(2024) Continues the epic saga of power, intrigue, and vengeance set in Ancient Rome. Years after witnessing the death of the revered hero Maximus at the hands of his uncle, Lucius (Paul Mescal) is forced to enter the Colosseum after his home is conquered by the tyrannical Emperors who now lead Rome with an iron fist. With rage in his heart and the future of the Empire at stake, Lucius must look to his past to find strength and honor to return the glory of Rome to its people. Vitals: Director: Ridley Scott. Stars: Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington, Joseph Quinn, Connie Nielsen.
CC, MPAA rating: R, 147 min., Action Adventure, Theatrical release date: November 22, 2024, North American box office gross: $145.9 million, worldwide $398.5 million, Paramount.Formats: DVD, Blu-ray + Digital Code, 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo + Digital Code, 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo + Digital Code Steelbook, VOD, Digital. Read more here.
Kraven the Hunter
(2024) Standalone story of how one of Marvel's most iconic villains came to be. Kraven is a man whose complex relationship with his ruthless gangster father, Nikolai Kravinoff, starts him down a path of vengeance with brutal consequences, motivating him to become not only the greatest hunter in the world, but also one of its most feared. Vitals: Director: J.C. Chandor. Stars: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ariana DeBose, Fred Hechinger, Alessandro Nivola, Christopher Abbott, Russell Crowe.
CC, MPAA rating: R, 127 min., Action Thriller, Theatrical release date: December 12, 2024, North American box office gross: $24.849 million, worldwide $61.385 million, Sony.Formats: DVD + Digital Code, Blu-ray + Digital Code, 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo + Digital Code, VOD, Digital. Extras: Outtakes & bloopers; "Kraven's First Hunt: The Direction"; "Allies & Antagonists: The Killer Cast." Blu-ray adds Deleted & extended scenes; "Becoming Kraven"; "Beast Mode: The Stunts of the Hunt."
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Den of Thieves 2: Pantera
(2025) Big Nick (Gerard Butler) is on the hunt in Europe for Donnie (O'Shea Jackson Jr.), who is embroiled in the dangerous world of diamond thieves and the infamous Panther mafia, as they plot a massive heist of the world’s biggest diamond exchange. Vitals: Director: Christian Gudegast. Stars: Gerard Butler, Jordan Bridges, Evan Ahmad, O’Shea Jackson Jr, Bob Jennings, Meadow Williams. CC, MPAA rating: R, 144 min., Action Thriller, Theatrical release date: January 10, 2025, North American box office gross: $36.0 million, worldwide $56.7 million, Lionsgate.Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Code, 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo + Digital Code, VOD, Digital.Read more here.
Top Disc Releases Next Week
•The Killer Is Not Alone (1973 -- Spain) •The Hungry Snake Woman (1986 -- Indonesia) •Thief (1981) •Wildcat
Armed:A group of veteran marines steal a shipment of weapons from the military only to find a cold war era robot that hunts them down, determined to complete it's mission. (Digital sales, VOD only)
Don’t Get Eaten:A YouTuber dad takes his family on a trip in the woods, where they'll have to survive a possible zombie apocalypse. (Digital sales, VOD; DVD, Blu-ray release: March 4)
Heart Eyes:When the Heart Eyes Killer strikes Seattle, a pair of co-workers pulling overtime on Valentine’s Day are mistaken for a couple by the elusive couple-hunting killer. Now they must spend the most romantic night of the year running for their lives.
