{"id":25213,"date":"2022-08-23T01:32:33","date_gmt":"2022-08-23T08:32:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=25213"},"modified":"2022-08-23T01:32:33","modified_gmt":"2022-08-23T08:32:33","slug":"blu-ray-dvd-roundup-for-august-23rd-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=25213","title":{"rendered":"Blu-ray\/DVD Roundup for August 23rd, 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome to another look at highlights arriving on Blu-ray\nand DVD. It isn\u2019t the busiest week in recent memory, but there are some notable\ndiscs coming your way in a wide variety of genres. So, if you can\u2019t make it out\nto the movies this week or need to keep yourself in quarantine, be sure to give\none of these titles a try!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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ALI & AVA \u2013 In this British drama, sparks fly between\ntwo lonely people over the course of one month. Ali is a man struggling with\nthe dissolution of his marriage (which is exacerbated by the fact that his ex still\nlives in his home), while Ava is a single mom trying to cope with four wild\nkids. After crossing paths, the two share their personal problems and an\nattraction grows. They try to put aside their current struggles and build a relationship\namidst the turmoil. Notices were excellent for the film. One or two either\ndidn\u2019t buy into the relationship or thought the characters were too flawed for\ntheir liking. Everyone else wrote that the lead performers were phenomenal and\nthat the picture provided an authentic, unexpected yet believable connection\nbetween the two main individuals. At present, this is a DVD-only release. It\nstars Adeel Akhtar, Claire Rushbrook, Ellora Torchia and Shaun Roberts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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BAD ROADS \u2013 Eastern Ukraine and the Donbas region is the\nsetting for this war drama. Taking place during an earlier Russian invasion of\nthe area in 2014, the anthology tells four stories set on backroads. Various\ncitizens attempt to endure and survive hardship during the battle, while a few\ntry to take control of the terrible situation and use it to their benefit. This\nforeign-language film was released in 2020 and earned plenty of awards in its\nhomeland, as well as nominations at several European film festivals. Reaction\ntowards the movie was generally positive. One reviewer complained that it\noffered little insight on the conflict and wasn\u2019t thrilling. Still, the\nmajority thought the different stories were twisty and interesting, presenting\na stirring look at the effects of war on the civilian population. Currently,\nthis is a DVD-only release. Andrey Lelyukh, Igor Koltovskyy and Anna\nZhurakovskaya headline the film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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COUNTY LINE: ALL IN \u2013 This independent effort is actually a\nsequel to County Line<\/em>, a 2017 action picture made for disc. The story\nappears to be set in the south. When a local lawyer with plenty of nasty\nclients is found dead between two county lines, an old-fashioned lawman and a\nyoung, newly elected female sheriff from the different districts are forced to\nwork together. Initially, they dislike each other intensely, but as the\nmurderer continues racking up victims, they begin to see eye-to-eye and work\ntogether to stop the slayings. This is another DVD-only feature and hasn\u2019t been\nseen by many critics. A few online reviewers who snagged review copies suggest\nthat the movie is better-than-average for direct-to-disc fare. They credit the\ncharismatic work of the principal actors. It stars Tom Wopat, Kelsey Crane,\nDenim Richards and Patricia Richardson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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MR. MALCOLM\u2019S LIST \u2013 This period romantic-comedy takes place\nin the 18th<\/sup> century and follows London\u2019s most eligible bachelor.\nWhen a woman who wants to be his bride is turned down because she fails to meet\nhis qualifications, she decides to take revenge on him. The lady uses her\nknowledge and convinces her best friend to put on a performance that will\nenrapture the suitor so they can turn the tables on him. It isn\u2019t long before\nthe bachelor himself falls for the dream girl\u2026 and begins to wonder if it might\nbe a hoax. The press responded favorably to this feature. A small number\ncomplained that some of the sets and dialogue was anachronistic, also\nsuggesting the story was contrived and felt like a TV-sitcom episode. But the\nmajority liked the work of the relatively unknown cast, appreciated the striking\nvisuals and lavish sets and believed it was an entertaining attempt to emulate\nstories like those of Jane Austen. It features Freida Selena Pinto, Sope\nDirisu, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Ashley Park and Theo James.