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OnVideo's Weekly Guide to Home Video Releases
September 10:
Sharp Objects: Set in a small town in southern Missouri, "Sharp Objects" follows troubled journalist Camille Preaker (Amy Adams) as she returns home to investigate the murder of a preteen girl and the disappearance of another. Trying to put together a psychological puzzle from her past, she finds herself identifying with the young victims a bit too closely. (DVD, Blu-ray release: November 27)
September 11:
Blood Child: A horror fantasy that combines every parent's worst nightmare with the Malay myth of the Toyol, ghost children raised by black magic, devastating all involved. (Digital, VOD only)
The Quest of Alain Ducasse: What is the quest of Alain Ducasse, the little boy from Landes who became the most renowned chef and culinary mentor in the world? What can a man who seems to have everything still be searching for? With 23 restaurants across the globe and 18 Michelin stars? (Digital only)
Uncle Drew: Based on the hit Pepsi web series, the film tells the raucous tale of a young team owner and Uncle Drew rounding up Drew’s old basketball squad to prove that a group of septuagenarians can still win the big one. (DVD, Blu-ray release: September 25)
September 14:
The Angel: The true story of Ashraf Marwan, who was Egyptian President Nasser's son-in-law, and special advisor and confidant to his successor Anwar Sadat, while simultaneously one of Israeli Intelligence's most precious assets of the 20th century. (Netflix only)
Solo: A Star Wars Story: Backstory for Han Solo explores his first encounters with future friend and copilot Chewbacca and notorious gambler Lando Calrissian. (DVD, Blu-ray release: September 25)
September 17:
Diane: The story of a wounded veteran and the beautiful corpse he stumbles across that leads him down a rabbit hole. (VOD)
Between Land and Sea
(2016 -- Ireland) Experience a year in the life of a surf town at the mercy of the Atlantic Ocean. Set against the backdrop of Ireland's stunning west coast, this documentary -- at times intimate, at times epic -- embeds itself within Irish surf town Lahinch's passionate surfing community. Following this dedicated group of diehards who want their local waves to be known around the world, this observational documentary combines exhilarating footage with insightful, moving and often humorous portraits of the ocean-going natives of County Clare. Features some of the best surfers on the Emerald Isle, with a cameo by Hawaiian legend Shane Dorian. Formats: DVD. (Film Movement).
The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Eleventh Season
(2017-18) Two-disc set with all 24 episodes. Leonard and Sheldon are brilliant physicists – geniuses in the laboratory but socially challenged everywhere else. Insert beautiful, street-smart neighbor Penny, who endeavors to teach them a thing or two about the “real” world. Despite their on-again, off-again relationship history, Leonard and Penny have tied the knot. Even Sheldon has entered into a “Relationship Agreement” with neurobiologist Amy, and he recently took their relationship to the next level by proposing marriage. Will the possibility of domestic bliss alter the chemistry between these two extreme achievers?
Formats: DVD, Blu-ray. Extras: "The Maturation Imperative" featurette, "The Big Bang Theory: The Blueprint of Comedy" featurette, " A BBT History of Time" featurette, gag reel, "The Big Bang Theory": 2017 Comic-Con panel (exclusive to Blu-ray).
(Warner).
Cold Water
(1994) Long unavailable, Olivier Assayas's deeply felt coming-of-age drama "Cold Water" has until now been a missing link in one of contemporary cinema's richest bodies of work. Drawing from his own youthful experiences, Assayas revisits the outskirts of Paris in the early 1970s, telling the story of teenage lovers Gilles (Cyprien Fouquet) and Christine (Virginie Ledoyen), whose rebellions against family and society threaten to tear them apart. The visceral realism of the movie's narrative and the near experimentalism of its camera work come together effortlessly thanks to a rock soundtrack that vividly evokes the period. With one of the most memorable party sequences ever committed to film as a centerpiece, "Cold Water" is a heartbreaking immersion in the emotional tumult of being young. Formats: On DVD, Blu-ray Disc with new 4K digital restoration, supervised by director Olivier Assayas, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray. Extras: New interview with Assayas; new interview with cinematographer Denis Lenoir; excerpt from a 1994 French television program on the film featuring Assayas and actors Virginie Ledoyen and Cyprien Fouquet; an essay by critic Girish Shambu. (The Criterion Collection).
