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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nTHE AMATEUR \u2013 An introverted decoder for the CIA has his\nlife shattered after his wife is killed in a London terrorist attack. He wants\nto catch those responsible himself, but is told by employers that this is not\npossible. It is also implied that he doesn\u2019t have the right personality to be a\nruthless assassin. The protagonist goes rogue, hiring a contact to train him so\nthat he can personally take revenge. This thriller earned slightly more\npositive notices than negative ones. About four out of ten reviewers stated\nthat the story was both predictable and full of silly plot conveniences, and\nthat the final product lacked a sense of tension or excitement. Still, the\nslight majority believed that the elaborate plans cooked up by the protagonist\nwere interesting, and the performances very strong. They thought these elements\nalso helped deliver convincing moments that dealt with grief. It stars Rami\nMalek, Laurence Fishburne, Rachel Brosnahan, Caitriona Balfe, Jon Bernthal and\nMichael Stuhlbarg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nHELL OF A SUMMER \u2013 A 24-year-old can\u2019t get enough of the\nsummer camp he attended as a child. Now a counselor there, he takes a lot of\nheat from parents and other counselors about his refusal to move forward in\nlife. When a mysterious masked killer appears at the location and starts\nmurdering the staff, suspicion falls upon the lead. He tries to alleviate their\nconcerns by helping unmask the maniac and save the group before they\u2019re all\nwiped out. This independent horror comedy split the press, but did earn a few\nmore positive write-ups than negative ones. Those who disliked the film\ncommented that it focused too much on old slasher movie references, and didn\u2019t\noffer enough chills or laughs to earn a recommendation. But slightly more wrote\nthat anyone expecting more of a silly comedy than a horror picture would be\nentertained, saying it was an amusing throwback with some memorable gags. The\ncast includes Adam Pally, Rosebud Baker, Fred Hechinger, Susan Coyne, D\u2019Pharoah\nWoon-A-Tai, Abby Quin, Krista Nazaire, alongside Billy Bryk and Finn Wolfhard\n(the pair co-wrote and co-directed the picture).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nTHE LEGEND OF OCHI \u2013 This unusual tale is set in a village on the island of Carpathia in Eastern Europe. The townspeople there are fearful of a strange beastly species that live in the woods, and even train the youth to help hunt them down and kill them. When one young girl discovers a wounded infant creature, she decides to help it reunite with its kind, and learns more about them in the process. She starts to believe that the beings have been misunderstood. Overall, critics seemed to like the picture. About one-quarter suggested that despite its noble intentions, the movie lacked a sense of wonder, the pacing was off, and the characters in the story were difficult to relate to. However, more stated that the cinematography and visual effects were very impressive, and that they found the tale unique and unexpectedly engaging to watch. It features Helena Zengel, Willem Dafoe, Emily Watson and Finn Wolfhard. Read a full review of the movie right here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n LET\u2019S START A CULT \u2013 A doomsday cult member gets a shock\nwhen he misses a mass suicide planned for his group. Still alive and now\ncompletely alone, the main character decides to track down his former cult\nleader. After locating the individual, he attempts to convince the old\nfigurehead that they should start an all-new sect. They seek out troubled\nindividuals and attempt to take advantage of the perks associated with being\ncult figureheads. This independent dark comedy has only been seen by a handful\nof reviewers so far, but response has been upbeat. One voice critiqued the\nfeature for not making the most of its concept, relying on obvious, hackneyed\njokes. However, the rest complimented the tone of the film, saying that it took\na serious subject and managed to infuse its story with effectively quirky gags\nand unsettling observations about needful individuals. Stavros Halkias, Katy\nFullan, Wes Haney, Eric Rahill, CM Punk and Ethan Suplee headline the feature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ROSARIO \u2013 After her grandmother dies unexpectedly, a Wall\nStreet stockbroker returns to the family matriarch\u2019s apartment to clean up and\nmake funeral arrangements. The protagonist finds a hidden chamber containing\noccult artifacts, suggesting that the lady may have been involved in unsettling\ncult rituals. She begins experiencing supernatural occurrences and realizes\nthat the only way to stop the visions is to learn more about her grandma\u2019s\nstrange practices. Write-ups were more positive than negative for this\nindependent chiller. About one-third of reviews thought the film had trouble\nbuilding suspense, relying on an overuse of ineffective jump scares in order to\nshock viewers. Still, most called the movie atmospheric and well-acted, also\nadmiring the way in which it presented Latino culture. For the time being, this\nis a DVD-only release. It stars Emeraude Toubia, David Dastmalchian, Paul\nBen-Victor and Jos\u00e9 Z\u00fa\u00f1iga.