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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nFALLEN LEAVES \u2013 This eccentric comedy\/drama from Finnish\nfilmmaker Aki Kaurism\u00e4ki (Drifting Clouds, The Man Without a Past, The Other\nSide of Hope<\/em>) follows two lonely, working-class people living in Helsinki.\nAfter unexpectedly meeting in a karaoke bar, they exchange information and hope\nto forge a romantic relationship. However, circumstances and personal issues\nend up making it hard ro connect. This foreign-language title received raves\nfrom the press and the film was nominated for Best International Picture at the\nAcademy Awards. One or two couldn\u2019t get onto its unusual wavelength and found\nit dull. Everyone else described the low-key, deadpan humor as hilarious and\nfound the unique characters immensely likable. They also found the movie\nstrangely inspiring. The cast includes Alma P\u00f6ysti and Jussi Vatanen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n FINESTKIND \u2013 After taking their commercial fishing boat into\nillegal waters and getting caught by authorities, two brothers find themselves\nfacing severe fines. To cover their debts, one of them makes a deal with a\ncriminal outfit to transport drugs on their seacraft. But after a double-cross\nthe entire family finds their lives in danger. Critics weren\u2019t very impressed\nby this thriller. About one-third thought that the film\u2019s themes of familial\nbonds and excellent cast made up for the story\u2019s familiar elements.\nUnfortunately, the majority stated that everything in the film felt predictable\nand the tonal shifts between melodrama and action didn\u2019t feel natural. For the\ntime being, this is a DVD-only release (it has been available to stream on\nParamount+ for some time already). The feature stars Ben Foster, Toby Wallace,\nJenny Ortega, Tommy Lee Jones, Tim Daly and Lolita Davidovich.<\/p>\n\n\n\n IT\u2019S A WONDERFUL KNIFE \u2013 A masked, knife-wielding killer\ngoes on the rampage on Christmas Eve until he is stopped and killed by a young\nwoman. One year later, she is still haunted and traumatized by the event, even\ngoing so far as to wish that she had never been born. The woman suddenly finds\nherself transported to an alternate reality where she doesn\u2019t exist and the\nmaniac is still hunting locals. She is forced to stop him once again and try to\nreclaim her life. The press was split on this holiday-themed horror\/comedy.\nAlmost half took issue with the script, calling it full of plot holes and\nriddled with lame jokes. The same number (plus one or two) suggested this\nchiller pleased them by not taking itself seriously. They felt that it provided\nenough laughs and shocks to earn a recommendation. Jane Widdop, Joel McHale,\nJustin Long and Jess McLeod headline the picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n LISA FRANKENSTEIN \u2013 This modern-day take on the classic Frankenstein<\/em>\ntale finds a teenager obsessing over a deceased youth in her local cemetery.\nWhen a lightning strike raises him from the dead, the lead takes him in.\nUnfortunately, rot becomes an issue, so she decides to murder some unpleasant\nboys at her school to help rebuild her new beau\u2019s body. This horror\/comedy from\nOscar-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody (Juno, Young Adult, Tully<\/em>)\nreceived an almost equal number of positive and negative reviews. Those who\ndisliked it wrote that it felt like a patchwork of other genre movies, wasn\u2019t\nfunny or scary enough, and suggested the main characters lacked charisma. Just\nas many (plus a few extra voices) wrote that the final product was fun and\nsurprisingly sweet, possessing enough unique moments to make it a potential\ncult film. The cast includes Kathryn Newton, Liza Soberano, Cole Sprouse and\nCarla Gugino.<\/p>\n\n\n\n MONSTER \u2013 This Japanese picture was slated for release in\nFebruary, but experienced a delay and is only now arriving. While at school,\ntwo children in a suburban town get into a fight. Afterwards, one claims to\nhave been abused by a teacher. This draws the attention of the parents of those\ninvolved, who argue about what actually occurred and deeper issues at the\nfacility. Tempers flare and eventually the local media get involved, adding\nmore fuel to the fire and drawing attention to the difficulties several\nstudents face in their lives. This foreign-language feature earned accolades. A\nlone voice or two didn\u2019t appreciate the way the movie juggled story elements\nand thought the final act was weak. Yet the vast majority called the film\npowerful and said that it dealt with many aspects of school life and growing up\nin an authentic and challenging manner. The cast includes Sakura And\u00f4, Eita\nNagayama and Soya Kurokawa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n NIGHT SWIM \u2013 Based on a well-regarded horror short from\n2014, this feature-length version of the story finds an injured former\nprofessional baseball player moving to a suburban home with his family. The\nlead seems particularly excited about the large backyard swimming pool, which\nhe secretly hopes will help him recover quickly and return to the big leagues.