n\u201cKatie Mitchell Special Edition\u201d with numerous extras. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nSOUTH OF HEAVEN \u2013 A man convicted of armed robbery is\nparoled after 12 years behind bars. Knowing that his girlfriend is now dying of\ncancer, he vows to stay with her and make the last year of her life memorable.\nUnfortunately, his parole officer has other ideas, demanding the lead take on a\n\u201cside-job\u201d that soon makes him a target of a local crime boss. The lead\nstruggles to break free from these unwanted commitments and return to his\ngirlfriend. Reaction was muted towards this drama and reviews were split.\nNearly half of write-ups said there was chemistry between the protagonists and\nthat the movie offered viewer a wild ride. However, slightly more said that the\nscreenplay couldn\u2019t successfully juggle the wild tonal shifts and called the\nstory implausible. It features Jason Sudeikis, Evangeline Lilly, Mike Colter, Shea\nWhigham and Michael Par\u00e9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nVENOM: LET THERE BE CARNAGE \u2013 This Spider-man spin-off and sequel to the 2018 hit follows journalist Eddie Brock, a man who possesses an alien symbiote that can turn him into the superhero Venom. While interviewing a psychotic killer on death row, the protagonist is bitten by the maniac. The villain ingests a small part of the symbiote which also gives him superhuman powers. Brock and his symbiote must square off against this new menace. Reaction was slightly more positive than negative towards this follow-up. A sizable number thought it felt rushed and was too over-the-top, noting that it was more overwhelming than entertaining. However, a few more critics thought it was fun to watch and appreciated the attempt to make a simple, humor-filled, fast-paced and outrageous superhero flick. It stars Tom Hardy, Woody Harrelson, Michelle Williams, Naomie Harris and Reid Scott. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
BLASTS FROM THE PAST!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n As if there weren\u2019t enough new releases to go around, there\nare also plenty of older titles receiving high-definition upgrades. For those\nwith the appropriate set-up, Arrow Video are upgrading and rereleasing the\ngreat cult flick Donnie Darko<\/em> (2001) as an 4K Ultra HD exclusive. It\npresents both the original and director\u2019s cut of the film, presumably with the very\nsame extras that are available on the regular Blu-ray. The distributor is also rereleasing\nthe original film adaptation of Dune<\/em> (1984) as a Special Edition 4K +\nBlu-ray set and as a single Blu-ray. One assumes that the previous editions\nmust have sold out in order to justify this version. <\/p>\n\n\n\n They are also putting out Ludwig<\/em> (1973) on Blu-ray. Pictured above and to the left, it\u2019s an Oscar-nominated Italian epic about the over-the-top and lavish lifestyle of King Ludwig II of Bavaria. The movie has been restored in 2K and you can watch it either in a full-length theatrical cut or spread across five individual segments (each detailing a specific period in the subject\u2019s life). You\u2019ll get a new interview with the star of the movie, an hour-long documentary about the movie\u2019s director, a discussion with the screenwriter and a half-hour portrait detailing the career of the female lead, Silvana Mangano. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re looking for something lighter, you can also pick up a Special Edition Blu-ray of the comedy, My Stepmother is An Alien<\/em> (1988). Alyson Hannigan plays the daughter of a widowed astrophysicist (Dan Aykroyd) worried after her dad falls for attractive woman (Kim Basinger). The two end up marrying quickly and the youngster soon suspects that her eccentric new stepmom is an alien trying to study the human species. Presumably, comic mayhem ensues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I don\u2019t remember this title being exceptional, but the cast is impressive and also includes Jon Lovitz, Seth Green and Juliette Lewis. The movie has been given a 2K restoration and comes with a film historian commentary, an interview with director Richard Benjamin (My Favorite Year<\/em>, The Money Pit<\/em>, Mermaids<\/em>), a trailer and an image gallery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Earlier in the year, Arrow also released a Blu-ray box set\ncalled Years of Lead<\/em> (1973 \u2013 1976), containing five Italian crime\nthrillers. They are now putting out a \u201cStandard Edition\u201d without the fancy\npackaging for those still interested in picking it up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n MVD Visual are getting into the holiday spirit with their release of Jack Frost<\/em> (1997) on Blu-ray. It\u2019s a low-budget horror\/comedy flick about a killer snowman wreaking havoc over the holidays in a small town. This edition includes a 2K restoration of the film, a new audio commentary with fans\/authorities on the flick, an interview with the actor who played the evil snowman and an introduction to the movie and commentary with the director. You\u2019ll also get discussions with cast members and the cinematographer, as well as publicity materials. <\/p>\n\n\n\n They also have a Blu-ray of the sequel, Jack Frost 2:\nRevenge of the Mutant Killer Snowman<\/em> (2000). This Blu-ray comes with almost\nthe same extras, as well as a music video spoof and more behind-the-scenes\nfeaturettes. So, that means that you can now own this entire series and decide\nfor yourself which film you like best. