{"id":24881,"date":"2022-06-20T20:05:25","date_gmt":"2022-06-21T03:05:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=24881"},"modified":"2022-06-20T20:05:25","modified_gmt":"2022-06-21T03:05:25","slug":"blu-ray-dvd-roundup-for-june-21st-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=24881","title":{"rendered":"Blu-ray\/DVD Roundup for June 21st, 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome to another look at some of the highlights coming\nyour way on Blu-ray and DVD. It\u2019s another busy edition, with studio films and\nindependent fare in a wide variety of genres. So, if you can\u2019t make it to the\nmovies this week or need to keep your distance from others, be sure to give one\nof these titles a try!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BIG NEW RELEASES!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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AFTER YANG \u2013 Set in the near future, this science-fiction\ntale is set in a world where artificial intelligence companions are\ncommonplace. A young girl becomes lonely and depressed when her best pal\nmalfunctions. The girl\u2019s dad is tasked with trying to repair the friend and\ndeal with the emotional fallout. As he does so, he begins to realize that\nrelying on AI has created a rift between the entire family. Critics were very\nimpressed with the feature. A small number felt that the movie was too\nmelancholic for their tastes and that the message was familiar. However, the\nmajority described the movie as being subtle and low-key, but meaningful and\nthought-provoking. They also commented that it featured some fantastic\nperformances. It stars Colin Farrell, Jodie Turner-Smith, Justin H. Min, Malea\nEmma Tjandrawidjaja and Haley Lu Richardson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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THE BAD GUYS \u2013 Based on the series of best-selling children\u2019s books, this animated family feature follows a group of animal outlaws and con-artists. When they are caught in the middle of heist, they ask for forgiveness and agree to become model citizens. While they initially consider their probation course a scam to stay out of prison, the group ultimately begin to want to become honest-to-goodness heroes.  The press generally liked the film and gave it decent marks. A small group felt that the final product was an average kid\u2019s flick that didn\u2019t make the most of its concept. Still, most thought it was a fine adaptation of the source material. They enjoyed the characters and thought the idea was a lot of fun. The voice cast includes Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Awkwafina, Craig Robinson, Anthony Ramos, Richard Ayoade and Zazie Beetz. Read a full review of the film here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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BLEEDING AUDIO \u2013 The Matches<\/em> were an Oakland-based\nindie rock band who formed in 1997 and quickly earned a lot of fantastic press.\nWhile they initially were called the \u201cnext big thing\u201d by critics and trade\npapers, the group never quite broke through to the mainstream. This documentary\ndetails the history of the band through interviews with the members. It also\ndetails their many well-received recordings as well as an attempt at reforming\nfor a comeback after a long hiatus. Those who saw the movie praised it. As of\nright now, it has yet to receive a negative write-up. Everyone stated that it\nprovided an excellent peek into the indie music scene and all of the traps and\npitfalls that a young band faces. They also said the flick would introduce a\nlot of people to the band and their impressive catalog of\nrecordings.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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THE CELLAR \u2013 Some houses have creepy cellars, but none quite\nlike the one featured in this horror film. The story follows a woman and her\nfamily, who all move into a mysterious old home. When the kids state acting\nstrangely and eventually vanish into the basement, the parents come to the\nconclusion that supernatural forces are responsible and that they must fight\nfor the safe return of their offspring. Response wasn\u2019t very upbeat for this\neffort from Ireland. A limited number of reviewers appreciated that the film\nemphasized mood and atmosphere over computer effects and called it an\nentertaining throwback to horror movies of the past. But many more critiqued it\nas being all-style and having little subtext or deeper meaning. It features\nElisha Cuthbert, Eoin Macken, Dylan Fitzmaurice Brady and Abby Fitz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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CINDERELLA \u2013 Last year, Amazon Studios produced a lavish\nupdate of this fairy tale and premiered it on their streaming service. Now, the\ntitle is appearing on disc. This version incorporates musical numbers into its\nstory. It involves a young woman who yearns of being a fashion designer, but\nwho must contend with a wicked stepmother and stepsisters. Magic intervenes and\nthe lead gets the opportunity to premiere new clothing designs at a royal ball.