(Digital sales, VOD only)
The Last Showgirl:A seasoned showgirl (Pamela Anderson) must plan for her future when her show abruptly closes after a 30-year run. (VOD; Digital sales began Feb. 18)
The Sixth:In this indie crime thriller, attorney Marcus A. Coles (Ricky Burchell) uncovers a deadly police corruption ring while defending a falsely accused cop. With his life and career on the line, Marcus races to expose the truth where justice collides with danger (Digital sales, VOD only)
Unspeakable: Beyond the Wall of Sleep: A renowned oneirologist is summoned to Arkham Asylum to investigate a bizarre split-personality case involving a patient seemingly possessed by a 122-year-old colonial peasant. What begins as a psychological study soon descends into unimaginable terror. (Digital sales, VOD only)
Vermiglio:1944, Vermiglio, a remote mountain village. The arrival of Pietro, a deserter, into the family of the local teacher, and his love for the teacher's eldest daughter, will change the course of everyone's life. (Digital sales, VOD only)
(2025) Gerard Butler, Jordan Bridges, Evan Ahmad, O’Shea Jackson Jr, Bob Jennings, Meadow. Big Nick (Butler) goes rogue to hunt down master thief Donnie (Jackson Jr.) in a high-stakes European diamond heist. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Code, 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo + Digital Code, VOD, Digital. (Lionsgate). Read more here.
Don't Get Eaten
(2023) Justin Kilduff, Melinda Rose, Dale Dobson, Reese Ravencraft. The story of Noah Mickelberg – a zombie-apocalypse prepper and stay-at-home homeschooling dad. Noah is having great luck with his zombie survival online video channel, until an actual zombie apocalypse disrupts his plans. Noah’s exasperated wife tries to keep the family afloat while her internet-streaming husband ekes out an existence creating “zombie survival” videos with their daughters. When a couples therapist prescribes a technology-free getaway, things start off well, until an actual zombie apocalypse intrudes on their family weekend. Formats: DVD, VOD, Digital. (Freestyle Digital Media). Read more here
Eye For an Eye 2: Blind Vengeance
(2024 -- China) Xie Miao, Yang Enyou. After her little brother is murdered by a sadistic, well-connected government official, a young girl vows revenge and turns to the Lieutenant, a blind but highly skilled bounty hunter. Though he refuses to help the child exact vengeance and become a murderer herself, the Lieutenant grudgingly lets her stay in exchange for help with daily tasks. But when the girl suddenly vanishes, the bounty hunter goes on a furious rampage through the city in a desperate attempt to locate the child before it’s too late. Sequel to the international box office hit "Eye For An Eye: The Blind Swordsman." Includes an English-language dub. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray. Digital. (Well Go USA).
Ghost Cat Anzu
(2024 -- Japan) Animated family film. Precocious tween Karin finds herself abandoned by her father in rural Japan. Living in a temple with her grandfather, she meets Anzu, a giant “ghost cat” and notorious layabout tasked with looking after her. Distrustful of her new guardian, Karin sabotages Anzu’s odd jobs for the townsfolk and befriends the eccentric local forest spirits. In an effort to win Karin over, Anzu accidentally makes a deal with the devil, and all Hell breaks loose. "Ghost Cat Anzu" was first filmed in live action, with the animation rotoscoped based on this footage. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray, VOD, Digital. (GKIDS/Shout! Studios).
Gladiator II
(2024) Twenty years after the death of gladiator Maximus, his son Lucius is captured in Carthage when it falls to the Romans. Trained as a gladiator and brought back to fight in the Colosseum as an anonymous barbarian, Lucius quickly gains notoriety and becomes the center of a power struggle for the very fate of Rome. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray + Digital Code, 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo + Digital Code, 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo + Digital Code Steelbook, VOD, Digital. (Paramount). Read more here.
Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth With Bill Moyers
(1988) Blu-ray debut of the 1988 PBS series with all six episodes on two discs, with a 24-page companion booklet that features an extremely rare essay by Campbell, plus additional reading materials from the Joseph Campbell Foundation. Mythologist and storyteller Joseph Campbell joins Bill Moyers to explore what enduring myths can tell us about our lives. In each of six episodes - "The Hero's Adventure," "The Message of the Myth," "The First Storytellers," "Sacrifice and Bliss," "Love and the Goddess," and "Masks of Eternity" - Moyers and Campbell focus on a character or theme found in cultural and religious mythologies. Campbell argues that these timeless archetypes continue to have a powerful influence on the choices we make and the ways we live. Released shortly after Campbell's death on October 30, 1987, "The Power of Myth" was one of the most popular TV series in the history of public television, and continues to inspire new audiences. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray. Extras: "Bill Moyers' Journal Episodes: Joseph Campbell: Myths to Live By - Part I and II': "The Mythology of Stars Wars With Bill Moyers and George Lucas." (Film Movement).
