From the Big Screen:
The Forever Purge
(2021) The old rules of the Purge are broken as members of an underground movement, no longer satisfied with the annual night of anarchy and murder, decide to overtake America through an unending campaign of mayhem and massacre. No one is safe. On the morning after the Purge, a masked gang of killers attacks a wealthy Texas ranching family and their workers. Exposed by daylight, the two groups are forced to band together and fight back as the country spirals into chaos and the United States begins to disintegrate around them. Vitals: Director: Everardo Valerio Gout. Stars: Ana de la Reguera, Tenoch Huerta, Cassidy Freeman, Leven Rambin, Josh Lucas, Will Patton. 2021, CC, MPAA rating: R, 103 min., Horror Action, US box office gross: $44.357 million, worldwide $73.866 million, Universal. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Code, 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo + Digital Code, VOD, Digital. Extras: Alternate storyboard opening, deleted scene, “Collapsing the System: Behind the Forever Purge,” “Creeptastic Wardrobe,” theatrical trailer. Read more here. 
This Week’s Best Bets:
“The Ultimate Richard Pryor Collection: Uncensored” is a 13-disc set, packed with more than 26 hours of raw, uncensored Pryor. Raw, sometimes shocking and always thrilling, Pryor — a once-in-a-generation innovator — pushed the envelope and was almost single-hand responsible for the comedy evolution that continues to this day. He won an Emmy, five Grammys, was the 
recipient of the very first Mark Twain Prize for American Humor (1998) and in 2017, Rolling Stone ranked him #1 on its list of the 50 best stand-up comics of all time. This set includes: All four of Pryor’s full-length concert films – “Live & Smokin,” “Live in Concert,” “Live on the Sunset Strip,” and “Here and Now”; Pryor’s 1977 NBC TV Special and all four controversial episodes of “The Richard Pryor Show,” featuring Robin Williams, Sandra Bernhard, Tim Reid, Marsha Warfield, and more; Pryor’s most memorable TV appearances on “The Merv Griffin Show,” “The Dick Cavett Show,” and” The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson”; the feature film, “Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling,” written, produced, and directed by Pryor; never-before-released footage from Pryor’s infamous first film, “Uncle Tom’s Fairy Tales,” lost since 1968; exclusive footage of Pryor’s final performances and a tribute event at The Comedy Store; two acclaimed documentary films – “Richard Pryor: Omit the Logic” and “I Am Richard Pryor”; a no-holds-barred interview with Pryor’s widow, Jennifer Lee Pryor; collector’s booklet with personal photos, diary entries, tour notes and more. From Time Life … 
Director, writer, composer, actor, and one-man creative revolutionary Melvin Van Peebles (who died last week) jolted American independent cinema to new life with his explosive stylistic energy and unfiltered expression of Black consciousness. Though he undeniably altered the course of film history with the anarchic “Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song” (1971), that pop-culture bombshell is just one piece of a remarkably varied career that has also encompassed forays into European art cinema (“The Story of a Three Day Pass,” 1967), mainstream Hollywood comedy (“Watermelon Man,” 1970), and Broadway musicals (“Don’t Play Us Cheap,” 1972). Each facet of Van Peebles’s renegade genius is on display in this collection of four films, “Melvin Van Peebles: Four Films,” a tribute to a transformative artist whose caustic social observation, radical formal innovation, and uncompromising vision established a new cinematic model for Black creative independence. Also included in the set is “Baadasssss!,” a chronicle of the production of Sweet Sweetback made by Van Peebles’s son Mario Van Peebles -— and starring the younger Van Peebles as Melvin. On Blu-ray, with new 4K digital restorations of all four films, approved by filmmaker Mario Van Peebles, with uncompressed monaural soundtracks for “The Story of a Three Day Pass,” “Watermelon Man,” and “Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song” and 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack for “Don’t Play Us Cheap.” From The Criterion Collection … 
“The Damned” (1969 — Italy), the most savagely subversive film by the iconoclastic auteur Luchino Visconti, employs the mechanics of deliriously stylized melodrama to portray Nazism’s total corruption of the soul. In the wake of Hitler’s ascent to power, the wealthy industrialist von Essenbeck family and their associates — including the scheming social climber Friedrich (Dirk Bogarde), the incestuous matriarch Sophie (Ingrid Thulin), and the perversely cruel heir Martin (Helmut Berger, memorably donning Dietrich-like drag in his breakthrough role) — descend into a self-destructive spiral of decadence, greed, perversion, and all-consuming hatred as they vie for power, over the family business and over one another. The heightened performances and Visconti’s luridly expressionistic use of Technicolor conjure a garish world of decaying opulence in which one family’s downfall comes to stand for the moral rot of a nation. On DVD, Blu-ray, with new 2K digital restoration by the Cineteca di Bologna and Institut Lumière, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray. From The Criterion Collection.