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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MURDER AT YELLOWSTONE CITY \u2013 After arriving at an old\nMontana town on the decline, a former slave looking for a new start is charged\nwith murder. He learns that a local prospector who recently discovered gold has\nbeen slain and that the nasty sheriff has blamed him for the killing. A local\npriest and his wife come forward with an alibi, but they are ignored by the\ntown authority. The pair decide to help the arrested man out and find out who\nreally committed the crime. Critics generally panned this western. A small\ncontingent thought it was an effective independent gunslinger picture aided by\na top-notch cast. However, the majority complained that the screenplay really\nlet the performers down. They wrote that the pacing was slow and the overall\ntone seemed too somber. The cast includes Isaiah Mustafa, Gabriel Byrne, Thomas\nJane, Anna Camp, Nat Wolff and Richard Dreyfuss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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REFLECTION \u2013 If you\u2019re looking for more titles detailing the\nwar in Donbas, Ukraine, you have a second option this week. This tale is also\nset in 2014 and involves a Ukrainian surgeon who is kidnapped by Russian\nsoldiers. While imprisoned, the protagonist witnesses horrific war crimes and\nincredible suffering. He is forced to spend his time dispensing mercy killings\nfor other inmates. After his eventual release, the traumatized figure attempts\nto start all over again by rebuilding relationships with his ex-wife and\ndaughter. Only one reviewer in North America disliked this Ukrainian title,\ncriticizing it as emotionally flat and unmoving. Everyone else thought it was a\ntimely, emotional and complex redemption story that offered hints of hope in\nbetween all the horrors. This is currently a DVD-only release. Roman Lutskyi,\nStanislav Aseyev, Oleksandr Danyliuk and Nadiya Levchenko headline the film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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And there is plenty to choose from for those looking to\ncatch up with some older titles. Blue Underground is releasing a \u201cSpecial\nEdition\u201d Blu-ray of a Spaghetti Western with Tony Anthony called Get Mean<\/em>\n(1975). It\u2019s about an American cowboy tasked with escorting a princess back to\nher home in Spain. Along the way, he faces evil spirits and a sinister\nhunchback. The movie was previously released in 2015 but has been out-of-print\nfor some time. This new edition includes a commentary track with Anthony, as\nwell as the co-writer and the executive producer. You\u2019ll also get on-camera\ninterviews with the three commentary participants, a discussion with a second\nexecutive producer, a talk with the director, deleted scenes and tons of\npublicity materials.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are also putting out Love Camp 7<\/em> (1969). It\u2019s a\nWWII genre picture about two undercover agents in a POW camp who learn\nhorrifying secrets about the prison and try to free the prisoners. The Blu-ray\ncomes with a new 4K restoration of the flick, a special on Nazi-exploitation\nmovies, a trailer, a poster and still gallery, as well as a booklet further\nanalyzing the subgenre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The French classic crime-drama The Burned Barns<\/em>\n(1973) is arriving on Blu-ray from Cohen Media. When a dead body is found on a\nfarm, a judge believes that the family living there are responsible and feels\ncompelled to entrap them and prove himself right. This effort stars Alain Delon\nand Simone Signoret. The foreign-language film has been given a 4K restoration\nand comes with 26 minutes of crew interviews, as well as a trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Criterion is presenting Sidney Poitier\u2019s Buck and the\nPreacher<\/em> (1972) on Blu-ray. It\u2019s a western about a wagon master and a\ncon-man preacher who decide to stand up for the freed slaves in the West who\nare being abused by labor agents. Besides directing, Poitier also stars in the\ntitle with Harry Belafonte. The film has been restored in 4K and includes an\nexpert