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OnVideo's Weekly Guide to Home Video Releases
October 15
Batman Beyond: The Complete Animated Series Limited Edition: All 52 episodes, digitally remastered. The animated adventures of The Dark Knight were taken to even greater heights with this series, providing an edgier, faster-moving, more contemporary take on crime-fighting in Gotham. (Blu-ray release: October 29)
A Cinderella Story: Christmas Wish: An aspiring singer-songwriter is treated like a servant by her vain stepmother and self-involved stepsisters, and is forced into a demoralizing job as a singing elf. But there is one bright spot to the job: Nick, the handsome new Santa at the tree lot. But when she gets invited to the prestigious Wintergarden Christmas Gala, her stepfamily is determined to prevent her from attending. (DVD, Blu-ray release: October 29)
Hobbs & Shaw: For years, hulking lawman Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and lawless outcast Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) have traded smack talk and body blows. But when cyber-genetically enhanced anarchist Brixton Lorr gains control of an insidious bio-threat that could alter humanity forever, Hobbs and Shaw must partner up to bring him down. (DVD, Blu-ray release: November 5)
Holiday Hell: Horror anthology set on Christmas Eve. A woman enters a curiosity shop looking for a last-minute gift. There, she meets a mysterious shopkeeper who tells her the horrific stories behind four objects in the shop. As he weaves tales of killer dolls, witches and psycho Santas, the woman senses she might be in danger. (DVD, Digital release: November 5)
Making Montgomery Clift: Documentary, from directors Robert Clift and Hillary Demmon, rigorously examines the flawed narratives that have come to define Monty’s legacy. (Digital, VOD only)
3 From Hell: After barely surviving a furious shootout with the police, Baby Firefly (Sheri Moon Zombie), Otis Driftwood (Bill Moseley), and Captain Spaulding (Sid Haig) are behind bars. But pure evil cannot be contained, and a firestorm of murder, madness, and mayhem will be released in this terror ride to Hell ... and back. (DVD, Blu-ray release: Day & date)
October 21
Succession Season 2: Beginning where Season 1 dramatically left off, Season 2 follows the Roy family -- a dysfunctional American global-media family -- as they struggle to retain control of their empire, and while the future looks increasingly uncertain, it is the past that threatens to ultimately destroy them. (Digital only)
At War
(2018 -- France) A gripping drama about French union workers who battle their corporate bosses -- and are willing to do everything -- to save their jobs. Laurent Amédéo, a blue-collar union rep who acts as spokesperson for the 1100 employees of Perrin Industries, an automotive parts plant in southwest France, who have waived bonuses and unpaid hours to keep the operation going for five years. Despite heavy financial sacrifices on the part of the employees and a record profit that year, the distant German management orders the plant closed, having deemed it "non-competitive." As the film opens, the workers are already two months into a labor strike, halting all operations at the plant to protest its impending shutdown and the move to the cheaper labor market of Romania. Stars Vincent Lindon as Amédéo; the rest of the cast is comprised largely of non-professional actors. An Official Competition selection at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray, VOD, Digital. (Cinema Libre Studio).
Crawl
(2019) Kaya Scodelario, Barry Pepper. As a hurricane tears through Florida, Haley (Scodelario) rushes to find her father (Pepper), who is injured and trapped in the crawl space of their home. With the storm intensifying and water levels rising, the pair face an even bigger threat lurking below the surface. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo, 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo, VOD, Digital. Extras: Intro to alternate opening, alternate opening, deleted and extended scenes, "Beneath Crawl," "Category 5 Gators: The VFX of Crawl," "Alligator Attacks." (Paramount).
Devil's Revenge
(2019) Co-produced, co-written and starring William Shatner; co-stars Jeri Ryan, Jason Brooks, Ciara Hanna, AnnMarie Giaquinto, Michael Yahn, Patrick O'Brien. John Brock is a down-on-his-luck archaeologist who returns from an expedition to the caves of rural Kentucky after unsuccessfully trying to locate a mysterious relic that his family has sought for generations. Upon his return, John starts to see dream-like visions of a ferocious bird-like creature from ancient folklore. John soon learns that the cave he came into contact with on his last expedition was indeed the cave that contains the relic and also a portal to Hell and a place of worship for the Occult. John discovers that the only way to stop the increasingly realistic visions is to go back to the cave with his family, find the relic once and for all, and destroy it. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray. Blu-ray includes a soundtrack CD. (Cleopatra Entertainment).
