New DVD and Blu-ray Releases for the Week of October 4
From the Big Screen:
DC League of Super-Pets
(2022) Krypto the Super-Dog (Dwayne Johnson) and Superman (John Krasinski) are inseparable best friends, sharing the same superpowers and fighting crime in Metropolis side by side. When Superman and the rest of the Justice League are kidnapped, Krypto must convince a rag-tag shelter pack—Ace the hound (Kevin Hart), PB the potbellied pig (Vanessa Bayer), Merton the turtle (Natasha Lyonne) and Chip the squirrel (Diego Luna) — to master their own newfound powers and help him rescue the superheroes. Vitals: Stars: Voices of Dwayne Johnson, John Krasinski, Kevin Hart, Kate McKinnon, Vanessa Bayer, Natasha Lyonne, Diego Luna, Marc Maron, Thomas Middleditch, Ben Schwartz, Keanu Reeves. 2022, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 105 min., Animated Action, North American box office gross: $74.089, million, worldwide $146.489 million, Warner. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Code, 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo + Digital Code, VOD, Digital. Extras: “Behind the Super Voices” featurette. Blu-ray adds “How to Draw Krypto,” “Super-Pets Animation 101,” “Find the Easter Eggs,” “The World of Super-Pets,” deleted scenes. Read more here
This Week’s Best Bets:
Shot outside Pittsburgh on a shoestring budget, by a band of filmmakers determined to make their mark, “Night of the Living Dead” (1968), directed by horror master George A. Romero, is a great story of independent cinema: a midnight hit turned boxoffice smash that became one of the most influential films of all time. A deceptively simple tale of a group of strangers trapped in a farmhouse who find themselves fending off a horde of recently dead, flesh-eating ghouls, Romero’s claustrophobic vision of a late-1960s America literally tearing itself apart rewrote the rules of the horror genre, combining gruesome gore with acute social commentary and quietly breaking ground by casting a Black actor (Duane Jones) in its lead role. From The Criterion Collection in a 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray, with 4K digital restoration, supervised by director George A. Romero, coscreenwriter John A. Russo, sound engineer Gary R. Streiner, and producer Russell W. Streiner, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack. One 4K UHD disc of the film and two Blu-rays with the film and special features. Read more here.
Buzzin’ the ‘B’s:
In “They Crawl Beneath” (2022), starring Joseph Almani, Michael Paré, Karlee Eldridge, Elena Sahagun and Gar-Ye Lee, young police officer Danny is working on an antique car at his uncle’s remote ranch when a major earthquake hits, pinning him under the vehicle and leaving him bloodied, alone, and with no way to call for help. Just when he thinks the claustrophobic nightmare can’t get any worse, something truly horrifying emerges from the fissures in the ground, forcing Danny to engage in a brutal fight for his life—and his sanity. On DVD, Blu-ray, from Well Go USA … Jess is swept off her feet by a mysterious stranger named Ben, who takes her to his boat that’s docked nearby in “Into the Deep” (2022), starring Ella-Rae Smith, Jessica Alexander abd Matthew Daddario. Dangerously adrift miles from shore, their romance is interrupted when Lexie shows up, and soon the three get wasted and play sexy games. When the party takes a sudden turn for the worse, it’s clear that either Ben or Lexie is a dangerous liar. In the explosive climax, Jess must decide which one to help … and which one to destroy. On DVD, Blu-ray, from Lionsgate. Read more here.
From TV to Disc:
“Dexter: The Complete Series + Dexter: New Blood”
(2006-2013) is a 28-disc Blu-ray set and 36-disc DVD set with “everything” Dexter. He’s smart. He’s lovable. He’s Dexter Morgan, America’s favorite serial killer, who spends his days solving crimes and nights committing them. Golden Globe winner Michael C. Hall stars in the hit Showtime Original Series. “Dexter: New Blood” (2021-22) is set 10 years after Dexter Morgan went missing in the eye of Hurricane Laura; he’s now living under an assumed name in Upstate New York, Iron Lake, far from his original home in Miami. From Showtime/Paramount … “Melrose Place: The Complete Series” (1992-99) 54-disc set with 226 episodes from seven seasons. This sudsy drama from Aaron Spelling focuses on the lives and loves of young adults in an apartment complex in Los Angeles. From the complicated scheming of scandals to the murderous plots of lovers, the residents at Melrose Place are more messed up than average folk. From CBS/Paramount … “The Twilight Zone (Reboot): The Complete Series” (2019-2020) is a seven-disc set with 20 episodes. Travel through dimensions of imagination in this modern take of the original series, from executive producers Jordan Peele and Simon Kinberg. From Paramount … “Walker: Season Two” (2021) is a five-disc set with all 20 epiosdes. The latest season kicks off when a family from Walker’s childhood returns, bringing up old memories and trauma. As Walker tries to reconcile the relationship between the two families, they encounter a decision that puts them both in a troubling situation. From CBS/Paramount.
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.