From the Big Screen:

Red Rocket

(2021) Ex porn star Mikey Saber (Simon Rex) is back home in small-town Texas after burning bridges and flaming out all over Los Angeles. A hustler, operator, and charismatic con man, Mikey quickly learns that no one wants him back. When he meets Strawberry, a teenager working at the local donut shop, he sees his ticket back to the big time, in this darkly funny, live-wire film from acclaimed writer-director Sean Baker (“The Florida Project,” “Tangerine”). Vitals: Director: Sean Baker. Stars: Simon Rex, Suzanna Son, Bree Elrod, Brenda Deiss. 2021, CC, MPAA rating: R, 130 min., Comedy, US box office gross: $1.024 million, worldwide $1.065 million, Lionsgate. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray + Digital Code, VOD, Digital. Extras: Commentary with writer-director Sean Baker, cinematographer Drew Daniels, and actor Simon Rex; commentary with film critic Kat Ellinger; “Making Red Rocket” featurette. Read more here

Rifkin’s Festival

(2022) Mort Rifkin (Wallace Shawn), a retired film studies professor, accompanies his publicist wife Sue (Gina Gershon) to the San Sebastian Film Festival in Spain. He goes not for the films, but because he’s worried that Sue’s fascination with her young buzzed-about film director client, Philippe (Louis Garrel), might be more than professional. In addition, Mort hopes the change of scenery will provide a respite from his struggle to write a first novel that lives up to his impossibly exacting standards. With Mort’s relentlessly dismissive opinions of Philippe, and Sue’s sharp focus on her career as well as Philippe, their already frayed relationship becomes more strained. Mort’s mood lightens when he meets Jo Rojas (Elena Anaya), a kindred spirit whose marriage to tempestuous painter Paco (Sergi López) is causing her pain as well. While Sue spends her days with Philippe, Mort’s relationship with Jo deepens. Vitals: Director: Woody Allen. Stars: Wallace Shawn, Gina Gershon, Louis Garrel, Elena Anaya, Sergi López, Michael Garvey, Damian Chapa, Bobby Slayton. 2021, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 88 min., Comedy, North American box office gross: $1.741 million, worldwide $ 1.741 million, MPI Home Video. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray, VOD, Digital. Read more here

West Side Story (2021)

(2021) An adaptation of the 1957 musical, “West Side Story” explores forbidden love and the rivalry between the Jets and the Sharks, two teenage street gangs of different ethnic backgrounds. The plot of is based on the 1957 stage musical of the same name, and is loosely-based around the classic tale of Romeo and Juliet. In the midst of a battle between two rival street gangs in 1950s Upper West Side New York City, the Jets and the Puerto Rican Sharks, Tony and María fall in love despite their affiliations. As the star-crossed lovers’ relationship grows, so do tensions between the gangs, and they end up paying the price. Steven Spielberg’s take on West Side Story touts all-star Broadway veterans like screenwriter Tony Kushner, choreographer Justin Peck and composer Jeanine Tesori, as well as Los Angeles Philharmonic conductor Gustavo Dudamel, who re-recorded the film’s legendary Leonard Bernstein score. Vitals: Director: Steven Spielberg. Stars: Ansel Elgort, Rita Moreno, David Alvarez, Corey Stoll, Rachel Zegler, Maddie Ziegler, Brian d’Arcy James, Ana Isabelle, Mike Faist. 2021, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 156 min., Musical, North American box office gross: $37.760 million, worldwide $67.543 million, Fox/Disney. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray + Digital Code, 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo + Digital, VOD, Digital. Read more here

This Week’s Best Bets:

