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OnVideo's Weekly Guide to Home Video Releases
September 27:
Barbarians Rising
(2016) HISTORY’s four-part docudrama miniseries that brings to life the stories of how the barbarians waged a 700-year fight for freedom, bringing the mighty Roman Empire to its knees and shaping the world to come. Told from the perspective of barbarian icons -- Hannibal, Spartacus, Arminius, Boudica and Attila. Includes extensive interviews from historical experts and contributors. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, Digital. (Lionsgate).
Central Intelligence
Bob Stone (Dwayne Johnson), a one-time bullied geek who grew up to be a lethal CIA agent, comes home for his high school reunion and, claiming to be on a top-secret case, enlists the help of Calvin Joyner (Kevin Hart), once the "big man on campus," now an accountant, who misses his glory days. Stone needs Calvin's number skills to help him save the compromised U.S. spy satellite system. But before the staid numbers-cruncher realizes what he's getting into, it's too late to get out, as his increasingly unpredictable new friend drags him through a world of shoot-outs, double-crosses and espionage that could get them both killed in more ways than he can count.
Vitals: Director: Rawson Marshall Thurber. Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Amy Ryan, Aaron Paul, Danielle Nicolet, Megan Park, Ryan Hansen, Tim Griffin.
2016, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 107 min., Action Comedy, Box office gross: $126.088 million, Warner.
The Neon Demon
Jesse (Elle Fanning) moves to Los Angeles just after her 16th birthday to launch a career as a model. The head of her agency tells the innocent teen that she has the qualities to become a top star ... but Jesse soon faces the wrath of ruthless vixens who despise her fresh-faced beauty. On top of that, she must contend with a seedy motel manager and a creepy photographer. As Jesse starts to take the fashion world by storm, her personality changes in ways that could help her against her cutthroat rivals. Another disappointing outing -- the second -- after Nicolas Winding Refn's auspicious 2011 outing, the startling and outstanding "Drive."
Vitals: Director: Nicolas Winding Refn. Stars: Elle Fanning, Keanu Reeves, Christina Hendricks, Jena Malone, Abbey Lee, Bella Heathcote, Desmond Harrington, Jamie Clayton, Alessandro Nivola.
2016, CC, MPAA rating: R, 118 min., Thriller, Box office gross: $1.333 million, Broad Green Pictures.
Extras: Audio commentary with director Nicolas Winding Refn and Elle Fanning, two featurettes: "Behind the Soundtrack of The Neon Demon" and "About The Neon Demon."
Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates
Hard-partying brothers Mike (Adam Devine) and Dave (Zac Efron) place an online ad to find the perfect dates (Anna Kendrick, Aubrey Plaza) for their sister's Hawaiian wedding. Hoping for a wild getaway, the boys instead find themselves outsmarted and out-partied by the uncontrollable duo.
Vitals: Director: Jake Szymanski. Stars: Zac Efron, Aubrey Plaza, Anna Kendrick, Adam DeVine, Stephen Root, Sugar Lyn Beard.
2016, CC, MPAA rating: R, 98 min., Comedy, Box office gross: $45.082 million, Foxy.
The Shallows
Nancy (Blake Lively) is surfing alone on a secluded beach when she is attacked by a great white shark and stranded just a short distance from shore. Though she is only 200 yards from her survival, getting there proves the ultimate contest of wills.
Vitals: Director: Jaume Collet-Serra. Stars: Blake Lively, Oscar Jaenada, Brett Cullen, Sedona Legge. 2016, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 87 min., Drama, Box office gross: $54.257 million, Sony.
Extras: Deleted scenes, four featurettes: "Shooting in The Shallows," 'How to Build a Shark," 'Finding the Perfect Beach: Lord Howe Island" and 'When Sharks Attack."
Warcraft
The peaceful realm of Azeroth stands on the brink of war as its civilization faces a fearsome race of invaders: Orc warriors fleeing their dying home to colonize another. As a portal opens to connect the two worlds, one army faces destruction and the other faces extinction. From opposing sides, an unlikely group of heroes is set on a collision course that will decide the fate of their families, their people and their home. Based on the global video game phenomenon from Blizzard Entertainment.
