{"id":28990,"date":"2024-07-15T23:01:49","date_gmt":"2024-07-16T06:01:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=28990"},"modified":"2024-07-15T23:01:49","modified_gmt":"2024-07-16T06:01:49","slug":"4k-ultra-hd-blu-ray-dvd-roundup-for-july-16th-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=28990","title":{"rendered":"4K Ultra HD\/Blu-ray\/DVD Roundup for July 16th, 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome to a look at the latest highlights coming your way\non 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD. This is a very slim edition, but there are a\ncouple of independent gems that appear to be worth checking out. So, if you\ncan\u2019t make it out to the movies this week or need to stay indoors for a bit, be\nsure to give one of these films a try.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

EAST BAY \u2013 This independent comedy\/drama follows an\nunmarried middle-aged man in San Francisco who is disappointed in his life and\ncareer. And it isn\u2019t just him, the lead\u2019s professional friends feel they have\nfailed and have not measured up in the eyes of their parents and friends. The\nman and his pals attempt various pursuits from hobbies to spirituality in order\nto find meaning and purpose. The picture has played at film festivals over the\npast couple of years and earned more positive reviews than negative ones. A few\nclaimed that the picture was well-intentioned but didn\u2019t effectively answer the\nquestions raised or make a lasting impression. Still, the majority called the\nmovie a sweet and original take on middle-age that has strong performances and\ndealt effectively with the theme of finding new inspiration. This is currently\na DVD-only release. It stars Constance Wu, Kavi Ramachandran Ladnier, Daniel\nYoon and Edmund Sim.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

GIDDY STRATOSPHERES \u2013 Released on streaming platforms during\nthe COVID-19 pandemic but only now arriving on disc, this independent film from\nthe UK is set in London in the year 2007. The story involves a young woman and\nher best friend enjoying the indie-rock scene night after night and partying in\nvarious venues. Eventually, their pleasure-seeking lifestyles begin to catch up\nwith them. After one wild evening, the lead has a breakdown and her pal becomes\ninsistent that she remember something about what she did the night before. As\nmentioned, this is a very low-budget drama, but one that features a killer\nsoundtrack with tons of music from notable indie bands of the era. Critics in\nNorth America who saw the film were iffy about it. One enjoyed watching the\nrelationship between the leads and liked the backdrop. Others felt that, at 67\nminutes, it needed more character development and felt slight. The film\nfeatures Jamal Franklin and Laura Jean Marsh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

THE LAST STOP IN YUMA COUNTY \u2013 A traveling salesman stops at\na remote diner\/gas station for food and petrol, only to learn the fuel pumps\nare empty and the refill tanker hasn\u2019t yet arrived. Locals and others soon\nappear and end up waiting there too. A news broadcast reports that a bank\nrobbery has occurred nearby and it soon becomes clear that the criminals are\npresent. Soon, everyone is fighting for their lives and trying to get their\nhands on the stolen loot. Members of the press greatly enjoyed this independent\ncrime\/thriller. One or two suggested that the plot was thin and these reviewers\ndidn\u2019t appreciate the movie\u2019s throwback vibe. Everyone else stated that the\nfilm managed to overcome its limited budget with its fast pace, clever plot\ntwists, fantastic characters and wonderful performances, as well as a darkly\nhumorous and memorable climax. Jim Cummings, Faizon Love, Jocelin Donahue,\nMichael Abbott Jr., Robert Broski, Nicholas Logan, Richard Brake, Barbara\nCrampton and Gene Jones headline the picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

