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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nAMERICAN REJECT \u2013 A contestant on a popular singing\ncompetition show has her dreams shattered when she gets eliminated. Even worse,\nher contract with the program states that a camera crew gets to follow her\naround as she returns home to live with her mother. It\u2019s a humiliating\nexperience and with no prospects on the horizon, the lead decides to\nparticipate in a local Easter Spectacular. An unexpected series of events offer\nnew hope for the depressed individual. There aren\u2019t many write-ups for this\nindependent picture, but it has won awards at various festivals and received\ndecent reviews from those who saw it. They called it a sweet redemption story that\nprovides a few chuckles. It stars Kathleen Elizabeth Monteleone, Annaleigh\nAshford, Keala Settle, Mary Birdsong, Rebecca Black and Billy Ray Cyrus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nASKING FOR IT \u2013 After a waitress is assaulted on a date, she\nmeets other women who have had similar experiences. They form a group and decide\nto create a vigilante squad. Immediately, they begin delivering justice to\npowerful men who have abused women and used their influence to get away with the\ncrimes. The press generally didn\u2019t care for this revenge thriller. A few liked\nthe cast and enjoyed the premise enough to give it a recommendation.\nUnfortunately, everyone else critiqued the writing, saying the characters\nweren\u2019t well developed and that the story was clumsy and heavy-handed. They\nalso had an issue with the jumpy editing, saying it took them out of the story.\nThis feature is a DVD-only release. The cast includes Kiersey Clemons, Vanessa\nHudgens, Alexandra Shipp, Ezra Miler, Gabourey Sidibe and Radha Mitchell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nBLACKLIGHT – A freelance government fixer with a gift for\nrescuing agents whose cover is blown gets in over his head in this\naction\/thriller. While on the job, he discovers a strange and secret program\nthat targets and eliminates ordinary citizens. Even worse, he learns that his\nboss has a connection to the operation. The protagonist teams with a journalist\nto seek out the truth, but the pair soon find themselves being hunted by the\noutfit. Critics didn\u2019t care for this picture. One or two thought that the lead\nperformance was compelling enough to keep them watching and called the flick an\namusing throwback to conspiracy thrillers from the 1970s. However, all others\ncommented that the film was silly, unmemorable and also noted the approach to\nthe material was too similar to other recent titles featuring the lead actor.\nLiam Neeson, Aidan Quinn, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Taylor John Smith and Yael Stone\nheadline the feature. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nCONSTANTINE: THE HOUSE OF MYSTERY \u2013 As many readers will\nalready know, Warner Bros. have spent the last few years releasing numerous\nanimated superhero adventures based on DC characters. Many of them are R-rated,\nincluding this week\u2019s effort. The disc contains a collection of shorts,\nincluding one featuring the character of Constantine. In it, he wakes up with\namnesia in the title location and is attacked by foes, before reawakening in\nthe same place. As the scenario repeats over and over, he must find his way to stop\nit from repeating and escape to safety. You\u2019ll also get tales featuring\ncharacters like Kamandi, Blue Beetle, Captain Storm and many others. This\nsampling of animated shorts appears to be making its debut on disc, so there\naren\u2019t any write-ups of it available. The\nvoice cast includes Matt Ryan, Camilla Loddington, Ray Chase and Lou Diamond\nPhillips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nGAGARINE \u2013 This foreign-language film from France follows a\nteenager named after famed Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarine. Like his hero, the\nyoungster aspires to fly into orbit one day. When his housing project is\nscheduled for demolition, the lead is inspired to try something wild and crazy\nin order to save his home and the people in it, as well as make himself a\nbetter life. Notices were excellent for this little feature and it won awards\nat European film festivals. There were only a few didn\u2019t care for it\u2026 they\nwrote that the movie ultimately veered too far into the lead\u2019s imagination for\nits own good. Everyone else thought it was a sad but powerful film with\nincredible cinematography. They were also taken by how the main character uses\nhis imagination to try and escape his real problems. It features Alseni Bathily,\nLyna Khoudri, Jamil McCraven and Finnegan Oldfield.