{"id":26139,"date":"2023-03-08T00:05:24","date_gmt":"2023-03-08T08:05:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=26139"},"modified":"2023-03-08T00:05:24","modified_gmt":"2023-03-08T08:05:24","slug":"blu-ray-dvd-roundup-for-march-7th-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=26139","title":{"rendered":"Blu-ray\/DVD Roundup for March 7th, 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome to another look at some of the latest Blu-ray and\nDVD highlights. This edition is a little quieter, but there are a few notable\nreleases arriving on disc, as well as some interesting older features. So, if\nyou can\u2019t make it out to the movies this week or need to stay indoors, be sure\nto give one of these titles a try!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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CHRISTMAS BLOODY CHRISTMAS \u2013 On Christmas Eve, a record shop\nowner looks forward to closing for the holiday and partying. Her plan goes\nwrong when a robotic Santa Claus at a nearby toy store goes haywire, breaks out\nand begins murdering anyone it encounters. The owner, some other employees and\ncustomers become targets and must fight for their lives against the sinister\nSaint Nick. The press responded favorably to this independent horror flick. One\nquarter of reviewers didn\u2019t think that it made the most of its concept and wrote\nthat the end result felt derivative and predictable. However, most commented\nthat the movie succeeded at delivering some gross-out moments, as well as\nplenty of laughs. The movie stars Riley Dandy, Sam Delich, Jonah Ray, Dora\nMadison, Jeremy Gardner and Jeff Daniel Phillips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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LET IT BE MORNING \u2013 This foreign-language feature follows a\nPalestinian-born Israeli citizen who receives an invitation to his brother\u2019s\nwedding in the village where he grew up. After heading to the Arab ceremony,\nthe entire town is put under military blockade lockdown by Israeli soldiers.\nTrapped, the lead finds himself cut off from the outside world. He talks to\nlocals and attempts to find out why this has occurred and how he might assist\nin ending the standoff. Critics gave this comedy\/drama high marks. A small\ncontingent thought the tone was off and that the feature didn\u2019t present a deep\nenough examination of the tense situation. Still, the consensus was the film\noffered low-key but effective moments. They also commented that it had\nexcellent performances that cleverly commented on relations between Israel and\nPalestine. The cast includes Alex Bakri, Juna Suleiman and Salim Dau.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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WOMEN TALKING \u2013 Based on the book by Miriam Toews, this\nfeature is loosely based on a real incident. The plot begins with the women of\nan isolated religious community discovering that a series of rapes committed\nagainst various members was performed by one of their leaders. The ladies\ninitially feel powerless to do much about it, but ultimately get together to\ndiscuss whether to stay and mount a fight, leave as a group, or allow the abuse\nto continue. The film earned a lot of praise and has been nominated for two\nAcademy Awards (for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay). A tiny group\ncomplained that the film was unsubtle, too talky and the story\u2019s resolution\ndisappointing. Everyone else thought the performances were fantastic and that\nthe screenplay was smartly written. They also noted that it would also give\nviewers plenty to talk about afterwards. It features Jessie Buckley, Rooney\nMara, Claire Foy, Judith Ivey, Ben Whishaw and Frances McDormand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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While there aren\u2019t many new titles this week, there are tons\nof older films receiving high-definition upgrades. Arrow Video is putting out The\nHouse That Screamed<\/em> (1969). The film is a period Spanish chiller about a\nyoung woman who is sent to a boarding school that feels more like a prison.\nAfter arriving, students are murdered and the lead has to find a way to escape\nthe grounds before she also becomes a victim. The movie has been given a 2K\nrestoration and the disc includes the 105-minute uncut version and the\n94-minute US edition. It also comes with a film critic commentary, interviews\nwith cast and crew (including the author of the original written story the movie\nis based on), a featurette on the history of the film, alternate footage and\npublicity materials.    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Criterion is presenting a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray set of\nwhat is considered one of the best movies ever made. Mildred Pierce<\/em>\n(1945) is a melodrama from Michael Curtiz (The Adventures of Robin Hood,\nCasablanca, White Christmas, King Creole<\/em>) starring Joan Crawford as a\ndevoted mother who divorces her husband and tries to set up a successful\nrestaurant business to support her spoiled daughter. In addition to the picture\nupgrade, this latest edition includes a conversation between to film critics on\nthe movie, an excerpt from a 1970 interview with Crawford, a feature-length\ndocumentary on Crawford, a Q&A with co-star Ann Blyth, a discussion with\nthe author of the original novel the movie is based on, as well as trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kino is making plenty of Blu-rays available to customers. Asphalt<\/em>\n(1929) is a German thriller about a traffic cop tasked with escorting a\nbeautiful thief to the police station. She turns on the charm, making his job\nmore difficult than anticipated. It comes with a film historian commentary. The\nCrusades<\/em> (1935) is a historical epic by Cecil B. DeMille (The Greatest\nShow on Earth<\/em>, The Ten Commandments<\/em>) about the King of England going\nto the frontlines in a war, all so that he can avoid getting married to a woman\nhe doesn\u2019t love. Apparently, it\u2019s not historically accurate and many liberties\nhave been taken. The Blu-ray contains a 2K restoration of the film, a film\nexpert commentary and a trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Little Miss Marker<\/em> (1954) stars Shirley Temple as the\ndaughter of a compulsive gambler who loses her in a bet and commits suicide.\nThe father\u2019s bookie takes the girl in and the two slowly begin to form an\nunexpected bond. This title also comes with a movie historian commentary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If comedies from the 1980s are more to your liking, the long out-of-print feature Making Mr. Right<\/em> (1987) is reappearing on Blu-ray. This underrated romantic-comedy is about a publicist hired by a space agency to help promote their newest achievement. She is told that a scientist has created an android to command shuttle missions. The robot looks exactly like its maker, but is much kinder. This innocent robot ends up forming an unexpected friendship with the ad woman. It stars Ann Magnuson and John Malkovich (playing both the robot and the scientist).
