{"id":24639,"date":"2022-04-19T21:20:16","date_gmt":"2022-04-20T04:20:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=24639"},"modified":"2022-04-19T21:20:16","modified_gmt":"2022-04-20T04:20:16","slug":"blu-ray-dvd-roundup-for-april-19th-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=24639","title":{"rendered":"Blu-ray\/DVD Roundup for April 19th, 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome back to another look at some of the highlights\narriving this week on Blu-ray and DVD. It\u2019s another busy edition with features arriving\nin just about every genre imaginable. So, if you can\u2019t or shouldn\u2019t be heading\nout to the movies this week, 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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BLEED WITH ME \u2013 This independent horror picture follows a\nyoung woman struggling to make friends. The outsider is thrilled when a lady\ninvites her on a winter getaway at an isolated cabin in the woods. As anyone\nwho has every watched this kind of a movie knows, it turns into a terrible experience.\nThe guest begins discovering strange incisions on her arms and begins\nexperiencing hallucinations. She starts to suspect that she is being drugged\nand that her new acquaintance is stealing her blood. The press liked this\neffort, which originally debuted on the Shudder streaming service. A small\nnumber complained that the filmmaker didn\u2019t end the story in a satisfactory\nmanner. Still, the majority claimed the movie was a creepy and effective\npsychological chiller that would send shivers down the spine. This is a DVD\nonly release. Lee Marshall and Lauren Beatty headline the film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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CYRANO \u2013 The Cyrano de Bergerac tale gets another adaption.\nThis one is based on a stage play with elements of a musical thrown into the\nmix. A sharp-witted man is convinced to help another woo a beautiful woman by\ncrafting beautifully written love letters. However, the lead also shares romantic\nfeelings for the lovely lady and must overcome his own self-doubt in order to\nexpress his admiration. This period feature earned excellent reviews and was\nnominated for an Academy Award in the category of Costume Design. A small\ncontingent commented that they didn\u2019t care for the songs and thought the movie\nattempted to incorporate too many new elements. Regardless, the vast majority\nsaid that patient viewers would find the movie undeniably charming and\nextremely enjoyable, also calling the lead performance phenomenal. It stars\nPeter Dinklage, Haley Bennett, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Ben Mendelsohn, Bashir\nSalahuddin and Monica Dolan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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THE DESPERATE HOUR \u2013 A recently widowed mother decides to go\nout for a jog in the woods as her son and daughter head off to school. While running\nin the wilderness, she hears that a shooter is on the loose at her kid\u2019s\nlearning institute and that the town has been thrown into chaos. In real time,\nwe watch the protagonist race back to try and rescue her children from their\nclassrooms. Unfortunately, there were more critics who had issues with this\nthriller than there were who liked it. The positive ones stated that the movie\nwas tense and that the lead performance was so grounded that it carried the viewer\npast any narrative holes. But as mentioned, more disliked watching a character\nrun, talk and text on their cell phone for the majority of the running time.\nThey said the technique took away from the drama and tension of the situation.\nThe cast includes Naomi Watts, Colton Gobbo and Sierra Maltby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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THE EXORCISM OF GOD \u2013 An American priest commits a horrific\nsacrilege while taking part in an exorcism to free a young woman from the\ncontrol of a demon. He then moves to Mexico, spending nearly 20 years quietly helping\nresidents in a village. But one day, another episode occurs with a child\npossession. The lead figures out that the demon he squared off with so long ago\nhas returned. The two square off one final time and in doing so, the priest realizes\nthat to win, he may have to sacrifice his faith. Response towards this horror\npicture was slightly more upbeat than negative. Almost half suggested that the\nfilm took itself far too seriously and didn\u2019t deliver enough new thrills to\njustify its existence. Still, more thought the movie did deliver thrills and\nhad a memorably wild final act that did surprise them. Will Beinbrink, Maria\nGabriela de Faria, Joseph Marcell and Raquel Rojas headline the film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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FALLING FOR FIGARO \u2013 This romantic comedy from the UK\nfeatures a woman with an unusual dream\u2026 to be an opera singer in the Scottish\nHighlands. The lead\u2019s ambitions ultimately put an end to her relationship. So,\nin order to make her dreams come true, she quits her job and travels north to take\nlessons with an opera singer and an eccentric former diva. Once there, sparks\nfly when she meets a handsome student training for a vocal competition. The\nfilm received more positive write-ups than negative ones. A few said that the\nmovie hit all the expected beats and, as a result, felt a little flat.