{"id":30390,"date":"2024-12-30T19:11:21","date_gmt":"2024-12-31T03:11:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=30390"},"modified":"2024-12-30T19:11:21","modified_gmt":"2024-12-31T03:11:21","slug":"4k-ultra-hd-blu-ray-and-dvd-roundup-for-december-31st-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=30390","title":{"rendered":"4K Ultra HD\/Blu-ray and DVD Roundup for December 31st, 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Hello and welcome to another look at highlights arriving on\n4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD. It\u2019s a holiday week, which means that there isn\u2019t\nmuch in the way of new releases. However, there are a few eccentric efforts\ncoming your way, as well as some excellent upgrades of some fine older films.\nSo, if you can\u2019t make it out to the movies this week or need to stay indoors\nfor a few days, 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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20,000 SPECIES OF BEES \u2013 This Spanish feature follows an\n8-year-old girl who has self-esteem issues and feels different from others. She\nis sent for a time to live with extended family members, one of whom is a\nbeekeeper. As the weeks pass and the youngster becomes more involved with\ncaring for insects and learning about them, she begins to grow bolder and more\nconfident. This picture won accolades at festival showings in 2023 and is now\narriving in this part of the world on disc. Reaction was very positive. A few\ndidn\u2019t appreciate the naturalistic approach to the story, finding the movie\nslow and lacking drama. However, the vast majority stated that this was a\nsensitive and engagingly intimate portrait of a young person trying to find\ntheir true self with an authentic approach. It stars Sofia Otero, Patricia\nLopez Arnaiz, Ane Gabarain and Itziar Lazkano.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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RED ROOMS \u2013 A young woman preoccupied with a serial killer\ncase learns that she can watch his trial online. As the hearings progress and\nthe lead learns that she bears an eerie similarity to one of the victims, she\nbecomes even more engrossed. The prosecutors reveal that a tape of this\nvictim\u2019s slaying has yet to be found, and the viewer decides to try and locate\nit herself. Reality and morbid fantasies begin to intertwine, leaving the\ncharacter\u2019s sanity in question. This foreign-language Canadian feature\nimpressed critics. A tiny contingent became tired trying to differentiate\nbetween reality and imagination, eventually losing interest. Everyone else\ncalled the movie incredibly intense and said it was extremely polished, leaving\nthem with a lot to consider regarding the negative psychological impact of\nonline obsessions. The cast includes Juliette Gariepy, Laurie Babin, Elisabeth\nLocas and Maxwell McCabe-Lokos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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SALOUM \u2013 Some time ago, the streaming service Shudder<\/em>\npicked up the rights to this 2021 Senegalese\/French crime\/horror movie. It is\nnow finally arriving on Blu-ray. A trio of African mercenaries are hired to\nfind a Mexican drug lord in Senegal. They attempt to lie low in a remote area,\nbut are identified by a woman. As more is revealed about the men, tensions\narise and strange supernatural creatures begin hunting them down. The press\nenjoyed the picture. One or two suggested that the film was marred by its\nlow-budget and poor visual effects. But the general consensus was that this\nslow-burn chiller was consistently surprising and unique, with some genuinely\nscary moments that were difficult to forget. It features Yann Gael, Evelyne Ily\nJuhen, Roger Sallah and Mentor Ba.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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As mentioned, there is plenty to choose from as far as older\ntitles go. AGFA is presenting a \u201cStandard Edition\u201d Blu-ray of the famously\ncheesy Santa Claus Conquers the Martians<\/em> (1964), along with Other\nHoliday Hallucinations<\/em> (this version doesn\u2019t come with a slipcover). If you\nhaven\u2019t seen it, Martians kidnap Santa, and a pair of kids (including a young\nPia Zadora) step up to try and rescue the bearded figure. The disc includes an\n88-minute \u201cRoadshow\u201d version of the movie, a 60-minute compilation of trailers\nand snipes from the movie, numerous eccentric Christmas shorts and an insert\nwith writing on the movie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Big World Pictures is releasing The Owners<\/em> (2019) aka\nVlastnici <\/em>on Blu-ray. It\u2019s a dark comedy from the Czech Republic about a\nlady trying, and mostly failing, to get other tenants in her building to\nresolve some housing issues before it causes them all harm. The disc contains\ntrailers for other titles from the distributor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical<\/em> (2005) is