Vitals: Director: Duncan Jones. Stars: Travis Fimmel, Paula Patton, Dominic Cooper, Ben Foster, Ben Schnetzer, Robert Kazinsky, Ruth Negga, Daniel Wu.
2016, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 123 min., Action-Adventure, Box office gross: $46.978 million, Universal.
Extras: Deleted scenes, gag reel, origin story
"The Fandom of Warcraft," "ILM: Behind the Magic of Warcraft." Blu-ray adds "Warcraft: Bonds of Brotherhood Motion Comic," "The World of Warcraft on Film" five part feature, Madame Tussauds’ featurette on the making of the Warcraft wax figures by Madame Tussauds, an early teaser "Warcraft" teaser that premiered at San Diego Comic-Con in 2013.
Complete Unknown (DVD, Blu-ray release: October 4)
Ghostbusters (DVD, Blu-ray release: October 11)
Independence Day: Resurgence (DVD, Blu-ray, VOD release: October 18)
Beyond the Valley of the Dolls
(1970) In 1970, 20th Century-Fox, impressed by the visual zing "King of the Nudies" Russ Meyer brought to bargain-basement exploitation fare, handed the director a studio budget and the title to one of its biggest hits, Valley of the Dolls. With a satirical screenplay by 
Roger Ebert, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls follows three young female rockers going Hollywood in hell-bent sixties style under the spell of a flamboyant producer—whose decadent bashes showcase Meyer’s trademark libidinal exuberance. Transgressive and outrageous, this big-studio version of a debaucherous midnight movie is an addictively entertaining romp from one of the movies’ great outsider artists. High-definition digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc. Extras: Audio commentary from 2003 featuring screenwriter Roger Ebert; audio commentary from 2006 featuring actors Dolly Read, Cynthia Myers, Harrison Page, John La Zar and Erica Gavin; new interview with filmmaker John Waters; archival interviews with writer, director, and producer Russ Meyer; Q&A about the film from 1990 featuring Meyer, Ebert, La Zar, Read, and actors David Gurian, Charles Napier, Michael Blodgett, and Edy Williams, and hosted by Michael Dare; "Above, Beneath, and Beyond the Valley;" "Look on up at the Bottom" "The Best of Beyond," "Sex, Drugs, Music and Murder" and "Casey & Roxanne," five documentaries from 2006 about the making of the film, featuring the cast and crew; trailers and TV spots; an essay by film critic Glenn Kenny. (The Criterion Collection).
Beyond Valkyrie: Dawn of the Fourth Reich
(2016) Sean Patrick Flanery, Tom Sizemore, Rutger Hauer, Kip Pardue, Stephen Lang. June 6th 1944, resistance bombings relentlessly bombard the enemy causing dissension to rise amongst the Nazi forces. As Operation Valkyrie prepares to assassinate Adolph Hitler, an Allied special ops team prepares to extract the man destined to lead a Fourth Reich. But when Valkyrie fails, the mission changes. Now, unlikely allies must work to free a Resistance fighter from behind enemy lines before it's too late. Formats: DVD, Digital. (Sony).
Bill & Ted's Most Excellent Collection
(1989) Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter. History's favorite time traveling duo land in a deluxe, bodacious, Blu-ray box set that includes "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure," the Blu-ray debut of the sequel "Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey" (1991) and an entire disc of bonus features, including new interviews and commentary, deluxe packaging, a "Wyld Stallyns" 
branded guitar pick, vinyl stickers for both films, and previously released extras including "The Original Bill & Ted," "The Most Triumphant Making-Of," "Air Guitar Tutorial," "The Linguistic Stylings of B&T," "From Scribble to Script," "The Hysterical Personages of B&T," and radio spots. Also available in a limited edition set with an exclusive lithograph and exclusive action figure of George Carlin's character "Rufus." Formats: Blu-ray Disc. (Shout! Factory).
