Join the
Sixties generation
DVD
Blu-ray Releases
OnVideo's Weekly Guide to Home Video Releases
March 1:
Pitch Perfect 3: Following their win at the world championship, the now separated Bellas reunite for one last singing competition at an overseas USO tour, but face a group who uses both instruments and voices. (DVD, Blu-ray release: March 20)
March 5:
Mosaic: HBO series follows the mystery of popular children’s book author and illustrator Olivia Lake (Sharon Stone) who disappears on New Year’s Day, leaving behind a blood-soaked studio. (Digital only)
March 6:
Aliens Ate My Homework: Film adaptation of the first book from the popular "Rod Allbright and the Galactic Patrol" series by Bruce Coville follows a pair of middle schoolers racing to save the world from destruction after extraterrestrials invade Earth. (DVD: Day & date)
Curse of the Mayans: For eons, the Mayans prophesied that on December 21, 2012 -- the end-date of the 5,126-year cycle of the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar -- there would be a cataclysmic, earth-shattering event. As it turned out, 2012 wasn't the end, but the beginning of the end. (DVD release: Day & Date)
Faces, Places: Agnès Varda, one of the leading figures of the French New Wave who at 89 is still expanding cinematic frontiers, teams with 34-year-old French photographer and muralist in an enchanting documentary/road movie that takes them to French villages, factories, docks, farms and anywhere else their spirits take them, meeting locals, learning their stories and producing epic-size portraits of them. (DVD: Day & Date)
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle: Re-imagining of the 1995 hit, with four high school kids transformed into adults who must work together to beat the mysterious game they were drawn into so they can return to the real world. (DVD, Blu-ray release: March 20)
Lady Bird: An artistically inclined 17-year-old girl comes of age in Sacramento, California, in a film that excavates both the humor and pathos in the turbulent bond between a mother and her teenage daughter. (DVD, Blu-ray release: Day & Date)
The Paris Opera: A candid look behind the scenes of one of the world's foremost performing arts institutions. (DVD: Day & Date)
The Swindlers: Unlikely allies from different sides of the law have to work together to achieve their common goal -- trapping the world’s most legendary con man in this South Korean thriller. (Digital only)
Con Man
(2018) Barry Minkow, James Caan, Ving Rhames, Justin Baldoni, Elisabeth Röhm, Mark Hamill, Talia Shire, Armand Assante. The real life story of Barry Jay Minkow, a son, businessman, fraud buster, actor, pastor…and felon. Born in 1967, Barry Minkow went on to set up a highly successful carpet cleaning company but was imprisoned in 1988 for one of the world's largest investment and accounting frauds through a Ponzi scheme. The scheme that Minkow set up is often used as a case study in accounting fraud. He was released from prison and went on to be a pastor and fraud investigator. Imprisoned again in 2011 for securities fraud and, in 2014, after pleading guilty to a multitude of charges including defrauding his church as well as the federal government, Minkow currently owes more than $600 million in restitution. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, VOD, Digital. (Sony).
The Crossbreed
(2017) Angela Durazo, Nathan Schellerup, Malina Lee Shaffer, Danny Winn, Katy Bentz, Chad Ayers, Marques Bobesich. A woman carrying twins finds that her pregnancy is linked to an evil birth, a demonic possession, that took over a village a long time ago. Formats: DVD, VOD, Digital. (Breaking Glass Pictures).
Curb Your Enthusiasm: The Complete Ninth Season
(2017) This season follows Larry (David) as he dreams of a big idea that elicits promising feedback from a number of prospective investors -- until a string of missteps undermines the plan, at least temporarily. Series favorites also make their return to this Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning comedy, including Jeff Garlin, Cheryl Hines, Susie Essman, and JB Smoove. Formats: DVD, VOD, Digital. Extras: Deleted scenes. (HBO).
Faces Places
(2017 -- France) Agnès Varda, one of the leading figures of the French New Wave who at 89 is still expanding cinematic frontiers, and the acclaimed 34-year-old French photographer and muralist known as JR, team up to co-direct an enchanting documentary/road movie. Kindred spirits, Varda and JR share a lifelong passion for images and how they are created, displayed and shared. They travel in JR's photo truck to French villages, factories, docks, farms and anywhere else their spirits take them, meeting locals, learning their stories and producing epic-size portraits of them. The photos are then prominently displayed on houses, barns, storefronts and trains, revealing the humanity in their subjects as well as in Varda and JR themselves. The film documents these heart-warming encounters, as well as the unlikely, tender friendship formed along the way by the two artists. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, Digital. Extras: (Cohen Media Group).
