{"id":27835,"date":"2024-01-23T21:47:04","date_gmt":"2024-01-24T05:47:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=27835"},"modified":"2024-01-23T21:47:04","modified_gmt":"2024-01-24T05:47:04","slug":"blu-ray-dvd-roundup-for-january-24th-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=27835","title":{"rendered":"Blu-ray\/DVD Roundup for January 24th, 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome to another look at highlights arriving on Blu-ray\nand DVD. This edition includes some animated fare, a war film and a thriller\ntoo, as well as plenty of exciting reissues. So, if you can\u2019t make it out to\nthe movies this week or need to stay indoors for a few days, be sure to check\none of these titles out!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS \u2013 PART 1 \u2013 DC\nsuperhero enthusiasts can now watch the first part in this animated three-movie\nseries. It begins with a character known as the Monitor (who oversees the DC\nMultiverse) sending a message out to heroes in numerous universes saying he\nneeds their help. A sinister figure is destroying various worlds, seeking to\nwipe most of the Multiverse. Various versions of Batman, Superman, Wonder\nWoman, Superwoman, The Flash and others team up to save their remaining worlds\nbefore they are obliterated. There haven\u2019t been many reviews for this title\nyet, but those that have appeared online have been positive. Many have said\nthat the extended running time allows for more character development and that\nthe film is a very strong beginning to a potentially exciting story. It is\navailable on either 4K Ultra HD or on Blu-ray. The voice cast includes\nAlexandra Daddario, Jensen Ackles, Matt Bomer, Stana Katic, Aldis Hodge, Harry\nShum Jr. and Zachary Quinto.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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TROLLS BAND TOGETHER \u2013 This picture was actually released on\ndisc last week with little notice given to the press. The third installment of\nthe popular animated family film series features lead Poppy discovers that her\npartner Branch used to be a part of a \u201cboy band\u201d with his brothers. When one of\nhis siblings is kidnapped, Poppy heads out with Branch to save him and reunite\nwith extended family members. Critics were slightly more positive than negative\nabout the final product. Close to half complained that while the music was\ngood, that the story wasn\u2019t exciting or dynamic and that the entire product\nfelt overly familiar. Slightly more suggested that the film was well animated.\nThey also wrote that the song numbers were fun to watch and that young kids would\nhave a great time singing and dancing to the music. Anna Kendrick, Justin\nTimberlake, Camila Cabello, Eric Andre, Amy Schumer, Andrew Rannells, Troye\nSivan, Daveed Diggs, Scott \u201cKid Cudi\u201d Mescudi, Zooey Deschanel, Christopher\nMintz-Plasse, Ru Paul and Kunal Nayyar provide the voices for the film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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WOLF PACK \u2013 This foreign-language war film from China\nfocuses on a skilled medic\/brain surgeon who is kidnapped by an elite\ninternational squad of \u201cwarriors\u201d and taken to their hideout. Apparently, he is\ntold that the group has a connection to his late father. The lead is then asked\nto join the outfit on a secret desert mission to save a pipeline from being\ndestroyed by a group of evil conspirators. There aren\u2019t a lot of notices for\nthe picture in this part of the world and the online reviews that are available\nhave been mixed-negative. These reviewers were disappointed that the movie was\nmore of a war picture than a martial arts action epic. They called the plot\nhammy and found it difficult to take seriously, noting that even the battle\nscenes weren\u2019t particularly memorable.  Max Zhang Jin, Aarif Lee, Jiang\nLuxia, Mark Luu, Ye Liu, Chang Yi and Tang Guozhong headline the picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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YOUR LUCKY DAY \u2013 A troubled young man enters a corner store\nat the same time that another figure discovers his lottery ticket has just\nearned him $156 million dollars. The winning individual makes the mistake of\ncelebrating openly and the down-on-his-luck kid decides to take the paper slip.\nLittle do they know that a policeman is using the washroom. The officer walks\nout firing and after a body falls to the ground, the survivors try to make a\ndeal so they can all walk out millionaires. The independent thriller earned\nmostly positive write-ups from critics. A small number thought that the concept\nwas excellent but that the execution was clumsy and that it had difficulty\nmaking its points. However, the vast majority thought it was a very strong\ndebut feature. They wrote that it had good performances, a fast pace, strong\nmessage, as well as plenty of story twists. It stars Angus Cloud, Elliot\nKnight, Jessica Garza, Sterling Beaumon, Mousa Hussein Kraish and Jason Wiles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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Anyone looking to venture into cinema\u2019s past also has\noptions. This week, Cohen Media Group is releasing a Blu-ray called The Sea\nShall Not Have Them & Albert R.N.: Two British Wartime Classics Directed by\nLewis Gilbert<\/em>. As you might have already guessed, the well-regarded films The\nSea Shall Not Have Them<\/em> (1954) and Albert R.N.<\/em> (1953) aka Break\nto Freedom<\/em> are included. The first is about RAF pilots who crash into the\nsea and must avoid getting caught by German U-boats. The other involves a group\nof British POWs who suspect that there is a spy living with them in their\ncells. Director Gilbert has quite a resume that includes Sink the Bismarck!,\nAlfie, You Only Live Twice, The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker, Educating Rita<\/em>\nand Shirley Valentine<\/em> among many others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Criterion is delivering the Blu-ray box set Chantal\nAkerman Masterpieces<\/em> containing nine titles from the Belgian filmmaker. The\nmovies are Saute Ma Ville<\/em> (1968), L’enfant Aim\u00e9, ou Je Joue \u00e0 \u00eatre\nune Femme Mari\u00e9e <\/em>(1971), La Chambre<\/em> (1972), Hotel Monterey<\/em>\n(1972), Le 15\/8 <\/em>(1973), Je Tu Il Elle<\/em> (1974), Jeanne Dielman,\n23, Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles<\/em> (1975), News from Home<\/em> (1977)\nand Les Rendez-Vous D\u2019Anna<\/em> (1978). All of the titles have been given 4K\nrestorations. The set also contains an unfinished film from 1973, a program on\nAkerman, a visual essay on the moviemaker, a documentary on the 1975 picture in\nthe set, interviews with Arkerman, as well as various cast and crew members, an\nappreciation by filmmaker Ira Sachs and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carlotta Films is putting out Jeanne Moreau, Filmmaker:\nLumiere (1976) \/ The Adolescent (1979) \/ Lillian Gish (1984) <\/em>on Blu-ray.