\nNotices were generally poor for this retelling. A small number commented that\nit didn\u2019t take itself seriously and provided some campy fun. However, the\nconsensus was that while well-intentioned, the picture was misguided in\nexecution and a total jumble. They wrote that it didn\u2019t manage to effectively\ndeliver the points that it was trying to make. Camila Cabello, Billy Porter,\nNicholas Galitzine, Idina Menzel, Pierce Brosnan, Minnie Driver and James\nCorden headline the movie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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ESCAPE THE FIELD \u2013 In this horror picture, a group of\ncharacters wake up in a cornfield with one single item and no memory of how\nthey got there. Even worse, they can\u2019t seem to find their way out. The leads do\ntheir best to make it through the maze-like environment, but find themselves\nrunning in circles. Things get even worse when a strange figure appears intent\non hunting down and killing all of them. The genre critics who saw this\nlow-budget independent effort didn\u2019t have much to say about it that was good. A\nfew thought the film was decent enough to please genre fans and appreciated\nthat the running time was short. All others said that the characters weren\u2019t\nfleshed out and that the movie would be instantly forgotten after viewing. The\ncast includes Shane West, Theo Rossi, Jordan Claire Robbins, Tahirah Sharif and\nElena Juatco.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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GOLD \u2013 Two drifters wandering through a futuristic desert\nlandscape come across the largest gold nugget ever witnessed by human eyes.\nExcited about earning vast riches from it, the pair quickly come up with a plan\nto try and secure the item. One heads off to acquire the necessary tools to\nextract the gold, while the other must guard it, enduring harsh conditions,\nwild animals and other threats. After waiting a significant measure of time,\nthe figure left in the desert begins to wonder if his partner hasn\u2019t set him\nup. The press gave this picture more positive reviews than negative ones. One\nthird of them called the flick a shallow and empty update of films like The\nTreasure of the Sierra Madre<\/em> and titles of that ilk. But the rest liked the\nperformances, thought it was tense and referred to it as an effective little\nthriller. It stars Zac Efron, Anthony Hayes and Susie Porter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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HIT THE ROAD \u2013 This foreign-language road-trip movie from\nIran involves a family of four driving cross-country. The parents and kids\nshare memories and fuss over their sickly dog, while also grappling with fears\nof the unknown. As the journey progresses, viewers slowly begin to understand\nwho these people are and why they are driving such a great distance. Reviews\nwere excellent for this drama\/comedy and it won awards at various film\nfestivals over the past year. Only one or two critics criticized the film,\nsuggesting that it was episodic, slowly paced and ultimately didn\u2019t engage\nthem. Everyone else thought the movie was wonderful, complimenting it as an\nauthentic portrait of a family. They also thought the slow reveal was\neffective, saying it delivered a wallop as the jokes and tone slowly turned\nbittersweet. Pantea Panahiha, Hasan Majouni, Rayan Sarlak and Amin Simiar\nheadline the feature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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IP MAN: THE AWAKENING \u2013 The latest reimagining of the\nChinese Ip Man myth follows a younger version of the heroic icon taking a trip\nto Hong Kong. After saving a local from an abduction attempt, he learns that a\nnearby criminal group are human traffickers. The villains then take a close\nfriend of the protagonist as revenge, prompting him to use his martial arts\nskills and eventually challenge the sinister party\u2019s leader to a fight. This foreign-language\neffort hasn\u2019t received many write-ups in this part of the world and those that\nhave appeared are tepid about the final product. They say that this tale isn\u2019t\nwell fleshed out and that it isn\u2019t a memorable Ip Man <\/em>film. Apparently,\nit\u2019s only for completists who want to see every movie featuring the character.