{"id":25841,"date":"2023-01-02T23:41:59","date_gmt":"2023-01-03T07:41:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=25841"},"modified":"2023-01-02T23:41:59","modified_gmt":"2023-01-03T07:41:59","slug":"blu-ray-dvd-roundup-for-january-3rd-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=25841","title":{"rendered":"Blu-ray\/DVD Roundup for January 3rd, 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome back to another look at highlights arriving on\nBlu-ray and DVD. With the holiday just ending, it\u2019s a shorter list than usual,\nbut there are still plenty of interesting titles coming your way. So, if you\ncan\u2019t make it out to the movies this week or need to stay indoors, be sure to\ncheck out one of these titles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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ARMAGEDDON TIME \u2013 This period drama is loosely based on the personal experiences of writer\/director James Gray (Ad Astra<\/em>, The Lost City of Z<\/em>). A young boy struggles at school and has a difficult time getting on with his parents, but shows interest in other areas. When he meets a young black student being treated unfairly by teachers, the two become fast friends. As the school year passes, both of the kids face challenges and plot to run away from home. Reaction towards the picture was generally positive. About one-quarter of reviewers had trouble connecting with the characters and found it overly sentimental. Regardless, the majority liked the young actors, found that the movie handled its themes in a thoughtful manner. They also said it perfectly captured the era it was set in. It stars Anne Hathaway, Jeremy Strong, Banks Repeta, Jaylin Webb and Anthony Hopkins. Read a full review of the movie here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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THE BARN PART II \u2013 The 2016 independent horror film The\nBarn<\/em> was set in 1989 and followed a group of friends driving to a concert.\nThey awaken an evil force after their car breaks next to a barn. This sequel\npicks up after the end of a lengthy ban on holiday festivities in the area. A\nsorority decides to turn the very same barn into a haunted house and open it to\nthe public. They soon discover the evil forces residing within the building.\nThis effort is debuting on disc and thus far there are only a few notices from\ngenre fans available. They enjoyed the picture, commenting that it effectively\nrecreates the feeling of old, direct-to-video horror movies from the early\n1990s. These writers also appreciated the numerous cameos from genre veterans.\nThe cast includes Diana Prince, Linnea Quigley, Doug Bradley, Julie Anne Prescott,\nLloyd Kaufman and John Blood (aka Joe Bob Briggs).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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BLACK ADAM \u2013 The latest comic book superhero movie\nadaptation to arrive on disc features this character from the DC universe. It\nall starts 5000 years ago with an Egyptian boy being bestowed with incredible\npowers by ancient gods. After being imprisoned for centuries, Black Adam\nreturns when a new villain arises with plans to rule the world. The mighty\nfigure must adapt to the modern world and learn who he can trust before trying\nmeting out justice. Reviews were surprisingly poor for this expensive epic.\nSlightly more than one-third of write-ups thought it delivered enough action\nand star power to overcome its story flaws and earn the movie a modest\nrecommendation. But the majority thought the lead\u2019s charisma was wasted and\nthat the film was over-the-top, repetitive and ultimately a slog to watch. It\nfeatures Dwayne Johnson, Aldis Hodge, Pierce Brosnan, Noah Centineo, Sarah\nShahi, Quintessa Swindell, Marwan Kenzari and Henry Winkler.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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MEMORIES OF MY FATHER \u2013 Those looking for an international\ndrama can check out this effort from Spain. It\u2019s a biopic detailing the life of\nH\u00e9ctor Abad G\u00f3mez, a doctor and human rights activist in Columbia during the\n1970s. The film was made by the man\u2019s son and it begins with G\u00f3mez teaching\nhis family tolerance and love. Unfortunately, they are faced with terrible\nchallenges after cancer takes the life of one of his children. He begins\nfighting for social and political causes, putting his life at risk in the\nprocess. The press rated this feature quite highly. A small contingent thought\nit was slow and lacked tension, also suggesting that the final act was overly\nmelodramatic. Still, everyone else thought the father-son connection in the\nfilm was authentic and on-point, calling the end result well-acted and moving.\nIt stars Javier C\u00e1maraand Nicol\u00e1s Reyes Cano.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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ON THE LINE \u2013 This independent thriller follows a radio talk\nshow host who goes through an ordeal one night on the job. While broadcasting,\nhe gets a call from a maniac who has stalked the lead and is threatening to\nkill his family live on the air while they talk. To save his loved ones, the\nhost plays a survival game with his tormentor and tries to keep the figure on\nthe line until police can help. This effort didn\u2019t impress critics and is\ndebuting on disc as a DVD-only title. A few found the movie tense, thought the\nlead was good in the role and complimented the feature as one that left a\nlonger impression than expected. The rest criticized the screenplay for having outrageous\nand unbelievable plot twists that took them out of the story. The cast includes\nMel Gibson, William Moseley, Alia Seror-O’Neill, Paul Spera and Kevin Dillon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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PREY FOR THE DEVIL \u2013 According to the writers behind this\nhorror movie, the number of recent demonic possessions have been going through\nthe roof. Learning about the shortage of exorcists, Sister Ann decides to\nbecome one. She joins a school for wannabe exorcists opened by the Catholic\nChurch. After meeting with some resistance as the institute\u2019s first female\nstudent, the lead finds herself locked in a battle to save the soul of a young,\npossessed girl. Reviewers generally panned this release. A few were amused by\nthe concept and thought it contained a few decent jump-scares. Everyone else thought\nit was derivative, poorly written and, at times, ridiculous to the point of\nbeing unintentionally funny. The movie features Jacqueline Byers, Colin Salmon,\nChristian Navarro, Lisa Palfrey and Ben Cross.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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THE SYSTEM \u2013 A young soldier returns from abroad only to\nfind himself accidentally caught up in the middle of a drug bust. Authorities\ntell the lead that he shows promise as an agent and hire him. He is assigned to\ngo undercover as an inmate and investigate illegal activities at a\npenitentiary. But after arriving, the hero discovers that the sinister warden\norganizes and forces prisoners to participate in an underground fighting ring.\nThe lead has to use his fists and his brains to outsmart the warden and survive.\nResponse towards this independent action film was mixed-negative. Nearly half\nsuggested that it reminded them of 80s genre pictures and effectively depicted\ncriminal behavior on the part of prison staff. Still, the consensus was that\nthe movie was exaggerated, unmemorable and ultimately silly. It stars Tyrese\nGibson, Terrence Howard, Jeremy Piven and Lil Yachty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

