(2024) The new installment in the Monsterverse puts the mighty Kong and the fearsome Godzilla against a colossal deadly threat hidden within our world that threatens the existence of their species and our very own, as well as diving deep into the mysteries of Skull Island and beyond. Delving straight into the origins of Hollow Earth, the film explores the ancient Titan battle that brought man and monster together forever. Vitals: Director: Adam Wingard. Stars: Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Dan Stevens, Kaylee Hottle, Alex Ferns, Fala Chen.
CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 115 min., Action, North American box office gross: $194.3 million, worldwide $563.6 million, Warner.Formats: DVD, Blu-ray + Digital Code, 4K Ultra HD + Digital Code, VOD, Digital. Extras: Commentary by director Adam Wingard; featurettes.
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Origin
(2024) Pulitzer Prize-winning author Isabel Wilkerson (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor) seems to have it all, with a loving husband, a supportive family and a new book coming out. When she's asked to write a newspaper article about the tragic events surrounding Trayvon Martin's death, she turns it down, feeling she has enough on her plate. However, the teen's plight is never far from her mind, and as tragedy strikes, she decides to delve into what causes this form of hatred of others, from the Holocaust, to the slaves of America, to the caste system in India. Her research uncovers a startling new take on all of this discrimination. The more she learns, the more content she finds while writing what would become her New York Times best-selling book, "Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents."
Vitals: Director: Ava DuVernay. Stars: Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Vera Farmiga, Niecy Nash, Blair Underwood, Finn Wittrock, Nick Offerman, Jon Bernthal. CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 141 min., Drama, North American box office gross: $4.689 million, worldwide $4,812 million, Decal Neon.Formats: DVD, Blu-ray, VOD, Digital. Extras: "Behind the Scenes of Origin" featurette.
Immaculate
(2023) Sydney Sweeney stars as Cecilia, an American nun of devout faith, embarking on a new journey in a remote convent in the picturesque Italian countryside. Cecilia's warm welcome quickly devolves into a nightmare as it becomes clear her new home harbors a sinister secret and unspeakable horrors. Vitals: Director: Michael Mohan. Stars: Sydney Sweeney, Álvaro Morte, Simona Tabasco.
CC, MPAA rating: R, 89 min., Horror Thriller, North American box office gross: $15.671 million, worldwide $25.791 million, Decal Neon.Formats: DVD, Blu-ray, VOD, Digital.
The Animal Kingdom: In a mutated world where humans morph into hybrid creatures, a man and his son embark on a quest to find his recently transformed wife. (DVD, Blu-ray release: Day & date)
Digimon Adventure 02: The Beginning: The long-awaited new movie adventure based on the original TV sequel series from the globally popular Digimon anime franchise. (DVD/Blu-ray release: Day & date)
Monkey Man: An anonymous young man unleashes a campaign of vengeance against the corrupt leaders who murdered his mother and continue to systematically victimize the poor and powerless. (Peacock June 14; lease: DVD, Blu-ray release: June 25)
(2024 -- France) Roman Duris, Paul Kircher, Adèle Exarchopoulos. Thriller that takes place in an extraordinary world where mutations in human genetics cause people to transform into hybrid creatures. François does everything he can to save his wife, who is affected by this mysterious condition. As some of the creatures disappear into a nearby forest, François embarks with Emile, their 16-year-old son, on a quest to find her with help from a local police officer.
Formats: DVD, Blu-ray, VOD, Digital. (Magnolia Home Entertainment/Magnet Label). Read more here
Blind War
(2022 -- China) Andy On, Li Zixiong, Yang Xing, Wang Hanyangm. After breaking protocol during a surprise courthouse siege that leaves him permanently blinded, a SWAT captain retires from the force in disgrace. But while he adjusts to his new reality as a civilian, his beloved daughter is kidnapped, forcing him to seek out an unlikely ally to help him pursue justice from the shadows. Formats: Blu-ray, VOD, Digital. (Well Go USA).
Digimon Adventure 02: The Beginning
(2023 -- Japan) It's 2012, and 10 years have passed since the adventure in the Digital World. Daisuke Motomiya is now 20, and he and the rest of the DigiDestined seem to be changing bit by bit in terms of appearance and lifestyle. Then one day, a giant Digitama suddenly appears in the sky over Tokyo Tower. Daisuke and the others encounter a mysterious young man named Lui Ohwada, who informs them that he’s the first ever DigiDestined in the world. Available for the first time in the U.S. and Canada, the collectible Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack includes original Japanese and English dub movie presentations. Formats: Blu-ray/DVD Combo, VOD, Digital. Extras: An introduction from director Tomohisa Taguchi. (Shout! Studios). Read more here
Don't Look At Me That Way
(2015 -- Germany) Catrina Stemmer, Uisenma Borchu, Anne-Marie Weisz, Josef Bierbichler. While struggling to balance her job, university studies and raising her five-year-old daughter, Iva (CStemmer) encounters Hedi (Borchu), a strange and fascinating woman who lives in her building. Friendship quickly turns into passion, and the two begin a torrid affair. But when Hedi inserts herself into Iva's relationship with her father (Bierbichler), boundaries are crossed, leading to a taboo love triangle with destructive consequences. Written, directed and starring Uisenma Borchu in her narrative feature debut, the film is a compelling examination of female roles, the power of sexuality, gender identity and alienation between cultures in this German-Mongolian love drama. Formats: DVD, VOD, Digital. (Indiepix Classics).
