'The Woman King'

New DVD and Blu-ray Releases for the Week of December 13

From the Big Screen:

The Woman King

photo for The Woman King (2022) Inspired by true events, this is the remarkable, action-packed story about the all-female unit of warriors who protected the African Kingdom of Dahomey in the 18th and 19th centuries with skills and a fierceness, unlike anything the world has ever seen. The film follows the intense journey of General Nanisca (Viola Davis) as she trains the next generation of recruits and readies them for battle against an enemy determined to destroy their way of life. Vitals: Director:. Stars: Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, John Boyega. 2022, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 135 min., Action, North American box office gross: $66.526 million, worldwide $91.626 million,Sony. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray + Digital Code, 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo + Digital Code, VOD, Digital. Extras: “Representation Matters” featurette; “Storytellers” featurette; Thuso Mbedu auditions; filmmakers’ commentary. Blu-ray adds “A Caterpillar’s Destruction: Viola Davis On Set”; “Woman/Warrior” featurette. Read more here 3 stars

Smile

photo for Smile (2022) After witnessing a bizarre, traumatic incident involving a patient, Dr. Rose Cotter starts experiencing frightening occurrences that she can’t explain. Rose must confront her troubling past in order to survive and escape her horrifying new reality.Vitals: Director: Parker Finn. Stars: Sosie Bacon, Jessie T. Usher, Kyle Gallner, Robin Weigert, Caitlin Stasey, Kal Penn. 2022, CC, MPAA rating: R, 115 min., Horror, North American box office gross: $102.961 million, worldwide $210.161 million, Paramount. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray + Digital Code, 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo + Digital Code, VOD, Digital. Extras: Commentary by director Parker Finn; “Laura Hasn’t Slept,” the original short film that inspired SMILE with introduction by director Parker Finn; “Something’s Wrong with Rose: Making SMILE”; “Flies on the Wall: Inside the Score”; Deleted Scenes—With optional commentary by director Parker Finn. Read more here 3 stars

Ticket to Paradise

(2022) A divorced couple teams up and travels to Bali to stop their daughter from making the same mistake they think they made 25 years ago. Vitals: Director:. Stars: George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Kaitlyn Dever, Billie Lourd, Lucas Bravo. 2021, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 103 min., Romantic Comedy, North American box office gross: $66.524 million, worldwide $164.906 million, Universal. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Code, VOD, Digital. Extras: “Return of the Dynamic Duo,” “Destination Wedding,” “Production in Paradise,” “Keep a Straight Face.” Read more here 2 stars

Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile

photo for Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile (2022) When the Primm family moves to New York City, their young son Josh struggles to adapt to his new school and new friends. All of that changes when he discovers Lyle – a singing crocodile who loves baths, caviar and great music-living in the attic of his new home. The two become fast friends, but when Lyle’s existence is threatened by evil neighbor Mr. Grumps, the Primms must band together with Lyle’s charismatic owner, Hector P. Valenti, to show the world that family can come from the most unexpected places and there’s nothing wrong with a big singing crocodile with an even bigger personality.Vitals: Director: Josh Gordon, Will Speck. Stars: Shawn Mendes, Javier Bardem, Constance Wu, Scoot McNairy, Brett Gelman, Winslow Fegley, Sal Viscuso. 2021, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 105 min., Family, North American box office gross: $40.840 million, worldwide $72.640 million, Sony. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Code, 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo, VOD, Digital. Extras: “Croc and Roll – Lyle On Set”; “Take a Look at Us Now – The Cast”; two music videos. Blu-ray adds Sing-Along Songs: Karaoke versions of the original songs “Top of The World,” “Rip Up the Recipe,” “Take a Look at Us Now,” and “Carried Away” from Pasek & Paul; “Storytime with Shawn Mendes & Javier Bardem”; bloopers. deleted scene; Read more here 2 stars

This Week’s Best Bets:

