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January 4

Antlers

photo for Antlers (2021) From the visionary world of director Scott Cooper and horror maestro Guillermo del Toro comes this slow-paced horror film. In an isolated Oregon town, a middle-school teacher (Keri Russell) and her sheriff brother (Jesse Plemons) become embroiled with her enigmatic student (Jeremy T. Thomas) whose dark secrets lead to terrifying encounters with a legendary ancestral creature who came before them. Based on the short story "The Quiet Boy" by Nick Antosca. Vitals: Director: Scott Cooper. Stars: Keri Russell, Jesse Plemons, Jeremy T. Thomas, Graham Greene, Scott Haze, Rory Cochrane, Amy Madigan. 2021, CC, MPAA rating: R, 99 min., Horror, North American box office gross: $10.619 million, worldwide $18.500 million, Fox/Disney. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray, VOD, Digital. 2 stars


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Black Friday

(2021) Devon Sawa, Bruce Campbell, Ivana Baquero. A group of toy store employees must protect each other from a horde of parasite infected shoppers. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray. (Screen Media Films).

The Djinn

(2021) Ezra Dewey, Rob Brownstein, Tevy Poe, Donald Pitts, John Erickson. Mute boy Dylan (Dewey) finds a book of spells in the closet when he is left home alone in their new apartment by his father (Brownstein) to work the night shift. Blaming himself for the recent death of his mother, Dylan summons a djinn to grant one wish. Now he must survive a night of sheer terror at the hands of the sinister creature to fulfill his heart's greatest desire. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray, VOD, Digital. (RLJE Films).

Ida Red

(2021) Josh Hartnett, Frank Grillo, Melissa Leo, Sofia Hublitz, William Forsythe, Mark Boone Junior, Beau Knapp. Ida "Red" Walker may not survive her terminal illness while incarcerated for armed robbery, so she turns to her son, Wyatt, for one last job and a chance to regain her freedom. Formats: DVD, VOD, Digital. (Paramount). Read more here
photo for Only the Animals

Only the Animals

(2021 -- France) Denis Ménochet, Laure Calamy, Damien Bonnard, Nadia Tereszkiewicz, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi. Two depressed farmers, an unfaithful wife, a lovelorn waitress and an African con artist are drawn together in a mystery surrounding the disappearance of Tedeschi's glamorous Evelyne Ducat. Following a snowstorm, her car is found on the road up to a plateau where a few isolated farms struggle to survive. While the gendarmes have no leads, five people know that they are linked to this disappearance. They all have their secrets, but no one suspects that the whole story began far from this mountain swept by winter winds, on another continent where the sun beats down and where poverty does not prevent desire from dictating its laws. The action switches between international locations as the links between the characters are gradually revealed. Formats: Blu-ray. (Cohen Film Collection).

The Superdeep

(2020 -- Russia) Milena Radulovic, Nikita Dyuvbanov, Kirill Kovbas, Vadim Demchog, Sergey Ivanyuk. The Russian Kola Superdeep Borehole is the largest drilling project in the world, attempting to drill as far as possible into the Earth's crust. After reaching depths of nearly seven miles below the surface, unexplained sounds resembling the screams and moans of numerous people were reported and the borehole was shut down. But when a small team of scientists and military personnel set out to unearth the source of the strange sounds, they end up discovering the greatest threat that humanity has ever faced. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray, VOD, Digital. (Shudder/RLJE Films).

Zeros and Ones

(2021) Director: Abel Ferrara; stars Ethan Hawke, Cristina Chiriac, Phil Neilson, Valerio Mastandrea. Gritty, tense political thriller set on one deadly night in Rome. Called to the city to stop an imminent terrorist bombing, soldier J.J. (Hawke) desperately seeks news of his imprisoned rebel brother, Justin (also Hawke), who holds knowledge that could thwart the attack. Navigating the capital's darkened streets, J.J. races to a series of ominous encounters, hoping to keep the Vatican from being blown to bits. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray. (Lionsgate).



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January 11

The Celebration

photo for The Celebration (1998 -- Denmark) The Danish Dogme 95 movement that struck world cinema like a thunderbolt began with "The Celebration," the international breakthrough by Thomas Vinterberg, a lacerating chamber drama that uses the economic and aesthetic freedoms of digital video to achieve annihilating emotional intensity. On a wealthy man's 60th birthday, a sprawling group of family and friends convenes at his country estate for a celebration that soon spirals into bedlam, as bombshell revelations threaten to tear away the veneer of bourgeois respectability and expose the traumas roiling beneath. The dynamic handheld camera work, grainy natural lighting, cacophonous diegetic sound, and raw performance style that would become Dogme hallmarks enhance the shattering visceral impact of this caustic indictment of patriarchal failings, which swings between blackest comedy and bleakest tragedy as it turns the sick soul of a family inside out. 2K digital restoration, approved by director Thomas Vinterberg, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack. Formats: Blu-ray. Extras: Audio commentary from 2005 featuring Vinterberg; new interview with Vinterberg; two early short films by Vinterberg: "Last Round" (1993) and "The Boy Who Walked Backwards" (1995); "The Purified," a 2002 documentary about Dogme 95, featuring interviews with Vinterberg and filmmakers Søren Kragh-Jacobsen, Kristian Levring, and Lars von Trier; program in which Vinterberg discusses the real-life inspiration for the film; documentaries featuring members of the cast and crew at the film's premiere in Copenhagen and reflecting back on the production; "ADM:DOP," a 2003 documentary profile of cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle; deleted scenes, with optional audio commentary by Vinterberg; trailer; an essay by critic and author Michael Koresky. (The Criterion Collection)

