The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
(2023) 64 years before Katniss Everdeen volunteered as tribute, and decades before Coriolanus Snow became the tyrannical President of Panem, this prequel follows a young Coriolanus as he unites with Lucy Gray Baird in the 10th Hunger Games, and battles his instincts for both good and evil. Vitals: Director: Francis Lawrence. Stars: Tom Blyth, Rachel Zegler, Peter Dinklage, Hunter Schafer, Josh Andrés Rivera, Jason Schwartzman, Viola Davis.
CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 157 min., Action Thriller, North American box office gross: $160.542 million, worldwide $322.542 million, Lionsgate.Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Code, 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo + Digital Code, VOD, Digital. Extras: Commentary with producer-director Francis Lawrence and producer Nina Jacobson; "Welcome Back to Panem"; "The Music of The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes"; "The Costumes of The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes"; "The Casting of The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes"; “The Hanging Tree” song by Rachel Zegler; "A Letter to the Fans." Blu-ray adds “Predator or Prey: Making The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” 8-part documentary.
Read more here.
The Marvels
(2023) Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel has reclaimed her identity from the tyrannical Kree. When her duties send her to an anomalous wormhole, her powers are entangled with super-fan Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel, and Carol’s estranged niece, astronaut Captain Monica Rambeau. Together, this unlikely trio must team up and work together to save the universe. Vitals: Director: Nia DaCosta. Stars: Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, Iman Vellani, Zawe Ashton, Gary Lewis, Seo-Jun Park, Samuel L. Jackson.
CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 105 min., SciFi Action, North American box office gross: 84.500 million, worldwide $205.873 million, Marvel/Disney.Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Code, 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo + Digital Code, VOD, Digital. Extras: "Entangled" behind-the-scenes featurette; "The Production Diaries"; deleted scenes; gag reel; commentary by co-writer/director Nia DaCosta and VFX Supervisor Tara DeMarco.
Read more here.
Priscilla
(2023) When teenage Priscilla Beaulieu meets Elvis Presley at a party, the man who is already a meteoric rock-and-roll superstar becomes someone entirely unexpected in private moments: a thrilling crush, an ally in loneliness, a vulnerable best friend. Through Priscilla’s eyes, Sofia Coppola tells the unseen side of a great American myth in Elvis and Priscilla’s long courtship and turbulent marriage, from a German army base to his dream-world estate at Graceland, in this deeply felt and ravishingly detailed portrait of love, fantasy, and fame. Based on the book “Elvis and Me,” by Priscilla Presley. Vitals: Director: Sofia Coppola. Stars: Cailee Spaeny, Jacob Elordi, Dagmara Dominczyk
Ari Cohen, Tim Post. CC, MPAA rating: R, 113 min., BioDrama, North American box office gross: $20.864 million, worldwide $21.321 million, Lionsgate.Formats: Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Code, VOD, Digital. Extras: "Brushed with Beauty: Creating Priscilla's Story"; "The Making of Priscilla: A Film by Liv McNeil"; theatrical trailer.
Read more here.
Hypnotic
(2023) A detective finds himself spiraling down a rabbit hole while investigating a series of reality-bending crimes mysteriously connected to his missing daughter. Aided by a gifted psychic, he is pursued by a lethal specter who he believes holds the key to finding his daughter – only to discover more than he ever bargained for.Vitals: Director: Robert Rodriguez. Stars: Ben Affleck, Alice Braga, JD Pardo, Dayo Okeniyi, Jeff Fahey, Jackie Earle Haley.
CC, MPAA rating: R, 93 min., Action Thriller, North American box office gross: $4.5 million, worldwide $16.0 million, Roadshow Entertainment.Formats: DVD, Blu-ray, VOD, Digital.
