{"id":29682,"date":"2024-10-01T20:27:21","date_gmt":"2024-10-02T03:27:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=29682"},"modified":"2024-10-01T20:27:21","modified_gmt":"2024-10-02T03:27:21","slug":"4k-ultra-hd-blu-ray-dvd-roundup-for-october-1st-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=29682","title":{"rendered":"4K Ultra HD\/Blu-ray\/DVD Roundup for October 1st, 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome to another look at some of the highlights arriving\non 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD. The last edition was jam-packed with big\ntitles, so things have slowed down\u2026 to almost a crawl. Still, there are a few\nefforts arriving that might be worth a look. So, if you can\u2019t make it out to\nthe movies this week or need to stay indoors for a few days, be sure to give\none of these titles a try!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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

ANOTHER HAPPY DAY \u2013 This independent comedy\/drama follows a\nnew mother struggling to adapt to the radical shift in her life. She considers\nherself awful at being a parent and feels like she has no one to rely on. When\nthe lead asks her mom to travel across the country and help out, she is turned\ndown, but is put in contact with her uncle\u2019s ex-wife. The cantankerous, elderly\nrelative causes even more difficulties, but the new relationship somehow seems\nto help the lead find her way. This picture has played festivals and was\nrecently picked up for release on disc and streaming sites. There aren\u2019t many\nnotices for the picture, but those that have appeared call the film a\nrealistic, relatable and amusing portrait of motherhood and the daily struggles\nexperienced. For the time being, this is a DVD-only release. It stars Lauren\nLapkus, Carrie Coon, Marilyn Dodds and Jean Elie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

DOWN BELOW – A preacher in a small town goes on a rampage,\nmurdering a group of his parishioners on Christmas Eve. 20 years later, the\nstory has been hidden from locals and almost forgotten. But when the same man\nappears once again as a demonic spirit during the holiday season and begins\nhaunting and tormenting citizens, a woman feels compelled to act. She sets out\nto find out what actually happened years ago and stop the maniac taking lives\nfrom beyond the grave. At present, no members of the press have seen this\nindependent picture. So, similarly to the lead character\u2019s predicament, there\nis little information about the horrors that may await us. One might want to\nhold off a bit on picking this title up until reviews do become available. The\ncast includes Eric Roberts, Alexis Knapp, Doug Jones, Bai Ling, Hutch Dano and\nGreg Kriek.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

END OF THE ROPE \u2013 If westerns\/crime films are more to your\nliking, you can give this indie effort a try. Set in North Dakota during the\n1930s and reportedly based on a \u201ctrue story\u201d, this picture begins with the\nmysterious disappearance of an entire family. A sheriff attempts to solve the\ncrime, but must deal with angry locals who believe that a young man had\nsomething to do with it. The protagonist finds his back against the wall as a\nmob decides to hang the suspect. This picture is debuting on disc and streaming\nplatforms this week, and so there currently are only a couple of write-ups\navailable. They aren\u2019t exactly glowing articles either. The reviews state that\nwhile the picture aspires to tell an epic tale, its limited funding derails the\neffort. Apparently, the movie is slowly paced and dramatically inert. It\nfeatures Joseph Gray, Chris Bylsma, Nick Saxton, Joseph Bezer and Tiffany\nCornwell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

LITTLE BROTHER \u2013 After his older sibling attempts to kill\nhimself once again, a young Seattle man is instructed by an exasperated father\nto travel to Albuquerque and collect the family member. The lead is told to\nescort his brother back home so that a family intervention can take place. As\nthe two very different individuals drive north together, they talk about the\nsuicide attempt and how to move forward, sometimes reaching heartfelt and\nhumorous conclusions. There aren\u2019t a great many reviews for this independent\ndrama yet, but the ones that have appeared seem upbeat. While a few suggest\nthat the picture is overly sentimental at times, most were impressed with the\nperformances and writing, calling the movie a sensitive and engaging look at\nhow a family deals with mental illness. Daniel Diemer, Philip Ettinger and J.K.\nSimmons headlines the film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

NATIONAL ANTHEM \u2013 Here is another independent drama coming\nyour way. This tale involves a 21-year-old ranch worker living in New Mexico.\nHe has difficulty getting on with his mother and doesn\u2019t really feel like he\nfits in anywhere. After joining a community of queer rodeo performers, the\nprotagonist begins to find his place in the world and a future for himself.\nCritics were very positive about this drama. A small number commented that the\ncharacters and story were predictable and superficial. However, every other\nreview was impressed by the lead\u2019s complicated journey and self-discovery. They\nthought it was well-acted, beautifully shot and had intriguing characters. For\nthe time being, this is a DVD-only release. It stars Charlie Plummer, Eve\nLindley, Mason Alexander Park, Rene Rosado and Robyn Lively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