and author detailing the history of African-American westerns. There is\nalso behind-the-scenes footage included with Poitier and Belafonte, interviews\nwith the pair from 1972, a new conversation with Belafonte\u2019s daughter and an\nessay on the feature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hotel du Nord<\/em> (1938) is a French drama\/comedy about a\ngroup of social outcasts residing in the titular boardinghouse. This Blu-ray\ncomes with a 2K restoration of the film, a conversation with director and fan\nof the movie Jean-Pierre Jeunet (The City of Lost Children, Amelie, A Very\nLong Engagement, Micmacs<\/em>), a television program from 1972 on the making-of\nthe feature, a documentary on the career of the director, a trailer and an\nessay on the title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cult Epics is presenting Naked Over the Fence<\/em> (1973),\na Dutch thriller about an aspiring singer who is cast in a movie, only to later\nlearn that it is an adult production. She and a friend run away and later\ndiscover that the filmmaker has been murdered, leaving them as suspects in the\ncrime. This \u201cLimited Edition\u201d Blu-ray has a 4K transfer of the movie from the\noriginal negative, a film expert commentary, a 1978 behind-the-scenes special\non the production, interviews with the director and the score composer, as well\nas stills and trailers. The release also includes a CD of the soundtrack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Tarzan Vault Collection<\/em> is arriving on Blu-ray\nfrom The Film Detective. It\u2019s a two-disc set containing Tarzan of the Apes<\/em>\n(1918), Adventures of Tarzan<\/em> (1921) and The New Adventures of Tarzan<\/em>\n(1935). The flicks are newly remastered for disc and there are film expert\ncommentaries on two titles, as well as a feature-length documentary on the\nmovies. You\u2019ll also get essays for each title and a featurette on the comic\nbook series that inspired them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While this release is actually a TV-series, readers should know that Kino is presenting seasons 1 and 2 of The Outer Limits<\/em> on Blu-ray. Pictured above and to the left, this great science-fiction show ran on ABC from 1963 to 1965 and was the network\u2019s answer to the classic hit CBS series The Twilight Zone<\/em>, which started airing a few years earlier. The Outer Limits<\/em> also had some fantastic and memorable episodes that are well worth checking out. The set includes audio commentaries on all episodes by a group of authorities on the program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also pick up a 4K Ultra HD exclusive of the stellar\nStanley Kubrick war drama, Paths of Glory<\/em> (1957). Kino has upgraded the\nimage from previous editions. Alas, no Blu-ray is included in this\nrelease.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, the distributor is making When Tomorrow\nComes<\/em> (1939) available. It\u2019s a drama about a famous pianist who falls for a\nwaitress. Unexpectedly, the two are forced to endure a hurricane together. The\ndisc includes a 2K master of the picture, a movie historian commentary and\ntrailers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In celebration of its 35th<\/sup> anniversary, Lionsgate\nis presenting Dirty Dancing<\/em> (1987) in a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray\nSteelbook set. These discs have been released before and are simply being\ncombined here in new packaging. So, while the box art is nice, if you don\u2019t\nneed or want both discs you might want to consider purchasing the older\nversions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Fans of action films will be pleased with the \u201cSpecial\nEdition\u201d Blu-rays that Scorpion is putting out this week. First up is the\nJean-Claude Van Damme prison flick, Death Warrant<\/em> (1990). This one comes\nwith a director commentary, interviews with co-stars Patrick Kilpatrick and Art\nLaFleur, as well as trailers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Death Wish 3<\/em> (1985) is one of my favorite over-the-top, so-cheesy-it\u2019s-fun pictures. Pictured to the right, Charles Bronson returns as a vigilante who decides to wipe out an entire gang of hoodlums terrorizing a New York neighborhood. As a friend once pointed out to me, look at the district at the beginning of the movie and then again during the end credits (it\u2019s partially blown-up, on fire and in a state of chaos) and you\u2019ll wonder if the hero really did anything positive for the community. Extras on this Blu-ray include a commentary from a Bronson expert and an interview with co-star Kirk Taylor.