{"id":24031,"date":"2021-12-27T19:02:58","date_gmt":"2021-12-28T03:02:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=24031"},"modified":"2021-12-27T19:02:58","modified_gmt":"2021-12-28T03:02:58","slug":"blu-ray-dvd-roundup-for-december-28th-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=24031","title":{"rendered":"Blu-ray\/DVD Roundup for December 28th, 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Happy New Year, readers, and welcome to another look at\nhighlights arriving on Blu-ray and DVD. As you might have already guessed, this\nis a slower week than usual for new discs. Don\u2019t worry though, because there\nare still a couple of noteworthy features coming your way. So, if you can\u2019t or\nshouldn\u2019t be heading out to the movies this week, be sure to give one of these\ntitles a try!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BIG NEW RELEASES!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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CASTLE FALLS \u2013 This independent action film involves an old\nhospital that is set to be demolished. When an imprisoned crime boss hears news\nabout the building being razed, he becomes quite upset. The figure reveals that\nhe has hidden over 3 million dollars somewhere in the building. Word quickly\nspreads as the site is loaded with dynamite and several individuals appear to\ntry and find the loot before the building falls on them. This picture received\na limited release earlier in the month and reviews were quite good overall. One\nor two complained that there was too much exposition and that the main characters\nweren\u2019t very well developed. However, everyone else thought it was a solid\naction picture with a great concept and some impressive, expertly choreographed\nfight sequences. The cast includes Scott Adkins, Dolph Lundgren, Kim DeLonghi,\nJim E. Chandler, Dave Halls and Kevin Wayne.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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THE FRENCH DISPATCH \u2013 The latest feature from Wes Anderson (The Grand Budapest Hotel, Moonrise Kingdom, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums<\/em>) takes place in the office of a failing newspaper supplement magazine in a small French town. As the editor and journalist plan their final issue, viewers see three noteworthy stories about the location covered by staff members. Response towards this quirky comedy was positive, but not as enthusiastic as for other titles from the filmmaker. About a quarter of critics suggested that the movie was too self-indulgent and crammed with extraneous material, ultimately impacting the movie negatively. Still, most called it visually striking, thought the eccentric tales were funny and commented that the movie would impress those who admired Anderson\u2019s work. It stars Benicio Del Toro, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, L\u00e9a Seydoux, Frances McDormand, Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet, Jeffrey Wright, Mathieu Amalric, Steve Park, Bill Murray, Owen Wilson and many more. To read a full review of the movie, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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KEEP AN EYE OUT \u2013 Those wanting to catch up on some European\ncinema can pick up this France\/Belgium coproduction that was released in both countries\nback in 2018 (under the title Au Poste!). The story follows a man who discovers\na dead body in his apartment building. He calls the police, only to be\ninterrogated and treated as a suspect by incompetent officers. The lead must\nsomehow prove his innocence as the surreal investigation continues. The North\nAmerican press generally found this title amusing when it was released in this\npart of the world. A small percentage stated that they couldn\u2019t appreciate the\nfilm\u2019s oddball wavelength and didn\u2019t find it funny. However, the majority\ncalled the feature an amusing farce that included some great lines and\nentertaining performances. Beno\u00eet Poelvoorde, Gr\u00e9goire Ludig, Marc Fraize and Ana\u00efs Demoustier headline the film.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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KNOCKING \u2013 Some noises can really be grating to the ears,\nespecially things like nails run across a chalkboard. This Swedish thriller\ntakes this concept to extreme lengths. After suffering a traumatic life event,\na woman moves into a new apartment in an attempt to make a fresh start.\nUnfortunately, a strange and persistent knocking starts, followed by screams.\nThe lead can\u2019t figure out who is making the sound or why. As the noises\ncontinue over the following nights, she begins losing sleep and questioning her\nown sanity. Critics generally liked this little thriller. A small number of\nwrite-ups criticized the slow pacing and said it took too long to really get\ngoing. Still, most called the central performance excellent and the overall\nmovie tense and atmospheric. It features Cecilia Milocco, Albin Grenholm and Ville Virtanen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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MAYDAY \u2013 An angry woman finds herself transported into a\nstrange, militaristic world where ladies hunt and kill men, luring them close with\nradio signals before gunning them down. At first excited by this prospect, the\nprotagonist joins a group of females and trains with them, learning how to aim\nand fire a rifle. But after spending time in the outfit, she begins to doubt\ntheir actions and motivations. This independent fantasy split reviewers. About\nhalf thought it started interestingly but quickly lost momentum. They also\nnoted that it was overstuffed with ideas and didn\u2019t effectively convey a\nmessage or meaning. Still, the same number stated that while flawed, the\nperformances were strong and the movie had a compelling dreamlike atmosphere\nthat kept their attention throughout. It features Grace Van Patten, Mia Goth,\nSoko, Th\u00e9odore Pellerin and Juliette\nLewis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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MOMENTS LIKE THIS NEVER LAST \u2013 This documentary tells the\nlife story of artist Dash Snow. According to those who knew him, this figure\nrejected a life of privilege and lived on the streets of New York in the 1990s.