This edition is a little lean on classic releases getting\nupgrades, but there are a couple of noteworthy products arriving on store\nshelves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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First up is The Adventures of Baron Munchausen<\/em> (1988)\nfrom Criterion. For those unfamiliar with this title from Terry Gilliam (Monty\nPython and the Holy Grail, Time Bandits, Brazil, The Fisher King, 12 Monkeys,\nFear and Loathing in Las Vegas<\/em>), this period tale is about a young girl who\nmeets a well-intentioned but exaggerated storyteller in a small town that is\nbeing invaded by Turkish forces. The famous figure decides to set the record\nstraight and tells a wildly fantastic tale about his life and how he can help\nthe citizens avoid invasion. The movie stars John Neville as the title\ncharacter and Sarah Polley (director of the upcoming film, Women Talking<\/em>)\nas his young friend. Eric Idle, Oliver Reed, Jonathan Pryce, Bill Paterson, Uma\nThurman and Robin Williams also appear in the movie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The movie flopped upon its original release, largely due to\na bad publicity campaign and stories about its very troubled production.\nDespite the behind-the-scenes issues, the final product is phenomenal to\nbehold. The visuals are outstanding and the imaginative storytelling techniques\nare beautifully rendered. Additionally, the cast is great, making the movie a\nlot of fun. This edition presents a 4K Ultra HD version and a Blu-ray (you can\nalso purchase a stand-alone Blu-ray). Extras include a 2008 audio commentary\nwith Gilliam, an archival documentary that runs about 70 minutes, special\neffects footage featuring new comments from the director, four brief deleted\nscenes, storyboards for unfinished bits that weren\u2019t shot, marketing materials,\na new video essay on the feature, a television show detailing the filmmaker and\nhis works, as well as an animated short by Gillam and an essay on the movie.\nSounds like an incredible disc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kino is presenting the Bradford Dillman\/Peter Graves Korean\nWar feature Sergeant Riker<\/em> (1968) on Blu-ray. This tale involves a\nsoldier who is accused by his superiors of being a spy. The disc includes a 2K\nrestoration of the film, a new film historian commentary and a trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, Warner Bros. is putting together a set called the Nicholas\nSparks 4-Film Collection<\/em>, which is only available on DVD. It contains film\nadaptations of the following romance flicks (in chronological order of release)\n\u2013 Message in a Bottle <\/em>(1999), The Notebook<\/em> (2004), Nights in\nRodanthe<\/em> (2008) and The Lucky One<\/em> (2012).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s all there is for now, but the next edition will be\nback to normal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Unfortunately, there is nothing arriving for the kiddies this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

And here is a listing of all the TV-themed releases coming\nyour way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

American Masters: Groucho & Cavett<\/em> (PBS) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

American Masters: Marian Anderson \u2013 The Whole World in\nHer Hands<\/em> (PBS) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andy Richter Controls the Universe<\/em>: The Complete\nSeries (CBS) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chesapeake Shores<\/em>: Season 6 (Hallmark) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Christmas at Castle Hart<\/em> (Hallmark) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Christmas Contest<\/em> (Hallmark) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Love in the Limelight<\/em> (Hallmark) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NATURE: Canada \u2013 Surviving the Wild North<\/em> (PBS) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NOVA: Ending HIV in America<\/em> (PBS) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Open by Christmas<\/em> (Hallmark) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Star Trek: Prodigy<\/em>: Season 1 (Paramount) Blu-ray<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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