Join the
Sixties generation
DVD
Blu-ray Releases
OnVideo's Weekly Guide to Home Video Releases
A Ciambra
(2017 -- Italy) Italy's entry for the 2018 Academy Awards. Fourteen-year-old Pio (Pio Amato) wants nothing more than the respect of his older brother, whom he emulates in every way -- including his career as a petty criminal. When both his father and brother are arrested, Pio is determined to prove he can step up and be the head of his sprawling Romani family. But a fateful night and a wrenching decision soon test just how ready he is. Steeped in the complex social fabric of Southern Italy, where Italians, Romani and African migrants coexist in uneasy tension. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray. Extras: "A Ciambra: The Other Side of the Story," deleted scenes. (IFC Entertainment).
A Bill of Divorcement
(1932) Dir.: George Cukor; John Barrymore, Katharine Hepburn, Billie Burke, David Manners, Henry Stephenson, Paul Cavanag. David O. Selznick produced this witty romantic comedy starring screen legends John Barrymore and Katharine Hepburn in her screen debut. After 15 years in a mental asylum, Hilary Fairfield (Barrymore) has suddenly regained his sanity, escaped from the institution and come home. But a few things have changed in his absence. For one, his strong-willed daughter Sydney (Hepburn) has grown up and is planning to marry. For another, his wife (Billie Burke) has divorced him and is planning to re-marry. It's enough to drive a man crazy -- or a woman, for that matter. Especially when Sydney learns it wasn't "shell shock" that sent her father to the asylum, as she'd been told, but family madness -- and now she's sure she's inherited it. A mixture of comedy, pathos and farce is handled brilliantly by master director George Cukor. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray. (Kino Lorber Studio Classics).
Bull Durham
(1988) Former minor leaguer Ron Shelton hit a grand slam with his directorial debut, one of the most revered sports movies of all time. Durham Bulls devotee Annie Savoy (Susan Sarandon) — who every year takes a new player under her wing (and into her bed) — has singled out the loose-cannon pitching prospect Nuke LaLoosh (Tim Robbins), a big-league talent with a rock-bottom maturity level. But she’s unable to shake Crash Davis (Kevin Costner), the veteran catcher brought in to give Nuke some on-the-field seasoning. A breakthrough film for all three of its
Chappaquiddick
(2017) Jason Clarke, Kate Mara, Ed Helms, Bruce Dern. This suspenseful historical thriller examines the infamous 1969 death of Mary Jo Kopechne, who drowned after Senator Ted Kennedy drove off a bridge on Chappaquiddick Island, and the moral and legal complexities that play out over the following week. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo, VOD, Digital. Extras: “A Reckoning: Revisiting Chappaquiddick” featurette, “Bridge to the Past: Editing the Film” featurette. (Lionsgate).
Future World
(2018) Suki Waterhouse, Jeffrey Wahlberg, Snoop Dogg, Cliff “Method Man” Smith, Lucy Liu, Milla Jovovich, James Franco. In a post-apocalyptic world, where water and gasoline have long since dried-up, a prince from the oasis (one of the last known safe-havens) must venture out to find medicine for the ailing queen (Liu), but along the way he gets mixed up with the warlord (Franco) and his robot Ash (Waterhouse), which leads to a daring journey through the desolate wastelands. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray, VOD, Digital. Extras: Making-of featurette with co-director James Franco. (Lionsgate).
Godmonster of Indian Flats BLU-RAY DEBUT
(1973) Christopher Brooks, Stuart Lancaster, E. Kerrigan Prescott. The story of an eight-foot-tall toxic sheep monster that blows up gas stations, smashes crooked politicians, and terrorizes stoners! From the surreal "wild west" locations to the outrageous monster effects, this film from the Something Weird collection is easily the most berserk, out-of-control, and inexplicably deranged creature feature in the history of forever. This includes the scene where the Godmonster crashes a children's picnic. New 4K preservation from the only surviving 35mm theatrical print. Extras: Rampaging monster trailers from the AGFA vaults; Berserker shorts from the Something Weird vaults; bonus movie: "Legend Of Bigfoot" (1975), a new 2K preservation from an original 35mm theatrical print; reversible cover art with illustration by Shana Cleveland. (American Genre Film Archive [AGFA]).
Hitler's Hollywood
(2017 -- Germany) Hitler's Hollywood, narrated by Udo Kier, asks what the Nazi cinema of the Third Reich reveals about its period and its people. About 1000 feature films were made in Germany in the years between 1933-1945: musicals, melodramas, romances, costume dramas and war films. Only a few were overtly Nazi propaganda films. But by the same token, even fewer of them can be considered harmless entertainment. How did the open lies and hidden truths in these films affect the future of German cinema? Director Rudiger Suchsland presents these films and the people behind them. It explains how propaganda works: how stereotypes of the "enemy" and values of love and hate managed to be planted into viewers' heads through the screen. Formats: DVD. (Kino Lorber).
