{"id":25699,"date":"2022-12-01T22:30:34","date_gmt":"2022-12-02T06:30:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=25699"},"modified":"2022-12-01T22:30:34","modified_gmt":"2022-12-02T06:30:34","slug":"blu-ray-dvd-roundup-for-november-29th-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=25699","title":{"rendered":"Blu-ray\/DVD Roundup for November 29th, 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome to another look at the latest titles arriving on\nBlu-ray and DVD. Once again, there is a big studio release, as well as plenty\nof interesting independent fare. So, if you can\u2019t make it out to the movies\nthis week or need to stay indoors, be sure to give one of these movies a try!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

AMITYVILLE KAREN \u2013 My goodness, there are an awful lot of Amityville<\/em>\nfilms. Since the 1979 original (based on the bestselling book), there have been\nmore than 35 titles with the word in the title. The latest appears to have\nlittle to do with the original location or story. It\u2019s a low-budget,\nindependent effort about a nasty and entitled middle-aged woman who spends her\ndays treating others horribly. After she steals a bottle of wine, she becomes\npossessed by an evil spirit and goes on a murder spree. It turns out that the\nbooze has a connection to the notorious haunted house. Few have seen this\ncomedy\/horror flick. A couple of online write-ups state that there are a couple\nof amusing murders, but that the script and pacing is poor and the end result\nis tedious. It features Lauren Francesca and James Duval.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DETECTIVE KNIGHT: ROGUE \u2013 The latest low-budget\ndirect-to-disc action picture with Bruce Willis follows a good cop from Los\nAngeles whose partner is critically wounded during a heist. Determined to catch\nthe masked thieves responsible, the lead follows the trail to New York City. As\nthe threats and violence between him and the criminals escalate, local\ndetectives get involved in the case and discover secrets about the cop. Critics\nso far have been split on this title. Half stated that it was better than\nrecent efforts featuring Willis, but that the story still didn\u2019t provide enough\noriginality to make it memorable. All others called it just another in a long\nline of pictures that completely wastes the talent of its cast. The cast also\nfeatures Lochlyn Munro, Beau Mirchoff and Jimmy Jean-Louis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

DON\u2019T WORRY DARLING \u2013 In this thriller, a woman living a seemingly idyllic life in a closed off community begins witnessing strange events. She begins to question why she and other wives don\u2019t know what their husbands do for a living. As the protagonist becomes more determined to find out the truth about the town and what is going on behind the scenes, she comes under attack. Response was muted towards this effort. About one-third of the press thought the visuals were stunning and that the excellent work of the performer kept them engaged. Still, the majority wrote that while the movie looked great, the big twist wasn\u2019t unexpected and that the screenwriters had issues covering plot holes and delivering a logical conclusion. It stars Florence Pugh, Harry Styles, Olivia Wilde, Gemma Chan, Kiki Layne and Chris Pine. To read a review of the movie, click here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

EMERGENCY DECLARATION \u2013 A detective investigating a deadly\nvirus gets horrible news when he learns that the terrorist who engineered it\nhas hopped onto an international flight bound for the US. As if that wasn\u2019t bad\nenough, he learns that his wife is on the very same airplane. When the pilot\nbecomes incapacitated, the hero has to contact the passengers and advise them\non how to survive the ordeal. This foreign-language disaster movie from South\nKorea received more positive reviews than negative ones. Those who disliked the\npicture stated that it copied just about every disaster movie clich\u00e9 in the\nbook and offered little that was new or original. Still, the majority found it\nto be a well-made and tense thriller. They also appreciated the elaborate set\nand effects (apparently, a 747 was built to scale for the movie and placed on a\ngimbal to allow for some impressive spins). Song Kang-ho, Lee Byung-hun and\nJeon Do-yeon headline the film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

EMILY THE CRIMINAL \u2013 In this crime\/drama, a young woman has\ndifficulty finding a job to pay her loans, all because of a minor conviction in\nher past. Desperate, she accepts a position in a credit card fraud ring.\nThrough several dangerous interactions and altercations, the lead soon learns\nthe ropes and begins branching out on her own. As she continues her pursuits,\nshe is targeted by law enforcement, businesses and other criminals. This\npicture garnered excellent response from the press. A small number complained\nthat it wasn\u2019t as meaningful as it could have been and didn\u2019t effectively\ncritique capitalism. Everyone else thought the lead was phenomenal and her\ncharacter enthralling. These reviewers also called the film consistently\nhair-raising and unpredictable. It features Aubrey Plaza, Theo Rossi, Megalyn\nEchikunwokeand Gina Gershon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