SEBASTIAN \u2013 This European production follows a 25-year-old\nwriter living in London. In order to get the details right for his debut novel\nabout sex workers, he decides to start a double-life and work as one. The\nlead\u2019s experiences begin to alter his perceptions and he finds himself enjoying\nit more than anticipated. When the book is almost finished, complications arise\nas elements of his real life and clients are included in the work. Notices were\nmore positive than negative for this drama. About one-quarter of reviewers\nstated that, ironically, the end result didn\u2019t feel authentic and that as the\nstory progressed it turned into a series of tropes. But most believed that the\ntone and voice of the piece was original and that the movie showed a more\nrelatable side to sex work than they anticipated. It features Ruaridh Mollica,\nHiftu Quasem, Jonathan Hyde and Ingvar Sigurdsson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


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

If you\u2019re in the mood for something a little older, a few\noptions are available. Kino is presenting the sport film-noir Body and Soul<\/em>\n(1947) on Blu-ray. It follows a pugilist who finds himself in trouble when an\nunethical promoter gets involved in this career. The cast includes John\nGarfield, Lilli Palmer and William Conrad. The disc includes a 4K picture\nrestoration and a film historian commentary track. The contents come in a\nslipcase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Burn, Witch, Burn<\/em> (1962) aka Night of the Eagle<\/em> is a British chiller about a sociology professor who becomes frustrated when he learns that his wife owns charms and takes part in magic rituals to protect them. He burns these items, but soon realizes that his work rivals may really be dabbling in the occult and looking to do him in. This release also includes a 4K restoration of the UK and US versions (via seamless branching) that has been taken from the original camera negative. The Blu-ray features a commentary with screenwriter Richard Matheson, an interview with star Peter Wyngarde. It also comes with trailers, reversible art with both titles and a slipcase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First Love<\/em> (1977) is also arriving on Blu-ray. This\ndrama chronicles the pains of first love, specifically between a college\nstudent and his older girlfriend, who has been in a relationship with an older\nman. The movie has a remarkable cast that includes William Katt, Susan Dey,\nJohn Heard, Beverly D\u2019Angelo, Robert Loggia and Swoosie Kurtz. A new 4K\nrestoration from the original camera negative was used for this disc and it\nincludes a commentary track with Katt and a slipcase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want some recently-produced low-budget westerns,\nLionsgate is reissuing Blu-rays of the features Brimstone<\/em> (2016), Diablo<\/em>\n(2015), Forsaken<\/em> (2015) and A Night in Old Mexico<\/em> (2013), the\nlatter of which is headlined by Robert Duvall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The distributor is also putting out a Blu-ray rerelease of\nthe hockey-sequel Goon: Last of the Enforcers<\/em> (2017), which is a\nfollow-up to the amusing 2011 original.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

And the recent horror film Imaginary <\/em>(2024), about a\nstuffed bear seeking revenge on the woman who left it behind after she grew up,\nis being given a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray Steelbook. This release is a special\nexclusive that is only available for purchase at Amazon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paramount Scares Volume 2<\/em> is a new 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray box set containing four genre titles from the studio vaults. You\u2019ll get Friday the 13th<\/sup>: Part II<\/em> (1981), Breakdown <\/em>(1997), World War Z<\/em> (2013) and Orphan: First Kill<\/em> (2022) with the best possible image quality and presumably all the extras available from previous releases. Breakdown<\/em> (pictured above and to the right) in particular is an entertaining thriller and the Blu-ray set from a few years back is already out-of-print, so this may be the only way at present to own it.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also pick up a Blu-ray of the Julia Styles rom-com The\nPrince and Me<\/em> (2004).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Finally, Shout Factory is delivering a \u201cCollector\u2019s Edition\u201d\nBlu-ray of As Above, So Below<\/em> (2014). Set in Paris, the story features a\ngroup of urban explorers who trek into the underground catacombs and can\u2019t find\ntheir way out. It comes with new interviews with the co-writer\/director and\nco-writer\/producer, a making-of and a trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the very entertaining remake of The Blob<\/em> (1988)\nis being rereleased on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray in an exclusive Steelbook. The\ndiscs and all bonuses should be exactly the same as in earlier versions, just\nin new packaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Looks like it\u2019s a slow week for kid-friendly releases, so\nhopefully next week will be an improvement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Below is a list of all the TV-themed discs coming your way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Designated Survivor<\/em>: The Complete Series (Lionsgate)\nBlu-ray<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Gilded Age<\/em>: Season 2 (HBO) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hell on Wheels<\/em>: The Complete Series (Lionsgate) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The West Wing<\/em>: The Complete Series (Warner Bros.)\nBlu-ray<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n