One of the greatest directors of the 1980s, John Landis (“The Blues Brothers,” “Trading Places”), expertly combines macabre horror with dark humor in the lycanthropic classic “An American Werewolf in London [Limited Edition]” (1981). American tourists David (David Naughton) and Jack (Griffin Dunne) are savaged by an unidentified vicious animal while hiking on the Yorkshire Moors. David awakes in a London hospital to find his friend dead and his life in disarray. Retiring to the home of a beautiful nurse (Jenny Agutter) to recuperate, he soon experiences disturbing changes to his mind and body, undergoing a full-moon transformation that will unleash terror on the streets of the capital… “An American Werewolf in London” had audiences howling with laughter and recoiling in terror upon its cinema release. Landis’ film has gone on to become one of the most important horror films of its decade, rightly lauded for its masterful set-pieces, uniquely unsettling atmosphere and Rick Baker’s truly ground-breaking, Oscar-winning special makeup effects. Brand new 4K restoration. On 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo, loaded with extras, from Arrow Video. Read more here … In “The Sword and the Sorcerer (Collector’s Edition)” (1982), starring Lee Horsley, Kathleen Beller, Simon MacCorkindale and Richard Moll, Talon is a daring mercenary who conquers castles and dungeons alike with his lethal three-bladed sword. But when Talon learns that he is the prince of a kingdom controlled by an evil sorcerer, he is thrust into the wildest fight of his life. Can Talon rescue the beautiful princess and slay the warlock, or will he fall prey to the black magic of medieval mayhem? Cult action-packed adventure saga filled with brutal battles, plucky maidens, savage monsters and more. In a 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo debut, from Scream Factory … Alain Delon plays a master thief, fresh out of prison, who crosses paths with a notorious escapee (Gian Maria Volontè) and an alcoholic ex-cop (Yves Montand) in “Le cercle rouge” (1970 — France). The unlikely trio plot a heist, against impossible odds, until a relentless inspector and their own pasts seal their fates. With its honorable antiheroes, coolly atmospheric cinematography, and breathtaking set pieces, “Le cercle rouge” is the quintessential film by Jean-Pierre Melville — the master of ambiguous, introspective crime cinema. On 4K UHD/Blu-ray Combo, with new 4K restoration from StudioCanal of the uncut version of the film, with uncompressed monaural 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.

Buzzin’ the ‘B’s:

“Nightmare Collector’s Edition” (1981),starring Jennie Linden, Brenda Bruce, David Knight and Moira Redmond, features a new 2K scan from the interpositive of this Hammer thriller. As a child, Janet witnessed an unbearable horror – her insane mother stabbing her father to death. Now a young woman, Janet suffers from recurring nightmares that have her convinced that she’ll follow her mother to the asylum. Accompanied by her schoolteacher, Miss Lewis, Janet retreats to the home of her guardian, who has hired lovely Grace as a companion to help calm his troubled ward. But Janet’s nightly terrors, magnified by the eerie, creaky old house, bring all her fears chillingly to life. On Blu-ray from Scream Factory … In the thriller “The Boy Behind the Door” (2020), starring Lonnie Chavis, Ezra Dewey and Kristin Bauer van Straten, a night of unimaginable terror awaits 12-year-old Bobby and his best friend, Kevin, when they are abducted on their way home from school. Managing to escape his confines, Bobby navigates the dark halls as he avoids his captor at every turn. Even worse is the arrival of another stranger, whose mysterious arrangement with the kidnapper spells certain doom for Kevin. With no means of calling for help and miles of dark country in every direction, Bobby embarks on a rescue mission, determined to get himself and Kevin out alive. On DVD, Blu-ray, from RLJE Films … Inspired by the horrifying Sin Eater folklore, the creepy thriller “Sin Eater” (2022), staring Bill Moseley, Jessie Nerud, Danny Bohnen, Scotty Bohnen and Scott Moore, follows Christine (Nerud) a young woman who is on the run from her shadowy past. After suffering a terrifying injury, she finds herself alone and stranded in a remote town harboring a dark secret. As she tries to recuperate, she slowly begins to discover an intense, bizarre religious phenomena occurring around her. With no one to trust and her time running out, Christine realizes that she will have to fight her inner demons as well as the actual demons who are trying to take her soul in order to make it out alive. from Indican Pictures … “Dream a Little Dream” (1989) is a body swap cult favorite, the latest in the Vestron Video Collectors’ series. Bobby has everything a young guy should: a good buddy, a girlfriend, and parents who love him. When the older couple down the street try a transcendental experiment to extend their lives, they quite literally become trapped in the teen’s bodies. The teen comedy has a great cast including the two Coreys – Corey Haim and Corey Feldman, as well as Harry Dean Stanton, Piper Laurie and Jason Robards. In a Blu-ray debut from Vestron Video/Lionsgate.

