{"id":24728,"date":"2022-05-16T21:52:39","date_gmt":"2022-05-17T04:52:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=24728"},"modified":"2022-05-16T21:52:39","modified_gmt":"2022-05-17T04:52:39","slug":"blu-ray-dvd-roundup-for-may-17th-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=24728","title":{"rendered":"Blu-ray\/DVD Roundup for May 17th, 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome to another look at highlights arriving on Blu-ray\nand DVD. This edition includes several high-profile and interesting independent\nefforts in a wide variety of genres. So, if you can\u2019t or shouldn\u2019t be heading out\nto 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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BELLE \u2013 This animated film from Japan follows an introverted\nstudent living in a small town. Despite not having friends in her normal life,\nthe youngster creates a famous online persona of a globally-beloved singer. One\nday while performing, she is interrupted by a monstrous creature being chased\nby vigilantes. She decides to seek out and potentially help this unusual\ncreature both online and in the real world. Response towards the picture was\nvery strong. A small number commented that the film was too long and suggested\nthat it was geared exclusively towards teens. However, the vast majority were\nimpressed, calling it visually striking and noting that the film effectively\naddressed themes like grief, as well as the potential dangers of spending too\nmuch time in online virtual worlds. The disc has a Japanese language track with\nEnglish subtitles and an English audio edition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A DAY TO DIE \u2013 An ex-military ops officer has his wife\nkidnapped by a violent mobster in this action picture. He is given one day to pay\n$2 million dollars for the safe return of his spouse. In order to earn the\ncash, the lead decides to contact old friends and embark on a series of dangerous\nheists. Along the way, he squares off with a corrupt police chief who may be\nassisting the gang leader. There haven\u2019t been a great many reviews for this\nfeature and the ones that have appeared have been uniformly negative. They all\ncomplained that the low-budget effort was generic and forgettable, suggesting\nthat a good cast was wasted on a bland and lazy screenplay. The cast includes\nKevin Dillon, Bruce Willis, Gianni Capaldi, Frank Grillo, Leon and Brooke\nButler.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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DEATH VALLEY \u2013 Two mercenaries are hired to rescue an\nimprisoned bioengineer from a secret facility. After arriving, they discover that\nthe individual may have been locked and hidden away from the public for good\nreason. Almost immediately, they come under attack by an unknown and deadly\ncreature. This feature is an original film from the Shudder streaming service\nthat is now arriving on Blu-ray. Critics were generally upbeat about what they\nsaw. About one-quarter of reviews stated that it reminded them of a Resident\nEvil<\/em> film and felt that it didn\u2019t stand out as being particularly original.\nBut the majority thought that while story elements were familiar, the action\nscenes were well-staged, the monster and make-up effects were impressive and\nthe film served as an entertaining throwback to 1980s horror flicks. Jeremy\nNinaber, Ethan Mitchell, Kristen Kaster and Matthew Ninaber headline the film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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INFINITE \u2013 A man struggles to process strange visions and\nmemories of places he has never visited. After nearly reaching his breaking\npoint, he discovers a secret organization who may have answers. The lead is\ntold that he is experiencing details from past lives and that these bits of\ninformation and experiences can help him in the present. He joins this hidden\nsociety and tries to help them stop a previous group member who is threatening\nto end the world. The press blasted his science-fiction\/action film and it was\neven nominated for a few Razzie Awards. Some outliers argued that despite the\nflawed plot, the movie delivered fun action and escapism. However, all others\ncomplained that the weak and convoluted script confuses rather than thrills and\nalso called it a slowly paced and ineffective feature. It stars Mark Wahlberg, Chiwetel\nEjiofor, Sophie Cookson, Jason Mantzoukas, Rupert Friend and Toby Jones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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KICKING BLOOD \u2013 Also released under the title, Kicking\nBlood: A Vampire Love Story<\/em>, this independent genre film involves a\nmodern-day vampire who falls in love with a recovering alcoholic. She decides\nto start a relationship and attempts to quit drinking blood, doing everything\npossible to become a normal human being. Of course, this path is a difficult\none and she finds it harder and harder to resist the urge to consume plasma.