arriving\non Blu-ray from Dark Star Pictures. Based on the 1936 outrageous anti-drug cult\nclassic Reefer Madness<\/em>, this update is presented like a documentary and\ntells the story with musical numbers. The cast includes Alan Cumming, Kristen\nBell, Neve Campbell and Steven Weber. It comes with trailers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Film Movement is putting out Takeshi Kitano Double Play<\/em>,\na two-movie Blu-ray set containing Violent Cop<\/em> (1989) and Boiling\nPoint<\/em> (1990). Both discs arrive with featurettes on the films and trailers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \u201cStandard Edition\u201d Blu-ray of Bent<\/em> (1997). This\nNC-17 drama details the lives of gay men living under Nazi rule. In order to\nsurvive, some are forced to lie and later deal with the reckoning of their\ndecisions. This picture features Clive Owen, Mick Jagger, Ian McKellan, Jude\nLaw and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. The disc also comes with cast and crew videos, a\nMick Jagger video, behind-the-scenes footage and a new essay written on the\nmovie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kino is delivering the Arthur Dong Collection<\/em> Blu-ray\nbox set. It contains features and shorts from the movie-maker (with either\nAsian-American stories of LGBTQ tales) that include Sewing Woman<\/em> (1962),\nForbidden City, U.S.A.<\/em> (1989), Hollywood Chinese<\/em> (2007), The\nKilling Fields of Dr. Haing S. Ngor<\/em> (2015), Coming Out Under Fire<\/em>\n(1994), Out Rage \u201969<\/em> (1995; episode 1 of a 4-part series entitled The\nQuestion of Equality<\/em>), Licensed to Kill<\/em> (1997) and Family\nFundamentals<\/em> (2002). Bonuses include other projects by the moviemaker,\nnumerous interviews with Dong, additional shorts, outtakes and trailers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The action picture Cherry 2000<\/em> (1987) is receiving a\nSpecial Edition Blu-ray with a 4K picture restoration. The story involves a man\nwhose android wife breaks down. The lead has to travel into the wasteland to\nfind replacement parts, but ends up falling for the bounty hunter he hires to\nhelp him. Melanie Griffith plays the hired gun. You\u2019ll also get a film\nhistorian commentary, a Steve De Jarnatt director commentary, short films\nwriter or directed by the moviemaker, audio readings of two award-winning\nstories by De Jarnatt, trailers, a feature length making-of documentary on the\nfilm, crew interviews, storyboards, a tribute to the movie, archival making-of\nfeaturettes, a 2015 interview with Tim Thomerson, deleted and extended scenes,\na gag reel, and much more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hatari<\/em> (1962) with John Wayne is arriving as a 4K\nUltra HD and Blu-ray combo set or as a standalone Blu-ray. Wayne plays a man\nwho traps animals in Africa and sells them to zoos. His ideals are changed\nafter meeting a wildlife photographer. The original 35mm camera negative was\ngiven a 4K scan for this release. It also comes with a film historian\ncommentary and trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Richard Gere\/Andy Garcia thriller Internal Affairs<\/em>\n(2990) is also appearing on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray or as a Blu-ray only\nrelease. It involves two detectives investigating a cop who might have shady\ndealings. Besides the picture upgrade taken from the 35mm original camera\nnegative, there is a film critic commentary, numerous lengthy archival cast and\ncrew interviews, extended and deleted scenes, an alternative ending and\ntrailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Killer Is Loose<\/em> (1956) with Joseph Cotten is\nreceiving a \u201cSpecial Edition\u201d Blu-ray as well. It\u2019s about a crazed bank robber\nwho breaks out of prison intending to murder the detective who accidentally\nkilled the criminal\u2019s wife during the arrest. The disc includes a film\nhistorian commentary and a trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This writer is thrilled to see that the underrated drama Miracle\nMile<\/em> (1988) is also getting a 4K restoration and \u201cSpecial Edition\u201d Blu-ray.\nThis gem is about a young man who meets the girl of his dreams. They make a\ndate, but he misses it. While racing to the diner to try and find her, he picks\nup a ringing phone. The voice on the other end tells him that nuclear war is\nabout to begin. The protagonist has to figure out if what he\u2019s hearing is the\ntruth and where to find his new love. The original camera negative was given a\n16-bit restoration for this release, all approved by director Steve De Jarnatt.\nThere is a new film historian commentary, a director commentary, another track\nwith De Jarnatt and the crew, as well as short films directed by or written by\nthe moviemaker. You\u2019ll also get a 2015 supporting cast reunion featurette,\ninterviews with stars Anthony Edwards and Mare Winningham, deleted scenes,\nouttakes and bloopers, an alternate ending and many more extras. Sounds\nincredible!