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OnVideo's Weekly Guide to Home Video Releases
December 13:
American Gothic: Season One
(2016) Four-disc set with all 3 episodes of the series that centers on a prominent Boston family reeling in the wake of the chilling discovery that someone in their midst is linked to an infamous string of murders. As shocking secrets from the past and present are revealed, their mounting suspicion and paranoia that one of them is a killer threatens to tear the family apart. Formats: DVD. Extras: Extended and deleted scenes, "American Gothic" First Look, "American Gothic at Comic-Con, gag reel. (CBS/Paramount).
The Asphalt Jungle
(1950) In a smog-choked city somewhere in the American Midwest, an aging criminal mastermind, newly released from prison, hatches a plan for a million-dollar jewel heist and draws a wealthy lawyer and a cherry-picked trio of outlaws into his carefully devised but inevitably doomed scheme. Anchored by an abundance of nuanced performances from a gifted ensemble -- including a tight-jawed Sterling Hayden and a sultry Marilyn Monroe in her breakout role -- this gritty crime classic by John Huston climaxes in a meticulously detailed anatomy of a robbery that has reverberated through the genre ever since. An uncommonly naturalistic view of a seamy underworld, "The Asphalt Jungle" painstakingly depicts the calm professionalism and toughness of its gangster heroes while evincing a remarkable depth of compassion for their all-too-human fragility, and it showcases a master filmmaker at the height of his powers. New 2K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray.
Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc. Extras: Audio commentary from 2004 by film historian Drew Casper, featuring recordings of actor James Whitmore; new interviews with film noir historian Eddie Muller and cinematographer John Bailey; archival footage of writer-director John Huston discussing the film; "Pharos of Chaos," a 1983 documentary about actor Sterling Hayden; episode of the television program "City Lights" from 1979 featuring John Huston; audio excerpts of archival interviews with Huston; excerpts from footage of the 1983 AFI Lifetime Achievement Award ceremony honoring Huston, featuring actor Sam Jaffe and the filmmaker; trailer; an essay by critic Geoffrey O'Brien. (The Criterion Collection).
Ben-Hur
(2016) Jack Huston, Toby Kebbell, Nazanin Boniadi, Rodrigo Santoro, Ayelet Zurer, Pilou Asbaek, Sofia Black D’Elia, Morgan Freeman. Judah Ben-Hur, a prince falsely accused of treason by his adopted brother, an officer in the Roman army, returns to his homeland after years at sea to seek revenge, but finds redemption. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Blu-ray extras: "Ben-Hur: The Legacy," "The Epic Cast," "A Tale for Our Times," "The Chariot Race," deleted & extended scenes, music videos. (Paramount).
Black Christmas BLU-RAY DEBUT
(1974) Director: Bob Clark; Margot Kidder, Olivia Hussey, John Saxon, Keir Dullea. A group of sorority girls are stalked by a psychopath during Christmas break. New 2016 2K scan of the negative (1.85:1) with DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, DTS-HD Master Audio Mono. Extras: Commentaries, new and vintage featurettes, trailers, alternative title sequence, photo gallery, more. Read more here. (Scream Factory).
Bridget Jones's Baby
(2016) Renée Zellweger, Patrick Dempsey, Colin Firth, Jim Broadbent, Gemma Jones, Emma Thompson. The third installment in the Bridget Jones series follows forty-something Bridget as she embraces a new decade in her life, confronts her past with a charismatic old love, and finds new romance using her signature quirk and humor. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, Blu-ray/DVD Combo, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: Alternate ending, Gag Reel, Deleted and Alternate Scenes, "Full Circle: The Making of Bridget Jones's Baby" multi-part documentary on the making of "Bridget Jones's Baby" featuring interviews with cast and crew including: "Renée Returns," "The Difference that 15 Years Makes," "Bridget's Boys," "In London, In Love" and "Sharon's Show: The Director." (Universal).
Brother Nature
(2016) Taran Killam, Bobby Moynihan, Gillian Jacobs, Rita Wilson, Bill Pullman, Sarah Burns, Rachael Harris, Kumail Nanjiani, Kenan Thompson, David Wain. Roger (Killam), a straight-laced politician, has big plans to propose to his dream girl (Jacobs) at her family's lake house. But everything goes awry when he meets his potential brother-in-law Todd (Moynihan): a full-time camp counselor with a heart of gold and a wild sense of fun, pining to be Roger's best friend, and ultimately catapulting him into a series of unfortunate events. Formats: DVD. (Paramount).