Cobra Kai Season 3

(2021) Two-disc set with all 10 episodes of the series that takes place over 30 years after the events of the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament -- with the continuation of the inescapable conflict between Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka). Season Three finds everyone reeling in the aftermath of the violent high school brawl between their dojos, which has left Miguel in a precarious condition. While Daniel searches for answers in his past and Johnny seeks redemption, Kreese further manipulates his vulnerable students with his own vision of dominance. Formats: DVD. Extras: Deleted scenes, blooper reel. (Sony).

Dune

photo for Dune (2021) The story of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet's exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence - Spice, a commodity capable of unlocking humanity's greatest potential - only those who can conquer their fear will survive. Based on the series by Frank Herbert. Vitals: Director: Denis Villeneuve. Stars: Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Zendaya, Chang Chen, David Dastmalchian, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Charlotte Rampling, Jason Momoa, Javier Bardem. 2021, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 155 min., Sci-Fi Action Adventure, US box office gross: $99.241 million, worldwide $366.441 million, Warner. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Code, 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo + Digital Code, VOD, Digital. Extras: "The Royal Houses" featurette. Blu-ray adds "Filmbooks: House Atreides," "Filmbooks: House Harkonnen," "Filmbooks: The Fremen," "Filmbooks: The Spice Melange," "Inside Dune: The Training Room," "Inside Dune: The Spice Harvester," "Inside Dune: The Sardaukar Battle," "Building the Ancient Future," "My Desert, My Dune," "Constructing the Ornithopters," "Designing the Sandworm," "Beware the Baron," "Wardrobe from Another World," "A New Soundscape." Read more here 3 stars
photo for Halloween Kills

Halloween Kills

(2021) And the Halloween night when Michael Myers returned isn't over yet. Minutes after Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), her daughter Karen (Judy Greer) and granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak) left masked monster Michael Myers caged and burning in Laurie's basement, Laurie is rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, believing she finally killed her lifelong tormentor. But when Michael manages to free himself from Laurie's trap, his ritual bloodbath resumes. As Laurie fights her pain and prepares to defend herself against him, she inspires all of Haddonfield to rise up against their unstoppable monster. The Strode women join a group of other survivors of Michael's first rampage who decide to take matters into their own hands, forming a vigilante mob that sets out to hunt Michael down, once and for all. Includes two versions of the movie: theatrical and extended with alternate ending. Vitals: Director: David Gordon Green. Stars: Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, Andi Matichak, James Jude Courtney, Will Patton, Thomas Mann, Jim Cummings, Dylan Arnold, Robert Longstreet, Anthony Michael Hall, Charles Cyphers, Scott MacArthur, Michael McDonald. CC, MPAA rating R, 105 minutes, Horror, Borth American Boxoffice: $49.409, Worldwide Boxoffice: #131.640, Universal. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Code, 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo + Digital Code, VOD, Digital. Extras: Gag reel, deleted and extended scenes, "Haddonfield's Open Wounds," "The Kill Team," "Strode Family Values," "1978 Transformations," "The Power of Fear," "Kill Count," feature commentary with director/co-writer David Gordon Green and stars Jamie Lee Curtis and Judy Greer. Read more here
photo for Historical Drama Collection

Historical Drama Collection

European History is a big part of international arthouse cinema. Corinth Films' collection of five important historical drama films tell of events based on true stories from Germany, Poland, Russia/Siberia, Latvia, France and the Sudetenland. "Within the Whirlwind" (2009 -- Germany/Poland/Belgium) is the story of Eugenia Ginzburg, a Russian literature professor who survived 10 years in a gulag after being swept up in Stalin's purges and lived to tell about it. "Calm At Sea" (2011 -- France), from acclaimed director Volker Schlondorff, immortalizes the young French militant Guy Moquet, who defied the Nazis in occupied France. "The Chronicles of Melanie" (2016 -- Latvia) tells the story of Melanija Vanaga's sudden separation from her husband and exile to Siberia for 16 years at the hands of Communist revolutionary forces. Based on the book "Suddenly a Criminal: 16 Years In Siberia." "Remembrance" (2010 -- Germany/Poland) is a love story that starts in a concentration camp and perseveres into a bitter-sweet reunion in the 1970's. "Habermann" (2010 -- Germany/Czech Republic) tells the tale of August Habermann, a business owner in the German Sudetenland who tries to protect his workers from the invading Nazis and is ultimately set up and betrayed. These stimulating films will help to broaden one's understanding of European history and feed a deeper appreciation of world culture. Formats: DVD. (Corinth Films).

Mass

(2021) Martha Plimpton, Jason Isaacs, Reed Birney, Ann Dowd. Years after an unspeakable tragedy tore their lives apart, two sets of parents (Isaacs and Plimpton, Birney and Dowd) agree to talk privately in an attempt to move forward. In Fran Kranz' writing and directing debut, he thoughtfully examines their journey of grief, anger and acceptance by coming face-to-face with the ones who have been left behind. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray, VOD, Digital. (Bleecker Street).