In 1968, visual effects pioneer Douglas Trumbull (“The Andromeda Strain,” “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”) contributed to the ground-breaking special photographic effects of Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey.” Four years later, he stamped his own indelible photo for Silent Running (UHD)mark on the science fiction genre with his mesmerizing directorial debut – “Silent Running (UHD)” (1972). In the not-so-distant future, Earth is barren of all flora and fauna, with what remains of the planet’s former ecosystems preserved aboard a fleet of greenhouses orbiting in space. When the crews are ordered to destroy the remaining specimens, one botanist, Freeman Lowell (Bruce Dern), rebels and flees towards Saturn in a desperate bid to preserve his own little piece of Earth that was, accompanied only by the ship’s three service robots. Featuring a captivating central performance by Dern, visual effects that rival anything in 2001 and a powerful ecological message, “Silent Running” is a haunting and prescient sci-fi classic that resonates even more strongly today than it did at the time of its original release. On 4K UHD from Arrow Video/MVD Entertainment … photo for Three Films By Mai Zetterling A fearlessly transgressive, long-overlooked pioneer of feminist cinema, Swedish actor turned director Mai Zetterling ruffled the feathers of the patriarchal establishment with a string of bracingly modern, sexually frank, and politically incendiary films focused on female agency and the turbulent state of 20th-century Europe. Her peerless ability to render subjective psychological states with startling immediacy is on display in “Three Films By Mai Zetterling,” which includes “Loving Couples” (1964), “Night Games” (1966), and “The Girls” (1968) — three provocative, taboo-shattering works from the 1960s featuring some of Swedish cinema’s most iconic stars. With their audacious narrative structures that fuse reality and fantasy, their elaborate use of metaphor and symbolism, and their willingness to delve into the most fraught realms of human experience, these movies are models of adventurous, passionately engaged filmmaking. In a three Blu-ray set, with new 2K digital restorations, with uncompressed monaural soundtracks. From The Criterion Collection … photo for THE VELVET UNDERGROUND Emerging from the primordial soup of glamour, gutter sleaze, and feverish creativity that was New York’s 1960s underground culture, the Velvet Underground redefined music with its at once raw and exalted blend of experimentation and art-damaged rock and roll. In his kaleidoscopic documentary “The Velvet Underground” (2021), Todd Haynes vividly evokes the band’s incandescent world: the creative origins of the twin visionaries Lou Reed and John Cale, Andy Warhol’s fabled Factory, and the explosive tension between pop and the avant-garde that propelled the group and ultimately consumed it. Never-before-seen performances, interviews, rare recordings, and mind-blowing transmissions from the era’s avant-garde cinema scene come together in an ecstatic swirl of sound and image that is to the traditional music documentary what the Velvets were to rock: utterly revolutionary. On DVD, Blu-ray, with new 4K digital master, approved by director Todd Haynes and cinematographer Ed Lachman, with Dolby Atmos soundtrack on the Blu-ray. From The Criterion Collection.

The folks at Shout! Factory have released four films in 4K remasters this week — and two of them are limited edition steelbooks. First up is “Coraline” (2009), from Henry Selick, the director of “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and “James and the Giant Peach.” The visually stunning stop-motion film features HDR and Dolby Vision plus Dolby Atmos, and a host of bonus photo for Coraline programming. Coraline Jones is bored in her new home until she finds a secret door that leads into a world that’s just like her own … but better. But when this fantastical adventure turns dangerous and her “other” mother tries to keep her forever, Coraline must count on her resourcefulness and bravery to get home. Stars the voices of Dakota Fanning and Teri Hatcher. Extras include featurettes, interviews, commentary by Selick, deleted scenes and a mini-book. The other steelbook limited edition 4k UHD is “ParaNorman” (2012), featuring the voice talents of Kodi Smit-McPhee, Anna Kendrick, Casey Affleck, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Leslie Mann, Jeff Garlin and John Goodman. It’s the story of Norman, a boy who must use his ability to see and speak with the dead to save his town from a centuries-old curse. In addition to spooky zombies, he’ll also have to take on photo for Carrie 4K mysterious ghosts, wily witches, and, worst of all, clueless grown-ups. But this young ghoul whisperer will soon find his paranormal abilities pushed to their otherworldly limits. The film, in HDR and Dolby Vision plus Dolby Atmos, includes featurettes, commentary, storyboards and an art and essay mini-book. Shout! Factory’s horror division, Scream Factory, will be releasing 4K UHD collector editions of Stephen King’s“Carrie” (1976), directed by Brian De Palma and starring Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie, Amy Irving, John Travolta, William Katt, Nancy Allen, Betty Buckley and P.J. Soles; and “Black Christmas” (1974), about a group of sorority girls who are stalked by a stranger during their Christmas break, directed by Bob (“A Christmas Story”) Clark and starring Olivia Hussey, Keir Dullea, Margot Kidder, and John Saxon. Both sets are loaded with commentaries, featurettes, photo galleries, and more.