Christmas All Over Again
(2016) Sean Ryan Fox, Amber Montana, Christy Carlson Romano, Joey Lawrence. It's Christmas Eve, and teen Eddie (Sean Ryan Fox) hopes a sweet new pair of Breezy 3000 sneakers will catch the eye of neighbor girl Cindy (Amber Montana). But the next morning, the tree is empty -- and every new day after that is the same -- another Christmas without presents. To escape from this time loop, Eddie turns to a mysterious shoe store owner (Joey Lawrence), who helps him understand that true joy doesn't come tied up in a bow. Earned a Dove Family Seal of approval. Formats: DVD, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). (Lionsgate).
Counter Clockwise
(2016) Michael Kopelow, Devon Ogden, Kerry Knuppe, Joy Rinaldi, Caleb Brown, Frank Simms. Science fiction-dark comedy-thriller about a befuddled scientist who stumbles into inventing a time machine and recklessly zaps himself six months into the future. But in that future, he is a wanted man and accused murderer, so he tries to return to the point right before everything went wrong. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, VOD, Digital. (Artsploitation Films).
Creepshow 2
(1987) Tom Savini, George Kennedy, Dorothy Lamour. Horror titans George A. Romero and Stephen King deliver yet another fiendish selection of blood-curdling tales -- now newly remastered in 2K. Formats: Blu-ray, DVD. While retaining the EC comic book flavor that made the original such a hit, "Creepshow 2," this time directed by long-time Romero collaborator Michael Gornick, is a decidedly darker and grimmer affair than its predecessor. In "Old Chief Wood'nhead," a group of young hoodlums face retribution from an unlikely source after looting a local hardware store. Meanwhile, "The Raft" sees a group of horny teens wishing they'd read the warning signs first before taking a dip in a remote lake. Finally, an uptight businesswoman finds herself with some unwanted company following a hit-and-run incident in "The Hitch-hiker." Extras: Commentary, featurettes, behind-the-scenes footage, extended scenes, TV spots, trailer, "Creepshow 2: Pinfall" limited edition booklet featuring the never-before-seen comic adaptation of this unfilmed "Creepshow 2" segment by artist Jason Mayoh, collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Michael Blyth. Read more here. (Arrow Video/MVD Entertainment).
The Devil Lives Here
(2016 -- Brazil) Pedro Carvalho, Ivo Müller, Sidney Santiago, Clara Verdier, Diego Goullart, Pedro Caetano, Felipe Frazão, Mariana Cortines. Three teenagers go visit a friend at his old farmhouse for the weekend. Instead of fun, they get caught in the middle of a centuries-old war between good and evil. Formats: DVD, VOD. (Artsploitation Films).
Disorder
(2015 -- France) Matthias Schoenaerts, Diane Kruger. What happens when the man hired to protect you may be the real threat? After being discharged from the army, Vincent, a troubled Afghanistan veteran, becomes bodyguard to the wife and young son of a wealthy Lebanese businessman at their luxurious villa on the French Riviera. But trapped in a perpetual mental warzone, the unstable Vincent must determine which dangers to the family are real and which are the product of his PTSD-fueled paranoia if he is going to keep them safe. Formats: DVD. (IFC Films).
The Driller Killer
(1979) Abel Ferrara, Carolyn Marz, Baybi Day. In a career that has encompassed such controversial classics as "Ms. 45," "Bad Lieutenant" and "Welcome to New York," none of Abel Ferrara's films have quite managed to match the shock, extremity and downright notorious nature of "The Driller Killer." Ferrara plays struggling artist Reno, a man pushed to the edge by the economic realities of New York living in the late seventies and the No Wave band practising in the apartment below. His grip on reality soon begins to slip and he takes to stalking the streets with his power tool in search of prey ... One of the most infamous "video nasties," in part thanks to its drill-in-head sleeve, "The Driller Killer" has lost none of its power to unnerve and is presented here fully uncut. Available as a Limited Edition Dual Format Blu-Ray + DVD SteelBook and a Special Edition Dual Format Blu-Ray + DVD. The Limited Edition SteelBook, featuring original artwork, is limited to 2500 copies. Brand new restoration from original film elements with uncompressed Mono PCM audio on the Blu-ray. Formats: Blu-ray/DVD Combo. Extras: Audio commentary by director and star Abel Ferrara, moderated by Brad Stevens (author of "Abel Ferrara: The Moral Vision") and recorded exclusively for this release; new interview with Ferrara; "Willing and Abel: Ferraraology 101," a new visual essay guide to the films and career of Ferrara by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, author of "Cultographies: Ms. 45"; "Mulberry St." (2010), Ferrara's feature-length documentary portrait of the New York location that has played a key role in his life and work; trailer; collector's booklet featuring new writing by Michael Pattison and Brad Stevens. Read more here. (Arrow Video/MVD Entertainment).
