New DVD and Blu-ray Releases for the Week of July 2
•Abigail
•The Boy and the Heron
•Boy Kills World
•Challengers
•Civil War
•Tarot
•True Detective (2024)
•Unsung Hero
This Week’s Best Bet:
With “Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid” (1973), Sam Peckinpah’s cycle of genre-redefining westerns came to a close with this blood- and dust-caked elegy for the American West, which marries his renegade style with a fatalistic sense of finality. As newly minted lawman Pat Garrett (James Coburn) stalks the 
outlaw Billy the Kid (Kris Kristofferson) across the plains, their old friendship is twisted into rivalry, and mythic ideals of freedom come up against an emerging ruling-class order — all to the strains of a haunting soundtrack by Bob Dylan (who also appears as the mercurial Alias). “Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid” — presented here for the first time in three separate versions — stands as perhaps the maverick auteur’s richest, most mature work, a world-weary ballad that bears the solemn weight of history passing into legend. New 4K digital restoration of the 50th Anniversary Release, supervised by editors Paul Seydor and Roger Spottiswoode, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack. New 4K digital restoration of the Original Theatrical Release, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack. Two 4K UHD discs of the films presented in Dolby Vision HDR and two Blu-rays with the films and special features; new 2K digital master of director Sam Peckinpah’s Final Preview Cut, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack. On 4K + Blu-ray, Blu-ray, from The Criterion Collection. Read more here.
Buzzin’ the ‘B’s:
In “Who’s That Girl” (1987), starring Madonna and Griffin Dunne, Loudon Trott (Dunne) is a straight-laced lawyer assigned by his boss and prospective father-in-law to pick up free-spirited parolee Nikki Finn (Madonna) from jail and make sure she gets on the first bus out of town. However, Nikki forces Loudon to take a detour so she can find evidence that will clear her name. As he accompanies Nikki on her quest, joined by a South American panther he has picked up for another client, Loudon finds himself falling in love with the kind-hearted Nikki. 2K Scan of the 35mm Interpositive. In its Blu-ray debut from Shout! Studios.
Foreign Films:
From acclaimed filmmaker Goran Stolevski comes “Housekeeping for Beginners” (2023 — Macedonia), a story exploring the universal truths of family, both the ones we’re born into and the ones we find for ourselves. Dita never wanted to be a mother, but circumstances force her to raise her girlfriend’s two daughters, tiny troublemaker Mia and rebellious teen Vanesa. A battle of wills ensues as the three continue to butt heads and become an unlikely family that must fight to stay together. Stars Anamaria Marinca, Alina Serban, Samson Selim, Vladimir Tintor, Mia Mustafa, Dzada Selim, Sara Klimoska. From Universal.
Special Interest:
“Minnesota Mean” (2023) is a documentary that takes viewers into the thrilling world of roller derby, following the lives of six badass women as they chase after the ultimate prize, the Hydra. When the team’s top player gets sidelined with an injury, the question looms large: can they still clinch the victory? This isn’t a typical sports tale — it’s a raw and real look at the tough, independent women at the core of roller derby. A triumphant tale of grit and determination that shows how fierce women navigate a sport that demands teamwork as they juggle the demands of roller derby without giving up on their personal dreams. From Freestyle Digital Media. 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.
