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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nAILEY \u2013 This documentary explores the life of Alvin Ailey, an American dancer, director, choreographer and activist who founded his own performance company. He also created a school famed for nurturing black artists that detailed African-American experiences. Using archival footage and interviews with those who knew the man, the movie attempts to give a detailed portrait of the private figure and his many accomplishments. Critics found this non-fiction feature to be interesting and illuminating. \u00a0A small handful complained that the filmmakers were too much in awe of their subject and that the film could have delved deeper into his personality. Still, the overwhelming majority called it an impressive portrait that contained incredible dancing footage and some enlightening, never-before-heard audio from the man himself. For the time being, this is a DVD only release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nCLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG \u2013 Based on the famous children\u2019s\nbook series, this tale follows the adventures of a giant red pooch. The story\ninvolves a young girl who lives in New York City. After visiting an animal\nrescue tent and being told by the owner that a puppy there will grow based on\nhow much love he receives, the dog stows away in her bag and expands to massive\nproportions. Naturally, this causes plenty of problems for the girl, especially\nwhen a biotech company decides to kidnap the dog for study. The press was split\non this title, although it earned slightly more recommendations than pans.\nThose who disliked it wrote that the CGI effects weren\u2019t convincing and that\nthe story was bland and predictable. Slightly more called it an effective and\nstraight-forward family flick that was well-paced and offered a few laughs. It\nstars Darby Camp, Jack Whitehall, Tony Hale, Izaac Wang, John Cleese and Sienna\nGuillory. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nDEADLOCK \u2013 The latest low-budget, direct-to-disc (and streaming\nsites) action feature involves a group of mercenaries out for vengeance against\nthe government. They decide to accomplish their goal by breaking into a power\nplant, taking the entire staff hostage and threatening to cause a disaster.\nLittle do they know that a retired, elite army ranger is nearby to stop them\nand save the day. There aren\u2019t a great many write-ups for this title yet, but\nthe one that do appear online haven\u2019t been favorable. Some of them simply call\nit a weak rip-off of Die Hard<\/em>. Other articles note that while the movie\nmay feature the star of the previously mentioned action classic picture in a\nmajor role (as the villain), this was a flat and unmemorable thriller that\nisn\u2019t worth anyone\u2019s time. It is being made available exclusively on DVD. The\ncast includes Patrick Muldoon, Bruce Willis, Matthew Marsden, Michael DeVorzon\nand Ava Paloma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE \u2013 Serving as a sequel to the 1984 and\n1989 films Ghostbusters<\/em> and Ghostbusters II<\/em> and directed by the\nson of original filmmaker Ivan Reitman, this feature begins with a single\nmother arriving in a small town with her two teenage children. After some\nstrange supernatural events are witnessed, the kids discover that they have a\nconnection to a member of the original team of paranormal researchers and end\nup hunting down a malevolent spirit. Reaction was upbeat towards this\nfollow-up, although it did have its detractors. About a third of reviews called\nit overly sentimental and too reverent of the original films. Still, the majority\nthought that the film was an enjoyable and heartwarming sequel that paid proper\ntribute to the original cast while introducing some fun new elements. It seems\nas if those who were especially fond of the first movie appreciated more of what\nthis title delivered. Carrie Coon, Paul Rudd, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace,\nLogan Kim, Celeste O\u2019Connor, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Annie\nPotts and Sigourney Weaver headline the film. <\/p>\n\n\n\n HIVE \u2013 Based on a true story, this drama follows a woman\nwhose husband is declared dead after serving in the war in Kosovo. Struggling\nto get by, she decides to unite a community of widows in her hometown and\nlaunch their own business together. They are successful, but are met with open\nhostility from a group of nasty men in the village. Tensions rise as the widows\nattempt to empower themselves and fight back. Reaction was very positive\ntowards this foreign-language drama. At present it is hard to find any negative\nreviews for the picture. They have all praised the lead performance and\ndescribed the movie as a stark and powerfully made feature about the\nmistreatment and struggles of women. For the time being, this picture is only\nbeing released on DVD. It features Yllka Gashi, \u00c7un Laj\u00e7i, Aurita Agushi and Kumrije\nHoxha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n MAINSTREAM \u2013 A young woman looking to make