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OnVideo's Weekly Guide to Home Video Releases

Tuesday, March 24 -- Monday, March 30

All DVD Releases

  • 1917

    photo for 1917 In 1917 at the height of the First World War, two young British soldiers, Schofield (George MacKay) and Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) are given a seemingly impossible mission. In a race against time, they must cross enemy territory and deliver a message that will stop a deadly attack on hundreds of soldiers -—Blake’s own brother among them. Vitals: Director: Sam Mendes. Stars: George MacKay, Dean-Charles Chapman, Mark Strong, Andrew Scott, Richard Madden, Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch. 2019, CC, MPAA rating: R, 159 min., War Drama, Box office gross: $155.867 million, Universal. Extras: "The Weight of the World" Sam Mendes discusses his personal connection to World War 1; "Allied Forces: Making 1917": shows how the one shot, 360-degree format was executed and the pivotal role Academy Award-winner Roger Deakins served in bringing Mendes’ vision to life; "The Music of 1917"; "In The Trenches" behind the scenes with the cast; "Recreating History" production design featurette; commentary with director/co-writer Sam Mendes; commentary with director of photography Roger Deakins. 4 stars


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  • The Grudge

    photo for The Grudge After a young housewife murders her family in her own house, a single mother and young detective tries to investigate and solve the case. Later, she discovers the house is cursed by a vengeful ghost that dooms those who enter it with a violent death. Now, she runs to save herself and her son from demonic spirits from the cursed house in her neighborhood. Vitals: Director: Nicolas Pesce. Stars: Andrea Riseborough, Demián Bichir, John Cho, Betty Gilpin, Lin Shaye, Jacki Weaver. 2020, CC, MPAA rating: R, 93 min., Horror, Box office gross: $21.107 million, Sony. Extras: "The Cast of the Cursed” featurette, “Designing Death” featurette, “Easter Egg Haunt” featurette: writer-director Nicolas Pesce brings to light the plethora of hidden Easter Eggs throughout the film which are homages to the previous works in the Ju-On franchise, extended scenes, alternative ending. 2 stars



    This Week's Digital Releases

    March 20

    The Current War: The dramatic story of the cutthroat race between electricity titans Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse to determine whose electrical system would power the modern world. (DVD, Blu-ray release: March 31)

    Emma (2020): In 1800s England, a well meaning but selfish young woman meddles in the love lives of her friends. (VOD only)

    The Hunt: Twelve strangers wake up in a clearing; they don't know where they are, or how they got there. And they don't know they've been chosen - for a very specific purpose - The Hunt. (VOD only)

    International Falls: Dark comedy about Dee, a woman stuck in a small, snowbound border town in northern Minnesota who harbors a secret dream of a career in stand-up. When she forms a friendship with Tim, a burned-out touring comedian, these two lost souls are forced to face the harsh but funny truths of their lives. (VOD only)

    The Invisible Man (2020): Complete redo of the Universal Monster Classic. (VOD only)

    Onward: Teenage elf brothers Ian and Barley Lightfoot (voices of Tom Holland and Chris Pratt) get an unexpected opportunity to spend one more day with their late dad, embarking on an extraordinary quest aboard Barley’s epic van Guinevere. (Digital only)

    March 23

    Torn Apart: Separated at the Border: This eye-opening, heartfelt documentary tells the stories of two mothers seeking to be reunited with their children after being separated at the U.S.-Mexico border. (Digital only)

    The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley: In 2004, Elizabeth Holmes dropped out of Stanford to start a company that was going to revolutionize healthcare. In 2014, Theranos was valued at $9 billion, making Holmes, who was touted as “the next Steve Jobs,” the youngest self-made female billionaire in the world. Just two years later, Theranos was cited as a “massive fraud” by the SEC, and her company was worthless. (VOD only)

    March 24

    Bloodshot: Vin Diesel stars as Ray Garrison, a soldier recently killed in action and brought back to life as the superhero Bloodshot by the RST corporation. (Digital only)

    Cunningham: Documentary traces Merce Cunningham’s artistic evolution over three decades of risk and discovery (1944–1972), from his early years as a struggling dancer in postwar New York to his emergence as one of the world’s most visionary choreographers. (DVD: Day & date)

