{"id":24044,"date":"2022-01-03T18:12:32","date_gmt":"2022-01-04T02:12:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=24044"},"modified":"2022-01-03T18:12:32","modified_gmt":"2022-01-04T02:12:32","slug":"blu-ray-dvd-roundup-for-january-4th-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=24044","title":{"rendered":"Blu-ray\/DVD Roundup for January 4th, 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Welcome to a brand-new year and another examination of the\nlatest titles arriving on Blu-ray and DVD. Things are just beginning to gear up\nafter the holidays, but there are a few notable features arriving on shelves.\nSo, if you can\u2019t or shouldn\u2019t be heading out to the movies just yet, be sure to\ngive one of these titles a try!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>BIG NEW RELEASES!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DVD-Antlers-01-fixed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24045\" width=\"285\" height=\"153\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ANTLERS \u2013 Set in Oregon, this horror tale follows a pair of\nmen who run a meth lab out of an abandoned mine. One day, one of the men goes\nto the site with his young son and some other workers. The group are suddenly attacked\nby a monster. The father and child survive and rush home, but the pair notice their\nbodies changing. Fearful, the dad demands that family members lock them up in a\nremote part of the house and keep watch as their condition worsens. This chiller\nearned slightly more upbeat notices than negative ones. A fair number of\nwrite-ups said the story\u2019s twists were ineffective and that movie didn\u2019t offer\nanything new or different to separated it from other genre features. However,\nthe majority did like the performances and complimented the film as a simple\nbut effective horror picture that was better than many other pictures of its kind.\nIt stars Keri Russell, Jesse Plemons, Jeremy T. Thomas, Graham Greene and Scott\nHaze. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DVD-Black-Friday-fixed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24047\" width=\"301\" height=\"160\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">BLACK FRIDAY \u2013 Purchasing gifts on Black Friday can be a\nstressful experience, but this horror\/comedy takes the holiday to even more\ndangerous extremes. A group of disgruntled store workers prepare to open their\nstore at midnight for an onslaught of consumers. When a comet crashes outside\nthe building, it turns the customers into monsters. The staff soon find\nthemselves fighting for their lives. The majority of press members enjoyed this\nfeature. There was a contingent that noted that while it was amusing, the\nscreenplay didn\u2019t make the most of the concept and the end results were\nforgettable. Still, the consensus was that this was a wild and enjoyable\nB-movie that features great practical effects and a likable collection of familiar\nperformers doing their best to sell every outrageous gag. The cast includes\nDevon Sawa, Ivana Baquero, Michael Jai White and Bruce Campbell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DVD-Djinn-2021-fixed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24048\" width=\"273\" height=\"149\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">THE DJINN \u2013 For those unfamiliar with the title figure, a\nDjinn is a spirit or demon from Arabian and Muslim mythology. Apparently, some\ncan be good, but in most horror flicks they are of the sinister variety. This\nfeature tells the story of a mute boy who is left home alone in his father\u2019s\napartment. He finds a book of spells in a closet and raises a Djinn who will\ngrant him a wish. Unfortunately, there is a terrible price to be paid for making\na deal with the monster and the youngster must struggle to survive. Critics\nwere positive about this feature. A small group commented that the small\napartment setting was a detriment and they didn\u2019t find the story involving. Still,\nthe vast majority were impressed by how scary and stylish the film was, noting\nthat the performances were strong and the movie possessed a great deal of atmosphere\nand chills. Ezra Dewey, Rob\nBrownstein, Tevy Poe and John Erickson headline the\nfeature. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DVD-Ida-Red-table-fixed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24049\" width=\"310\" height=\"172\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">IDA RED \u2013 A woman decides to ask her family for a huge favor\nin this crime drama. After being arrested for a robbery-gone-wrong, doctors\ntell the lady that she only has months to live. Determined to get out of jail\nand live her remaining days as a free woman, she asks her son and nephew to\npull off an elaborate scheme and help break her out. The two must decide\nwhether or not to proceed with the instructions given by the family matriarch.