Lady Bird
(2017) Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, Tracy Letts, Lucas Hedges, Timothee Chalamet, Beanie Feldstein, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Lois Smith. An artistically inclined
The Man Who Invented Christmas
(2017) Dan Stevens, Christopher Plummer, Jonathan Pryce, Miriam Margolyes, Simon Callow. The journey that led to Charles Dickens' creation of "A Christmas Carol," a timeless tale that would redefine the holiday. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo, VOD, Digital. (Universal).
Novitiate
(2017) Melissa Leo, Margaret Qualley, Julianne Nicholson, Dianna Agron, Morgan Saylor, Liana Liberato, Maddie Hasson. A powerful film about a group of cloistered
Sesame Street: Love to Learn 2
(2018) Coming off the smash hit "Love to Learn," this next edition showcases Elmo's love of learning new things all the time. One of the fundamentals of learning is that we can all do it - kids, grown-ups, and monsters alike. Through fun, educational and age-appropriate topics like music, school, cooking, and animals, segments help children learn important skills such as friendship, kindness, empathy, self-confidence, and perseverance. Elmo also makes some new friends along the way, including Golden Globe winner and Academy Award nominee Amy Adams, singer/songwriter and YouTube sensation Tori Kelly, and Fifth Harmony. Formats: DVD. Extras: Additional full-length episode, "School for Chickens," two animated storybooks. (Warner).
Thor: Ragnarok
God of Thunder’s third installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is imprisoned on the other side of the universe without his mighty hammer and finds himself in a race against time to get back to Asgard to stop Ragnarok -- the destruction of his home world and the end of Asgardian civilization -- at the hands of an all-powerful new threat, the ruthless Hela (Cate Blanchett). But first he must survive a deadly gladiatorial contest that pits him against his former ally and fellow Avenger -- the Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) -- and grapple with his silver-tongued adopted brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston), the fierce warrior Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) and the eccentric Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum).
Vitals: Director: Taika Waititi. Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Idris Elba, Jeff Goldblum, Tessa Thompson, Karl Urban, Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Hopkins.
2017, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 130 min., Fantasy Action Adventure, Box office gross: $313.012 million, Disney.
Blu-ray extras: Director’s introduction; deleted/extended scenes; gag reel; exclusive short: "Team Darryl": Fresh off being unseated as the ruler of Sakaar, the Grandmaster makes his way to Earth to start a new life. It’s been over a year since Thor left Australia and Darryl has been struggling to pay his rent. Now Darryl needs a new roommate to help make the monthly payments. Unfortunately for Darryl, the Grandmaster was the only one who answered Darryl’s “Roommate Needed” ad and with no viable options, the Grandmaster moves in; "Marvel Studios: The First Ten Years – The Evolution of Heroes”; "Getting in Touch with Your Inner Thor" featurette; "Unstoppable Women: Hela & Valkyrie"; "Finding Sakaar: On the Edge of the Known and Unknown"; "Journey into Mystery" deep dive story piece with the writers, director and producer Kevin Feige about the inspirations for “Thor: Ragnarok” within the comics; "8bit Scenes – Final Bridge Battle + Sakaar Spaceship Battle" climactic sequences presented in retro video-game format; directors commentary.
Lady Bird
Christine "Lady Bird" McPherson (Saoirse Ronan) fights against but is exactly like her wildly loving, deeply opinionated and strong-willed mom (Laurie Metcalf), a nurse working tirelessly to keep her family afloat after Lady Bird's father (Tracy Letts) loses his job. Set in Sacramento, California in 2002, amidst a rapidly shifting American economic landscape, "Lady Bird" is an affecting look at the relationships that shape us, the beliefs that define us, and the unmatched beauty of a place called home. Greta Gerwig’s own semi-autobiographical script and solo directorial debut.
Vitals: Director: Greta Gerwig. Stars: Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, Tracy Letts, Lucas Hedges, Timothee Chalamet, Beanie Feldstein, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Lois Smith.
2017, CC, MPAA rating: R, 94 min., Comedy-Drama, Box office gross: $48.321 million, Lionsgate.
Extras: Audio commentary with writer-director Greta Gerwig and cinematographer Sam Levy, "Realizing Lady Bird" featurette.