I Am Elizabeth Smart
(2017) Alana Boden, Skeet Ulrich, Deirdre Lovejoy. This Lifetime film chronicles the true story of the June 2002 abduction of 14-year-old Elizabeth Ann Smart (Boden) from her home in Salt Lake City by religious fanatic Brian David Mitchell (Ulrich). Over the course of her nine-month captivity, Elizabeth was starved, drugged, raped, and subjected to bizarre religious rituals by Mitchell and his twisted accomplice, Wanda Barzee (Lovejoy), until she enabled her own rescue. Elizabeth serves as a producer and on-screen narrator. Formats: DVD. (Lionsgate).
Krystal
(2018) Rosario Dawson, Nick Robinson, William H. Macy, Felicity Huffman, William Fichtner, Kathy Bates. Comedic drama about Taylor (Robinson), a young, sheltered man with a strange heart condition. When Taylor meets his dream woman, Krystal (Dawson) -- a beguiling ex-addict with a sixteen-year-old son -- Taylor pretends to be in AA to try and woo her. Past transgressions collide with young love, causing complications for Taylor, his family, and Krystal, as Taylor learns what it means to live without fear and finally become a man. Directed by William H. Macy. Formats: DVD, VOD, Digital. Extras: (Lionsgate).
Lean on Pete
(2017) Charlie Plummer, Steve Buscemi, Chloë Sevigny. A slice-of-life story about a teenage boy who sets out on an adventure to find a place called home. Fifteen-year-old Charley finds acceptance and camaraderie at a local racetrack where he lands a job caring for an aging Quarter Horse named Lean on Pete. The horse’s gruff owner, Del Montgomery, and his seasoned jockey, Bonnie, help Charley fill the void of his absent father. But when Charley discovers that Pete is bound for slaughter, he takes extreme measures to save him, as Charley and Pete embark on an unforgettable odyssey to find a place they can call home. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray, Digital. Extras: “Searching for Home: Making Lean on Pete” featurette. (Lionsgate).
Masterpiece Mystery!: Endeavour Season 5
(2018) Three-disc set with all six episodes. As 1968 dawns, a year of change promises to disrupt the private and professional lives of Endeavour Morse (Shaun Evans) and his colleagues. Endeavour’s recent promotion leads him to reluctantly mentor new recruit Fancy (Lewis Peek), while Thursday (Roger Allam) is beginning to think about life after the police. But in Oxford, crime never sleeps, and the team continues to be challenged by mysterious and intriguing cases of murder, greed, and deception. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray. (PBS Distribution).
Mosaic
(2018) This six-part limited series is a twisting tale of passion, intrigue and deception, set against the backdrop of a mountain resort town, that follows popular children’s book author and illustrator Olivia Lake (Sharon Stone), whose literary success makes her a local celebrity in the tight-knit community. When Olivia disappears on New Year’s Eve, leaving behind a blood-soaked studio, the town’s suspicions turn to the two new men in her life: handsome, young aspiring graphic artist Joel Hurley (Garrett Hedlund) and charming stranger Eric Neill (Frederick Weller). The four-year investigation that follows leaves local law enforcement lead by detective Nate Henry (Devin Ratray) and Eric’s sister Petra (Jennifer Ferrin), to unravel the mystery in this captivating series that explores the psychological underpinnings of love and murder in a small town. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray, VOD, Digital. (HBO).
Moss
(2017) Mitchell Slaggert, Christine Marzano, Dorian Cobb, Billy Ray Suggs. In this Southern Gothic coming-of-age tale, an isolated and troubled young man, Moss, meets a mysterious and beautiful hiker on the banks of the river near his home on his 18th birthday. She guides him on a journey of self-discovery and helps him overcome the tragic death of his mother and the shadow it has cast on his relationship with his detached father. A sensitive portrait of rural North Carolina, MOSS reveals the struggles and beauty of lives deeply connected to nature.
Formats: DVD, VOD.
(Breaking Glass Pictures).
Perfect Obedience
(2014 -- Mexico) Juan Manuel Bernal, Sebastian Aguirre, Juan Ignacio Aranda, Alejandro de Hoyos, Luis Ernesto Franco. Tackles the dark topic of Catholic priests and their decades-long sexual abuse of boys. Based on true events, the film is set in 1960s Mexico and follows the impressionable 13-year-old Julian as he enters a seminary. A seminary whose code of conduct is the complete unquestioning obedience to authority. The boy soon becomes the target of desire for the seminary's charismatic head who takes the boy under his wings. But instead of religious training, Julian soon realizes he must obey the older priest's every command.