\nThe general reception towards this independent genre picture was decent. About\na quarter of write-ups liked the concept but didn\u2019t think the film came to\nlife, lacking romantic chemistry and chills. Still, most thought the vampirism\nmotif was an interesting metaphor for alcoholism and liked the cast, calling it\nan interesting and original take on a well-worn genre. Alanna Bale, Luke Bilyk\nand Benjamin Sutherland headline the feature. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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KURT VONNEGUT: UNSTUCK IN TIME \u2013 Kurt Vonnegut is a\nlegendary writer famous for novels like Slaughterhouse Five<\/em> and Breakfast\nof Champions<\/em>. This documentary on this figure comes from a man who\ncontacted the writer in 1988 and was granted complete access to his life as well\nas the opportunity to talk with the man on several occasions. It has taken him 34\nyears to complete this film (Vonnegut himself passed away in 2007), but it promises\nto present a full biographical account of Vonnegut\u2019s life, his creative process\nand thoughts on the world in general. The feature earned plenty of praise. One\nor two thought the final product distilled too much and believed the final\nproduct would have benefitted from a longer running time than 2 hours. However,\nthe consensus was that the movie accurately told Vonnegut\u2019s story and also\ninterspersed some fascinating personal recollections from the documentarian. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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LICORICE PIZZA \u2013 Inspired by the life of an actual child\nactor, this 1970s-set coming-of-age tale follows a teen from the San Fernando\nValley as he desperately tries to grow up and make a name for himself. On his\nschool photo day, he befriends a 20-something photographer\u2019s assistant who is unhappy\nwith her lot in life. The two get involved in various business schemes\ninvolving waterbed companies and pinball arcades, even crossing paths with\nHollywood celebrities along the way. This picture was nominated for several\nAcademy Awards and earned plenty of praise during its release. A very small\nnumber stated that they couldn\u2019t relate to the characters and thought the story\nlacked focus. Everyone else called it wonderful, noting it was authentic in\ncapturing the era and presented the fascinating lives of some enjoyably quirky\ncharacters. The film features Alana Haim, Cooper Hoffman, Sean Penn, Tom Waits\nand Bradley Cooper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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THE SADNESS \u2013 This horror feature is set in Taipei and\nbegins after citizens return to a normal life following a long pandemic. Everyone\npays the price for letting their guard down when a virus mutation suddenly\nstarts moving through the population, turning average, ordinary citizens into\nbloodthirsty killers. A separated couple must race through the city and try to\navoid being infected and\/or murdered in order to reunite. The press was taken\nby this Taiwanese foreign-language picture. A small number said that the movie\nwas depressing, exhausting and a general ordeal to watch. But the vast majority\nappreciated it for that very same reason. \nThey called it relentlessly disturbing, chilling and boundary-pushing,\nnoting that the feature also made interesting points about the misanthropy that\ncurrently exists in our world. Berant Zhu, Regina Lei and Tzu-Chiang Wang\nheadline the feature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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SUNDOWN \u2013 At the beginning of this dark drama, a wealthy\ncouple decide to vacation in Mexico with their kids. Shortly after settling in,\nthey receive word from abroad about a family tragedy. According to the plot\nsynopsis, their reaction and choices about what to do next cause tension within\nthe group, eventually leading to bigger arguments and confrontations. The\npicture was generally well-received by critics. A small percentage complained that\nthey didn\u2019t appreciate some of the filmmaker\u2019s narrative tricks and found the\nscenes of conflict repetitive. However, the majority were very impressed by the\nlead performance and argued that it was an incredible character study about an\nindividual with hidden motivations and dark secrets. It stars Tim Roth,\nCharlotte Gainsbourg, Iazua Larios, Henry Goodman, Albertine Kotting McMillan\nand Samuel Bottomley. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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WYRMWOOD: APOCALYPSE \u2013 This sequel to the 2014 Australian\nzombie movie Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead<\/em> is set in a world that has been\noverrun by zombies. A soldier who has dedicated his life to tracking survivors\nfor an organization working on a cure begins to question his orders after he is\ntold to separate a mother from her child for a series of cruel experiments. The\nprotagonist changes allegiances and teams with rebel survivors to fight back. Response\nwas upbeat towards this genre flick. There were only a few who complained that\nthere was too much action in the movie and that it lacked character development\nor a clear story. The vast majority called it an excitingly over-the-top\nB-movie treat that delivered laughs and exaggerated gruesomeness in equal\nmeasure. Luke McKenzie, Shantae\nBarnes-Cowan, Jake Ryan, Bianca Bradey, Tasia Zalar and Jay Gallagher headline the film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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There are plenty of interesting older features receiving high-definition upgrades. Arrow Video are releasing a Blu-ray of the slasher film Girls Nite Out<\/em> (1982). Set at a university, the story involves a group of female students involved in a scavenger hunt on campus. A killer in a mascot costume begins hunting them down, as well as any guys who get in the way. The \u201cLimited Edition\u201d disc includes a 2K scan of the movie from the original camera negative, a film critic commentary track, numerous interviews with cast members, an alternative title card, trailers and a reversible sleeve with new movie artwork. Want to know more? A full review of the disc is available here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cohen Media Group have two new Blu-rays coming your way. The\nfirst is the French drama Outside the Law<\/em> (2010), about three Algerian\nbrothers who go their separate ways, only to reunite and come into conflict\nyears later in Paris. The movie was nominated for Best Foreign-Language Picture\nat the Academy Awards. Special features include a making-of, deleted scenes, a\ndiscussion with the director, cast interviews and a trailer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also pick up a Blu-ray of Two Men in Town<\/em>\n(2014), a Forest Whitaker\/Harvey Keitel drama. It follows an ex-con trying to\ngo straight while being aggressively pestered by the nasty town sheriff. A\nmaking-of documentary is included on the release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Funeral<\/em> (1984) is a well-regarded Japanese\ndrama\/comedy contrasting traditional and modern family values between\ngenerations at the title event. Criterion are presenting the movie on Blu-ray\nand it comes with many extras, including cast interviews, a program on the\nfilm\u2019s director, as well as television commercials that he made prior to the\nfeature.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kino are delivering some genre movies on Blu-ray. The first\nis the Italian\/US coproduction Violent City<\/em> (1970). Also released under\nthe title The Family<\/em>, it\u2019s about a hitman seeking revenge after being\ndouble-crossed. The movie stars Charlies Bronson, Jill Ireland and Telly\nSavalas. You\u2019ll get a 2K transfer of the US cut and a 4K transfer of the\nItalian version (which is in Italian with English subtitles). It also arrives\nwith a film historian commentary, an interview with the co-writer\/director, as\nwell as trailers and TV spots for the flick and other Charles Bronson titles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The horror picture Without Warning<\/em> (1980) is also\ngetting a 2K restoration from Kino. It follows an alien invader rampaging\nthrough a remote wilderness town and squaring off against Jack Palance, Martin\nLandau and Neville Brand. This feature was originally released on Blu-ray by\nShout! Factory 8 years ago, but is now getting a picture upgrade. It has been\nscanned in 2K for this edition and arrives with all the previously released\nextras, like a director commentary, interviews with cast members, the\ncinematographer, the co-writer\/co-producer, the make-up effects team, as well\nas all sorts of publicity materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m a big fan of director Walter Hill (The Warriors<\/em>, Southern\nComfort, 48 Hrs.<\/em>, Trespass<\/em>, Last Man Standing<\/em>) and Lionsgate\nare finally making one of his hard-to-find efforts available on Blu-ray through\ntheir Vestron Collector\u2019s Edition line. Extreme Prejudice<\/em> (1987) stars\nNick Nolte and follows a crew\nof rogue soldiers who descend upon a border town for an off-the-books mission.\nThe disc comes with a movie expert commentary, isolated score tracks, tons of\ncast and crew interviews and loads of publicity materials. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Paramount are delivering a personal favorite on Blu-ray this\nweek. Top Secret! <\/em>(1984) is a comedy from the Zucker Brothers (Airplane!