\nIt stars Tse Min, Zhao Yuxuan and Sergio Deieso.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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THE LAST VICTIM \u2013 After committing a vicious and unsettling\ncrime in a small town, a gang of outlaws are pursued by an angry and determined\nsheriff. Things get even more complicated when the gang come upon a scientist\nand his wife. They kidnap the pair, drawing everyone into a gruesome spiral of\nviolence and retribution that end up costing many of the characters their\nlives. This independent effort is described as a neo-western. Sadly, the\ngeneral consensus was that the movie didn\u2019t work. About one-third called it an\neffective homage to movies like No Country for Old Men<\/em> and thought the\nperformances were strong. But the rest noted that it missed its target, saying\nthat the writing let the cast down and that it became more preposterous as it\nprogressed. The cast includes Ali Larter, Ron Perlman, Ralph Ineson and Tahmoh\nPenikett.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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PLEASURE \u2013 A young woman from Sweden comes to Los Angeles in\nthe hopes of becoming an adult film star. She soon learns that fame won’t come\neasy as she harnesses her ambition and cunning to rise to the top of the\nindustry, encountering plenty of aggressive and nasty men along the way. This\nrisqu\u00e9 English-language feature from Europe received plenty of reviews during\nits release and most of them were complementary. A small contingent wrote that\nonce you got beyond the initial shock of the concept, the movie didn\u2019t have\nmuch to say and was a little confused and contradictory in its messaging.\nRegardless, the majority said that the film was a well-acted and eye-opening\ntale about an unusual business and the persons involved in it. It features\nSofia Kappel, Evelyn Claire and several adult movie actors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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PRIVATE PROPERTY \u2013 With her marriage to a wealthy LA-based\nproducer slowly imploding, an aspiring actress finds herself attracted to her\ngardener. Then, a charming and eccentric millionaire moves in next door. He invites\nthe woman and her husband over to a party. After a night of drunken\ncelebration, the protagonist awakens to discover secrets about her husband and\nthe neighbor that may put her own life in jeopardy. So far, this thriller has\nbeen blasted by every single reviewer who has watched it. A few thought it\nstarted off well enough and that the concept had potential to be an enjoyably\ntrashy little thriller. However, they all claimed the movie quickly loses\nmomentum and goes completely off the rails, meandering until reaching a\nnonsensical and unsatisfying conclusion. Ashley Benson, Shiloh Fernandez, Logan\nMiller, Frank Whaley and Jay Pharoah headline the film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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STRAWBERRY MANSION \u2013 This picture was scheduled to be released in May, but was delayed. It\u2019s now arriving on disc this week. According to this unique fantasy film, in the future our dreams will be controlled by the government and will be taxed and fused with advertising and product placements. This story begins with a taxman arriving at the home of a woman and performing an audit. He finds himself traveling deep into her subconscious and begins to fall in love with an earlier version of the lady, causing all sorts of complications. The title was very well-received and earned excellent reviews. A tiny number had trouble connecting with the movie and found it tonally unbalanced. Still, all others said it was completely unique. They were also blown away by the trippy visuals and interesting, homemade feel of the effects. It features Kentucker Audley, Albert Birney, Penny Fuller and Grace Glowicki. A full review of the Blu-ray can be found right here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF MASSIVE TALENT \u2013 Nicolas Cage plays\na version of himself in this dark action\/comedy. In desperate need of cash, the\nactor agrees to appear at a birthday party for one of his biggest fans. As it\nturns out, his host ends up being a major drug cartel whom the FBI say is about\nto carry out some sinister plans after the celebration. Thankfully, Cage\nhimself reveals some secret details about a former life that may enable him to\ntake on all villains. The press had a great time with the movie. Only a handful\ndidn\u2019t like it, saying that it wasn\u2019t as clever as hoped for and that it\nwouldn\u2019t appeal to those who weren\u2019t already Cage enthusiasts.  