Cell
(2016) John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson, Stacy Keach. Two men race against the clock to stop a horde of rabid killers as their city descends into apocalyptic madness. At the Boston airport, Clay (Cusack) witnesses a scene of chaotic mayhem when an electronic signal turns hundreds of cell phone users into rabid killers. Desperate to find his estranged wife and son, Clay teams with a train driver (Jackson) to battle the horde of murderous "phoners." Based on Stephen King’s chilling book. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: Commentary with director Tod Williams, "To Cell and Back" featurette. (Lionsgate).
Central Intelligence
(2016) Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Amy Ryan, Aaron Paul, Danielle Nicolet, Megan Park, Ryan Hansen, Tim Griffin. A mild-manner accountant, once the high school big man on campus, meets up with a former high school geek, now a lethal CIA agent, at their high school reunion and gets involved in a deadly game of espionage. Formats: 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Blu-ray Disc, DVD, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). (Warner).
Dekalog
(1988 - Poland) This masterwork by Krzysztof Kieslowski is one of the 20th century’s greatest achievements in visual storytelling. Originally made for Polish television, "Dekalog" focuses on the residents of a housing complex in late-Communist Poland whose lives become subtly intertwined as they face emotional dilemmas that are at once deeply personal 
and universally human. Using the Ten Commandments for thematic inspiration and an overarching structure, "Dekalog’s" 10 hour-long films deftly grapple with complex moral and existential questions concerning life, death, love, hate, truth, and the passage of time. Shot by nine different cinematographers, with stirring music by Zbigniew Preisner and compelling performances from established and unknown actors alike, "Dekalog" arrestingly explores the unknowable forces that shape our lives. Also presented are the longer theatrical versions of "Dekalog’s"fifth and sixth films: "A Short Film About Killing" and "A Short Film About Love." New, restored 4K digital transfer, with uncompressed monaural soundtracks on the Blu-ray. New high-definition digital restorations of "A Short Film About Killing" and "A Short Film About Love," with uncompressed monaural soundtracks on the Blu-ray. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc. Extras: Selection of archival interviews with director Krzysztof Kieslowski, culled from footage from the 1987 production of "Dekalog: Two," excerpts from the 1995 documentary "A Short Film About Dekalog," and a 1990 audio recording from the National Film Theatre in London; new program on the visual rhyming of "Dekalog" by film studies professor Annette Insdorf; new and archival interviews with "Dekalog" cast and crew, including co-writer Krzysztof Piesiewicz, 13 actors, three cinematographers, editor Ewa Smal, and Kieslowski’s confidante Hanna Krall; trailers; a booklet featuring an essay and film analyses by film scholar Paul Coates and excerpted reprints from "Kieslowski on Kieslowski." (The Criterion Collection).
The Disappearance
(2015 -- France) Two-disc set with all eight episodes of the exceptionally well-acted, well-directed French thriller-police procedural with more twists and turns than a road in the French Alps. The crime drama follows the disappearance of Léa, a teenage girl in inner-city Lyon, and the subsequent police investigation to find her. As more of Léa’s secrets come to light, her family wonders how well they really knew their daughter. The Morels are a typical family living in Lyon, France. But when their 17-year-old daughter, Léa, fails to return home after a night out celebrating her birthday, the Morels are unexpectedly thrown into their worst nightmare. Mother Florence (Alix Poisson) tries to remain strong for her other children and hopeful that her daughter will return home safely, while father Julien (Pierre-François Martin-Laval) begins an investigation of his own. As the police -- led by Commander Bertrand Molina (François-Xavier Demaison) and his lieutenant, Camille Guerin (Alice Pol) -- desperately search to find the missing teen -- and come up with one prime suspect after another -- shocking truths begin to come to light, revealing secrets hidden by Léa and those closest to her. Formats: DVD. Extras: Photo gallery. (Acorn Media).