Spencer

(2021) Kristen Stewart, Timothy Spall, Jack Nielen, Freddie Spry, Jack Farthing, Sean Harris. The marriage of Princess Diana and Prince Charles has long since grown cold. Though rumors of affairs and a divorce abound, peace is ordained for the Christmas festivities at the Queen's Sandringham Estate. There's eating and drinking, shooting and hunting. Diana knows the game. But this year, things will be profoundly different. This is an imagining of what might have happened during those few fateful days. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray. (Neon).



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January 18

The Addams Family 2

photo for The Addams Family 2 (2021) Morticia (Charlize Theron) and Gomez (Oscar Isaac) are distraught that their children are growing up, skipping family dinners, and totally consumed with "scream time." To reclaim their bond, they decide to cram Wednesday (Chloë Grace Moretz), Pugsley (Javon 'Wanna' Walton), Uncle Fester (Nick Kroll) and the crew into their haunted camper and hit the road for one last miserable family vacation. What could possibly go wrong? Vitals: Director: Greg Tiernan and Conrad Vernon. Stars: Voices of Oscar Isaac, Charlize Theron, Chloë Grace Moretz, Nick Kroll, Javon 'Wanna' Walton, Wallace Shawn, with Snoop Dogg, Bette Midler, Bill Hader. 2021, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 92 min., Animated Family Comedy, US box office gross: $56.489 million, worldwide $107.418 million, MGM/Universal. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Code, VOD, Digital. Extras: "We're Altogether Addams" behind-the-scenes featurette, "Courage to be Kooky," "The Addams Family Road Trip Checklist." Read more here 3 stars

The Awakener

(2021 -- Brazil) Kiko Pissolato, Taina Medina, Samuel de Assis, Carlos Betao. Miguel (Kiko Pissolato) is a federal agent of the "D.A.E." ("Special Armed Division"), highly trained and an expert with weapons. After experiencing a trauma, he leaves for a personal journey of vengeance, and assumes the identity of a masked vigilante. The "Awakener" decides to do justice with his own hands, exterminating politicians and businessmen of corrupt construction firms. Now, his biggest goal is to fight a gang of politicians and criminals who took the lead in Brazilian politics and began to govern the country thinking only of their own interests. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray, VOD, Digital. (Universal).

The Dry

(2021) Eric Bana, Genevieve O'Reilly, Keir O'Donnell, John Polson. Federal Agent Aaron Falk returns to his home town after an absence of over 20 years to attend the funeral of his childhood friend, Luke, who allegedly killed his wife and child before taking his own life -- a victim of the madness that has ravaged this community after more than a decade of drought. When Falk reluctantly agrees to stay and investigate the crime, he opens up an old wound -- the death of 17-year-old Ellie Deacon. Falk begins to suspect these two crimes, separated by decades, are connected. As he struggles to prove not only Luke's innocence but also his own, Falk finds himself pitted against the prejudice towards him and pent up rage of a terrified community. Based on the book by Jane Harper. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray, VOD, Digital. Extras: "Homecoming," "Page to Screen," "Jane Harper's Day on Set," "Two Timelines," "Falk and Gretchen," "Filming in the Wimmera Region." (RLJE Films).
photo for Escape From Mogadishu

Escape From Mogadishu

(2021 -- South Korea) Kim Yoon-seok, Huh Joon-ho, Zo In-sung, Koo Kyo-hwan, Joung Man-sik, Kim So-jin. Dramatically based on actual events: When civil war explodes in 1991 between rebel factions and Somali government forces under dictator Mohamed Siad Barre, rival North and South Korean diplomats are trapped in the capital city, surrounded on all sides by what would emerge as some of the deadliest fighting of the conflict. With no aid from either Korean government -- and no means of communicating with the outside world -- the diplomats only shot at survival may require uniting with bitter adversaries to escape. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray, VOD, Digital. Extras: Production documentaries, making-of featurette. (Well Go USA). Read more here

Expresso Bongo

(1959) Laurence Harvey, Sylvia Sims, Yolande Donlan, Cliff Richard. This Fifties British rock 'n' roll classic is a fast-paced story about a cheap, opportunistic Soho talent agent (Harvey) who always looks for the quick buck. He's glib and he's flashy, a bluffer with a ready talent for the quick double-cross. When he picks up amateur singer and bongo player (Richard) in a Soho espresso bar, he uses a little bit of luck and tons of chutzpah to transform the kid into a highly-regarded international singing sensation. This 2K restoration from the original negative was done in collaboration with the British Film Institute and its Unlocking Film Heritage program. This is the full and original 1959 theatrical version, which includes a number of songs that were cut out of the later and more commonly available 1962 version that was released at the time to capitalize on the popularity of Cliff Richard. Formats: Blu-ray. (Cohen Film Collection).

The Jack in the Box: Awakening

(2021) Matt McClure, James Swanton, Mollie Hindle, Nicola Wright. Terminally ill heiress Olga Marsdale acquires a mysterious gothic box containing a captured demon - Jack. The powerful entity within makes a deadly deal with Olga and her devoted son Edgar - deliver six victims to Jack, and Olga will live. They trap several unsuspecting victims for him within the vast crumbling mansion - but can they deliver all six before it's too late? Or will Amy, the young and innocent woman recently hired to look after the estate turn out to be more than a match for both the family and the Jack? Formats: DVD, VOD, Digital. (ShineHouse).