On the Indie Front:

In the enigmatic and unsettling meditation on adolescent angst “John and the Hole”
(2021), starring Charlie Shotwell, Michael C. Hall, Taissa Farmiga and Jennifer Ehle, 13-year-old John (Shotwell) discovers an unfinished bunker while exploring the neighboring woods — a deep hole in the ground. Seemingly without provocation, he drugs his affluent parents (Hall and Ehle) and older sister (Farmiga), holding them captive within the bunker. As they anxiously wait for John to free them from the hole, the boy returns home, where he can finally enjoy and explore a newfound independence. On DVD, Blu-ray, from IFC Films/RLJE Films … Touching and poignant, the acclaimed coming-of-age comedy “The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls In Love” (1995), starring Laurel Holloman, Nicole Ari Parker and Maggie Moore, tells the story of two teenagers whose unexpected friendship grows into the joyful wildness of first love. Sensitive and romantic, funny and sincere, this daring film was hailed by the New York Times as “a universal story about first love, adolescent rebellion and sexual awakening” and is now celebrated as an iconic part of the 1990s queer cinema canon. Beloved by audiences, it was often referred to, with relief, as one of the few lesbian movies with a “happy ending where no one dies.” In a Blu-ray debut from Strand Releasing.

Foreign Films:

“Signal: The Movie Cold Case Investigation Unit” (2022 — Japan) is the feature film adaptation of the popular Japanese crime series, which in turn was based on the acclaimed South Korean series. Directed by renowned filmmaker Hajime Hashimoto, the movie is a masterfully crafted suspense thriller that combines stylish visuals, captivating narrative, and edge-of-your-seat action in equal measures. The film features the movie theme song “Film Out” by international K-Pop sensation BTS. When officer Kento Saegusa (Kentaro Sakaguchi) picks up a dusty old police radio that’s about to be scrapped, it brings him into contact with Takeshi Oyama (Kazuki Kitamura). The two detectives, one from the past and one from the present, have worked together to solve countless cold cases. Now they’re back together once more. Tokyo, 2021. A high-ranking government official is killed when his chauffeur loses control on an expressway. Saegusa suspects it was far from accidental. Meanwhile in 2009, parliamentary officials are dying in a succession of fatal car crashes. While the police write them off as accidents, Oyama is the only one convinced of foul play. This time, Saegusa and Oyama are forced to go up against corruption in their own home: the police force. Will they finally reunite in the present? In a Blu-ray/DVD Combo, from Eleven Arts/Shout! Factory … In “Project Gemini” (2022 — Russia), after centuries of destroying Earth’s resources, humankind faces the grim reality that its last shot at survival may require creating an entirely new home — in outer space. An international expedition is quickly formed to find a suitable new planet, but when plans go awry, the crew is suddenly stranded without power on a strange planet. Unfortunately, they’ll soon learn that something truly unimaginable has been out there watching, lying in wait for the unwary human scouts. On DVD, Blu-ray, from Well Go USA.

From TV to Disc:

“Head of the Class: The Complete Fourth Season” (1989-90) is a three-disc set with all 26 episodes. When good-natured substitute teacher Charlie Moore (Howard Hesseman) is assigned to teach Fillmore High School’s class of academically advanced students, everyone expects him to fail. After all, each one of the students is smarter than he–and smarter than all the other teachers–as Moore goes to the Head of the Class. In this fourth season of the classic sitcom, there are changes afoot in the students’ senior year in the IHP program at Millard Fillmore High. From Warner Archive … “Vikings: Season 6, Vol. 2” (2021) is a three-disc set with the final 10 episodes of the final season. In season six, Ubbe and Torvi travel to Iceland to uncover the mystery circling Floki’s disappearance and Hvitserk pursues his personal vendetta against Ivar. The saga continues the exploits of chieftain Ragnar Lothbrok and his crew while exploring Bjorn’s reign over Kattegat, Ivar’s adventures in Rus and Wessex, and Ubbe’s expeditions to Iceland and North America. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray. From Warner.

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.