{"id":26559,"date":"2023-06-21T00:24:40","date_gmt":"2023-06-21T07:24:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=26559"},"modified":"2023-06-21T00:24:40","modified_gmt":"2023-06-21T07:24:40","slug":"blu-ray-dvd-roundup-for-june-20th-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=26559","title":{"rendered":"Blu-ray\/DVD Roundup for June 20th, 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome to another look at some of the highlights arriving\nthis week on Blu-ray and DVD. This edition is filled with several big releases\nthat fared well with critics. So, if you can\u2019t make it out to the movies this\nweek or need to stay indoors, be sure to 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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AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER \u2013 Some 13 years after the original Avatar<\/em>, writer\/director James Cameron returns with the first of several planned follow-ups to his science-fiction epic. Sixteen years after the events of the first movie, the lead has started a family on his new alien home world of Pandora. His peace comes to a quick end when a new team of human soldiers arrive to colonize the planet. The protagonist tries to keep them safe by moving everyone to a distant water-based community. However, the villains continue their pursuit and the family must square off against them. The movie earned generally solid reviews and broke box office records, becoming the all-time third-highest grossing film worldwide (the first Avatar<\/em> still stands at number one). Those who disliked the film complained about the story and called the movie overlong and draining. However, more than three-quarters were wowed by the spectacle and visual effects (which won an Academy Award), stating that it would impress anyone who enjoyed the original. There are all sorts of different editions, including 4K Ultra HD, 3D and Blu-ray, so be sure to check the specs on each version to make sure you get the one that is right for you. The film stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Cliff Curtis, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Edie Falco, Jemaine Clement and Kate Winslet.\u00a0Read a full review right here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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GUY RITCHIE\u2019S THE COVENANT \u2013 Also known as The Covenant<\/em>, this drama involves a US Army Sergeant serving in Afghanistan. While on assignment, his squad is attacked by Taliban forces. The military man is saved by his Afghan interpreter, who goes to extreme lengths to get them both to safety. When the lead discovers that the government is not honoring their word to give Afghan helpers safe passage to the US, he sets out to find and extract the man himself. Critics gave this picture high marks. A small contingent found it melodramatic and called its critical view of the government heavy-handed. Everyone else was impressed by the performances, called the film extremely tense and appreciated its attempts to bring important issues to light. The cast includes Jake Gyllenhaal, Dar Salim, Antony Starr, Alexander Ludwig, Emily Beecham and Jonny Lee Miller. Here’s a full review of the feature.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I AM T-REX \u2013 This animated feature from China is set in the\nage of dinosaurs. A young T-Rex lives with his father who is the leader of\ntheir valley community. When a nasty foe decides to fight for control of the\nregion, the violent battle results in a tragic end for the dad. The young T-Rex\nson runs away for good, traumatized by what he has witnessed. Later, he meets\nother dinosaurs and asks them to train him so that he can vanquish his enemy\nand bring peace back to the valley. No one has seen the movie in this part of\nthe world, so there are currently no reviews available for it. Parents should\nprobably be warned that it appears that several characters may meet a violent\nend over the course of the running time. The disc appears to contain an\nEnglish-language dub of the original Cantonese. As of this writing, no English\nvoice cast has been listed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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POLITE SOCIETY \u2013 A London teenager of Pakistani descent spends her days dreaming about being a stunt woman and practicing martial arts with her supportive older sister. When her elder sibling quits her studies and quickly announces that she is getting married, the teen becomes upset and suspicious. Despite the initial friendliness of her potential in-laws, the youth is determined to sabotage the relationship and stop the pair from getting married. This comedy earned lots of praise from the press. A tiny number couldn\u2019t get on the film\u2019s wavelength, calling it strange and commenting that it misses its opportunities to delve into serious drama about its subject matter. However, the vast majority thought the movie was hilarious. They stated that this high-energy, witty effort surprised them with some over-the-top moments and a warm-hearted sense of sisterly love. It features Priya Kansara, Ritu Arya, Nimra Bucha and Akshay Khanna. Read all about the film here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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RODEO \u2013 In this French drama, a teenage misfit finds solace\nin the world of motorcycles. When she sets out to join a community of dirt\nbikers who perform stunts, she is surprised to find that the gang is completely\nmale-dominated. The protagonist attempts to fit in and win them over, but a\npainful injury puts her on the sidelines and causes her further struggles.