Formats: DVD, Blu-ray. (Artsploitation Films).
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In: The Complete Fifth Season
(1971-72) Six-disc set with 24 complete, remastered episodes. Political correctness met its match with "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In," NBC-TV's groundbreaking variety series that became a cultural touchstone and part of the fabric of '60s-'70s era America. Every Monday night at 8pm from 1968-1973, straight man Dan Rowan and wisecracking co-host Dick Martin led a supremely talented comic ensemble through a gut-busting assault of one-liners, skits, bits and non sequiturs that left viewers in hysterics and disbelief. In "The Complete Fifth Season," after years of shameless name dropping, Dick finally gets his wish when bombshell Raquel Welch kicks off the new season with her first and only appearance on the show. Former "Hogan's Heroes" POWs Richard Dawson and Larry Hovis escaped CBS to join the cast. And, along with alumni Judy Carne, Arte Johnson, Henry Gibson, Jo Anne Worley and Teresa Graves, they help to celebrate Laugh-In's landmark 100th episode (September 1, 1971). "The Complete Fifth Season" also trots out many of the 20th century's greatest talents, including Steve Allen, Johnny Carson, Johnny Cash, Carol Channing, Charo, Petula Clark, Bing Crosby, Tony Curtis, Henry Gibson, Gene Hackman, Rita Hayworth, Hugh Hefner, Bob Hope, Arte Johnson, Paul Lynde, Liza Minnelli, Agnes Moorehead, Joe Namath, Carroll O'Connor, Vincent Price, Carl Reiner, Debbie Reynolds, Sugar Ray Robinson, Bill Russell, Vin Scully, Doc Severinsen, Jacqueline Susann, Tiny Tim, John Wayne, Raquel Welch, Henny Youngman, and more. Formats: DVD. (Time Life).
A Quiet Place
A taut and original thriller that follows a family who must navigate their lives in silence to avoid mysterious creatures that hunt by sound. Knowing that even the slightest whisper or footstep can bring death, Evelyn (Emily Blunt) and Lee (John Krasinski) are determined to find a way to protect their children at all costs while they desperately search for a way to fight back.
Vitals: Director: John Krasinski. Stars: John Krasinski, Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe, Cade Woodward.
2017, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 95 min., Thriller, Box office gross: $50.203 million, Paramount.
Extras: "Creating the Quiet" behind the scenes featurette, "The Sound of Darkness," "A Reason for Silence" visual effects.
Blue Desert
(2013 -- Brazil) Odilon Esteves, Maria Luísa Mendonca, Chico Díaz. In an age devoid of memory, truth, religion and sports, a young man named Ele, guided by intuitions and dreams, goes off in search of the meaning of life and existence. Revelations and mysterious symbols arise on his path through which he comes to encounter his soulmate in this sci-fi tale from Brazil. With plot points based on Yoko Ono's first art book, "Grapefruit" (which inspired John Lennon to pen "Imagine"), this visually stunning film, set in the distant future against the bold architecture of futurist Oscar Niemeyer's Brasilia, offers a dreamy take on new age spirituality and the physical realm. Formats: DVD. (IndiPix Films).
stars and an Oscar nominee for Shelton’s highly quotable screenplay, "Bull Durham" is a freewheeling hymn to wisdom, experience, and America’s pastime, tipping its cap to all those who grind it out for love of the game.
On DVD and Blu-ray, with new, restored 4K digital transfer, supervised and approved by director Ron Shelton, with 2.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray; Alternate 5.1 surround soundtrack, presented in DTS-HD Master Audio on the Blu-ray.
Extras: Two audio commentaries featuring Shelton and actors Kevin Costner and Tim Robbins; new conversation between Shelton and film critic Michael Sragow; "Between the Lines: The Making of Bull Durham,” a 2002 program featuring interviews with cast and crew, including Shelton, Costner, Robbins, and actor Susan Sarandon; "The Greatest Show on Dirt," a 2008 appreciation of the film featuring former players, broadcasters, and sports-film aficionados; NBC Nightly News piece from 1993 on the final season of baseball at Durham Athletic Park, where Bull Durham takes place and was shot; interview with Max Patkin, known as the Clown Prince of Baseball, from a 1991 episode of NBC’s "Today"; trailer; excerpts from a 1989 piece by longtime New Yorker baseball writer Roger Angell, with new comments from the author.
(The Criterion Collection).
Detective Bureau 2-3: Go To Hell Bastards!