<\/p>\n\n\n\n THE RULE OF JENNY PEN \u2013 A cruel and arrogant judge suffers a\nstroke and finds himself partially paralyzed. He is moved to a retirement home.\nFrustrated by his predicament, the lead takes his anger out on staff members\nand is rude to other residents. That is, until he meets someone else staying at\nthe assisted living facility. This eccentric individual introduces the judge to\na sadistic game involving a puppet and begins tormenting him. When the\nvictimized man tells the staff, they don\u2019t believe him, and he sets out to stop\nthe cruel bully on his own. This independent thriller from New Zealand was\ngenerally well-received. Slightly more than one-quarter of critics found the\npicture overly bleak and repetitive, delivering its message in a blunt and\nunskillful manner. Still, the majority stated that the big actors in the film\nwere compelling to watch. They also stated that the story and twisted games\nbeing played made their skin crawl. The cast includes Geoffrey Rush, John\nLithgow, Maaka Pohatu, George Henare, Fiona Collins and Yvette Parsons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n SHADOW FORCE \u2013 A pair of romantically entangled shadow\noperatives go through a rough patch and decide to exit their line of work in\norder to focus on raising their young son. The couple\u2019s employer is not pleased\nabout this decision and sends operatives out to kill them. So, the pair must\novercome their differences, fight off attackers and protect their child, as\nwell as try to rekindle their relationship in a short period of time. This\naction picture was mostly panned by the press. About one-third stated that the\nchemistry between the leads was dynamic and that the various fight scenes were\nwell-staged, resulting in an entertaining flick. Unfortunately, everyone else\ncommented that the screenplay was dull and that there were no interesting plot\ntwists, resulting in a feature that was lackluster and disappointing. It\nfeatures Kerry Washington, Omar Sy, Mark Strong, Da\u2019Vine Joy Randolph and\nMethod Man.<\/p>\n\n\n\n SINNERS \u2013 The big release of the week is this horror film from writer\/director Ryan Coogler (Creed<\/em> and the Black Panther<\/em> series). Set in 1932, it follows two identical twin brothers. After serving their country in World War II and spending time working for gangsters in Chicago, the two return to their hometown in the deep south. They decide to open a juke joint for the black community, but find resistance from racist locals. The protagonists encounter more problems on opening night when unusual, threatening and perhaps supernatural individuals try to enter the establishment. This title was a box office smash and highly rated by critics. A few felt the movie was predictable and had difficulty mashing dramatic, musical, comedy and horror elements together. All others were impressed by the work of the cast (especially the star, who plays two characters who are continuously interacting with each other), the way music was used in the film, and noted the striking photography. They found it tense and exciting from beginning to end. This picture is being released on various formats. There is a 4K Ultra HD only edition, a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray Steelbook, a standalone Blu-ray, and a DVD-only version. Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Caton, Jack O\u2019Connell, Wunmi Mosaku, Jayme Lawson, Tenaj L. Jackson, Omar Miller, Li Jun Li and Delroy Lindo headline the film. Read a review of the film by clicking this link.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n UNTIL DAWN \u2013 A group of young friends head out to the\ncountry, only to encounter a psychopath who murders them all. They suddenly\nwake up and find themselves reliving the same evening over and over again. It\nbecomes clear to the protagonists that they are all caught in a kind of time\nloop. They focus their attention on trying to get everyone to survive until the\nmorning, hoping that it will break the chain and free them from a never-ending\nseries of brutal ends. Response was split for this video-game adaptation, with\nslightly more giving the movie a pass. Almost half called it a waste of a good\nconcept. They felt that the movie was too dour and serious for its own good,\nand the repetition wore them out. The same number and a few more called the\nfilm ambitious, and believed it possessed enough unique moments to make it\ninteresting. The picture is available in a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray combo pack.\nIt stars Ella Rubin, Michael Cimino, Odessa A\u2019zion, Ji-young Yoo, Belmont\nCameli and Maia Mitchell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n BLASTS FROM THE PAST!