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OnVideo's Weekly Guide to Home Video Releases

Tuesday, April 21 -- Monday, April 27

All DVD Releases

  • Taken 3

    photo for The hunter becomes the hunted when Liam Neeson returns as former CIA operative Bryan Mills, who finds himself framed for the brutal murder of his ex-wife (Famke Janssen). Consumed with rage, and pursued by a savvy police inspector (Forest Whitaker), Mills must rely on his “particular set of skills” one last time to find the real killers, clear his name, and protect the only thing that matters to him now — his daughter (Maggie Grace). Vitals: Director: Olivier Megaton. Stars: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen, Forest Whitaker, Jon Gries, Dougray Scott. 2015, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 109 min., Action Thriller, Box office gross: $87.085 million, Fox. Extras: Deleted scene, "Sam's Bunker A.K.A. The Rabbit Hole," "Taken to L.A.," "A Taken Legacy, gallery. Blu-ray adds uncut version of the film. 2 stars


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  • A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night

    photo for A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night Dubbed the world's first "Iranian Vampire Western," the film is a joyful mash-up of genre and prolific influences spanning Spaghetti Westerns, graphic novels, horror films and the Iranian New Wave -- comparisons have been made to Jarmusch, Lynch, Tarantino and Leone. The plot: In the Iranian ghost-town Bad City, a place that reeks of death and loneliness, the townspeople are unaware they are being stalked by a lonesome vampire. Vitals: Director: Ana Lily Amirpour. Stars: Sheila Vand, Arash Marandi, Dominic Rains, Mozhan Marno, Rome Shadanloo, Marshall Manesh, Milad Eghbali. The soundtrack features the Middle Eastern fusion beats of Bei Ru, the underground Iranian rock of Radio Tehran and Kiosk, and the Spaghetti Western-inspired tunes of Portland-based Federale. 2014, CC, MPAA rating: NR, 99 min., Horror, Box office gross: $.405 million, Kino Lorber. Extras: Deleted scenes, stills gallery, the official trailer, Q&A with director Amirpour hosted by Roger Corman at the Hammer Museum, exclusive booklet essay by Indiewire film critic Eric Kohn. Blu-ray adds behind-the-scenes documentary produced by Vice, a talk with director Amirpour and actress Sheila Vand, additional behind-the-scenes footage, collectible version of the first two issues of the comic book, written by Ana Lily Amirpour and drawn by Michael DeWeese, with an essay by Eric Kohn, being published by RADCO. 3 stars

  • Cake

    photo for The melodrama takes us into the darkly funny world of Claire Bennett (Jennifer Aniston), a woman in pain. Her physical pain is evident in the scars that line her body and the way she carries herself, wincing with each tentative step. She's no good at hiding her emotional pain either. Blunt to the point of searing insult, Claire's anger seethes out of her with nearly every interaction. She has driven away her husband, her friends - even her chronic-pain support group has kicked her out. The suicide of Nina (Anna Kendrick), one of Claire's fellow chronic-pain group members, prompts her to initiates a dubious relationship with Nina's widowed husband (Sam Worthington), all the while confronting fantastical hallucinations of his dead wife. With her feisty housekeeper-cum-caretaker (Adriana Barraza) ever at her side, Claire searches for human connection and self-forgiveness in this tale of personal redemption. Vitals: Director: Daniel Barnz. Stars: Jennifer Aniston, Anna Kendrick, Britt Robertson, Lucy Punch, Sam Worthington, Chris Messina, William H. Macy, Felicity Huffman. 2015, CC, MPAA rating: R, 118 min., Drama, Box office gross: $.916 million, Fox. Extras: "The Many Layers of Cake: Learning to Live Again," "The Icing on the Cake: Meet the Cast," trailer. 2 stars



    Blu-ray Debuts

  • The River (1951) (Criterion)

    Read more.



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All DVD Releases

photo for Auteur Auteur (2014) Tom Sizemore, Ian Hutton, BJ Hendricks, Madeline Merritt. Horror thriller about a naive documentarian who sets out to find a legendary horror director who mysteriously disappeared before the release of his highly anticipated masterpiece. As the filmmaker uncovers the story through various interviews, he learns that the truth is much more deadly than he ever imagined. Formats: DVD. (MVD Entertainment).

Bleaching Black Culture (2014) From the birth of jazz to the evolution of hip hop, from the advents of urban trends to transformative advances in technology, African Americans have played an integral role in molding American culture. Unfortunately, they tend to not be the beneficiaries of their own innovation. This documentary examines the continuum of America's black cultural appropriation and the effects on the African American community. Formats: DVD, Digital. (Cinedigm).