\nRegardless, the majority called it a sweet, good-natured flick with a charming\ncast and some hilarious supporting performances. Right now, this is an\nexclusive-to-DVD release from the distributor. It stars Danielle Macdonald,\nJoanna Lumley, Hugh Skinner, Gary Lewis and Shazad Latif.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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GHOSTS OF THE OZARKS \u2013 Those who enjoy both horror pictures\nand westerns may find this independent feature to their liking. The period tale\ninvolves a young doctor who is asked to tend to the residents of a remote town\nin the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas. He is initially impressed with the\nbeautiful sights, but soon discovers the pleasant town is being tormented by a sinister\nsupernatural presence. Slightly more than half of critics complimented the\nmovie. Those who had issues claimed that the pacing was poor and the social\ncommentary didn\u2019t hit the mark. Still, more were positive and noted that the central\nstory was original. They also wrote that the movie was atmospheric and deftly\nmelded different genres into a strong, unified whole. This picture is also a DVD-only\nrelease for the time being. It stars Thomas Hobson, Phil Morris, Tara Perry, Tim\nBlake Nelson, David Arquette and Angela Bettis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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THE HUMANS – Adapted from a Tony Award-winning play, this\nindependent comedy\/drama (supposedly with thriller elements) follows a man who\ngathers three generations of his Pennsylvania family together. He throws a\nThanksgiving celebration for them all at his daughter\u2019s apartment in Manhattan.\nBut things are not well in the world and the event becomes tense as darkness\nfalls, threatening noises are heard outside and the group begin to air their\nfears and grievances. This effort earned a lot of paise from critics. A small\ngroup did suggest that a lot of story elements were being juggled and that they\ndidn\u2019t all fit together effectively. Still, the consensus was that the ensemble\ncast were excellent and that the bleak story would keep viewers on the edges of\ntheir seats throughout. Richard Jenkins, Amy Schumer, Steven Yeun, Jayne\nHoudyshell, Beanie Feldstein and June Squibb headline the movie.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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JACKASS FOREVER \u2013 While it may be hard for some to believe,\nit has been 22 years since the debut of the Jackass<\/em> television series\nand 20 years since the first movie graced cinema screens. Those unfamiliar with\nthese titles should know that they feature a group of pranksters doing\noutrageous and, at times, incredibly dangerous and painful-looking stunts. The\nlatest feature involves a new round of outrageous gags featuring some of the\noriginal stars and a few new crew members. It appears that the press couldn\u2019t\nhelp but enjoy what they saw. A tiny number called the stunts revolting and\nhard-to-stomach. But everyone else couldn\u2019t help but be amused by the craziness\npresented. They also thought the fact that the main figures were getting older\nadded some tension and extra concern for their well-being.  The movie features Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O,\nChris Pontius, Dave England and Jason ‘Wee Man’ Acu\u00f1a.