\nHe created a name for himself as a graffiti tagger and eventually formed a\nsurrogate family with other street artists. Sadly, drug and alcohol addiction\nproblems surfaced and he eventually passed away from a heroin overdose in 2009.\nUsing archival footage as well as images of his works, viewers learn more about\nSnow and the remarkable art he created before his passing. There have only been\na few write-ups for this feature, but they have been upbeat. These notices say\nthat while the movie mainly uses preexisting footage and doesn\u2019t necessarily\nprovide any new insight into the man, the artist and his story is still gripping\nto witness.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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THE WOMAN WHO RAN \u2013 After her husband heads out of town on a\nbusiness trip, a married woman decides to meet three of her friends\nindividually and catch up. The various conversations are friendly as the\nparticipants discuss the various trials they happen to be going through, but\nundercurrents soon become evident and it becomes clear that all of these people\nmay have butted heads in the past. This South Korean foreign-language drama\ngreat impressed critics and has yet to receive a negative review. While noting\nthat the feature was very low-key and didn\u2019t offer big moments of drama, write-ups\ncalled the cast excellent. They also said the meetings were intriguing to\nwatch, especially as the individuals introduced deal subtly with the various\nconflicts between them. It stars Kim Min-hee, Song Seon-mi, Kim Saebyuk and Eun-mi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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While it is a quieter time for Blu-ray and DVD upgrades of\nolder titles, there are a few notable arrivals. Arrow Video have an incredible\nBlu-ray boxset called Shawscope Volume 1<\/em> that contains several notable\nShaw Brothers Hong Kong-based productions from the 1970s (including kung-fu\nflicks, monster movies and even a comedy or two). Chronologically, the release\nincludes King Boxer<\/em> (1972) aka Five Fingers of Death<\/em>, as well as The\nBoxer from Shantung<\/em> (1972), Five Shaolin Masters<\/em> (1974), Challenge\nof the Masters<\/em> (1976), Shaolin Temple<\/em> (1976), Executioners from\nShaolin<\/em> (1977), Chinatown Kid<\/em> (1977), Five Deadly Venoms<\/em>\n(1978), The Mighty Peking Man<\/em> (1977), Crippled Avengers<\/em> (1978), Heroes\nof the East<\/em> (1978) and Dirty Ho<\/em> (1979). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll receive high-definition presentations of all of the\ntitles with 2K restorations of six features, in addition to a 2K master of the\nlonger international cut of Chinatown Kid<\/em> from the original film\nelements. You\u2019ll also get multiple audio tracks in various languages, new\nEnglish subtitles and hours of bonuses that includes film historian\ncommentaries on select features, new cast and crew interviews, tons of\npublicity materials and even a 60-page book with essays and trivia. Sounds like\na great time for fans of old features from the Shaw Brothers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The American Genre Film Archive are presenting an\ninteresting set of their own with the Blood-A-Rama Triple Nightmare<\/em> Blu-ray.\nIt contains the low-budget genre pictures Carnival of Blood<\/em> (1970), Help\nMe\u2026 I\u2019m Possessed<\/em> (1974) and The Night of the Strangler<\/em> (1972), a\nthriller that co-stars Mickey Dolenz from the famous 60s pop band The\nMonkees<\/em>. Some of the titles have been given 2K preservations from the only\nknown 35mm prints in existence. You\u2019ll also get numerous trailers for these and\nother drive-in features, as well as other bonuses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Those who enjoy Japanese animated features can now pick up a\n4K Ultra HD \u201cCollector\u2019s Edition\u201d of Robot Carnival<\/em> (1987) courtesy of\nDiscotek Media. This is a visually striking anthology film, with all of the\nstories involving robots and their positive and negative effects on the world.\nThe film has been transferred in two different aspect ratios and the disc comes\nwith a documentary on the movie, storyboard to screen sequences, as well as some\ntrailers. Interested parties should note that this release doesn\u2019t appear to\ncontain a regular Blu-ray of the title and can only be played on TVs with an\nUHD set-up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And speaking of Japanese features, Media Blasters are\npresenting a 30th<\/sup> anniversary Blu-ray of Zeiram <\/em>(1991), which\ndetails the adventures of two electricians who are zapped into a virtual\nreality war zone. According to press releases, the disc will be fully loaded\nwith extras including interviews, behind-the-scenes featurettes and trailers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Unfortunately, it\u2019s a quiet time for kid-friendly\nentertainment, so parents will have to wait until next week to find new items\non disc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

And it appears that studios are also holding off on\nreleasing TV-themed material on Blu-ray and DVD until the next edition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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