800 Words, Season 1
(2015) Heart-warming Aussie-Kiwi dramedy follows newly-widowed George Turner’s (Erik Thomson) decision to start afresh and take his teenage kids from Sydney to a picturesque and quirky New Zealand coastal town. But the colorful and inquisitive locals ensure his dream of a fresh start does not go as planned. Two-disc set with 10 episodes.
Formats: DVD. (Acorn Media).
End of a Gun
(2016) Steven Seagal, Jade Ewen, Florin Piersic Jr. An ex-DEA agent's (Seagal) life takes an unexpected turn when he comes to the rescue of a seductive woman, and finds himself entangled in a bloody game of cat and mouse with a maniacal drug lord when he goes on the run with her ... and $2 million worth of drug money. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, Digital. (Lionsgate).
Equity
(2016) Anna Gunn, James Purefoy, Sarah Megan Thomas, Alysia Reiner. A female investment banker (Anna Gunn), fighting to rise to the top of the corporate ladder at a competitive Wall Street firm, navigates a controversial tech IPO in the post-financial crisis world, where loyalties are suspect, regulations are tight, but pressure to bring in "big money" remains high. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, Digital. Extras: Three featurettes: "Girl Gang: The Equity of Empowerment," "Grey Lines: The Making of Equity" and "Los Angeles Film Festival Q&A." (Sony).
Fear the Walking Dead: The Complete Second Season
(2016) Five-disc set with all 15 episodes. Last season, "Fear the Walking Dead" explored a blended family that watched a burning, dead city as they traversed a devastated Los Angeles. In Season 2, the group aboard the Abigail is unaware of the true breadth and depth of the apocalypse that surrounds them; they assume there is still a chance that some city, state, or nation might be unaffected, some place that the Infection has not reached. But as Operation Cobalt goes into full effect, the military bombs the Southland to cleanse it of the Infected, driving the Dead toward the sea. As Madison, Travis, Daniel, and their grieving families head for ports unknown, they discover that the water may be no safer than land. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc. Extras: Commentaries, deleted scenes, "Flight 462" webisodes, Q&A with cast and creative Team from Paley Fest LA 2016, "Inside Fear the Walking Dead," "The Making of Fear the Walking Dead." (Anchor Bay).
Florence Foster Jenkins
(2016) Meryl Streep, Hugh Grant, Simon Helberg, Rebecca Ferguson, Nina Arianda, Stanley Townsend, Allan Corduner The story of Florence Foster Jenkins, a New York heiress who dreamed of becoming an opera singer, despite having a terrible singing voice. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo, VOD, Digital. Blu-ray extras: Deleted Scenes, "Ours is a Happy World," "The Music and Songs of Florence," "Designing the Look," "From Script to Screen," "Florence Foster Jenkins" world premiere, Q&A with Meryl Streep, "Live at Carnegie Hall." (Paramount).
Girls Lost
(2016 -- Sweden) Three best friends -- bullied, outcast 14-year-old girls -- explore gender identity, love and courage as they navigate the transitional age between childhood and adulthood. The girls find a magic flower that temporarily turns them into boys, and during nocturnal odysseys they enjoy their new identities. One of the girls is lured further and further into the boys' world questioning her sexuality as well, as her friends struggle to decipher their new magical reality. Employing sleek visuals and a tactile electronic score, the film is a skillfully crafted tale about the essence of gender, and sexual confusion/awakening, with a clever supernatural twist. Formats: DVD VOD. (Wolfe Video).
Green Is Gold
(2016) Ryon Baxter, Jimmy Baxter, Liz Clare, David Fine. A teenage boy learns the value of family in this independent film. A 13-year-old boy is forced to live with his estranged brother after their father is sent to prison. Their relationship is soon tested when the older brother's occupation as a cannabis farmer infringes on his ability not only to raise his brother, but to even take care of himself. Through constant tribulation, however, they discover the only way to get through the difficulties of life is to work together and try to beat the odds. Formats: DVD, VOD, Digital. (Samuel Goldwyn/Paramount).
