This Week’s DVD, Blu-ray, Digital Releases: June 17 — June 23
Tuesday, June 17 — Monday, June 23
*OnVideo’s week begins with “New Release” Tuesdays
• A Minecraft Movie
• The Monkey
• Novocaine
• The President’s Wife
• Snow White (2025)
June 17
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The Assessment: In the near future where parenthood is strictly controlled, a couple’s seven-day assessment for the right to have a child unravels into a psychological nightmare. (Digital sales, VOD; DVD, Blu-ray release: Day & date) |
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Band on the Run: At the height of the Detroit Garage Rock movement in 1999, a chronically ill father, his musician son and his band bond on a raucous road trip as they war with a rival band on the way to the South by Southwest festival. (Digital sales, VOD; DVD release: Day & date) |
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Fight or Flight: A mercenary takes on the job of tracking down a target on a plane but must protect her when they’re surrounded by people trying to kill both of them. (Digital sales, VOD; DVD, Blu-ray release: July 22) |
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Final Destination: Bloodlines: Plagued by a violent recurring nightmare, college student Stefanie heads home to track down the one person who might be able to break the cycle and save her family from the grisly demise that inevitably awaits them all (Digital sales, VOD; DVD, Blu-ray release: July 22) |
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Friendship: Suburban dad Craig (Tim Robinson) has his life turned upside down by the arrival of a new neighbor (Paul Rudd). As Craig’s attempts to make an adult male friend spiral out of control, their blossoming relationship threatens to ruin both of their lives. (Digital sales, VOD only) |
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Maxxie LaWow: Drag Super-Shero: A shy barista’s life transforms when a magic wig turns him into drag queen Maxxie LaWow, tasked with finding missing queens held by Dyna Bolical who wants their anti-aging tears. (Digital sales, VOD only) |
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Sally: Sally Ride’s groundbreaking journey as the first American woman in space concealed a deeply personal story. Her life partner, Tam O’Shaughnessy, unveils their covert 27-year romance and its accompanying sacrifices. (Disney+/Hulu) |
June 20
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Don’t Tell Larry: After lying to her new eccentric coworker Larry about a company party, an ambitious corporate flunky must deal with the unexpected consequences in this dark comedy. (Digital sales, VOD only) |
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Inside: Transferred from juvenile to adult prison, a young man is taken under the wing of both Australia’s most despised criminal and a soon-to-be-paroled inmate. The paternal triangle that forms between them becomes their undoing. (Digital sales, VOD only) |
The Assessment
(2024) Elizabeth Olsen, Himesh Patel, Alicia Vikander. In a not-so-distant future, where resources are scarce and tightly controlled, even the dream of having a child is not a given. Mia (Olsen) and Aaryan (Patel) are one of the few couples allowed to take a mysterious assessment for the right to have a child, having successfully navigated a brutal selection process. Desperate to prove themselves eligible, they face their evaluator, Virginia (Vikander) —cold, unpredictable, and impossible to read. Subjected to seven grueling days of challenges, Mia and Aaryan are pushed to the brink. Trials unravel into a psychological nightmare, forcing them to face their deepest insecurities, shaking the foundations of their relationship and what being parents really means to them. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray, VOD, Digital. (Magnolia Home Entertainment). Read more here
Band on the Run
(2025) Larry Bagby, Matt Perl, Dylan Randazzo, Daniel Blair, Landon Tavernier, Youssef Fadel, Sammy Ketcham, Korin Visocchi. Set in the adrenaline-fueled era of Detroit’s 1999 garage-rock scene, the film follows Jesse, a struggling young musician juggling aspirations for rock stardom with the demands of caring for his chronically ill father, Thomas. When Jesse’s band unexpectedly scores an invitation to perform at the coveted South by Southwest (SXSW) festival — just as Detroit nemesis, band Bull Roar, also gets their shot — they take Thomas and their eclectic bandmates on a chaotic road trip to Austin, Texas. Rivalries flare, and a series of comedic and poignant encounters reveal deep-seated family dynamics and dreams deferred. Formats: DVD, VOD, Digital. (Freestyle Digital Media). Read more here
Exact Revenge (The Eunuch & The Deadly Knives)
Two of Shaw Brothers Studio’s most compelling and underrated revenge tales, presented on Blu-ray for the first time anywhere in the world. Revenge is and has always been one of the most popular and prolific themes in Hong Kong cinema, from classic wuxia epics to kung fu movies and heroic bloodshed films. During the 1970s, Shaw Brothers Studio was the largest production company operating in Hong Kong and the king of the vengeance tale. Presented here are two of the studio’s most interesting and underrated takes on the revenge story: “The Eunuch” (1971) and “The Deadly Knives” (or “Fists of Vengeance”) (1972). A wuxia pian written by the legendary Lo Wei (“Fist of Fury”) and directed by Teddy Yip, “The Eunuch” begins as the eponymous eunuch Gui De-hai (Pai Ying) survives an attempt on his life ordered by the Emperor (Lo Wei himself). After killing the Emperor and his family in cold blood, Gui notices that the Prince is missing – and sets out to complete his revenge mission. Then, Ching Li and Ling Yun star in the kung fu film “The Deadly Knives” as young lovers Guan Yue-hua and Yan Zi-fei, whose relationship is tested when Yan’s family comes under threat by Japanese thugs led by Ogawa (Ching Miao). He becomes determined to avenge their honor – even if that means taking on Guan’s corrupt father. Formats: Blu-ray. Extras: New audio commentary on “The Eunuch” by action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema; new audio commentary on “The Deadly Knives” by Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival). (Eureka Classics).