Genius Party and Genius Party Beyond
(2018) An eclectic collection of short animated stories from 12 acclaimed directors, available for the first time ever in North America. "Genius Party" consists of seven connected and visually experimental stories while "Genius Party Beyond" includes five. The directors: Masaaki Yuasa ("Mind Game"), Shinichiro Watanabe ("Cowboy Bebop"), Hideki Futamura, a key animator on the cult-classic anime "Perfect Blue," as well as Atsuko Fukushima, Shoji Kawamori, Shinji Kimura, Yoji Fukuyama, Mahiro Maeda, Koji Morimoto, Kazuto Nakazawa, Shinya Ohira and Tatsuyuki Tanaka. Formats: Blu-ray, Digital. (GKIDS/Shout! Factory).
The Haunting of Hill House
(2018) Three-disc Blu-ray and four-disc DVD sets with all 10 episodes. The critically acclaimed, modern reimagining of Shirley Jackson's legendary novel about five siblings who grew up in the most famous haunted house in America. Now adults, they're reunited by the suicide of their youngest sister, which forces them to finally confront the ghosts of their pasts ... some of which lurk in their minds ... and some of which may really be lurking in the shadows of the iconic Hill House. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray. Extras: Commentary, director's cut on select episodes. (Paramount).
Häxan BLU-RAY DEBUT
(1922) Grave robbing, torture, possessed nuns, and a satanic Sabbath: Benjamin Christensen's legendary silent film uses a series of dramatic vignettes to explore the scientific hypothesis that the witches of the Middle Ages suffered the same hysteria as turn-of-the-century psychiatric patients. Far from a dry dissertation on the topic, the film itself is a witches' brew of the scary, the gross, and the darkly humorous. Christensen's mix-and-match approach to genre anticipates gothic horror, documentary re-creation, and the essay film, making for an experience unlike anything else in the history of cinema.
Formats: Blu-ray Disc with new 2K digital restoration. Extras: Music from the original Danish premiere, arranged by film-music specialist Gillian Anderson and performed by the Czech Film Orchestra in 2001, presented in 5.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio; audio commentary from 2001 featuring film scholar Casper Tybjerg; "Witchcraft Through the Ages" (1968), the 76-minute version of "Häxan," narrated by author William S. Burroughs, with a soundtrack featuring violinist Jean-Luc Ponty; director Benjamin Christensen's introduction to the 1941 rerelease; short selection of outtakes; "Bibliothèque Diabolique": a photographic exploration of Christensen's historical sources; essays by critic Chris Fujiwara and scholar Chloé Germaine Buckley, as well as remarks on the score by Anderson. (The Criterion Collection).
The Lingering
(2018 -- Hong Kong) Athena Chu, Louis Cheung, Bob Chang, Terry Zou, Lee Fung, Wei Lai. Dawa and his mother spend a terrifying night alone on New Year's Eve in the basement after being tormented by a strange and dangerous presence. Years after his mother's death, Dawa is forced to return, again facing the presence that once tortured him as a child. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo, 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo, Digital. Extras: Making-of featurette. (Well Go USA).
Malevolence Trilogy
Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love
(2019) Chronicles the beautiful, yet tumultuous, love story of the legendary Leonard Cohen and his muse Marianne Ihlen, which inspired Cohen to write classics like “So Long, Marianne.” Directed by award-winning filmmaker and personal friend of Marianne, Nick Broomfield ("Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer," "Whitney: Can I Be Me"), the film features Leonard Cohen, Marianne Ihlen, and commentary from Judy Collins. The documentary starts on the Greek island of Hydra in 1960, where Cohen, then a struggling and unknown fiction writer, and Ihlen, a single mother with a young son, became part of a community of expat artists, writers, and musicians. Never-before-seen footage shot by Broomfield and legendary documentarian D.A. Pennebaker make for a unique portrait of an idyllic 1960’s bohemia. It was a time that left a lasting imprint on both Marianne and Leonard, whose friendship would last another 50 years before their deaths in 2016. Formats: DVD, VOD, Digital. (Lionsgate).
My Samurai (Collector's Edition)
(1992) When young Peter McCrea (John Kallo) witnesses a gang murder, he's thrust into a dangerous world where strength and power are the keys to survival. His only hope is Young Park (Julian Lee), a powerful martial arts master with a gift for destroying any opposition. On the run from the gang and the police, Young Park must teach Peter the secrets of self defense -- and inner strength. From one action-packed sequence to the next, Peter learns about courage, force, and himself -- so that he may confront the ultimate challenge of his life. Formats: Blu-ray. Extras: New interview with stars Julian Lee & Mark Steven Grove; new "Watching My Scenes" with actor Jim Turner; new interview with actor Christophe; photo gallery; Julian Lee personal photo gallery; original theatrical trailer; collectible mini-poster. (MVD Rewind).
Night Hunter
(2019) Henry Cavill, Ben Kingsley, Alexandra Daddario, Stanley Tucci. When police detective Marshall (Cavill) and local vigilante Cooper (Kingsley) arrest a serial killer targeting women, they discover his game has just begun. The hunt is on as the murderer masterminds a series of deadly attacks from behind bars. Now in a desperate race against time, Marshall and Cooper fight to stay one step ahead of their suspect’s deadly plan. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray, VOD, Digital. (Paramount).