Harley and the Davidsons
(2016) Michiel Huisman, Bug Hall, Robert Aramayo. Discovery Channel miniseries based on the inspirational true story of three young men who risked their entire fortune to overcome adversity to create the iconic bike. During a time of great social and technological change beginning at the turn of the 20th century, Walter and Arthur Davidson and Bill Harley risked their livelihoods to launch the budding motorcycle enterprise. Each of these men faced very different challenges, but it was the motorcycle that united their dreams and ambitions. Formats: Blu-ray/DVD Combo, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: Behind-the-scenes featurette, “Biketacular” special showcase of impressive bike builds. (Lionsgate).
Land and Shade
(2015 -- Columbia) After abandoning his family 17 years ago, an elderly farmer, Alfonso, returns home to care for his ailing son. He discovers the landscape once familiar to him has been ravaged by toxic smoke and resembles a wasteland, as the vast sugar cane fields surrounding his house are burned during harvest. While reconciling his past, Alfonso must save his family from this life-threatening situation. Formats: DVD. (Strand Releasing).
Little Men
(2016) Greg Kinnear, Jennifer Ehle, Paulina García, Alfred Molina, Theo Taplitz, Michael Barbieri. An artsy 13-year-old boy named Jake (Taplitz) moves to gentrifying Brooklyn with his family following the death of his grandfather, where he becomes unlikely friends with an extroverted kid his age named Tony (Barbieri). However, Jake's parents (Greg Kinnear and Jennifer Ehle) are the landlords of the dress shop run by Tony's single mom (Paulina Garcia), and their bond is tested when the two families get into a bitter argument involving the cost of rent. Formats: DVD. Extras: "The Making of Little Men," casting sessions, trailer. (Magnolia Home Entertainment).
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
(2016) Dir.: Tim Burton. Stars: Eva Green, Asa Butterfield, Samuel L. Jackson, Ella Purnell, Judi Dench, Allison Janney, Chris O'Dowd, Terence Stamp. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, 3D Blu-ray/Blu-ray Combo, 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: "The Peculiar Story" behind-the-scenes featurette, "The Peculiars" behind-the-scenes
piece with 15 character pods; "Hollows and Ex-Hollows" featurette, "Map of Days" of Miss Peregrine's home & Blackpool Tower, "Wish That You Were Here" The Machine music video,
gallery of never-before-seen sketches by Tim Burton and photographs.(Fox).
Morgan
(2016) Kate Mara, Paul Giamatti, Toby Jones, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Rose Leslie, Anya Taylor-Joy. A corporate risk-management consultant must decide whether or not to terminate an artificially created humanoid being. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo, 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: "Modified Organism: The Science Behind Morgan," "deleted scenes, commentary by director Luke Scott, "Loom" Luke Scott short film with audio commentary by Luke Scott, still gallery. (Fox).
19-2, Season 3
(2016) Three-disc set with 10 episodes of the Canadian cop drama set in Montreal. The officers of Station 19 struggle to deal with the fallout from unmasking the mole within their department. As the high-ranking officers scramble to save their careers, the patrollers continue responding to crimes that plague Montreal’s streets. Ben (Jared Keeso) finds contentment in his relationship with Amelie (Tattiawna Jones), but troubles resurface with the family he thought he’d left behind. As Nick (Adrian Holmes) searches for information about his cousin’s disappearance, he sets off a chain of events with consequences he never could have foreseen. Formats: DVD. Extras: 19-2 Ride Alongs" (Acorn Media).
Roma
(1972) Travelogue, memoir, and outrageous cinematic spectacle converge in this kaleidoscopic valentine to the Eternal City, composed by one of its most iconic inhabitants. Leisurely one moment and breathless the next, this urban fantasia by Federico Fellini interweaves recollections of the director's young adulthood in the era of Mussolini with an impressionistic portrait of contemporary Rome, where he and his film crew are gathering footage of the bustling cityscape. The material delights of sex, food, nightlife, and one hallucinatory ecclesiastical fashion show are shot through with glimmers of a monumental past: the Colosseum encircled by traffic, ancient frescoes unearthed in a subway tunnel, a pigeon-befouled statue of Caesar. With a head-spinning mix of documentary immediacy and extravagant artifice, Roma penetrates the myth and mystique of Italy's storied capital, a city Fellini called "the most wonderful movie set in the world." New high-definition digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc. Extras: Audio commentary featuring Frank Burke, author of "Fellini's Films"; deleted scenes; new interview with filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino on the lasting influence of Fellini; new interview with Italian poet and Fellini friend Valerio Magrelli; images from the Felliniana archive of collector Don Young; trailer; an essay by film scholar David Forgacs. (The Criterion Collection).