    Dolittle: A physician (Robert Downey Jr.) who can talk to animals embarks on an adventure to find a legendary island with a young apprentice and a crew of strange pets. (DVD, Blu-ray release: April 7)

    Hunter’s Moon: When their parents leave town, three teenage girls decide to throw a party in their new country home. But when a gang of dangerous local boys with sinister intentions turn up, the women are forced to not only defend themselves from the evil inside of the house, but an unseen bloodthirsty predator that is hunting them one by one outside of the house. (DVD, Blu-ray release: Day & date)

    The Song of Names: Tim Roth and Clive Owen star in an emotional detective story spread over two continents and a half century. Beneath the film’s stunning and pulsing musical revelations burn the horror of a war and the lost souls extinguished from history. (DVD, Blu-ray release: Day & date)

    March 27

    Banana Split: Over the course of a summer, two teenage girls develop the perfect kindred spirit friendship, with one big problem: one of them is dating the other's ex. (VOD, Digital only)

    I Still Believe:The true story of Christian music star Jeremy Camp and his journey of love and loss. (VOD only)

    Vivarium: A young couple looking for the perfect home find themselves trapped in a mysterious labyrinth-like neighborhood of identical houses. (Digital, VOD only)

    March 30

    One Nation Under Stress: HBO documentary that explores the causes and effects of chronic stress from scientific, economic and sociological perspectives. Investigates the recent three-year decline in U.S. life expectancy for the first time in a hundred years to find insights on why we’re experiencing so much stress, its effect on Americans, and its consequences for the health of the nation. (VOD only)

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    All DVD Releases

    April Fool’s Day Collector’s Edition Blu-ray (1986) When Muffy St. John (Deborah Foreman) invited her college friends up to her parents' secluded island home for the time of their lives, she just forgot to tell them it just might be the last time of their lives. As soon as the kids arrive on the island, someone starts trimming the guest list ... one murder at a time. And what starts out as a weekend of harmless "April Fool's Day" pranks turns into a bloody battle for survival. Formats: Blu-ray. Extras: New "Horror With A Twist" interview with director Fred Walton; new "Well of Lies" interview with actress Deborah Goodrich Royce; new "Looking Forward to Dessert" interview with actor Clayton Rohner; new "Bloody Unforgettable" interview with composer Charles Bernstein; new "The Eye of Deception" interview with cinematographer Charles Minsky; theatrical trailer; TV spots. (Scream Factory).

    Back to the Fatherland (2017 -- Austria) Gil and Kat have been friends since college. Gil is from Israel and the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors; Kat is from Austria, and her grandfather was a Nazi officer. Through them we meet other young men and women whose grandparents were murdered or persecuted during the war, and whose families fled Germany and Austria. What's interesting is that many have decided to move back to "the Fatherland," a choice their families don't agree with or understand. Why do they choose to return? This revealing documentary explores the challenges and opportunities for reconciliation and understanding between the generations on both sides of the Shoah. Formats: DVD, VOD. (First Run Features).

    Come to Daddy (2019) Elijah Wood, Stephen McHattie, Garfield Wilson, Ronald Plum, Madeleine Sami. Norval Greenwood, a privileged man-child, arrives at the beautiful and remote coastal cabin of his estranged father, who he hasn't seen in 30 years. He quickly discovers that not only is Dad a disapproving jerk, but he also has a shady past that is rushing to catch up with him. Now, hundreds of miles from his cushy comfort zone, Norval must battle with demons both real and perceived in order to reconnect with a father he barely knows. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray, VOD, Digital. (Lionsgate).

    photo for The Cranes Are Flying The Cranes Are Flying (1957 -- Russia) This landmark film by the virtuosic Mikhail Kalatozov was heralded as a revelation in the post-Stalin Soviet Union and the international cinema community alike. It tells the story of Veronica and Boris, a couple who are blissfully in love until the eruption of World War II tears them apart. With Boris at the front, Veronica must try to ward off spiritual numbness and defend herself from the increasingly forceful advances of her beau’s draft-dodging cousin. Winner of the Palme d’Or at the 1958 Cannes Film Festival, "The Cranes Are Flying" is a superbly crafted drama with impassioned performances and viscerally emotional, gravity-defying cinematography by Kalatozov’s regular collaborator Sergei Urusevsky. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc with new 2K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray. Extras: New interview with scholar Ian Christie on why the film is a landmark of Soviet cinema; audio interview from 1961 with director Mikhail Kalatozov; "Hurricane Kalatozov," a documentary from 2009 on the Georgian director’s complex relationship with the Soviet government; segment from a 2008 program about the film’s cinematography, featuring original storyboards and an interview with actor Alexei Batalov; interview from 2001 with filmmaker Claude Lelouch on the film’s French premiere at the 1958 Cannes Film Festival; an essay by critic Chris Fujiwara. (The Criterion Collection).

