{"id":26179,"date":"2023-03-14T23:17:18","date_gmt":"2023-03-15T06:17:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=26179"},"modified":"2023-03-14T23:17:18","modified_gmt":"2023-03-15T06:17:18","slug":"blu-ray-dvd-roundup-for-march-14th-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=26179","title":{"rendered":"Blu-ray\/DVD Roundup for March 14th, 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome to another examination of highlights arriving on\nBlu-ray and DVD. It\u2019s an extremely busy week, filled with award nominees, as\nwell as studio pictures and international fare. So, if you can\u2019t make it out to\nthe movies this week or need to stay indoors, be sure to give one of these\ntitles a try!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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ALICE, DARLING \u2013 In this thriller, a woman goes on vacation\nwith friends and opens up about her psychologically abusive boyfriend. They\nencourage the lead to stand up for herself and end the relationship. She does,\nbut the nastiness she previously endured from the man becomes more threatening\nand physical. She must find the courage and use her wits to get the better of\nhim. Reaction towards this feature was strong overall. A small contingent of\ncritics didn\u2019t care for any of the characters and commented that the story\nlacked thrills and was predictable. Still, the vast majority thought the cast\nwere excellent and that the movie delivered plenty of tension. They also\nappreciated how it depicted warning signs of potential abuse. It stars Anna\nKendrick, Tiio Horn, Charlie Carrick, Wummi Mosaku and Farah\nMerani.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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ANYTHING GOES: THE MUSICAL \u2013 This feature captures the\nLondon stage production of the Tony Award winning musical\/comedy Anything\nGoes<\/em>, with hit tunes from Cole Porter like \u201cI Get a Kick Out of You,\u201d\n\u201cYou\u2019re the Top,\u201d and the title track. The story involves two couples who\nembark on a cruise across the Atlantic. After they set sail, wackiness ensues\nand relationships are tested between the leads as well as crew members while\nthey\u2019re all isolated on the ship. The show originally came to Broadway in 1934\nis still regularly performed on stage. While there aren\u2019t many movie reviews\nfor the title, this particular production has aired on PBS and it received\nplenty of acclaim. Seems like if you enjoy musicals, this is a good disc to\npick up. Kathleen Marshall is credited as the director and choreographer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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THE APOLOGY \u2013 An alcoholic struggling with the disappearance\nof her daughter some 20 years ago decides to host a family Christmas dinner.\nHer best friend volunteers to assist and help make the evening go as smoothly\nas possible. The duo is surprised when the lead\u2019s ex-brother-in-law arrives\nunexpectedly during a storm on Christmas Eve. He reveals a nasty secret that\npushes the protagonist to the brink of rage and violence. The press was split\non the results, with the picture earning a few more pans than recommendations.\nThose who appreciated the title wrote that it was engaging and claustrophobic,\nwith several suspenseful sequences. Slightly more called the film cliched and\ncontrived, calling it an ineffective mystery\/thriller. It features Anna Gunn,\nLinus Roache, Janeane Garofalo and Holland Bailey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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THE BEAST BELOW \u2013 A once-famous singer decides to return to\nhis small remote hometown for some peace and quiet in this horror\/comedy from\nThailand. He is immediately asked to join a team and take part in a local water\nfield drilling contest that will earn the victors 1 million Thai Baht. The lead\nagrees and immediately finds it to be a competitive field. Things get even more\nchallenging when a monster is unearthed that begins to hunt and eat the\nparticipants. Also released under the title Leio<\/em>, not many in this part\nof the world have seen this film. Those who have state that the movie features\nsome great visual effects but an overly long and padded-out story. They wrote\nthat viewers have to wait too long between the entertaining action sequences.