Top Disc Releases Next Week
•Afire (2023 -- Germany) •The Heroic Trio/Executioners (1993 -- Hong Kong). (Criterion) •Nothing But a Man (1964) (Criterion) •The Swiss Conspiracy (1976)
The Iron Claw: The true story of the inseparable Von Erich brothers, who made history in the intensely competitive world of professional wrestling in the early 1980s. Through tragedy and triumph, under the shadow of their domineering father and coach, the brothers seek larger-than-life immortality on the biggest stage in sports. (Digital, VOD only; DVD, Blu-ray release: March 26)
Strange Way of Life: A short film by director Pedro Almodóvar. After 25 years, Silva rides a horse across the desert to visit his friend Sheriff Jake. They celebrate the meeting, but the next morning Jake tells him that reason for his trip is not to go down the memory lane of their friendship. (DVD release: Day & date)
February 16
The Color Purple (2023): A story of love and resilience, “The Color Purple” is a decades-spanning tale of one woman’s journey to independence. Celie faces many hardships in her life, but ultimately finds extraordinary strength and hope in the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood. (DVD, Blu-ray release: March 12; free on Max)
Oppenheimer: The story of American scientist, J. Robert Oppenheimer, and his role in the development of the atomic bomb. (Peacock)
(2023) Voices of Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Freddie Highmore, Emily Carey, David Harewood, Meera Syal, Miranda Hart, Toby Jones, Imelda Staunton. Modern reimagining of Oscar Wilde’s popular literary classic. A modern American family moves to their recently purchased country home, Canterville Chase in England, only to find it is haunted by a ghost. Effectively, Sir Simon de Canterville (Fry) has been haunting the grounds of Canterville Chase successfully for over 300 years, but he meets his match, Virginia Otis (Carey) when he tries to scare out the new arrivals. Formats: DVD, VOD, Digital. (Shout! Kids/Shout! Studios). Read more here
A Creature Was Stirring
(2023) Chrissy Metz, Annalise Basso, Scout Taylor-Compton, Connor Paolo. Faith (Metz) keeps her troubled teenage daughter (Basso) on a tightly controlled regimen of experimental drugs, their only means of fending off a mysterious, terrifying affliction. But after two burglars attempt to rob the home on Christmas, they stumble upon a long-kept family secret -- with monstrous consequences. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray, VOD, Digital. (Well Go USA).
Eric Rohmer's Tales of Four Seasons
The seasons may change, but the follies of the heart are constant in this ineffably lovely quartet of films by Eric Rohmer, one of cinema’s most perceptive chroniclers of the pangs and perils of romance. Set throughout France, "Tales of the Four Seasons" is a cycle to stand alongside the director’s two earlier acclaimed film series, "Six Moral Tales" and "Comedies and Proverbs." By turns comic and melancholic, breezy and richly philosophical, these bittersweet tales of love, longing, and the inevitable misunderstandings that shape human relationships probe the most complex of emotions with the utmost grace. "A Tale of Springtime" (1990, "A Tale of Winter" (1992), "A Tale of Summer" (1996), "A Tale of Autumn" {1998).
Formats: 4K UHD + Blu-ray special edition; one 4K UHD disc of the film and one Blu-ray with the film and special features. Extras:Read more here. (The Criterion Collection).
Fear Is the Key
(1972) From bestselling author Alistair MacLean ("The Guns of Navarone," "Where Eagles Dare") comes a pulse pounding, rip-roaring rampage of revenge starring Barry Newman, the king of existential cool who had previously put the pedal to the metal in "Vanishing Point." Mysterious drifter John Talbot (Newman) arrives in a small Louisiana town, picks a fight with local police and gets arrested. In court it is revealed he's wanted for a number of violent crimes, but nothing is quite what it seems. Staging a daring escape, Talbot abducts seemingly random spectator Sarah Ruthven (Suzy Kendall) and hits the road at high speed for a journey filled with unexpected twists and turns: a crashed airplane, a sleazy private investigator, criminal enforcers, and an oil millionaire. It's a journey toward truth and vengeance and Talbot won't hit the brakes until he gets there. Director Michael Tuchner ("Villain") delivers a crackerjack crime-thriller packed with great performances (including Ben Kingsley in his first movie role), an unforgettable score by Roy Budd ("Get Carter"), and stunt sequences coordinated by the legendary Carey Loftin ("Bullit," "The French Connection"). "Fear Is the Key" is a white-knuckle winner that demands to be seen. Formats: Blu-ray debut. Extras: New audio commentary by filmmaker and critic Howard S. Berger; "A Different Kind of Spy Game," a new visual essay by film critic and author Scout Tafoya; "Fear in the Key of Budd," a new appreciation of composer Roy Budd and his score for "Fear Is the Key" by film and music historian Neil Brand; "Bayou to Bray," an archive featurette in which crew members look back on the making of the film; "Producing the Action," an archive interview with associate producer Gavrik Losey; theatrical trailer; reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Nathanael Marsh; double-sided foldout poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Nathanael Marsh; illustrated collector’s booklet with new writing by filmmaker and critic Sean Hogan. (Arrow Video/MVD Entertainment). Read more here.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
(2023) Tom Blyth, Rachel Zegler, Peter Dinklage, Hunter Schafer, Josh Andrés Rivera, Jason Schwartzman, Viola Davis. Coriolanus Snow mentors and develops feelings for the female District 12 tribute during the 10th Hunger Games in this prequel.
Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Code, 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo + Digital Code, VOD, Digital. Extras: Commentary with producer-director Francis Lawrence and producer Nina Jacobson; "Welcome Back to Panem"; "The Music of The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes"; "The Costumes of The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes"; "The Casting of The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes"; “The Hanging Tree” song by Rachel Zegler; "A Letter to the Fans." Blu-ray adds “Predator or Prey: Making The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” 8-part documentary.
(Lionsgate). Read more here.
Hypnotic
(2023) Ben Affleck, Alice Braga, JD Pardo, Dayo Okeniyi, Jeff Fahey, Jackie Earle Haley. A detective investigates a mystery involving his missing daughter and a secret government program.
Formats: DVD, Blu-ray, VOD, Digital. (Roadshow Entertainment).
The Marvels
(2023) Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, Iman Vellani, Zawe Ashton, Gary Lewis, Seo-Jun Park, Samuel L. Jackson. Carol Danvers (Captain Marvel) gets her powers entangled with those of Kamala Khan and Monica Rambeau, forcing them to work together to save the universe. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Code, 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo + Digital Code, VOD, Digital. Extras: "Entangled" behind-the-scenes featurette; "The Production Diaries"; deleted scenes; gag reel; commentary by co-writer/director Nia DaCosta and VFX Supervisor Tara DeMarco. (Marvel/Disney). Read more here.
Priscilla
(2023) Director: Sofia Coppola. Stars: Cailee Spaeny, Jacob Elordi, Dagmara Dominczyk, Ari Cohen, Tim Post. When teenage Priscilla Beaulieu meets Elvis Presley, the man who is already a meteoric rock-and-roll superstar becomes someone entirely unexpected in private moments: a thrilling crush, an ally in loneliness, a vulnerable best friend. Formats: Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Code, VOD, Digital. Extras: "Brushed with Beauty: Creating Priscilla's Story"; "The Making of Priscilla: A Film by Liv McNeil"; theatrical trailer. (Lionsgate). Read more here.
The Shaolin Plot
(1977 -- Hong Kong) In 1977, fight choreographer Sammo Hung made one last film under his mentor, director Huang Feng ("Lady Whirlwind," "Hapkido") before graduating to the director's chair himself with "The Iron-Fisted Monk." That film was the rarely-seen martial arts ensemble thriller "The Shaolin Plot," which sees the pair reunite with Hong Kong heavy Chan Sing. Prince Daglen (Sing) is hellbent on completing his comprehensive collection of Chinese martial arts manuals and mastering each form against his opponents. With only two manuals left to obtain, he sends his most dangerous henchman, a renegade monk (Hung) armed with two golden cymbals acting as flying guillotines, to steal the manual of Wu-Tang. To steal the sacred texts of Shaolin, however, the wicked Daglen will have to infiltrate the temple himself. The stage is set for a clash between Daglen, his cronies and surviving Wu-Tang student Little Tiger (James Tien), alongside a lethal duo of Shaolin warrior monks (Casanova Wong and Kwan Yung Moon). Based on a story by legendary storyteller Ni Kuang ("The 36th Chamber of Shaolin"), "The Shaolin Plot" is a classic tale of martial arts intrigue and deception, combining the incoming new wave of action with the old, resulting in one of the most overlooked and underrated kung fu classics from one of the most prolific Hong Kong film studios of all time. 2K restoration from the original film elements by Fortune Star. Formats: Blu-ray. Extras: Commentary by martial arts film experts Frank Djeng & Michael Worth; commentary by action cinema experts Mike Leeder & Arne Venema; original theatrical trailers; double-sided fold-out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Ilan Sheady; reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Ilan Sheady; illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by Peter Glagowski. (Arrow Video/MVD Entertainment). Read more here.