    photo for Cunningham Cunningham (2019) Documentary traces Merce Cunningham’s artistic evolution over three decades of risk and discovery (1944–1972), from his early years as a struggling dancer in postwar New York to his emergence as one of the world’s most visionary choreographers. The documentary weaves together Merce’s philosophies and stories, creating a visceral journey into his innovative work. A breathtaking explosion of dance, music and never-before-seen archival material. Formats: DVD, Digital. Extras: "Anatomy of Creating 'Summerspace.'" (Magnolia Home Entertainment).



    photo for Dodsworth Dodsworth (1936) Newly restored in 2019 by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Film Archive and The Film Foundation in association with the Samuel Goldwyn Jr. Family Trust. Restoration funding provided by the George Lucas Family Foundation. William Wyler directs this superb adaptation of the Sinclair Lewis novel for master producer Samuel Goldwyn featuring an amazing ensemble of actors led by the great Walter Huston. A tale of middle-aged regret and recriminations and the rebirth of long dormant passions, Wyler cannily gets by the production code and delivers a decidedly adult drama that more comfortably sits alongside the pre-Codes than the post-Codes. Millionaire motor magnate Sam Dodsworth (Huston) sells the Dodsworth auto works in the small midwestern burg of Zenith to a large combine and embarks on a long-postponed honeymoon abroad. But long-time bride Fran (Ruth Chatterton) turns runaway when her head is turned by the swells of the continent (David Niven, Paul Lukas, Gregory Gaye). Bereft and adrift, Dodsworth furthers his friendship with young American widow Edith (Mary Astor) and the relationship uncorks long-buried desires in Dodsworth. But Fran is not done with Dodsworth, yet. Long unavailable, "Dodsworth" returns to print in a stunning restoration that properly gives new life to one of the greatest pictures of the 1930s - resplendent with glorious Black and White cinematography, fabulous art direction and superb mise-en-scene in service to a truly sophisticated cast. Formats: Blu-ray. Extras: Lux Radio Theater radio version with Walter Huston. (Warner Archive).

    Frankenstein: The Real Story (1973) James Mason, Leonard Whiting, David McCallum, Jane Seymour, Nicola Pagett, Michael Sarrazin. Retells Mary Shelley’s unforgettable story. Victor Frankenstein’s medical experiments result in the shocking discovery that he can revive the dead. But when the creature he brings forth becomes a killer, is anyone safe? New 2K scan of the original telefilm elements to the two-part, 3 hr. and 6 min. version, including the introduction by actor James Mason. Formats: Blu-ray. Extras: New audio commentary with filmmaker/film historian Sam Irvin, new "Off With Her Head" interview with actress Jane Seymour, new "Victor’s Story" interview with actor Leonard Whiting, new "Frankenstein’s Diary" – with writer Don Bachardy. (Scream Factory).

    photo for The Grudge The Grudge (2020) Andrea Riseborough, Demián Bichir, John Cho Betty Gilpin, Lin Shaye, Jacki Weaver. A house is cursed by a vengeful ghost that dooms those who enter it with a violent death. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray, VOD, Digital. Extras: "The Cast of the Cursed” featurette, “Designing Death” featurette, “Easter Egg Haunt” featurette: writer-director Nicolas Pesce brings to light the plethora of hidden Easter Eggs throughout the film which are homages to the previous works in the Ju-On franchise, extended scenes, alternative ending. (Sony).

    Hunter’s Moon (2020) Thomas Jane, Jay Mohr, Sean Patrick Flanery, Katrina Bowden, Juliet Delaney, Amanda Wyss, India Ennenga. When their parents leave town, three teenage girls decide to throw a party in their new country home. But when a gang of dangerous local boys with sinister intentions turn up, the women are forced to not only defend themselves from the evil inside of the house, but an unseen bloodthirsty predator that is hunting them one by one outside of the house. Formats: DVD, VOD, Digital. (Lionsgate).

