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OnVideo's Weekly Guide to Home Video Releases
March 7:
Capture Kill Release: Romantic bloodbath that blends the true horrors of the Barbie and Ken Killers with the tropes of found footage, to stomach-curling effect.
ARIA
(1987) Ten of the world’s most creative and celebrated directors were each given the same brief: to choose a piece of opera music and then present a visual interpretation of that music with complete artistic freedom. Music was sourced from the massive RCA Red Seal catalog; the score features some of the world’s best opera singers. The 10 directors of ARIA are Robert Altman, Bruce Beresford, Bill Bryden, Jean-Luc Godard, Derek Jarman, Franc Roddam, Nicolas Roeg, Ken Russell, Charles Sturridge and Julien Temple. Actors featured include John Hurt, Tilda Swinton, Bridget Fonda, Theresa Russell, Buck Henry, Beverly D’Angelo, Julie Hagerty and Anita Morris. Composers featured include Verdi, Lully, Korngold, Rameau, Wagner, Puccini, Charpentier and Leoncavallo. Singers include Enrico Caruso, Leontyne Price, Robert Merrill, Rachel Yakar, Anna Moffo, Carol Neblett, René Kollo and Birgit Nilsson. The film has now been painstakingly restored and transferred to a widescreen HD master from the original 35mm internegative. Formats: Blu-ray Disc. (Lightyear Entertainment).
Bloodrunners
(2017) Ice-T, Michael McFadden, Chris James Boylan, Airen DeLaMater. Thriller centers on a turf war between a crooked cop and a power-hungry vampire over a small town soaked in illegal hooch during the height of Prohibition.
Formats: Blu-ray/DVD Combo, VOD, Digital. Extras: Audio commentary with director Dan Lantz, deleted and extended scenes, gag reel, trailers. (Speakeasy Pictures/IMPULSE-FX).
The Brand New Testament
(2016) Pili Groyne, Benoît Poelvoorde, Catherine Deneuve. God exists … and He’s a jerk. Or so it appears in the world of this irresistible and irreverent comedy-fantasy from veteran Belgian filmmaker Jaco Van Dormael. In the beginning things went a bit differently than the Good Book would have us believe. “God” (Benoit Poelvoorde), you see, rules the universe from a high-rise apartment in Brussels and rarely changes out of His T-shirt and ratty bathrobe. Sitting behind a computer, He takes sadistic delight in dreaming up new “laws” to torment humanity and tyrannizes His wife (Yolande Moreau) and 10-year-old daughter, Ea (Pili Groyne). Like her brother JC before her, Ea has had enough of her Father’s abuse and when she spies the right opportunity, she hacks into His computer and leaks to the entire world — by text message — the only thing He has over them: everyone’s inevitable death date. As the world’s denizens react (and over-react) to the information, Ea takes the elevator down to Earth — with daddy in pursuit — and gathers apostles to help write her own New Testament to try to fix the mess her Father has made of humanity. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, VOD. Extras: Interviews with the director and cast. (Music Box Films).
The C Word
(2016) One out of two people will get cancer in their lifetime. Until recently, we thought that cancer was only due to a genetic predisposition, or to an unlucky draw. "The C Word" presents a distinguished look into the connection between the current cancer epidemic and our western lifestyle from a scientific, documented and optimistic point of view. The latest research findings clearly show that up to 70% of cancer deaths are linked to our daily behaviors: smoking, a diet of processed foods, a sedentary lifestyle, excessive stress, and a continued exposure to daily contaminants. Narrated by Morgan Freeman. Formats: DVD, Digital. (Virgil Films).
Cold War 2
(2016 -- Hong Kong) Aaron Kwok, Tony Leung, Chow Yun-fat. A sequel to the 2012 Hong Kong box-office smash, the film continues the saga of intra-police rivalry, picking up some time after the events in the first movie. Sean Lau (Aaron Kwok) is now the Commissioner of Police. A suspected criminal mastermind escapes from police custody, throwing the city into turmoil. Things get worse when Lau's wife and daughter are kidnapped and he must seek help from a former rival (Tony Leung) to save their lives. With the police department now divided, rival police chiefs are forced to take their fight to the streets of Hong Kong -- with deadly consequences. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc. Extras: Four featurettes. (Well Go USA).
Colors BLU-RAY DEBUT
(1988) Dir.: Dennis Hopper. Stars Sean Penn, Robert Duvall, Maria Conchita Alonso, Randy Brooks, Grand Bush, Don Cheadle. A veteran policeman and his rookie partner fight Los Angeles street gangs. Features an unrated cut of the movie. Formats:Blu-ray Disc. Extras: "A Cry of Alarm" interview with screenwriter Michael Schiffer, "Cops and Robbers" interview with technical advisor/ex-L.A.P.D. Gang Division Dennis Fanning, Easter Egg. (Shout! Factory).