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, you can pick up a Blu-ray of The Delta\nForce<\/em> (1986) with Chuck Norris and Lee Marvin as commandos sent to take on\nterrorists who have hi-jacked a plane. It features archived discussions with\nco-stars Robert Forster, Alain Jakubowicz and James Bruner. The disc also\nincludes a trailer. The distributor is also making a Standard Edition Blu-ray\navailable for the enjoyable Chuck Norris flick, Lone Wolf McQuade<\/em>\n(1983). In this effort, the star plays a Texas Ranger taking on a sinister gun\nsmuggler played by David Carradine. It\u2019s an enjoyably over-the-top one and the\ndisc has a director and cast commentary, as well as on-camera interviews with\nthe participants from the audio track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray \u201cCollector\u2019s Edition\u201d of Dog\nSoldiers<\/em> (2002) is also arriving courtesy of Shout! Factory. This was\nreleased a few years back by the distributor and the image quality was heavily\ncriticized. They\u2019ve gone back with director Neil Marshall (The Descent,\nCenturion<\/em>) to upgrade the picture and correct all of the problems. If\nyou\u2019re unfamiliar with the title, it is an exceptional low-budget horror flick\nabout a group of soldiers doing training exercises in the Scottish Highlands.\nThey are attacked by werewolves and must survive the brutal onslaught. This\nmovie is thrilling, the performances are engaging and the make-up effects are\nexcellent as well. The numerous commentaries and extras from previous releases\nare all included on this one too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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And you can purchase the animated family adventure title, Ferngully: The Last Rainforest<\/em> (1992) in a 30th<\/sup> Anniversary Blu-ray and DVD set. It was an early children\u2019s effort promoting environmentalism and conservation and follows a group of magical creatures from a rainforest trying to save their home from some nasty humans. The voice cast includes Christian Slater, Samantha Mathis, Tim Curry, Cheech Marin, Tommy Chong and Tone Loc. This movie flopped during its original release but has built up a following over the years. The picture has been mastered from a new 4K scan of the film elements and the disc includes a director introduction, as well as a commentary, making-of and more bonuses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

VCI is delivering Luis Bu\u00f1uel\u2019s The Criminal Life of\nArchibald de la Cruz<\/em> (1955) on Blu-ray. This is a Mexican picture about a\nkiller obsessed with committing the perfect murder. Bu\u00f1uel wrote and directed\nthe film, which is very highly regarded and won awards in its homeland during\nits original release. The disc features a 30-minute visual essay on the movie\nand its importance in the history of cinema.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, Visual Vengeance is presenting another in their\nline of shot-on-video genre flicks. Suburban Sasquatch<\/em> (2004) follows a\nblood-thirsty bigfoot on a killing spree in a sprawling suburban park area.\nIt’s up to a couple of rangers, a reporter and a mystical Native-American\nWarrior to try and stop the monster. As with previous Blu-rays, there are a ton\nof extras, including multiple commentary tracks, a RIFFTRAX version, outtakes,\nbehind-the-scenes footage, publicity materials and much, much more!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

You\u2019ll find a list of all the kid-friendly titles coming\nyour way below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ferngully: The Last Rainforest<\/em> (1992) (Shout!) 30th<\/sup> Anniversary Blu-ray and DVD
Llama Llama: Together Forever<\/em>: Season 2 (Genius Brands) DVD
Stan Lee\u2019s Superhero Kindergarten: Superpower Sleepover!<\/em> (Genius Brands) 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

Chicago Fire<\/em>: Season 10 (Universal) DVD
Llama Llama: Together Forever<\/em>: Season 2 (Genius Brands) DVD
Naomi<\/em>: The Complete Series (Warner Bros.) Blu-ray
NCIS: Los Angeles<\/em>: Season 13 (Paramount) DVD
The Outer Limits<\/em>: Season 1 (Kino) Blu-ray
The Outer Limits<\/em>: Season 2 (Kino) Blu-ray
Stan Lee\u2019s Superhero Kindergarten: Superpower Sleepover<\/em> (Genius Brands) DVD
Starhunter Redux<\/em>: The Complete Series \u2013 Collector\u2019s Edition (Shout! Factory) Blu-ray
Too Close<\/em>: Series 1 (Image) DVD \u00a0\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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