PERFECT DAYS \u2013 Set in Tokyo, Japan, this drama involves a quiet, unassuming, single 60-something toilet cleaner who follows his daily routine to the letter. After work, he returns home and engages in his hobbies, which include photography and listening to old cassettes. As the story progresses, people like his niece appear unexpectedly and viewers learn more details about the protagonist and his past. This foreign-language feature from renowned director Wim Wenders (Wings of Desire, Until the End of the World, Buena Vista Social Club<\/em>) earned almost all raves from reviewers and was nominated for Best International Film at the Academy Awards. One or two had difficulty getting onto the film\u2019s wavelength and found the feature dull and unmoving. Everyone else stated that the film was brilliant, calling the lead performance phenomenal. They also noted that the movie\u2019s quiet observations about finding peace of mind and serenity in a small corner of the city were moving. The movie stars Koji Yakusho, Tokio Emoto and Arisa Nakano.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

WATER HORSE \u2013 A paranormal investigator looks into a series\nof strange events. As she gets more and more involved in the case, she is\nshocked to discover that the bizarre happenings may be related to the\ndisappearance of her mother many years earlier. This Australian indie\nhorror\/thriller has not been seen by any critics in this part of the world and\nit is difficult to find any more details on it anywhere. Even the Screen\nAustralia website doesn\u2019t offer much in the way of insight on this production,\nother than it may have been completed a few years ago before recently finding a\nNorth American distributor. If you\u2019re curious about genre films from this part\nof the world, give it a shot, although you\u2019ll have to go in without any\nknowledge of what you\u2019re in for. The cast includes Lauren Grimson, Dean Kyrwood\nand Jessica Towey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re looking for some classic titles, this edition does\noffer some titles. Criterion is releasing a Blu-ray of Black God, White\nDevil<\/em> (1964). This Brazilian effort is an adventure picture about a ranch\nhand who is cheated out of his land by an employer. When he takes revenge, he\nbecomes an outlaw and ends up joining a violent religious cult. This film\ntackled socio-political issues in the country during this time period and is\nextremely well-regarded. The disc features a new 4K picture restoration, an\naudio commentary with the restoration producer, a discussion of the movie with\na film scholar, documentaries on the director, the Brazilian film movement, and\nthe social banditry that was common in Brazil during the era, as well as a\ntrailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kino is giving the Academy Award-winning drama Brokeback\nMountain<\/em> (2005) a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray combo package (the title is also\navailable in a Blu-ray package). Set in 1963, the story involves a rodeo cowboy\nwho falls for a ranch hand. The picture stars Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal\nand it won Ang Lee (The Ice Storm, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Life of\nPi<\/em>) Best Director and also took home Oscars for Best Adapted Screenplay and\nBest Original Score. Besides the upgraded picture, it comes with a new film\nhistorian commentary, as well as all featurettes and publicity materials from\nprevious Blu-ray editions<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Invasion of the Body Snatchers<\/em> (1956) is also getting\nthe 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray package treatment, as well as a standalone Blu-ray.\nThis is the original film adaptation from Don Siegel (The Killers, The\nBeguiled, Dirty Harry, The Shootist, Escape from Alcatraz<\/em>) about a man who\ndiscovers that his town is quietly being invaded by aliens who use pods to\ncreate perfect replacements of its citizens. This is a science-fiction classic\nwell worth picking up. The release offers a wonderful, clean new picture and\ntwo new film historian commentary tracks, in addition to an archived movie\nexpert commentary and another featuring stars Kevin McCarthy and Dana Wynter\n(moderated by director Joe Dante). There are also featurettes on the production\nand trailers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Paternity <\/em>(1981) is a comedy with Burt Reynolds\nplaying a bachelor who wants to be a father via a surrogate mother. It also\nfeatures Beverly D\u2019Angelo, Norman Fell, Paul Dooley, Laurent Hutton and Peter\nBillingsley. This effort is debuting on Blu-ray with a 4K picture restoration,\nan entertainment journalist commentary and TV spots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also pick up a \u201cSpecial Edition\u201d Blu-ray for When\nEight Bells Toll<\/em> (1971), based on the book by Alistair MacLean. Anthony\nHopkins plays a naval secret-service agent trying to locate millions of pounds\nof gold bullion in the Irish Sea. The film\u2019s screenwriter\/producer has recorded\na commentary for this release and it also comes with a trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yvonne\u2019s Perfume<\/em> (1994) is a period French romance\nset in Switzerland about the troubled relationship between an expat and an\nactress. No word on if any bonus features are included.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The distributor also has a line called Kino Cult that\nspecializes in genre films. This week, you can pick up the Italian effort, Cannibal\nApocalypse<\/em> (1980) aka Cannibals in the Streets<\/em> in a 4K Ultra HD and\nBlu-ray combo pack. John Saxon plays a Vietnam veteran whose friends succumb to\na deadly contagion and become flesh-eaters. He tries to help them out, but\nthings quickly go south. Besides the 4K image, the release includes a film historian\ncommentary, a featurette with cast and crew interviews, a video tour of filming\nlocations, an alternate US opening sequence and international trailers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nightmare Beach<\/em> (1989) is a gory, Italian-made tale\nof a motorcycle enthusiast\/psychopathic killer slaying co-eds in south Florida.\nA detective, played by John Saxon, tries to hunt the maniac down. This picture\nis also arriving in a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray combo presenting a 4K scan of the\noriginal negative, an interview with the score composer and trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re looking for something more family-friendly,\nParamount is delivering The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie<\/em> (2004) in a 4K\nUltra HD and Blu-ray Steelbook. It contains a new 4K edition of the animated\neffort and a Blu-ray with previously released special features, all to\ncelebrate the film\u2019s 20th<\/sup> anniversary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

