{"id":28640,"date":"2024-05-21T02:04:12","date_gmt":"2024-05-21T09:04:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=28640"},"modified":"2024-05-21T02:04:12","modified_gmt":"2024-05-21T09:04:12","slug":"blu-ray-dvd-roundup-for-may-21st-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=28640","title":{"rendered":"Blu-ray\/DVD Roundup for May 21st, 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome to another look at highlights arriving on 4K Ultra\nHD, Blu-ray and DVD. This edition doesn\u2019t feature many new titles, but some of\nthe ones that are appearing look interesting. And there are tons of older\ntitles getting high-definition upgrades. So, if you can\u2019t make it out to the\nmovies this week, 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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CHASING RAINE \u2013 After their young daughter is kidnapped by a\nman with ties to a trafficking syndicate, a mother and father who were once\nelite soldiers decide to arm themselves and find their child. In order to do so\nbefore she is sold to the highest bidder, they head into the criminal\nunderworld and use their skills to wipe out every obstacle in their path. This\nindependent action debuted on streaming sites last week and is now arriving on\nBlu-ray and DVD. As of right now, the picture has not been seen by many\ncritics. In fact, it has yet to receive a single official review. As with most\nlow-budget efforts, curious parties may want to wait for a write-up to appear\nbefore taking a chance on it. It stars Maurice P. Kerry, Krystal Jordan,\nDall\u2019asia Howard and DJ Walton.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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COUP DE CHANCE \u2013 The latest from writer\/director Woody Allen\nis a French-language tale set in Paris. A young woman who is happily married to\na powerful businessman meets an old friend from high school while walking down\nthe street. They catch up over coffee and soon romance blossoms between them.\nIn fact, the lead begins wondering if she might have wed the wrong person.\nMeanwhile, her mysterious husband becomes very suspicious of his wife\u2019s\nactivities. This picture combines comedy and thriller elements. It received\nstrongly positive reviews from the press. A small number called the film\npredictable and wrote that they preferred his specifically comedic works.\nStill, the majority thought it was one of the filmmaker\u2019s best efforts in some\ntime, boasting great performances, lovely locations, sharp dialogue and some\nentertaining plot twists. Lou de La\u00e2ge, Melvil Poupaud, Niels Schneider and\nVal\u00e9rie Lemercier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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DEAD WRONG \u2013 A desperate man with an unsavory background\nlooks for a big score after his wife demands they conceive a child. The lead\nalso appears to be obsessed with his spouse\u2019s sister. He comes up with an\nelaborate scam that he hopes will solve all of his problems and get him\neverything that his heart desires. Of course, the complicated plan begins to go\nawry, leading to unexpected revelations and violence. This picture appears to\nbe debuting on disc and streaming platforms on the same day. There have been a\ncouple of middling online reviews posted. They suggest that for a\nlower-budgeted independent crime\/thriller\/comedy, it has a better cast than\nanticipated. However, these notices also suggest that, in the end, the film\ndoesn\u2019t make a lasting impression. It features Derek Smith, Katrina Bowden,\nChelsea Debo, Cress Williams, Joshua Bitton, Chet Hanks and Rob Schneider.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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FITTING IN \u2013 After visiting her doctor, a 16-year-old is\ndiagnosed with Mayer-Rokitansky-K\u00fcster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome, a condition that\nresults in underdeveloped parts of her female anatomy. All of the teen\u2019s future\nplans as a woman, as well as her relationship with a boyfriend, are put into\njeopardy. Conflicts even arise with family members about what to do next. This\nindependent coming-of-age drama\/comedy was well received by reviewers. One or\ntwo write-ups complained that despite its unique subject the story didn\u2019t\ncontain many insightful revelations about the lead character\u2019s condition.\nRegardless, all others called the film upbeat and warm-hearted, with an\nimportant and sensitively delivered message about finding and accepting\noneself. For the time being, this is a DVD-only release. Maddie Ziegler, Emily\nHampshire, Djouliet Amara and D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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MEET ME WHERE I AM \u2013 Coping with and understanding grief is\nthe subject of this documentary. The filmmakers first attempt to define the\nword and the different effects that the condition can have on people. It then\ntells individual stories of people dealing with loss as well as love and hope\nas they attempt to seek treatment and move forward. This feature has played at\na film festival or two over the past year, but appears to be debuting on DVD.