(2024) A heist team is hired by a mysterious fixer to kidnap the daughter of a powerful underworld figure. They must guard the 12-year-old ballerina for one night to net a $50 million ransom. As the captors start to dwindle one by one, they discover to their mounting terror that they're locked inside an isolated mansion with no ordinary little girl. Vitals: Director: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. Stars: Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, Kathryn Newton, Will Catlett, Kevin Durand, Angus Cloud, Alisha Weir, Giancarlo Esposito.
CC, MPAA rating: R, 110 min., Horror, North American box office gross: $25.867 million, worldwide $42.016 million, Universal.Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Code, VOD, Digital. Extras: Deleted & Extended Scenes; Gag Reel; "Blood Bath"; "Hunters to Hunted"; "Becoming a Ballerina Vampire"; "Directing Duo Matt & Tyler"; feature commentary with directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett and editor Michael P. Shawyer.
Read more here.
The Boy and the Heron
(2023 -- Japan) Studio Ghibli animated feature from the legendary Hayao Miyazaki follows young Mahito, who, after losing his mother during the war in a hospital fire, moves to his family’s estate in the countryside. There, a series of mysterious events lead him to a secluded and ancient tower, home to a mischievous gray heron. When Mahito’s new stepmother disappears, he follows the gray heron into the tower, and enters a fantastical world shared by the living and the dead. As he embarks on an epic journey with the heron as his guide, Mahito must uncover the secrets of this world and the truth about himself. Academy Award-winner for Best Animated Feature at 2024 Oscars. The hand-drawn, animated feature – director Miyazaki’s first feature film in 10 years – is an original story written and directed by Studio Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki, produced by co-founder Toshio Suzuki, and featuring a musical score from Miyazaki’s long-time collaborator Joe Hisaishi. Its theme song, “Spinning Globe,” was written and performed by global J-pop superstar Kenshi Yonezu. All versions will contain the film in its original Japanese language with English subtitles, as well as in the new English-language version. Vitals: Director: Hayao Miyazaki. Stars: Voices of Soma Santoki, Masaki Suda, Kô Shibasaki, Aimyon, Yoshino Kimura, Takuya Kimura.. English-language voices: Christian Bale, Dave Bautista, Gemma Chan, Willem Dafoe, Karen Fukuhara, Mark Hamill, Robert Pattinson and Florence Pugh.
CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 124 min., Animated Adventure, North American box office gross: $46.798 million, worldwide $173.294 million, GKIDS/Shout! Studios.Formats: Blu-ray/DVD Combo, 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo, 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Steelbook, VOD, Digital. Extras: Feature-length storyboards; interview with composer Joe Hisaishi; interview with producer Toshio Suzuki; interview with supervising animator Takeshi Honda; drawing with Takeshi Honda; “spinning Globe” music video; teasers & trailers.
Read more here.
Boy Kills World
(2023) A fever dream action film that follows Boy, a a deaf mayhem machine with a hilarious inner voice who has been trained from childhood by his mentor, a mysterious shaman, to assassinate the bloodthirsty Hilda Van Der Koy and avenge his family's murder. Guided by his little sister's mischievous spirit, Boy uncovers one stunning revelation after another as he barrels toward Hilda, leading to a shocking, carnage-crazed finale Vitals: Director: Moritz Mohr. Stars: Bill Skarsgard, Jessica Rothe, Michelle Dockery, Brett Gelman, Isaiah Mustafa, Famke Janssen, Sharlto Copley.
CC, MPAA rating: R, 111 min., Action, North American box office gross: $2.626 million, worldwide $3.139 million, Lionsgate.Formats: Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Code, 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo + Digital Code, VOD, Digital.
Challengers
(2024) Tashi Duncan is a former tennis prodigy turned coach and a force of nature who makes no apologies for her game on and off the court. Married to a champion on a losing streak , Tashi's strategy for her husband's redemption takes a surprising turn when he must face off against the washed-up Patrick - his former best friend and Tashi's former boyfriend. As their pasts and presents collide, and tensions run high, Tashi must ask herself, what will it cost to win. Vitals: Director: Luca Guadagnino. Stars: Zendaya, Josh O'Connor, Mike Faist, Jake Jensen, A.J. Lister, Connor Murray.
