{"id":28613,"date":"2024-05-14T22:42:51","date_gmt":"2024-05-15T05:42:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=28613"},"modified":"2024-05-14T22:42:51","modified_gmt":"2024-05-15T05:42:51","slug":"blu-ray-dvd-roundup-for-may-14th-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=28613","title":{"rendered":"Blu-ray\/DVD Roundup for May 14th, 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome to another look at some of the highlights arriving\non Blu-ray and DVD. There are a couple of major releases coming your way this\nweek, as well as some interesting independent efforts. So, if you can\u2019t make it\nout to the movies this week or need to stay indoors for a few days, be sure to\ngive one of these titles a try!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MAGICAL NEGROES \u2013 A young\nAfrican-American man is recruited into a secret group of black people with\nmagical powers. They tell him that they use their gift to make white people as\ncomfortable as possible, all so that race-related conflict can be avoided. The\nprotagonist is assigned to befriend and help a stressed-out a white man at his\njob. However, complications arise when the hero falls for a woman at the\nworkplace, taking his attention away from his duties. Critics were unimpressed\nwith this fantasy\/comedy. About one-quarter stated that after a slow start, the\nsatirical elements started to work and that it ultimately charmed them.\nUnfortunately, the majority thought the story was too busy with comedy and\nromantic subplots. They wrote that the end result felt slight, lacking any sort\nof bite or memorable comments on its themes. It stars Justice Smith, David Alan\nGrier, An-Li Bogan and Eric Lutz.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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DESTROY ALL NEIGHBORS \u2013 An aspiring musician struggles for\nyears to complete his debut post-progressive rock LP while working at a\nrecording studio. Just about everyone has stopped believing in his dream and\nfrayed nerves appear to be getting the better of him. After deciding to\nconfront a noisy neighbor, he accidentally kills the man. The lead begins\nhallucinating as he attempts to rid himself of the body and cover his tracks.\nThis horror\/comedy debuted on the Shudder streaming site and is now arriving as\na DVD-only release. Overall, the press was positive about the picture. Close to\none-third of reviews complained that the story became repetitive and tired of\nthe gross-out humor. Still, the consensus was that while a bit unruly there was\nplenty here to enjoy and that the hilarious cast members made the most of the\nmaterial. It features Jonah Ray, Kiran Deol, Thomas Lennon, Alex Winter and\nKumail Nanjiani.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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DUNE: PART TWO \u2013 Finishing off the story introduced in Dune: Part One<\/em>, this follow-up begins after the fall of House Atreides by the sinister Harkonnen. Hero Paul escapes into the deserts of Dune with his mother and finds friends in the local population of Fremen. As the villains hunt for and attempt to wipe out the remaining population, the heroes plot to take them down and free themselves. Response to the picture was excellent and the picture\u2019s worldwide box office is currently the largest of any film this year.\u00a0 \u00a0 A small number did call the film slow-moving and overly solemn in tone. However, the overwhelming majority thought it was a phenomenal adaptation that delivered stunning action and thrills, jaw-dropping imagery and expertly delivered themes about the dark side of being a leader. The cast includes Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Dave Bautista, Christopher Walken, L\u00e9a Seydoux, Stellan Skarsg\u00e5rd and Charlotte Rampling. Multiple editions of the title are being released in a variety of formats, including a 4K Ultra HD edition, a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray Steelbook, a Blu-ray, as well as a 4K Ultra HD combo pack of part one and two and a Blu-ray version of both chapters. Read a full review of the movie here. <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS \u2013 A small town hardware store owner\nspends years yearning to own a run-down fixer-upper that has been slowly\nfalling apart over the years. Her friend, a real estate agent, finally arranges\nfor her to purchase the home. But after she moves in, the recently divorced\nheir to the property shows up with his son. The group are forced to live\ntogether in the locale while legal matters between them are sorted out.