\nFor the time being, this title is a DVD-only release. The cast includes Pichaya\nNitipaisalkul, Fang Dhanantorn Neerasingh and Supachai Suwanon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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BLUE THERMAL \u2013 Anime enthusiasts will be happy to know that\na new title is arriving. This film follows a university freshman who finds it\ndifficult to fit in with students. After accidentally damaging the glider of a\nyoung man whom she has a crush on, she joins the aviation club to earn extra\nmoney and pay for the damage. It isn\u2019t long before the lead begins to\nappreciate their work and sets out to pursue a new dream of flying in her own\nglider. There haven\u2019t been many write-ups for this title in this part of the\nworld and reaction has been muted. A few online reviews have stated that while\nthe lead character is likable and the film itself very sweet, there\u2019s nothing\nabout it that is particularly memorable. In the end, they suggested that it\nfeels a little too run-of-the-mill to heartily endorse. This is a Blu-ray and\nDVD combo release and presents the film in its original Japanese language with\nEnglish subtitles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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ESCAPE THROUGH AFRICA \u2013 Set In 1914, this feature is set at\na British outpost in Africa. After her husband is sent to another locale, a\nBritish nurse must contend with a violent attack by a German-led war party.\nWith help from local warriors, she heads out into the wild to avoid capture and\nwarn a neighboring station that they will be raided next. As this is occurring,\nthe woman\u2019s uncle tries to identify a traitor who may have helped the enemy.\nThis very low-budget independent adventure film hasn\u2019t been seen by many and\nlooks to have been filmed entirely in Los Angeles. There have only been a\ncouple of online reviews, and they all note that the writing is poor and that\nthe limited production funds means that the action scenes aren\u2019t very elaborate\nor exciting. This is currently a DVD-only release. It features Eric Roberts,\nLinn Bjornland, Justin Gordon, Robert Okumu and Jeff Berg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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GLORIOUS \u2013 This indie horror\/thriller\/comedy was scheduled\nfor release on disc in January but encountered a delay and is now finally\narriving. A man upset about a nasty break-up decides to drive to the country\nand regroup. Or, at least, he attempts to head out of town, but ultimately\nstops at a roadside restroom. After entering, a strange voice from an adjacent\nstall begins talking to him. It tells the lead that it is a demon about to\ncause terror and bloodshed throughout the world\u2026 unless the man performs a\nsexual act that will satiate the monster. Horrified, the lead tries to figure\nout what he should do. Critics were entertained by this feature, which first\ndebuted on the Shudder<\/em> streaming service. A small number didn\u2019t think\nthe jokes landed and felt the story was padded out to an excessive length.\nEveryone else was amused, calling the performers excellent, the visuals stylish\nand the story unpredictable from start to finish.  It stars Ryan Kwanten,\nJ.K. Simmons and Sylvia Grace Crim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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HEAD RUSH \u2013 A comic book artist dying of a terminal illness\nis offered a unique opportunity by his uncle to take part in an experimental\nmedical procedure. As it turns out, the surgery involves removing his head and\nputting it on the body of a secret donor. The odd transplant is a success, but\nthe lead begins to have strange visions of the deceased person\u2019s life. It is eventually\nrevealed that the body belonged to a superhero and that the artist has now\ngained his powers. As criminals receive word that their sworn enemy may have\nreturned from the dead, they target the man and his family. This Vietnamese\nsuperhero flick was released as L\u00f4i B\u00e1o<\/em> in its homeland back in 2017,\nbut has only recently found a North American distributor. Reviewers have been a\nbit more positive than negative about the final results. Some wrote that the\nmovie was pretty silly and cliched, but more found it stylish and kooky with\nsome decent action. The cast includes Cuong Seven, Tran Thi Nha Phuong and Ngoc\nAnh Vu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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LEONOR WILL NEVER DIE \u2013 This drama from the Philippines\ninvolves an elderly woman who, before falling on hard times, once made her\nliving writing action films. When a call goes out for new projects, she pulls\nout an old, incomplete script and tries to finish it. After an