CC, MPAA rating: R, 131 min., Sports Drama, North American box office gross: $48.934 million, worldwide $90.734 million, MGM.Formats: DVD, Blu-ray + Digital Code, VOD, Digital. Read more here
Civil War
(2024) Dystopian thriller film written and directed by Alex Garland (director of "Ex Machina" and "Annihilation" and writer of "28 Days Later" and "Sunshine"). It follows a team of journalists traveling from New York City to Washington, D.C. during a civil war fought across the United States between an authoritarian federal government and several regional factions. Vitals: Director: Alex Garland. Stars: Kirsten Dunst, Cailee Spaeny, Wagner Moura, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Nick Offerman.
CC, MPAA rating: R, 109 min., Action Thriller, North American box office gross: $67.275 million, worldwide $112.029 million, A24/Lionsgate.Formats: DVD + Digital Code, Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Code, 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo + Digital Code, VOD, Digital. Extras: "Torn Asunder: Waging Alex Garland’s Civil War" six-part documentary; theatrical trailer; Amazon Blu-Ray Exclusive: Director and Cast Q&A. Read more here.
Tarot
(2024) When a group of friends recklessly violates the sacred rule of Tarot readings - never use someone else's deck - they unknowingly unleash an unspeakable evil trapped within the cursed cards. One by one, they come face to face with fate and end up in a race against death to escape the future foretold in their readings. Vitals: Director: Spenser Cohen & Anna Halberg. Stars: Harriet Slater, Adain Bradley, Avantika Vandanapu, Jacob Batalon, Humberly Gonzalez.
CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 92 min., Horror, North American box office gross: $18.063 million, worldwide $42.292 million, Sony.Formats: DVD + Digital Code, Blu-ray + Digital Code, VOD, Digital. Extras: "A Twist of Fate: Making the Film": "Circle of Friends"; "Killer Outtakes." Read more here.
Unsung Hero
(2024) When David Smallbone's successful music company collapses, he moves his family from Down Under to the States, searching for a brighter future. With nothing more than their six children, their suitcases, and their love of music, David (For King & Country's Joel Smallbone) and his pregnant wife Helen (Daisy Betts) set out to rebuild their lives. Based on a remarkable true story, Helen's faith stands against all odds and inspires her husband and children to hold onto theirs. With their own dreams on hold, David and Helen begin to realize the musical abilities in their children, who would go on to become two of the most successful acts in Inspirational Music history: five-time Grammy Award-winning artists For King & Country and Rebecca St. James. Vitals: Director: Richard L. Ramsey & Joel Smallbone. Stars: Daisy Betts, Joel Smallbone, Kirrilee Berger, Jonathan Jackson, Lucas Black, Paul Luke Bonenfant.
CC, MPAA rating: PG, 113 min., Drama, North American box office gross: $20.245 million, worldwide $20.484 million, Lionsgate.Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Code, VOD, Digital. Extras: Audio commentary with producers Joshua Walsh and Luke Smallbone, and co-directors and co-writers Joel Smallbone and Richard L. Ramsey; "Miracles Are Everywhere: The Making of Unsung Hero"; deleted scenes; "Compassion"; "Faith in the Journey"; "The Bridge Is Out"; trailer.
Top Disc Releases Next Week
•Black God, White Devil (1964 -- Brazil) •Have You Got It Yet? •The Last Stop In Yuma County •Perfect Days (2023 -- Germany)
The Bikeriders: Set in the 1960s, it follows the rise of a fictional Midwestern motorcycle club. Seen through the lives of its members, the club evolves over the course of a decade from a gathering place for local outsiders into a more sinister gang, threatening the original group’s unique way of life. (Digital sales, VOD only)
Cottontail: A widower from Japan travels with his estranged son to England in order to fulfill his late wife's dying wish. (Digital sales, VOD only)
Devil Put the Coal in the Ground: A poignant look at the devastating legacy of the coal industry and corporate abuse – and the multi-generational impact upon the people, land and communities of West Virginia. (Digital sales, VOD only)
The Dish and the Spoon: Reeling from her husband's affair, a young woman (Greta Gerwig) collides with a marooned teenager in a boarded-up Delaware beach town. (Digital sales, VOD only)
The Exorcism: A troubled actor begins to unravel while shooting a supernatural horror film, leading his estranged daughter to wonder if he’s slipping back into his past addictions or if there’s something more sinister at play. (Digital sales, VOD only)
Food, Inc. 2: The sequel to the acclaimed documentary "Food Inc." Filmmakers Robert Kenner and Melissa Robledo reunite with investigative authors Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser, as they delve deeper into the efficient yet vulnerable food industry, uncovering truths about food production through compelling interviews, and surprising revelations. (DVD, Blu-ray release: Day & date)