\nReviews weren\u2019t very strong for this feature. A handful thought the performers\nwere engaging enough to keep the attention of viewers. Unfortunately, most said\nthat the movie didn\u2019t build up much dramatic tension and instead felt\nrepetitive and slow-moving. It features Josh Hartnett, Frank Grillo, Melissa\nLeo, Sofia Hublitz and William Forsythe. This movie is being released exclusively\non DVD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DVD-Only-the-Animals-fixed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24050\" width=\"270\" height=\"173\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ONLY THE ANIMALS \u2013 This French drama involves the\ndisappearance of a woman during a winter storm. When the snow eventually melts,\nher car is discovered on an isolated road. The police decide to interview the\nnearby residents in order to determine what happened. As they do so, secrets\nabout the various locals are revealed and the disturbing case becomes even more\nentangled. This feature was released in its home country in 2019 and received\nseveral Cesare nominations (the French equivalent of an Academy Award) as well\nas raves from the press. A very small number couldn\u2019t get on its wavelength and\ncalled the main storytelling technique gimmicky. The vast majority called it an\nexcellent thriller using multiple viewpoints that kept them intrigued and gripped\nthroughout as what really occurred was unraveled. The cast includes Denis\nM\u00e9nochet, Laure Calamy, Damien Bonnard and Nadia Tereszkiewicz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DVD-Stop-and-Go-fixed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24051\" width=\"309\" height=\"175\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">STOP AND GO \u2013 In this comedy, two sisters decide to drive\ncross country and retrieve their grandmother from a retirement home after learning\nof a COVID-19 outbreak on the premises. They race as quickly as they can,\nattempting to avoid all contact with people along the way. Of course, things\ndon\u2019t go as planned. The ladies also end up having to race against another\nfamily member who doesn\u2019t believe in the pandemic and may end up passing the\nvirus on to their grandmother. Response towards this independent comedy was\ngenerally positive. About a quarter of reviewers complained that it simply\nwasn\u2019t sharp or funny enough to recommend. However, more said the film became\nmore and more entertaining as it progressed and felt that the chemistry between\nthe leads was fantastic. Currently, the film is only being released on DVD. It\nstars Whitney Call, Mallory Everton, Julia\nJolley and Anne Sward Hansen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DVD-Superdeep-alt-fixed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24052\" width=\"280\" height=\"157\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">THE SUPERDEEP \u2013 A USSR team of scientists conducts research in 12,000 meters under the ground in a hidden base. When a new group of agents arrive to investigate the site and the work being conducted, they discover a horrifying secret. This is a genre film, so if you guessed that the team were creating monsters underground, give yourself a pat on the back. Everyone is attacked by the strange beasts and fight to keep the menace contained before it reaches the surface. This Russian flick was not particularly well-received by critics. Those who liked it said that the movie looked spectacular and that the visual effects and elaborate death scenes were very well executed. Unfortunately, the consensus was that despite its slick appearance, the characters weren\u2019t very well developed and as such there wasn\u2019t much reason to care about the plight of those trapped beneath the surface. The cast includes Milena Radulovic, Sergey Ivanyuk and Nikolay Kovbas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DVD-Together-Together-alt-fixed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24053\" width=\"309\" height=\"174\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">TOGETHER TOGETHER \u2013 This independent comedy involves a\nsingle middle-aged man conducting an unusual series of interviews. He\neventually hires a young woman in her 20s to be a surrogate mother and carry\nhis unborn child. The strangers slowly get to know each other over the course\nof the following nine months and find that their new friendship changes their\ndefinitions of love, connections and relationships. This feature received a lot\nof good press during its limited run at movies theaters. Only a few had issues\nwith what they witnessed, calling the movie pleasant but lacking in any drama\nor tension. The overwhelming majority wrote that the movie was a low-key\ndelight, providing a new spin on relationship movies. They also noted the great\nperformances, saying it resulted in endearing and relatable film. The film\nstars Patti Harrison, Ed Helms, Rosalind\nChao, Timm Sharp, Nora Dunn and Tig Notaro.