Departure
(2016 -- UK) Juliette Stevenson, Alex Lawther, Phénix Brossard, Finbar Lynch, Patrice Juiff. An intimate and restrained story of an English mother (Stevenson) and her son, a 15-year-old dreamy eyed would-be writer (Lawther) who is exploring his dawning sexuality. When they take an emotional journey to the South of France, they become embroiled in a love triangle with a rugged, handsome French boy.
Formats: DVD, VOD. (Wolfe Video).
The Eyes of My Mother
(2016) Kika Magalhaes, Will Brill, Olivia Bond. In a family's secluded farmhouse, a mother, formerly a surgeon in Portugal, teaches her daughter, Francisca, to understand anatomy and be unfazed by death. One afternoon, however, a mysterious visitor horrifyingly shatters the idyll of Francisca’s family life, deeply traumatizing the
young girl, but also awakening some unique curiosities. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, Digital. (Magnolia Home Entertainment).
Fair Haven
(2017) Tom Wopat, Michael Grant, Josh Green, Gregory Harrison. A young man returns to his family farm, after a long stay in ex-gay conversion therapy, and is torn between the expectations of his emotionally distant father, and the memories of a past, loving relationship he has tried to bury. Formats: DVD, VOD.
(Breaking Glass Pictures).
Frank vs. God
(2014) Henry Ian Cusick, Ever Carradine, Natalya Oliver. After his house is destroyed by a tornado (what his insurance company deems an "act of God"), former hotshot lawyer David Frank is determined that someone must pay. He decides to serve God ... with a lawsuit. Formats: DVD, VOD, Digital. (Randon Media).
Incarnate
(2017) Aaron Eckhart, Carice van Houten, Catalina Sandino Moreno, David MazouzAaron. Eckhart stars as Dr. Seth Ember, an unconventional exorcist who uses science instead of religion to tap into the minds of the possessed to remove the demon from their subconscious. When an 11-year-old boy becomes possessed by a creature of unspeakable evil, Ember enters the mind of the boy to attack the vengeful demon, but he finds himself facing the battle of his life and the horrors of his own past. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: "The Making of Incarnate." (Universal).
Jackie
(2016) Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard, Greta Gerwig, John Hurt,
Billy Crudup, Max Casella, Richard E. Grant, Beth Grant. Following the
assassination of President John F. Kennedy, First Lady Jacqueline
Kennedy fights through grief and trauma to regain her faith, console
her children, and define her husband's historic legacy. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo, VOD, Digital,
UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: "From Jackie to Camelot" featurette, audio commentary by director Pablo Larraín and Natalie Portman, gallery. (Fox).
Kendra On Top: Season 4 & 5
(2015-16) Kendra Wilkinson is back and hotter than ever in the shocking reality series that follows this reality queen. After the scandal that nearly ripped her marriage apart, Kendra aims to strengthen her relationships both in her career and at home.
Formats: DVD. (MPI/Dark Sky Films).
Kikoriki: Legend of the Golden Dragon
(2017) New animated feature. The lovably simple residents of peaceful Kikoriki Island are thrown kicking and screaming into big adventure when their resident scientist invents an amazing device (a helmet called "the Improverizor") which takes personality traits from one person and swaps them with someone else’s. But when spineless young Wally tries to use the untested device to cure his cowardice, he ends up even more spineless: by getting accidentally body-switched with a squirmy little caterpillar. Now he’s got more to fear than he ever dreamed, and so do his fellow villagers, as they’re dragged into a madcap adventure packed with plane crashes, mistaken identities, erupting volcanoes and angry natives on the warpath. Formats: DVD. (Shout! Factory).
The Legend of Chupacabras
(2016 -- USA/Mexico) Animated adventure about a heroic boy and some magical friends uncovering the mystery of a legendary monster from popular Latin American folklore. Fourth installment in the "La Leyenda" franchise. Formats: DVD, VOD, Digital. (Lionsgate).
The Lesson
(2015) Robert Hands, Evan Bendall, Rory Coltart. UK horror thriller about a bullied school teacher who has a mental breakdown, resulting in a terrifying act of revenge on his students. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, VOD, Digital. (Shout! Factory).