\nEventually the two leads begin to develop feelings for each other. This little\nHallmark-style romance debuted on streaming sites a few months ago, but is only\nnow arriving on disc. Very few critics actually watched the picture when it\ndebuted, so there really aren\u2019t any reviews available for the film. Interested\nparties will have to go in and watch it cold. Shannon Elizabeth and Daniel\nCudmore headline the picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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IMAGINARY \u2013 Anyone have a close bond with their teddy bear\nduring their childhood? This horror picture follows a young girl who owns one\nsuch toy and converses with it. When the kid grows up, she leaves it behind and\neventually becomes a children\u2019s author. Returning home with a new husband and\nhis two daughters, one of her stepdaughters takes an extreme liking to the old\nbear. It soon becomes clear that the stuffed animal is real and wants revenge\nfor being abandoned. Reaction towards the picture wasn\u2019t very strong. About\none-quarter of write-ups thought that while flawed, it delivered a few jolts\nand delivered an effectively wild climax. However, the overall consensus was\nthat the picture delivered nothing but cliches from better chillers and didn\u2019t\nmake a lasting impression. It stars DeWanda Wise, Tom Payne, Taegen Burns,\nPyper Bruan, Matthew Sato, Veronica Falcon and Betty Buckley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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ISTIKHARA, NEW YORK \u2013 A young American Muslim dreams of\nbecoming a Broadway actor. In order to achieve his goal, he moves to New York\nCity. Of course, he finds it hard to catch a break and finds himself working as\na food delivery courier instead. Trouble arising when his job is put in\njeopardy. Along the way, he meets new people and tries to find his way in the\nbig city. This independent feature played at a few film festivals back in 2022.\nWord seems to have been upbeat (there have been a few news articles on the\npicture), but it had trouble finding a distributor. The film is now debuting on\ndisc as a DVD-only release. No one has seen or officially reviewed the film\njust yet, so there is currently no critical consensus on it. The cast includes\nNabeel Masood, Faizan Kareem and Kelly McCready.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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NORYANG: DEADLY SEA \u2013 This historical epic from South Korea\ntells a chapter in the life of Yi Sun-sin, a famed Korean admiral and military\ngeneral who rose to prominence in the late 1500s. When Japanese forces\nincluding 500 ships sail the Noryang Strait during the Imjin War, the aging\nprotagonist plots and leads his fighters in battle against the enormous and\nintimidating enemy force. This actually appears to be the third film in a\ntrilogy featuring Sun-Sin, following 2014\u2019s The Admiral: Roaring Currents<\/em>\nand Hansan: Rising Dragon<\/em> in 2022. There haven\u2019t been many reviews for\nthe movie in this part of the world, but the few that have appeared are\npositive. They all called it a thrilling war epic that effectively closed a\ntrilogy and presented a full picture about the subject and his remarkable\nmilitary accomplishments. It features Kim Yoon-seok, Jeong Jae-yeong and Yeo\nJin-Goo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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ONE LIFE \u2013 Sir Nicholas \u2018Nicky\u2019 Winton is the subject of\nthis British biopic. In the months leading up to World War II, this young\nLondon broker visits Prague, Czechoslovakia and sees Jewish children and their\nfamilies living in destitute conditions and readying for a Nazi invasion. He\ndecides to help get as many children as he can out of the country before forces\ninvade. In the process, 669 kids are rescued. In 1988, the now elderly man is\nstill haunted by the fates of those he wasn\u2019t able to rescue in time. When he\u2019s\ninvited onto a BBC television show, many of the grown kids appear to thank him,\nallowing him to come to terms with feelings of guilt and grief. Notices were\nexcellent for this picture. A few members of the press thought the picture was\noverly sentimental and failed to deliver a detailed portrait of Winton.\nEveryone else thought the cast was exceptional, the story powerful and that it\nwas an important tribute to a little-known hero. They also commented that it\nwould bring many to tears. Anthony Hopkins, Johnny Flynn, Lena Olin and Romola\nGarai headline the picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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QUEEN TUT \u2013 This drama\/comedy from Canada follows a young\nEgyptian man who comes to live with his estranged father in Toronto after the\ndeath of his mother. His dad is heavily involved in the local church, but the\ncloseted lead would rather spend time developing his dressmaking skills. He\nfinds new friends in the LBGTQ2S community and tries to help them save their\ndrag queen bar before it is purchased by a developer and turned into condos. He\neventually takes on a drag persona himself. This independent picture earned\nsome award nominations at the Canadian Screen Awards (which is the Canadian\nequivalent of the Oscars), but hasn\u2019t been seen by many in the US. Reviews that\nhave appeared have been generally