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DVD-Zeroes-and-Ones-fixed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24054\" width=\"267\" height=\"151\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ZEROES AND ONES \u2013 When an unknown enemy threatens the\nVatican and the entire world, a US soldier heads to Rome to try and find out\nwho is responsible. After discovering more about those involved in the\npotential attack, he contacts his incarcerated and estranged twin brother (who\nwas once a member of the organization), asking for advice and help in saving\nthe day. Write-ups for this thriller from eccentric filmmaker Abel Ferrara (<em>King\nof New York<\/em>, <em>Bad Lieutenant<\/em>, <em>Tommaso<\/em>) were slightly more\npositive than negative.&nbsp; Those who gave\nit negative reviews really hated the movie, calling it an incoherent and\nfrustrating mess. Slightly more admired the film, saying that it was to\ndesigned to show its lead falling into a murky mess of a situation that\nprovided no easy answers. The cast includes Ethan Hawke (as the lead and his\ntwin), Cristina Chiriac and Valerio Mastandrea. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>BLASTS FROM THE PAST!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you\u2019re looking for older entertainment, there are a few\nfeatures with image upgrades coming your way. Shout! Factory are releasing the\nJapanese animated feature <em>Weathering with You<\/em> (2019) in 4K Ultra HD\n(with a regular Blu-ray included in the package too). The story involves a\nlonely teenager who meets a girl with special powers that allow her to stop the\nrain and clear the sky. Although it didn\u2019t end up getting an Oscar nomination,\nthe movie did win awards during its release from other critic groups. Beside\nthe high-quality picture, the discs also include an interview with the\ndirector, a featurette on the making of the movie, a director filmography\nspecial, a discussion on the feature and publicity materials. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DVD-All-My-Sons-fixed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24055\" width=\"309\" height=\"220\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kino have plenty of Blu-rays to report on. <em>All My Sons<\/em> (1948) is a drama\/film-noir based on  a popular stage play that stars Burt Lancaster and Edward G. Robinson. It&#8217;s about an industrialist who frames his business partner for a crime. Years later, the imprisoned man\u2019s son proposes to the sneaky industrialist\u2019s daughter, causing past wrongs to resurface. The movie has been given a new 2K master and comes with a film historian commentary and trailers. <em>China<\/em> (1943) stars Alan Ladd as a gas salesman in the title country who joins a band of guerillas fighting invading Japanese forces. The Blu-ray comes with a movie expert audio track and a trailer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>The Crime of the Century<\/em> (1933) is a thriller about a\njournalist investigating a mentalist who is predict murders around town. The\nbonuses on this release are the same as for the previous title. <em>Double Door<\/em>\n(1934) is a suspense picture about a nasty family matriarch who will do\nanything to control the members of her family. Naturally, a couple of them try\nto break free from her clutches. The spy feature <em>Golden Earrings<\/em> (1947)\nfollows a British agent trying to retrieve a poison gas formula from Nazis\nforces. He falls for a Gypsy woman after she helps him evade capture. This\nBlu-ray comes with a film historian commentary and a trailer.&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DVD-Rich-and-Strange-fixed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24056\" width=\"201\" height=\"129\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Rich and Strange<\/em> (1931) aka <em>East of Shanghai<\/em>\nis an early Alfred Hitchcock effort. It\u2019s a dark comedy about a marriage in\ncrisis during a lengthy cruise around the world. The movie has been given a 4K\nrestoration for this Blu-ray release and it also has a movie expert commentary,\nan archived audio conversation between Hitchcock and Francois Truffaut about\nthe movie, a critic introduction to the movie and plenty of trailers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Additionally, Kino have a Blu-ray of <em>Shake Hands with the\nDevil<\/em> (1959), a James Cagney picture about the Irish War of Independence.