\nThe set contains 4K restorations of the first two titles. They are French\ndramas, while the third (which has been given an HD restoration) is a\ndocumentary tribute to American actress Gish, looking back on her life and\ncareer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Kino is giving the hit Arnold Schwarzeneggar comedy Kindergarten\nCop<\/em> (1990) a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray upgrade. For those who haven\u2019t seen\nit, this film from Ivan Reitman (Meatballs, Stripes, Ghostbusters, Twins<\/em>)\nhas the star playing an undercover cop who, in order to track down a dangerous\ncriminal, must pose as a kindergarten teacher and gently find\/question the\nyoung students. He, of course, quickly finds himself exasperated, particularly\nwhen one child insists that a headache might actually be a brain tumor. Besides\nthe picture upgrade, it comes with two film historian commentary tracks, and a\ntrailer.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Australian label Powerhouse Films is putting out a Blu-ray\nof the John Frankenheimer drama Impossible Object<\/em> (1973). The movie\narrives on disc with a 4K restoration of the French theatrical cut and shorter\nBritish edition, a film expert commentary, an archived interview with\nFrankenheimer, a comparison of the two different versions, tons of publicity\nmaterials, and a limited 36-page booklet with essays and images on the movie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The distributor is also presenting a Blu-ray of Jinnah<\/em>\n(1998) with Christopher Lee. He co-stars with Shashi Kapoor in this biopic\nabout Pakistan\u2019s founding father, Muhammad Ali Jinnah. It arrives on disc with\na new picture remaster, a 37-minute documentary on the production, a trailer,\nan image gallery and a 40-page booklet on the movie with information about the\ntroubled shoot and an overview of contemporary critical responses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Here\u2019s an unusual one. Karate Kids USA<\/em> (1979) aka The Little Dragons<\/em> is a family action\/comedy arriving on Blu-ray from Shoreline Entertainment. It follows a man who takes his grandsons on a camping trip (that, for some reason, also involves a karate tournament). While there, they discover a kidnapping plot and try to save the day. This was an early effort from award-winning director Curtis Harrington, who would go on to direct The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, L.A. Confidential<\/em>, 8 Mile<\/em> and other critical and commercial hits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sony is rereleasing the French\/Belgian\/Canadian\/British animated effort The Triplets of Belleville<\/em> (2003) on Blu-ray. Pictured above, this visually arresting, absolutely wonderful movie doesn\u2019t feature much dialogue, but makes a big impression. It follows an elderly woman who sets out to save her grandson after he is kidnapped while racing in the Tour de France. She and her oversized dog encounter and travel with a trio of ex-stage performers in order to find the lost relative. It\u2019s a visual delight with some wild musical numbers and a memorable climax. It is highly recommended to fans of animated films with a darker but still very humorous edge. The only downside is that the movie isn\u2019t arriving in 4K Ultra HD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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And Shout! Factory is making a couple of titles available on\nBlu-ray as well. Jennifer 8<\/em> (1992) is getting the \u201cSpecial Edition\u201d\ntreatment. Andy Garcia plays a homicide detective hunting down a serial killer.\nHe finds a witness in a blind woman played by Uma Thurman and tries to prevent\nher from becoming another victim. The Blu-ray presents a new 4K restoration of\ntwo cuts of the picture (one features a never-before-seen alternate ending).\nThere\u2019s also a look back at the movie with Garcia, the writer\/director and\nco-star Lance Henriksen, as well as the alternate ending on its own and a\ntrailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thinner<\/em> (1996) is a Stephen King adaptation about a heavyset lawyer who is cursed by a Romani man wanting payback after the lead accidentally kills his daughter. The protagonist begins losing weight at a rapid rate and desperately does whatever he can to avoid wasting away. This reviewer always found the movie a bit silly, but it seems to have found a following over the years and is now arriving in a Collector\u2019s Edition package. The disc includes a movie critic commentary track, a second commentary with the producer and co-star Joe Mantegna, an interview with the director, as well as cast member Lucinda Jenney. Additionally, there\u2019s a discussion with the make-up effects artist, an archived commentary with the director and Mantegna, a vintage featurette on the make-up and publicity materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

As mentioned, the big family friendly animated release right\nnow appears to be the title listed below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trolls Band Together<\/em> (Universal) 4K Ultra HD and\nBlu-ray or Standalone Blu-ray<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

And the week\u2019s TV-themed release is listed below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lawman: Bass Reeves<\/em> (Mini-series) (Paramount) Blu-ray<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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