GRAND JETE \u2013 This international title from Germany involves\nan obsessed teenage ballet dancer who abandons everything to focus on her\ncareer. After an unexpected pregnancy, she gives her son up and allows her\ngrandmother to raise him. Many years later as an adult, she has transformed\ninto a stern ballet teacher who seems focused on appearance. When she meets her\nnow teenage son, she begins to develop an unhealthy attraction to him. This\npicture earned a few prizes in its homeland but has had a difficult time\nreaching audiences or critics in this part of the world (no doubt due to the\nsubject matter). Among those who have seen it, reaction has been favorable. A\nfew have commented that all the characters were unlikable and unrelatable, but\nthe majority stated that the performers were excellent and the photography\nstriking. Sarah Nevada Grether and Emil von Sch\u00f6nfels headline the film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

MONA LISA AND THE BLOOD MOON \u2013 A young woman with strange\nmental powers escapes from a mental asylum and flees to New Orleans. Once\nthere, she befriends a single-mother in dire financial straits. The parent\ntakes the lost figure in, but decides to use her in order to make some fast\ncash. They begin a criminal enterprise that is initially lucrative, but also\ndraws the attention of the police. Overall response to this unique thriller was\nupbeat. About one-quarter of critics did comment that the pacing was slow and\nthat the film didn\u2019t manage to drum up much suspense or excitement. Still, the\nconsensus was that the movie was unique and did benefit from its charismatic\ncast. They also thought it looked great and delivered some big laughs. It stars\nKate Hudson, Jeon Jong-seo, Ed Skrein, Evan Whitten and Craig Robinson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PRANCER: A CHRISTMAS TALE \u2013 This family fable is debuting on\nstreaming sites and on disc. The story involves a 10-year-old girl who spends a\ngreat deal of her time attending to her recently widowed grandfather. When the\nextended family gathers for holiday celebrations, a reindeer appears near their\nhome. The patriarch comes to believe that this animal may be magical, while his\ngranddaughter tries to hide his views from attendees, fearing they will send\nhim away to a retirement home. There are currently no reviews available for\nthis picture, so interested readers will have to go in completely blind.\nHowever, all should be warned that when something isn\u2019t screened for reviewers,\nit is often not exceptional. James Cromwell, Darcey Ewart and Sarah-Jane Potts\nheadline the film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

THE SILENT TWINS – June and Jennifer Gibbons were identical\ntwins who grew up in Wales. Completely engrossed in their own world, the pair\nonly communicated with each other and ignored everyone else in the community.\nThis biopic tells their unusual story, depicting who they were and the\nincredible world they created to escape the reality of their own lives. Notices\nwere positive for this drama co-production between the UK and Poland. There was\na group who didn\u2019t like the final result, suggesting that it really didn\u2019t help\nviewers get into the psyche of the siblings or explain the reasons for their\nunusual behavior. However, the majority stated that the movie was completely\nunique and had great visual style. They liked that it didn\u2019t get into specific\ndetails and allowed viewers to interpret what was going on for themselves. It\nstars Letitia Wright, Tamara Lawrence, Leah Mondesir-Simmonds and Michael\nSmiley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

If you\u2019re looking for something older, you have options as\nwell. Canadian International Pictures is an independent outfit committed to\nreleasing small films from its home country on Blu-ray \u2013 they often pair with\ndistributor Severin Films on some of their releases. This week, The\nAmityville Curse<\/em> (1990) is arriving in high definition. It\u2019s the fifth Amityville<\/em>\nflick and features protagonists trying to purchase and flip the famous\nproperty, only to learn that the spirits inside would rather see them dead than\nget remodeled. The disc includes a film historian commentary, video conference\ncall interviews with the director, the director\u2019s assistant and a cast member,\nas well as the cinematographer and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cohen Media Group is presenting a couple of new Blu-ray\ntitles. Entre Nous<\/em> (1983) is a French WWII drama about a Jewish woman in\noccupied France marrying a soldier in order to escape deportation to Germany.\nThe film has been restored in 4K for this release and arrives with a lengthy\ndirector interview and a trailer.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