Buzzin’ the ‘B’s:
In “Blood Conscious” (2021), starring Oghenero Gbaje, DeShawn White, Lenny Thomas, Lori Hammel and Nick Damici, a vacationing family turns the tables on a mass shooter who claims to be fighting demonic forces. Kevin, his older sister, Brittney, and her fiance, Tony, arrive at their parents’ lakeside cabin expecting a leisurely weekend getaway. But their holiday turns into a trip from hell as they enter the scene of a mass shooting where their parents and neighbors have all been murdered. They pin down the shotgun-wielding murderer and lock him in the cellar, but as darkness falls, Kevin begins to entertain the man’s ravings about possessed campers and demons in the woods. From Dark Sky Films … In “Crazy About You” (2019 — Australia), starring Angus McLaren, Natasha Liu Bordizzo and John Cleese, dumped by his girlfriend and sponsored by media scoundrel Brian King, desolate Jake walks all-but-naked up Western Australia’s coast for charity, in the hope his gesture will win back Jasmine, until he meets mesmerizing backpacker Valerie. From Well Go USA … 
In “Blithe Spirit” (2020), starring Dan Stevens, Isla Fisher, Judi Dench and Leslie Mann, best-selling crime novelist Charles (Stevens) suffers from terrible writer’s block and is struggling to finish his first screenplay. His picture-perfect new wife Ruth (Fisher) is doing her best to keep him focused so they can fulfill her dream of leaving London for Hollywood. Charles’ quest for inspiration leads him to invite the eccentric mystic Madame Acarti (Dench) to perform a seance in his home. He gets more than he bargained for when Madame Acarti inadvertently summons the spirit of his first wife: the brilliant and fiery Elvira (Mann). Based on the play by Noel Coward, which was initially made into a film in 1946 (directed by David Lean and starring Rex Harrison, Constance Cummings, Kay Hammond and Margaret Rutherford) and has been adapated to US and British TV at least five times. On DVD, Blu-ray, from /Shout! Factory … In “First Date” (2021), starring Tyson Brown and Shelby Duclos, Mike, a shy teenager, finally summons the courage to ask out his badass neighbor, Kelsey, only to realize he’s missing a key element for a successful date — the car. Panicked and low on cash, Mike is conned into buying a beat up ‘65 Chrysler based on a shady online ad. His plan to win over Kelsey soon turns into a surreal misadventure when they are inexplicably targeted by a pair of cops, a criminal gang and a vengeful cat lady. A night fueled by desire, bullets and burning rubber makes any other first date seem like a walk in the park. From Magnolia Home Entertainment/Magnet Label … “Twist” (2021), starring Raff Law, Michael Caine, Sophie Simnett and Lena Headey, is inspired by Charles Dickens’s iconic novel “Oliver Twist.” This crime-thriller set in contemporary London follows the journey of Twist (Law), a gifted graffiti artist trying to find his way after the loss of his mother. Lured into a street gang headed by the paternal Fagin (Caine), Twist is attracted to the lifestyle — and to Red (Simnett), an alluring member of Fagin’s crew. But when an art theft goes wrong, Twist’s moral code is tested as he’s caught between Fagin, the police, and a loose-cannon enforcer (Headey). On DVD, Blu-ray + Digital, from Lionsgate.
Foreign Films:
Screen legends Jeanne Moreau and Jean-Paul Belmondo (who died September 6) star in “Seven Days … Seven Nights (Moderato Cantabile)” (1960 — France), a mesmerizing drama from the brilliant mind of Marguerite Duras (“Hiroshima Mon Amour,” “India Song”). Moreau, who won the award for Best Actress at the 1960 Cannes Film Festival, is Anne Desbarèdes, a wealthy, bored housewife who believes she has witnessed a murder in a quayside bistro. Rushing to the scene of the crime, she strikes up a conversation with Chauvin (Belmondo), an employee of her husband who also saw the crime. The troubled woman continues to return to the café, increasingly identifying herself with the murder victim and becoming obsessed with Chauvin. Director Peter Brook (“Lord of the Flies,” “Marat/Sade”) and cinematographer Armand Thirard (“The Wages of Fear,” “Diabolique”) create repetitive patterns of sound and image that reflect Anne’s frustration with the “moderato cantabile” nature of her life and the absence of true passion that draws her inexorably to the café and Chauvin. On DVD, Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.
(2021) The ninth chapter in the Fast & Furious Saga, which has endured for two decades and has earned more than $5 billion around the world. Dom Toretto is leading a quiet life off the grid with Letty and his son, little Brian, but they know that danger always lurks just over their peaceful horizon. This time, that threat forces Dom to confront the sins of his past to save those he loves most. His crew joins together to stop a world-shattering plot led by the most skilled assassin and high-performance driver they’ve ever encountered: a man who also happens to be Dom’s forsaken brother, Jakob. 