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Tons of older options will be available this week as well.\nBack in 2023, Arrow Video released The Game Trilogy<\/em> Blu-ray \u201cLimited\nEdition\u201d set, containing the Japanese crime films The Most Dangerous Game<\/em>\n(1978), The Killing Game<\/em> (1978) and The Execution Game<\/em> (1979).\nThis famous Toei trilogy follows the exploits of a hard-nosed assassin and it\nmade a cinema icon of star Yusaku Matsuda. The set is being rereleased once\nmore, arriving with all the same specs, including film historian commentaries,\ninterviews with crew members and promo materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The same goes for the shot-on-video slasher film, Lovers\nLane<\/em> (2000). It was originally put out on Blu-ray in 2023 and is now being\nrepressed. The plot involves a hook-brandishing killer wiping out a group of\nteens. The film is noted for featuring star Anna Faris in an early role. It\narrives with a writer-producer commentary, legacy featurette, trailer and image\ngallery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Criterion is putting out a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray combo\npack of Barry Lyndon<\/em> (1975) from famed director Stanley Kubrick (The\nKilling, Paths of Glory, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and\nLove the Bomb, 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, Full\nMetal Jacket<\/em>). In this period effort, a poor Irish boy finds himself\nserving in the Seven Years War, living as a gambler, and eventually finding his\nway into the high ranks of society. The project is noted for its lush\ncinematography, which used a special film stock so that the actors could be lit\nby candlelight. For its 50th<\/sup> anniversary, the film is arriving on 4K\nUltra HD in Dolby Vision. Bonuses include interviews with cast and crew, as\nwell as an audio archival discussion with Kubrick. You\u2019ll also get two film\nhistorian interviews, a talk with co-star Leon Vitali, as well as a featurette\nwith an art curator about the aesthetics of the movie. Trailers are also listed\nas being on the discs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Angela Lansbury\/Keith Andes film noir A Life at Stake<\/em>\n(1955) is being rereleased on Blu-ray from Film Masters. It initially arrived\non disc in 2021, but has been out-of-print for some time. The story follows an\nunemployed man who gets caught up in a deadly scheme created by a femme fatale.\nThis title has received a 4K restoration from original archival elements for\nthis release and comes with a film noir expert commentary, a look at Hollywood,\nand a booklet with an essay on the feature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Undead movie enthusiasts will be happy to learn that the\nout-of-print zombie film Sugar Hill<\/em> (1974) is being made available on\nBlu-ray once again from Kino as part of their Kino Cult line. This fun black\nexploitation feature stars Marki Bey as the girlfriend of a nightclub\nentrepreneur. When he is murdered by white gangsters, she uses voodoo to raise\nan army of undead hitmen and take revenge. Bonuses listed on the release are a\ndirector commentary, a film historian commentary, interviews with co-stars Don\nPedro Colley, Richard Lawson, Charles Robinson and filmmaker Maslansky, as well\nas a trailer and radio spots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mondo Macabro is putting out Blu-rays of several genre\ntitles. The first is Bohachi Bushido: Code of the Forgotten Eight<\/em>\n(1973), a Japanese movie about a suicidal swordsman who is rescued from death\nby a gang of nasty pimps. He attempts to fit in with them and their cruel world\nview, before squaring off with them. The feature has been given a new 4K\nrestoration for this Blu-ray, and features an interview with the director, an\narchival interview with the star. a Japanese film expert commentary, a second\narchival commentary with Japanese filmmakers and a trailer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Caf\u00e9 Flesh<\/em> (1982) is set after a nuclear apocalypse\nand takes place in a sex club that takes part in some unusual practices. The\nfilm is being presented on Blu-ray with a 4K restoration of 35mm theatrical\nmaterial of both the R-rated and X-rated versions. This disc features a\nco-writer\/director commentary, an interview with the filmmaker, as well as the\nother co-writer, and cast members. A trailer is also included.