Eat That Question: Frank Zappa In His Own Words
(2015) A fascinating documentary in which music icon Frank Zappa, in a series of interviews, shares his candid, often saucy, worldview on music and everything else. The film’s main focus is on Zappa’s uninhibited and entertaining media dealings. His interviewers here range from amused tonight show king Steve Allen, joining him on an improvised piece for two bicycles, prerecorded noise and orchestra in 1963, to fascinated amateur Chuck Ash, a Pennsylvania State Trooper in full uniform who interviewed him twice on camera through the 80s. While chatting courteously about a tour or album, he knew better than any of his contemporaries how to set off unexpected fuses. His caustic comments about state and religion, the music industry and youth culture leave behind an evocative musical and socio-political commentary on his time. During his 30 years of notoriety Frank Zappa became one of the most intensely independent artists the world has ever seen. Zappa would release 62 albums during his lifetime, signing with a range of 
companies, but as he mordantly observes, “Record companies have a way of making sure your expenses always exceed your profits.” This year marks the 50th Anniversary of Zappa’s Mothers Of Invention. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, Digital. (Sony).
Edge of Winter
(2016) Joel Kinnaman, Tom Holland, Percy Hynes. Recently divorced and laid off from his job, Elliot Baker is desperate to spend more time bonding with his sons, Bradley and Caleb. What starts as family day trip to teach his boys how to shoot turns into a nightmare when they become stranded. As they retreat to a desolate cabin, Elliot's mounting fear of losing custody pushes him to the edge. The brothers quickly realize that the man responsible for keeping them safe has now become their biggest threat. Formats: DVD. (Sony).
living in nineteenth century Spain. When he discovers Paleolithic cave art of galloping bison, his findings are immediately decried as heresy by the Catholic Church and forgery by French specialists. Looking for the truth, Sautuola vows to spend his life fighting to prove that the paintings were real and to restore his reputation amid the controversy. Formats: DVD, Digital. (Sony).
Francesca
(2015 -- Argentina) A new giallo film from Argentinian brothers Luciano and Nicolás Onetti ("Sonno Profondo," 2013). The film made its world premiere at SITGES Film Festival in October 2015. It's been 15 years since the disappearance of little Francesca, daughter of the renowned poet and playwright, Vittorio Visconti. The community is stalked by a psychopath bent on cleaning the city of "impure and damned souls." Moretti and Succo are the detectives in charge of finding the killer of these "Dantesque" crimes. Francesca has returned, but she is not be the same girl they once knew. Includes a CD of the soundtrack. Formats: Blu-ray/DVD Combo. (Unearthed Films/MVD Entertainment Group).
A House Is Not a Home
(2015) Richard Grieco, Bill Cobbs, Eddie Steeples, Aurora Perrineau, Gerald Webb, Melvin Gregg, Diahnna Nicole Baxter. When Ben and Linda Williams move their family into a dream home in a last ditch effort to save their troubled marriage, they can't shake the feeling that they're being watched by something. Their unimaginable fears are realized when things inside the house take a supernatural and sinister turn. Ben and his family try to flee for their lives, but the house isn't finished with them, trapping them in its labyrinth, and forcing the Williams to come together as never before to fight for their family, their lives and to escape. Formats: DVD. Extras: Cast and crew commentary, behind-the-scenes footage, interviews with cast and crew. (Deinstitutionalized/MVD Visual).
Howard Lovecraft and the Frozen Kingdom
(2016) New animated feature is the highly-anticipated movie adaptation of Arcana Studio’s popular graphic novel of the same name and features an all-star voice cast including Jane 
Curtin, Ron Perlman, Christopher Plummer, Kiefer O’Reilly, Doug Bradley, Scott McNeill, Alision Wandzura abd Tyler Nichol. A veritable love letter to famed horror and fantasy writer H.P. Lovecraft that entwines new storytelling, actual events Lovecraft’s life, iconic elements of his writings and literary characters Cthulhu, Shoggoth and more. Before he became the famed horror writer H. P. Lovecraft, young Howard Lovecraft is a curious and imaginative boy living with his mother. But after she unwittingly gives Howard the legendary Necronomicon, he is transported to a dangerous and frozen world populated by horrifying creatures. After saving and befriending one such creature -- Spot -- Howard and his new friend set off on a perilous quest to save the kingdom and get back home. But Howard soon finds out that not everything is as it seems and not everyone is to be trusted. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo, VOD, Digital. Extras: Commentary, featurette. (Shout! Factory).