Buzzin’ the ‘B’s:

“American Murderer” (2022), starring Tom Pelphrey, Ryan Phillippe, Idina Menzel, Paul Schneider, Shantel Vansanten, Kevin Corrigan and Jacki Weaver, is based on the true story of Jason Derek Brown – a charismatic con man turned party king who bankrolls his luxurious lifestyle through a series of scams. When his funds run low and his past catches up with him, he plots his most elaborate scheme yet and, in the process, becomes the FBI’s most unlikely – and elusive – top ten fugitive. On DVD, Blu-ray, from Lionsgate. Read more here … In photo for Creature from Black Lake “Creature from Black Lake” (1976), there’s a hairy humanoid beast lurking in the Louisiana swamps, but only trapper Joe Canton (Jack Elam) has seen it and lived to tell the tale, and the other residents of Oil City, Louisiana don’t talk about it. But that’s not about to stop intrepid grad students Pahoo (Dennis Fimple,) and Rives (John David Carson, who are determined to track down the Bigfoot-like creature. Defying local sheriff Billy Carter (Bill Thurman), the duo trek deep into the wilds of Black Lake, and a series of frightening encounters make it clear the monster is no mere legend. A longtime late-night TV favorite, “Creature From Black Lake” now roars onto its Blu-ray debut with a new 4K restoration and a boatload of special features. On Blu-ray from Synapse Films/MVD Entertainment … “Call Jane” (2022), starring Elizabeth Banks, Sigourney Weaver, Chris Messina, Kate Mara and Wunmi Mosaku, is set in Chicago, 1968. As a city and the nation are on the brink of political upheaval, suburban housewife Joy (Banks) and her husband and daughter are living the all-American dream. But Joy’s tranquil world is shattered when her life-threatening pregnancy forces her to navigate a medical establishment unwilling to help. This impossible situation leads Joy to the “Janes,” an underground network providing the only available alternative, helmed by fierce advocates Virginia (Weaver) and Gwen (Mosaku) — not only saving Joy’s life, but changing it forever.On DVD, Blu-ray + Digital Code, from Lionsgate. Read more here“The Minute You Wake Up Dead” (2022), starring Cole Hauser, Jaimie Alexander and Morgan Freeman, is a sexy, noir thriller. After a shady small-town stock broker begins dating a shy waitress, a shocking murder takes place — and one of them may be responsible. As word spreads that there’s money behind the killing, every criminal in town wants their share of the cash. One shocking plot twist follows another, and a bloody showdown leads to a mind-blowing finale. On DVD, Blu-ray, from Lionsgate. Read more here.