Cake (2015) Jennifer Aniston, Anna Kendrick, Britt Robertson, Lucy Punch, Sam Worthington, Chris Messina, William H. Macy, Felicity Huffman. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: "The Many Layers of Cake: Learning to Live Again," "The Icing on the Cake: Meet the Cast," trailer. (Fox).

photo for Deep in the Darkness Deep in the Darkness (2014) Sean Patrick Thomas, Kristen Bush, Dean Stockwell, Blanche Baker, Anthony Del Negro, Athena Grant. Dr. Michael Cayle thought leaving the chaotic lifestyle of New York City behind for the quiet, small town of Ashborough would bring his family closer together. Soon after arriving, however, he discovers the town's deepest secret: a terrifying -- and controlling -- race of creatures that live amongst the darkness in the woods behind his home. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc. Extras: Trailer, TV spots, "Meet the Makers." (Scream Factory).

Eclipse Series 42: Silent Ozu -- Three Crime Dramas The great Japanese filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu is best known for the stately, meditative domestic dramas he made after World War II. But during his first decade at Shochiku studios, where he dabbled in many genres, he put out a trio of precisely rendered, magnificently shot and edited silent crime films about the hopes, dreams, and loves of small-time crooks. Heavily influenced in narrative and visual style by the American films that Ozu adored, these movies are revelatory early examples of his cinematic genius, accompanied here by new piano scores by Neil Brand. The Collector's Set Includes: "Walk Cheerfully" (1930): This was the Japanese master's first true homage to American crime movies, and it is a fleetly told, expressively shot work of humor and emotional depth; "That Night's Wife" (1930): In noirish darkness, a man commits a shocking robbery. But, as we soon learn, this seeming criminal mastermind is actually a sensitive everyman driven to commit desperate deeds for the sake of his family; "Dragnet Girl" (1933): This formally accomplished and psychologically complex gangster tale pivots on the growing attraction between Joji, a hardened career criminal, and Kazuko, the sweet-natured older sister of a newly initiated young hoodlum. (The Criterion Collection).

photo for Escape From New York Collector's Edition Escape From New York Collector's Edition (1981) Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine, Donald Pleasence, Isaac Hayes, Season Hubley, Harry Dean Stanton, Adrienne Barbeau. New 2K scan of the inter-positive, struck from the original negative. Formats: Two-disc Blu-ray. Extras: Commentary with actress Adrienne Barbeau and directory of photography Dean Cundey; commentary with director John Carpenter and actor Kurt Russell; commentary by producer Debra Hill and production designer Joe Alves; "Big Challenges in Little Manhattan: The Visual Effects of Escape From New York"; "Scoring the Escape: A Discussion With Composer Alan Howarth"; "On Set With John Carpenter: The Images of Escape From New York With Photographer Kim Gottlieb-Walker"; "I Am Taylor: An Interview With Actor Joe Unger"; "My Night on the Set: An Interview With Filmmaker David DeCoteau"; deleted scene: The original opening bank robbery sequence; "Return to Escape From New York" featurette; theatrical trailers; photo galleries – behind-the-scenes, posters and lobby cards. (Shout! Factory).

photo for First Period First Period (2013) Brandon Alexander III, Dudley Beene, Cassandra Peterson, Jack Plotnick. LGBT festival hit has Alexander and Beene as a pair of hapless teenage girls who just want to be popular in high school. New girl Cassie and school outcast Maggie are easily the most unpopular girls at their high school. Together, they decide the way to win the hearts of cute boys and popular girls is to enter--and win--the annual talent show. But popular rivals Heather, Other Heather, and their hot boyfriends Dirk and Brett will stop at nothing to keep Cassie and Maggie the laughing stock of the school. Formats: DVD, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: Commentary with director Charlie Vaughn, stars Dudley Beene and Brandon Alexander III and editor Corey Ziemniak; making-of featurette, deleted scenes, deleted song. (Falling Anvil Productions/Screen Media).

Fortitude (2015) Dark drama TV series set in the melting Arctic -- featuring psychological and thriller elements -- tells the story of the small idyllic town of Fortitude, whose peaceful existence is shattered after a brutal and shocking murder. Above-average temperatures lead to a record ice melt revealing secrets long since hidden beneath the frozen landscape. Sheriff Dan Anderssen (Richard Dormer) leads the investigation and is forced to work alongside DCI Morton (Stanley Tucci), a detective who has flown into town from the mainland to contribute his forensic expertise. As the search for the killer progresses, their list of suspects -- and suspicions of each other -- grows. Four-disc set with all 12 episodes. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, VOD, Digital. (PBS Distribution).