accident\ninvolving a television puts her in a coma, the lead magically enters her own\nstory. She decides to play things out herself, hoping to find a dynamic ending\nto her tale. The press greatly enjoyed this foreign-language feature. A few\nvoices didn\u2019t think the concept was developed enough to draw them into or care\nabout how things turned out. Everyone else thought the lead performance was\nwonderful and that the movie cleverly managed to provide laughs and surprises,\nas well as some poignant moments. It features Sheila Francisco, Bong Cabrera\nand Rocky Salumbides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A MAN CALLED OTTO \u2013 This remake of the 2015 Swedish feature A Man Called Ove<\/em> follows a grumpy old man who has seemingly given up on life after experiencing a personal tragedy.\u00a0 While planning to commit suicide, a new family move in across the street. They frustrate and annoy him, but the new arrival\u2019s quick-witted wife begins to engage and form a friendship that slowly changes his attitude. Response towards the finished product was more positive than negative. About one-third of critics found it difficult to buy into star Tom Hanks as a miserable grouch and called the movie predictable, overly sentimental and weaker than its source material. The rest appreciated the actor\u2019s work and wrote that while the film lacked subtlety, it provided plenty of feel-good moments and a positive message. Besides Hanks, the cast includes Mariana Trevi\u00f1o, Mack Bayda, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Juanita Jennings, Mike Birbiglia, Rachel Keller and Truman Hanks. To read a full review of the movie, click here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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SADNESS AND JOY IN THE LIFE OF GIRAFFES \u2013 Those with an\ninterest in international cinema may be intrigued by this award-winning title\nfrom Portugal. A lonely, 10-year-old Lisbon girl spends most of her days\ntalking to an imaginary friend who looks like a bear. When she is told to take\non a school project explaining how the adult world works, she and her pal get\ninto a series of escapades (including trying to track down and question the\nPrime Minister of Portugal). It results in a striking report for her class.\nThis film earned plenty of praise in its homeland at the end of 2019, but has\nonly recently found a North American distributor. Reviewers in Portugal called\nit a sharp and funny satire that pulls no punches in criticizing how\ngovernments and societies operate. They also complimented the stunning\nphotography and strong performances. For the time being, this is a DVD-only\nrelease. Maria Abreu, T\u00f3nan Quito and Miguel Borges headline the film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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THE WHALE \u2013 This Oscar-nominee for Best Actor, Best\nSupporting Actress and Best Makeup and Hairstyling involves a morbidly obese\nman who teaches online and lives as a recluse. With his condition worsening,\nthe lead is visited at his apartment by various figures, including his\nestranged daughter, a nurse and friend, as well as a young man from a local\nchurch group. Over the course of the story, viewers learn about his past. Based\non a stage play, the film divided critics, although more appreciated it than\ndisliked it. One-third of reviewers thought it was cruel towards its lead\ncharacter and his condition, also writing that the presentation was overly\ntheatrical. However, the majority called it convincing and honest, praising the\nperformances and the way it managed to keep audiences in its grip despite never\nleaving one single, tiny location. It features Brendan Fraser, Sadie Sink, Hong\nChau, Ty Simpkins and Samantha Morton.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Looking for something older? Cohen Media Group is putting\nout Secret Defense<\/em> (1998). It\u2019s a French drama about a 30-year-old\nscientist investigating the death of her father. The Blu-ray includes a 4K\nrestoration of the film, a director commentary and a re-release trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Criterion is presenting Last Hurrah for Chivalry<\/em>\n(1979) on Blu-ray. This is a period action movie that follows a son trying to\navenge the death of his father. The Hong Kong flick was an early effort from\ndirector John Woo that was produced a decade before he helmed notable action\ntitles like The Killer, Hard Boiled, Broken Arrow, Face\/Off<\/em> and many\nothers. The disc contains a 2K picture restoration, new subtitles, alternate\nEnglish-dubbed tracks, an