\nUnfortunately, an evil force in the pool begins to torment the new arrivals.\nThe press didn\u2019t respond well to this picture. A small number believed that the\nstory had interesting characters and delivered plenty of suspense and\njump-scares from the concept. However, the vast majority complained that the\ntale was preposterous, that they saw every twist coming, and as a result the\nfilm didn\u2019t deliver the necessary scares. Wyatt Russell, Kerry Condon, Am\u00e9lie\nHoeferle and Gavin Warren headline the picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n THE ROUNDUP: NO WAY OUT \u2013 Here\u2019s another film that was\ndelayed a week or two from its original date. And now it\u2019s arriving in a 4K\nUltra HD and Blu-ray combo pack (as well as on a standalone Blu-ray). This\nsequel to the 2017 Korean action movie The Outlaws<\/em> and its 2022\nfollow-up The Roundup<\/em> finds the main character and heroic detective\ninvestigating an overdose-related death. He discovers that a sinister crime\nsyndicate is supplying the area with a new designer drug and goes toe-to-toe\nwith the organization to stop them. Critics in this part of the world have been\nimpressed with this series and raved about the latest chapter. Everyone enjoyed\nit, saying it was an extremely entertaining picture that reminded them of\nentertainingly excessive cop movies like Lethal Weapon<\/em>. They also\ndescribed it as well-produced with jaw-dropping action scenes from its dynamic\nstar. The film features Ma Dong-seok (credited as Don Lee) on the poster, Lee\nJun-hyuk and Munetaka Aoki.<\/p>\n\n\n\n WHICH BRINGS ME TO YOU \u2013 This independent romantic comedy\nbegins with a woman who is coming off a string of bad relationships arriving as\na guest at a wedding ceremony. She hits it off and has a fling with an attendee\nwho is also coming off a series of romantic disasters. After their passionate\nencounter, the pair discuss their messy breakups and heartbreaks, hoping they\ncan find a way to make this relationship work, or at least understand why they\nhave failed so many times in the past. The film earned more upbeat notices than\nnegative ones from reviewers. Nearly one-third stated that the characters were\nsuperficial and that the movie was an ineffective clone of Before Sunrise<\/em>\nand other rom-coms. However, the rest were charmed by the cast, noting that the\nmovie was a simple, effectively told tale that would provide single people hope\nin finding a true match. It stars Lucy Hale, Nat Wolff and John Gallagher Jr..<\/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\noptions arriving as well. Recently, 88 Films put out an impressive 4K Ultra HD\nand Blu-ray combo of the Jackie Chan action picture, Police Story III:\nSupercop <\/em>(1993). This week, a Blu-ray \u201cStandard Special Edition\u201d is\narriving that contains the same extras (it just doesn\u2019t come with a 4K Ultra HD\ndisc).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Picnic at Hanging Rock<\/em> (1975) is an eerie Australian\nclassic from Peter Weir (Gallipoli, The Year of Living Dangerously, Witness,\nDead Poets Society, The Truman Show<\/em>) that is being given a 4K Ultra HD and\nBlu-ray upgrade from Criterion. Based on a true story and set in the year 1900,\nit involves a group of students and a teacher from a girl\u2019s school. They take a\nday trip excursion to a prehistoric rock formation and vanish without a trace.\nBesides the new, sharper picture transfer (which was approved by late director\nWeir and cinematographer Russell Boyd), it contains a discussion with the\nfilmmaker, a program on the making-of the movie, an introduction by a film scholar,\nan on-set documentary with cast and crew interviews, Weir\u2019s 50-minute\ncomedy\/drama Homesdale<\/em> (1971) from early in his career, and a trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Film Masters is delivering a Blu-ray of the drive-in\nchiller, Tormented<\/em> (1960). This film from Bert I. Gordon (The Amazing\nColossal Man, Attack of the Puppet People<\/em>) involves a man who tosses his\nex-lover from a lighthouse, only to be haunted by her spirit as he prepares for\na new marriage. The movie has been given a 4K restoration from archival\nelements. Extras include an unreleased TV pilot made by Gordon, a film\nhistorian commentary, a visual essay on the movie, essays on the picture, an\narchival interview with Gordon, the Mystery Science