her mark in the world decides to start creating videos for the internet. She soon meets a charismatic stranger and begins producing content with him that quickly builds a following. However, the more she gets to know her co-star, the more she realizes that her new friend may not be as friendly and helpful as originally thought. This picture from Gia Coppola (granddaughter of Francis Ford Coppola) wasn\u2019t particularly well-received by the press. About a third of the reviews stated that the movie took a while to get going, but that once it found its focus it was an enjoyable takedown of internet culture. Unfortunately, far more thought that the movie tried too hard to make its point and found some of the stylistic choices at odds with the story. The film stars Andrew Garfield, Maya Hawke, Nat Wolff, Jason Schwartzman and Johnny Knoxville.<\/p>\n\n\n\n SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE \u2013 This horror\/comedy remake of the\n1982 slasher film about a maniac with a power drill follows a very similar\nstoryline to the original, albeit set in a slightly different locale. A group\nof female friends decide to have some fun and throw a slumber party, but car\ntrouble leaves them stranded at a cabin in the woods. Soon, they are target by\na power-tool wielding psychopath and must fight for their lives. Reaction from\ngenre film critics was actually upbeat for this redo. While a few felt that a\nlarge percentage of the jokes didn\u2019t land and fell flat, the general consensus\nwas that this feature delivered the goods for horror fans. They called it fun\nand were impressed by some of the twists and satirical elements introduced,\nsaying it was an effective update. The cast includes Hannah Gonera, Frances\nSholto-Douglas, Mila Rayne and Alex McGregor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n THE SPINE OF NIGHT \u2013 An ancient, dark and powerful magic falls on a mystical land and winds up in the hands of a sinister and dangerous individual. When word spreads that the planet is in great danger, a group of heroes from different eras and cultures are forced to come together in order to stop the threat. This animated feature for adults harkens back to early 80s movies like Heavy Metal<\/em> and it received decent reviews from critics. A small percentage didn\u2019t appreciate the old-fashioned animation techniques, thought the movie had story problems and complained that it didn\u2019t improve on the movies that inspired it. However, most thought it was an impressive homage that was wild, unpredictable and visually striking from beginning to end. The voice cast includes Richard E. Grant, Lucy Lawless, Patton Oswalt, Betty Gabriel and Joe Manganiello. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n SUPERHOST \u2013 This independent horror flick involves a pair of travel vloggers (presumably, bloggers who post videos about themselves). After their follower count and number of views begins dropping, the two come up with a scheme to entice more subscribers. After discovering that the owner of a rental property will do anything to receive good reviews, they check in and proceed to give their host a hard time. Alas, their plan backfires as the individual becomes more and more unhinged during the stay. Reaction was positive towards this little feature. A small contingent thought there was a clash of tones between horror and comedy, hated the main characters and thought that it was slowly paced. Still, most reviewers stated that the movie was entertaining enough to impress horror fans and had an exciting finale. Sara Canning, Osric Chau, Gracie Gillam and Barbara Crampton headline the movie. <\/p>\n\n\n\n BLASTS FROM THE PAST!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re looking for something a bit older, there are plenty of options as well. Criterion are presenting Written on the Wind<\/em> (1956) on Blu-ray. This drama stars Rock Hudson, Lauren Bacall and Robert Stack. The story involves a geologist who arrives at the estate of an oil-rich Texas family and falls for the matriarch of the household. It leads to tension and threats from others within the family. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The movie won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress and received nominations in a few other categories too. This disc contains a 2K restoration of the film, a 2008 documentary on the production and its director, Douglas Sirk (All That Heaven Allows<\/em>), a discussion with a film scholar about the movie and other melodramas, as well as some trailers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n F\/X<\/em> (1986) and F\/X 2<\/em> (1991) are arriving together from Kino as a double feature Blu-ray. The first title is a fun thriller about a movie make-up effects man who is hired by the FBI to help fake a murder of a trial witness. Things go wrong and he has to use his special talents to save himself after being pursued by various bad guys. The sequel finds the technician being asked to use his skills to help hunt down a killer. It isn\u2019t nearly as strong as the first movie, but has a couple of fun moments. The Blu-ray comes with featurettes and trailers for both