\nReaction towards this foreign-language feature was very positive. A small\ncontingent found the icy characters hard to relate to and couldn\u2019t get\nemotionally involved in the proceedings. Still, the general consensus was that\ndespite some minor issues with the story, the movie was interesting, gritty and\ntense enough to ultimately draw them in. Julie Ledru, Yannis Lafki, Louis\nSotton and Junior Correia headline the feature.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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SKINAMARINK \u2013 Two children wake up in the middle of the\nnight to find that their parents have disappeared and their home is completely\nempty. Even worse, all of the doors and windows leading out have disappeared.\nThe kids decide to move to the living room and watch TV in order to pass the\ntime until someone arrives to help them. Unfortunately, they soon hear a\nfrightening, disembodied voice urging them to come upstairs. This independent\nhorror picture earned more upbeat reviews than negative ones. Close to\none-third thought that after an unsettling opening, the story ground to a halt\nand events became tedious and dull instead of scary. But most complimented the\nfilm as stylish and creepy. They believed it effectively tapped into childhood\nfears and made a lasting impression. It stars Lucas Paul, Dali Rose Tetreault\nand Ross Paul.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A SNOWY DAY IN OAKLAND \u2013 In this independently-produced\ncomedy, a San Francisco psychologist decides to end a romantic relationship\nwith her business partner and move across the bay to Oakland. Once there, the\nlead opens her own practice. The move raises eyebrows among neighbors, who\ndon\u2019t believe that she\u2019ll be able to find anyone willing to pay to talk about\ntheir personal problems. But when a developer arrives planning to turn the\nstreet into a parking lot, locals want therapy and even ask for help in saving\ntheir businesses. This title is a streaming and direct-to-disc DVD-only\nrelease. Thus far, there have only been a handful of reviews. Half thought the\ntone was off and that the message wasn\u2019t sharply delivered, while the same\nnumber called it corny but fun and stated that it benefitted from a talented\ncast. The movie features Keith David, Nicole Ari Parker, Sean Maguire, Michael\nJai White, Loretta Devine, Marla Gibbs and Tony Plana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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SURVIVE \u2013 A woman with suicidal tendencies completes\ntreatment at a facility and heads home, only for the plane she is traveling on\nto crash in the snowy mountain wilderness. There is one other survivor, who\ninforms the lead that they will have to trek a great distance to find help and\nsafety. Despite some reluctance, she realizes that the two of them must look\nout for each other to survive and tries her best to assist him. This\nindependent disaster film\/drama was released at theaters in some international\nterritories, but is debuting on disc and through streaming sites in North\nAmerica. Notices from Europe were not ideal. Write-ups noted that the movie was\nnicely shot, but that story elements focused too much on one character, were\ntoo exaggerated and that the film lacked believability. Sophie Turner and Corey\nHawkins headline the feature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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WHISPER OF THE HEART \u2013 Also known as Mimi wo sumaseba<\/em>,\n<\/strong>this live-action Japanese feature is based on a popular manga (comic book\nor graphic novel) series of the same name. It\u2019s a coming-of-age tale about two\nadults looking back on the forgotten dreams of their teenage years. One\ncurrently works for a successful publisher, but has given up on her own\nwriting. The other is a professional cello player who has become a difficult\nperfectionist. The two cross paths once again in Italy, remember their teenage\nyears and try to reignite their creative spark. Very few members of the press\nhave seen this title at this time, but those who did gave it a recommendation.\nWhile the articles all call the film overly sentimental and predictable, they\nalso admitted that the cast is likable and the end result was sweet and\namiable. The cast includes Nana Seino, T\u00f4ri Matsuzaka and Towa Araki.