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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THE KING\u2019S DAUGHTER \u2013 Based on the 1997 fantasy novel \u201cThe Sun and the Moon\u201d by Vonda N. McIntyre, this fable involves a young woman who is hired by King Louis XIV of France to compose music for him. She accepts the position and arrives at his palatial estate to begin work. But once there, the protagonist learns that the king is searching for eternal life and that he may be holding a mermaid prisoner so that he can use her in a mystical ceremony. This movie was shot in 2014 and then shelved for several years before finally getting a release earlier this year. Reaction towards it was poor. A few thought it would entertain kids and stated that the cinematography and production design were stunning. Sadly, everyone else thought it was a choppy mess with corny dialogue and too many elements that weren\u2019t properly developed. It stars Pierce Brosnan, Kaya Scodelario, William Hurt, Benjamin Walker, Rachel Griffiths and Bingbing Fan. Read a full review of the film here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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THE LEDGE \u2013 Two friends who enjoy climbing decide to take a\ntrip to a remote mountain in this UK thriller. As you might have already\nguessed, this turns out to be a very bad idea. While in the wilderness, they\ndiscover that they are staying next to a group of partying friends. One of them\nattacks the pair, ultimately committing murder. The friend records the crime\nand the men decide to kill her as well. She realizes that her only escape is by\nclimbing the face of the mountain on her own. Reaction towards this independent\nthriller was more negative than positive. A small number said the photography\nwas impressive and that there were enough tense moments to earn the movie a\nrecommendation. Still, most complained that the characters were poorly written\nand that the concept was underdeveloped and padded out far too long. This is a DVD-only\nrelease, The cast includes Brittany Ashworth, Ben Lamb, Nathan Welsh, Louis\nBoyer, Ana\u00efs Parello and David Wayman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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SEE YOU THEN \u2013 This story involves two characters who once\ndated in college but ultimately went their separate ways in life. Years later,\nthe two get back in contact and decide to reunite and catch up. The\nconversation starts off in a pleasant enough manner, but as they reveal more\nabout themselves, one reveals some startling truths about their relationship\nand the real reason for their breakup. This LGBTQ drama earned a lot of praise\nfrom reviewers and won awards at film festivals. So far, there has only been\none downbeat write-up, with a lone critic suggesting that there simply was too\nmuch chatting to keep them engaged. All the others called the feature\ncompelling and well-acted, also noting that some of the points made about the issues\nthese characters face in their regular lives were eye-opening. This is a DVD-only\nrelease. Pooya Mohseni and Lynn Chen headline the film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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UNEARTH \u2013 After falling on hard times, a man decides that\nthe only way to save his family and their home is to make a deal with a gas an\noil company and let them use his land. The leads neighbor warns against it, but\nsoon companies arrive on his property for fracking purposes. Not long after,\nthe family notes a strange substance infecting their soil and influencing their\nbehavior. This independent creeper earned decent notices from critics. About\none-third of write-ups suggested that while well-intentioned, the movie focused\ntoo much on melodrama within the household instead of its horror elements.\nHowever, the majority commented that this ecological terror exercise worked and\nhad a little more going on beneath the surface than a typical genre film. The\ncast includes Adrienne Barbeau, Marc Blucas, Brooke Sorenson, Allison McAtee\nand P.J. Marshall. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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V\/H\/S\/94 \u2013 This sequel was financed by the Shudder streaming\nservice. For those unfamiliar with the series, it is an anthology horror\nfranchise with tales inspired in part by the outmoded home video format. The\nwraparound involves a police swat team who raid a warehouse belonging to a\ncult. They find a series of tapes inside the building and watch the bizarre and\nterrifying tales contained on them. Critics liked this picture more than the\nprevious entry in the franchise. A couple of them felt that this picture\ndelivered more of the same and felt stale. However, most believed that more of\nthe segments worked than didn\u2019t and called it an equally fun and disturbing effort\nthat might be the best in the series. It stars Kimmy Choi, Anna Hopkins, Kyal\nLegend, Shania Sree Maharani and Christian Lloyd.