Mama's Family: The Mama's Family Favorites Collection
(1983-90) Everyone's favorite indelible and smart alecky small-town matriarch is back -- and, she's brought her whole crazy family with her. After breaking out from "The Family" sketches on "The Carol Burnett Show," Thelma "Mama" Harper's home-spun humor earned its own well-loved sitcom which ran for six seasons. Set in the fictional city of Raytown, "Mama's Family" revolves around the eye-opening escapades of the Harper clan, headed by Mama Harper, who does not suffer fools gladly. In fact, she makes everybody suffer a little with her patented snappy retorts that truly put the "diss" in dysfunction. This six-disc set features 37 complete episodes hand-picked by Mama (Vicki Lawrence) herself, packaged together for the very first time at retail. Formats: DVD. (Time Life).
Man Down
(2015) Shia LaBeou, Jai Courtney, Charlie Shotwell, Kate Mara, Clifton Collins Jr. Shia LaBeouf stars as a former U.S. Marine who returns home from Afghanistan to a completely different world, and sets out on a mission to find his estranged wife and son. When U.S. Marine Gabriel Drummer returns home from his tour in Afghanistan, he finds that the place he once called home is no better than the battlefields he fought on overseas. Accompanied by his best friend Devin Roberts (Courtney), a hard-nosed Marine whose natural instinct is to shoot first and ask questions later, he searches desperately for the location of his estranged son, Johnathan (Shotwell), and wife Natalie (Mara). In their search, the two intercept Charles (Collins Jr.), a man carrying vital information about the whereabouts of Gabriel’s family. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: Commentary. (Lionsgate).
Moana
(2016) Voices of Auli'i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Alan Tudyk, Jemaine
Clement, Nicole Scherzinger, Temuera Morrison. An adventurous teenager sails out on a daring mission to save her people. During her journey, Moana (voice of Auli’i Cravalho) meets the once-mighty demigod Maui (voice of Dwayne Johnson), who guides her in
her quest to become a master wayfinder. Together, they sail across the
open ocean on an action-packed voyage, encountering enormous monsters
and impossible odds, and along the way, Moana fulfills the ancient
quest of her ancestors and discovers the one thing she’s always
sought: her own identity. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo, 3D Blu-ray Disc/Blu-ray/DVD
Combo, VOD, Digital, Disney Movies Antwhere (cloud). Extras: Commentary; theatrical short
“Inner Workings,” with introduction by the filmmakers, is the story of
the internal struggle between a man’s pragmatic, logical side and his
free-spirited, adventurous half; music video “How Far I’ll Go”
performed by Alessia Cara. Blu-ray
adds Maui Mini-Movie: “Gone Fishing”; "Voice of the
Islands" in-depth look at how Pacific Island people and cultures
inspired the filmmakers to create the story of “Moana"; "Things You
Didn’t Know About …" Q&A with the stars and musical team; "Island
Fashion" costume design featurette; "They Know the Way: Making the
Music of Moana” featurette; "Fishing for Easter Eggs"; "The Elements
of …" series of four mini-docs explores the technical achievements
behind some of the effects used in the film: "Mini Maui – Meet Mini
Maui,” Maui’s tattoo sidekick, "Water," "Lava" and "Hair'; deleted
song: “Warrior Face”; seven deleted scenes.
(Disney).
New Life
(2016) Jonathan Patrick Moore, Erin Bethea, James Marsters, Bill Cobbs, Irma P. Hall, Terry O’Quinn. Dove approved (for ages 12+) romantic drama. Seven-year-old Benjamin Morton’s life changed forever the day he met Ava, the little girl next door. What began as a childhood friendship grows into a meaningful relationship as the two plan out their lives together. When life takes a turn neither of them expect, their entire future is called into question. Formats: DVD, Digital. Extras: Deleted scenes, audio commentary with director Drew Waters and Erin Bethea, five-part look “Behind the Scenes,” two featurettes: “Ava’s Journey” and “About New Life.”(Broad Green Pictures).
100 Streets
(2016) Idris Elba, Gemma Arterton, Tom Cullen, Franz Drameh, Kierston Wareing, Ken Stott. Ensemble drama follows three contrasting and interwoven stories as they play out in one square mile of modern day London. A former rugby player struggles to find a life off the field while fighting to save his marriage to a former actress; a small time drug dealer desperately seeking a way off the street meets a local thespian, who gives him the push he needs out of his dead end life and into a very different, creative world; a cab driver and his wife Kathy dream of having kids but a devastating road accident puts their hopes on hold even testing their otherwise strong marriage. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, VOD, Digital. Extras: "A Look Inside 100 Streets" featurette. (Sony).
