Wicked Little Letters

(2024) Based on a stranger-than-fiction true story, the film follows two neighbors: deeply-conservative local Edith Swan (Olivia Colman) and rowdy Irish migrant Rose Gooding (Jessie Buckley). When Edith and fellow residents start to receive wicked letters full of unintentionally hilarious profanities, foul-mouthed Rose is charged with the crime. The anonymous letters prompt a national uproar, and a trial ensues. However, as the town’s women, led by Police Officer Gladys Moss (Anjana Vasan), begin to investigate the crime themselves, they suspect that something is amiss and Rose might not be the culprit after all. Vitals: Director: Thea Sharrock. Stars: Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Anjana Vasan, Timothy Spall, Gemma Jones. CC, MPAA rating: R, 100 min., Comedy Mystery, North American box office gross: $4.882 million, worldwide $25.804 million, Sony. Formats: DVD, VOD, Digital.

This Week’s Best Bets

It is 1971, and journalist Raoul Duke barrels toward Las Vegas — accompanied by a trunkful of contraband and his slightly unhinged Samoan attorney, Dr. Gonzo — to cover a motorcycle race in “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” (1998). What should be a cut-and-dried journalistic assignment quickly descends into a feverish psychedelic odyssey. Director Terry Gilliam and an all-star cast, headlined by Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro, show no mercy in bringing Hunter S. Thompson’s excoriating dissection of the American way of life to the screen, creating a film both hilarious and savage. Formats: 4K UHD/Blu-ray, with new 4K digital restoration, supervised and approved by director Terry Gilliam, presented in the aspect ratio of 2.39:1, with 2.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. Alternate 5.1 surround soundtrack. One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features. Read more here. From The Criterion Collection.

Buzzin’ the ‘B’s:

In “Lost Soulz” (2023), starring Sauve Sidle, Alexander Brackney, Malachi Mabson, Micro TDH, Siyanda Stillwell and Krystall Poppin, a rapper leaves everything behind and embarks on an odyssey of self discovery, music, and friendship in the heart of Texas. On DVD, Blu-ray, from Kino Lorber … A small town is shaken by a series of ominous killings in the days leading up to a heated mayoral election in “Founders Day” (2024), starring Devin Druid, Amy Hargreaves, Naomi Grace, Catherine Curtin, Emilia McCarthy, Olivia Nikkanen and William Russ. As accusations fly and the threat of a masked killer darkens every street corner, the residents must race to uncover the truth before fear consumes the town. On Blu-ray, from MPI Home Video. Read more here … In “Darkness of Man” (2024), starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, Kristanna Loken, Spencer Breslin, Shannen Doherty, Emerson Min, Peter Jae and Sticky Fingaz, Russell Hatch (Van Damme) is a washed up, former Interpol operative who vowed to protect the son of an informant killed years earlier in a raid gone wrong. When merciless street gangs start an all-out turf war and the kid is caught in the middle, Hatch will stop at nothing to keep the him safe and fight anyone who gets in his way. From Sony … In “Postal” (2007), starring Zack Ward, David Foley, Verne Troyer, Jackie Tohn and Chris Coppola, director Uwe Boll takes viewers into the chaotic world of Postal Dude, a man down on his luck, thrust into an outlandish scheme by his cult-leading uncle. Their audacious heist at a local amusement park, targeting a coveted trove of trendy toys, spirals into madness with the sudden intervention of terrorists with a sinister plot. Massacre Video brings Uwe Boll’s daring and controversial adaptation of the popular video game to stunning 4K UHD. This darkly comedic masterpiece has been meticulously scanned from the original negatives for a state-of-the-art 4K presentation. From Massacre Video … In “Ruby’s Choice” (2024), starring Jane Seymour, Jacqueline McKenzie, Stephen Hunter, Coco Jack Gillie and Nicole Pastor, an aging woman with dementia moves in with her daughter’s family when she is unable to continue to live by herself. Her teen granddaughter is forced to share her room and miss school to care for her. Her resentment turns to love as she spends her days and nights with her grandmother and long-hidden family secrets are revealed, giving a new understanding and appreciation of her past. From Vision.

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.