The Garfield Movie: After Garfield's unexpected reunion with his long-lost father, ragged alley cat Vic, he and his canine friend Odie are forced from their perfectly pampered lives to join Vic on a risky heist. (Digital sales, VOD only)
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes: Many years after the reign of Caesar, a young ape goes on a journey that will lead him to question everything he's been taught about the past and make choices that will define a future for apes and humans alike. (DVD, Blu-ray release: August 27)
Paul & Trisha: The Art of Fluidity: Colorful, heartwarming, and truly inspirational documentary, which explores the lives of two renowned British artists who exist in one gender-fluid body: they worked as an art director for both Time Out and John Lennon; and made album covers for music icons like Genesis, Credence Clearwater Revival, Van der Graaf Generator, and Peter Hammill. (Digital sales, VOD only)
July 12
The Blue Rose: A genre-bending surrealist noir set in the 1950s that follows the one-night journey of two rookie detectives as they set out to solve a seemingly clear-cut homicide, only to find themselves in an alternate reality of their worst nightmares. (Digital sales, VOD only)
The Convert: A lay preacher arrives at a British settlement in 1830s. His violent past is soon drawn into question and his faith put to the test, as he finds himself caught in the middle of a bloody war between Maori tribes. (Digital sales, VOD only)
Hyperlink: Surreal drama anthology of four South African short films that examine the risks, perils, and the illusory reality of the internet and surveillance culture. (DVD release: Day & date)
Wildcat: Follows the life of writer Flannery O'Connor as she struggles to publish her first novel as the lines between reality and imagination begin to blur after she's diagnosed with lupis. (Digital sales, VOD only)
(2024) Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, Kathryn Newton, Will Catlett, Kevin Durand, Angus Cloud, Alisha Weir, Giancarlo Esposito. After a group of criminals kidnap the ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure, they retreat to an isolated mansion, unaware that they're locked inside with no normal little girl.
Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Code, VOD, Digital. Extras: Deleted & Extended Scenes; Gag Reel; "Blood Bath"; "Hunters to Hunted"; "Becoming a Ballerina Vampire"; "Directing Duo Matt & Tyler"; feature commentary with directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett and editor Michael P. Shawyer.
(Universal). Read more here.
The Blues Society
(2024) Feature-length documentary that reevaluates the life of the Memphis Country Blues Festival (1966-1970) through the lens of race, the counterculture of the 1960s, and the genre of Memphis blues. The film tells the story of blues masters Furry Lewis, Nathan Beauregard and Reverend Robert Wilkins. It’s also the story of a group of white artists from the North and the South who created a celebration of African American music in a highly segregated city. Reaching into the present, the film ends in a 2017 concert where John Wilkins returns to the stage that he last shared with his father, Reverend Robert Wilkins, 48 years earlier.
Narrated by actor Eric Roberts. Formats: DVD, VOD, Digital. (Freestyle Digital Media).
The Boy and the Heron
(2023 -- Japan) Studio Ghibli animated feature from the legendary Hayao Miyazaki follows young Mahito, who, after losing his mother during the war in a hospital fire, moves to his family’s estate in the countryside. There, a series of mysterious events lead him to a secluded and ancient tower, home to a mischievous gray heron. When Mahito’s new stepmother disappears, he follows the gray heron into the tower, and enters a fantastical world shared by the living and the dead. As he embarks on an epic journey with the heron as his guide, Mahito must uncover the secrets of this world and the truth about himself. Academy Award-winner for Best Animated Feature at 2024 Oscars. All versions will contain the film in its original Japanese language with English subtitles, as well as in the new English-language version featuring the voices of Christian Bale, Dave Bautista, Gemma Chan, Willem Dafoe, Karen Fukuhara, Mark Hamill, Robert Pattinson and Florence Pugh. Formats: Blu-ray/DVD Combo, 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo, 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Steelbook, VOD, Digital. Extras: Feature-length storyboards; interview with composer Joe Hisaishi; interview with producer Toshio Suzuki; interview with supervising animator Takeshi Honda; drawing with Takeshi Honda; “spinning Globe” music video; teasers & trailers. (GKIDS/Shout! Studios). Read more here
Boy Kills World
(2023) Bill Skarsgard, Jessica Rothe, Michelle Dockery, Brett Gelman, Isaiah Mustafa, Famke Janssen, Sharlto Copley. A fever dream action film that follows Boy, a deaf person with a vibrant imagination. When his family is murdered, he is trained by a mysterious shaman to repress his childish imagination and become an instrument of death.Formats: Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Code, 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo + Digital Code, VOD, Digital. (Lionsgate).