\nIt appears on disc with a new 2K master, an interview with co-star Don Murray\nand a trailer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DVD-Naked-Ape-fixed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24059\" width=\"169\" height=\"222\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you\u2019re looking for cheesy B-movies with something of a kinky streak, <em>The Naked Ape<\/em> (1973) is coming your way courtesy of Code Red. This movie was produced by Hugh Hefner (of <em>Playboy <\/em>magazine fame) and is a narrative film based on a pop-zoology bestselling book that details the evolution of sex through the ages (featuring live-action and animated vignettes). The movie has been given a 2K master for its Blu-ray debut along with a trailer. Apparently, it features a very early film appearance by Victoria Principal, future star of the hit 80s TV series, <em>Dallas<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And Paramount are offering a Blu-ray of the drama, <em>Freedom\nWriters<\/em> (2007). The story follows a high school teacher in a racially\ndivided school who inspires tolerance and trust in her students through her creative\nwriting class. It stars Hilary Swank and Patrick Dempsey. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>YOU KNOW, FOR KIDS!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hang tight kids, there will be more children\u2019s entertainment\narriving on disc next week!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>ON THE TUBE!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And if you want to get an early head start on picking up\nsome Hallmark Christmas made-for-cable movies, this is your week. You can also\npurchase plenty of interesting educational material courtesy of PBS. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>American Veteran<\/em> (PBS) DVD <br><em>If I Only Had Christmas<\/em> (Hallmark Channel) DVD  <br><em>Her Pen Pal<\/em> (Hallmark Channel) DVD  <br><em>A Nashville Christmas Carol<\/em> (Hallmark Channel) DVD  <br><em>NATURE: My Garden of a Thousand Bees<\/em> (PBS) DVD  <br><em>NOVA: Arctic Drift<\/em> (PBS) DVD  <br><em>NOVA: The Cannabis Question<\/em> (PBS) DVD  <br><em>Sand Dollar Cover<\/em> (Hallmark Channel) DVD  <br><em>Time for Us to Come Home for Christmas<\/em> (Hallmark Channel) DVD <br><em>USS Christmas<\/em> (Hallmark Channel) DVD  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Naked Ape (1973) Trailer\" width=\"1290\" height=\"968\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Tudr0WSiBB0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"All My Sons (Trailer) Classic 1948 Edward G. Robinson film\" width=\"1290\" height=\"968\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/3mKWOSfdhy8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome to a brand-new year and another examination of the latest titles arriving on Blu-ray and DVD. Things are just beginning to gear up after the holidays, but there are a few notable features arriving on shelves. So, if you can\u2019t or shouldn\u2019t be heading out to the movies just yet, be sure to give [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":24062,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[209,299,1089,1616,2846,3067,3120,4256,4570,6161,6382,6661,7927,8461,9925,10319,10373,11811,14705,14710,14741,15437,15705,16969,18123,18332,19138,20374,20524,21665,22346,22980,24061,24764],"class_list":["post-24044","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dvdblu-ray-reviews","tag-209","tag-4k","tag-all-my-sons","tag-antlers","tag-black-friday","tag-blu-ray","tag-blu-ray-dvd-roundup-for-january-4th-2022","tag-china","tag-code-red","tag-double-door","tag-dvd","tag-east-of-shanghai","tag-freedom-writers","tag-golden-earrings","tag-ira-red","tag-january-04","tag-january-4th","tag-kino","tag-new-blu-rays","tag-new-dvds","tag-new-releases","tag-only-the-animals","tag-paramount","tag-rich-and-strange","tag-shake-hands-with-the-devil","tag-shout","tag-stop-and-go","tag-the-crime-of-the-century","tag-the-djinn","tag-the-naked-ape","tag-the-superdeep","tag-together-together","tag-weathering-with-you","tag-zeroes-and-ones"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24044","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=24044"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24044\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=24044"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=24044"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=24044"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}