The Man Who Invented Christmas
In 1843, the celebrated British novelist Charles Dickens s at a low point in his career, with three flops behind him and his family expenses piling up at home. Determined to recover, Dickens decides to write a Christmas story and self-publish it in less than two months. As Dickens labors writing on such short notice, his estranged father and mother come to bunk with him. Still haunted by painful memories of his father ruining his childhood by his financial irresponsibly, Dickens develops a writer's block that seems to have no solution. As such, Dickens must face his personal demons epitomized through his characters, especially in his imagined conversations with Ebenezer Scrooge. Now with a looming deadline, Dickens struggles for inspiration against his frustrations and his characters' opinions in a literary challenge creating a classic tale that would define the essential soul of modern Christmas.
Vitals: Director: Bharat Nalluri. Stars: Dan Stevens, Christopher Plummer, Jonathan Pryce, Miriam Margolyes, Simon Callow.
2017, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 104 min., Bio=Drama, Comedy, Box office gross: $5.653
million, Universal.
Extras: TBA.
Wonder Wheel
In the hustle and bustle of 1950s Coney Island, where the buzzing crowd comes and goes trudging slowly over the wooden boardwalks, silent stories of the everyday toilers who give life to the attraction unfold. Somewhere in a clam bar, there's the sad waitress Ginny (Kate Winslet), a one-time actress and now a suffering wife who's been given a second chance by the side of the well-intentioned but uncouth carousel operator, Humpty (Jim Belushi). On the other hand, there's Humpty's 26-year-old estranged daughter, Carolina (Juno Temple, who left the familial nest and a preordained future seeking adventure as a mobster's wife; only to return home with her wings broken, begging for forgiveness. And from the lifeguard's high tower, where all is in plain sight, the young and charming lifesaver and hopeful playwright, Mickey (Justin Timberlake), is the inadvertent but potent catalyst that binds everything together. Shattered dreams, reckless love and betrayal, all under the bright lights of Coney Island.
Vitals: Director: Woody Allen. Stars: Jim Belushi, Juno Temple. Justin Timberlake, Kate Winslet, Max Casella, Jack Gore, David Krumholtz.
2017, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 101 min., Drama, Box office gross: $1.320 million, Company.
Extras: "The Cast and Crew Discuss Making Wonder Wheel."
Aliens Ate My Homework
(2017) William Shatner, Jayden Greig, Lauren McNamara, Kirsten Robek, Dan Payne, Ty Consiglio, Alex Zahara. Film adaptation of the first book from the popular "Rod Allbright and the Galactic Patrol" series by Bruce Coville follows a pair of middle schoolers racing to save the world from destruction after extraterrestrials invade Earth. When a tiny spaceship flies through his window and lands on his science project, Rod and his cousin Elspeth meet a group of friendly aliens, extraterrestrial lawmen known as the Galactic Patrol, including Phil, a talking plant (voiced by William Shatner). The Earthlings quickly join the aliens' adventurous mission to help defeat an evil alien criminal. After discovering the evil alien is disguised as a human -- someone he knows all too well -- Rod and Elspeth race to save the world from total planetary disaster. Formats: DVD, VOD, Digital. Extras: "Not of This World: Creating Alien Life Forms"; "Aliens Ate My Homework: From Page to Screen": from concept to production and visual effects, featuring behind the scenes footage plus interviews with the cast, filmmakers, and author Bruce Coville; "On the Set with Bruce Coville"; "The Galactic Patrol Wants You!" takes a closer look at the members of the Galactic Patrol featuring Grakker, Madame Pong, Rod Allbright, Elspeth, and Phillogenous Esk Piemondum, aka Phil. (Universal).