Still, the\nconsensus was that this flick was sharp, twisty and a blast to watch from beginning\nto end, with great interplay between the lead actor and his co-stars. Besides\nCage, the movie stars Pedro Pascal, Tiffany Haddish, and Neil Patrick Harris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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YOU ARE NOT MY MOTHER \u2013 After her bedridden mother\ndisappears without a trace, her daughter must return home to try and find out\nwhat happened. The protagonist and her grandmother eventually locate the\nmissing family member, but find the shaken person unwilling to talk about what\nhappened. Soon, the parent also begins behaving in a threatening manner, making\neveryone wonder if the figure is an evil force pretending to be the relative.\nThis Irish horror film was well-received by the press. A tiny number complained\nthat it all felt a bit padded out and there wasn\u2019t enough here to justify the\nrunning time. All others thought it was very disturbing and suspenseful,\nsuggesting that it also served as an intriguing metaphor for mental health and\nother domestic issues. The cast includes Hazel Doupe, Carolyn Bracken, Paul\nReid and Jade Jordan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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If you\u2019re more interested in catching up with or revisiting\nsome older movies, you have plenty of options as well. Arrow Video is\npresenting the horror flick Edge of Sanity<\/em> (1989) on Blu-ray. Anthony\nHopkins (Psycho) plays the central character, a maniac targeting prostitutes.\nThe movie actually combines elements of the Jekyll and Hyde<\/em> story with\nthe real \u201cJack the Ripper\u201d slayings. This Blu-ray includes a 2K scan of a 4K\nrestoration of the movie from the original camera negative. It comes with a film\nhistorian commentary, a discussion with the director, a second interview with\nthe moviemaker, a talk with the producer, a featurette on \u201cJack the Ripper\u201d\nmovies, a trailer and more.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They also have a Blu-ray of The Initiation of Sarah<\/em>\n(1978), a British made-for-TV chiller about a student who joins a sorority that\nmay have ties to witchcraft. The movie\u2019s camera negative has been given a 2K\nrestoration and the disc features extras like a TV-movie expert commentary, a\nvisual essay on the movie, a critic reappraisal and new appreciation of the\ntitle, a talk about the themes in the story, an interview with the writer and\nan image gallery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bayview Entertainment is delivering a Blu-ray of My Own\nLove Song<\/em> (2010), a drama with Renee Zellweger, Forest Whitaker and Nick\nNoltle that features original music by Bob Dylan. It\u2019s about a wheelchair-bound\nsinger and her best friend who embark on a road-trip to Memphis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And Blue Underground is giving the effective independent\nhorror film Uncle Sam<\/em> (1997) a 4K Ultra HD upgrade. It\u2019s a movie that\nsatirizes extreme patriotism and follows an undead killer dressed as the famous\nfigure. The disc comes with all the same features as previous editions, but\nwith improved picture quality for those who possess a TV that can play 4K titles.\nThose who don\u2019t will have to stick with the regular Blu-ray of the movie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Criterion is presenting the Hong Kong romance\/ghost story Rouge<\/em>\n(1987) on disc. The movie is a period piece about a suicide pact between two\nlovers that influences the lives of youngsters in a relationship decades later.\nThe film has received a 4K digital restoration for Blu-ray. Extras include\nnumerous documentaries and conversations with the filmmaker and discussions\nabout the movie\u2019s LGBTQ elements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The distributor\u2019s big release of the week may be the action\nclassic Shaft <\/em>(1971). You can pick it up in a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray\nset or just as a Blu-ray. Richard Roundtree stars as the famous black private\ndetective who is hired by a crime lord to find a long-lost daughter. Naturally,\nthe trail leads to some surprising revelations. Besides the upgraded picture,\nthe disc includes the first sequel, Shaft\u2019s Big Score<\/em> (1972), a program\non the history of black detectives in film, new and archival interviews\nfeaturing Parks, Hayes, Roundtree and the film’s crew, as well as a new\nmaking-of documentary, behind-the-scenes footage and much more. Sounds\nexcellent!