A Knife in the Head<\/em> (1978) is a German title that\nfollows a man who is shot in the head while following his estranged wife. He\nhas to recover from the incident and piece together fragmented memories to\nfigure out what happened. The disc comes with a director interview and one with\nthe producer of the film.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those who enjoy giant monster movies may be curious about Legends\nof Dinosaurs and Monster Birds<\/em> (1977) from Discotek Media. This Japanese\ntale involves a village that is menaced by a plesiosaur from the depths of the\nsea\u2026 until another strange creature hatched from an egg shows up on the\nscene.  This is the movie\u2019s first release on Blu-ray and it comes with the\noriginal Japanese language track with English subtitles and an English dub.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Soup<\/em> (1992) is arriving on Blu-ray from\nFactory 25. It\u2019s a comedy about a struggling New York screenwriter that\nfeatures a great cast including Steve Buscemi, Seymour Cassel, Jennifer Beals\nand Will Patton. You\u2019ll also get a conversation with the director as well as\none of his short films. Additionally, there is a 30 page booklet containing\nnotes from Buscemi, Beals and the director.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fun City Editions is presenting Cutter\u2019s Way<\/em> (1981)\nwith Jeff Bridges and John Heard on Blu-ray. The story involves a cynical,\nwounded Viet Nam veteran who tries to help a friend after they are accused of a\nmurder they didn\u2019t commit. The disc contains a ton of extras like three\ncommentary tracks (one with the author of the original novel, another with film\nhistorians and a third with the assistant director and production manager),\ncast and crew interviews (including Bridges in an audio discussion on the film)\nand publicity materials.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kino is releasing the Kirk Douglas crime film Detective\nStory<\/em> (1951) on Blu-ray. The movie follows a busy day in the life of a\nhard-nosed detective. The feature has been remastered for disc from a 4K scan\nof the original camera negative. Bonuses include a film historian commentary\nand a trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The distributor also has a couple of Blu-ray box sets\narriving on store shelves. Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema XI<\/em>\ncontains A Woman\u2019s Vengeance<\/em> (1948), I Was a Shoplifter<\/em> (1950)\nand Behind the High Wall<\/em> (1956). The first title has been given a 4K\nrestoration and comes with a film professor audio track, while the other titles\nare presented with 2K restorations and arrive with trailers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second is a two-disc set called French Noir\nCollection<\/em>. This release features Speaking of Murder <\/em>(1957), Back\nto the Wall<\/em> (1958) and Witness in the City<\/em> (1959). All of the films\nhave been restored in 2K by Gaumont Pictures in France.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, there is the double-feature Blu-ray Inspector\nMaigret<\/em>, which presents the French murder-mystery titles PicPus<\/em>\n(1943) and Cecile is Dead!<\/em> (1944). The set includes trailers for the\nmovies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Joseph Cotton stars in the thriller Peking Express<\/em>\n(1951), which is about a group of refugees who must square off against outlaws\nwhile fleeing China via a locomotive. This release includes a 4K restoration of\nthe feature from Paramount Pictures, movie critic commentary and a trailer.\nSpeaking of thrillers, The Unguarded Moment<\/em> (1956) is another suspense\npicture. Esther Williams takes on a dramatic role as a high school teacher who\nis stalked by a violent peeping tom. This title includes a 2K film restoration,\ntwo film expert commentary tracks and a trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And there\u2019s more! Alma\u2019s Rainbow<\/em> (1994) is arriving on Blu-ray from Milestone. Pictured above and to the right, t\u2019s a coming-of-age tale about three black women dealing with teen issues like beauty, self-image and the rights they have over their bodies. This movie has been restored in 4K for this release and the disc comes with a panel discussion, an oral history of the film and approximately nine short films from the director made prior to this effort. Sounds like a lot of impressive extras for fans of the movie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This week, Severin are presenting several genre titles on\nBlu-ray. Blood Hunt <\/em>(1985) is a Spanish shocker about a village that\nhunts down teenage drug addicts as human prey. It is being made available in\nNorth America for the first time ever with a 2K scan from the original\nnegative. Libido<\/em> (1965) is an early \u201cgiallo\u201d from Italy involving a\nyoung man who becomes a murderer as a result of witnessing his father slay a\nwoman. This film has been given a 2K restoration. It comes with a director\ninterview, a film historian commentary and a trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mansion of the Living Dead<\/em> (1982) is a trashy little\nhorror flick from Jess Franco involving vacationing waitresses who encounter\nundead monks. There is ample blood and nudity in this offering. The Blu-ray\nfeatures a fully restored picture from original elements. And you can also pick\nup The Shadowed Mind<\/em> (1988) is a South African genre flick set in an\nasylum for the sexually insane (yes, you read that right). The movie was banned\nby the government during its original release. This edition presents the movie\nuncut in 2K, scanned from the director’s own 35mm print \u2013 the only film element\nin existence \u2013 and featuring a career-spanning interview with the filmmaker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shout! Factory occasionally releases Blu-ray titles as\nexclusives available only on their website. This week The Evil That Men Do<\/em>\n(1984) is appearing as one of the above titles. This feature stars Charlies\nBronson as a professional hit man who goes rogue and targets a Central American\ntorture ring after they murder a friend. You\u2019ll get both the R-rated and\nUnrated cuts of the movie, as well as a TV cut, along with a theatrical\ntrailer.