A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014) Dir.: Ana Lily Amirpour; Sheila Vand, Arash Marandi, Dominic Rains, Mozhan Marno, Rome Shadanloo, Marshall Manesh, Milad Eghbali. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc. Extras: Deleted scenes, stills gallery, the official trailer, Q&A with director Amirpour hosted by Roger Corman at the Hammer Museum, exclusive booklet essay by Indiewire film critic Eric Kohn. Blu-ray adds behind-the-scenes documentary produced by Vice, a talk with director Amirpour and actress Sheila Vand, additional behind-the-scenes footage, collectible version of the first two issues of the comic book, written by Ana Lily Amirpour and drawn by Michael DeWeese, with an essay by Eric Kohn, being published by RADCO.(Kino Lorber).

photo for Ghoulies & Ghoulies II Ghoulies & Ghoulies II (1984, 1988). Take a creepy old Hollywood mansion, a naive young man and a pretty girl. Add an over-the-top orgy and some slimy, winged goblins who crawl out of toilets, and you have this double-bill of fun horror. Formats: Blu-ray Disc. Extras: Commentary with director/co-writer Luca Bercovici; new interviews with executive producer Charles Band, composer Richard Band, actor Michael Des Barres and special effects makeup artist John Vulich; original theatrical trailers; new interviews with executive producer Charles Band, actress Kerry Remsen, actor Donnie Jeffcoat and special effects artist Gino Crognale; rare deleted scenes. (Scream Factory).

Jonah Lives (2012) Brinke Stevens, Jocelyn Padilla, Ryan Boudreau, Nicole Lasala. A group of teens foolishly play with a spirit board and contact the spirit of a murdered man, who they soon resurrect from the grave in the form of a murderous zombie, intent on avenging his own death and stalking the teens down one by one until he can get to his killer. Formats: DVD. Extras: Behind-the-scenes featurette with Brinke Stevens, a Fall River post-screening celebration featurette, teasers, trailers. (Wild Eye Releasing).

photo for Life Inside Out Life Inside Out (2013) Maggie Baird, Finneas O'Connell, Lori Nasso, David Cowgill, William Dennis Hunt, Roscoe Brandon, Orson Ossman. When a mother returns to her musical roots, she rediscovers the passion of her youth, and finds a way to connect with her troubled youngest son. Formats: DVD. (Monarch Home Entertainment).

Little Accidents (2014) Elizabeth Banks, Boyd Holbrook, Jacob Lofland, Josh Lucas, Chloe Sevigny, Alexia Rasmussen. In a small American town still living in the shadow of a terrible coal mine accident, the disappearance of a teenage boy draws together a surviving miner, the lonely wife of a mine executive, and a local boy in a web of secrets. Formats: DVD. (Anchor Bay).

Living Is Easy With Eyes Closed (2013 -- Spain) In 1966 Spain Antonio (Javier Camara) is a teacher and Beatles fan who teaches his pupils English by having them recite the lyrics to "Help." When he learns that his idol John Lennon is filming in Almeria (Richard Lester's "How I Won the War"), he resolves to meet him. On the journey, he picks up two young runaways: a pregnant girl fleeing a convent and a boy escaping a dictatorial father. Spain's Official Submission to the 87th Academy Awards. Formats: DVD. Extras: Original theatrical trailer, deleted scenes, behind the scenes. (Strand Releasing).

Motivational Growth (2013) Jeffery Combs, Adrian DiGiovanni, Danielle Doetsch. Ian Folivor, a depressed and reclusive 30-something, finds himself taking advice from a growth in his bathroom after a failed suicide attempt. The Mold, a smooth talking fungus who was born of the filth collecting in a corner of Ian's neglected bathroom, works to win Ian's trust by helping him clean himself up and remodel his lifestyle. With The Mold's help, Ian attracts the attention of a neighbor he's been ogling through his peephole, Leah, and he manages to find a slice of happiness despite his unnatural circumstances. But Ian starts to receive strange messages from his old and broken down TV set that make him realize that The Mold may not be as helpful as it seems to be. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc. Extras: Commentary with Jeffery Combs and Adrian DiGiovanni and director Don Thacker; trailers; photo gallery. (Parade Deck Films).