Filmworker
(2017) Leon Vitali was a rising British television actor when Stanley Kubrick picked him for the role of Lord Bullingdon in "Barry Lyndon." That first encounter with the famed auteur proved decisive -- he swiftly resolved to devote the rest of his life working for the director, this time behind the scenes, and took on just about every job available: casting director, acting coach, location scout, sound engineer, color corrector, A.D., promoter, and eventually restorer of Kubrick's films. Tony Zierra's affecting documentary enthusiastically recounts Vitali's days with the notoriously meticulous, volatile and obsessive director. The experiences brought both tremendous sacrifice and glowing pride. "Filmworker" celebrates the invisible hands that shape masterpieces, reminding us that behind every great director, there is a Leon Vitali. Formats: DVD. Extras: Q&A with Leon Vitali and director Tony Zierra, trailer. (Kino Lorber).
Goldstone
(2016 -- Australia) Aaron Pedersen, Alex Russell, Jacki Weaver, David Wenham, David Gulpilil, Cheng Pei-Pei. A noir thriller set in the Outback. Indigenous Detective Jay Swan (Pedersen) arrives in the frontier town of Goldstone on a missing persons inquiry. What seems like a simple investigation opens a web of crime, corruption, trampling of indigenous people's land rights, and human trafficking. Jay must pull his life together and bury his differences with young local cop Josh (Russell), so together they can bring justice to Goldstone.
Formats: DVD, Blu-ray.
(Lightyear Entertainment).
Mambo Cool
(2013 -- Columbia) What do you get when you cross a dispossessed drug dealer, his derelict companions, a "warrior" who talks to spirits, a virgin prostitute and the gritty underbelly of Medellín? You get "Mambo Cool," the debut feature documentary from anthropologist-cum-filmmaker Chris Gude. Confronting displacement, sickness, and cultural decay in the back alleys of a claustrophobic city -- Medellin -- filled with hustle and bustle, these down-and-out denizens struggle to survive on their own terms in this experimental documentary blending fine-art cinematography by Jose Ignacio Pardo and Felipe Loaiza with melancholic street music by David Oquendo. With hypnotically naturalistic performances, meandering storylines infused with impromptu salsa music and addictive cinematography, Gude -- who fixed his gaze on the indigents in Medellín where he lived and worked for several years -- illuminates this gritty world by matchlight.
Formats: DVD, VOD, Digital. (IndiePix).
Ocean's 8
(2018) Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Rihanna, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, Awkwafina, James Corden. Danny Ocean's estranged sister Debbie attempts to pull off the heist of the century at New York City's star-studded annual Met Gala. Her first stop is to assemble the perfect all-female crew. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo, 4k Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo, VOD, Digital. Extras: "A Heist in Heels," "Ocean’s Team 3.0," "Reimagining the Met Gala," deleted scenes. (Warner).
Revolution: New Art for a New World
(2016 -- UK/Russia) A feature-length documentary that encapsulates a momentous period in the history of Russia and the Russian Avant-Garde movement. Drawing on the collections of major Russian institutions, contributions from contemporary artists, curators and performers, as well as personal testimony from the descendants of those involved, this compelling documentary tells the stories of iconic artists such as Chagall, Kandinsky and Malevich -- pioneers who flourished in response to the Utopian challenge of building a "New Art for a New World," only to be broken after 15 short years by Stalin's rise to power. Yet their inventive paintings, sculptures and posters miraculously survived and continue to exert a lasting influence to this day. Features paintings previously banned and unseen for decades.
Formats: DVD. Extras: Additional footage.
(Film Movement).
Rolling Stone: Stories From the Edge
(2016) Directed by Oscar-winner Alex Gibney and Emmy-winner Blair Foster and narrated by Jeff Daniels, "Rolling Stone: Stories From the Edge" chronicles the last 50 years of American music, politics and popular culture. This six-part HBO Documentary special offers the unique perspective of a celebrated magazine that always understood that rock ‘n’ roll was more than just music -- it was a cultural force that helped shape America and defined generations. An exhilarating visual and musical experience of the magazine’s history, the series features performances by a dazzling array of artists, including The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner, Janis Joplin, The Sex Pistols, The Clash and Ice-T, and music from some of the cultural icons it heralded, including Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Fleetwood Mac and Chance the Rapper. In the process, it also showcases the superb, groundbreaking work of its writers, spotlighting Rolling Stone’s impact on society and providing an engrossing inside look at how the magazine helped shape the zeitgeist and has endured for a half-century.