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And the kinky French horror picture Girl Slaves of\nMorgana Le Fay<\/em> (1971) is also getting a Blu-ray release from the\ndistributor. It follows ladies who run into a sorceress and barter to stay\nyoung forever as the figure\u2019s lovers. Specs include a 4K restoration of the\nfully uncut version taken from the original camera negative and a director\u2019s\ncommentary. There is also a short film from the director, two interviews and a\nthird archival track with the filmmaker, a discussion with one of the stars and\na publicity video with stills and posters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The huge teen comedy Clueless<\/em> (1995) is celebrating\nits 30th<\/sup> Anniversary with a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray combo release,\nas well as a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray Amazon exclusive Steelbook. Paramount\nPictures is putting out this tale of a Beverly Hills matchmaking teen who\nstruggles to find herself the perfect match. It stars Alicia Silverstone,\nBrittany Murphy, Paul Rudd and Donald Faison. The latter version includes a\nsmall poster, photo cards, a decal, a report card, stickers and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The recent horror film In a Violent Nature<\/em> (2024) is\nreceiving a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray \u201cCollector\u2019s Edition\u201d Steelbook from RLJ\nEntertainment. It\u2019s a brutal and disturbing feature about a masked killer who\nrises from the dead. The camera follows him as he targets and takes down\nnumerous victims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Abigail <\/em>(2024) is a recent horror hit that is now\narriving from Shout Factory in a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray combo pack. The plot\ninvolves a young ballerina who is taken hostage for a ransom. The captors soon\nlearn that the youngster isn\u2019t what she appears to be and is incredibly\ndangerous. This edition boasts a 4K presentation from the original film\nelements presented in Dolby Vision. Additionally, there is a commentary with\nthe directors and the editor, a film critic commentary, talks with both\nco-writers, the production designer and the cinematographer. Deleted and\nextended scenes will also be included in the release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The extremely well-regarded Japanese animated feature Grave of the Fireflies<\/em> (1988) is also being made available in a Blu-ray and DVD combo pack, and a Blu-ray and DVD Steelbook. Pictured above and to the right, the plot involves two children who become lost after the American firebombing of their hometown. The pair struggle to survive while trying to locate their parents. Those who pick up this release will get the original Japanese audio with English subtitles, as well as an English-language dub, feature-length storyboards, deleted scene storyboards, interviews with the director and critic Roger Ebert, as well as promo materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you remember the 1970s, you\u2019ll recall that disaster\nmovies were a major trend. One of the grandest and, well, over-the-top efforts\nwas the star-studded Earthquake<\/em> (1974). Universal Pictures is now\nputting out a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray combo of the movie, as well as a 4K Ultra\nHD and Blu-ray Steelbook. It\u2019s about a varied group of Los Angeles residents\nwho try to survive a catastrophic quake that rips the city apart. Charlton\nHeston, Ava Gardiner, George Kennedy, Lorne Greene, Genevieve Bujold, Richard\nRountree, Marjoe Gortner, Victoria Principal and Walter Matthau (as a\nridiculously-dressed drunk) headline the feature. It doesn\u2019t look like this\nrelease comes with many extras, but it should boast exceptional picture\nquality. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And Warner Bros. is releasing a 4K Ultra HD only version of\nthe DC animated feature, Batman Ninja<\/em> (2018). You can also pick up the\nDenzel Washington thriller The Little Things<\/em> (2021) as a 4K Ultra HD\nonly title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n YOU KNOW, FOR KIDS!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This edition is slim on kid-friendly material, but hopefully\nthe next one will correct the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ON THE TUBE!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Below is a list of TV-related releases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fallout<\/em>: Season 1 (Warner Bros.) 4K Ultra HD and\nBlu-ray or 4K Ultra HD Amazon exclusive Steelbook, or Blu-ray only, or DVD only<\/p>\n\n\n\n Independent Lens: Matter of Mind<\/em> (PBS) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman<\/em>: The\nComplete Series (1993 \u2013 1997) (Warner Bros.) Blu-ray<\/p>\n\n\n\n Murdoch Mysteries<\/em>: Season 18 (Acorn Media) Blu-ray or\nDVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n NOVA: Revolutionary War Weapons<\/em> (PBS) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n Patience <\/em>(PBS) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n See<\/em>: The Complete Series (Fifth Season) Blu-ray<\/p>\n\n\n\n Simon Schama: The Holocaust, 80 Years On<\/em> (PBS) DVD<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/DVD-Lets-Start-a-Cult-fixed.jpg\")
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