Hunt for the Wilderpeople
(2016 -- New Zealand) Julian Dennison, Sam Neill, Rima Te Wiata. Raised on hip-hop and foster care, defiant city kid Ricky gets a fresh new start in the New Zealand countryside. He quickly finds himself at home with his new foster family: the loving Aunt Bella, the cantankerous Uncle Hec and dog Tupac. When a tragedy strikes that threatens to ship Ricky to another home, both he and Hec go on the run in the bush. As a national manhunt ensues, the newly branded outlaws must face their options: go out in a blaze of glory or overcome their differences and survive as a family. Formats: DVD, VOD, Digital. Extras: Commentary with director Taika Waititi and actors Sam Neill and Julian Dennison, "Behind the Scenes: Hunt For Wilderpeople featurette, blooper reel. (Sony).
The Innocents
(2016 -- France) Dir.: Anne Fontaine; Lou de Laage, Agata Buzek, Agata Kulesza, Vincent Macaigne, Joanna Kulig, Eliza Rycembel, Anna Prochniak, Katarzyna Dabrowska. The second World War is finally over and doctor Mathilde (Lou de Laage) is treating the last of the French survivors of Nazi work camps in Poland. When a panicked Benedictine nun appears at the clinic begging Mathilde to follow her back to the convent, what she finds there is shocking: a holy sister about to give birth and several more in advanced stages of pregnancy. A non-believer, Mathilde enters the sisters' fiercely private world, dictated by the rituals of their order and the strict Rev. Mother (Agata Kulesza). Fearing the shame of exposure, the hostility of the occupying Soviet troops and local Polish communists, the nuns increasingly turn to Mathilde as they face an unprecedented crisis of faith. Director Fontaine based her story on the diaries of Madeleine Pauliac that document the little known but, by most independent accounts, widespread sexual violence that occurred throughout Poland and elsewhere on the Eastern Front in the wake of the advancing Soviet Red Army. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, VOD. Extras: "Making of" featurette, interview with Fontaine. (Music Box Films).
Jericho
(2016 -- UK) Three-disc set with eight episodes. Love, loss, and intrigue abound in this British western set in 1870s Yorkshire. Jessica Raine stars as Annie Quaintain, a recently widowed mother forced to sell her house and possessions to pay off her late husband’s debts. Penniless and shunned by society, Annie and her two children set out for Culverdale Valley, where an enormous railway viaduct is being built. She sets up a lodging house in Jericho, a lawless shanty town full of rough and rowdy workers. In a town where people come to start afresh, it seems that everyone has something to hide -- and a desperate crime soon threatens to shatter her family’s chance at a new life. Formats: DVD. Extras: Behind-the-scenes featurettes, photo gallery. (Acorn Media).
Lady in White BLU-RAY DEBUT
(1988) Lukas Haas, Alex Rocco, Katherine Helmond, Len Cariou. Two-disc set features both a director's cut and an extended director's cut. Frankie Scarlatti (Haas) lives in a small town with a deadly secret. For a decade, a serial child killer has eluded police, and the death toll continues to rise. Then, one night Frankie gets locked in his school and witnesses the ghost of the first victim being murdered. Now, aided by the girl's restless spirit, Frankie takes it upon himself to bring her assailant to justice. But in a town with no strangers, the killer may be closer than he knows. Extras: Introduction by director Frank LaLoggia; commentary with LaLoggia; behind the scenes footage; deleted scenes; promotional short film; theatrical trailer; alternate trailer; TV spots; radio spots; behind the scenes photo montage; extended photo gallery. (Scream Factory).
Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates
(2016) Zac Efron, Aubrey Plaza, Anna Kendrick, Adam DeVine, Stephen Root, Sugar Lyn Beard. Two hard-partying brothers place an online ad to find the perfect dates for their sister's Hawaiian wedding. Hoping for a wild getaway, the boys instead find themselves out-hustled by an uncontrollable duo. Formats: 4K Ultra Blu-ray/Blu-ray Combo, Blu-ray/DVD Combo, DVD, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). (Fox).