Theater 3000<\/em> episode\nfeaturing this title, as well as the original trailer and a recut trailer for\nthe film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Looters<\/em> (1955) is an adventure film about two\nmountain climbers who find a plane wreck in the Rockies. They end up fighting\nover the $250,000 discovered onboard while looking for survivors. Kino is\nreleasing a Blu-ray of the title. It features a new 2K scan of the movie and a\nfilm historian commentary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kino is also releasing a \u201cSpecial Edition\u201d Blu-ray of The\nMinus Man<\/em> (1999). This underrated thriller stars Owen Wilson as a serial\nkiller quietly moving across the country and, in a disturbingly low-key manner,\ncarefully selecting and eliminating victims. The cast also includes Janeane\nGarofalo, Brian Cox, Mercedes Ruhl, Dennis Haysbert, Dwight Yoakam and Sheryl\nCrow. Besides a 2K picture restoration, the disc comes with a\nco-writer\/director commentary (along with the movie\u2019s producer) and a trailer.\nA \u201cLimited Edition\u201d slipcard is also included.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You Never Can Tell<\/em> (1951) is a screwball comedy about\na tycoon who leaves his fortune to his dog. Suddenly, fortune hunters come out\nof the woodwork hoping to win the job of taking care of the pooch. When the\nanimal is suddenly poisoned and dies, it is given the opportunity to return\nfrom the dead to find its killer. The disc features a 2K scan of the picture\nand a movie historian commentary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Massacre Video is putting out a set of short films called In\nHell Productions: The Films of Vince Roth and Mick Nards<\/em>. It contains three\nlow-budget shorts from the two independent filmmakers. The titles included are Nekro<\/em>\n(1998), Six Pack That Bitch<\/em> (2003) and Don\u2019t Go in the Fucking Woods<\/em>\n(2002). According to the press synopsis, you\u2019ll also get more than 30 minutes\nof extras like unprecedented behind-the-scenes footage and insight into the\nmaking of these films.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Japanese documentary Orozco the Embalmer<\/em> (2001)\nis also arriving on Blu-ray. It presents a look into cadaver preparation for\nfunerals. A director interview, a discussion with the filmmaker from 2011, a\nstills gallery and trailers for other Massacre Video titles are also included\non the disc. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Snuff 102<\/em> (2007) is an Argentinian feature about a\njournalist investigating snuff films who gets in over her head. The title is\nbeing presented fully uncut on Blu-ray with a visual restoration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Death Squad<\/em> (1985) aka Brigade of Death <\/em>is arriving on Blu-ray from Mondo Macabro. Pictured to the left, this is a French movie about a vice cop taking no prisoners on his hunt to stop a man targeting prostitutes. Apparently, it\u2019s considered one of the most violent and sleaziest crime films ever made in the country. The \u201cSpecial Edition\u201d Blu-ray features a 4K transfer of the movie from the film negative, cast interviews and a trailer. There is also a French and English language audio track (the first includes English subtitles).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Special Silencers<\/em> (1982) is being given a \u201cStandard\nEdition\u201d Blu-ray release. The unusual plot of this Indonesian action film\ninvolves a series of pills that can cause a huge tree to grow and burst out of\nthose who ingest it (guess there isn\u2019t much repeat business on this drug). The\ndisc contains an extended cut of the movie, a featurette in Indonesian cinema\nand a film expert commentary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Action movie enthusiasts can pick up Mean Guns<\/em> (1997) with Christopher Lambert and Ice-T on Blu-ray from MVD Visual. The story involves dangerous convicts being given weapons before being locked up in a prison. They are then forced to fight each other and survive in order to win $10 million dollars. Extras include interviews with the producer, executive producer and composer, as well an introduction and commentary track with late director Albert Pyun (Cyborg<\/em>, Dollman<\/em>, the 1990 version of Captain America<\/em>) and a trailer. It all comes in a box with reversible artwork that also includes a collectible mini-poster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Paramount Pictures is putting out a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray\nSteelbook of King Kong<\/em> (1976). This remake stars Jeff Bridges and\nJessica Lange as humans who help discover the giant ape and take it back to New\nYork (where it goes on a rampage). This release