*OnVideo’s week begins with “New Release” Tuesdays

This Week’s Highlight:

Stanley Kubrick bent the conventions of the historical drama to his own will in this dazzling vision of a pitiless aristocracy, adapted from a novel by William Makepeace Thackeray. In picaresque detail, “Barry Lyndon” (1975) chronicles the adventures of an incorrigible trickster (Ryan O’Neal) whose opportunism takes him from an Irish farm to the battlefields of the Seven Years’ War and the parlors of high society. For the most sumptuously crafted film of his career, Kubrick recreated the decadent surfaces and intricate social codes of the period, evoking the light and texture of eighteenth-century painting with the help of pioneering cinematographic techniques and lavish costume and production design, all of which earned Academy Awards. The result is a masterpiece — a sardonic, devastating portrait of a vanishing world whose opulence conceals the moral vacancy at its heart. On 4K UHD + Blu-ray, with new 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack; alternate 5.1 surround soundtrack, presented in DTS-HD Master Audio. One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and two Blu-rays with the film and special features. Read more here. From The Criterion Collection.

Buzzin’ the B’s:

When 24-year-old Jason Hochberg arrives for counsellor weekend at his beloved Camp Pineway, his biggest problem is feeling out of touch with his teenage co-workers. Little does he know; a masked killer has murdered camp owners John and Kathy and is preparing to strike again in “Hell of a Summer” (2025), starring Finn Wolfhard, Billy Bryk, Fred Hechinger, Abby Quinn and Krista Nazaire. On DVD, Blu-ray, VOD, Digital from Neon. Read more here … “The Legend of Ochi” (2025), starring Helena Zengel, Finn Wolfhard, Emily Watson and Willem Dafoe takes place in a remote village on the island of Carpathia, where a shy farm girl named Yuri is raised to fear an elusive animal species known as ochi. But when Yuri discovers a wounded baby ochi has been left behind, she escapes on a quest to bring him home. Blu-ray, VOD, Digital. From A24.

Foreign Films:

In this classic of 1970s Japanese cinema, “Bohachi Bushido: Code of the Forgotten Eight” (1972 — Japan), the legendary actor Tetsuro Tanba stars as Shiro, a master swordsman known as “The Assassin”. Weary of the world of samurai honor and samurai killing, he a ttempts suicide in the middle of a huge swordfight by leaping into a fast flowing river. He is saved by the Bohachi clan, a gang of vicious pimps who have forsaken all honor and whose cynicism outruns even his own. But ultimately, he tires even of their nihilistic worldview, leading to a final showdown in the snow where he takes on a small army of brutal killers. Full of flying limbs, naked lady ninjas, drug-induced hallucinations, cackling villains and wild action set-pieces, “Bohachi Bushido” is one of director Teruo Ishii’s most deranged and impressive spectacles. The world HD disc debut of this incredible cult film in a brand new exclusive 4K restoration. On Blu-ray frrom Mondo Macabro.

From the Big Screen:

Sinners

(2025) Ryan Coogler’s musical supernatural horror film hit is a daring cinematic venture that intertwines Southern Gothic horror with the rich tapestry of 1930s Mississippi. Set against the backdrop of racial tension and cultural upheaval in 1930s Missippi, the film follows twin brothers Smoke and Stack, portrayed by Michael B. Jordan, as they return to their hometown to establish a juke joint, only to confront a lurking vampire menace. Vitals: Director: Ryan Coogler. Stars: Michael B. Jordan, Miles Caton, Saul Williams, Andrene Ward-Hammond, Jack O’Connell. CC, MPAA rating: R, 138 min., Horror Thriller, Theatrical release date: April 18, 2025, North American box office gross: $240.7 million, worldwide $314.5 million, Streaming date: June 3, Warner. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray + Digital Code, 4K Ultra HD + Digital Code, VOD, Digital. Read more here.

The Amateur

(2025) Charlie Heller (Rami Malek) is a brilliant, but deeply introverted decoder for the CIA working out of a basement office at headquarters in Langley whose life is turned upside down when his wife is killed in a London terrorist attack. When his supervisors refuse to take action, he takes matters into his own hands, embarking on a dangerous trek across the globe to track down those responsible, his intelligence serving as the ultimate weapon for eluding his pursuers and achieving his revenge. Vitals: Director: James Hawes. Stars: Rami Malek, Rachel Brosnahan, Jon Bernthal, Tiffany Gray, Nick Mills, Evan Milton. CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 122 min., Action Thriller, Theatrical release date: April 11, 2025, North American box office gross: $40.7 million, worldwide $95.7 million, Streaming date: June10, Fox. Formats: Blu-ray + Digital Code, 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo + Digital Code, VOD, Digital. Extras: “The Team”; “The World”; “The Score”; “The Pool”; deleted scenes. Read more here.

Until Dawn

(2025) One year after her sister Melanie mysteriously disappeared, Clover and her friends head into the remote valley where she vanished in search of answers. Exploring an abandoned visitor center, they find themselves stalked by a masked killer and horrifically murdered one by one…only to wake up and find themselves back at the beginning of the same evening. Trapped in the valley, they’re forced to relive the night again and again – only each time the killer threat is different, each more terrifying than the last. Hope dwindling, the group soon realizes they have a limited number of deaths left, and the only way to escape is to survive until dawn. Vitals: Director: David F. Sandberg. Stars: Asad Qizilbash, Carter Swan, David F. Sandberg, Lotta Losten, Roy Lee, Gary Dauberman, Mia Maniscalco. CC, MPAA rating: R, 103 min., Action Thriller, Theatrical release date: April 25, 2025, North American box office gross: $19.9 million, worldwide $49.7 million, Streaming date: May 23, Sony. Formats: DVD, 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo + Digital Code, VOD, Digital. Extras: Deleted and extended scenes; “Adapting a Nightmare”: director-producer David F. Sandberg and writer-producer Gary Dauberman explores the inspirations behind the film; “Death-Defying Cast”; “Practical Terrors” special effects; commentary with Sandberg and producer Lotta Losten. Read more here.

Shadow Force

(2025) Kyrah (Kerry Washington) and Issac (Omar Sy) were once leaders of a multinational special forces group called Shadow Force. They broke the rules by falling in love, and in order to protect their son, they go underground. With a large bounty on their heads, and the vengeful Shadow Force hot on their trail, one family’s fight becomes all-out war. Vitals: Director: Joe Carnahan. Stars: Kerry Washington, Omar Sy, Mark Strong, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Cliff “Method Man” Smith. CC, MPAA rating: R, 103 min., Action Thriller, Theatrical release date: May 9, 2025, North American box office gross: $2.9 million, worldwide $3.1 million, Streaming date: May 30, Lionsgate. Formats: Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Code, VOD, Digital. Extras: “Shadow Force: Declassified” audio commentary with writer-director Joe Carnahan and editor Kevin Hale; “Making Shadow Force — Ain’t Nothing to F*** With”; “International Waters: The Locations Behind Shadow Force”; “Isla Gunfight: Final Battle Breakdown”; theatrical trailer. Read more here.

All DVDs and Blu-rays are screened on a reference system consisting of an 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.