Foreign Films:

In “The Roundup” (2022 — South Korea), starring Don Lee, Son Sukku, Choi Guy-hwa and Park Ji-hwan, Geumcheon Police’s Major Crimes Unit in South Korea is given a mission to repatriate a fugitive who fled to Vietnam. Beast cop Ma Seok-do (Don Lee) and Capt. Jeon Il-man (Choi Gwi-hwa) intuitively realize that there’s something wrong with photo for The Ambushthe suspect’s willingness to turn himself in and uncover a series of crimes committed by a terrifying killer named Kang Hae-sang (Son Sukku). Detective Ma and his unit begin their investigation across two countries and follow the bloody breadcrumbs left behind by Kang. On DVD, Blu-ray, from Capelight Pictures … On the final patrol of their deployment, three UAE soldiers are ambushed by heavily armed militants, leaving them wounded, isolated, and nearly out of ammunition in “The Ambush” (2021 — Arabic), starring Marwan Abdulla Saleh, Khalifa Al Jassem, Mohammed Ahmed and Abdulla Saeed Bin Haider. Upon receiving word of the attack, their commanding officer undertakes a daring, midnight-hour operation to free his men. With an all-new English dub. On DVD, Blu-ray, from Well Go USA … In photo for Maniac Driver “Maniac Driver” (2020 — Japan), a deranged taxi driver appears to be randomly stalking and killing various young women on the streets of Tokyo. His descent into madness follows a personal tragedy that has since left him in search of a worthy victim to satisfy his own bloodlust and possible death. But is anything as it seems? Framed by a vibrant retro 80’s soundtrack and flashy psychedelic colors, Japan’s top adult stars (Saryu Usui, Iori Kogawa, Ai Sayama, among others) are portrayed as lascivious victims in this stunning gory, neo-giallo from cult director Kurando Mitsutake. On Blu-ray from DiabolikDVD/MVD Visual … In photo for Nightmare Symphony “Nightmare Symphony” (2020 — Italy), Frank is a stressed-out director, trying to complete a seemingly doomed horror film called “A Peacock’s Tale.” Between ongoing arguments with the scriptwriter and producer, Frank faces his own existential crisis and is plagued by terrible nightmares and paranoia. Life begins to imitate art, it seems, when those involved in the film production are butchered by a mysterious masked figure. Can Frank still differentiate between reality and the brutal killings that are based on the movie’s script? “Nightmare Symphony” is a loving tribute to the films of Lucio Fulci and the Italian Giallo. Stars Frank LaLoggia from “Lady In White.” On Blu-ray from DiabolikDVD/MVD Visual … In photo for Hinterland “Hinterland” (2021 — Austria), starring Murathan Muslu, Max von der Groeben, Liv Lisa Fries and Marc Limpach, the year is 1920. The Austro-Hungarian Empire has fallen and what remains has devolved into social unrest and political turmoil. Peter Perg, a soldier of the Great War, returns to Vienna only to realize the place he once called home is now unfamiliar to him. Having spent years as a prisoner of war, Perg is disillusioned by this strange, new city distorted by the nightmares of war. His world is further upended when a gruesome series of murders targeting veterans begins to unfold. Feeling connected to the victims, Perg decides to investigate the mysterious crimes. A stranger in his own city, the looming threat of a serial killer begins to take its toll on him. From Film Movement. Read more herephoto for Blood And Diamonds “Blood and Diamonds” (1977 — Italy) blasts its way into familiar poliziotteschi territory, leaving scars, bullets and tire tracks in its bloody wake. After being set up by the Mafia gang he is part of, Guido (Claudio Cassinelli) is sent to prison but upon he vows to take revenge on those who betrayed him. Another must for all collectors of high octane Italian crime thrillers from the 1970s. Remastered 4K transfer from the original negative.On Blu-ray from 88 Films/MVD Entertainment … Set in Pangnirtung, Nunavut, a sleepy hamlet nestled in the majestic mountains of Baffin Island in the Arctic Ocean, “Slash/Back” (2022 — Canada), starring Tasiana Shirley, Alexis Vincent-Wolfe, Nalajoss Ellsworth and Chelsea Prusky, opens as the village wakes up to a typical summer day. No school, no cool boys, and 24-hour sunlight. But for Maika and her ragtag friends, the usual summer is suddenly not in the cards when they discover an alien invasion threatening their hometown. These teenagers have been underestimated their whole lives but, using makeshift weapons and their horror movie knowledge, they show the aliens you don’t f*** with the girls from Pang. On DVD, Blu-ray, from RLJE Films.