The Stones & Brian Jones
(2023) Featuring revealing interviews with all the main players and unseen archive released for the first time, this documentary explores the creative musical genius of Jones, key to the success of the band, and uncovers how the founder of what became the greatest rock'n'roll band in the world was left behind in the shadows of history.
Formats: DVD, Blu-ray, VOD, Digital. (Magnolia Home Entertainment).
Strange Way of Life
(2023) A short film by director Pedro Almodóvar. After twenty-five years, Silva (Pedro Pascal) rides a horse across the desert to visit his friend Sheriff Jake (Ethan Hawke). A lifetime after their shared stint as hired gunmen, they celebrate their reunion. However, the next morning, it is revealed the trip is not to revel in the memory of their friendship.
Formats: DVD, VOD, Digital. (Sony). Read more here
Twilight
(1990 -- Hungary) Péter Haumann, János Derzsi, Judit Pogány. After discovering the murdered body of a young girl deep in a mountainous forest, a hardened homicide detective pushes himself to increasingly obsessive ends in his quest to catch the serial killer — known only as “The Giant” — responsible for the crime. A much admired but long unavailable masterpiece by influential Hungarian auteur and regular Béla Tarr collaborator György Fehér, "Twilight (Szu¨rku¨let)" is at once an existential murder mystery and an expansive meditation on time and space. Stunningly lensed in rich blacks and cascading grays by DP Miklós Gurbánthe, the film is presented in its first-ever U.S. release in a brand new 4K restoration by the National Film Institute – Hungarian Film Archive and FilmLab, supervised by Gurbán. Formats: Blu-ray. Extras: New video interview with cinematographer Miklós Gurbán; new video interview with editor Mária Czeilik; György Fehér’s first two short films: "Öregek" (1969) and "Tomikám" (1970); U.S. theatrical trailer; 12-page booklet with new essay by Andrea Virginás ("Film Genres in Hungarian and Romanian Cinema: History, Theory, Reception"). (Arbelos Films).
Under The Fig Trees
(2021 -- Tunisia) On a hot summer day, a crew of workers - men and women, young and old - arrive at dawn at a picturesque fig orchard in northwest Tunisia. We eavesdrop, through the sun-dappled leaves of the fig trees, on the young women stealing away precious moments from the foreman's watchful gaze. Meanwhile, the older women, tasked with the careful job of packing the tender fruit, watch and reminisce together as well. They joke, argue, debate, gossip, flirt, all the while painting an unhurried but riveting portrait of everyday life in the rural society, where class, gender, and circumstance often don't allow for such personal freedoms. Set over the course of a single day, and with a cast made up of an intergenerational ensemble of non-professional actors, the film is an elegant, understated tapestry of complex interactions [and] a pleasurable and immersive experience that ultimately reveals the ways in which sisterhood itself becomes an act of resistance.
Formats: DVD, VOD, Digital. (Film Movement).
DVD
Read more here.
(2023) A detective finds himself spiraling down a rabbit hole while investigating a series of reality-bending crimes mysteriously connected to his missing daughter. Aided by a gifted psychic, he is pursued by a lethal specter who he believes holds the key to finding his daughter – only to discover more than he ever bargained for.Vitals: Director: Robert Rodriguez. Stars: Ben Affleck, Alice Braga, JD Pardo, Dayo Okeniyi, Jeff Fahey, Jackie Earle Haley.
CC, MPAA rating: R, 93 min., Action Thriller, North American box office gross: $4.5 million, worldwide $16.0 million, Roadshow Entertainment.
Formats: DVD, Blu-ray, VOD, Digital.