Motown 25: Yesterday - Today - Forever
When "Motown 25: Yesterday - Today - Forever" aired on NBC on May 16, 1983, it was an immediate sensation and became one of the most talked about concerts and TV specials ever. In an era before social media, "Motown 25" was a true water-cooler event, marking the 
first time that music fans saw Michael Jackson do the moonwalk, in addition to many other buzzworthy moments -- reunions by the Miracles and the Supremes; the first battle of the bands between The Temptations and Four Tops; and the hottest comedian in the world at the time, Richard Pryor, as host. Taped before a live audience, "Motown 25" featured virtually every Motown artist from the company's inception, including Jackson moonwalking during "Billie Jean" and performing "I Want You Back" with The Jackson 5, Marvin Gaye crooning "What's Going On," Smokey Robinson with "The Tears of a Clown," Stevie Wonder soulfully singing "Uptight (Everything's Alright)," Diana Ross with "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," The Temptations with "My Girl," Four Tops with "Baby I Need Your Loving" and many more. A new-to-retail configuration, this set includes an extended version of the "Motown 25" concert with over 20 additional minutes not seen in the original broadcast, brand-new 5.1 surround sound, over 14 hours of specially-produced bonus features, and an exclusive 48-page collector's booklet packed with information about the show and artists, and never-before-scene photos from the production and essays on Motown performers. Formats: Six-disc DVD, $79.95. Read more here. (Time Life).
The Neon Demon
(2016) Director: Nicolas Winding Refn. Stars: Elle Fanning, Keanu Reeves, Christina Hendricks, Jena Malone, Abbey Lee, Bella Heathcote, Desmond Harrington, Jamie Clayton, Alessandro Nivola. When aspiring model Jesse moves to Los Angeles, her youth and vitality are devoured by a group of beauty-obsessed women who will use any means necessary to get what she has. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc,. Extras: Audio commentary with director Nicolas Winding Refn and Elle Fanning, two featurettes: "Behind the Soundtrack of The Neon Demon" and "About The Neon Demon." (Broad Green Pictures).
Now We're Alive
(2015 -- France/Belgium) Charles Lemaire, Laure Haulet, Victoria Oberli, Alexis Desseaux. Winner of the Best Feature at the Flickers Rhode Island Film Festival and the Orson Welles award at the California Film Awards, "Now We’re Alive" (Et maintenant nous sommes en vie) a French-Belgian co-production, directed by Thibault Arbre offers a poetic take on modern-day love in the 
nuptials and films such as "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and "Black Swan" that combine fantasy and poetry in a realistic world, Arbre conceived of this unusual marriage ritual. Formats: DVD, VOD. Extras: Trailers, photo gallery, interview with director Thibault Arbre. (Cinema Libre Studio).
Patterns BLU-RAY DEBUT
(1956) Rod Serling's tale of ruthless men and ambitious women clawing for control of a billion-dollar empire first aired live in January 1955 on Kraft Television Theater. The hard-hitting teleplay was such a success -- earning Serling instant acclaim and the first of his six Emmy awards -- that producers Jed Harris and Michael Myerberg with director Fielder Cook helmed a big screen feature for United Artists, using most of the original cast. The result was an acid-etched chronicle of the cutthroat corporate world, starring Van Heflin, Everett Sloane and Ed Begley, with cinematography by Oscar-winner Boris Kaufman ("On the Waterfront," "12 Angry Men"). Businessman Fred Staples (Heflin) is plunged into the rough-and-tumble of office politics at his new job when he discovers that he is meant to replace the decent-but-ailing vice president, Bill Briggs (Begley). A battle of wills ensues between Fred and the company's ruthless president, Mr. Ramsey (Sloane), who is intent on humiliating Bill into resigning. Despite the urgings of his pragmatic wife, Nancy (Beatrice Straight), Fred resists losing his soul to the cold calculations of naked ambition. This is boardroom bloodletting, the American way. Digitally restored from original 35mm film elements, lossless DTS-HD sound. Formats:Blu-ray Disc. (The Film Detective).