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Monte Walsh<\/em> (1990) is also receiving a \u201cSpecial\nEdition\u201d Blu-ray. This western with Lee Marvin arrives with a film historian\naudio commentary track and a trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The TV-movie Mr. Monk\u2019s Last Case: A Monk Movie<\/em>\n(2023) is also appearing on the format. The lead crime investigator steps out\nof retirement to help his stepdaughter after her fianc\u00e9 is murdered. It comes\nwith TV spots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you like martial arts movies starring Sho Kosugi, this is\nyour week. Pray for Death<\/em> (1985) is arriving on Blu-ray. You\u2019ll get the\nunrated and R-rated versions of the movie on separate discs, along with a film\nhistorian commentary, lengthy interview with Kosugi and a trailer. Rage of\nHonor<\/em> (1987) appears on Blu-ray with a movie expert commentary, another\ninterview with the star, a video essay on the film, a talk with the score\ncomposer and a trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Snake Eyes<\/em> (1998) with Nicolas Cage is being given a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray combo set, as well as a Blu-ray only release. The actor plays a somewhat shady cop who unearths a conspiracy at a boxing match in Atlantic City. He tries to do the right thing when an innocent woman\u2019s life is put at risk over the following few hours. This is a visually dazzling effort from Brian De Palma (The Untouchables. Carlito\u2019s Way, Mission: Impossible<\/em> and many more) that\u2019s a lot of fun. The only unfortunate aspect is that the climax of the film (involving a tidal wave crashing through the casino and the leads having to fight for survival) was cut by the studio before the movie was completed, resulting in an abrupt close for the picture. It would be fantastic if one day that footage could be found, finished and restored (it\u2019s highly unlikely that\u2019ll ever happen, though). In the meantime, this release contains a vastly improved picture, a film historian commentary and trailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you like horror, the Kino Cult line is presenting a\nBlu-ray of The Beast Within<\/em> (1982). It\u2019s about a teen who learns that\nhis father may be a swamp monster. He suddenly begins to transform and target\nlocals. The disc comes with two director commentary tracks, a screenwriter\ncommentary, a making-of, a storyboarding featurette, as well as promo\nmaterials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blood and Lace<\/em> (1971) follows a teen who loses her\nparents and must fight off her guardians\/tormentors at an orphanage. This\nBlu-ray arrives with a film expert audio track, alternate opening titles and a\ntrailer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The period drama The Lords of Flatbush<\/em> (1974) is\narriving on Blu-ray from Sony Pictures. It marked early appearances by\nSylvester Stallone, Henry Winkler and Perry King as a rebellious gang in 1950s\nBrooklyn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Australian satire Hercules Returns<\/em> (1993) is\nbeing released on Blu-ray from Umbrella Entertainment. It follows the\nstruggling owner of a movie theater chain who is forced to make changes and\nredub a picture in order to draw in audiences. This disc contains the 2023\nrestoration of the movie from the original 35mm materials. You\u2019ll also receive\na cast and crew commentary track, the full dub of the movie-within-the-movie, a\nHercules rap film clip, multiple trailers and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, Warner Archive is delivering Blu-rays of the Fred\nWilliamson crime picture Black Eye<\/em> (1974), the Candace Bergen\/Giancarlo\nGiannini romance\/drama A Night Full of Rain<\/em> (1978) and the period\npolitical drama The Spanish Main<\/em> (1945).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

It\u2019s a quiet week for children\u2019s fare, but hopefully more\nreleases will appear in the next edition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

And here are this week\u2019s TV-themed releases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adult Swim Yule Log<\/em> (2022 made-for-cable movie)\n(Dekanalog) Blu-ray<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr. Monk\u2019s Last Case: A Monk Movie<\/em> (2023) (Kino)\nBlu-ray<\/p>\n\n\n\n

VOCES: American Historia – The Untold History of Latinos<\/em>\n(PBS) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Warehouse 13<\/em>: Season 1 (Universal) Blu-ray<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Warehouse 13<\/em>: Season 2 (Universal) Blu-ray<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yellowstone<\/em>: Season 5 – Part 2 (Paramount) Blu-ray<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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