The Cat O' Nine Tails
(1971) Following the success of his debut feature, "The Bird with the Crystal Plumage," distributor Titanus tasked writer-director Dario Argento with delivering a follow-up in short order. The resulting film, granted a greatly enhanced budget and heralded in its US marketing campaign as "nine times more suspenseful" than its predecessor, was "The Cat O' Nine Tails." When a break-in occurs at a secretive genetics institute, blind puzzle-maker Franco Arno (Karl Malden), who overheard an attempt to blackmail one of the institute's scientists shortly before the robbery, teams up with intrepid reporter Carlo Giordani (James Franciscus) to crack the case. But before long the bodies begin to pile up and the two amateur sleuths find their own lives imperiled in their search for the truth. And worse still, Lori (Cinzia De Carolis), Franco's young niece, may also be in the killer's sights. This second entry in the so-called "Animal Trilogy" found Argento further refining his distinctive style and cementing his reputation as the master of the giallo thriller. Co-starring Catherine Spaak and Rada Rassimov, and featuring another nerve-jangling score by the great Ennio Morricone, "The Cat O' Nine Tails" remains one of Argento's most suspenseful and underrated films. Formats: Blu-ray/DVD Combo with a new 4K restoration from the original camera negative. Extras: New audio commentary by critics Alan Jones and Kim Newman; new interviews with co-writer/director Dario Argento, co-writer Dardano Sacchetti, actress Cinzia De Carolis and production manager Angelo Iacono; script pages for the lost original ending, translated into English for the first time; original Italian and international theatrical trailers; reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Candice Tripp; double-sided fold-out poster; four lobby card reproductions; limited edition booklet illustrated by Matt Griffin, featuring an essay on the film by Dario Argento, and new writing by Barry Forshaw, Troy Howarth and Howard Hughes. (Arrow Video/MVD Entertainment).
Curse of the Mayans
(2017) Olga Fonda, Steve Wilcox, Bernardo Peña, Carla Ortiz. For eons, the Mayans prophesied that on December 21, 2012 -- the end-date of the 5,126-year cycle of the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar -- there would be a cataclysmic, earth-shattering event. As it turned out, 2012 wasn't the end, but the beginning. In the present day, American professor Dr. Alan Green (Wilcox) discovers a manuscript that may hold the keys to the lost Mayan culture. After traveling to Mexico, he hires an expert team of cave divers, led by Danielle Noble (Ortiz), to explore a submerged labyrinth of ruins left behind by the ancient civilization before their mysterious disappearance. But when the team unwittingly stumbles upon an underwater prison and unintentionally frees the evil alien beings trapped within, they are forced to fight for their survival and prevent the extraterrestrial apocalypse predicted by the Mayans long ago. Filmed on location at the sites of actual Mayan settlements. Formats: DVD, Digital. (VMI Worldwide).
Gintama
(2017 -- Japan) Shun Oguri, Masami Nagasawa, Takayuki Yamada. Visually spectacular feature film based on the long-running, best-selling action comedy manga by Hideaki Sorachimanga. The live-action film takes place in an alternate Edo-period Japan, where an Alien race has taken control, forcing Samurai to lay down their swords. Once feared as the "White Demon," former samurai Gintoki Sakata now works as an everyday handyman -- until a master swordsman tasks Gintoki and his friends with finding the cursed sword Benizakura to keep it from falling into the wrong hands. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, Digital. (Well Go USA).
17-year-old girl comes of age in Sacramento, California in 2002 in a film that excavates both the humor and pathos in the turbulent bond between a mother and her teenage daughter. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo, VOD, Digital. Extras: Audio commentary with writer-director Greta Gerwig and cinematographer Sam Levy, "Realizing Lady Bird" featurette. (Lionsgate).
Catholic nuns coming to terms with changes in the Church during the mid-1960s. Spanning over a decade, from the early 1950s through to the mid-60s, "Novitiate" is about a young girl's first initiation with love, in this case with God. Raised by a non-religious, single mother in rural Tennessee, a scholarship to Catholic school soon finds Cathleen drawn into the mystery and romanticism of a life devoted to the worship and servitude of God. With the dawn of the Vatican II era, radical changes in the Church are threatening the course of nuns' lives. As she progresses from the postulant to the novitiate stage of >training, she finds her faith repeatedly confronted and challenged by the harsh, often inhumane realities of being a servant of God. Cathleen finds herself struggling with issues of faith, sexuality, and recent changes in the life of the Church. Formats: Blu-ray Disc, VOD, Digital. Extras: Director's commentary; National Board of Review Q&A with Maggie Betts, Melissa Leo, Margaret Qualley, Julianne Nicholson and Dianna Agron; alternate ending plus deleted and extended scenes. (Sony).