PAW Patrol: Pups Save the Bunnies
(2017) This latest PAW Patrol collection features seven new heroic rescues, including a double-length mission to save Adventure Bay's Easter Egg Hunt. Kids can watch as the pups try to protect Farmer Yumi's vegetable garden, save Mayor Goodway's tulip garden, investigate the disappearance of the songbirds and look for the lost sheep. Formats: DVD. (Paramount).
Resistance
(2011) Michael Sheen, Iwan Rheon, Tom Wlaschiha, Andrea Riseborough. Based on the acclaimed novel by Owen Sheers and set in Nazi-occupied Britain. D-Day has failed, and, as Panzer divisions and Nazi troops sweep westward across the dispirited countryside, the British Resistance Organization (BRO), Churchill's top-secret and highly trained civilian army designed to wreak havoc on occupying enemy forces, mount resistance to the German invaders. Formats: DVD, Digital. (Film Movement).
Slasher.com
(2017) Jewel Shepard, R.A. Mihailoff, Ben Kaplan, Morgan Carter. At a time where online dating could prove fatal, Jack and Kristy decide they're ready to meet in person. Aiming for an adventurous first date, they plan a weekend getaway to a cozy cabin deep in the woodlands of rural Missouri. While discovering each other, they soon learn of the terrorizing horrors that the forest, and the family lurking there, has in store for outsiders. Formats: DVD. (Firefly Films/ITN Distribution).
Suspects, Series 5
(2016 -- UK) Two-disc set with six episodes. Filmed from an eyewitness perspective with improvised dialogue, this one-of-a-kind procedural delivers an immersive, authentic look at police investigations. "Suspects" relies on the cast to develop their own dialogue, creating a uniquely realistic tone. DS Jack Weston and DC Charlie Steele are shocked when their boss, DI Martha Bellamy, is shot dead in her home. DCI Daniel Drummond joins Jack and Charlie to lead the investigation into Martha’s murder, also bringing in detectives Alisha Brooks and Gary Roscoe. The new team soon realizes that Martha’s murder could be connected to a cold case she was investigating. Could one of those suspects have killed her? Formats: DVD,. Extras: Photo gallery. (Acorn Media).
Tanna
(2016 -- Australia) Academy Award nominees for Best Foreign-Language Film. On a remote island in the South Pacific, Wawa, a young girl, falls in love with her chief’s grandson. But when war with their enemies escalates, Wawa is unknowingly betrothed as part of a peace deal. The young lovers run away, but are pursued by warriors of both tribes. With their lives on the line, the star-crossed lovers must choose between their hearts and the peaceful future of the tribe. The film is based on a true story -- an event that occurred in 1987 in one of the world’s last tribal societies. The people of Yakel, on the island of Tanna, are fully aware of the outside world, but have chosen to live according to the ways of their ancestors, after resisting the colonial powers that used to control the area, the missionaries that tried to assimilate them to a Western way of life, and finally the lure of money. The film was crafted in full collaboration with the islanders, and is the first feature film to be shot entirely in the nation of Vanuatu, which is an archipelago of 83 islands and an estimated 110 different languages. The island of Tanna is dominated by an active volcano, which plays an important part in the film, as well as the tribe’s culture. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, VOD, Digital. (Momentum Pictures/Sony Home Entertainment).
Trespass Against Us
(2016) Michael Fassbender, Brendan Gleeson, Georgie Smith. A man looks to find a way to escape the criminal ways of his outlaw family. Set across three generations of the Cutler family who live as outlaws in their own anarchic corner of a rich countryside. Chad Cutler (Fassbender) is heir apparent to his bruising criminal father, Colby (Gleeson) and has been groomed to spend his life hunting, thieving and tormenting the police. But with his own son, Tyson (Smith) coming of age, Chad soon finds himself locked in a battle with his father for the future of his young family. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: “Blood Bonds: On the Set of Trespass Against Us” featurette, “Heartfelt: Director Adam Smith on The Chemical Brothers” featurette. (Lionsgate).
Wentworth, Season 2
(2014 - Australia) Four-disc set with all 12 episodes of the second season of the critically acclaimed Australian prison series. Drastic changes are in store for the women at Wentworth Prison. In Season 2, Bea languishes in solitary, plotting revenge for her daughter’s murder, while Franky runs the prison unopposed. But the arrival of sadistic new governor Joan Ferguson threatens Franky’s top-dog status. With Franky’s contraband operation in her crosshairs, Ferguson attempts to recruit informants, and the inmates are forced to choose a side. Formats: DVD,. Extras: Behind-the-scenes featurettes, cast and crew interviews, photo gallery. (Acorn Media).
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