Last Night In Soho

photo for Last Night In Soho (2021) Eloise (Thomasin McKenzie), an aspiring fashion designer, is mysteriously able to enter the 1960s, where she encounters a dazzling wannabe singer, Sandie (Anya Taylor-Joy). But the glamour is not all it appears to be, and the dreams of the past start to crack and splinter into something far darker. Vitals: Director: Edgar Wright. Stars: Thomasin McKenzie, Anya Taylor-Joy, Matt Smith, Michael Ajao. 2021, CC, MPAA rating: R, 116 min., Thriller, North American box office gross: $10.242 million, worldwide $23.072 million, Universal. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Code, 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo + Digital Code, VOD, Digital. Extras: Five making-of featurettes; deleted scenes; animatics; feature commentary with director/co-writer Edgar Wright, editor Paul Machliss and composer Steve Price; feature commentary with director/co-writer Edgar Wright and co-writer Kristy Wilson-Cairns. Blu-ray adds hair & makeup tests; lighting and VFX tests; wide angle witness cam; Acton town hall Steadicam rehearsal; "Downtown" music video; trailers. Read more here 3 stars

The Last Tycoons: The Producers Who Made The Classics of French Cinema Possible

(2019 -- France) French film producers such as Pierre Braunberger, Anatole Dauman, Robert Dorfmann, Mag Bodard, Alain Poiré, Pierre Cottrell, Jacques Perrin, and many others worked tirelessly, behind public view and with great personal financial risks, to produce some of the most internationally acclaimed and famous films of the post-war era. Without their boldness, intuition, and savvy, such iconic cinema classics as "Breathless," "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg," and "Belle de Jour" might never exist. Self-taught and passionate, these men and women financed films when there was little public or private support available, gambling everything they had in the process while bucking established commercial considerations and conventions. Directed by Florence Strauss, this eight-part documentary series highlights these men and women, who from 1945 to 1980, produced the landmark films that have had a profound influence on the history of cinema and continue to inspire filmmakers and audiences for generations to come. Formats: DVD, VOD. (Icarus Films).

Liar Liar: 25th Anniversary Edition

(1997) Jim Carrey, Maura Tierney, Cary Elwes, Anne Haney, Jennifer Tilly, Amanda Donohoe, Jason Bernard, Swoosie Kurtz. Carrey stars as a fast-talking attorney and habitual liar who, forced by his son's magical birthday wish, must tell the truth for the next 24 hours. He soon discovers that his biggest asset - his mouth - has suddenly become his biggest liability. Formats: Blu-ray. Extras: New "In Session: Looking Back at the Writing of Liar Liar," new "The Cases For Comedy: Looking Back at the Cast of Liar Liar," deleted scene, outtakes, commentary with director Tom Shadyac, "Bridging the Comedy Chasm," theatrical trailer. (Shout! Factory).

Nocturna: Side A - The Great Old Man's Night/Nocturna: Side B - Where Elephants Go to Die

(2021 -- Argentina) Pepe Soriano, Marilu Marini. "Nocturna: Side A" follows a nearly 100-year-old man who, on his final night on earth, fights for redemption from his life's misdeeds. Faced with imminent death, he is forced to rethink his past, his present and his take on reality. "Nocturna: Side B" is an aesthetically opposite experimental twist of the same story: a woman narrates the 100-year-old man's final night.Formats: DVD, VOD, Digital. (Breaking Glass Pictures). Read more here
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Red Angel

(1966 -- Japan) Ayako Wakao, Shinsuke Ashida, Yûsuke Kawazu, Jôtarô Senba. Directed by Yasuzo Masumura ("Giants and Toys", "Blind Beast"), "Red Angel" takes an unflinching look at the horror and futility of war through the eyes of a dedicated and selfless young military nurse. When Sakura Nishi is dispatched in 1939 to a ramshackle field hospital in Tientsin, the frontline of Japan's war of with China, she and her colleagues find themselves fighting a losing battle tending to the war-wounded and emotionally shellshocked soldiers while assisting head surgeon Dr Okabe conduct an unending series of amputations. As the Chinese troops close in, she finds herself increasingly drawn to Okabe who, impotent to stall the mounting piles of cadavers, has retreated into his own private hell of morphine addiction. Adapted from the novel by Yorichika Arima, Masumura's harrowing portrait of women and war is considered the finest of his collaborations with Ayako Wakao ("A Wife Confesses," "Irezumi") and features startling monochrome scope cinematography by Setsuo Kobayashi ("Fires on the Plain," "An Actor's Revenge"). Formats:Blu-ray. Extras: New audio commentary by Japanese cinema scholar David Desser; newly filmed introduction by Japanese cinema expert Tony Rayns; "Not All Angels Have Wings," a new visual essay by Jonathan Rosenbaum; original trailer; image gallery; reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tony Stella; FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated booklet featuring new writing by Irene González-López. (Arrow Video/MVD Entertainment). Read more here
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Shock

