{"id":25930,"date":"2023-01-24T21:42:29","date_gmt":"2023-01-25T05:42:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=25930"},"modified":"2023-01-24T21:42:29","modified_gmt":"2023-01-25T05:42:29","slug":"blu-ray-dvd-roundup-for-january-24th-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=25930","title":{"rendered":"Blu-ray\/DVD Roundup for January 24th, 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome to another look at highlights arriving on Blu-ray\nand DVD. This week sees a mix of some studio fare, independent arthouse and\ngenre flicks, as well as some interesting documentaries. So, if you can\u2019t make\nit out to the movies this week or need to stay indoors, be sure to give one of\nthese titles a try!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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BRAINWASHED: SEX-POWER-CAMERA \u2013 This documentary tells the\nhistory of cinema, but focuses on one previously unexamined aspect. Using clips\nfrom titles from the late 1800s to present, the movie shows how the visual\ngrammar of cinema creates discrimination, pay inequity and other problems like\nsexual harassment. It includes Interviews and thoughts from artists like Julie\nDash, Penelope Spheeris, Charlyne Yi, Catherine Hardwicke, Rosanna Arquette and\nmany others. Reviews were positive overall. About one-quarter of write-ups\ncomplained that while the issue addressed was important, the title didn\u2019t make\nits case effectively and used some poorly constructed arguments. Still, the\nmajority were impressed and thought the movie effectively showed many examples\nof sexism that has been prevalent since the beginning of film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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THE GHOSTS OF MONDAY \u2013 A group of American filmmakers decide\nto make a documentary on a haunted hotel in Cyprus. After traveling to the\nMediterranean island locale and starting to shoot, they discover more about its\nhistory and the 100 people who died there under mysterious circumstances. It\nisn\u2019t long before the visitors begin experiencing strange phenomena and find\ntheir own lives at risk. This independent chiller from Cyprus hasn\u2019t been seen\nby many critics and thus far the responses that have appeared are mixed. One\nonline reviewer thought the feature was overstuffed, but appreciated that it\nwas attempting to deal with a variety of issues dealing with the nation\u2019s\nhistory. Others just found the movie ineffective and too jumbled to chill or\nthrill. The cast includes Julian Sands, Elva Trill, Mark Huberman and Anthony\nSkordi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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GLORIOUS \u2013 In this indie horror\/thriller\/comedy, a man upset\nabout a nasty break-up drives to the country to regroup. Or, at least, the\nprotagonist tries to head out of town, but ultimately decides to stop at a\nroadside restroom. After entering, a strange voice from an adjacent stall\nbegins talking to him. It tells the lead that it is a demon planning on causing\nterror and bloodshed throughout the world\u2026 unless the man performs a sexual act\nthat will satiate the monster. Horrified, the lead tries to figure out what he\nshould do next. Critics were entertained by this feature, which first debuted\non the Shudder streaming service. A small number didn\u2019t think the jokes landed\nand felt the story was padded out to an excessive length. Everyone else was\namused, calling the performers excellent, the visuals stylish and the story\nunpredictable from start to finish.  It stars Ryan Kwanten, J.K. Simmons\nand Sylvia Grace Crim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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THE HONEYMOON \u2013 Looking for a wacky comedy? This\nBritish\/Italian production involves a young couple who get married and decide\nto honeymoon in scenic Venice. Unfortunately, the groom\u2019s oafish close friend\nand best man asks to tag along on the trip. He immediately gets the trio into\nserious trouble. While touring around, the man offends a major drug dealer.\nSoon the bride is taken hostage and the two pals are forced to successfully\ndeliver illegal products to free her. This feature hasn\u2019t been seen by many in\nthis part of the world and is debuting on disc. That may be because the\nmajority of international press members panned the movie. They called the\nprotagonists charmless and annoying. They also called the attempts at humor\nforced and ineffective. Pico Alexander, Asim Chaudhry, Maria Bakalova and Lucas\nBravo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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THE JUSTICE OF BUNNY KING \u2013 A homeless woman loses her\nchildren to foster care and tries to earn cash by washing cars at\nintersections. She also moves in with her sister\u2019s family, taking care of her\nbrother-in-law\u2019s aged mother for compensation. After witnessing her\nbrother-in-law sexually abuse his stepdaughter, the lead expresses outrage and\nis thrown out of the house. She races away with the abused teen and the pair\ntry and recover her own children. This drama from New Zealand was very\nwell-received. One or two notices did take issue with the troubled lead\ncharacter and thought her transformation into a hero wasn\u2019t believable. But the\nconsensus was that the film was an interesting character piece. They also wrote\nthat the phenomenal performances added enough authenticity to involve them in\nthe story. It stars Essie Davis, Thomasin McKenzie, Ryan O\u2019Kane and Lively\nNili.