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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WHERE ARE YOU, JAY BENNETT? \u2013 Funded through the Kickstarter\nwebsite, this documentary tells the story of multi-instrumentalist Jay Bennett\nwho was a member of the band Wilco. He played on three of their albums (Being\nThere<\/em>, Summerteeth<\/em> and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot<\/em>) and took part in\nthe recording sessions for the Mermaid Avenue<\/em> albums that featured newly\ndiscovered songs penned by Woody Guthrie. Conflicts within the band led to Bennett\nbeing fired and sadly, he died tragically at the young age of 45. This feature\ndetails his incredible musical work and influence. This movie is premiering on\ndisc and on streaming platforms this week (along with a special \u201cRecord Store\nDay\u201d release, which means that no one has seen it as of yet. Still, it\u2019s\nprobably safe to assume that if you\u2019re a fan of either Wilco or the artist,\nyou\u2019ll likely appreciate what you see and hear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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There are plenty of interesting upgrades of older titles\narriving on Blu-ray this week. Arrow Video have a Rogue Cops and Racketeers:\nTwo Crime Thrillers from Enzo G. Castellari<\/em> set that contains The Big\nRacket<\/em> (1976) and The Heroin Busters<\/em> (1977). These are pulpy Italian\naction flicks that have been given new 2K restorations. The set comes with film\nhistorian commentaries on both tittles, interviews with the co-writer\/director\non each feature, numerous cast and crew interviews, trailers and other\npublicity materials. You\u2019ll even get lobby card reproductions and reversable\npackaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blue Underground are presenting the Lucio Fulci horror picture Manhattan Baby<\/em> (1982) on Blu-ray. Pictured to the left, the plot involves an archeologist who opens an Egyptian tomb and accidentally releases a sinister spirit. It possesses a young woman, who then goes on a murderous rampage through New York. This \u201cSpecial Edition\u201d arrives with interviews with the composer of the score, one of the stars, the make-up effects artist and the co-writer, as well as an interview with an expert on the director. There\u2019s also a live studio performance of some of the score included, alongside posters, stills and a trailer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My Afternoons with Marguerite<\/em> (2010) is a French\ndrama with Gerard Depardieu that is arriving on Blu-ray courtesy of the Cohen\nMedia Group. This release also contains trailers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Criterion have a Blu-ray of the musical The Girl Can\u2019t\nHelp It<\/em> (1956) with upgraded picture and sound. It\u2019s about a tough hood who\nhires an agent to turn his stunning girlfriend (Jayne Mansfield in her first\nrole) into a singing sensation. She has a terrible voice, but the agent finds\nhimself falling for the woman as he tries to get her ready for what will be a disastrous\nstage debut. Little Richard, Fats Domino, Gene Vincent and The Platters are all\nfeatured in the movie. Extras include interviews with Mansfield, Little Richard\nand fan John Waters, a new discussion about the movie with a Mansfield\nbiographer, as well as conversations and audio commentary on the film\u2019s amazing\nmusic and performances.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They also have Italian classic Miracle in Milan<\/em>\n(1951) from renowned neorealist director Vittorio De Sico. This film was his\nfollow-up to The Bicycle Thief<\/em> and it\u2019s about a group of vagabonds who\nattempt to save their shantytown from developers. The Blu-ray features bonuses\nlike archival interviews with the cast and crew, alongside a feature-length\ndocumentary on the man who wrote the novel the film was based on, in addition\nto an analysis on the movie by a scholar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Girl on a Chain Gang<\/em> (1966) is a popular exploitation\npicture about three young ladies who are framed for a crime by a corrupt\nsouthern sheriff and then must fight the authorities to survive. This movie has\nbeen newly restored for Blu-ray by The Film Detective and arrives with an audio\ncommentary, a featurette on the movie, and a essay about the title included in\nthe booklet insert. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Kino are delivering In the Oscar-winning drama In the Heat\nof the Night<\/em> (1967) in 4K Ultra HD only (a Blu-ray of the movie is not\nincluded). It follows a black police detective who is mistakenly suspected of a\nmurder in a racially hostile small town. The movie stars Sidney Poitier and Rod\nSteiger and won Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Adapted\nScreenplay, Best Sound and Best Editing. Bonuses include a commentary a\ncommentary with director Norman Jewison and some of the cast members, as well\nas a film historian audio track. Interestingly enough, it also comes with a\nBlu-ray (but not a 4K Ultra HD disc) containing the sequels They Call Me Mr.