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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nALICE IN TERRORLAND \u2013 If you remember all of the press that\nthe recent low-budget Winnie the Pooh<\/em> slasher movie got, then this\nindependent feature based on another property in the public domain makes more\nsense. The chiller uses Alice in Wonderland<\/em> as its inspiration. After a\nfamily tragedy, a teen goes to live with her grandmother in the woods. Soon,\nshe falls down a rabbit hole of evil, encountering various horrifying\ncharacters from a strange land. This UK production hasn\u2019t been seen by many critics,\nbut those who caught it have written almost uniformly negative things about it.\nA few suggested that the sets and make-up are decent and make up for its flaws,\nbut the majority state that there wasn\u2019t a coherent or engaging story to back\nthe concept up. They described the film as dull and flat. For the time being,\nthis is a DVD-only release. It features Lizzy Willis, Rula Lenska, Jon-Paul\nGates and Steve Wraith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ALL UP IN THE BIZ \u2013 For those who listened to music in the\nlate 1980s and early 1990s, it was hard to miss hip-hop artist Biz Markie\u2019s hit\nsong \u201cJust a Friend\u201d playing on the radio. This Showtime documentary seeks to\ninform viewers that the artist was far more than a one-hit wonder. It details\nhis early life in New York, his success in the music business and the legacy\nthat he has left for other performers after his untimely passing. Celebrity\ninterviews with the likes of Nick Cannon, Tracy Morgan, Big Daddy Kane and many\nothers are included in the film. Reaction thus far has been entirely positive.\nThey called the feature a sweet and wonderful examination of an eccentric but\nvery charming and likable figure who succeeded in bringing some joy to the\nworld, as well as attention to fellow artists from his neighborhood. This is\ncurrently a DVD-only release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n THE CANTERVILLE GHOST \u2013 This PG-rated family animated\nfeature from the UK is loosely based on the Oscar Wilde short story of the same\nname. An American family moves to an English country manor haunted by a ghost\nwho has been forcing owners out for hundreds of years. The spirit is shocked to\ndiscover that the family\u2019s teenage daughter isn\u2019t frightened of him at all.\nStill, she does want to return home and agrees to help him try to scare her\nparents and siblings so that they will leave. Reaction was generally, although\nit did receive slightly more upbeat notices. Those who didn\u2019t like the movie\ncommented that it was too talky and lacked visual panache. The same number and\na few more thought the voice talent was excellent and that the film provided\nenough chuckles to entertain the whole family. It features the voices of\nStephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Freddie Highmore, Emily Carey, David Harewood, Meera\nSyal, Miranda Hart, Toby Jones and Imelda Staunton. This is a DVD-only release\nin this part of the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A CREATURE WAS STIRRING \u2013 If you\u2019re not ready to leave the\nholidays behind quite yet, then this independent horror effort may be for you.\nIt\u2019s set on Christmas and follows a pair of drifters who take shelter in a home\nduring a blizzard. There, the pair are introduced to a friendly nurse who\nclaims that her daughter is locked away upstairs and is being treated for an\naffliction with methadone. The visitors learn that all is not as it seems, and\nthat a fifth, perhaps even more dangerous figure is also lurking in the home.\nThis effort received a few more pans than praises from critics. Almost half\nenjoyed the work of the cast and the grisly make-up effects, stating that\nenough of it worked to earn the flick a pass. Unfortunately, most thought there\nwasn\u2019t enough material here to justify a feature. They were particularly irked\nby the final act, in which they believed the entire story flew off of the\nrails. Chrissy Metz, Scout Taylor-Compton, Annalise Basso and Connor Paolo\nheadline the movie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES \u2013\nBelieve it or not, it has been 8 years since the last The Hunger Games<\/em>\nfilm debuted at cinemas. This prequel was released back in November and\nperformed quite well at the box office, suggesting there may be more chapters\nin the future. The story is set 65 years before the events of the original\nseries and follows its villain, Coriolanus Snow, as a young man. During an\nearly edition of the deadly title event, the lead befriends a competitor in the\ngames. He uses personal and political manipulation to rise to a position of\npower. Overall, the press gave the movie good reviews. About one-third did\ncomplain that the film was overlong, had difficulty delivering a coherent\nmessage and didn\u2019t feel like it was necessary. Still, the majority complimented\nthe action sequences as being exciting, found the cast solid and were gripped\nby this early iteration of a dystopian society. It stars Tom Blyth, Rachel\nZegler, Hunter Schafer, Peter Dinklage, Josh Andr\u00e9s Rivera, Jason Schwartzman\nand Viola Davis. There are various editions available of this title, including\n4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray sets, as well as Blu-ray only editions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n HYPNOTIC \u2013 A Texas detective finds his marriage falling\napart after his daughter is abducted. Three years later, she is still missing\nand he is in therapy. One day, the lead and his partner are given information\nabout a potential robbery. The detective witnesses strange behavior from many in\nthe bank and discovers a picture of his daughter along with instructions that\nsuggest a connection between this heist and her disappearance. He goes on the\nhunt to try and locate her. Write-ups were generally poor for this\nmystery\/thriller. One-third of reviewers stated that while it didn\u2019t make a lot\nof sense, the movie provided high-energy fun and delivered a few crazy twists.