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nKING OTTO \u2013 Soccer enthusiasts may be interested in checking\nout this documentary about German coach \u2018King\u201d Otto Rehhagel. The figure earned\nmany titles and accolades in his homeland, but this film focuses on his time as\nhead coach of the Greek national team. In 2004, he led them into the UEFA European\nChampionship. The team had previously never won a game in any major\ncompetition, but they went on an incredible and unexpected run through the\ntournament, ultimately winning the final. This film tells the story of what\nhappened and tries to inform audiences on why it occurred. Write-ups were\npositive for this non-fiction effort. A few complained that they weren\u2019t\nimpressed with the subject\u2019s boasting and said movie didn\u2019t deliver much interesting\nhistory about the man. However, the consensus was that the feature was engaging\nand fun documentary that told an inspirational underdog story. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nMARTYRS LANE \u2013 A 10-year-old girl has a lot of problems to\ndeal with in this UK horror flick. She lives in a large but creepy old domicile\nwith her family and her mother doesn\u2019t pay attention to her. Even worse, the\ngirl begins being visited by a frightening ghost who presents cryptic\ninformation about her family. This movie was picked up by the streaming service\nShudder and is now being given a physical DVD-only release. Reviewers and genre\ncritics raved about the picture. Only a couple of articles were negative, complaining\nthe movie took too long to get going and really deliver the scares. All others\nsaid that the lead performances by the two children were exceptional. Additionally,\nthey wrote that the feature was tense and had more layers beneath the surface\nthan other genre titles. It stars Kiera Thompson, Denise Gough, Sienna Sayer,\nSteven Cree and Hannah Rae. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nMR. JONES \u2013 Based on real events, this drama is set in the\n1930s. It follows British journalist Gareth Jones, who travelled into the\nSoviet Union to write a story on life in the country. While there, he uncovers\na conspiracy to cover up a horrific famine that is killing millions of\ncitizens. The lead tries to get his story out to the media around the world,\nbut finds his life being threatened by officials trying to hide the truth (remarkably,\nhis reports would inspire George Orwell to write the classic novella Animal\nFarm<\/em>). Members of the press gave this European co-production high marks. A\nsmall number believed that the filmmakers had trouble condensing and focusing\nthe story, lessening its impact. Still, the consensus was that it told an\nincredible and engaging chronicle of events that would make viewers realize the\npower of having a free press. James Norton, Vanessa Kirby, Peter Sarsgaard and\nJoseph Mawle headline the movie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n THE OUTFIT \u2013 Who knew that being a tailor could get one into\nso much danger? This thriller follows one expert clothier in Chicago whose\nclientele consists almost exclusively of gangsters. One night, two killers\narrive at his shop, asking the protagonist for an unusual favor. The lead is\nsuddenly thrust into a deadly game of deception and murder that could end up\nalso getting him and his staff liquidated. It seems that critics had a very\ngood time with this picture. A small number who didn\u2019t like it stated that the\nmovie felt like a stage play and was overwritten. Yet the vast majority loved all\nthe performances and the twisty story. They commented that it harkened back to\nan earlier era of thrillers and called it an absolute blast, summing that it\nwas a great ft for fans of crime pictures. The cast includes Mark Rylance,\nDylan O\u2019Brien, Zoey Deutch, Johnny Flynn, Nikki Amuka-Bird and Simon Russell\nBeale. <\/p>\n\n\n\n TOM CLANCY\u2019S WITHOUT REMORSE \u2013 An elite Navy SEAL seeks\nrevenge after a squad of Russian soldiers, in retaliation for his role in a\nsecret mission, assassinate his pregnant wife. Grief stricken and furious, the protagonist\nteams up with a fellow SEAL and an FBI agent to track down those responsible.\nIn doing so, he also discovers a deeper scheme that may start a war between the\nUS and Russia. The feature received more negative write-ups than positive ones.\nAlmost half suggested that the movie provided solid action and was predictable\nbut entertaining. Slightly more stated the film was generic, the characters\nunderwritten and that it delivered nothing more than a collection of overly\nfamiliar spy tropes. It stars Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Bel, Guy Pearch, Jodie\nTurner-Smith, Lauren London and Brett Gelman. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n TURNING RED \u2013 The latest animated feature from Pixar Studios (Soul<\/em>, Coco<\/em>, Up<\/em>, Monsters Inc.<\/em>, Finding Nemo<\/em>, Toy Story<\/em>) follows a 13-year-old girl dealing with overprotective parents. If that wasn\u2019t enough trouble, she then learns that when she gets overly excited, she turns into a giant red panda. This causes a great deal of strife in her life as she tries to figure out what to do about her unusual gift. Write-ups were very upbeat for this family feature. A tiny fraction though some of the film\u2019s themes were a bit muddled and that the movie wasn\u2019t as powerful as the studio\u2019s other efforts. Yet the overwhelming majority said the awkwardness experienced by the title character was very relatable, the positive messages were effective and that the flick worked as a fun and good-natured coming-of-age story. The voice-cast includes Rosalie Chiang, Sandra Oh, Ava Morse, Hyein Park, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Orion Lee and James Hong. To read a full review of the movie, click here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n BLASTS FROM THE PAST!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s a quieter week for older titles receiving\nhigh-definition upgrades, but there are a few noteworthy titles arriving for\npurchase. If you\u2019re a fan of movies about conversing equines, then you\u2019ll\nthrilled with the Francis the Talking Mule 7-Film Collection<\/em> from Kino.\nFor those unfamiliar with the character, Francis is an intelligent and\nquick-witted Army mule who decides to help out a na\u00efve GI with various problems\nhe encounters in life (both in service and back at home). The Blu-ray set\ncontains the original Francis<\/em> (1950), Francis Goes to the Races<\/em>\n(1951), Francis Goes to West Point<\/em> (1952), Francis Covers the Big\nTown<\/em> (1953), Francis Joins the WACS<\/em> (1954), Francis in the Navy<\/em>\n(1955) and Francis in the Haunted House<\/em> (1956). New 2K masters were used\nfor the transfers of all films onto Blu-ray. Film historian commentaries are\npresent on most of the films and you\u2019ll also get trailers for these titles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If dramas are more to your liking, you can pick up the\nItalian feature Sacco & Vanzetti<\/em> (1971). Based on a true story, it\ntells the story of two immigrants in the US who were unfairly arrested and\ncharged with a murder and mugging they didn\u2019t commit\u2026 simply because of their\nunusual political beliefs. This Blu-ray contains both the English and Italian\naudio tracks. It also includes a commentary by filmmaker and movie historian\nAlex Cox (Repo Man<\/em>, Sid and Nancy<\/em>, Walker<\/em>), as well as a\ntrailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Paramount are presenting the William Holden\/Audrey Hepburn\nromantic comedy Paris When It Sizzles<\/em> (1964). It\u2019s about a struggling\nscreenwriter with writer\u2019s block who hires an assistant to act out some of his\nstory ideas in order to find out if they will work on the big screen. The two\nfind themselves enjoying their make-believe scenarios so much that they begin\nto fall in love. It arrives on Blu-ray with a trailer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, Universal are presenting the action\/comedy Smokin\u2019\nAces<\/em> (2006) as a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray combo. The story follows two FBI\nagents assigned to protect a sleazy entertainer from various assassins after he\nagrees to testify against a powerful mobster. The release includes multiple\ncommentaries with the director and cast and crew, deleted and extended scenes,\na featurette on the stunts and many more extras. You can also pick this release\nup in Steelbook packaging (which is a Best Buy Exclusive).<\/p>\n\n\n\n YOU KNOW, FOR KIDS!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are some titles that may be of interest to kids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Francis the Talking Mule 7-Film Collection<\/em> (Kino) Blu-ray ON THE TUBE!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n And you\u2019ll a list of all the week\u2019s TV-themed releases\nbelow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Beverly Lewis\u2019 The Reckoning<\/em> (Hallmark Channel) DVD ![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/DVD-Outfit-02-fixed.jpg\")
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Sprinter Galore<\/em>: Season 3 DVD <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Good Fight<\/em>: Season 5 (CBS) DVD
The Larkins<\/em>: Series 1 DVD
NATURE: American Horses<\/em> (PBS) DVD
Silk Hope<\/em> (1999 TV-movie) (Questar) DVD
Sprinter Galore<\/em>: Season 3 DVD
Traces<\/em>: Year 2 (BBC) DVD
The Wedding Veil<\/em> (Hallmark Channel) Blu-ray <\/p>\n\n\n\n