(2021) New live-action feature film about the rebellious early days of one of cinema’s most notorious – and notoriously fashionable – villains, the legendary Cruella de Vil. “Cruella,” which is set in 1970s London amidst the punk rock revolution, follows a young grifter named Estella, a clever and creative girl determined to make a name for herself with her designs. She befriends a pair of young thieves who appreciate her appetite for mischief, and together they are able to build a life for themselves on the London streets. One day, Estella’s flair for fashion catches the eye of the Baroness von Hellman, a fashion legend who is devastatingly chic and terrifyingly haute. But their relationship sets in motion a course of events and revelations that will cause Estella to embrace her wicked side and become the raucous, fashionable and revenge-bent Cruella. 
cited as a factor in a several manslaughter cases and protests over the film began to spread — including outside Kubrick’s home. In early 1973 Kubrick asked Warners to pull the film from the British cinemas, and it was never to be seen in that country until after his death in 1999. In an England of the future, Alex (McDowell) and his “Droogs” spend their nights getting high at the Korova Milkbar before embarking on “a little of the old ultraviolence,” while jauntily warbling “Singin’ in the Rain.” After he’s jailed for bludgeoning the Cat Lady to death, Alex submits to a behavior modification technique to earn his freedom; he’s conditioned to abhor violence. Returned to the world defenseless, Alex becomes the victim of his prior victims. Extras include commentary by Malcolm McDowell and Nick Redman, “Still Tickin’: The Return of Clockwork Orange” [2000 Channel 4 Documentary], “Great Bolshy Yarblockos! Making A Clockwork Orange,” “Turning Like Clockwork,” “Malcolm McDowell Looks Back,” “O Lucky Malcolm!” 
“Throw Down” (2004), one of the most personal films by the prolific Hong Kong auteur Johnnie To, is a thrilling love letter to both the cinema of Akira Kurosawa and the art and philosophy of judo. Amid the neon-drenched nightclubs and gambling dens of Hong Kong’s nocturnal underworld, the fates of three wandering souls — a former judo champion now barely scraping by as an alcoholic bar owner (Louis Koo), a young fighter (Aaron Kwok) intent on challenging him, and a singer (Cherrie Ying) chasing dreams of stardom -— collide in an operatic explosion of human pain, ambition, perseverance, and redemption. Paying offbeat homage to Kurosawa’s debut feature, “Sanshiro Sugata,” To scrambles wild comedy, flights of lyrical surrealism, and rousing martial-arts action into what is ultimately a disarmingly touching ode to the healing power of friendship. On DVD, Blu-ray, with new 4K digital restoration, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray. From The Criterion Collection … 
“Breakdown” (1997) makes its Blu-ray debut this week, featuring a remaster approved by director Jonathan Mostow, from a new 4K film scan, presented in a limited-edition with collectible packaging featuring a foldout image of the film’s theatrical poster and an interior spread with key movie moments. Kurt Russell is Jeff Taylor, headed toward a new life in California with his wife Amy (Kathleen Quinlan). When their car dies on a remote highway, a seemingly helpful trucker (J.T. Walsh) offers Amy a ride to the local diner while Jeff waits with the car. Then Jeff discovers his vehicle was deliberately tampered with, and by the time he gets to the next town, his worst fears are about to come true. From Paramount Presents … Sparks fly both on and off the court in “Love & Basketball” (2000), the groundbreaking feature debut by writer-director Gina Prince-Bythewood, which elevated the coming-of-age romance by giving honest expression to the challenges female athletes face in a world that doesn’t see them as equal. 
Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps make for one of the most iconic screen couples of the 2000s as the basketball-obsessed next-door neighbors who find love over flirtatious pickup games, fall apart under the strain of high-pressure college hoops and families, and drift in and out of each other’s lives as they pursue their twin aspirations of playing professionally. Aided by stellar supporting performances and an eclectic R&B soundtrack, “Love & Basketball” captures the intoxicating passions, heartbreaking setbacks, and sky-high ambitions that mark a young woman’s journey to the top of her game and to lasting love. On DVD, Blu-ray, with new 4K digital restoration, supervised by director Gina Prince-Bythewood, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray. From The Criterion Collection.
Lady Wadsworth tells Hannah it’s time to change her wild ways — and she’ll haunt her until she does. On DVD, Blu-ray, from Lionsgate. 