(1977 -- Italy) Daria Nicolodi, John Steiner, Ivan Rassimov, Lamberto Bava, David Colin Jr. In a career spanning four decades and encompassing virtually every genre under the sun, Mario Bava inspired multiple generations of filmmakers, from Dario Argento to Martin Scorsese and Tim Burton. Best remembered for his gothic horror movies, for his final feature, "Shock," he eschewed the grand guignol excesses of "Black Sabbath" or "Blood and Black Lace" for a more intimate portrait of mental breakdown in which true horror comes from within. Dora (Nicolodi) moves back into her old family home with her husband, Bruno (Steiner), and Marco (Colin Jr.), her young son from her previous marriage. But domestic bliss proves elusive as numerous strange and disturbing occurrences transpire, while Dora is haunted by a series of nightmares and hallucinations, many of them involving her dead former husband. Is the house itself possessed? Or does Dora's increasingly fragile grip on reality originate from somewhere far closer to home? Released in the United States as a sequel to Ovidio G. Assonitis's "Beyond the Door," "Shock" more than lives up to its name, proving that, even at this late stage in his career, Bava hadn't lost his touch for terror. Now restored in high definition for the first time. Formats: Blu-ray. Extras: New audio commentary by Tim Lucas, author of "Mario Bava: All the Colors of the Dark"; "A Ghost in the House," a new video interview with co-director and co-writer Lamberto Bava; "Via Dell'Orologio 33," a new video interview with co-writer Dardano Sacchetti; "The Devil Pulls the Strings," a new video essay by author and critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas; "Shock! Horror! - The Stylistic Diversity of Mario Bava," a new video appreciation by author and critic Stephen Thrower; "The Most Atrocious Tortur(e)," a new interview with critic Alberto Farina; Italian theatrical trailer; four US "Beyond the Door II" TV spots; image gallery; reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Christopher Shy; FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Troy Howarth, author of "The Haunted World of Mario Bava." (Arrow Video/MVD Entertainment). Read more here

Song of the Thin Man BLU-RAY DEBUT

(1947) At a charity gambling benefit aboard the S.S. Fortune, the tables are hot, the jazz is hotter and before you know it, a bandleader's body is growing cold. William Powell and Myrna Loy return for the sixth and final time as the married sleuths Nick and Nora Charles, rousting suspects out of bed for 4 a.m. interrogations while trying to fathom the bebop argot of '40s jazz jive. Speaking of their renowned screen chemistry, Loy once said, "It wasn't a conscious thing. If you heard us talking in a room, you'd hear the same thing. He'd tease me, and there was a sort of blending which seemed to please people." Decades later, people are still pleased. Formats: Blu-ray. Extras: MGM Passing Parade short "A Really Important Person," Tex Avery Cartoon "Slap Happy Lion," original theatrical trailer. (Warner Archive).

Time

photo for Time (2020) What does the weight of time's passage feel like for a family caught in the jaws of a brutal carceral system? Both a breathtaking cinematic love story and a bruising indictment of American injustice, the Academy Award-nominated feature documentary debut of Garrett Bradley traces the decades-long quest of Sibil Fox Richardson, an indefatigable mother of six and a fiercely outspoken prison abolitionist, to free her husband from the Louisiana State Penitentiary, where he is serving a 60-year sentence for robbery. Gracefully interweaving 20 years' worth of Richardson's own intimate home movies with luminously expressive monochrome footage of her present-day joys and struggles, Bradley crafts in "Time" a transcendentally poetic, soul-shaking look at the devastating toll of mass incarceration and one family's extraordinary efforts to stay whole. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray, with new 4K digital master, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray. Extras: New audio commentary featuring director Garrett Bradley; new interview with "Time's" subjects, Sibil Fox and Robert Richardson; new conversation between Bradley and critic and author Hilton Als; "Alone" (2017), a short documentary by Bradley, with optional 2021 commentary by the film's subject, Aloné Watts; trailer; an essay by critic Doreen St. Félix. (The Criterion Collection).

An Unquiet Grave

(2021) Christine Nyland, Terence Krey, Jacob A. Ware. A year after losing his wife in a car crash, Jamie (Ware) convinces her sister, Ava (Nyland), to return with him to the site of the accident and help him perform a strange ritual. But as the night wears on, it becomes clear that he has darker intentions. Formats: DVD, VOD, Digital. (Shudder/RLJE Films).

A Walk In Her Shoes

(2021) In a quest to overcome one of the biggest obstacles of her life, personal trainer and author Metra Lundy simulates a walk to freedom by re-tracing the steps of the great American heroine, Harriet Tubman, from Maryland to Canada. In doing so, Metra discovers who she really is, answering a call to live life on purpose. Released in time to commemorate the bicentennial celebration of Tubman's birth. The film documents the 695 mile route that Tubman took in the 1880s, as the filmmakers traverse their own emotional journeys and Lundy covers 245 miles on foot, as Tubman did numerous times, freeing herself and countless others from enslavement. Along the way, the filmmakers interview Underground Railroad historians, social workers, and community leaders, bringing the scope of Harriet Tubman's epic journeys into a poignant and unprecedented present-day context. Formats: DVD, VOD, Digital. Extras: Commentary, featurettes. (IndiPix).
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Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy

(2021 -- Japan) An unexpected love triangle, a failed seduction, and a chance encounter with the past. Propelled by coincidence and imagination, and guided by love's gentle current, acclaimed director Ryusuke Hamaguchi -- director of "Drive My Car," Japan's Oscar entry for Best International Film at this year's Academy Awards -- returns with an enchanting triptych that spins mundane encounters into a world of infinite possibilities. Playfully inspired by life's tiny miracles, and bound together by memory, regret, deception and fate, Hamaguchi leaves no stone unturned in his quest to chart the ever-deepening mysteries of the all-too-human heart. The film premiered at the 2021 Berlin Film Festival where it was awarded the Silver Bear jury prize. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray, VOD, Digital. Extras: Interview with director Ryusuke Hamaguchi. (Film Movement).