    Jinpa (2019 -- Tibet) On an isolated road passing through the vast barren plains of Tibet, a truck driver who has accidentally run over a sheep, chances upon a young man who is hitching a ride. As they drive and chat, the truck driver notices that his new friend has a silver dagger strapped to his leg. He comes to understand that this man is out to kill someone who wronged him earlier in life. As he drops the hitchhiker off at a fork in the road, little does the truck driver realize that their short time together has changed everything, and that their destinies are inexorably intertwined. A story of revenge and redemption. Formats: DVD, VOD. (Icarus Films).

    photo for Leave Her to Heaven Leave Her to Heaven (1945) Novelist Richard Harland (Cornel Wilde) seems to have found the perfect woman in Ellen (Gene Tierney), a beautiful socialite who initiates a whirlwind romance and steers him into marriage before he can think twice. Yet the glassy surface of Ellen’s devotion soon reveals monstrous depths, as Richard comes to realize that his wife is shockingly possessive and may be capable of destroying anyone who comes between them. A singular Hollywood masterpiece that draws freely from the women’s picture and film noir alike, "Leave Her to Heaven" boasts elegant direction by melodrama specialist John M. Stahl, blazing Technicolor cinematography by Leon Shamroy, and a chilling performance by Tierney, whose Ellen is a femme fatale unlike any other: a woman whose love is as pure as it is poisonous. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc with new 2K digital restoration by Twentieth Century Fox, the Academy Film Archive, and The Film Foundation, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray. Extras: New interview with critic Imogen Sara Smith, trailer, an essay by novelist Megan Abbott. (The Criterion Collection).

    Lore (2017) Lyndsey Lantz, Max Lesser, Sean Wei Mah. A woman searches for her missing son in the remote wilderness of Washington with the help of her estranged husband and a Native American guide. When an evil creature starts to hunt them, their journey becomes a fight for survival. Formats: DVD, Digital. (Indican Pictures).

    Love & Temptation: 3-Film Collection Lifetime's first steamy book-to-screen series from New York Times best-selling author Jane Green -- with stars Alyssa Milano, Zane Holtz, Erika Christensen, Antonio Cupo, Andy Favreau, Justina Machado, and Elisabeth Rohm -- tell tales of forbidden lust, shocking secrets, and desperate love. "The Love & Temptation: 3-Film Collection" set includes the telefilms "Tempting Fate," "Family Pictures" and "To Have and to Hold." Formats: DVD. (Lionsgate).

    photo for 1917 1917 (2019) Dir.: Sam Mendes; George MacKay, Dean-Charles Chapman, Mark Strong, Andrew Scott, Richard Madden, Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch. April 6th, 1917. As a regiment assembles to wage war deep in enemy territory, two soldiers are assigned to race against time and deliver a message that will stop 1,600 men from walking straight into a deadly trap. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo, 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo, VOD, Digital. Extras: "The Weight of the World" Sam Mendes discusses his personal connection to World War 1; "Allied Forces: Making 1917": shows how the one shot, 360-degree format was executed and the pivotal role Academy Award-winner Roger Deakins served in bringing Mendes’ vision to life; "The Music of 1917"; "In The Trenches" behind the scenes with the cast; "Recreating History" production design featurette; commentary with director/co-writer Sam Mendes; commentary with director of photography Roger Deakins. (Universal).

