{"id":24966,"date":"2022-07-05T23:44:32","date_gmt":"2022-07-06T06:44:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=24966"},"modified":"2022-07-05T23:44:32","modified_gmt":"2022-07-06T06:44:32","slug":"blu-ray-dvd-roundup-for-july-5th-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=24966","title":{"rendered":"Blu-ray\/DVD Roundup for July 5th, 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome to another look at the latest Blu-rays and DVDs\ncoming your way. This edition isn\u2019t quite as busy as the previous one, but\nthere are numerous major releases coming out. So, if you can\u2019t make it to the\nmovies this week or need to stay indoors, be sure to give one of these titles a\ntry!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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ALASKAN NETS \u2013 This documentary was shot in Metlakatla\n(Alaska\u2019s last remaining native reserve) and captures the area\u2019s unending\nenthusiasm for fishing and\u2026 basketball. The heart of the footage follows two\ncousins and their high school basketball team. Viewers see their passion and\ndrive as they progress through the season and end up playing in the state\nchampionship. Response was upbeat towards this feature. There were a few\ncriticisms stating that the movie only focused on a couple of individuals and\ndidn\u2019t paint a clear enough picture of the other players or community at large.\nStill, the general consensus was that the film is sweet and inspirational,\npresenting a fascinating portrait of a little-known region and their passion\nfor basketball. Actor Chris Pratt serves as executive producer of the movie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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BABY OOPSIE \u2013 Full Moon Pictures have been responsible for\nmany low-budget genre flicks over the years like The Puppet Master<\/em> and Gingerdead\nMan<\/em> franchises. Their latest effort was initially made for the streaming\nmarket and is now arriving on disc. The story involves a lonely and abused\nwoman who spends all of her spare time collecting and restoring old dolls. She\ngets a big surprise when her latest acquisition comes to life and possesses a\nviolent streak. In fact, it starts murdering those who have tormented the lead,\nwho has to figure out a way to cover up its crimes and save her own skin. There\nhaven\u2019t been many write-ups for this film yet, but a few have popped up online.\nThey suggest that while the title is no classic, it is as effective as the\nstudio\u2019s other works and delivers gory mayhem.  It stars Libbie Higgins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A BANQUET \u2013 Big tension begins to arise in the relationship\nbetween a widowed mother and her teenage daughter after the youth has a\nreligious awakening and claims that her body is being controlled by a higher\npower. The youngster\u2019s behavior becomes more and more extreme and she\neventually refuses to eat \u2013 but somehow manages to maintain her weight. Baffled\nby the situation, the parent must figure out what is happening. This\nindependent horror picture split critics. Almost half commented that the\nconcept was interesting, but that the movie failed to deliver an effective\nallegory and completely mishandled the climax. Just as many and one or two more\nwrote that the film was stylish and atmospheric, also calling it a promising\ndebut feature for the director. The cast includes Sienna Guillory, Jessica\nAlexander, Ruby Stokes and Lindsay Duncan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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DOWNTON ABBEY: A NEW ERA \u2013 Based on the hugely popular British TV series, this feature film is a sequel to the first movie released in 2019. As a new decade arrives, the central characters living at the estate try to find ways to earn money and keep the property afloat. They agree to let a movie crew shoot in the home, but end up getting involved in the production. The leads also learn that they have inherited an estate in the South of France and travel abroad to find out why. Critics were positive overall about the period drama. A small contingent complained that the story wasn\u2019t exciting and that the series had seemed to have now run its course. Still, most suggested that the cast charmed them over and that, while formulaic, the feature did deliver a healthy dose of pleasant nostalgia for fans. It features Hugh Bonneville, Jim Carter, Michelle Dockery, Elizabeth McGovern, Allen Leech and Maggie Smith. To read a full review of the title, click here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE \u2013 An overworked, stressed-out immigrant laundromat owner comes under scrutiny from the IRS. While attending to her taxes, she is visited by someone unexpected. This individual tells her that her help is desperately needed to help fix a rift in the \u201cmultiverse\u201d that threatens to unravel the entire universe. The woman must travel to various alternate realities and learn the skills required to get the job done. The press was extremely upbeat about the movie. A small number called the film frantic, overlong and ultimately exhausting, also complaining that the final message wasn\u2019t revelatory. Still, the vast majority loved the cast and thought the story was a lot of fun. They appreciated how many creative elements were jammed into the running time and couldn\u2019t help but enjoy what they witnessed. Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, Ke Huy Quan, James Hong, Jamie Lee Curtis and Jenny Slate headline the picture. Read this site’s review of the movie here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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MEMORY \u2013 A skilled but aging hitman with a spectacular\nreputation runs into big trouble after he changes his mind on the job and\nrefuses to complete an assignment. The protagonist must immediately seek out\nthose who hired him before they and an FBI agent can locate and eliminate him.\nHowever, the assassin soon begins struggling with his own memory and begins\ndoubting his own acts and beliefs. This action picture didn\u2019t stick around long\nin the minds of many reviewers. About one quarter of them noted that the movie\nwas efficient and effective as a B-movie thriller and noted that the game cast\nhelped get the story through some rough patches. Unfortunately, everyone else\nthought the script was clich\u00e9d and that there was nothing fresh or new here to\ngenerate much interest. It stars Liam Neeson, Guy Pearce, Monica Bellucci, Taj\nAtwal and Ray Fearon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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MONSTROUS \u2013 In this period horror film, an abused wife\ndecides to run away from her nasty ex-husband with her young son. The\ntraumatized pair find a quaint and remote lakeside farmhouse and try to make a\nnew start there. Of course, it isn\u2019t long before she discovers that her old\nspouse has her new contact information. She begins receiving phone calls and\nthe two begin to feel threatened once again. The end product earned slightly\nmore positive write-ups than negative ones. Close to half of these articles\nargued that the story was predictable and actually managed to undermine its own\nmessage with strange choices. Slightly more thought the lead gave a marvelous\nperformance that kept them intrigued throughout and were taken by the period\nproduction design. The cast includes Christina Ricci, Santino Barnard, Don\nDurrell and Colleen Camp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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ZERO CONTACT \u2013 This high-tech thriller involves a brilliant\nbut nefarious man who has created a global data-mining program. After he dies,\na group that includes the son of the tech genius are contacted by a mysterious\nA.I. entity. This being threateningly tells them to enter a special password\nleft to them by the deceased that will not only reactivate this program, but\nalso enable them to travel through time. Those approached discuss whether or\nnot they should follow through with the request. This picture was panned by\nalmost everyone who saw it. One notice believed that for a movie made during\nthe lockdown, it did manage to add a few twists to the computer-screen film\nformula. All others said absolutely nothing of interest occurred over the\ncourse of the running time and jokingly described it as the dullest Zoom-call\never recorded. It features Chris Brochu, Aleks Paunovic and Anthony Hopkins,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Those looking for something a little older on Blu-ray and\nDVD also have plenty to choose from. 88 Films is presenting the Hong Kong\nproduction Hero<\/em> (1997) on Blu-ray. Yuen Biao stars in this remake of the\n1972 classic Boxer from Shantung<\/em> from the Shaw Brothers. This period\neffort follows a man making his start in the criminal underworld. The movie\nwasn\u2019t as well-received as the original initially, but did have some solid\naction scenes and has since earned a following. The disc includes an Asian\ncinema expert commentary and trailers for the film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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South Korean writer\/director Bong Joon Ho has won accolades\nand Oscars over the years for numerous titles including Parasite<\/em>, Snowpiercer<\/em>\nand The Host<\/em> (to name but a few). Criterion is now presenting another\nfilm that he made some years back for Netflix. Okja <\/em>(2017) tells the\nstory of a young girl who risks everything to prevent a multinational\ncorporation from taking an incredible genetically modified \u201csuperpig\u201d that she\ndiscovers and befriends in the wild. The movie stars An Seo Hyun, Tilda\nSwinton, Paul Dano, Steven Yeun, and Jake Gyllenhaal. You can purchase a 4K\nUltra HD and Blu-ray combo or a stand-alone Blu-ray. It comes with a new\nconversation on the picture with the director and the producer, new interviews\nwith the cast and crew, a video diary of the production, and many more\nbonuses.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Criterion is also delivering a new 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray\ncombo of The Virgin Suicides<\/em> (1999), an atmospheric and engaging drama\nthat marked the directing debut of Sofia Coppola (Lost in Translation<\/em>, On\nthe Rocks<\/em>). Through a series of interviews, it tells the story of an\neclectic group of men who live in an affluent American suburb in the ’70s that\nare forever changed by their obsession with five doomed sisters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If you enjoy old horror TV-movies about wildlife attacking\nhumanity, Kino has you covered. First, they are releasing Ants<\/em> (1977) on\nBlu-ray. This flick follows a holiday resort that comes under siege from a tiny\nbut hungry and very deadly insect menace. The feature has been given a 2K\ntransfer and arrives with a film historian commentary and numerous interviews\nwith cast and crew members. It also presents the movie in both a 1.33:1 TV\naspect ratio of its original broadcast and the 1.85:1 version (that was put out\nfor theatrical releases in international territories).