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T-Shirts for Adults and Kids (Totes, Cups Too)


January 25

photo for Arrebato

Arrebato (Rapture)

(1979 -- Spain) Eusebio Poncela, Cecilia Roth, Will More. Horror movie director José is adrift in a sea of doubt and drugs. As his belated second feature nears completion, his reclusive bubble is popped by two events: a sudden reappearance from an ex-girlfriend and a package from past acquaintance Pedro: a reel of Super-8 film, an audiotape, and a door key. From there, the boundaries of time, space, and sexuality are erased as José is once more sucked into Pedro's vampiric orbit. Together, they attempt the ultimate hallucinogenic catharsis through a moebius strip of filming and being filmed. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray, VOD, Digital. Extras: Commentary by Mike White of The Projection Booth, documentary: "Ivan Z" by Andrés Duque, theatrical trailer, reversible art. (Altered Innocence).

Birds Like Us

(2021) Voices of Jeremy Irons, Alicia Vikander, Jim Broadbent. Trapped in a village ruled by the meddling Kondor (Irons), Huppu the bird (Vikander) dreams of having the freedom to hatch her own egg. Suddenly, she, Kondor, and their friends are blasted to a distant land, and they must trust in a wise, eccentric bat to guide them on a strange, dazzling odyssey back to the tree they call home. Formats: DVD, VOD, Digital. (Lionsgate). Read more here

Dancing With Crime/The Green Cockatoo

(2021) Jesmark Scicluna, Michela Farrugia, David Scicluna, Richard Attenborough, Sheila Sim, John Mills, Rene Ray. Two early Brit Noirs, digitized in association with the British Film Institute. In "Dancing With Crime" (1947), Richard Attenborough and Sheila Sim, married in real life at the time, put themselves in harms way when they go undercover to investigate the murder of a friend with ties to black market racketeers. Watch for Dirk Bogarde and Diana Dors in uncredited roles. A true rarity, William Cameron Menzies' "The Green Cockatoo" was completed in 1937, but not released until 1940. It is often cited as one of the earliest of the British Noirs and helped set the stage for the classical period of Brit Noir which flourished in the years following WWII. It's a taut little thriller based on a Graham Greene story, directed by the American William Cameron Menzies, and featuring a stellar cast and crew. After witnessing the murder of a racketeer, a young woman is pursued by both gangsters and the police. She is aided by a Soho entertainer, who is the brother of the victim. Formats: Blu-ray. (Cohen Film Collection).

Dick Johnson Is Dead

photo for Dick Johnson Is Dead (2020) This playful, profound, and immensely moving docu-fantasia by Kirsten Johnson ("Cameraperson") is a valentine to the director's beloved father, Dick Johnson, made as she has begun to face the reality of losing him to dementia. Using the language of cinema both to defy death and to confront it head-on, Johnson mischievously envisions an array of ways in which the man she loves most in the world might die, staging a series of alternately darkly comic and colorfully imaginative tableaux interwoven with raw vérité footage capturing the pair's tender but increasingly fragile bond. Tackling taboo questions of aging, mortality, and grief with subversive humor and surprising grace, "Dick Johnson Is Dead" is ultimately a triumphant celebration of life, and of the gentle, funny, unforgettable man at its center. Long live Dick Johnson. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray, with new 2K digital master, approved by director Kirsten Johnson, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray. Extras: New audio commentary featuring Johnson, co-writer and editor Nels Bangerter, and documentary sound recordist Judy Karp; new conversation among Johnson and her fellow producers Katy Chevigny and Marilyn Ness and coproducer Maureen A. Ryan; new interview with sound designer Pete Horner; new program featuring Johnson in conversation with fellow filmmakers about redefining what a documentary can be; trailer; an essay by author So Mayer. (The Criterion Collection).
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The Great Postal Heist

(2021) Documentary follows director Jay Galione's father, a 30-year US Post Office clerk, who was harassed, threatened, and fired for standing up for his colleagues. A moving indictment of the toxic culture and push to downsize, the documentary chronicles the journey of postal workers, experts, and advocates who experienced firsthand the abuses in the oldest federal agency in America. The current atmosphere was a result of systematic dismantling and privatization of the trillion-dollar mail industry by lobbyists and politicians who seek to make profits at the expense of the mental health, living wages, and working conditions of their employees. It is broadly known that current Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has significant conflicts of interest because of his and his family's investments in a number of companies closely tied to the U.S. Postal Service. In March 2021, DeJoy unveiled the largest rollback of consumer mail services in a generation, part of a 10-year plan that includes longer first-class delivery windows, reduced post office hours and higher postage prices. Formats: DVD, VOD. Extras: Q&A from Workers United Film Festival with Jay Galione, Sheila Dvorak. (Cinema Libre Studio). Read more here