at the Paris Opera, new director Stéphane Lissner is putting the finishing touches to his first press conference. Backstage, artists and crew diligently prepare to raise the curtain on a new season with Schönberg's opera, "Moses and Aaron." However, the announcement of a strike and arrival of a 2000-pound bull in a supporting role complicate matters greatly. As the season progresses, more and more characters appear, playing out the human comedy in the manner of a documentary Opera. Enter promising young Russian singer, Mikhail Tymoshenko, who begins at the Opera's Academy; in the hallways of Opera Bastille, his destiny will cross paths with that of Bryn Terfel, one of the greatest voices of his time. And Lissner will have to weather star choreographer Benjamin Millepied jumping ship soon after taking over as director of ballet at Palais Garnier. But when the terrorist attack at The Bataclan plunges the city into mourning, the company recognizes the show must go on. Formats: DVD, Digital. Extras: Commentary by director Jean-Stéphane Bron; interview with Bron; bonus short film: "Les Indes galantes" (directed by Clément Cogitore, France): An inspired reinterpretation of Rameau's opera-ballet via Krump dancing on the Bastille Opera stage. (Film Movement).
![photo for The Strangers [Collector's Edition]](https://onvideo.org/photos18/the-strangers.jpg)
The Strangers [Collector's Edition]
(2008) Liv Tyler, Scott Speedman. After a 4 a.m. knock at the door and a haunting voice, Kristen McKay and James Hoyt find that their remote getaway becomes a night of psychological terror as three masked strangers invade. Faced with inscrutable tormentors, Kristen and James must go beyond what they think they're able to endure if they have any hope to survive. Formats: Blu-ray Disc. Extras: Disc One: New HD master of the theatrical cut taken from the 2K digital intermediate; "The Element of Terror" interviews with the cast and crew; "Strangers at the Door" interviews with writer-director Bryan Bertino and the cast; deleted scenes; TV spots; theatrical trailer. Disc Two: New HD master of the unrated cut taken from the 2K digital intermediate; new "Defining Moments" interview with writer-director Bryan Bertino; new "All the Right Moves" interview with actor Kip Weeks ((Man in the Mask); new "Brains and Brawn" interview with actress Laura Margolis (Pin Up Girl); new "Deep Cuts" interview with editor Kevin Greutert; still gallery. (Scream Factory).
Thor: Ragnarok
(2017) Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Idris Elba, Jeff Goldblum, Tessa Thompson, Karl Urban, Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Hopkins. Thor is imprisoned on the other side of the universe and finds himself in a race against time to get back to Asgard to stop Ragnarok, the destruction of his homeworld and the end of Asgardian civilization, at the hands of an all-powerful new threat, the ruthless Hela.
Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo, 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo, VOD, Digital, Movies Anywhere. Blu-ray extras: Director's introduction; deleted/extended scenes; gag reel; exclusive short: "Team Darryl": Fresh off being unseated as the ruler of Sakaar, the Grandmaster makes his way to Earth to start a new life. It's been over a year since Thor left Australia and Darryl has been struggling to pay his rent. Now Darryl needs a new roommate to help make the monthly payments. Unfortunately for Darryl, the Grandmaster was the only one who answered Darryl's "Roommate Needed" ad and with no viable options, the Grandmaster moves in; "Marvel Studios: The First Ten Years - The Evolution of Heroes"; "Getting in Touch with Your Inner Thor" featurette; "Unstoppable Women: Hela & Valkyrie"; "Finding Sakaar: On the Edge of the Known and Unknown"; "Journey into Mystery" deep dive story piece with the writers, director and producer Kevin Feige about the inspirations for "Thor: Ragnarok" within the comics; "8bit Scenes - Final Bridge Battle + Sakaar Spaceship Battle" climactic sequences presented in retro video-game format; directors commentary. (Disney).
Wonder Wheel
(2017) Dir.: Woody Allen; Jim Belushi, Juno Temple. Justin Timberlake, Kate Winslet, Max Casella, Jack Gore, David Krumholtz. The story of four characters whose lives intertwine amid the hustle and bustle of the Coney Island amusement park in the 1950s: Ginny (Winslet), a melancholy, emotionally volatile former actress now working as a waitress in a clam house; Humpty (Belushi), Ginny's rough-hewn carousel operator husband; Mickey (Timberlake), a handsome young life-guard who dreams of becoming a playwright; and Carolina (Temple), Humpty's long-estranged daughter, who is now hiding out from gangsters at her father's apartment. Poetically photographed by Vittorio Storaro. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, VOD, Digital. Extras: "The Cast and Crew Discuss Making Wonder Wheel." (Universal).
© 1996 -- 2018 OnVideo. All rights reserved
March 4, 2018
(ISSN 1094-3676).
|
|