Challengers
(2024) Zendaya, Josh O'Connor, Mike Faist, Jake Jensen, A.J. Lister, Connor Murray. Tashi, a former tennis prodigy turned coach, turned her husband into a champion. But to overcome a losing streak, he needs to face his ex-best friend and Tashi's ex-boyfriend. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray + Digital Code, VOD, Digital. (MGM). Read more here
Civil War
(2024) Director: Alex Garland; stars: Kirsten Dunst, Cailee Spaeny, Wagner Moura, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Nick Offerman. A journey across a dystopian future America, following a team of military-embedded journalists as they race against time to reach DC before rebel factions descend upon the White House. Formats: DVD + Digital Code, Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Code, 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo + Digital Code, VOD, Digital. Extras: "Torn Asunder: Waging Alex Garland’s Civil War" six-part documentary; theatrical trailer; Amazon Blu-Ray Exclusive: Director and Cast Q&A. (A24/Lionsgate). Read more here.
Crocodile
(1979 -- Thailand) The global debut of Crocodile on Blu-ray, from a new restoration of the original English 35mm camera negative. A gigantic atomic mutant crocodile is on the loose, terrorizing everyone in its wake! When doctors Tony Akom (Nat Puvani) and John Stromm (Min Oo) take their wives on a quiet beach vacation, it quickly turns into a nightmare. The nightmare? Their wives are attacked and killed by a giant crocodile that has mutated from nearby nuclear testing. Out for vengeance, they enlist the help of Tanaka (Manop Asavatep), a local fisherman, and Peter (Robert Chan), a photographer. Will they be able to stop the rampaging village-stomping beast before others are devoured?
Formats: Blu-ray. Extras: Audio commentary with the late film historian Lee Gambin; video interview with original director Won-se Lee; original theatrical trailer; deleted and alternate scenes. (Synapse Films).
Fata Morgana
(1966 -- Spain) Teresa Gimpera, Marianne Benet, Marcos Martí, Antonio Ferrandis. A man rehearses a lecture he is planning to give, analysing serial killers. He claims that a woman is soon to be murdered in the city. It is inevitable, he explains, as some people are born victims while others are born to kill. He plans to identify the future victim through a series of photographs of violent acts. Fashion model Gim, played by iconic Spanish actress Teresa Gimpera, finds herself alone in a Barcelona that seems almost deserted. She seeks out her lover, Alvaro, for help. On her way to meet him she is harassed by a series of men and followed by a huge and menacing silver truck with blacked out windows. Through a loud-speaker on the truck a mechanical voice orders all persons to leave the city immediately. Gim finds that Alvaro’s former girlfriend, Miriam, is staying in his house having just returned from London where a terrible but unexplained event occurred. In Alvaro’s “art chamber”, an obviously disturbed Miriam finds a large knife disguised as a metallic silver fish. Meanwhile, a group of teenage boys cut out a picture of Gim from a huge advertising billboard. They carry it through the empty city streets in a silent procession. First U.S. Blu-ray release for this 1960’s psychedelic Euro-thriller. New 2k scan from original negative, fully restored and uncut.
Formats: Blu-ray. Extras: Interview with actress Teresa Gimpera; interview with Angel Sala, director of the Sitges Film Festival; audio commentary from critic Rachael Nisbet; alternate opening sequence. (Mondo Macabro).
Food, Inc. 2
(2023) In "Food, Inc. 2," the sequel to the acclaimed documentary" Food Inc.," filmmakers Robert Kenner and Melissa Robledo reunite with investigative authors Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser, as they delve deeper into the efficient yet vulnerable food industry, uncovering truths about food production through compelling interviews, and surprising revelations. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray, VOD, Digital.(Magnolia Home Entertainment). Read more here
Kindred
(2023 -- Australia) Adrian Russell Wills, a Wonnarua man, and Gillian Moody, a Wodi Wodi woman, have been best friends for more than two decades. When they first met while making a short film together, these kindred spirits felt an undeniable connection. Both were Aboriginal children adopted by white families in Sydney's northern suburbs - and, later in life, they each shared similar desires to reconnect with their bloodlines. In this moving documentary, Wills and Moody recount their emotional searches for love and belonging, providing an intimate journey into isolation and identity for two individuals who continue to navigate the complexities of living in two different worlds. Formats: DVD, VOD, Digital. (Indiepix).