(1963 -- Japan) Starring original Diamond Guy, Jo Shishido, Seijun Suzuki's "Detective Bureau 2-3: Go to Hell Bastards!" is a hard hitting, rapid-fire yakuza film that redefined the Japanese crime drama. Detective Tajima (Shishido) is tasked with tracking down a consignment of stolen firearms, and as the investigation progresses things take an anarchic, blood-drenched grudge match. Rapidly paced, darkly funny, and extremely stylish, "Detective Bureau 2-3: Go to Hell Bastards!" is unlike anything seen before and rightly deserves its cult status. Suzuki's send-up of post-war greed would go on to cement his domestic and international status as one of the leading directors to come out of Japan. Formats: Blu-ray. Extras: Interview with historian and Japanese cinema expert Tony Rayns; gallery of original production stills; theatrical trailer; reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Matthew Griffin. (Arrow Video/MVD).
Dragon Inn
(1967 -- Taiwan) The art of martial-arts filmmaking took a leap into bold new territory with this action-packed tale of Ming-dynasty intrigue. After having the emperor’s minister of defense executed, a power-grabbing eunuch sends assassins to trail the victim’s children to a remote point on the northern Chinese border. But that bloodthirsty mission is confounded by a mysterious group of fighters who arrive on the scene, intent on delivering justice and defending the innocent. The first film King Hu made after moving to Taiwan from Hong Kong in search of more creative freedom, "Dragon Inn" combines rhythmic editing, meticulous choreography, and gorgeous widescreen compositions with a refinement that was new to the wuxia genre. Its blockbuster success breathed new life into a classic formula and established Hu as one of Chinese cinema’s most audacious innovators.
On DVD and Blu-ray, with a new 4K digital restoration, supervised by cinematographer Hua Hui-ying, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray.
Extras: New interview with actor Shangkuan Ling-fung; interview from 2016 with actor Shih Chun; scene analysis by author and New York Asian Film Festival cofounder Grady Hendrix; newsreel footage of the film’s 1967 premiere in Taipei, Taiwan; trailer; an essay by critic Andrew Chan. (The Criterion Collection).
The French Way
(1945) The incomparable Josephine Baker dances and sings her way through a thought-lost French classic. Born into poverty, Josephine Baker rose from a childhood living in a St. Louis slum to become the toast of France -- captivating audiences through the stage, recordings and motion pictures. "The French Way" is a farcical romantic-comedy set in contemporary WWII France, about young lovers forbidden to marry by their respective families. Baker, as "Zazu," the owner of a nightclub, inherits a job restoring harmony between the two families and allowing the young lovers to "se marier." A mélange of French character actors add to the fun, but when Josephine's on the screen she is as Ernest Hemingway once said, "the most sensational woman anyone ever saw." "The French Way," filmed in 1940 -- literally amidst bombing raids -- was released in France in 1945, and briefly shown in the USA in 1952, where the order of some scenes was changed and about 2-3 minutes of "dramatic" footage was cut. In all other respects, it is virtually complete as originally released. Note: In real life Josephine Baker aided the French Resistance and was awarded, among other honors, the Croix de Guerre by the French military. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray. (MVD Visual).
Hotel Salvation
(2016 -- India) Adil Hussain stars as Rajiv, an overworked businessman, who agrees to honor the final wish of his father, Daya, by accompanying him to the holy city of Varanasi on the banks of the Ganges. There, they check in to the Hotel Salvation, where residents are given just two weeks to live out their final days or return home. While Daya revels in the simple pleasures of this timeless place, Rajiv finds himself burdened by the many obligations he left behind. Eventually though, both father and son learn to appreciate each other and the world around them with newfound meaning. Formats: DVD. Extras: "Making-of Hotel Salvation" featurette; bonus short film: "Que La Nuit Soit Douce (May the Night be Sweet)," directed by Frédéric Recrosio: Eight-year-old Alice and her younger brother Lucas set out on a secret mission to help their hospitalized grandfather. (Film Movement).
Modern Life Is Rubbish
(2017 -- UK) Freya Mavor, Josh Whitehouse, Will Merrick, Matt Milne. Brought together by their shared love of music, 10 years on Liam and Natalie are at breaking point. In their case opposites attract but don't necessarily work long-term. Making the difficult decision to separate, they must split their prized music library. But the sound track that defined their relationship keeps pulling them back together. Features selected music from The Smiths, Oasis, Radiohead and other '80s and '90s bands. Formats: DVD. (Cleopatra Entertainment/MVD Visual).
A Quiet Place
(2017) Dir.: John Krasinski; John Krasinski, Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe, Cade Woodward. In a post-apocalyptic world, a family is forced to live in silence while hiding from monsters with ultra-sensitive hearing. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo, 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo, VOD, Digital. Extras: "Creating the Quiet" behind the scenes featurette, "The Sound of Darkness," "A Reason for Silence" visual effects. (Paramount).
© 1996 -- 2018 OnVideo. All rights reserved
July 8, 2018
(ISSN 1094-3676).
|
|