Kamen Rider Zero-One: The Complete Series

Eight-disc set with all 46 episodes, first time available in Morth America. Includes the movie "REALxTIME," which completes the narrative of the "Kame Rider Zero-One" series, and five special episodes. Originally premiering in 1971, the long-running Japanese television series follows the exploits of a masked, motorcycle-riding hero who fights the forces of evil. The number one kids' program in Japan for almost 50 years, "Kamen Rider" has proved to be beloved through multiple series iterations and generations of fans and Riders. Humagears (humanoid robots), created by the leading company for AI, Hiden Intelligence, serve humanity's every convenience. But a cyber-terrorist organization begins hacking the Humagears in a conspiracy that turns them into monsters. Aruto Hiden has taken over at Hiden Intelligence, and along with the CEO's post, he also takes over the responsibility for Kamen photo for Rider Zero-One by using his company's technology. Aruto tries to keep the peaceful world between humans and Humagears with his Humagear secretary, while A.I.M.S., a military squad, pursues the terrorists. Formats: Blu-ray, Digital. (Shout! Factory).

The Lover (L'amant)

(1993 -- France) Director: Jean-Jacques Annaud; stars Jane March, Tony Leung Ka Fai. The Academy Award Nominated and César Award-winning film, based on the novel from international best-selling author Marguerite Duras. In colonial French Indochina in the late 1920s, a fifteen-year-old French girl (March) returns to Saigon, where she attends a girls' boarding school. On her way there, she meets a handsome, wealthy and much older Chinese man (Leung Ka Fai) from a respectable family. Going against the conventions of their respective societies, the pair begin a passionate affair. Their strong attraction toward one another is only intensified by the illicit nature of their rendezvous. Formats: DVD, 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo. Extras: The 4k UHD/Blu-ray 2-disc combo will feature a limited edition Media Book in the package. (Capelight Pictures).

Moffie

(2021 -- South Africa) Kai Luke Brummer, Barbara-Marié Immelman, Michael Kirch. The year is 1981 and South Africa's white minority government is embroiled in a conflict on the southern Angolan border. Like all white boys over the age of 16, Nicholas Van der Swart must complete two years of compulsory military service to defend the apartheid regime. The threat of communism and "die swart gevaar" (the so-called black danger) is at an all-time high. But that's not the only danger Nicholas faces. He must survive the brutality of the army -b something that becomes even more difficult when a connection is sparked between him and a fellow recruit. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray. (Universal).

The Piano

photo for The Piano (1993) With this sublimely stirring fable of desire and creativity, Jane Campion became the first woman to win a Palme d'Or at Cannes. Holly Hunter is achingly eloquent through silence in her Academy Award-winning performance as Ada, an electively mute Scottish woman who expresses her innermost feelings through her beloved piano. When an arranged marriage brings Ada and her spirited daughter (Anna Paquin, in her Oscar-winning debut) to the wilderness of 19th-century New Zealand, she finds herself locked in a battle of wills with both her ineffectual husband (Sam Neill) and a rugged frontiersman (Harvey Keitel) to whom she develops a forbidden attraction. With its sensuously moody cinematography, dramatic coastal landscapes, and sweeping score, this uniquely timeless evocation of a woman's inner awakening is an intoxicating sensory experience that burns with the twin fires of music and erotic passion. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray, with new, restored 4K digital transfer, supervised by director of photography Stuart Dryburgh and approved by director Jane Campion, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. In the 4K UHD edition: One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features. Extras: New conversation between Campion and film critic Amy Taubin; new interviews with Dryburgh and production designer Andrew McAlpine; interview with actor Holly Hunter on working with Campion; "The Piano at 25," a program featuring a conversation between Campion and producer Jan Chapman; excerpts from an interview with costume designer Janet Patterson; "Water Diary," a 2006 short film by Campion; trailer; an essay by critic Carmen Gray. (The Criterion Collection).

Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia

(2021 -- TV) Danielle Brooks, Wolsey Brooks, Max Boateng, Marci T. House. With a career spanning over 40 years, Mahalia Jackson rose to international stardom, rightfully earning the title of "Queen of Gospel." Her vast discography and powerhouse performances made her the voice of the civil rights movement, inspiring iconic activists and singers for generations - from Martin Luther King, Jr. to Aretha Franklin - and she hoped that her music and singing for racially integrated audiences would encourage racial equality and real change. Formats: DVD, VOD, Digital. (Lionsgate).
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Sleep Limited Edition

(2020 -- Germany) Sandra Hüller, August Schmölzer, Gro Swantje Kohlhof, Marion Kracht, Agata Buzek, Max Hubacher. Nightmare and trauma. Fear and repression. Guilt and atonement. Weaving together the emotional violence of horror with the cryptic motifs of German folk and fairy tales, "Sleep" is the debut feature from a major new talent in world cinema. Tormented by recurring nightmares of a place she has never been, Marlene (Hüller) cannot help but investigate when she discovers the place is real. Once there, she suffers a breakdown and is admitted to a psychiatric ward. Determined to discover what happened to her, Mona (Kohlhof), her daughter, follows and finds herself in Stainbach, an idyllic village with a dark history. What is it that so tormented her mother, and the people of Stainbach? What is the source of the nightmares she suffers? And who is the mysterious Trude that lives in the forest? Richly conceived and confidently told, director Michael Venus draws influence from Mario Bava, David Lynch, Franz Kafka and the Brothers Grimm, but his voice is uniquely his own. Formats: Blu-ray. Extras: Audio commentary by film critic and historian Kim Newman and author Sean Hogan; "A Strange Dark Magic," a visual essay by film scholar Alexandra Heller-Nicholas; "Sleepwalking Through National Trauma," a visual essay by film critic Anton Bitel; "Dream & Folktale in Sleep," an interview with anthropologist, dream researcher, and filmmaker Louise S. Milne; "Talking in Their Sleep," director Michael Venus and star Gro Swantje Kohlhof in conversation; "A Dream We Dream Together," a compilation of film festival introductions created during lockdown by Venus and the cast; "Making Dreams Come True," a glimpse behind the scenes; deleted scenes; "Marlene's Sketches" explore the many obsessive dream journal sketches that are only glimpsed in the film, created by artist Christoph Vieweg, presented here in full; trailer; image gallery; reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Oink Creative; illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing by Alison Peirse, an interview with director Michael Venus, and Brothers Grimm fairy tale "Frau Trude"; double-sided fold-out poster featuring newly commissioned artwork by Oink Creative. (Arrow Video/MVD Entertainment). Read more here