Hong Kong 1941
(1984 — Hong Kong) A versatile British-Chinese filmmaker whose career has spanned nearly 50 years, Po-Chih Leong has worked in a variety of genres, from action in “Foxbat” to horror in “The Island,” comedy in “Ping Pong” and the gangster movie in “Shanghai 1920,” which was nominated for Best Feature at the Chicago International Film Festival. His masterpiece, though, is “Hong Kong 1941” – an affecting war drama starring Cecilia Yip, Alex Man and Chow Yun-fat in his breakout role. Produced by Sammo Hung, “Hong Kong 1941” follows three Hongkongers forced to negotiate life under occupation as their homeland falls to the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. Ha Yuk-nam (Yip) is a young woman locked in a love triangle with her close friends Yip Kim-fei (Chow) and Wong Hak-keung (Man). As they dream of escape, their complicated personal relationships play out against the background of oppression and brutality that was brought to Hong Kong by Japanese rule between 1941 and 1945. A story of loyalty and love, Leong’s film deals with one of the darkest periods in Hong Kong’s history and was nominated for no less than eight awards at the 1985 Hong Kong Film Awards – winning for its breathtaking cinematography by Brian Lai. It also launched Chow Yun-fat to stardom two years before his first collaboration with John Woo in “A Better Tomorrow.” The Masters of Cinema series is honored to present the film on Blu-ray for the first time outside of Asia. Formats: Blu-ray. Extras: Limited edition collector’s booklet featuring new writing on “Hong Kong 1941” and Po-Chih Leong by Gary Bettinson, editor of Asian Cinema journal; new audio commentary by East Asian film expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival); “Hong Kong 1984” new video essay by Tony Rayns on the contemporary impact of the film; archival interview with Chow Yun-fat; archival interview with Cecilia Yip; original theatrical trailer. (Eureka Entertainment).
Midnight
(1939) Screwball comedy doesn’t get any more effortlessly elegant and gleefully irreverent than this roulette wheel of romantic deception, gleaming with cunning wit and Continental élan. A couture-clad Claudette Colbert is divine as a penniless American showgirl who crashes Parisian high society by posing as a wealthy Hungarian baroness—but both a scheming nobleman (John Barrymore) and a smitten taxi driver (Don Ameche) are soon on to her game. Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett’s sophisticated script—a typically subversive blend of fairy-tale escapism and caustic social observation—and the pitch-perfect direction of master craftsman Mitchell Leisen yield a topsy-turvy Cinderella story with a cynical bite. Formats: Blu-ray, with new 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack. Extras: Read more here. (The Criterion Collection).
Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser
(1988) The closest a film camera ever got to enigmatic jazz visionary Thelonious Monk, this intimate portrait sheds light on the corners of a brilliant and complex life. Superbly crafted by Direct Cinema pioneer Charlotte Zwerin from a trove of precious 1960s archival footage, “Thelonious Monk Straight, No Chaser” captures the pianist and bebop innovator in rare, unguarded moments on- and offstage, revealing an eccentric and complicated personality. Made with the same freedom of spirit that defines Monk’s artistry, this essential slice of jazz history is a unique glimpse into the quixotic world of one of the twentieth century’s most revolutionary artists. Formats: Blu-ray, with new 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack. Extras: Read more here. (The Criterion Collection).
Things Like This
(2025) Max Talisman, Joey Pollari, Jackie Cruz, Margaret Berkowitz, Danny Chavarriaga. Struggling writer Zack Anthony meets Zack Mandel, an assistant to a talent agent. Their connection begins with a small act of kindness and soon grows after a disastrous but comedic first date. As they spend more time together, they uncover a surprising shared past that feels like fate. Despite personal challenges and misunderstandings, their bond deepens as they navigate what could be the start of something special. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray, VOD, Digital. Read more here (Shout! Studios).
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Harley Lond, longtime editor of this website, |