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018R Xmas<\/em> (2001) is a hard-hitting drama about\nsocialite parents who turn into heroin dealers. They get into trouble when\ncompeting outfits target the entire family. Abel Ferrara (Bad Lieutenant,\nKing of New York<\/em>) made the picture and the disc comes with a director\ncommentary and trailer. Both of these titles are limited to 1500 copies, so\npick them up fast if you want them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vinegar Syndrome is releasing the wild and surreal Italian\nslasher flick Blood Delirium<\/em> (1988) on Blu-ray. An artist searching for\nthe perfect shade of red paint decides to give blood a try. This title arrives\nwith a film historian commentary, an interview with the lead actor and the\nassociate director, as well as the female lead. It also comes with Italian\nfront and end titles and a trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t Open Till Christmas<\/em> (1984) is an English\nholiday-themed slasher about an escaped maniac targeting those wearing clothing\nresembling Santa. The movie has been given a 2K scan and comes with numerous\nbonuses. There\u2019s a film historian commentary, multiple extended interviews with\nthe director (who stepped in to reshoot and finish the movie after the previous\ndirector was fired), as well as with co-star Caroline Munro. You\u2019ll also get a\ndiscussion with the daughter of the first director on the project, an archival\nmaking-of, deleted and extended scenes, a location tour and publicity\nmaterials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pictured above, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2<\/em> (1986) is an underrated horror sequel that follows the sinister cannibalistic Sawyer clan in the 80s as they embrace capitalism and open their own food truck business. This creeper took a darkly humorous approach. It was once available through Shout! Factory, but went out-of-print some time ago. Now, Severin is releasing a new limited edition (of 10,000 copies) with a hard case containing the film in 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray. The film has been given a 4K restoration from the original camera negative and comes with a new movie critic commentary. You\u2019ll also get three previously recorded commentary tracks. One is with director Tobe Hooper. Another features the cast and the other has crew members commenting on their experiences. There are also 8 new interviews with various cast and crew, never-before-seen extended discussion footage with Hooper that was shot for Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films, the memorable deleted scenes, and much, much more. This is a must own for anyone who enjoys the series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Werewolf Versus the Vampire Woman<\/em> (1971) is also\narriving in a limited edition 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray package. It stars Paul\nNaschy and is about a werewolf who is accidentally brought back from the dead\nafter a silver bullet is removed from his body. He decides to help humanity by\nstopping a vampire from wiping out a village. You\u2019ll get three different\nversions of the movie, a feature length documentary on star Naschy, an\ninterview with the actor\u2019s son, alternate titles, archival articles and\nbehind-the-scenes galleries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Visual Vengeance is a distributor that releases low-budget\nshot-on-video titles from the past few decades. Their latest is a Collector\u2019s\nEdition Blu-ray of Heartland of Darkness<\/em> (1992). It\u2019s about a journalist\nwho discovers that his new hometown is being controlled by a Satanic reverend\nand his flock. The film arrives on home video for the very first time in any\nformat and contains bonuses that spotlight the original creators and document\nthe production\u2019s long history.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, Well Go USA is delivering the fantastic South\nKorean zombie horror flick Train to Busan<\/em> (2016) in a 4K Ultra HD and\nBlu-ray combo package that contains all previously released extras along with\nnew and improved picture quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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

Prancer: A Christmas Tale<\/em> (Universal) Blu-ray<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sherlock Hound<\/em>: Complete and Unabridged<\/em>\n(1984-1985 Japanese animated series) (Discotek Media) Blu-ray<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tom and Jerry\u2019s Snowman Land<\/em> (Warner Bros.) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

And you\u2019ll find all the week\u2019s TV-themed releases listed\nbelow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Borgias<\/em>: The Complete Series (Paramount) Blu-ray<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Flight Attendant<\/em>: Seasons 1 & 2 (Warner\nBros.) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ghosts<\/em>: Season 1 (Lionsgate) Blu-ray<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Masterpiece \u2013 Annika<\/em>: Season 1 (PBS) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Offer<\/em> (TV Mini-series) (Paramount) Blu-ray<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Riverdale<\/em>: Season 6 (Warner Bros.) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ron Carter: Finding the Right Notes<\/em> (PBS) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sherlock Hound<\/em>: Complete and Unabridged<\/em>\n(1984-1985 Japanese animated series) (Discotek Media) Blu-ray<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Westworld<\/em>: Season 4 (Warner Bros.) 4K Ultra HD and\nBlu-ray or Blu-ray only<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n