upbeat, calling the film cute, funny and\nheartwarming. For the time being, this is a DVD-only release. It stars\nAlexandra Billings, Ryan Ali, Thom Allison Kiriana Stanton and Dani Jazzar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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If you\u2019re looking for something a bit older, you also have\noptions. Lionsgate is releasing a Blu-ray Steelbook of the fun cult Canadian\nchiller, The Gate<\/em> (1987). It follows a group of suburban kids who do\nbattle with evil demons and their minions after a supernatural gateway opens in\na backyard. This little production ended up being a box-office hit in North\nAmerica during its original run and is unusually intense and effective for a\nkid-friendly horror picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the identical disc to the previously released Vestron Video Blu-ray, only with newly created Steelbook packaging. It comes with two commentary tracks featuring most of the crew, as well as an isolated score with commentary by the soundtrack composers. You\u2019ll also get a 30-minute retrospective with director Tibor Takacs (I, Madman<\/em>) and the special effects supervisor. There are also featurettes containing discussions with the make-up head, the producer, an actor playing a zombie found in the walls of the kids\u2019 home, more talks with the Toronto-based cast and crew members, as well as the writer. Additionally, there is a making-of promo, tons of publicity materials, behind-the-scenes gallery and a story gallery. Read all about the disc by clicking on this link.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Lair of the White Worm<\/em> (1988) is also receiving\nthe Steelbook Blu-ray treatment. This is an oddball but very entertaining\nhorror\/comedy from Ken Russell (The Devils, Tommy, Altered States<\/em>) based\non the novel by Bram Stoker. Set in the UK, it follows an archeologist and\nlocal Lord who must fight off a large dragon snake and the sinister woman who\nserves it. The impressive cast includes Hugh Grant, Peter Capaldi, Catherine\nOxenberg and Amanda Donohoe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Besides the impressive new Steelbook package, it comes with\npreviously released extras like a Ken Russell commentary track, a film\nhistorian commentary, a 30-minute special on the make-up and visual effects, an\ninterview with the editor, a Trailers from Hell spot, an interview with one of\nthe supporting cast members and publicity materials. If memory serves, it\u2019s an\nenjoyable disc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Speaking of British creepers, Criterion is giving the famous\nPeeping Tom<\/em> (1960) a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray release (a Blu-ray only\nedition is also available). This picture from Michael Powell (The Red Shoes,\nBlack Narcissus, A Matter of Life and Death<\/em>) follows a psychopathic voyeur\nwho stalks and murders women, using his camera to photograph them as they are\nkilled. The picture was considered shocking in its day and essentially ruined\nthe career of the director, but was reevaluated years later and is now\nconsidered by most film experts to be a masterpiece.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The release contains two film historian commentaries, an\nintroduction from director Martin Scorsese (Killers of the Flower Moon, The\nDeparted, Goodfellas<\/em>), a discussion with film editor and Powell\u2019s wife\nThelma Schoonmaker (who talks about the movie\u2019s negative effect on her\nhusband\u2019s career). There is also an archival featurette with film experts about\nthe picture, an archival documentary about the screenwriter and a look into the\nrestoration of the film. Also included is a trailer and a leaflet with writing\non the film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kino is delivering a Blu-ray of the WWII picture Submarine\nCommand<\/em> (1951) starring William Holden. The image has been given a new HD\nmaster from a 4K scan by Paramount. It comes with a film historian commentary. Thunder\nin the East<\/em> (1951) is a romantic war drama with Alan Ladd. The specs and\nextras for this Blu-ray are identical to the previous title.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The distributor is also putting out a Blu-ray called Vitagraph\nComedies<\/em>, which contains three discs full of early silent comedy shorts\nthat were produced between 1907 and 1922. You\u2019ll also get interviews on the\nvarious films with a historian, archivist and the disc curator, as well as film\nexpert commentary tracks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Frankly, one of the best westerns ever made is Sergio\nLeone\u2019s Once Upon a Time in the West<\/em> (1968). Paramount Presents is\nputting out a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray combo of the film. It follows a\nmysterious, harmonica playing man traveling through the old west, hoping to\nenact revenge against a vicious killer. The movie stars Charles Bronson, Henry\nFonda and Jason Robards. This edition has a commentary with Spaghetti Western\npodcasters, a look back with Leonard Maltin, an archive commentary with fans\nJohn Carpenter, John Milius and Alex Cox, as well as movie historians and cast\nand crew. It also comes with numerous featurettes and promotional materials.