movies, as well as an interview with the director of the first feature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can also pick up\nThe Great Moment<\/em> (1944) on Blu-ray. It\u2019s a biography and comedy about\nthe 19th<\/sup> century dentist who first administered anesthesia to\npatients. This title arrives with a film historian introduction, a celebration\nof director Preston Sturges (Sullivan\u2019s Travels<\/em>, Unfaithfully Yours<\/em>)\nand a trailer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Kino recently put\nout Invasion of the Body Snatchers<\/em> (1978) in a 4K Ultra HD \/ Blu-ray\npackage. In this remake of the 1950s feature, Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams,\nJeff Goldblum and Veronica Cartwright square off against the sinister alien\npod-people. The distributor is now also making a regular Blu-ray of the title\navailable for those who don\u2019t want the set with the 4K version. This Blu-ray\ndisc comes with director and film historian commentaries. If you haven\u2019t seen\nthe feature, it is a great science-fiction\/horror flick well worth seeking out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And if you enjoy Bob\nHope comedies, the company is releasing Monsieur Beaucaire<\/em> (1946) and Where\nThere\u2019s Life<\/em> (1947) on Blu-ray. Both discs come with trailers for other\ntitles featuring the comedian. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Paramount are delivering a Wayne\u2019s World<\/em> (1992) and Wayne\u2019s World 2<\/em> (1993) Party On! 2-Movie Blu-ray Pack<\/em>. These feature films were based on the popular Saturday Night Live<\/em> Wayne and Garth characters (pictured above and to the right) and the first movie is one of the better comedies that has emerged from the TV series. No word on whether or not extras are included in this set, but it you remember and liked the original Wayne\u2019s World<\/em> sketches, you\u2019ll definitely appreciate these movies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sandpiper Pictures have a Blu-ray of The Cutting Edge 3: Chasing the Dream<\/em> (2008). It\u2019s a romance film set in the figure skating world. This writer vaguely remembers the 1992 original (which was a box office hit), but has no memory of this or any other follow-up. So, those interested will have to take their chances and hope this follow-up measures up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019ll likely have better luck with Under Fire<\/em> (1983), another title that the distributor is making available on Blu-ray. Nick Nolte stars as a photographer trying to stay alive in Nicaragua while covering a civil war. The title earned excellent reviews and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Score. <\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the biggest\nreleases this week is the latest Ghostbusters<\/em> film. Naturally, Sony are\nputting out a three-film box set containing Ghostbusters<\/em> (1984), Ghostbusters\n2<\/em> (1989) and Ghostbusters: Afterlife<\/em> (2021) for those who want all\nof the titles in one set. It comes in various packages and the Blu-rays contain\nnumerous extras. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Undercrank\nProductions have a restored edition of Zander the Great<\/em> (1925) on\nBlu-ray. It\u2019s a comedy\/drama\/romance with Marion Davies and follows a woman\ntrying to keep a sweet young boy named Zander out of a cruel orphanage that she\nonce attended. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And finally, if you\nhave an elaborate 4L Ultra HD set-up at home, Warner Brothers are releasing the\nMad Max Anthology<\/em> 4K Ultra HD + Digital box set. It includes upgraded\npicture quality on all the film and loads of extras. If you simply want to\nstick with Blu-ray, they are also putting out The Road Warrior<\/em> (1981)\naka Mad Max 2<\/em> on its own in an 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray package. <\/p>\n\n\n\n YOU KNOW, FOR KIDS!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re looking for entertainment for small tykes, there\u2019s\nplenty to choose from this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Baby Shark\u2019s Big Show! Super Shark<\/em> (Nickelodeon) DVD ON THE TUBE!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n And you\u2019ll find all of the latest TV-themed releases listed\nbelow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The 27-Hour Day<\/em> (Hallmark Channel Movie) DVD ![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DVD-Ghostbusters-Afterlife-03-fixed.jpg\")
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Blaze and the Monster Machines: Dino Derby<\/em> (Nickelodeon) DVD
Clifford the Big Red Dog<\/em>
Gabby\u2019s Dollhouse: Cat-Tastic Dance Along<\/em> DVD
Peek Zoo<\/em> DVD
Sesame Street: Elmo\u2019s World \u2013 All Around the Neighborhood<\/em> DVD
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The Baker\u2019s Son<\/em> (Hallmark Channel Movie) DVD
Doctor Who: The Web of Fear<\/em> (BBC) DVD
Midsomer Murders<\/em>: Series 22 Blu-ray
Peek Zoo<\/em> DVD
Power Book III: Raising Kanan<\/em>: Season 1 DVD
Vienna Blood<\/em>: Season 2 DVD <\/p>\n\n\n\n