Kraven the Hunter
(2024) Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ariana DeBose, Fred Hechinger, Alessandro Nivola, Christopher Abbott, Russell Crowe. Standalone story of how one of Marvel's most iconic villains came to be. Kraven is a man whose complex relationship with his ruthless gangster father, Nikolai Kravinoff, starts him down a path of vengeance with brutal consequences, motivating him to become not only the greatest hunter in the world, but also one of its most feared.
Formats: DVD + Digital Code, Blu-ray + Digital Code, 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo + Digital Code, VOD, Digital. Extras: Outtakes & bloopers; "Kraven's First Hunt: The Direction"; "Allies & Antagonists: The Killer Cast." Blu-ray adds Deleted & extended scenes; "Becoming Kraven"; "Beast Mode: The Stunts of the Hunt." (Sony). Read more here.
Lake George
(2024) Carrie Coon, Shea Whigham, Glenn Fleshler, Max Casella, Derek Phillips. Newly released from prison, a white-collar criminal, used to dealing with numbers, is tasked with one last job by his boss: kill the boss' girlfriend before she talks. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray, VOD, Digital. (Magnolia Home Entertainment).
Play It Cool
(1970 -- Japan) "Play it Cool" is a chic and erotically charged drama starring popular Japanese singer of the day Mari Atsumi as a college girl negotiating her way through the male-dominated hierarchies of Tokyo's seductive but treacherous nightclub culture. Yumi (Mari Atsumi) is a pretty fashion student who shares a cramped home with her mother Tomi (Akemi Negishi) and good-for-nothing stepfather Ryoichi. Tomi works at a local hostess bar and hopes for a better fate for Yumi. When Ryoichi violently forces himself upon her blossoming daughter, Tomi is not afraid to take action to protect her, an act which lands her in jail. Left to fend for herself, Yumi is taken in by her mother's former place of employment, where she finds herself fighting off the unwanted attentions of the men who swarm around her. Then one day, a rescue by handsome former lawyer Nozawa (Yusuke Kawazu) from a vicious gangster seems to offer an escape into an altogether glitzier world, albeit one that turns out fraught with similar dangers. Arrow Films is proud to release this little-seen gem by one of Japan's most highly regarded directors of the 1960s, Yasuzo Masumura, a filmmaker known for his social satires and powerful portrayals of women; as "Play it Cool" is released for the very first time for the home video market outside of Japan in a brand new high-definition transfer. Formats: Blu-ray. Extras: Brand new audio commentary with critic and Japanese cinema specialist Jasper Sharp and professor and Japanese literature specialist Anne McKnight; "Too Cool for School," brand new video essay on "Play it Cool" and the career of writer-director Yasuzo Masumura by Japanese film scholar Mark Roberts; original theatrical trailer; image gallery; reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tony Stella; illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Earl Jackson. (Arrow Video/MVD Entertainment). Read more here.
Red One
(2024) Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans, J.K. Simmons, Lucy Liu, Kiernan Shipka, Bonnie Hunt, Nick Kroll, Kristofer Hivju, Wesley Kimmel. After Santa Claus (codename: Red One) is kidnapped, the North Pole’s Head of Security must team up with the world’s most infamous bounty hunter in a globe-trotting, action-packed mission to save Christmas.
Formats: DVD, Blu-ray, VOD, Digital. (Amazon MGM). Read more here
The Wages of Fear
(1953 -- France) In a squalid South American oil town, four desperate men sign on for a suicide mission to drive trucks loaded with nitroglycerin over a treacherous mountain route. As they ferry their explosive cargo to a faraway oil fire, each bump and jolt tests their courage, their friendship, and their nerves. The result is one of the greatest thrillers ever committed to celluloid, a white-knuckle ride from France’s legendary master of suspense Henri-Georges Clouzot.
Formats: 4K UHD + Blu-ray, Blu-ray, with new 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack. In the 4K UHD 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).
DVD
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