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also pick up Tarantulas: The Deadly Cargo<\/em> (1977). Pictured to the right, it’s about a group of poisonous spiders that stow away on a flight from South America. They end up on the loose in an orange processing plant in California. Claude Akins and Pat Hingle appear in the feature. The Blu-ray also comes with a 2K master and a movie expert commentary track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Terror Out of the Sky<\/em> (1978) is a sequel to the 1976\nTV-movie The Savage Bees<\/em> and is about another swarm of killer bees\nrampaging across the countryside. Among the many victims, they also target a\nmarching band and a school bus full of students. Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Dan\nHaggerty, Richard Herd and Philip Baker Hall are among those attacked and\nspecial features on the Blu-ray are almost identical to the previous release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MVD Films is re-releasing a Blu-ray of the fantastic,\nout-of-print action\/comedy Miami Blues<\/em> (1990) with Alec Baldwin, Fred\nWard and Jennifer Jason Leigh. It involves a psychopath who steals a badge and\npretends to be a cop, causing darkly funny havoc in Miami. Shout! Factory\noriginally put out this disc some years back. This new edition appears to\ninclude interviews with the stars, plus all kinds of promo materials and a\ncollectable mini-poster for the movie with new artwork. If you haven\u2019t seen the\nmovie, it\u2019s worth your while.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And bare bones Blu-rays of The Back-up Plan<\/em> (2010), The\nHunted<\/em> (2003) and Last Vegas<\/em> (2013) are arriving on store shelves\ncourtesy of Paramount.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Powerhouse films is presenting the Australian cult flick Mad\nDog Morgan<\/em> (1976) on Blu-ray. Dennis Hopper stars in this biopic of the\ntitle character, a real outlaw and ruffian who became a legend in the outback.\nThe disc presents a new restoration of the picture from a 4K scan of the\ninter-positive. You\u2019ll get the 103-minute director\u2019s cut and the 95-minute\ntheatrical version with multiple audio commentaries featuring the filmmaker.\nAdditional extras include a behind-the-scenes documentary, an interview with\nthe director, an archived talk with star Hopper, as well as an hour of extra\ninterview materials recorded for the great 2008 Aussie documentary Not Quite\nHollywood!<\/em> that were not used in the finished product. And the disc comes\nwith extra cast and crew discussion, tons of promotional material and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bloody Muscle Body Builder in Hell<\/em> (2009) is a\nbizarre Japanese horror picture about a vengeful spirit who used to be a\nweightlifter. It was shot in 1995 for the direct-to-video market, but never\nreleased in this part of the world. The movie is arriving on Blu-ray as a\n\u201cCollector\u2019s Edition\u201d courtesy of Wild Eye Releasing. The Blu-ray contains a\nnew master of the movie, plus a film critic commentary, a fan audio track (the\nfans being directors Adam Green and Joe Lynch), outtakes, an image gallery,\narchival trailers, fun vintage style video cards and much more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Finally, Warner Bros. is delivering the grossly underrated\nTom Cruise\/Emily Blunt science-fiction\/action picture Edge of Tomorrow<\/em>\n(2014) aka Live. Die. Repeat<\/em> in a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray package. This\nentertaining feature involved an officer with no fighting experience who is\ndrafted into a battle with alien invaders. He is immediately killed, but is\ndragged into a time loop and must start each day anew every time he is brutally\nslain. The lead attempts to learn from his many, many mistakes and make it\nthrough the day in one piece. The movie underperformed when it was originally\nreleased to theaters, but in the following years many have discovered just how\ndarkly funny and exciting it is. Now the film has been given a picture upgrade\nfor those wanting to see it with incredibly sharp picture quality.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

There isn\u2019t much this week, but there is a European animated\nshow for kids that is arriving on DVD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Loggerheads<\/em> (1997 animated children\u2019s series about\nVikings made in Germany\/UK) (Invincible Pictures) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

And here are the latest TV-themed releases arriving this\nweek.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hallmark 2-Movie Collection: Sweet Pecan Summer & Season for Love<\/em> (Hallmark) DVD
A House Divided<\/em>: Season 4 (ALLBLK) DVD
Loggerheads<\/em> (1997 animated children\u2019s series about Vikings made in Germany\/UK) (Invincible Pictures) DVD
NATURE: Portugal \u2013 Wild Land on the Sea<\/em> (PBS) DVD
Picture Perfect Mysteries 3-Movie Collection: Newlywed and Dead, Dead Over Diamonds & Exit Stage Death<\/em> (Hallmark) DVD
Planet California<\/em> (PBS) DVD
The Wedding Veil Legacy<\/em> (Hallmark) Blu-ray or DVD <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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