American Fiction

(2023) Cord Jefferson’s hilarious directorial debut confronts our culture’s obsession with reducing people to outrageous stereotypes. Jeffrey Wright stars as Monk, a frustrated novelist who’s fed up with the establishment profiting from “Black” entertainment that relies on tired and offensive tropes. To prove his point, Monk uses a pen name to write an outlandish “Black” book of his own, a book that propels him to the heart of hypocrisy and the madness he claims to disdain. Vitals: Director: Cord Jefferson. Stars: Jeffrey Wright, Tracee Ellis Ross, John Ortiz, Erika Alexander, Leslie Uggams, Adam Brody, Keith David, Issa Rae, Sterling K. Brown, Myra Lucretia Taylor. CC, MPAA rating: R, 117 min., Comedy Drama, North American box office gross: $21.098 million, worldwide $22.483 million, MGM. Formats: Blu-ray + Digital Code, VOD, Digital.

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This Week’s Best Bets

Paul Schrader’s stylish neo-noir crime drama “American Gigolo” (1980), starring Richard Gere, Lauren Hutton, Bill Duke, Hector Elizondo, Nina van Pallandt and Brian Davies, makes its debut on 4K UHD and Blu-ray in Limited Edition sets featuring a brand new 4K remaster from the original negative. Julian (a mesmerizing Richard Gere, in his breakthrough performance), a high-priced male escort, has the perfect car, the perfect wardrobe, the perfect house, and the perfect life. He desires the same lifestyle that his elite clients enjoy, but that desire turns to jealousy and one of his clients ends up dead. The drama builds as Julian realizes he’s being framed for the murder and races to prove his innocence. The film features music by Golden Globe nominee for Best Original Score Giorgio Moroder, who co-wrote “Call Me,” the film’s signature theme song by Blondie. The costuming by Giorgio Armani defined the era of disco and 80s extravagance and is widely credited for establishing the designer’s brand in North America. On 4K UHD, Blu-ray. From Arrow Video/MVD Entertainment. Read more here … Before they blew the world’s mind with “The Matrix”, Lana and Lilly Wachowski delivered a jolt of pure pulp pleasure with their hyperstylish debut, “Bound” (1996), which puts a deliciously sapphic spin on a crackerjack caper premise. When butch plumber Corky (Gina Gershon) catches the eye of alluring femme (fatale) Violet (Jennifer Tilly), little does she know she’s about to be drawn into both a torrid affair and a high-stakes heist that will pit the pair against the mob. With crackling dialogue, luscious neonoir cinematography, and live-wire performances by Gershon, Tilly, and Joe Pantoliano, “Bound” is a genre-reimagining joyride that keeps both the tension and the erotic heat rising through each crazily careening twist. on 4K UHD/Blu-ray, with new 4K digital restoration, supervised and approved by cinematographer Bill Pope, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features. From The Criterion Collection. Read more here. … A treasure of Mexico’s cinematic golden age, “Victims of Sin” (1951 — Mexico) is a deliriously plotted blend of gritty crime film, heart-tugging maternal melodrama, and mambo musical — a dazzling showcase for iconic star Ninón Sevilla. She brings fierce charisma and fiery strength to her role as a rumbera — a female nightclub dancer — —who gives up everything to raise an abandoned boy, whom she must protect from his ruthless gangster father. Directed at a dizzying pace by filmmaking titan Emilio Fernández, and shot in stylish chiaroscuro by renowned cinematographer Gabriel Figueroa amid smoky dance halls and atmospherically seedy underworld haunts, “Victims of Sin” is a ferociously entertaining female-powered noir pulsing with the intoxicating rhythms of some of Latin America’s most legendary musical stars. On DVD, Blu-ray, with New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack. From The Criterion Collection. Read more here.

On the Indie Front:

In “Nowhere Special” (2020 — UK), James Norton stars as John, a 35-year-old window cleaner, who has dedicated his life to bringing up his 4-year-old son, Michael, after the child’s mother left them soon after giving birth. When John is given only a few months left to live, he attempts to find a new, perfect family for Michael, determined to shield him from the terrible reality of the situation. As John struggles to find the right answer to his impossible task, he comes to accept the help of a young social worker, opening himself to solutions he would never have considered. And he finally comes to accept his anger at the injustice of his destiny, the need to share the truth with his son, and to follow the child’s instincts on the biggest decision of their lives. Co-stars Daniel Lamont and Eileen O’Higgins. On DVD, Blu-ray, from Cohen Media Group.

Foreign Films:

The visually innovative cyberpunk detective story “Mars Express” (2024 — France) first premiered at the 76th Cannes Film Festival and later competed in the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, where it was nominated for Best Feature. The neo-noir animation also scored César and Lumière Award nominations for Best Animated Film and received the audience award at the 2023 Fantasy Film Fest. Society’s elite abandon Earth in 2200 to make Mars the center of civilization. They are served by obedient robots that are nearly indistinguishable from the humans that they have replaced. Amidst a growing scandal of an underground group hacking androids, a cybernetics student disappears. Capable-but-troubled detective Aline and her android partner, Carlos, take the case to find her. As they descend into the dark underbelly of Mars, they unravel a deeper conspiracy that threatens mankind – and their robot counterparts. “Mars Express” injects the cyberpunk genre with urgent new themes that make its far-flung world feel strangely like our own in the propulsive feature film debut from director Jérémie Périn. On Blu-ray from GKIDS/Shout! Studios. Read more here.

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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.