Happy Fourth of July

There’s very few DVD/Blu-ray releases this week — the studios figure people will be out celebrating the Fourth of July and having barbecues rather than watching movies on home entertainment systems. Things pick up next week with the release of such theatricals as the feel-good “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” the all-female comedy “Book Club: The Next Chapter,” the off-kilter comedy “Beau Is Afraid,” the Finnish WWII thriller “Sisu,” the sci-fi fantasy dud “Knights of the Zodiac,” and, of course, “Scream VI.”

This Week’s Highlight:

In “Fighting Back” (1982), the streets of Philadelphia are unsafe, but John D’Angelo has a solution. Thieves, pimps, and pushers beware: he’s declaring a personal war on crime. From the director of Alligator and the producer of Death Wish comes “Fighting Back!” Tom Skerritt stars as John D’Angelo, a proud husband and father fed up with the crime and fear his family endures everyday. When his wife, Lisa (Patti LuPone) and elderly mother are both victims of violent attacks, he organizes a team of locals to operate as a neighborhood patrol group. But when the patrol resorts to vigilante tactics, the lines between protection and personal vendetta become blurred, resulting in violence and corruption. Directed by Lewis Teague from a script by Thomas Hedley Jr. (“Flashdance”) and David Z. Goodman (“Straw Dogs”), featuring a supporting cast that includes Michael Sarrazin and Yaphet Kotto and with a score by celebrated Italian composer Piero Piccioni. In a Blu-ray limited edition from Arrow Video/MVD Entertainment. Read more here.

Buzzin’ the ‘B’s:

“The Wedding Veil: Journey” (2023) is the third installment of the sequel trilogy starring three of Hallmark’s most beloved leading ladies: Lacey Chabert, Alison Sweeney and Autumn Reeser. In this new film, Tracy and Nick agree to set aside work to make time for a long overdue honeymoon to Greece. However, they soon find themselves confronting life choices when they get stranded on a secluded island. From Cinedigm Entertainment.

Special Interest:

“Personality Crisis: One Night Only” (2023) is a portrait of musical iconoclast David Johansen from Martin Scorsese and David Tedeschi. From his days leading The New York Dolls to his reinvention as lounge lizard Buster Poindexter, David Johansen is a chameleonic one of a kind performer. Featuring a live performance at Café Carlyle in New York City, where he performs as Poindexter singing the Johansen songbook, along with new and archival interviews, the film is a testament to a lost New York and a performer who remains as fresh and exciting as ever. From Allied Vaughn.

From TV to Disc:

“Walker: Independence – The Complete Series” (2022-23) is a three-disc set with all 13 episodes. Set in the late 1800s, an origin story of the hit series “Walker”, this series follows Abby Walker, an affluent Bostonian whose husband is murdered on their journey out West. Seeking to uncover the truth about her husband’s killer, Abby vows to save Independence — a frontier boomtown where nothing is what it seems. From Allied Vaughn.

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.