Coup de Chance

(2023 — France) Fanny (Lou de Laâge) and Jean (Melvil Poupaud) look like the ideal married couple – they’re both professionally accomplished, they live in a gorgeous apartment in an exclusive neighborhood of Paris, and they seem to be in love just as much as they were when they first met. But when Fanny accidentally bumps into Alain (Niels Schneider), a former high school classmate, she’s swept off her feet. They soon see each other again and get closer and closer … and their new bond leads to marital infidelity and ultimately crime. Vitals: Director: Woody Allen. Stars: Lou De Laâge, Valérie Lemercier, Melvil Poupaud, Niels Schneider. CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 93 min., Romantic Thriller, MPI Media Group. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray, VOD, Digital. Read more here.

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This Week’s Best Bets

“Three Revolutionary Films By Ousmane Sembène”: Having blazed a trail for African filmmakers to tell their own stories on-screen, Senegalese auteur Ousmane Sembène took his career-long project — to unlock cinema’s potential as a vehicle for social change — in increasingly urgent and provocative directions in the 1970s. Searing critiques of colonialism, political corruption, patriarchal arrogance, and religious indoctrination, his three features from this decade — the radical call to resistance “Emitaï” (1971), the wickedly subversive satire “Xala” (1975), and the controversial historical epic “Ceddo” (1977) — confirmed his standing as a fearless truth-teller for whom the camera was the ultimate weapon in the fight against oppression in all its forms. New 4K digital restorations of all three films, with uncompressed monaural soundtracks. On DVD, Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection. Read more here.

Buzzin’ the ‘B’s:

From the imagination of Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro (“Pan’s Labyrinth,” “The Shape of Water”) comes “Crimson Peak” (2015), a lavish, stunningly realized journey into the dark heart of Gothic romance. Beginning in Buffalo, New York, during the 1880s, “Crimson Peak” stars Mia Wasikowska as Edith Cushing, an aspiring writer who is haunted by the death of her mother. Edith falls in love with seductive stranger Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston), who whisks her off to Allerdale Hall, his baronial, yet dilapidated English mansion built upon a mountain of blood-red clay. Here Edith meets Lucille (Jessica Chastain), Thomas’s sister who at times seems hostile and jealous. As Edith struggles to feel at home in the imposing residence, she gradually uncovers a horrendous family secret and encounters supernatural forces that will help he discover the terrible truth behind Crimson Peak. Boasting incredibly intricate and ornate production design and a rich visual style, del Toro’s film is a grandiose, boldly baroque triumph of Gothic decadence, which expertly combines and contrasts the sublimely beautiful with the shockingly grotesque. “Crimson Peak” is presented here in sumptuous special packaging, with a wealth of extra features, affording unprecedented insight into the making of this modern Gothic classic. 4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible), approved by director Guillermo del Toro. Original DTS:X Master Audio sound. On 4K UHD from Arrow Video/MVD Entertainment. Read more here … In honor of its 50th anniversary, director Bob Clark’s “Deathdream (aka Dead of Night)” (1974) makes its world-wide debut on 4K UHD and Remastered Blu-ray from a brand new 4K restoration. Charles and Christine (Academy Award nominees John Marley and Lynn Carlin) receive the tragic news that their son Andy (Richard Backus) has died in Vietnam. As Charles and their daughter (Anya Ormsby) begin to process their grief, Christine refuses to believe her son has been killed. Indeed, when Andy shows up at the front door soon thereafter, the family joyfully welcomes him home and chalks the whole thing up to a clerical error. As the days go by, Andy’s behavior becomes stranger and more erratic and when his true violent nature is revealed, sides are drawn in the family – setting up an unforgettable ending. On Blu-ray, 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo from Blue Underground … A natural successor to the violent thrillers of the 70s, director Joe Carnahan’s breakthrough “Narc”(2002) brings the genre screaming into a new era, setting the standard for the modern cop drama with its gritty, unrelenting tone and style. In wintry Detroit, narcotics cop Nick Tellis (Jason Patric) is recovering from an undercover operation gone wrong. In the hopes of being assigned a quiet desk job, he agrees to return to active duty and partner up with Detective Henry Oak (Ray Liotta) to investigate the apparent murder of Oak’s former partner. As both men become lost in the depths of the case, boundaries become blurred, and their relationship begins to vacillate between intensely personal and unsettlingly suspicious. One of the best crime films of the 21st century, “Narc” is back in an intense new filmmaker-approved 4K remaster, with brutally immersive Atmos audio, and featuring hours of previously unreleased on-set interviews and brand-new bonus features. On 4K UHD, Blu-ray from Arrow Video/MVD Entertainment. Read more here.

From TV to Disc:

“Fraser: Season 1” (2023) is a two-disc set with all 10 episodes of the second “Frasier” series. Follow Frasier Crane in the next chapter of his life as he returns to Boston, Mass., with new challenges to face, new relationships to forge, and an old dream or two to finally fulfill. Frasier has re-entered the building. From Allied Vaughn.

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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.