Southside With You
(2016) Tika Sumpter, Parker Sawyers. Inspired by President Barack Obama's first "date" with the First Lady. On a summer's day in 1989, a law associate named Barack Obama used all his charms to woo attorney Michelle Robinson. Southside with You brings that magical encounter to life as it follows Barack and Michelle on a day-long date that takes them from an art exhibit to a screening of "Do the Right Thing" to an unforgettable first kiss. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Extras: Commentary with writer-director Richard Tanne, original art and animations. (Lionsgate).
Stagecoach: The Texas Jack Story
(2016) Trace Adkins, Judd Nelson, Kim Coates. Hardscrabble period Western loosely based on the real-life exploits of 19th-century American outlaw Nathaniel Reed. After retiring from his life as an infamous outlaw, livery owner Nathaniel Reed (Adkins) quietly leads an honest existence on the Texas frontier with his devoted wife, Laura Lee. But his gun-slinging past suddenly comes back to haunt him when he learns that Calhoun (Coates), the man he once maimed during a stagecoach robbery, is now an unhinged U.S. Marshal who'll stop at nothing to exact vengeance. After a violent shootout brings tragic consequences, Nathaniel partners with his original gang, returns to his lawless ways and becomes Texas Jack: the most wanted outlaw in the West. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray Disc. (Cinedigm).
Star Paws
(2016) William McNamara, Bobby Catalano, Jason Pascoe, KJ Schrock, April Rose. The battle between cats and dogs goes galactic. An evil kitten known as Adventure Cat and his army of cloned kitties seeks to find an ancient bone with magical powers to take over the galaxy. It's up to an elite group of space dogs, headed by the intrepid General Ruff (William McNamara), to beat the kittens to the bone. As the race to find the mythical bone heats up, the space dogs build a time machine in order to travel back to the time of the dinosaurs in hopes of beating Adventure Cat to the bone and saving the Universe from total destruction. Dove Approved for the whole family.
Formats: DVD. (Ruthless/MVD Visual).
Streets of Compton
(2016) Documentary miniseries about the rise of West Coast hip-hop. Produced and narrated by rapper The Game, the miniseries brings unprecedented behind-the-scenes access to hip-hop's origins, exploring the rise of music legends like NWA and Dr. Dre told through the eyes of its current and former residents. Compton is well known as the birthplace of legends including NWA, Venus and Serena Williams, and Kendrick Lamar. But Compton is a place most people have never seen and the truth isn't always pretty. "Streets of Compton" tells the story of how a city overrun by gangs and violence became a cultural powerhouse. Hip-hop superstar The Game takes us on a dark yet redemptive journey into the heart of his city. Formats: DVD. (Lionsgate).
Sudden Fear BLU-RAY DEBUT
(1952) Joan Crawford, Jack Palance, Gloria Grahame, Bruce Bennett. In this rediscovered masterpiece of film noir, Crawford plays a successful playwright who marries a less than stellar actor (Palance) with a troubling secret. She soon discovers that he not only married her for her money but that he plans to murder her with the help of his lover (Grahame). Nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Actress (Crawford), Best Supporting Actor (Palance) and Best Black & White Cinematography (Charles Lang Jr.), this taut thriller also features a score by Elmer Bernstein that is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat. In a new 2k restoration. (Cohen Film Collection).
Suicide Squad Extended Cut
(2016) Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman, Viola Davis, Cara Delevingne. A secret government agency recruits some of the most dangerous incarcerated criminals to form a defensive task force, with their first case leading to a potential apocalypse. The Blu-ray versions feature the theatrical and extended versions with 13 more minutes of footage. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo, 3D Blu-ray/Blu-ray Combo, Ultra HD Blu-ray, VOD, Digital, UltraViolet (cloud). Blu-ray extras: "Task Force X: One Team, One Mission," "Chasing the Real," "Joker & Harley: 'It' Couple of The Underworld," "Squad Strength and Speed," "Armed to the Teeth," "This is Gonna Get Loud: The Epic Battles of Suicide Squad," "The Squad Declassified," gag reel. (Warner).
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