Phobe
(1994) John Rubick, Tina Dumoulin, Lyon Tenbroeck. In 1994, aspiring Niagara, Ontario filmmaker Erica Benedikty was working part- time at a community cable channel. Over the course of a year -- and aided by a dedicated team of friends, volunteers and fellow film rebels -- she wrote, produced, directed and edited a wildly ambitious, feature-length sci-fi action thriller for only $250. But when she convinced her employers to broadcast the finished film, "Phobe" became a local sensation, was invited to screen at festivals, and remains one of Canada's most infamous cult hits. Intervision has fully remastered this ultra low-budget epic -- complete with impressive visual FX, Roman candle pyrotechnics, alien predators, light saber battles and space cops with mullets -- with all-new special features that reveal the strange, inspire and sometimes tragic story behind this near- impossible DIY triumph. Formats: DVD. Extras: Audio commentary by writer-director Erica Benedikty, moderated by Paul Corupe (Canuxploitation.com) and Peter Kuplowsky (Laser Blast Film Society); Benedikty's first feature-length movie, "Back in Black"; "The Making of Phobe," a documentary on the creation of the film and it's continuing legacy; Q&A with cast and crew following home town screening in St. Catharines, Ontario; original FX shots from 1995 broadcast version of "Phobe"; outtakes; Gribble Hell performs "Phobe" theme. (Intervision Picture Corp./CAV Distributing).
Reign: The Complete Third Season
(2016) Four-disc set with all 18 episodes, $39.99. Formats: DVD. (Warner).
The Shallows
(2016) Blake Lively, Oscar Jaenada, Brett Cullen, Sedona Legge. A mere 200 yards from shore, surfer Nancy is attacked by a great white shark, with her short journey to safety becoming the ultimate contest of wills. Formats: 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo, Blu-ray, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: Deleted scenes, four featurettes: "Shooting in The Shallows," "How to Build a Shark," "Finding the Perfect Beach: Lord Howe Island" and "When Sharks Attack." (Sony).
Slugs
(1988 -- Spain/USA) From celebrated Spanish director Juan Piquer Simon, the man behind the truly demented slasher flick "Pieces" (1982), comes a terrifying tale of mutant slugs on the rampage in small-town America. The townsfolk of a rural community are dying in strange and gruesome circumstances. Following the trail of horrifically mutilated cadavers, resident health inspector Mike Brady is on the case to piece together the mystery. He soon comes to a terrifying conclusion -- giant slugs are breeding in the sewers beneath the town, and they're making a meal of the locals. Based on the novel by acclaimed British horror author Shaun Hutson, "Slugs" outdoes its creature feature peers by adding an extra dose of gross-out gore into the equation, culminating in one of the most squirm-inducing animal attack movies ever to slither its way across screens. Brand new restoration from original film elements with original uncompressed PCM mono audio. Formats: Blu-ray. Extras: Audio commentary with "Slugs" author Shaun Hutson; audio commentary with writer and filmmaker Chris Alexander; "Here's Slugs in Your Eye" interview with actor Emilio Linder; "They Slime, They Ooze, They Kill: The Effects of Slugs" interview with special effects artist Carlo De Marchis; "Invasion USA" interview with art director Gonzalo Gonzalo; "The Lyons Den" interview and locations tour with production manager Larry Ann Evans; 1988 Goya Awards promo reel; trailer; reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Wes Benscoter. (Arrow Video/MVD Entertainment).
Transpecos
(2015) Johnny Simmons, Gabriel Luna, Clifton Collins Jr. A tense thriller about three border patrol agents who man a check point on a remote highway. Rookie Davis (Johnny Simmons) and seasoned Flores (Gabriel Luna) work with the callous, world-weary Hobbs (Clifton Collins Jr.) to round out the trio. On what feels like another routine stop, the contents of one car will throw their lives out of control as they uncover an insidious plot within their own ranks. As dark secrets are revealed, each passing hour will bring them closer to a nightmarish conclusion that could cost them their lives, in a world where the line between right and wrong shifts like the desert itself. Formats: DVD, Digital. (Sony).