\nTibbs <\/em>(1970) and The Organization<\/em> (1971), along with some\nfeaturettes on the movies and trailers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The French feature The Olive Trees of Justice<\/em> (1962)\nis also arriving from the distributor on Blu-ray. This one comes with a short\nfrom the director and a trailer. They are also putting out a DVD of the\ndocumentary From the Journals of Jean Seberg<\/em> (1995). And if you like\ncomic actor W.C. Fields, this is your week. You can pick up Blu-rays of Man\non the Flying Trapeze<\/em> (1935), You Can\u2019t Cheat an Honest Man<\/em> (1939)\nand You\u2019re Telling Me! <\/em>(1934). All discs come with new 2K masters of the\nfilms. They first and third come with trailers and a vintage documentary on Fields,\nwhile the second title includes a film expert commentary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If you enjoy collecting metallic packaging, Lionsgate are\npresenting a Best Buy Exclusive 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray Steelbook of the\nhorror\/comedy Cabin in the Woods<\/em> (2011). As mentioned, you\u2019ll have to go\nspecifically to Best Buy in order to find it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An Academy Award-nominated musical adaptation of Tom\nSawyer<\/em> (1973) is also appearing on Blu-ray through Sandpiper Pictures. This\nversion stars Johnny Whitaker, Jeff East, a young Jodie Foster and Warren\nOates. Special features include the musical numbers being available to watch\nseparately and a trailer.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shoreline Entertainment are presenting the Canadian drama Lola<\/em>\n(2001) on Blu-ray. It follows a troubled woman in search of her identity and\nreceived some awards in its homeland. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Shout! Factory have some interesting releases as well. The\nfirst is a \u201cCollector\u2019s Edition\u201d of Hammer Films\u2019 Night Creatures<\/em> (1962).\nThis creeper is about a Royal Navy ship crew who are sent to investigate a\nseries of crimes supposedly committed by phantoms. It stars Peter Cushing. The\nmovie has been given a new 2K scan for Blu-ray. It also comes with a film\nexpert commentary, an interview with a movie historian, a talk with the special\neffects artist on the picture, a making-of, publicity materials and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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They are also distributing Blu-ray Steelbooks of the Studio\nGhibli Japanese animated films Only Yesterday<\/em> (1991) Steelbook and The\nTale of Princess Kaguya<\/em> (2013). These are both \u201cLimited Editions\u201d that also\ninclude numerous extras that will please fans of the films. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, Sony are also dusting off a cult classic and giving\nit new life. They are presenting the adult animated feature Heavy Metal<\/em>\n(1981) as a Limited Edition Steelbook, The set contains a 4K Ultra HD disc and\na Blu-ray of the film. Based on the comic book, the plot involves a series of\nfantasy stories set in the past, future and worlds beyond. The movie features a\nvoice cast that includes John\nCandy, Harold Ramis, Eugene Levy and Joe Flaherty. This edition has been\nreleased celebrates the movie\u2019s 40th<\/sup> anniversary and it comes with\nlots of extras. They include all-new fan celebrity interviews and reflections\nfrom filmmakers like Kevin Smith. It also contains the film\u2019s sequel, Heavy\nMetal 2000<\/em> (2000). Animation enthusiasts will definitely want to pick this\ntitle up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

YOU KNOW, FOR KIDS!<\/strong>
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\nHere are some discs that may appeal to youngsters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Adventures of Peanut and Pig<\/em> DVD
The Slugs & Bugs Show<\/em>: Season 2, Volume 1 DVD
The Slugs & Bugs Show<\/em>: Season 2, Volume 2 DVD
The Slugs & Bugs Show<\/em>: Season 2, Volume 3 DVD
The Slugs & Bugs Show<\/em>: Season 2, Volume 4 DVD <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

And you\u2019ll find most of the week\u2019s TV-themed releases listed\nbelow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Advice to Love By<\/em> (Hallmark) DVD
The Art of the Crime<\/em>: The Complete First Five Seasons (Gaumont) DVD
Damaged Care<\/em> (2002) Laura Dern TV-movie DVD
The Horror at 37,000 Feet<\/em> (1972) William Shatner TV-movie (CBS) DVD
NOVA: Ancient Maya Metropolis<\/em> (PBS) DVD
The Slugs & Bugs Show<\/em>: Season 2, Volume 1 DVD
The Slugs & Bugs Show<\/em>: Season 2, Volume 2 DVD
The Slugs & Bugs Show<\/em>: Season 2, Volume 3 DVD
The Slugs & Bugs Show<\/em>: Season 2, Volume 4 DVD
You\u2019re Watching the Video Music Box<\/em> (Showtime) DVD <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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