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dark Force Entertainment is putting out Blu-rays of the\naction picture Forced Entry<\/em> (1976) and the thriller Groupie<\/em>\n(2010), about an obsessive music fan who is slicing and dicing band members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The entertaining cheesy sci-fi B-movie The Brain from\nPlanet Arous<\/em> (1957) is arriving on Blu-ray from Film Detective. It\u2019s about\na floating, alien criminal brain that arrives on Earth and begins possessing\nimportant officials in the hopes of taking over the world.  A film\nhistorian commentary, documentaries about the director and the movie appear as\nbonus features and you\u2019ll also get a new introduction to the movie from one of\nthe cast members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The enjoyable action flick Universal Soldier<\/em> (1992)\nis arriving as a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray Steelbook set from Lionsgate. It\u2019s a\nBest Buy Exclusive that will only be available through the retailer. For those\nthat haven\u2019t seen it, the movie follows deceased soldiers who are brought back\nas genetically engineered and programmable fighters. Jean-Claude Van Damme and\nDolph Lundgren star in the picture, which marked an early effort from director\nRoland Emmerich (Stargate<\/em>, Independence Day<\/em>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Discount Blu-ray distributor Mill Creek is presenting more\ntitles in their Retro VHS Collection. They feature packaging for the Blu-rays\nthat look like VHS rental copies. The latest movies in the series are the\nRobert Downey Jr. rom-com Heart and Souls<\/em> (1993) and the John Goodman\ncomedy, King Ralph<\/em> ((1991).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Looking for more to watch? MVD is putting out the teen\nthriller Monday Morning<\/em> (1990), about a poor kid who is framed for a\nshooting at school and must prove his innocence while holding his class hostage.\nYou\u2019ll get a cleaned-up picture for this Blu-ray, as well as a version that\nlooks just like the original VHS release. It also comes with featurettes on\ndirector Don Murphy (who ended up becoming a big producer in\nHollywood).  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also pick up the Nicolas Cage comedy Vampire\u2019s Kiss<\/em> (1988). Pictured above and to the left, the actor plays a stressed-out man in the big city who starts believing that he may be turning into a vampire. The disc features an archived commentary track from several years back with Cage and the director and tins of publicity materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, Sandpiper Pictures is making Richard III<\/em>\n(1995) and the Sean Connery\/Michelle Pfeiffer thriller The Russia House<\/em>\n(1990) available on Blu-ray.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Fire in the Sky<\/em> (1993) is also coming on Blu-ray,\ncourtesy of Shout! Factory. This is a film adaptation of an event from 1975, in\nwhich a group of men who claim they were abducted by a UFO. D.B. Sweeney stars\nwith James Garner, Robert Patrick, Craig Sheffer, Peter Berg and Henry Thomas.\nThere are numerous cast and crew interviews included as extras, along with a\nphoto gallery and a trailer for the movie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And finally, Warner Bros. is making the James Dean\/Rock\nHudson\/Elizabeth Taylor epic Giant<\/em> (1956) available exclusively in 4K\nUltra HD. Again, this release only includes the 4K version, so if you don\u2019t\nhave the proper set up, you\u2019ll have to stick with the regular Blu-ray.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Here are some titles that may appeal to youngsters<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Animaniacs<\/em>: Season 2 (2021 Animated Series) (Warner Bros.) DVD
Aquaman: King of Atlantis<\/em>: Season 2 (Animated Series) (Warner Bros.\/HBO-Max Original) DVD
Cinderella (<\/em>2021) (Amazon) Blu-ray and DVD
The Patrick Star Show<\/em>: Season 1, Volume 1 (Nickelodeon) DVD <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

And here are all of the TV-themed efforts headed your way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Animaniacs<\/em>: Season 2 (2021 Animated Series) (Warner Bros.) DVD
Aquaman: King of Atlantis<\/em>: Season 2 (Animated Series) (Warner Bros.\/HBO-Max Original) DVD
The Patrick Star Show<\/em>: Season 1, Volume 1 (Nickelodeon) DVD
Total Control<\/em>: Season 2 (Sundance) DVD
The Truth Will Out<\/em>; Series 2 (Acorn) DVD
The Umbrella Academy<\/em>: Season 2 (Universal) Blu-ray
When Calls the Heart Double-Feature: In Like a Lion & Turn of the Page<\/em> (Hallmark) DVD <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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