From the Big Screen:

Amsterdam

(2022) In the 1930s, three friends witness a murder, are framed for it, and uncover one of the most outrageous plots in American history. Vitals: Director: David O. Russel. Stars: Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, John David Washington, Chris Rock, Rami Malek, Robert De Niro, Zoë Saldaña, Anya Taylor-Joy, Mike Myers, Michael Shannon, Timothy Olyphant, Andrea Riseborough, Alessandro Nivola, Taylor Swift, Matthias Schoenaerts. 2022, CC, MPAA rating: R, 134 min., Comedy Mystery, North American box office gross: $14.802 million, worldwide $27.702 million, Fox. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray + Digital Code, 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo, VOD, Digital. Extras: “Welcome To Amsterdam” featurette. Read more here

Medieval

(2022) Action-packed historical epic inspired by the true story of daring fifteenth century Czech icon and warlord Jan Zizka, who defeated armies of the Teutonic Order and the Holy Roman Empire. After the death of its emperor, the Holy Roman Empire plummets into chaos while corrupt kings battle for control of the empty throne. To battle the tyranny and greed of those clawing for power, Jan must lead a rebel army in this sweeping saga of war and betrayal. Vitals: Director: Petr Jákl. Stars: Ben Foster, Sophie Lowe, Til Schweiger, Matthew Goode, Michael Caine. 2021, CC, MPAA rating: R, 126 min., Action Drama, North American box office gross: $1.374 million, worldwide $4.115 million, Paramount. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray, VOD, Digital. Read more here

This Week’s Best Bets:

One of contemporary cinema’s most original, provocative, and uncompromising filmmakers, Austrian auteur Michael Haneke dares viewers to stare into the void of modern existence. The “Michael Haneke: Trilogy” highlights his first three theatrical features, “The Seventh Continent” (1989), “Benny’s Video” (1992), and “71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance” (1994) — a trilogy depicting a coldly bureaucratic society in which genuine human relationships have been supplanted by a deep-seated collective malaise – Haneke established the rigorous visual style and unsettling themes that would recur throughout his work. Exploring the relationships among consumerism, violence, mass media, and contemporary alienation, these brilliant, relentlessly probing films open up profound questions about the world in which we live while refusing the false comfort of easy answers. Formats: Three Blu-ray set, with high-definition digital masters, supervised by director Michael Haneke, with uncompressed monaural soundtracks. From the The Criterion Collection. Read more here … Picking up where Volume One left off, the 10-disc sophomore collection of Hong Kong cinema classics, “Shawscope Volume 2 [Limited Edition Boxset]” draws together many of the best films from the final years of the Shaw Brothers studio, proving that while the end was nigh, these merchants of martial arts mayhem weren’t going to go out without a fight. Armed with stunning special features and ravishing new restorations, this boxset is even bigger and bolder than the last one. The set opens with kung fu master Lau Kar-leung’s classic “The 36th Chamber of Shaolin,” in which Gordon Liu achieved overnight stardom as the young man who finds enlightenment on the path to vengeance; Lau and Liu followed the original with two inventive sequels, “Return to the 36th Chamber” and “Disciples of the 36th Chamber,” both included here. A genius at blending dazzling action with physical comedy, Lau plays the lead role in the hilarious “Mad Monkey Kung Fu,” coupled here with Lo Mar’s “Five Superfighters.” Next, we once again meet Chang Cheh’s basher boy band the Venom Mob in four of their best-loved team-ups: “Invincible Shaolin,” “The Kid with the Golden Arm,” “Magnificent Ruffian”s and the all-star “Ten Tigers of Kwangtung,” co-starring Ti Lung and Fu Sheng. After Lau brings us perhaps his best high-kicking comedy with “My Young Auntie,” a playful star vehicle for his real-life muse Kara Hui, we see Shaw Brothers embracing 80s excess in the strangest double feature yet: Wong Jing’s breathtakingly wild shoot-’em up “Mercenaries from Hong Kong,” and Kuei Chih-hung’s spectacularly unhinged black magic meltdown “The Boxer’s Omen.” Last but certainly not least, Lau Kar-leung directs the last major Shaw production, “Martial Arts of Shaolin,” filmed in mainland China with a hot new talent named Jet Li in the lead role; it is paired in this set with “The Bare-footed Kid,” a reverent remake of a Chang Cheh classic with Johnnie To in the director’s chair and Lau back on choreography duties, in arguably the ultimate filmed tribute to Shaws’ everlasting cinematic legacy. On Blu-ray, with High Definition (1080p) presentations of all 14 films, including nine new 2K restorations; illustrated 60-page collectors’ book; new artwork; hours of never-before-seen bonus features including several cast and crew interviews from the Frédéric Ambroisine Video Archive; and two CDs of music from the De Wolfe Music library as heard in several of the films, exclusive to this collection. From Arrow Video.