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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MINDCAGE \u2013 Two police detectives are forced to make contact\nwith an imprisoned serial killer when a copycat begins terrorizing a city. The\ndevious maniac welcomes the pair and offers insight into the mind of the\nmurderer, but also begins playing games with the leads. The pair must probe his\nmind to determine whether or not he is being truthful or is setting them up for\nfailure. Reaction was generally negative towards this thriller. A small number\nliked the cast enough to call it an enjoyable B-movie with a few wild twists.\nStill, everyone else asserted that there wasn\u2019t much suspense generated and\nthat there was nothing memorable about the story. They believed that an\nimpressive cast was wasted with a substandard script. The cast includes Martin\nLawrence, Melissa Roxburgh, John Malkovich and Robert Knepper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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PLAN A \u2013 This English-language coproduction between Germany\nand Israel is based on a true story and set in 1945 during the close of World\nWar II. A group of Jewish holocaust survivors whose entire families were wiped\nout by Nazi soldiers plot a radical revenge plan… they set out to poison the\nentire water supply of Nuremberg, Germany. Meanwhile, forces try to stop and\/or\nconvince them not to carry out their mission. The press had a mixed response to\nthe end product. Nearly half said that the screenplay and presentation was a\nbit clumsy and didn\u2019t do enough to involve viewers or make them wonder what\nthey might do under similar circumstances. Just as many (and a few more) found\nthe subject compelling and engrossing and the story suspenseful. They wrote\nthat it made interesting points about the problems that arise when one seeks\nbrutal retribution. August Diehl, Sylvia Hoeks, Michael Aloni and Nikolai\nKinski headline the feature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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ROCK DOG 3: BATTLE THE BEAT \u2013 The original animated feature Rock\nDog<\/em> arrived at theaters in 2016 and didn\u2019t seem to make much of an\nimpression. However, there was a 2021 follow-up and this second sequel further\ncontinues the story of a guitar-playing dog. In this effort, he\u2019s asked to be a\ncoach on a musical talent discovery show and teach young performers how to be\nrock stars. Sadly, the program\u2019s sinister producers assign him the most\ninexperienced contestants. Undaunted, he sets out to make them stars. As of\nright now, critics haven\u2019t seen the movie and it looks like it will be\npremiering on disc. As a result, families should probably go in with low\nexpectations. The voice cast includes Graham Hamilton, Ashleigh Bell, Andrew\nFrancis, Kathleen Barr, Eddie Izzard, Bethany Brown, Nicole Oliver and Doron\nBell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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THE TALE OF KING CRAB \u2013 An Italian in the 1800s is exiled\nfrom the country when he gets into a bitter conflict with a prince. The outcast\neventually sails across the world and lands in Argentina. Determined to prove\nhis detractors wrong, the man hears a legend of buried gold and sets out to\nlocate it. He puts together a crew of ruthless men to find the treasure, but\nhis obsession ends up endangering the entire crew. This co-production between\nItaly, France and Argentina was released in Europe in late 2021 and is now\nfinding its way to North America on disc. Response from the press was very\npositive. A tiny number thought the filmmakers tried to add too many fantastical\nelements to the story. Regardless, the vast majority complimented the moody\ntone and believed that it was unique and strangely engaging throughout. It\nstars Gabriele Silli, Maria Alexandra Lungu and Ercole Colnago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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TAURUS \u2013 This independent drama deals with the occasionally\ncruel nature of the entertainment industry. A rising but psychologically\ntroubled musician in Los Angeles searches for inspiration for his next big\nrecord. Burdened with a desire to create a truthful and honest song, he finds\nhimself becoming addicted to substances and suffering, all to earn the public\u2019s\nattention. Critics were largely split on this feature, although it did earn\nslightly more recommendations than pans. Many asserted that the lead was\ngrating and that the movie over-dramatized the pain the character endured. But\nmore appreciated the performances, thought it was authentic and served as an\neffective, cautionary tale about the music industry. It features Machine Gun\nKelly, Maddie Hasson, Demetrius \u201cLil Meech\u201d Flenory, Ruby Rose, Scoot McNairy\nand Lil Tjay.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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THIS IS NOT A BURIAL, IT\u2019S A RESURRECTION \u2013 An elderly woman\nis the lead in this multinational feature set in South Africa. After the death\nof her husband and children, an aged villager prepares for her own death, hoping\nto be buried next to family members after she passes away. When a developer\narrives with plans to build a large dam and resettle locals, the woman protests\nand tries to stop them from proceeding. This picture was released in various\ncountries during the pandemic and is now finally debuting on disc (from\nCriterion). Reaction towards the picture was uniformly positive. Everyone\nthought that the lead actress was incredible and the film visually stunning.