Formats: DVD, Blu-ray. Extras: Deleted scenes featuring extended interviews with Cameron Crowe, Ice-T, Gus Wenner, Jane Wenner, Janet Reitman, Matt Taibbi, and Victor Juhasz.
(Shout! Factory).
SuperFly
(2018) Trevor Jackson, Jason Mitchell, Michael Kenneth Williams, Lex Scott, Jennifer Morrison. Remix of the iconic film that defined a genre through its characters, look, sound and feel. Told through the artistic lens of visionary, Director X, this newest take is an action-packed film that follows Youngblood Priest [Trevor Jackson] as he attempts to achieve his “American Dream” all while redefining The Hustle. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo, VOD, Digital. Extras: Three featurettes: "Trap Talk: The Music," "Director X Scene Breakdown," "Superfly: The Remix"; Future’s “No Shame” music video featuring PARTYNEXTDOOR; "Making of No Shame music video." (Sony).
That Summer
(2017) Welcome to Grey Gardens ... as you've never seen it before. Three years before Albert and David Maysles' landmark documentary introduced the world to Edith and Edie Beale -- the unforgettable mother and daughter (and Jackie O. relatives) living in a decaying dream world on Long Island -- renowned photographer Peter Beard chronicled life at their crumbling estate during the summer of 1972. For the first time, director Göran Olsson assembles this long-lost footage -- featuring glimpses of luminaries like Andy Warhol, Mick Jagger and Truman Capote -- into a one-of-a-kind family portrait bursting with the loving squabbles, quotable bon mots and impromptu musical numbers that would make Big and Little Edie beloved cultural icons.
Formats: DVD.
(IFC Films).
The Tree of Life
(2011) Four decades into an already legendary career, Terrence Malick realized his most rapturous vision to date, tracing a story of childhood, wonder, and grief to the outer limits of time and space. Reaching back to the dawn of creation, Malick sets a story of boyhood memories on a universal scale, charting the coming of age of an awestruck child (newcomer Hunter McCracken) in Texas in the 1950s, as he learns to navigate the extremes of nature and grace represented by his bitter, often tyrannical father (Brad Pitt) and his ethereal, nurturing mother (Jessica Chastain, in her breakout role). Shot with nimble attention to life's most fleeting moments by Emmanuel Lubezki, the Palme d'Or-winning "The Tree of Life" marks the intimately personal, cosmically ambitious culmination of Malick's singular approach to filmmaking. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc with New 4K digital restoration, supervised and approved by director Terrence Malick and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray. New extended version of the film featuring an additional 50 minutes of footage. Extras: "Exploring The Tree of Life," a 2011 documentary featuring collaborators and admirers of Malick's, including filmmakers David Fincher and Christopher Nolan; new interviews with actor Jessica Chastain and visual-effects supervisor Dan Glass; interview from 2011 with composer Alexandre Desplat about the film, and a new interview with music critic Alex Ross about Malick's approach to music; video essay from 2011 by critic Matt Zoller Seitz; trailer; an essay by critic Kent Jones and a 2011 piece on the film by critic Roger Ebert; conversation from 2011 between Lubezki and American Society of Cinematographers president Stephen Lighthill. (The Criterion Collection).
The Watcher in the Woods
(2017) Anjelica Huston, Tallulah Evans, Nicholas Galitzine, Dixie Egerickx, Rufus Wright. Lifetime’s reimagining of the ’80s cult classic film. When Jan Carstairs and her family rent a manor in the idyllic British countryside, the owner, Mrs. Aylwood, notices that Jan bears a striking resemblance to her daughter, Karen, who disappeared over 20 years ago. Mrs. Aylwood warns Jan to stay out of the surrounding woods, and when strange occurrences unnerve the family, Jan suspects they are linked to what happened to Karen. As Jan begins to unravel the truth, she and her little sister, Ellie, may not be able to escape The Watcher in the Woods. Formats: DVD. (Lionsgate).
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