\nSo far, only one review from a major publication has appeared online. They were\npositive about the movie, saying that it does a solid job of presenting its\nmaterial in a thoughtful way, presenting expert opinions and showing viewers\nthat our culture isn\u2019t particularly good at handling grief or normalizing it as\na part of our existence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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SHARK EXORCIST 2: UNHOLY WATERS \u2013 Looking for something,\nwell, much, much sillier? This is one of those homemade efforts produced on a\nshoestring budget and serves as a sequel to the original Shark Exorcist<\/em>\nfrom 2014. According to the press synopsis, the flesh-eating demon shark from\nthe first picture is resurrected and begins eating anyone silly enough to enter\nits territory. A priest sets out to perform a ritual that will stop the\nmonster. The picture received an extremely limited run a couple of months ago\nand is now arriving on streaming platforms and on DVD exclusively. Reviews have\nbeen limited to bloggers who specialize in these kinds of titles. Most suggest\nthat it delivers exactly what you would expect (and maybe even enjoy) from this\ntype of a picture… poor writing, stiff performances, unconvincing effects and\nclumsy sound. Angel Nichole Bradford and Joe Casterline headline the picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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It may be a slower week for new releases, but there are a ton of amazing older titles being given high-quality upgrades. Arrow Video is delivering the gothic romance Crimson Peak<\/em> (2015) in a 4K Ultra HD only \u201cLimited Edition\u201d pressing. This period tale from Guillermo del Toro (Pan\u2019s Labyrinth, The Shape of Water, Nightmare Alley<\/em>) involves a young woman from a wealthy family who marries a charming figure from abroad. When he takes her back to his large estate in England, she discovers that it is haunted and that her new husband and sister-in-law may have nefarious plans for her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to the picture upgrade, the release includes a commentary with del Toro, a new piece with cast and crew interviews on the main mansion sets, an interview with the director, four featurettes on the production, a video essay and other shorts on gothic romance and the productions. There is also a lengthy discussion on the history of gothic romance with critic Kim Newman, an examination of del Toro\u2019s many gothic fairy tale films, deleted scenes and tons of publicity materials. Read a full review of this release right here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The distributor is also putting out Narc<\/em> (2002) in a\n4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray combo set, as well as in a Blu-ray only package. From\ndirector Joe Carnahan (The A-Team, The Grey, Stretch<\/em>), it stars Jason\nPatric and Ray Liotta and involves a dangerous undercover narcotics agent who\ngoes deep to solve the murder of a fellow policeman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Besides the 4K picture restoration from the original negative, this set contains an archival director commentary, new interviews with director Carnahan, the cinematographer, costume designer and co-star Krista Bridges. You\u2019ll also get vintage promotional featurettes on the making and look of the movie, a discussion with William Friedkin (The French Connection, To Live and Die in L.A<\/em>.) about the connections between this picture and his works. The vintage EPK is included as well, along with a trailer and image gallery. Additionally, it comes with a reversible sleeve with original and newly commissioned art (as well as a double-sized poster containing the same images). This disc also has a booklet containing writing on the film, as well as archival interviews and articles. Here is a detailed review of the release.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Beauty of Beauties<\/em> (1965) aka Beauty of\nBeauties<\/em> is a historical epic from Hong Kong about a woman who sacrifices\nherself for the good of her people during the war between China and the Huns.\n88 Films is presenting the movie on Blu-ray from a 4K restoration that was\ntaken from the original negative. The disc comes with an interview with an\nAsian film expert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Blue Underground is giving the cult horror film Deathdream<\/em>\n(1974) aka Dead of Night<\/em> a major upgrade. It is arriving in a 4K Ultra\nHD and Blu-ray set, and can also be purchased exclusively on Blu-ray. This\neffective creeper from Bob Clark (Children Shouldn\u2019t Play with Dead Things,\nPorky\u2019s, A Christmas Story<\/em>) involves a young VietNam war vet who returns\nhome to his parents. Unfortunately, his personality isn\u2019t the same and it is\nsoon revealed that the individual is, in fact, deceased and out for blood. This\nunderrated low-budget effort is extremely disturbing and has plenty of\ninteresting subtext about the trauma of war and its effects on families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The set arrives with a critic audio commentary, an archived\nBob Clark commentary and a track with writer\/make-up artist Alan Ormsby.\nAdditionally, it includes a new interview with actor Gary Swanson, featurettes\non the film\u2019s composer, Ormsby and the production manager. There are also\narchival interviews with make-up effects man Tom Savini, co-star Richard\nBackus, a short film made by Ormsby, and publicity materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those who enjoy the work of Frank Capra will want to check\nout the ClassicFlix Blu-ray of Meet John Doe<\/em> (1941). This effort from\nthe famous filmmaker involves a newspaper reporter who prints a phony letter\nabout a man claiming he is going to commit suicide on Christmas Eve. When the\nstory gains traction in the eye of the public, the paper has to find a man who\nwill pose as the individual and inspire the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Criterion is presenting the Blu-ray box set Three\nRevolutionary Films by Ousmane Semb\u00e8ne<\/em>, which contains Emitai <\/em>(1971),\nXala <\/em>(1975) and Ceddo <\/em>(1977). These Senegalese pictures critique\ncolonialism, political corruption and religious indoctrination. All of the\ntitles have been given 4K restorations and come with an interview with the\nexecutive director of the African Film Festival\/film writer, a documentary on\nthe making of Ceddo<\/em>, along with essays on the moviemaker and the titles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This week\u2019s Dark Force Entertainment Blu-ray release is\ntheir Drive-in Double Feature #21<\/em>, containing the kinky R-rated pictures\nAll the Young Wives<\/em> (1973) and My Pleasure is My Business<\/em> (1975).