\nThey admired the way it handled subjects like grief and the reasoning behind\nacts of resistance. Mary Twala and Jerry Mofokeng headline the film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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THE VELVET QUEEN \u2013 This French documentary captures the\nexploits of nature photographer Vincent Munier and writer Sylvain Tesson as\nthey set out to locate and study the extremely elusive snow leopard. Their\ntravels take them to the spectacular Tibetan highlands, where they track\nanimals and patiently sit, all in the hope of sighting the leopard and learning\nmore about its habits. Every reviewer who saw this feature enjoyed it. They all\nwrote that the scenery was gorgeous from beginning to end. Notices also\ncommented that there was plenty of interesting material with the figures\nthemselves as the viewers watched how they conducted their search and stayed\nput in a very unforgiving environment. Many write-ups even called it an\ninspirational journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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VIOLENT NIGHT \u2013 In case you\u2019re still interested in some\nholiday-themed entertainment, this action picture is debuting on disc less than\ntwo months after its theatrical run. The plot involves a team of mercenaries\nwho break into the home of a wealthy family on Christmas Eve. When Santa\narrives unexpectedly on the scene, the armed tough-guys discover that the\nfamous North Pole resident has no problem doling out justice to evil-doers.\nOverall, critics appeared to enjoy this genre picture. One-quarter of reviewers\nfelt that the movie could\u2019ve been even more outrageous and that it didn\u2019t leave\na lasting impact. However, the general consensus was that while extremely\nviolent, the leads were clearly having a lot of fun and that the end product\ndelivered thrills and laughs in equal measure. The film stars David Harbour,\nJohn Leguizamo, Alex Hassell, Alexis Louder, Edi Patterson, Cam Gigandet and\nBeverly D\u2019Angelo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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Looking for some older titles in high definition? Cult Epics\nis presenting the disturbing French drama Playing with Fire<\/em> (1975) on\nBlu-ray. It follows a kidnapping of a teen that leads a private detective to a\ndisturbing house of exploitation and punishment. The movie has been given a 2K\ntransfer and bonus features include a film critic audio commentary and an\n8-Page booklet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Full Moon Features is continuing their updated editions of Puppet\nMaster<\/em> films with Puppet Master III: Toulon\u2019s Revenge<\/em> (1991). This\nversion contains a 4K Ultra HD version and a Blu-ray. There\u2019s also a director\ncommentary, an introduction by executive producer Charles Band as well as\nnumerous other featurettes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also pick up Scorpion with Two Tails<\/em> (1982),\nan Italian genre flick about a woman who believes she is being targeted by a\ncult for an ancient sacrificial rite. The movie has been newly remastered for\nBlu-ray and it comes with deleted scenes and trailers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Kino is delivering the famous Charles Bronson picture Death\nWish<\/em> (1974) in a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray set. The movie follows a liberal\nman who seeks vigilante justice after his wife and daughter are brutalized by a\ngang. Besides the upgraded picture quality, this release contains a new film\nhistorian commentary as well as an interview with co-star John Herzfeld and\ntons of publicity materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In celebration of its 25th<\/sup> anniversary, Lionsgate is putting out a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray release of Belly<\/em> (1998). This thriller involves an upstart street hustler trying to earn money and power any way he can. It stars Nas, DMX, Taral Hicks, Tionne \u201cT-Boz\u201d Watkins, Method Man and many others. In addition to the upgraded picture, it comes with a writer\/director commentary track, a deleted scene, a music video and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This distributor is using its popular Vestron Video<\/em> line for The Dentist Collection<\/em>, which marks the Blu-ray debuts of The Dentist<\/em> (1996) and The Dentist 2: Brace Yourself<\/em> (1998). For those unfamiliar with these cult horror movies, the two titles detail the experiences of a dentist (played by Corbin Bernsen) who snaps and starts performing grotesque surgery procedures on unsuspecting victims. In addition to the films, the set has audio commentaries on both titles from director Brian Yuzna, isolated score tracks and audio interviews with the movie\u2019s composer, editor and cinematographer. You\u2019ll also see a discussion with star Bernsen on the titles, a talk with the make-up effects team, Dentist 2 co-star Jillian McWhirter, interviews with the producer, as well as trailers and stills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