After the massive success of the horror film Scream in 1996,\nproduction company\/distributor Dimension Pictures created several genre titles\nfeaturing mainly young, charismatic performers. One of those was an adaptation\nof the Dean Koontz novel Phantoms<\/em> (1998) with Rose McGowan, Joanna\nGoing, Ben Affleck, Liev Schreiber, Nicky Katt and Peter O\u2019Toole. It wasn\u2019t a\nbig hit and has been unavailable in North America for some time. Shout! Factory\nis now releasing a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray pack of the film. The story involves\ntwo visitors to a small town who find that the residents have completely\nvanished. They team up with the local police to find out who, or what, is\nresponsible. The set contains a 4K scan from the original camera negative\napproved by the director. You\u2019ll also get an interview with the producer, a\ntalk with the cinematographer and publicity materials.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sony is presenting a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray \u201cLimited\nEdition\u201d Steelbook of the Tom Hanks picture, Captain Phillips<\/em> (2013).\nBased on the 2009 story of a cargo ship captain whose barge is raided by Somali\npirates, the disc also contains a making-of and a filmmaker commentary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re a fan of the Rocky <\/em>series, you\u2019ll know that\nWarner Bros. is slowly releasing all of the titles as 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray\nSteelbook. This week sees Rocky V<\/em> (1990) and Rocky Balboa<\/em> (2006)\ncoming out on the format. Previously released extras should be included, and\nthe latter title also contains the theatrical and director\u2019s cut with improved\npicture quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And if you\u2019ve been waiting patiently, you can now purchase\nthe Rocky: Ultimate Knockout Collection, <\/em>which is a 6-film box set with\nall of the titles presented together in 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Listed below is the best family-oriented release this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie<\/em> (2004) (Paramount) 4K\nUltra HD and Blu-ray Steelbook<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

And all of the week\u2019s TV-related titles can be found below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blue Lights<\/em>: Year 1 (BBC) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Brief History of the Future<\/em> (PBS) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Columbo<\/em>: The Return<\/em>: Season 1 (1989 series)\n(Kino) Blu-ray<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grantchester<\/em>: Season 9 (Masterpiece Mystery!) (PBS)\nDVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hallmark 2-Movie Collection: Perfect Harmony, Mid-Love\nCrisis<\/em> (Hallmark) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Monk<\/em>: Season 8 (Kino) Blu-ray<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n