\nThe films have been given 2K scans from surviving 35mm prints. The disc also\nhas a \u201cdrive-in mode\u201d allowing you to watch them just as you would at one of\nthese establishments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Wolf House<\/em> (2018) is an animated feature that is\na co-production between Chile and Germany about a youngster trying to escape\nfrom a Chilean commune run by an ex-Nazi. Kimstim is releasing this on Blu-ray.\nThree animated short films by the directors and a trailer are included as\nbonuses.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kino is releasing several titles this week. Back from the\nDead<\/em> (1957) is about a young bride who finds herself possessed by the\nvengeful spirit of her husband\u2019s deceased ex-wife. This disc comes with two\nfilm historian commentaries and early copies arrive in a slipcase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Big Man on Campus<\/em> (1989) is a comedy following a\nmysterious and unkempt figure who secretly takes up residence at UCLA\u2019s campus\nclock tower. The university\u2019s psychology department eventually discovers the\nman and attempts to treat him and understand his motivations. It stars Allan\nKatz, Tom Skerritt, Cindy Williams and Jessica Harper. The \u201cLimited Edition\u201d\nBlu-ray delivers a 2K restoration of the film from an interpositive, an audio\ncommentary with the director and a film historian, an interview with the\nmoviemaker, an alternate ending (with optional commentary), a stills gallery\nand a trailer. Some copies also come in a slipcase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daisy Miller<\/em> (1974) is a period drama from Peter\nBogdanovich (The Last Picture Show<\/em>) with Cybill Shepherd as a headstrong\nAmerican woman making waves in Europe. The picture for this \u201cSpecial Edition\u201d\nBlu-ray comes from a 4K scan of the original camera negative. An archived\ncommentary from Bogdanovich is featured, along with a film historian\ncommentary, a recently recorded interview with Shepherd, an introduction from\nBogdanovich and a trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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You can also pick up a \u201cSpecial Edition\u201d Blu-ray of The\nLawyer<\/em> (1970) with Barry Newman. He plays a defense lawyer trying to make a\nname for himself with a high-profile murder case. It arrives with a 4K image\nrestoration from Paramount Pictures, a commentary with film historians as well\nas the director, an interview with star Newman, a discussion with co-star Diana\nMuldaur, a teaser and (on early copies) a slipcase.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Philio Vance Collection<\/em> is a Blu-ray containing\nthe three pre-code murder mysteries, The Canary Murder Case<\/em> (1929), The\nGreene Murder Case<\/em> (1929) and The Benson Murder Case<\/em> (1930). All the\nfilms have received 4K or 2K restorations and there are movie expert\ncommentaries present as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re looking for some old chillers on Blu-ray, Republic\nPictures Horror Collection<\/em> may be worth your while. It features The Lady\nand the Monster<\/em> (1944), The Phantom Speaks<\/em> (1945), The Catman of\nParis<\/em> (1946) and Valley of the Zombies<\/em> (1946). All of the movies\nhave been given HD masters from 4K scans at Paramount Pictures. There are film\nhistorian commentaries on all the titles and an on-camera movie expert sidebar\non the first movie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The drama Slam<\/em> (1998) is also arriving on Blu-ray.\nThis drama follows a marijuana dealer who writes poetry. When the lead is\nthrown into prison, he must choose between two rival gangs of inmates. The\nright option becomes clear when he learns that one leader runs a creative\nwriting workshop. This disc contains a commentary featuring both the director\nand the film\u2019s star Bonz Malone. Behind-the-scenes footage and a trailer is\nalso included.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Teaserama<\/em> (1955) is a collection of burlesque acts\n(including Betty Page) recorded during the early 1950s. A second feature, Varietease<\/em>\n(1954) is also on the Blu-ray. Both have been given 4K restorations from the\n16mm camera negatives. There are a couple of versions of the titles present and\nmultiple burlesque expert commentaries for the movies, as well as\ntrailers.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The independent chiller We Go On<\/em> (2016) involves a\nman looking for proof that life after death is possible. This picture is being\ngiven a \u201cSpecial Edition\u201d Blu-ray from Lightyear with improved picture quality.\nExtras include two co-director commentary tracks, an actor\u2019s commentary and trailers.