Stage Fright BLUE-RAY DEBUT

(1950) In Alfred Hitchcock's world, theaters are where danger stalks the wings, characters are not what they seem, and that "final curtain" can drop any second. The droll "Stage Fright" springs from that entertaining tradition. Jane Wyman plays drama student Eve Gill, who tries to clear a friend (Richard Todd) being framed for murder by becoming the maid of flamboyant stage star Charlotte Inwood (Marlene Dietrich). Filming in his native England, Hitchcock merrily juggles elements of humor and whodunit and puts a game ensemble (Alistair Sim, Sybil Thorndike, Joyce Grenfell, Kay Walsh and daughter Patricia Hitchcock) through its paces. Formats: Blu-ray. Extras: "Hitchcock and Stage Fright" featurette, original theatrical. Trailer (Warner Archive).

Two Deaths of Henry Baker

(2021) Gil Bellows, Tony Curran, Sebastian Pigott, Jess Salgueiro, Joe Dinicol. A decades-long family feud pits two brothers and their sons in a bloody battle for possession of a fortune in gold. On the outskirts of a dusty, rural town, a young boy watches as his father buries a cache of stolen coins. The secret stash is entrusted alone to his favored son, Henry. Thirty years later, a corrupt cop and his crew descend on the now-adult son (Bellows) to snatch the treasure. A bloody ambush ensues, leaving several dead or maimed and Henry being sent away to prison. His only son, Hank (Pigott), is now in possession of the riches. After a long stint behind bars, Henry is released and plans to reunite with Hank and the fortune he left behind. Henry's brother, Sam and his own son have resurfaced to exact revenge and claim the riches as their own Formats: DVD, VOD, Digital. (Saban Films). Read more here

The Unknown Man of Shandigor

(1967 -- Switzerland) Swiss director Jean-Louis Roy's long-unseen 60s Cold War super-spy thriller, restored in 4K from the camera negative by the Cinémathèque suisse. This visually stunning film was originally screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 1967. A marvelous and surreal hall of mirrors, part-"Dr. Strangelove," part-"Alphaville," with sly nods to British TV shows like "the Avengers" and "Doctor Who." The film stars a who's who of great 60s European character actors starting with the unforgettable Daniel Emilfork ("The City Of Lost Children," "The Devil's Nightmare") as crazed scientist Herbert Von Krantz, who's invented a device to "sterilize" all nuclear weapons. A mad herd of rival spies are desperate to get their hands on the device, including legendary French singer Serge Gainsbourg as the leader of a sect of bald, turtleneck-wearing assassins, and Jess Franco veteran Howard Vernon ("The Awful Dr. Orlof"). Gainsbourg's deranged jazz-lounge song, "Bye Bye Mr. Spy" -- performed by him on funeral parlor organ, no less -- is arguably the film's high point. "An accomplished spy is at the same time psychologist, artist, funambulist, conjurer," to quote one of the film's characters, and the same could be said of Roy's exotic camera obscura of B&W Cold War paranoia. Formats: Blu-ray, VOD, Digital. Extras: New Commentary by film journalist Samm Deighan (Diabolique magazine, Daughters of Darkness podcast); new booklet essay by filmmaker, punk musician and poet, and genre expert Chris D. ("The Flesh Eaters"; author of "Outlaw Masters of Japanese Film"); new interview with Francoise Roy, wife of director Jean-Louis Roy, and Michel Schopfer, first assistant director; ultra- rare 1967 "making of" documentary from Swiss TV's "Cinema VIF" show, featuring interviews with director Roy, cast members Daniel Emilfork, Jacques Dufilho, and Marie-France Boyer, and behind-the-scenes footage; restored original trailer; new art by Tony Stella. (Deaf Crocodile Films).


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All listings are based on information from the home video studios. Some release dates may change and titles may come out after a specified date (with no announcement from the studio). Additionally, some titles may be released with little or no advance announcement. And since all DVDs are priced at sell-through and are available for substantial discounts at both online and brick-and-mortar stores, we only list suggested retail prices for some special editions, box sets and collections.



All DVDs are screened on a reference system consisting of a Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray Disc Player w/SACD & DVD-Audio, a Rotel RSX-972 Surround Sound Receiver, and Phase Technology 1.1 (front), 33.1 (center), and 50 (rear) speakers and Power 10 subwoofer.


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