\nAnd for those familiar with this line of releases, there is a fold-out cover\nwith original poster art. One word of warning though. There has been a lot of\ncontroversy over this 4K transfer, so be sure to read reviews of the disc\nbefore committing to a purchase.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Shout! Factory is making some genre films available this week. Dracula 2000<\/em> (2000) is a, well, kind of cheesy horror flick produced by Wes Craven and starring Gerard Butler, Jonny Lee Miller, Omar Epps, Jennifer Esposito, Jeri Ryan and Christopher Plummer. The story revolves around thieves who think they\u2019re stealing art from a vault, but end up freeing vampires. The movie has been given a 4K restoration for this Blu-ray release. It comes with a film critic commentary, an interview with the director\/editor\/co-writer, a discussion with the production designer, a talk with the score composer, an archived director commentary, deleted and extended scenes, a vintage behind-the-scenes featurette, auditions and a trailer.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Killer Klowns from Outer Space<\/em> (1988) is getting a 4K\nUltra HD and Blu-ray combo pack, as well as a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray Steelbook\nrelease. It\u2019s a hilarious and inventive horror comedy about an alien invasion\nin which the otherworldly villains happen to look like clowns (even their ship\nlooks like a circus tent). The film was created by the Chiodo Brothers, who\nprovide an audio commentary. The disc also features a making of, a featurette\non creating the klowns and composing the score, a look at the visual effects,\ndeleted scenes, bloopers, early shots from the Chiodo Brothers and other easter\neggs. The movie should be eye-popping in 4K and this release looks like a lot\nof fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The distributor is also putting out a \u201cCollector\u2019s Edition\u201d\nof Orphan<\/em> (2009), a chiller about a couple who adopt a little European\ngirl who is not as she initially seems. The movie has been given a new 2K scan\nand arrives with four film critic commentaries, suggesting the title really\nmade an impression on genre film enthusiasts. It also comes with a new\ninterview with the composer, a featurette on the production, deleted\nscenes\/alternate ending and publicity materials.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Warner Bros. is presenting the war picture 12 Strong<\/em>\n(2018) as a 4K Ultra HD only title. The hit film American Sniper<\/em> (2014)\nis arriving as a 4K Ultra HD only title and will be available in regular or\nSteelbook packaging. Magic Mike<\/em> (2012) is also getting the 4K Ultra HD\ntreatment (again, with no supplemental Blu-ray.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, the distributor is rereleasing a Blu-ray of Gravity<\/em>\n(2013). This particular edition includes the \u201cSilent Space\u201d version of the film\nas a bonus. It doesn\u2019t have any score and instead plays out without any\nnondiegetic sound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Warner Archive is releasing a made-to-order Blu-ray of the\nOscar-nominated romance\/drama film Friendly Persuasion<\/em> (1956) with Gary\nCooper. The Nun\u2019s Story<\/em> (1959) is another Academy Award nominee getting\na Blu-ray release. It\u2019s a drama featuring Audrey Hepburn as a nun struggling\nwith her vows. And You\u2019re a Big Boy Now<\/em> (1966) is an early picture from\nFrancis Ford Coppola. This rom-com follows a young man trying to navigate two\npotential romantic relationships in New York City. It is also available as a\nmade-to-order Blu-ray.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

If you\u2019re looking for kid-friendly entertainment, this is\nyour best bet this week (and it\u2019s probably for older kids).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My Adventures with Superman<\/em>: Season 1 (Warner Bros.)\nDVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Below is a list of the TV-related releases coming your way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

American Experience: The Cancer Detectives<\/em> (PBS) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hallmark 2-Movie Collection: Love in the Great Smoky\nMountains: A National Park Romance <\/em>& 3 Bed, 2 Bath, 1 Ghost<\/em>\n(Hallmark) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Masterpiece: Alice & Jack<\/em> (PBS) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My Adventures with Superman<\/em>: Season 1 (Warner Bros.)\nDVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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