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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It\u2019s also an excellent week for older releases. Arrow Video\nalways puts out quality products and this time out their primary release is The\nGame Trilogy<\/em> limited edition Blu-ray box set. It contains the Japanese\npictures The Most Dangerous Game<\/em> (1978), The Killing Game<\/em> (1978)\nand The Execution Game<\/em> (1979), all part of a stylish action series\nstarring Yusaku Matsuda. This release marks the debut of these films in North\nAmerica. The plots involve an anti-hero taking on corporate corruption, the\nYakuza and other sinister forces. These discs include film historian audio\ncommentaries on all three features, as well as interviews with the director,\nthe screenwriter and critics with detailed analysis of the series. The set also\ncomes with publicity materials for the movies.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Criterion is having a busy week with a couple of interesting\ntitles arriving on Blu-ray. Medicine for Melancholy<\/em> (2008) is an early\neffort from Barry Jenkins (Moonlight, If Beale Street Could Talk<\/em>) about\ntwo young San Franciscans dealing with being minorities in a gentrifying city.\nA new master of the movie has been approved by the director and it also comes\nwith a recently recorded filmmaker commentary and a 2008 commentary track, a\nnew making-of program, test footage, a blooper reel, and a trailer as well.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Servant<\/em> (1963) is a British drama about an\naristocrat who hires a clever butler that begins to turn the tables on the\nhousehold. The well-reviewed movie won several BAFTA awards during its original\nrelease. Extras include a lengthy critical analysis of the picture, a series of\naudio discussions with the director, an interview with the screenwriter, a\nseries of talks with cast members, a trailer and a booklet featuring an essay\non the movie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you belong to the Disney Movie Club, you can also pick up\nan exclusive Blu-ray and DVD combo of the original Avatar <\/em>(2009).\nNaturally, this appears to be timed to coincide with the release of the\nfollow-up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Kino is presenting several Blu-rays as well. The Bridges\nat Toko-Ri<\/em> (1954) is a movie about the Korean War that stars William Holden\nand Grace Kelly. This disc comes with a 4K picture restoration, as well as a\nmovie expert commentary track, a trailer and a slipcase cover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have a 4K Ultra HD set up, you can purchase the classic thriller The Manchurian Candidate<\/em> (1962) on the format. Pictured above and to the left, this film from director John Frankenheimer (Birdman of Alcatraz, Grand Prix, Seconds, French Connection II, Black Sunday, Ronin<\/em>) involves a soldier who has been programmed to kill a presidential nominee. It comes with an extra Special Features Blu-ray disc that contains the film with a Frankenheimer commentary, as well as interviews with the director, screenwriter and star Frank Sinatra. You also get a discussion with co-star Angela Lansbury, outtakes, trailers and much more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The distributor is also making the Mr. Wong Collection<\/em>\navailable on Blu-ray. It contains the films Mr. Wong, Detective<\/em> (1938), The\nMystery of Mr. Wong<\/em> (1939), Mr. Wong in Chinatown<\/em> (1939), The\nFatal Hour<\/em> (1940) and Doomed to Die<\/em> (1940). Boris Karloff plays the\ntitle character in these five murder mystery titles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also pick up a Blu-ray double-feature featuring a\nfamous canine performer.  It\u2019s called Rin Tin Tin: Clash of the Wolves<\/em>\n\/ Where the North Begins<\/em> and contains two movies from 1923 and 1925\nstarring the German shepherd. One has been restored in 4K and the other 2K. The\ndisc contains film expert commentaries on both titles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Additionally, the excellent Robert De Niro action picture Ronin<\/em>\n(1998) is arriving as a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray set or on Blu-ray only. This\nParis-set heist picture has plenty of thrills and a wonderful car chase.\nBesides the upgraded picture quality, it comes with every previously released\nextra from older releases, including an alternate ending and a Frankenheimer\ncommentary track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Media Blasters is presenting the Japanese feature Zombie\nAss: Toilet of the Dead<\/em> (2011) on Blu-ray. It features camping teens who\nare attacked by parasite-laden, feces-covered zombies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer is getting on the bandwagon and\nreleasing Blu-rays of some of their catalog titles. They look to be bare bones\ndiscs, but at least these movies are finally seeing the light of day on the\nformat. Best Seller <\/em>(1987) is a thriller with James Woods and John\nDennehy about a writer doing research on a hitman who ends up caught in the\nmiddle of an assassination plot. City of Ghosts<\/em> (2002) stars and was\ndirected by Matt Dillon and it features a con man in Cambodia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In Diary of a Hitman<\/em> (1991) Forest Whitaker plays a\nhired killer on his final assignment who runs into trouble when he can\u2019t quite\nbring himself to finish the job. It also stars Sherilyn Fenn and Sharon Stone. Golden\nGate<\/em> (1993) is a drama with Matt Dillon and Joan Chen about a young lawyer\nworking for the FBI. He falls in love with the daughter of a man he is supposed\nto prosecute. The film is directed by future Oscar-nominee John Madden (Shakespeare\nin Love, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Miss Sloane<\/em>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And Stormy Monday<\/em> (1988) is an effective neo-noir\nfrom the UK about an Irishman who takes on work at a Newcastle jazz club, only\nto find himself unexpectedly embroiled in a plot by shady American investors to\ntake control of the city. It stars Sean Bean, Melanie Griffith, Tommy Lee Jones\nand Sting. This final title was previously released on Blu-ray by Arrow Video,\nbut it has since gone out-of-print.