audio interview with Woo, a discussion about the\nmovie with a film historian and a trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kino is delivering a Blu-ray of the pirate themed adventure,\nDouble Crossbones<\/em> (1951). It comes with a film historian commentary and\ntrailer. Love Letters<\/em> (1945) is a romance about a man who writes love\nletters for a friend, only to fall for the woman his pal has married using\nthose notes. It stars Jennifer Jones and Joseph Cotton. The disc comes with a\n2K film restoration, movie expert commentary and trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jeffrey Hunter stars in No Man Is an Island<\/em> (1962), a\nWWII action picture that is also arriving on Blu-ray. This one comes with a\ncommentary track and trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sumurun<\/em> (1920) is a German feature from Ernst\nLubitsch following the life of an adventurous dancer. The big bonus on this\ndisc is screen test footage for a Marguerite and Faust<\/em> film that was\nnever completed. The Wildcat<\/em> (1921) is another German effort from\nLubitsch and a farce about a lieutenant captured by outlaws in the mountains.\nThe daughter of the bandits falls in love with the officer, adding humor and\nawkwardness to the proceedings. It arrives on disc with a film historian\ncommentary, and an early, 57-minute feature from the director (which also comes\nwith a commentary track).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MGM is deciding to put out some Blu-ray of catalog titles.\nYou can now pick up Hour of the Gun<\/em> (1967), a reworking of the Wyatt\nEarp\/Doc Holliday legend with James Garner and Jason Robards. Kings Go Forth<\/em>\n(1958) is set during WWII and features Frank Sinatra and Tony Curtis as two\nAmerican soldiers who fall for the same woman (played by Natalie Wood).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Man Without a World<\/em> (1992) is arriving on Blu-ray\nfrom Milestone. This film\u2019s history is actually quite amusing. It was\nadvertised as a newly discovered silent film about Jewish villagers made by a\nRussian director. This was all a ruse and the feature is actually a homage to\ntitles from that period. The disc comes with a couple of other,\nsimilarly-themed shorts from the filmmaker, Eleanor Antin. Extras include an\ninterview with the moviemaker, trailers and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paramount is releasing a 20th<\/sup> anniversary 4K\nUltra HD and Blu-ray of the science-fiction disaster flick, The Core<\/em>\n(2003) with an upgraded picture. When the Earth stops spinning, natural\ndisasters occur around. Scientists must drill down on a dangerous mission to\nget to the core of the planet and start it spinning again. It stars Aaron\nEckhart, Hilary Swank, Delroy Lindo, Stanley Tucci, Tcheky Karyo and Richard\nJenkins. The movie wasn\u2019t a big hit, nor was it very well-received back in the\nday, but one assumes it must have developed a following over the\nyears.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The studio is also reissuing a Blu-ray of the Kate\nWinslett\/Josh Brolin drama, Labor Day<\/em> (2013).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ronin Flix wants you to know about a new Special Edition\nBlu-ray of Who\u2019ll Stop the Rain<\/em> (1978). Nick Nolte plays a Vietnam\nsoldier who decides to deliver some heroin back to the US on behalf of a\nfriend. Things go haywire and he ends up on the run from both hoods and cops.\nThe disc contains a 2K master of the movie, a film historian audio commentary,\ninterviews with co-star Richard Masur, associate producer Roger Spottiswoode\nand the screenwriter, as well as trailers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last Rites<\/em> (1988) is an erotic thriller with Tom\nBerenger and Daphne Zuniga about a priest who enters in a forbidden\nrelationship after he encounters a pretty young woman. The Blu-ray contains an\ninterview with the director.