Special Interest:

In “The Last Bookshop of the World” (2017 — Finland), four Europeans from different cultures and fields of art set off in a minibus with a quality trove of world literature. They go in search, across a vast desert-like landscape, to find a place as remote as possible where they will establish the world’s last bookshop. An isolated location is just perfect for their purpose, as there, the printed books of the world will be much safer from big city termites and the ups and downs of the internet. During the journey, the four discuss the unique gift of reading and also certain works of world literature that have changed each of them in a decisive way. They also photo for The Last Bookshop of the World ponder why Westerners are consuming more and more violent literature and at the same time harboring fears of increasing physical violence in all countries. Bringing the almost-lost purpose of books to the fore, this creative documentary poses important questions not yet discussed in film about whether we’re reading what’s worthwhile and if the timeless qualities once praised in literature have been replaced by sheer entertainment. What does this mean to our inner lives and to civilization? In Spanish, French, German, and Finnish with English subtitles. From IndiePix Films … “Can’t Be Stopped” (2022) is a rare look inside the legendary Los Angeles graffiti crew C.B.S. and their contributions to the art world, and the part they played in shaping urban culture through the late 80s and early 90s. Founded by Frost, Hex, Theory and Demo, Hollywood’s own Can’t Be Stopped crew emerged as one of the most influential and recognizable graffiti crews in the US. Since its inception in the early 1980’s, the initials C.B.S. have been at the forefront of evolving graffiti art into a true and viable art form. The kinship that was forged by the crews’ father figure, “Skate,” created a bond of brotherhood that is the focal point of this story. C.B.S. was a surrogate family that became the buffer between these young graffiti artists and the temptations of the Hollywood streets. Skate led these boys from broken homes on photo for Can't Be Stoppeda journey to prosperity and in the process left behind a legacy unrivaled. Achieving ultimate success, their art – and the attention it received – were transcending factors in elevating graffiti art to the widespread popularity it enjoys today. On DVD, Blu-ray, from Can’t Be Stopped/MVD Entertainment … “Old Friends, A Dogumentary “ (2022) is the paw-inspiring story of the most beloved animal sanctuary in the world, the Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary in Mount Juliet, Tennessee. From their humble beginnings as a small backyard sanctuary, we follow founders Zina & Michael Gooden, their amazing staff, and the gang of one hundred plus senior pooches, as they grow and settle into a brand new 20,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility. You’ll meet the dogs, and the people who saved them, fostered, and gave them back a reason to wag their tails. It’s a tale of compassion and commitment, where love knows no bounds and as Zina like to say, “the sky is the limit.” “Old Friends, A Dogumentary,” a film about a place where love never grows old. On Blu-ray from What We Were Thinking Films/MVD Entertainment … Welcome to “Riotsville, U.S.A. (2022) – a point in American history when the nation’s rulers – politicians, bureaucrats, police – were faced with the mounting militancy of the late-1960s, and did everything possible to win the war in the streets. Using training footage of Army-built model towns called “Riotsvilles” where military and police were trained to respond to civil disorder, in addition to nationally broadcast news media, director Sierra Pettengill connects the stagecraft of “law and order” to the real violence of state practice. Recovering an obscured history whose effects have shaped the present in ways both insidious and explosive, the film is a poetic and furious reflection on the rebellions of the 1960s – and the machine that worked to destroy them. From Magnolia Home Entertainment. Read more here.

From TV to Disc:

“And Just Like That … The Complete First Season” (2022) is a three-disc set with all 10 episodes. The highly-anticipated return of Carrie Bradshaw and her stylish, best girlfriends in the new chapter of the groundbreaking HBO series “Sex and the City.” The new series finds Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) and Charlotte (Kristin Davis) navigating the journey from the complicated reality of life and friendship in their 30s to the even more complicated reality of life and friendship in their 50s. From Warner.

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.

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