\nSadly, everyone else called it an absurd and ineffectual thriller that lacked\nexcitement. They described it as a substandard copy of Christopher Nolan films\nlike Memento and Inception. The cast includes Ben Affleck, Alice Braga, JD\nPardo, Hala Finley, Jackie Earl Haley, William Fichtner, Dayo Okeniyi and Jeff\nFahey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n THE MARVELS \u2013 The latest feature in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a follow-up to the 2019 Captain Marvel <\/em>movie. After establishing a ceasefire in a civil war between the Kree empire and the Skrulls, Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel finds her home planet under threat. It seems that the new leader of Kree is attempting to piece together an instrument allowing instant space travel through wormholes. The protagonist and her compatriots attempt to stop this power from getting into the wrong hands. Reaction towards this superhero film was upbeat, but not exceptional. More than one-third of reviewers found the story chaotic and confusing (apparently, it helps if you\u2019ve seen the Ms. Marvel<\/em> miniseries on Disney+ that precedes this title), the new characters underdeveloped. They tired of the experience quickly. Regardless, more liked the female leads and wrote that the movie was fast-paced, breezy and had plenty of gags that kept them amused. Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, Iman Vellani, Samuel L. Jackson, Zawe Ashton and Park Seo-joon headline the feature. There are multiple editions of this title available, including an 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray set as well as a standalone Blu-ray version. Read this site’s review of the film by clicking this link.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n PRISCILLA \u2013 This biopic from Sofia Coppola (Lost in\nTranslation, On the Rocks<\/em>) tells the story of the love affair between Elvis\nPresley and Priscilla Beaulieu. It takes the point-of-view of Beaulieu, a\nlonely girl who meets a famous musician at a party in Germany during his\nmilitary service. The pair spend time together and reunite in the US after the\nwar. After their marriage, cracks emerge between them based on his treatment of\nher. This film earned some press before its release with a couple of\ncontroversies. This included an assertion from Priscilla\u2019s daughter Lisa Marie\nPresley that her father was presented inaccurately. Still, members of the press\ngave the film high marks. A small number of reviews stated that the film had a\nlot of style but tried to do too much and wasn\u2019t emotionally engaging. But the\nconsensus was that the picture was well-acted and clearly expressed the inner\nturmoil that the lead must have experienced in her time with Elvis. The movie\nstars Cailee Spaeny, Jacob Elordi, Ari Cohen and Dagmara Domi\u0144czyk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n THE STONES AND BRIAN JONES \u2013 Many are more than familiar\nwith the music of The Rolling Stones, but this documentary focuses on the life\nof founding member Brian Jones who passed away at the young age of 27. He had\nleft the band just as they were reaching new heights in popularity. Using\npreviously unseen footage of Jones as well as interviews with band members and\nothers who knew him, viewers learn about his influence in the band\u2019s music and\nhis part in their eventual fame. Notices were very strong for this feature. A\nlone voice or two thought that the picture didn\u2019t offer any big revelations and\nthat the story could have been told with more edge. Everyone else thought it\nwas a wonderful picture that helped them understand and relate to the tragic\nfigure and his personal problems. They called the movie a moving and sad\ntribute to a legendary musician.<\/p>\n\n\n\n STRANGE WAY OF LIFE \u2013 The latest effort from Spanish\ndirector Pedro Almod\u00f3var (All About My Mother, Talk to Her, Parallel Mothers<\/em>),\nis, curiously enough, a short film and a western. The 31-minute tale involves a\nmysterious rancher who travels across the desert to visit a sheriff. As they\nmeet again, it is revealed that they once worked together as hired gunmen.\nThere is a longstanding bit of tension between them that must ultimately be\nresolved. The press generally enjoyed this brief story. One-quarter thought it\nwas impressively shot but needed to be fleshed out more and found the finale\nabrupt and unfulfilling. Still, most enjoyed the craftsmanship on display as\nwell as the performances, calling the film complex and something that would\nlinger in their memory. This is a DVD-only release. It stars Ethan Hawke and\nPedro Pascal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n BLASTS FROM THE PAST!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re looking for something older, there are plenty of options. Arrow Video is releasing a \u201cLimited Edition\u201d Blu-ray of the Alistair MacLean adaptation Fear is the Key<\/em> (1972). Barry Newman stars in this unusual action\/thriller as a mysterious man rampaging through Louisiana. He will break any law and do anything he can to get back at another mysterious figure. The disc comes with a film critic commentary track, a visual essay on the movie, a new appreciation of the composer of the score, an archival featurette in which crew members look back on the making of the picture, an archival interview with the associate producer and a trailer. You\u2019ll also get a reversible sleeve with newly commissioned art for the title and a double-sided foldout poster with this and the original art. Read a full review of the Blu-ray here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Shaolin Plot<\/em> (1977) is a classic Hong Kong kung-fu picture that marked Sammo Hung\u2019s last feature under his mentor before he became a director himself. It\u2019s about a prince who is desperate to own every last martial arts manual so that he can defeat any enemy. With only a few books left to collect, he sets his sights on stealing them. The movie has been given 2K restoration for this Blu-ray and comes with two commentary tracks from martial arts and action cinema experts, alternate credits, trailers, a reversible sleeve and an illustrated collector\u2019s booklet. A review of the disc is available by clicking on this link.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/DVD-All-Up-in-the-Biz-fixed.jpg\")
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