    photo for The Passion of Darkly Noon The Passion of Darkly Noon (1995) Described by critic Mark Kermode as an "extraordinary filmmaker" and "one of the UK's most imaginative talents," visionary British director Philip Ridley followed his sensational debut "The Reflecting Skin" with another surreal incursion into the dark heart of the "American dream" in "The Passion of Darkly Noon." Darkly Noon (Brendan Fraser) is the sole survivor of a military-style attack on an isolated religious community. Stumbling through a forest in a daze, he is rescued by the free-spirited and enigmatic Callie (Ashley Judd). Darkly finds himself feeling strange new desires for Callie as she nurses him back to health ... only to watch her jump into the arms of her returning mute lover Clay (Viggo Mortensen). Lost in the woods with only his fundamentalist upbringing to make sense of his unrequited passions, Darkly soon descends into an explosive and lethal rage. Now available for the first time worldwide on Blu-ray, Ridley's talent for spellbinding, hallucinogenic dream imagery is on full display in a glittering new transfer of his most formally inventive and electrifying film. The mesmerizing soundtrack includes two songs co-written by Ridley for the film, "Look What You've Done (To My Skin)" performed by Gavin Friday and "Who Will Love Me Now?" performed by PJ Harvey. New 2K restoration from the original camera negative, approved by Philip Ridley. Extras: New audio commentary by writer-director Philip Ridley; isolated score track in lossless stereo, including never-before-heard extended and unused cues, and the two songs from the film; "Sharp Cuts," a newly filmed interview with editor Leslie Healey; "Forest Songs," a newly filmed interview with composer Nick Bicât; "Dreaming Darkly," an archive featurette from 2015 featuring interviews with Ridley, Bicât and Mortensen; Previously unreleased demos of the music score, written and performed by Bicât before filming started; theatrical trailer; image gallery; reversible sleeve featuring new and original artwork; FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector's booklet featuring a new Philip Ridley career retrospective written by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas. Formats: Blu-ray. (Arrow Video/MVD Entertainment).

    Shooting the Mafia (2019 -- Italy) Award-winning director Kim Longinotto's shocking and powerful film about a photojournalist who, at great personal risk, devoted herself to covering organized crime in Italy. Sicilian photographer Letizia Battaglia began a lifelong battle with the Mafia when she first dared to point her camera at a brutally slain victim. A woman whose passions led her to abandon traditional family life and become a photojournalist in the 1970s - the first female photographer to be employed by a daily Italian newspaper - Battaglia found herself on the front lines during one of the bloodiest chapters in Italy's recent history. She fearlessly and artfully captured everyday Sicilian life - from weddings and funerals to the grisly murders of ordinary citizens - to tell the story of how the community she loved in her native Palermo was forced into silence by the Cosa Nostra. Weaving together Battaglia's striking black-and-white photographs, rare archival footage, classic Italian films, and the now 84-year-old's own vivid memories, the documentary paints a portrait of a remarkable woman whose bravery and defiance helped expose the Mafia's brutal crimes. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray, Digital. Extras: "Conversation With Director Kim Longinotto." (Cohen media Group).

    photo for The Song of Names The Song of Names (2019) Tim Roth, Clive Owen, Catherine McCormack, Jonah Hauer-King, Gerran Howell, Luke Doyle. An emotional detective story spread over two continents and a half century. Several years after his childhood friend, a violin prodigy, disappears on the eve of his first solo concert, an Englishman travels throughout Europe to find him. Beneath the film's stunning and pulsing musical revelations burn the horror of a war and the lost souls extinguished from history. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray, Digital. Extras: "Behind the Song of Names" featurette on bringing Norman Lebrecht’s acclaimed novel to life; "Howard Shore: Composing & Scoring"; "Howard Shore & Ray Chen" (the incredible violin playing heard in the film). (Sony).

    The Wizard (1989) Haunted by a family tragedy, and desperate to get to California, young Jimmy Woods (Luke Edwards) flees with his conniving brother, Corey (Fred Savage). Along the way they encounter Haley (recording artist and actress Jenny Lewis), a street-smart teen on her way to Reno. photo for The WizardTogether, they make their way to California, pursued by a sinister bounty hunter, as well as the boys' father (Beau Bridges) and brother (Christian Slater). Meanwhile, their ticket to California just might be found in Jimmy's hidden talent: video games. New 4K scan. Formats: Blu-ray. Extras: Audio commentary with director Todd Holland; Deleted Scenes; Trailers; "The Road to Cali-forn-ia" look back at "The Wizard" including brand-new interviews with Todd Holland, Fred Savage and Luke Edwards, writer-producer David Chisholm, producer Ken Topolsky; and more; "How Can I Help You? Confessions of a Game Play Counselor"; "A Clinical Analysis of The Wizard"; post screening Q&A From Let's Play Gaming Expo 2019 with Luke Edwards, David Chisholm and Ken Topolsky; photo gallery. (Shout! Select).


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