Buzzin’ the ‘B’s:

In “Clerks III” (2022), written and directed by Kevin Smith, and starring Brian O’Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Trevor Fehrman, Austin Zajur, Jason Mewes, Rosario Dawson, and Smith, following a massive heart attack, Randal enlists his friends and fellow clerks Dante, Elias, Jay, and Silent Bob to make a movie immortalizing his life at the convenience store that started it all. On DVD, Blu-ray, from Lionsgate. Read more here … From “Black Christmas” to “Rare Exports,” there has long been a symbiotic relationship between horror and the season of good cheer. Now, writer-director Eric Pennycoff (“Sadistic Intentions”) continues this proud tradition with “The Leech” (2022), a cautionary tale about the perils of opening your door to a stranger. Father David (Graham Skipper), a Catholic priest struggling to fill the pews in his church, allows a homeless man, Terry (Jeremy Gardner), into his home to escape the December chill. But this simple act of kindness has unforeseen consequences when Terry’s pregnant girlfriend, Lexi (Taylor Gardner), also decides to crash at the parochial house. Determined to save the warring couple through the healing power of God’s love, David’s ordered existence quickly unravels as he succumbs to the wicked ways of the parasitic pair. Will he pass this apparent test of faith or resort to blood-soaked, Old Testament justice? Agonizingly intense and rib-ticklingly funny in equal measure, “The Leech” serves as both a festive frightmare and a microcosm of the fault lines of contemporary America. On Blu-ray from Arrow Video/MVD Entertainment … Deep in the woods, a lost hiker stumbles upon the cabin of an erratic and reclusive “Old Man” (2022). What starts off as cordial conversation soon turns dangerous as it becomes clear that one or both of them might be hiding a terrifying secret. Stars Stephen Lang, Marc Senter, Liana Wright-Mark and Patch Darragh. On DVD, Blu-ray, from RLJE Films … In “The Rise of the Beast” (2022), starring Arthur Boan, Sarah T. Cohen, Sian Altman, George Nettleton, Heather Jackson and Rob Kirtley, a group of activists break into a corporate facility they know that animal testing has been taking place. They discover unimaginable horrors, but don’t realize until they’re captured the true extent of what it is they’ve been experimenting with. In a race against time to survive, they must escape friend, foe, and beast if they mean to get out alive and expose this to the world. From Uncork’d Entertainment … From cult director Nico Mastorakis (“Island of Death,” “Hired to Kill”) comes “Nightmare at Noon” (1988), a hectic mashup of eco-horror and shoot ’em up full of daring stunts and explosive action. Something strange is afoot in a small remote town in Utah, as a series of sinister state experiments in the surrounding desert leads to the contamination of its water supply, transforming the residents into lethal brainless maniacs. Enter vacationing lawyer Ken Griffiths (Wings Hauser), his sassy wife Cheri (Kimberly Beck) and Reilly (Bo Hopkins), the mysterious hitchhiker they pick up on the road, who find themselves thrust into the midst of this madness when they stop for a drink at the local diner. Featuring an epic score by Stanley Myers and Hans Zimmer (“Inception,” “The Dark Knight” series) and set amongst the spectacular backdrop of Arches National Park, “Nightmare at Noon” is a non-stop adrenaline pumping thrill ride. On Blu-ray. from Arrow Video/MVD Entertainment … In “Guns of Eden” (2022), starring Alexandra Faye Sadeghian and Lynn Lowry, Megan, her partner Jeremy, and his friends Blake and Gabriella go camping for the weekend. In the woods, Megan and Jeremy witness the execution of a drug trafficker by the local sheriff and his deputies. The campers attempt to flee, but the deputies seal off the mountain, and the sheriff gets an armed militia to hunt the strangers. From Uncork’d Entertainment.