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wild Orchid 2: Blue Movie<\/em> (1991) is arriving on\nBlu-ray from Scorpion Releasing. While also directed by Zalman King (who helmed\nthe original Mickey Rourke feature), the story for this follow-up doesn\u2019t have\nanything to do with the first picture. It instead focuses on a young woman who\nis taken and trained by a high-class brothel madam. She regrets her decision after\nfalling in love with a regular guy whom she meets off the job. This disc comes\nwith deleted scenes and a trailer. Nina Siemaszko, Tom Skerrit and Robert Davi\nheadline the film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Razorback<\/em> (1984) is a fun Australian horror flick\nabout a killer boar terrorizing the outback. When a Canadian man\u2019s wife is\nattacked by the beast and disappears, he heads into the dangerous wild to find\nthe creature responsible. This stylish effort marked the feature debut of music\nvideo director Russell Mulcahy (Highlander, Ricochet, The Shadow<\/em>) and\nfeatures wild visuals and some crazy animal mayhem. A few years back, Aussie\ndistributor Umbrella Entertainment put out a fantastic Blu-ray with a 4K\nrestoration, a director commentary, a critic audio track, an interview with\nstar Gregory Harrison, a making-of featuring the cast and crew, deleted scenes,\nas well as a look back at the title with movie historians. It also came with\nthe longer and more violent 4::3 Australian home video version of the film and\ntons of publicity material. Thankfully, this North American release from Shout!\nFactory contains all of the same entertaining bonuses!  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Shout! is also releasing a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray\nCollector\u2019s Edition of the slick action flick Streets of Fire<\/em> (1984)\nfrom director Walter Hill (Southern Comfort, The Warriors, 48 Hrs.<\/em>). It\ncontains all of the same fantastic extras from previous editions with improved\npicture quality. Great stuff!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Synapse is delivering Phenomena <\/em>(1985) with a 4K\nUltra HD version of the cult Dario Argento horror film from Italy (well, and\nSwitzerland, as it was shot there). Alas, this is a Standard Edition and so no\nregular Blu-ray is included, nor will there be as many extras as in other\nprevious versions. But if you only want a very quality copy of the movie, then it\nshould do the job just fine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Grand Tour<\/em> (1991) aka Timescape<\/em> aka Grand\nTour: Disaster in Time<\/em> is also arriving on Blu-ray from Unearthed Films.\nJeff Daniels stars as a small-town widower with a loving daughter, but a\ndrinking problem. When a group of odd travelers check into his country inn, he\ndiscovers that they are actually tourists from the future who visit the past to\nenjoy catastrophic disasters… and his town is next for imminent devastation.\nThis title marked the directorial debut of David Twohy (Pitch Black, The\nChronicles of Riddick, A Perfect Getaway<\/em>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Universal is presenting the animated Biblical tale The\nPrince of Egypt<\/em> (1998) as a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray set. It won an Oscar\nfor Best Original Song and the voice talent includes Val Kilmer as Moses, and\nRalph Fiennes, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sandra Bullock, Jeff Goldblum, Danny Glover,\nPatrick Stewart, Helen Mirren, Steve Martin and Martin Short.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And remember how Warner Bros. has been steadily putting out\nindividual Rocky<\/em> films in 4K Ultra HD? This week, Rocky III<\/em>\n(1982) is being released as a Best Buy Exclusive Steelbook with 4K Ultra HD and\nBlu-ray discs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Finally, Warner Archive is making a few titles\navailable as made-to-order Blu-rays from Amazon.com. You can now pick up Confessions\nof a Nazi Spy<\/em> (1939), Flamingo Road<\/em> (1949), Neptune\u2019s Daughter<\/em>\n(1945) and The Prince and the Showgirl<\/em> (1957).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Just one picture this week for kids, but it was a big\nrelease back in its day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Prince of Egypt<\/em> (1998) (Universal) 4K Ultra HD\nand Blu-ray<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

And here are all of the TV-themed titles arriving on disc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All Creatures Great and Small<\/em>: Season 3 (PBS) Blu-ray<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Highway to Heaven<\/em>: The Complete Series (Visual\nEntertainment Group) Blu-ray \u2013 may be delayed<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Letter: A Message for Our Earth<\/em> (PBS) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Lost Symbol<\/em>: The Complete Series (Paramount)\nBlu-ray<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Snowball Effect<\/em> (Filmrise) Blu-ray<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Walking Dead<\/em>: Season 11 (Lionsgate) Blu-ray<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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