Le samouraï
(1967 -- France) In a career-defining performance, Alain Delon plays Jef Costello, a contract killer with samurai instincts. After carrying out a flawlessly planned hit, Jef finds himself caught between a persistent police investigator and a ruthless employer, and not even his armor of fedora and trench coat can protect him. An elegantly stylized masterpiece of cool by maverick director Jean-Pierre Melville, "Le samouraï" is a razor-sharp cocktail of 1940s American gangster cinema and 1960s French pop culture -- with a liberal dose of Japanese lone-warrior mythology.
Formats: 4K UHD + Blu-ray, Blu-ray, with New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack, One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features. Extras:Read more here. (The Criterion Collection).
Ostermontag
(1991 -- Germany) Nicole Dietrich, Stephan Fippe, Heiko Fipper. A twisted tale of obsession and mistaken identity unravels with shocking consequences. Heiko, consumed by his unreciprocated love for one of his stepsisters, is unknowingly entangled with her twin, Nicole, in a deadly game of deception. His growing confusion and frustration lead to a catastrophic error: the accidental murder of the wrong sister. Years later, Heiko, haunted by his past, lures who he believes to be Nicole under false pretenses, igniting a chain of violent and grotesque events of staggering proportions. This landmark release of the cult German splatter film features brand new HD masters sourced from the original tapes. This world-first edition is not only presented completely uncut and uncensored, but also includes all three cuts of the film: the Director´s "Brain Damage" (2016), and the highly sought-after original versions, "Ostermontag" (1991) and "Ostermontag 2" (1993), each with newly created English subtitles. Formats: Blu-ray. Extras: "Ostermontag 2" alternative opening; outtakes and behind the scenes; "Making of the Fabiene Video": special effects test; original trailer; rare behind the scenes stills. (Massacre Video).
Sex Apocalypse
(1982 -- Spain) Ajita Wilson, Lina Romay, Ricardo Diaz, Kati Ballari. A kinky gang of free-loving criminals, three women and two men, come into possession of the keys to a large and luxurious villa belonging to a man travelling abroad for an extended period of time. Taking advantage of the extra space and security of their new home, they decide to try a shot at the big-time and kidnap a rich man’s daughter, intending to hold her for a million-dollar ransom. Discovering that the girl has enjoyed a privileged and sheltered upbringing and is also a virgin, two of the female members of the gang decide to induct the hostage into their own sexually liberated ways. But they find out that she may be a lot wiser than they thought. And soon a dangerous power struggle is set in motion, a struggle that ends in a deadly and shocking “apocalypse” of sex and violence. New 2k scan from original negative, fully restored. Formats: Blu-ray. Extras: Interview with director Carlos Aured biographer Miguel Angel Plana; interview with writer and film maker Richard Reguant; audio commentary from Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson. (Mondo Macabro).
Tarot
(2024) Harriet Slater, Adain Bradley, Avantika Vandanapu, Jacob Batalon, Humberly Gonzalez.
When a group of friends recklessly violate the sacred rule of Tarot readings, they unknowingly unleash an unspeakable evil trapped within the cursed cards. One by one, they come face to face with fate and end up in a race against death. Formats: DVD + Digital Code, Blu-ray + Digital Code, VOD, Digital. Extras: "A Twist of Fate: Making the Film": "Circle of Friends"; "Killer Outtakes." (Sony). Read more here.
True Detective
(2024) Two-disc set with all six episodes of the HBO Max series. When the long winter night falls in Ennis, Alaska, the eight men who operate the Tsalal Arctic Research Station vanish without a trace. To solve the case, detectives Liz Danvers (Jodie Foster) and Evangeline Navarro (Kali Reis) will have to confront the darkness they carry in themselves, and dig into the haunted truths that lie buried under the eternal ice. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray, VOD, Digital. Extras: "Meet the True Detectives – Cast Q&A"; "New Chapter": Issa López (showrunner/writer/director) and cast discuss "Night Country’s" unique role in the series; "Exploring Indigenous Themes"; "Max Inkblots" cast show-themed inkblot interpretations; "Setting Featurette: Alaska"; "Atmospheric Teases." (HBO). Read more here
Unsung Hero
(2024) Daisy Betts, Joel Smallbone, Kirrilee Berger, Jonathan Jackson, Lucas Black, Paul Luke Bonenfant. Based on a remarkable true story, Unsung Hero follows David Smallbone as he moves his family from Down Under to the States, searching for a brighter future after his successful music company collapses. With nothing more than their seven children, suitcases, and their love of music, David and his pregnant wife Helen set out to rebuild their lives.
Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Code, VOD, Digital. (Lionsgate).
DVD
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