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In anticipation of the upcoming Mission: Impossible<\/em>\nsequel, Paramount is shining a light on a couple of other Tom Cruise pictures.\nThe thriller The Firm<\/em> (1993) is being put out exclusively on 4K Ultra HD\n(no Blu-ray is included in the package), while Vanilla Sky<\/em> (2001) is\ncoming out in a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray combo set. Both are decent films that\nshould appeal to fans of the actor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New distributor Radiance Films is delivering the Blu-ray set\nCosa Nostra: Franco Nero in Three Mafia Tales by Damiano Damiani, <\/em>which\npresents The Day of the Owl <\/em>(1968), The Case is Closed, Forget It <\/em>(1971)and How to Kill a Judge <\/em>(1975) in high definition. These are three\nwell-regarded Italian mafia films that happen to star Franco Nero. The set\ncontains 2K restorations of all three titles, multiple interviews with Nero, a\nton of featurettes from film experts on the titles, as well as an examination\nof the life of the man who directed the movies. There are so many bonuses that\nthey can\u2019t all be listed here. The set even comes with a 120-page book on the\nmafia genre with new and archival essays from experts.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Red Sun<\/em> (1970) is also arriving from Radiance Films\non Blu-ray. It\u2019s a German movie about a man who meets a trio of women and\nagrees to stay with them, only to learn that they\u2019re planning on murdering him\nin five days. The film\u2019s director supervised the digital transfer and has\nprovided select scene commentary with another cast member. Extras also include\na couple of visual essays on the project and a 52-page booklet on the title\nwith written contributions from critics and fellow filmmaker Wim Wenders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sandpiper is releasing some interesting Blu-rays as well. The\nBarefoot Contessa<\/em> (1954) stars Humphrey Bogart as a struggling filmmaker\nhired to travel abroad and work on an unusual project. Romeo is Bleeding<\/em>\n(1993) is a wild and crazy neo-noir about a crooked cop who gets in over his\nhead with a devious woman from a Moscow crime family. The cast includes Gary\nOldman, Lena Olin, Annabella Sciorra and Juliette Lewis. And The Secret of\nSanta Vittoria<\/em> (1969) features Anthony Quinn as an Italian winemaker hiding\nhis goods from German forces during World War II.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, Zeitgeist Films is presenting Guy Maddin\u2019s Tales\nfrom the Gimli Hospital Redux<\/em> (1988) on Blu-ray. The story involves two men\ntrapped in a hospital during a smallpox epidemic. Apparently, this edition has\nbeen remastered in 4K and includes a scene cut from the original version (which\nis why the word Redux<\/em> has been added to the title). It also comes with a\ndirector commentary, a 2000 short from the filmmaker and a trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also pick up a double-feature of A Zed & Two\nNoughts and The Falls: Two Films by Peter Greenaway<\/em>, which includes a pair\nof projects from 1985 and 1980 made by the famed British director.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

These titles may be of interest to children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I Am T-Rex<\/em> (animated movie from China) (Well Go USA)\nBlu-ray<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reboot<\/em>: The Complete Series \u2013 The Definitive\nMainframe Edition (Shout! Factory) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stan Lee\u2019s Superhero Kindergarten: Super K Time Trippers<\/em>\n(Ncircle) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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

Criminal Minds: Evolution<\/em>: Season 16 (Paramount)\nBlu-ray<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Great Performances: Now Hear This<\/em>: Season 4 (PBS) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Larkins<\/em>: Series 2 (Acorn) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Mistletoe Secret<\/em> (Hallmark) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NATURE: The Hummingbird Effect<\/em> (PBS) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reboot<\/em>: The Complete Series \u2013 The Definitive\nMainframe Edition (Shout! Factory) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wartime Girls<\/em>: Season 2 (Menemsha Films) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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