Two Films By Douglas Sirk: A Scandal In Paris and Lured
"A Scandal In Paris" (1946): From the memoirs of François Eugène Vidocq, the elegant thief turned chief of police of all Paris, comes this rediscovered classic of melodrama and romance. George Sanders is at his debonair best as we see him climb from 
clever criminal through the ranks of French society in the early 1800's, with seemingly nothing to stop him from the biggest heist of his career ... except, perhaps, the charms of a young lady. "Lured" (1947): A serial killer is on the loose in London, luring young women into his web through ads placed in the personal column. Scotland Yard's bait to ensnare the villain is a young American dance hall girl (played by a stunning Lucille Ball), who encounters a series of likely suspects, including the always dashing George Sanders as a sophisticated playboy and an unforgettable Boris Karloff as a mad fashion designer." Restored from 35MM nitrate and safety material. Formats: Blu-ray Disc. (Cohen Media Group).
Valley of the Dolls
(1967) Cutthroat careerism, wild sex, and fierce female protagonists are all on offer in this adaptation of Jacqueline Susann’s sensational and wildly popular novel. Patty Duke, Barbara Parkins, and Sharon Tate star as three friends attempting to navigate the glamorous, pressurized world of big-time show business—the “valley” is not a place but a narcotized state of mind, and the “dolls” are the pills that rouse them in the 
morning and knock them out at night. Blending old-fashioned gloss with Madison Avenue grooviness, this slick look by director Mark Robson at the early days of sexual liberation and an entertainment industry coming apart was a giant box-office hit and has become an unforgettably campy time capsule of the 1960s. New 2K digital restoration, with 3.0 LCR DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc. Extras: Audio commentary from 2006 featuring actor Barbara Parkins and journalist Ted Casablanca; new interview with author Amy Fine Collins about author Jacqueline Susann and the film; new video essay by critic Kim Morgan; footage of "Marc Huestis Presents Sparkle Patty Sparkle!," a 2009 gala tribute to actor Patty Duke at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco; "A World Premiere Voyage" and "Jacqueline Susann and Valley of the Dolls," two promotional films from 1967; archival interviews; trailers and TV spots; an essay by film critic Glenn Kenny. (The Criterion Collection).
Warcraft
(2016) In a distant world, humankind faces extinction at the hands of a brutal enemy in the sci-fi actioner based on the global video game phenomenon from Blizzard Entertainment.
Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo, 3D Blu-ray/Blu-ray Combo, 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: Deleted scenes, gag reel, origin story
"The Fandom of Warcraft," "ILM: Behind the Magic of Warcraft." Blu-ray adds "Warcraft: Bonds of Brotherhood Motion Comic," "The World of Warcraft on Film" five part feature, Madame Tussauds’ featurette on the making of the Warcraft wax figures by Madame Tussauds, an early teaser "Warcraft" teaser that premiered at San Diego Comic-Con in 2013. (Universal).
The Wonder Years: The Complete Sixth Season
(1992-93) Four-disc set with all 22 complete episodes, over two hours of specially-produced bonus features and more than two dozen songs as featured in the original broadcasts, including classics by Bachman-Turner Overdrive, The Beach Boys, Marvin Gaye, Grateful Dead, The Rolling Stones, Steely Dan and many others. One of the most critically lauded sitcoms of the late 80s and early 90s, "The Wonder Years" captured the angst of growing up in suburban middle-class America in the late '60s, as seen through the life and times of Kevin Arnold (Fred Savage). Audiences eagerly followed his evolution as a typical teenager who remembered every moment of his transition from childhood with excruciating detail and remarkable hindsight. After six Emmy Award-winning seasons, "The Wonder Years" comes to a close as Kevin, Paul, and Winnie enter 11th grade and are growing up -- dealing with sex, lies, and the lure of rock and roll. The final DVD installment contains all 22 episodes from Season 6 (September 23, 1992-May 12, 1993) in their original broadcast versions. Formats: DVD, $29.95. Read more here. (Time Life).
© 1996 -- 2016 OnVideo. All rights reserved
September 26, 2016
(ISSN 1094-3676).
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