London<\/em> (2006) is arriving on Blu-ray from Mill Creek\nEntertainment. It\u2019s a drama about two exes meeting at a party in New York who\ntry to determine if their relationship is salvageable. The large cast includes\nJessica Biel, Chris Evans, Jason Statham, Isla Fisher, Louis C.K. and Dane\nCook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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MVD is releasing a couple of notable titles on Blu-ray as\nwell. The first is a Special Edition of The Last American Virgin<\/em> (1982),\na cult-classic teen-sex comedy with an unexpectedly dark climax (a lot of the\nover-the-top shenanigans the teens get into during the first two-thirds of the\nstory have serious consequences in the final act). It is also backed by an\nincredible soundtrack of great tunes from the era. Bonuses include interviews\nwith the director, the protagonist in the movie, the female lead and the\ncinematographer. Also featured is a photo gallery, the theatrical trailer, a TV\nand a collectable mini-poster.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Men at Work<\/em> (1990) is a comedy about garbage men\nstarring Emilio Estevez (who also wrote and directed the picture) and Charlie\nSheen. The happy-go-lucky pair get into serious trouble when they discover the\ncorpse of a politician in a garbage can and try to determine who is\nresponsible. This Blu-ray from MVD comes with a trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you enjoyed the Vince Vaughn body-swapping horror\/comedy Freaky\n<\/em>(2020), Shout! is rereleasing the title in a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray set.\nBesides the upgraded picture quality, one assumes that it will include all\npreviously released extras.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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They also have The Jackie Chan Collection: Volume 1<\/em> Blu-ray box set. This contains seven early titles from the star. You\u2019ll get The Killer Meteors<\/em> (1976), Shaolin Wooden Men<\/em> (1976), To Kill with Intrigue<\/em> (1977), Snake & Crane Arts of Shaolin<\/em> (1978), Dragon Fist<\/em> (1979), Battle Creek Brawl<\/em> (1980) and Dragon Lord<\/em> (1982). All but one of the features have been given 2K restorations and the discs come with film historian commentaries, cast and crew interviews and more. One of the most interesting add-ons is a feature-length documentary about Chan\u2019s rise to prominence in 1970s Hong Kong cinema, as well as attempts to break into the US film industry (Battle Creek Brawl,\u00a0<\/em>co-produced\u00a0by Warner Bros., was his first starring role in this part of the world).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Standard Edition Blu-ray of the comedy Stuck on You!<\/em>\n(1982) is arriving from Troma. It tells the story of a palimony suit between\ntwo ex-lovers. Like all titles from this distributor, it comes with plenty of\nbonus features and interviews.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

La Sombra del Caudillo<\/em> (1960) is arriving on Blu-ray\nfrom VCI Entertainment. This Mexican drama was blacklisted and banned in its\nhome country because the story dealt with shifty political figures and\ncorruption within the government. At the time of release, it was considered too\nclose to the truth and attempts were made to destroy all film prints and the\nnegative. The movie has been rediscovered and restored for disc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Finally, Warner Archive are releasing made-to-order Blu-rays\nof the drama, Goodbye Mr. Chips<\/em> (1939), which was nominated for several\nAcademy Awards and earned a win for Robert Donat in the category of Best Actor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also pick up the Lucille Ball\/Desi Arnaz comedy The\nLong, Long Trailer<\/em> (1953). This film involves a newly-married couple who\nunwisely invest in a motorhome and have several disastrous experiences during\ntheir honeymoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And Wife vs. Secretary<\/em> (1936) is a comedy about a\nmother-in-law who doesn\u2019t trust her happily married adult son\u2019s new secretary.\nThe parent causes friction and jealousy in his own marriage when she gets\ninvolved in his work-life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

If you have a little one to entertain, this is your only\noption this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rock Dog 3: Battle the Beat<\/em> (Lionsgate) Blu-ray<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Here are the week\u2019s TV-themed releases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chesapeake Shores<\/em>: The Complete Series (Hallmark) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

City on a Hill<\/em>: The Complete Series (Showtime\nEntertainment) Blu-ray<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Colosseum<\/em> (History) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dynasty <\/em>(2017 – 2022): The Complete Series (CBS) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dynasty<\/em> (2017 – 2022): The Final Season (CBS) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NOVA: Crypto Decoded<\/em> (PBS) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NOVA: Nazca Desert Mystery<\/em> (PBS) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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