The supernatural horror film set over the course of a single evening in Brooklyn’s Borough Park, “The Vigil” (2019), starring Dave Davis, Menashe Lustig, Malky Goldman, makes its Blu-ray debut this week. Low on funds and having recently left his insular religious community, Yakov (Davis) reluctantly accepts an offer from his former rabbi and confidante to take on the responsibility of an overnight shomer — fulfilling the Jewish practice of watching over the body of a deceased community member. Shortly after arriving at the departed’s dilapidated house to sit in vigil, Yakov begins to realize that something is very, very wrong. Also on DVD, from IFC/Shout! Factory … When a mysterious virus causes the world to halt, an economist thinks he has found the answer in a link between animals, a renowned zookeeper and a secret cabal in “Coronavirus Conspiracy” (2021), starring Joseph D. Reitman, John Lehr, Kimberley Crossman and Larry Layfield. As he sets out to find answers alongside his crazy sidekicks, the economist kidnaps the retired zookeeper amidst the COVID-19 lockdown to try to unlock the grand mystery and discover who is truly at fault. From Indican Pictures … 
In “The Evil Next Door” (2021 — Sweden), starring Dilan Gwyn, Linus Wahlgren and Eddie Eriksson Dominguez. Shirin, new to her stepmom role, moves into a duplex with her partner, Frederik, and his son, Lucas. The new home feels like the right place to start becoming a family. But, when Frederik leaves for work and Lucas begins talking to an imaginary friend next door, strange things are heard from the other, uninhabited side. From Magnolia Home Entertainment/Magnet Label … In “The Power” (2021 — UK), starring Rose Williams, Charlie Carrick, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Theo Barklem-Biggs, Emma Rigby and Shakira Rahman, a young nurse is forced to work the night shift in a crumbling hospital in 1974 as striking miners switch off the power across Britain. But inside the walls lurks a terrifying presence that threatens to consume her and everyone around her. From RLJE Films … “Hardball” (2001), making its Blu-ray debut this week, stars Keanu Reeves, Diana Lane, John Hawkes, D.B. Sweeney and Michael B. Jordan, an follows Conor O’Neill (Reeves), a down-on-his-luck gambler in debt to dangerous loan sharks. Desperate for 
cash, Conor reluctantly takes a job coaching a youth baseball team. The “team” turns out to be a ragtag group of tough-talking kids from Chicago’s inner city. Secretly, Conor plans to desert the team after he wins a big bet. But the stakes are higher than Conor imagined: the kids need someone to believe in. As Conor wrestles with his past, the kids start to teach him some lessons that will forever change his future — that responsibility and trust must be earned and hope can appear in the most unlikely places. From Paramount … In “Violation” (2020 — Canada), starring Madeleine Sims-Fewer, Dusty Mancinelli and Jesse LaVercombe, a troubled woman on the edge of divorce returns home to her younger sister after years apart. But when her sister and brother-in-law betray her trust, she embarks on a vicious crusade of revenge. From RLJE Films.
trail of victories on the battlefield. But when a woman arrives at the palace claiming to be his long-lost love, the facade begins to fade, and he begins to realize that his closest allies may yet be his most dangerous foes. On DVD, Blu-ray, from Well Go USA … “I Carry You With Me (Te Llevo Conmigo)” (2020 — Mexico), starring Armando Espitia, Christian Vázquez, Michelle Rodríguez and Ángeles Cruz, is a love story spanning decades that is sparked by a chance encounter between two men in provincial Mexico. Based on a true story, ambition and societal pressure propel an aspiring chef to leave his soulmate and make the treacherous journey to New York, where life will never be the same. On DVD, Blu-ray, from Sony.
system functions in both training and in the event of an actual retaliatory nuclear strike, and the chilling means by which airpower, nuclear submarines and underground ICBM launch pads are employed to ensure absolute vengeance on the aggressor. Throughout the film, Ustinov colorfully illustrates several scenarios of what might happen if the missiles are unleashed and so commences “the war that must never happen.” Although the world’s political climate has mellowed since the Cold War era, this documentary takes viewers back in time to gain a perspective on what it was like to live under a very real nuclear threat. From Corinth Films … The documentary “The Center: Gibbons and Guardians” (2021), is the charming and sometimes funny, sometimes startling story of The Gibbon Conservation Center in Santa Clarita, California (just north of Los Angeles) and features interviews with a number of the leading women who tirelessly champion these charming apes globally including Dr. Jane Goodall, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and UN Messenger of Peace and The Gibbon Conservation Center’s director Gabriella Skollar. The film is a riveting cinematic documentary that follows the unexpected dramas at a remote nonprofit wildlife center in the California desert, weaving together the lives of endangered gibbons alongside those who care for them. On DVD, Blu-ray, from Gravitas Ventures … 
Journey behind the scenes of Las Vegas’ only black male revue show in “Black Magic Live: Stripped” (2021) and uncover the often complicated lives of its male strippers with this no-holds-barred documentary. Through the eyes of owner Eurika Pratts and CEO Jean-Claude LaMarre, and its all-black staff and cast, explore the challenges, struggles and growing pains the show and its core group of dancers have overcome during their four successful years on the Strip. From Lightyear. 