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Where the Red Fern Grows<\/em> (2003) is a family feature\nand adaption of the children\u2019s book. It\u2019s a coming-of-age story about a boy and\nhis two hunting dogs. Ned Beatty, Kris Kristofferson and Mac Davis co-star.\nThis Blu-ray comes with a couple of featurettes about the movie, as well as a\ntrailer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n John Candy, Eugene Levy and Joe Flaherty first made their\nmark starring in the cult comedy sketch show, SCTV<\/em>. After the series\nwrapped up, one of their earliest feature-film starring roles was in the comedy\nGoing Berserk<\/em> (1983). The story involved a man who gets involved with a\ncult that wants to murder the man\u2019s future father-in-law. Notices suggest that\nit wasn\u2019t a great movie, but that it did have a few amusing moments that showed\nhow much promise the talented cast had. Shout! Factory is debuting the movie on\nBlu-ray so that interested parties can finally catch up with it. The release\ncomes with publicity materials for the movie. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Kino also have some notable Blu-rays coming your way. Bedtime\nStory<\/em> (1964) is a dark comedy about competing conmen starring Marlon\nBrando, David Niven and Shirley Jones. It was eventually remade on two\noccasions under the title Dirty Rotten Scoundrels<\/em>. The movie has been\ngiven a 2K restoration and includes a film historian commentary, a teaser and\ntwo trailers. The Brass Bottle<\/em> (1964) is another comedy starring Tony\nRandall and Barbara Eden about a man who finds a genie in a bottle. This flick\ninspired the hit 60s TV series, I Dream of Jeannie<\/em>. It comes with a\nmovie expert commentary and a trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Four Seasons<\/em> (1981) is a drama\/comedy with Alan\nAlda and Carol Burnett about a pair of 40-something couples whose lives are turned\nupside down when fissures appear in their relationships. Special features on\nthe Blu-ray include an entertainment journalist commentary, radio spots and a\ntrailer. Those looking for more Alan Alda pictures can also pick up a political\ndrama called The Seduction of Joe Tynan<\/em> (1979), which also stars Meryl\nStreep. This Blu-ray includes a critic commentary and a trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Those wanting to add to their 3D film collection may be\nexcited about a Blu-ray of the Hong Kong-made picture, Revenge of the Shogun\nWomen 3D<\/em> (1977). It\u2019s about a bunch of women who are brutally attacked and\nend up in a convent. While there, they learn kung fu and then head out for\nrevenge. The movie has been newly restored and the disc presents the movie in\n2D, as well as an anaglyph (red and blue) and polarized (clear glass) 3D\nedition. There are also three 3D shorts included with the movie. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You can also pick up Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema V<\/em>\nBlu-ray box set. It contains Because of You<\/em> (1952), The Midnight\nStory<\/em> (1956) and Outside the Law<\/em> (1957). All of the films contain\ncritic commentaries and trailers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Criterion are presenting the Gordon Parks\u2019 drama, The\nLearning Tree<\/em> (1969). It\u2019s set in small-town Kansas during the 1920s and\ndepicts the life and trials of a black teenager. The movie was extremely well\nreceived and, 20 years after its release, was preserved and honored by the\nNational Film Registry. Among numerous extras, this Blu-ray includes a 2K\ndigital restoration of the feature, new documentaries and commentaries on the\nmaking of the movie and its influence on viewers. Additionally, it has a\ndocumentary on Parks and several short films by the figure premiering for the\nfirst time on home video. <\/p>\n\n\n\n They are also upgrading their previous edition of the\naward-winning Michael Powell\/Emeric Pressburger musical drama, The Red Shoes<\/em>\n(1948). This classic is being released as a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray combo pack,\neach providing a new and improved picture. The discs also come with the\nmultitude of bonuses that were previously released on the older edition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re looking for martial arts titles, you can try Disciples\nof Shaolin<\/em> (1975) from the Shaw Brothers. 88 Films is presenting this\nBlu-ray and the story features plenty of action and set pieces that will\nimpress. The Hong Kong production has been remastered for this release and\nincludes multiple commentaries with Asian cinema experts, as a as interviews\nwith some of the cast, a trailer and a reversable sleeve with newly created movie\nartwork. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Cult Epics have a Blu-ray box called the Sylvia Krystal\n1970s Collection<\/em>. The actress featured was most famous for her role in Emmanuelle<\/em> (1974),\nbut also appeared in several other titles which are contained in this set.\nYou\u2019ll get Julia<\/em> (1974), Playing with Fire<\/em> (1975), Mysteries<\/em>\n(1978) and Pastorale 1943<\/em> (1978). All of the movies have received 2K\nrestorations and come with film critic commentaries, new and vintage interviews\nwith cast and crew, alongside plenty of publicity materials. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Code Red have some 1980s genre flicks coming your way. The\nDead Pit<\/em> (1989) is a horror picture about a mad doctor and zombies rising\nfrom the basement of a psychiatric institute. The movie has been given a 2K\nscan for Blu-ray and includes an audio commentary from director Brett Leonard (The\nLawnmower Man<\/em>, Virtuosity<\/em>) and on-camera discussion with the cast.\nOn a completely different note, the distributor also has a Blu-ray of the Jack\nLemmon drama Mass Appeal<\/em> (1984). In this picture, the star plays a\npriest struggling to deal with superiors in the church. This disc includes a\ntrailer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Butch Camp<\/em> (1996) is a campy, not-very-PC independent\ncomedy about a boot camp for gay men who want to learn how to be macho. Dark\nForce are now presenting it on Blu-ray with an HD master from the only\nsurviving 35mm print of the film. The disc includes an interview from the set\nwith one of the film\u2019s stars, a 2021 discussion with the director, a music\nvideo and a trailer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Full Moon Features are releasing a Blu-ray of the action picture Crash<\/em> (1977). This film is about a car that becomes demonically possessed by a woman who comes into contact with an occult object. The car causes spectacular wrecks wherever it goes. Jose Ferrer and John Carradine are featured in the cast. The distributor is presenting the movie newly remastered and uncut. The Blu-ray also comes with a commentary featuring director Charles Band, a vintage trailer, rare clips of co-star Carradine, a documentary on the movie and plenty of trailers. They also have Put Your Devil into My Hell<\/em> (1973), which is an Italian sex-comedy. This Blu-ray comes with numerous extra trailers for obscure European genre films. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Looking for more? Western movie enthusiasts can now purchase a Blu-ray of Posse<\/em> (1993) courtesy of Sandpiper Pictures. Melvin Van Peebles is the main character, searching for revenge on the man who lynched his father. He leads a gang of mostly black infantrymen who also fight over possession of a cache of gold. The cast includes Stephen Baldwin, Big Daddy Kane, Blair Underwood, Woody Strode, Pam Grier, Billy Zane, Tone Loc, Isaac Hayes and many other familiar faces. A cast photo is posted just below this paragraph. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Severin have the Nasty Habits: The Nunspoitation\nCollection<\/em> Blu-ray box set, which contains \u201cfour uncut\/uncensored\nNunsploitation classics\u201d that were made in Italy. You\u2019ll get Christiana\nDevil Nun<\/em> (1972), Story of a Cloistered Nun<\/em> (1973), Images in a\nConvent<\/em> (1979) and The True Story of the Nun of Monza<\/em> (1980). All of\nthe titles come with special features including video essays, film historian\ncommentaries, interviews and more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n With a new Marvel superhero flick involving popular\ncomic-book hero Spider-Man hitting theaters soon, Sony have decided to\nrerelease the original Spider-Man Trilogy<\/em> (2002 – 2007) on Blu-ray. This\nseries stared Tobey Maguire as the title character. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, the Warner Archive direct-to-disc Blu-ray program have the Robert Taylor and Elizabeth Taylor version of Ivanhoe<\/em> (1952). It\u2019s about a knight fighting to return King Richard to the throne. This well-received epic was nominated for three Oscars and can be purchased through Amazon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n YOU KNOW, FOR KIDS!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are a couple of titles that may appeal to children (or\nthe young at heart). <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Mitchells Vs. The Machines<\/em> (Katie Mitchell Special Edition) Sony Blu-ray <\/p>\n\n\n\n ON THE TUBE!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This week is a slow one for TV shows, but there is one\nJapanese animated series that is arriving on shelves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Robotech \u2013 Part 3: The New Generation<\/em> (1985 – 1988)\nFUNimation (Blu-ray)<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/DVD-Ludwig-1973-fixed.jpg\")
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Where the Red Fern Grows<\/em> (2003) MVD Blu-ray <\/p>\n\n\n\n