Princess Emmy
(2019 -- Germany) Voices of Ruby Barnhill, Bella Ramsey, Franka Potente, John Hannah. Princess Emmy is a young girl with a secret gift -- she is the only one in the Kingdom of Kandis who can speak to horses. Up until now, life for Emmy has been wonderful: exploring and hanging out with her best friends -- a stable full of horses; spending time with her family at the castle and not having a care in the world. That is, until her jealous, scheming cousin Gizana appears, challenging her at every turn, threatening Emmy's chances of becoming an officially inaugurated princess and generally making her life hell. And on top of all that, Emmy must undergo the ultimate test to earn the right to keep her gift. If she fails, she loses the gift and her best friends forever. Formats: DVD, Digital. (Shout! Kids!).
The Returned ('Les Revenants'): Season Two
(2018) The second season of the highly acclaimed French television series (winner of a 2014 Peabody Award, an 2013 International Emmy Award, and nominated for BAFTA Award in 2014). Based on the 2004 feature film "Les Revenants" by Robin Campillo, the gripping and stylish supernatural drama television series was created and directed by Fabrice Gobert and made its American debut in 2014 to critical acclaim currently holding a collective 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes for seasons one and two. It tells the gripping story of a group of people returning to their alpine village in a state of confusion. What they do not yet know is that they have been dead for several years, and no one is expecting them back. The first eight episodes in Season One portray their struggle to reintegrate with their families and past. Buried secrets emerge and new mysteries develop as they grapple with a miraculous and sinister new reality. Season Two, featuring the conclusion of this 16-part series, picks up six months after season one leaves the village in a state of turmoil and distress. Formats: Three-disc DVD, two-disc Blu-ray. (Music Box Films).
Star Trek: Picard Movie & TV Collection
Six-disc set with two feature-length TV episodes and four "Next Generation" films: “Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Best of Both Worlds,” “Star Trek: The Next Generation: Chain of Command,” "Star Trek: Generations," "Star Trek: First Contact," "Star Trek: Insurrection" and "Star Trek: Nemesis." Includes a 16-page comic book from IDW. Formats: Blu-ray. Extras: Ten hours of features including commentaries, deleted scenes, gag reel,interviews, featurettes, more. (CBS/Paramount).
Stuber
(2019) Kumail Nanjiani, Dave Bautista, Betty Gilpin, Iko Uwais, Mira Sorvino, Jimmy Tatro, Natalie Morales, Karen Gillan. When a mild-mannered Uber driver named Stu (Kumail Nanjiani) picks up a passenger (Dave Bautista) who turns out to be a cop hot on the trail of a brutal killer, Stu is thrust into a harrowing ordeal in which he desperately tries to hold onto his wits, his life and his five-star rating. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray, 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo, VOD, Digital. Extras: Deleted scenes, gag reel, Joke-O-Rama, Georgia Film Works, audio commentary by Michael Dowse and Kumail Nanjiani, gallery, theatrical trailer, sneak peak. (Fox).
3 From Hell
(2019) Sheri Moon Zombie, Bill Moseley, Richard Brake, Jeff Daniel Phillips, Danny Trejo, Sid Haig. Written and directed by horror master Rob Zombie, the film follows three of the director’s most vicious creations as they leave a trail of corpses in their wake. After barely surviving a furious shootout with the police, Baby Firefly (Sheri Moon Zombie), Otis Driftwood (Bill Moseley), and Captain Spaulding (Sid Haig) are behind bars. But pure evil cannot be contained, and a firestorm of murder, madness, and mayhem will be released in this terror ride to Hell ... and back. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo, 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo, VOD, Digital. Extras: Audio Commentary with writer-director Rob Zombie, “To Hell and Back: The Making of 3 From Hell” featurette (four-part documentary available on 4K and Blu-ray only; Part 1 Available on DVD). (Lionsgate).
Ulysses & Mona
(2018 -- France) Éric Cantona, Manal Issa. Ulysses (Cantona) is a 55-year-old contemporary artist who ran away from his family and ended his career four years earlier. Now, he spends his days in seclusion hitting tennis balls or listening to horror movie soundtracks. Mona (Issa) is a 20-year-old art student. Between nude drawing workshops and boring theory classes, her life couldn't be more uneventful. But everything changes when Mona decides to meet Ulysses. After a failed first attempt and some misfortune, both set out on a journey that will change their lives forever. Formats: DVD, Digital. (Film Movement).
© 1996 -- 2019 OnVideo. All rights reserved October 14, 2019 (ISSN 1094-3676). |
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