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pictured above and to the left, the Gary Sinise\/John Malkovich adaptation of the classic Steinbeck novel Of Mice and Men<\/em> (1992) is coming from MGM and will be available as either a Blu-ray or a DVD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Milestone is presenting Bushman<\/em> (1971) on Blu-ray.\nThis lauded picture starts off as a light-hearted narrative about a\nwell-educated Nigerian immigrant adjusting to life in San Francisco. When the\nfilm\u2019s star is accused of a crime he didn\u2019t commit during production and is\narrested, the picture suddenly changes into a shocking documentary. The movie\nwas restored by the University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific\nFilm Archive and The Film Foundation. It arrives with a film historian\ncommentary and an interview with the star. It also comes with two other\ndocumentaries by the director (one produced in 1966 and another from 1992).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps Paramount Pictures is clearing out some excess\ninventory, but this week they are presenting an incredible offer to collectors.\nThe distributor is releasing ten movies from their catalog in all formats. That\nmeans each title contains a 4K Ultra HD disc, a Blu-ray, a DVD and a digital\ncopy of the title. The price (on Amazon) is a shocking $11, so pick these up\nwhile you can (I just purchased a couple myself).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The films currently available are Beverly Hills Cop<\/em>\n(1984), Cloverfield<\/em> (2008), Escape from L.A.<\/em> (1996), The Hunt\nfor Red October<\/em> (1990), Interstellar<\/em> (2014), The Lost City<\/em>\n(2022), A Quiet Place<\/em> (2018), Shutter Island<\/em> (2010) and The\nUntouchables<\/em> (1987). Hopefully more movies will follow at this incredible\nprice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, the studio is putting out a Blu-ray only\nreissue of Into the Wild<\/em> (2007) and the recent Stephen King adaptation\nof Pet Sematary<\/em> (2019).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Shout! Factory is releasing the visually striking horror\nfilm Gretel & Hansel<\/em> (2020) in a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray combo pack.\nAs you might have guessed, this PG-13 adaptation of the fairy tale it noted for\nits cinematography and arty streak. Besides the picture upgrade, this edition\ncomes with a director commentary, a horror historian commentary, an interview\nwith the production designer and four production featurettes  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Island of Dr. Moreau<\/em> (1996) is getting the\n\u201cCollector\u2019s Edition\u201d Blu-ray treatment from the same distributor. Based on the\nfamous H.G. Wells book, David Thewlis plays a UN diplomat who finds himself\nshocked to discover the title character\u2019s island laboratory. It is revealed\nthat Moreau and his henchman (played by Marlon Brando and Val Kilmer) are\nattempting to create the perfect lifeform by combining various human and animal\nspecies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first pressing of this release comes with a slipcover.\nYou will get both the theatrical and director\u2019s cuts of the film (the\ndirector\u2019s cut is four minutes longer and is presented on the Blu-ray with a\nnew 2K scan from the interpositive). An interview with the creature make-up\neffects supervisor, a making-of featurette and publicity materials are listed\nas bonus features.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sony is celebrating the 10th<\/sup> Anniversary of the\nOscar-nominated, all-star crime drama American Hustle<\/em> (2013) with a 4K\nUltra HD and Blu-ray Steelbook release. Based on a true story from 1980, it\nfollows an undercover sting operation of Congress to stop a plot created by the\nworld\u2019s greatest con man. It stars Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams,\nJennifer Lawrence, Jeremy Renner and many other familiar faces. The synopsis\nfor the film boasts that this release contains 15 minutes of never-before-seen\ndeleted and extended scenes as an extra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, Sony is making Blu-rays available for The\nCleanse<\/em> (2016), Man\u2019s Castle<\/em> (1933), Thunderheart <\/em>(1992) and The\nVertical Ray of the Sun<\/em> (2000).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Occultist<\/em> (2009) is appearing on Blu-ray from\nSterling Entertainment. It involves med students who discover (while writing\ntheir exams) that their professor is a Satanist who wants to do them in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And finally, Warner Bros. is reissuing the excellent,\nOscar-nominated comedy\/drama Licorice Pizza<\/em> (2021) on Blu-ray\n(apparently, a DVD of the film is also being made available).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Looks like there is only one option right now for\nkid-friendly entertainment, but hopefully more will arrive in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Powerpuff Girls<\/em>: The Complete Series (Warner Bros.)\nDVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

And all the TV-themed releases are listed below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Betty\u2019s Bad Luck in Love<\/em> (Hallmark) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Father Brown<\/em>: Season 11 (BBC) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Frasier<\/em>: Season 1 (2023 Series) (Paramount) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Masterpiece Mystery! Guilt<\/em>: Season 3 (PBS) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Powerpuff Girls<\/em>: The Complete Series (Warner Bros.)\nDVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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