includes the theatrical version\nand extended TV cut with a major picture upgrade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shout! Factory is releasing a couple of titles this week. The first is a \u201cCollector\u2019s Edition\u201d Blu-ray of Lost in Space<\/em> (1998), a feature remake of the 1960s television series. William Hurt, Gary Oldman, Mimi Rogers, Matt LeBlanc, Heather Graham, Lacey Chabert and Jack Johnson star in this adventure about the Robinson family trying to find their way home after their mission into space goes awry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The release contains a new 2K scan of the film\u2019s interpositive, a commentary with director Stephen Hopkins (who directed Judgment Night, Blown Away, The Ghost and the Darkness<\/em> and served as executive producer and director on the TV-series 24<\/em>), another commentary track with crew members, new interviews with Hopkins and writer\/producer Akiva Goldsman. You\u2019ll also get deleted scenes, additional scenes, featurettes on the production, a Q&A with the TV show\u2019s cast and a trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Recent Razzie Award-winner Winnie the Pooh: Blood &\nHoney<\/em> (2023) is also arriving on Blu-ray from Shout! Factory. This release\ncomes with a making-of and a trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Undercrank Productions is delivering an unusual Blu-ray. Accidentally\nPreserved: Volume 5<\/em> is a collection of four silent films that are not in\nany film archives and were thought to be lost forever. These titles were\ndiscovered and scanned from the last remaining 16mm prints in existence. The\nset includes Lorraine of the Lions<\/em> (1925), Love at First Flight<\/em>\n(1928), Hoofbeats of Vengeance<\/em> (1928) and The Fourth Commandment<\/em>\n(1927). New musical scores were composed for their release on this Blu-ray.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, the horror film The Abandoned<\/em> (2006) is\nreceiving a \u201cLimited Edition\u201d Blu-ray from Unearthed Films. It\u2019s a chilling\ntale about an American woman searching for her birth parents. When she inherits\ntheir home in the middle of a forest in Russia, the lead visits and begins\nhaving strange visions that may provide clues as to what caused their death.\nBonuses include cast and crew interviews, numerous featurettes on the\nproduction, alternative sequences, deleted and extended scenes, outtakes and\npublicity materials. <\/p>\n\n\n\n YOU KNOW, FOR KIDS!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Below is a list of the week\u2019s kid-friendly titles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sesame Street Mecha Builders<\/em>: The Complete Series\n(Shout! Factory) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sunny Bunnies<\/em>: Season 1 (Dreamscape Media) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sunny Bunnies<\/em>: Season 2 (Dreamscape Media) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sunny Bunnies<\/em>: Season 3 (Dreamscape Media) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sunny Bunnies<\/em>: Season 4 (Dreamscape Media) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sunny Bunnies<\/em>: Season 5 (Dreamscape Media) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sunny Bunnies<\/em>: Season 6 (Dreamscape Media) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n ON THE TUBE!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n All of this edition\u2019s TV-related discs can be found below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Doom Patrol<\/em>: Season 4 (Final Season) Blu-ray<\/p>\n\n\n\n Doom Patrol<\/em>: The Complete Series (Warner Bros.)\nBlu-ray<\/p>\n\n\n\n Royal Flying Doctor Service<\/em>: Season 2 (PBS) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sesame Street Mecha Builders<\/em>: The Complete Series\n(Shout! Factory) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n SkyMed<\/em>: Season 2 (CBS) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sunny Bunnies<\/em>: Season 1 (Dreamscape Media) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sunny Bunnies<\/em>: Season 2 (Dreamscape Media) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sunny Bunnies<\/em>: Season 3 (Dreamscape Media) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sunny Bunnies<\/em>: Season 4 (Dreamscape Media) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sunny Bunnies<\/em>: Season 5 (Dreamscape Media) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sunny Bunnies<\/em>: Season 6 (Dreamscape Media) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unforgettable<\/em>: The Complete Series (Via Vision\nAustralian Import) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/DVD-Finestkind-fixed.jpg\")
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