Foreign Films:

In “Missing” (2022– Japan), starring Aoi Ito, Jiro Sato and Hiroya Shimizu. Santoshi (Sato) depressed and in debt following the death of his wife, tells his young daughter he has found a way out. Pointing to a reward note, he vows to find the infamous serial killer “No Name” (Shimizu) and cash in, claiming to have seen the man in the flesh a few days earlier. Kaeda (Ito) cannot take her aloof father serious. But when he goes missing without a trace, she starts to fear the worst -— and must begin looking for him. On DVD, Blu-ray, from Dark Star Pictures. Read more here … “Alienoid” (2022 — South Korea), starring Ryu Jun-Yeol, Kim Woo-bin and Kim Tae-ri, is the first in a planned series of two sci-fi action time-warpers. A tale of two eras, “Alienoid “follows two Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392) gurus seeking a legendary, time-bending blade as they unexpectedly cross paths with modern-era people hunting down a dangerous alien concealed inside a human’s body. For ages, aliens have kept their prisoners locked inside human bodies, but the guard in charge opens a gate through time in an attempt to prevent their escape. The portal links to 630 years in the past, where a master swordsman and others try to seize a legendary sword. Chaos and confusion ensue when travelers from the present cross paths with those from the past, and all are trying to find the mystical divine blade that holds the key to everything. With an English dub. On DVD, Blu-ray, from Well Go USA.

Special Interest:

“Blonde: The Marilyn Stories” is a three-disc set that explores the life of Marilyn Monroe and helps to answer some of the many questions that continue to linger about the extraordinary life of one of the world’s most-famed sex symbols, depicting various aspects of her complicated character and career during a life cut tragically short. Included are two docudrama films featuring outstanding portrayals of Marilyn, “Blonde” (2001) a two-part, fictionalized biopic, and “Marilyn and Me” (1991), a dramatic feature; and “Goodbye Norma Jean” (1976), the first-ever exploitative biopic, originally deemed a questionable release due to its salacious nature. Extras include two documentaries, “Marilyn” (1986), a documentary short with Mike Wallace, and “The Legend of Marilyn Monroe” (1967), narrated by John Huston and featuring Lauren Bacall; footage of Marilyn’s first-ever television appearance; a photo gallery; trivia. From Film Chest Media Group.

From TV to Disc:

“Better Call Saul” (2022) is a four-disc set with all 13 episodes. The final season concludes the complicated journey and transformation of its compromised hero, Jimmy McGill, into criminal lawyer Saul Goodman. From the cartel to the courthouse, from Albuquerque to Omaha, season six tracks Jimmy, Saul and Gene as well as Jimmy’s complex relationship with Kim, who is in the midst of her own existential crisis. Meanwhile, Mike, Gus, Nacho and Lalo are locked into a game of cat and mouse with mortal stakes. On DVD, Blu-ray, from Sony … “Creepshow Season 3” (2021) is a two-disc set with all six episodes of the anthology series based on the 1982 horror comedy classic. A comic book comes to life in a series of vignettes, exploring terrors ranging from murder, creatures, monsters, and delusions to the supernatural and unexplainable. On DVD, Blu-ray, from RLJE Films … “Star Trek: Discovery: Season Four” (2021-22) is a four-disc set with 13 episodes. Season Four finds Captain Burnham and the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery facing a threat unlike any they’ve ever encountered. With Federation and non-Federation worlds alike feeling the impact, they must confront the unknown and work together to ensure a hopeful future for all. On DVD, Blu-ray, from CBS/Paramount.

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.