The trailer isn’t great (which is probably why it flopped during it original release), but it\u2019s a very funny little film with great performances and a few big laughs. The Blu-ray contains a 2K restoration of the film and a new audio commentary with producer\/director Susan Seidelman and star Magnuson. You\u2019ll also get interviews with the pair and a trailer. The first copies of the disc come in a special cardboard slipcase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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You can also pick up a Blu-ray of the comedy, Secret\nAdmirer<\/em> (1985). This tale is about a high school love letter that keeps\nfinding its way into the wrong hands, causing various complications between the\nteen leads and their parents. The movie features an entertaining supporting\nturn by Fred Ward and stars C. Thomas Howell, Lori Loughlin and Kelly Preston. This\nedition includes a 2K restoration of the movie, a director commentary, radio\nspots, a theatrical trailer and a limited cardboard slipcase for those who\npurchase the title early.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mill Creek is adding a few titles to their Retro VHS\nCollection, which contains Blu-rays of movies in their original VHS cover\npackaging. The first title is the thriller The Fan<\/em> (1996), in which an\nobsessed psychopath stalks a professional baseball player. It stars Robert De\nNiro and Wesley Snipes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also pick up the thriller, Fear <\/em>(1996). In\nthis title, a teenager is stalked by an obsessive ex-boyfriend who ends up\nterrorizing the youth\u2019s entire family. The cast includes Mark Wahlberg, Reese\nWitherspoon, William Petersen, Amy Brenneman and Alyssa Milano.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And Problem Child<\/em> (1990) is the third title arriving\nwith the special packaging. This film follows a couple who are tormented by the\nyoungster whom they decide to adopt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Paramount is releasing some noteworthy titles as well. The\nfirst is a discounted repressing of the hit musical Grease <\/em>(1978) with\nJohn Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. This version includes all bonuses from\nprevious editions, including the singalong track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Running Man<\/em> (1987) is receiving a 35th<\/sup>\nAnniversary Blu-ray. The action film is set in a dystopian future where a game\nshow is the most watched program in history. It features convicts being forced\nto compete against gladiators and battle to the death. When a heroic figure is\nset-up for a crime he didn\u2019t commit, he sets out to fight his way to freedom. The\nmovie stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and is based on a story by Stephen King. The\ndisc contains a Blu-ray with a recent 4K restoration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Radiance Films is putting out a \u201cLimited Edition\u201d Blu-ray of\nFill \u2018er Up with Super<\/em> (1976), a French comedy about a car salesman\ndriving across the country to deliver a vehicle. Along the way, he encounters\nand picks up some quirky hitchhikers. The disc presents a 2K restoration of the\nfilm from the original camera negative. Archival interviews with the cast, a\nnearly 30-minute critical appreciation of the movie, a reversible sleeve and\nbooklet with info about the production are included, as well as other extras.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sony is giving a couple of catalog titles the 4K Ultra HD\nand Blu-ray Steelbook treatment. Air Force One<\/em> (1997) is a popular\naction film with Harrison Ford as the President. When his plane is hijacked by\nterrorists, he decides to take them on himself. The feature also stars Gary\nOldman and Glenn Close. Besides the upgraded image quality, this release comes\nwith a trailer and an archival commentary track with director Wolfgang Petersen\n(Das Boot, The NeverEnding Story, In the Line of Fire, Outbreak, The Perfect\nStorm<\/em>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The period adventure film The Mask of Zorro<\/em> (1998)\nwith Antonio Banderas and Anthony Hopkins is also getting an upgrade. The\nlegendary hero takes on a nasty tyrant trying to buy California from Mexico.\nExtras include an audio commentary with director Martin Campbell (No Escape,\nGoldeneye, Casino Royale, The Protege<\/em>), a Zorro documentary, a dozen or so\ndeleted scenes, a music video and a trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last week, Warner Bros. released a Rocky<\/em> box set with\nthe first four titles presented exclusively in 4K Ultra HD. They also put out\nthe first film as a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray Best Buy Exclusive. Now, they\u2019ve\ndone the same with Rocky II<\/em> (1979). One assumes other sequels from the\nset will follow in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, the Warner Archive line is presenting the Greta\nGarbo drama Camille<\/em> (1936) on Blu-ray. It\u2019s about a Parisian courtesan\nwho falls for a young man while being pursued by a wealthy but nasty baron. You\ncan also pick up a Blu-ray of I\u2019ll Cry Tomorrow<\/em> (1955), a drama with\nSusan Hayward portraying singer-actress Lillian Roth, a star who battled\nalcoholism. The lead was nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award and won an\nOscar for Costume Design. These titles can be ordered on Amazon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

This isn\u2019t a good time for kid\u2019s titles, but upcoming\neditions should be more plentiful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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

Hallmark 2-Movie Collection: Marry Go Round & Wedding\nof a Lifetime<\/em> (Hallmark) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NOVA: Rebuilding Notre Dame<\/em> (PBS) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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