<\/em>,\nThe Naked Gun<\/em>) that features Val Kilmer as an Elvis Presley-esque singer\nwho attempts to help the French Resistance fight Nazis (in between preforming ridiculous\nmusical numbers). The movie is absolutely hilarious. There are memorable tunes,\na hilarious prison raid involving a cow and much, much more to enjoy. It is\nalso very quotable and probably has even more gags packed into it than the\nfilmmaker\u2019s other, bigger hits. It\u2019s definitely worth your while if you like\nwild comedies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance<\/em> (1962) is also\narriving courtesy of the Paramount Presents line. This notable western stars\nJimmy Stewart and John Wayne. You\u2019ll get a 4K Ultra HD disc and a regular\nBlu-ray, both featuring a new 4K restoration of the picture. It comes with a\n\u201cFilmmaker Focus\u201d in which film critic Leonard Maltin discusses the film.\nYou\u2019ll also get a commentary from the late director Peter Bogdanovich, as well\nas a selected scene commentary with the son of director John Ford. it also\ncomes with tons of featurettes and a cover featuring fold-out poster art.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scorpion have a Blu-ray of the German\/US Roger Corman\nchiller De Sade<\/em> (1969), featuring Keir Dullea as the notorious sadist.\nThe movie has been given a 2K restoration and arrives with a featurette on\nwriter Richard Matheson and a trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shout! Factory are presenting The Craft<\/em> (1996) in a 4K\nUltra HD and Blu-ray combo package. The film stars Neve Campbell, Robin Tunney,\nFairuza Balk and Rachel True as a group of young outcasts practicing witchcraft\nat their school. The movie comes with all of the bonuses featured on previous\neditions, as well as a new 4K restoration of the film from the original camera\nnegative. The same goes for the distributor\u2019s presentation of the John\nCarpenter action classic, Escape from New York<\/em> (1981) This Collector\u2019s\nEdition features improved picture quality on both a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray disc,\nas well as all of the previously released bonuses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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They are also presenting an underseen gem from director\nBrain De Palma (Phantom of the Paradise<\/em>, Carrie<\/em>, Dressed to\nKill<\/em>, Blow Out<\/em>, Scarface<\/em>, The Untouchables<\/em>, Raising\nCain<\/em>, Carlito\u2019s Way<\/em>, Mission: Impossible<\/em>) called Femme\nFatale<\/em> (2002). Rebecca Romijn plays a thief whose life spirals out of\ncontrol after her cover is blown by a photographer. Antonio Banderas plays the\nman who gets caught up in all the chaos. This twisty thriller is a lot of fun\nand features wonderful, eye-popping visuals. It has been given a 2K restoration\nfor its Blu-ray debut and includes interviews with co-star Gregg Henry, the\nfilm\u2019s editor and tons of featurettes on the movie.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those looking for combo Blu-ray discs and box sets can pick\nup The Incredible Hulk<\/em> (2008) \/ The Hulk<\/em> (2003) 2-Movie\nCollection from Universal. It has the eccentric Ang Lee adaptation of the comic\nbook, as well as the early Marvel Universe Phase 1 title featuring the\ncharacter (played by Edward Norton).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And Warner Bros. are presenting the Batman: 4-Film\nCollection<\/em> containing Blu-rays of the movies made between 1989 \u2013 1997, as\nwell as The Dark Knight Trilogy<\/em> set. The second box includes all of the\nfilms from Christopher Nolan made from 2005 to 2013. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, Warner Archive are making a made-to-order Blu-ray\navailable of the horror picture Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde<\/em> (1941). You can\norder it through Amazon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

There aren\u2019t many options this week for kids, but here is\nwhat is arriving on store shelves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Misho & Robin<\/em>: Season 1 DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

And here are all of the week\u2019s TV-themed releases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

American Experience: Flood in the Desert<\/em> (PBS) DVD
Blood & Treasure<\/em>: Season 1 Blu-ray
Great Escapes with Morgan Freeman<\/em>: Season 1 (History) DVD
Help<\/em> (Acorn) DVD
The Last Kingdom<\/em>: The Complete Series Blu-ray or DVD
The Last Kingdom<\/em>: Season 5 DVD
\ufeffLucifer<\/em>: Season 5 (Warner Archives) Blu-ray
Masterpiece: Ridley Road<\/em> (PBS) DVD
Misho & Robin<\/em>: Season 1 DVD
NOVA: Augmented<\/em> (PBS)
Slasher: Flesh and Blood<\/em> (A Shudder Original Series) Blu-ray
Succession<\/em>: Season 3 (HBO) DVD <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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