Naked & Afraid: Season 1 (2013) Discovery Channel reality series about naked strangers set adrift in the middle of nowhere with no tools, no food, and no clothes. Two-disc set, $29.93. Formats: DVD. (Cinedigm).


The River (1951) This entrancing first color feature from Jean Renoir -- shot entirely on location in India -- is a visual tour de force. Based on the novel by Rumer Godden, the film eloquently contrasts the growing pains of three young women with the immutability of the holy Bengal River, around which their daily lives unfold. Enriched by Renoir's subtle understanding of and appreciation for India and its people, "The River" gracefully explores the fragile connections between transitory emotions and steadfast creation. High-definition digital transfer from the 2004 Film Foundation restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc. Extras: Archival introduction to the film by director Jean Renoir; "Around the River," a 60-minute 2008 documentary by Arnaud Mandagaran about the making of the film; interview from 2004 with Martin Scorsese; audio interview from 2000 with producer Ken McEldowney; new visual essay by film writer Paul Ryan, featuring rare behind-the-scenes stills; trailer; an essay by film scholar Ian Christie and notes by Renoir on the film, discovered in the filmmaker's production files. (The Criterion Collection).

photo for Signed, Sealed, Delivered: The Series Signed, Sealed, Delivered: The Series (2014) Three-disc set with 10 episodes of the Hallmark series that follows the lives of four postal detectives who transform themselves into a team of detectives to track down intended recipients of undeliverable mail. Their missions take them out of the office and into an unpredictable world where redirected letters and packages can save lives, solve crimes, reunite old loves and change futures by arriving late but somehow always on time. The team includes charming Oliver O'Toole (Eric Mabius), a genius postal detective and the group s leader; new team member Shane McInerney (Kristin Booth), a technophile who brings 21st century sensibility to the group; free-spirited girl-next-door Rita Haywith (Crystal Lowe), who has a photographic memory; and lovable Norman Dorman (Geoff Gustafson), a master in conventional research methods. Formats: DVD: $24.95, Digital. (Cinedigm).

Supremacy (2014) Danny Glover, Joe Anderson, Dawn Olivieri, Anson Mount. A just paroled white supremacist and his ruthless girlfriend kill a cop and take an African American family hostage. But the patriarch of the family (Glover), an ex-con himself, uses his understanding of the racist mind to turn the tables on his captors. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, VOD, Digital. Extras: Behind-the-scenes featurette. (Well Go USA).

photo for Sweet Lorraine Sweet Lorraine (2015) Tatum O'Neal, Steven Bauer, Peter Greene, Julianne Michelle. Lorraine Beebie, the perfect minister's wife in suburban New Jersey, has one goal: to see her husband as the mayor of the small town in which she has rebuilt her life. Lorraine's quest comes head to head with her seedy and sultry past in the clubs and streets of New York City, a past that includes her ex-lover, the current mayor. Formats: DVD, VOD. (Garden Thieves Pictures). Due April 23.

Taken 3 (2015) Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen, Forest Whitaker, Jon Gries, Dougray Scott. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, Blu-ray/DVD Combo, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: Deleted scene, "Sam's Bunker A.K.A. The Rabbit Hole," "Taken to L.A.," "A Taken Legacy, gallery. Blu-ray adds uncut version of the film. (Fox).

The Walking Deceased (2015) Tim Ogletree, Joey Oglesby, Troy Ogletree, Sophia Ali, Andrew Pozza, Dave Sheridan. Spoof of "The Walking Dead." When a police officer wakes up in a hospital to find out he is in the middle of a zombie apocalypse, he'll do anything to find his family, even sacrifice Twitter. Formats: DVD. (ARC Entertainment).

photo for Wingman Inc. Wingman Inc. (2015) Kristopher Turner, Erin Cahill, Andrea Bogart, Daniele Watts, Reid Ewing. A professional wingman falls in love with a professional man-eater, and they come to realize that their hearts and careers are at stake. After an unexpected break-up, Bobby's friends convince him to get out of his rut by leveraging his prowess with the ladies into a business as a wingman-for-hire. Meanwhile, Kristy -- who's also just gone through a break-up -- finds therapy and monetary success in defending women from sleazy male advances. When Kristy and Bobby take a sudden interest in each other, it's only a matter of time before one of them finds out that they're working for the competition. Formats: DVD, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: Commentary. (Lionsgate).


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April 19, 2015
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