Edge of Everything
(2023) Sierra McCormick, Jason Butler Harner, Ryan Simpkins, Emily Robinson, Sabina Friedman-Seitz. Abby, on the cusp of turning 15 and at a delicate moment in life, is forced to move in with her father and his younger girlfriend. Feeling alone in the world, the angry and determined teen strikes up a possibly dangerous friendship with the carefree and rebellious Caroline, while exploring new personas, drugs and sexual experiences on the path to finding her place in life. The film is from writer-director duo Sophia Sabella and Pablo Feldman, who are making their feature-length narrative debut. Formats: DVD, VOD, Digital. (Lightyear Entertainment).
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
(2024) Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Dan Stevens, Kaylee Hottle, Alex Ferns, Fala Chen. Two ancient titans, Godzilla and Kong, clash in an epic battle as humans unravel their intertwined origins and connection to Skull Island's mysteries. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray + Digital Code, Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Code, 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo + Digital Code, VOD, Digital. Extras: Commentary by director Adam Wingard; featurettes. (Warner). Read more here.
Immaculate
(2023) Sydney Sweeney, Álvaro Morte, Simona Tabasco. Cecilia, an American nun of devout faith, embarks on a new journey in a remote convent in the picturesque Italian countryside. Cecilia's warm welcome quickly devolves into a nightmare as it becomes clear her new home harbors a sinister secret and unspeakable horrors. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray, VOD, Digital. (Decal Neon).
Mute Witness
(1995) Marina Zudina, Fay Ripley, Oleg Yankovsky, Alec Guinness, Evan Richards, Igor Volkov, Sergei Karlen. Director Anthony Waller’s cult horror classic arrives in both 4K UHD and Blu-ray Limited Edition sets featuring a 4K restoration approved by Waller himself ("An American Werewolf in Paris"). The plot revolves around a mute make-up artist named Billy Hughes, who is in Russia working on a low-budget slasher film. Working late one night in the studio, Billy wanders onto an adult film set and witnesses a murder. She goes on the run but quickly realizes that there is nowhere to turn as friends and family cannot protect her against the Russian mob, corrupt police officers, and the KGB. Waller’s audacious thriller is a stylish ode to the work of Hitchcock featuring Sir Alec Guinness in his final role. Formats: 4K UHD, Blu-ray. Extras:Read more here. (Arrow Video/MVD Entertainment).
Origin
(2023) Director: Ava DuVernay; stars Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Vera Farmiga, Niecy Nash, Blair Underwood, Finn Wittrock, Nick Offerman, Jon Bernthal. While grappling with tremendous personal tragedy, Isabel Wilkerson sets herself on a path of global discovery. Despite the colossal scope of her project, she finds beauty and bravery while crafting one of the defining American books of our time. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray, VOD, Digital. Extras: "Behind the Scenes of Origin" featurette. (Decal Neon)
Querelle
(1982 -- Germany, France) Conjured from the unholy meeting of two iconoclastic queer artists, Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s final film audaciously raises Jean Genet’s controversial novel to the level of myth. In an expressionistic soundstage vision of a French seaport town—bathed in fiery reds and complete with phallic spires -- a strapping sailor and unrepentant criminal (Brad Davis) comes ashore to arouse passion, rivalry, and violence among the libidinal denizens drawn into his orbit. Enacted with dreamlike stylization by a cast of international stars, including Jeanne Moreau and Franco Nero, "Querelle" finds Fassbinder pushing his taboo-shattering depiction of gay desire to delirious extremes.
Formats: Blu-ray, with restored high-definition digital master, approved by director of photography Xaver Schwarzenberger, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack. Extras: New interview with critic Michael Koresky on director Rainer Werner Fassbinder's aesthetics and visual storytelling; "Rainer Werner Fassbinder -- Last Works" a 1982 documentary by Wolf Gremm; trailer; an essay by critic Nathan Lee.
Read more here. (The Criterion Collection).
The Sales Girl
(2021 -- Mongolia) Bayarjargal Bayartsetseg, Oidovjamts Enkhtuul. When college coed Saruul takes a temporary job as a clerk in a sex shop, her poker-faced indifference makes her the perfect foil for the shop's clientele, who range from slightly sheepish and cautiously curious to downright perverse. But it's the shop's flamboyant, eccentric female owner who initiates Saruul's journey into adulthood - taking her under her wing, teaching her the art of living, and gently guiding her on the path to self-discovery. This joyfully quirky, "candid big-city coming-of-age story" from Janchivdorj Sengedorj is fueled by a splendidly original script, utterly unique characters and unexpected encounters. In Mongolian and Russian with English subtitles. Formats: DVD, VOD, Digital. (Film Movement).
Stopmotion
(2024) Aisling Franciosi, Stella Gonet, Tom York. Ella Blake is a stop-motion animator who is struggling to control her demons after the loss of her overbearing mother. Suddenly alone in the world, she embarks upon the creation of a macabre new puppet film, which soon becomes the battleground for her sanity. As Ella’s mind starts to fracture, the characters in her animated film take on a terrifying life of their own, and the unleashed power of her imagination threatens to destroy her. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray, VOD, Digital. (IFC Films). Read more here
Welcome Back, Kotter: The Complete Series
(1975-79) Twelve-disc set with all 95 episodes from all four seasons. Go down memory lane as high school teacher Gabe Kotter returns to his childhood inner-city high school to teach a new generation of trouble making kids. "Welcome Back, Kotter" premiered in 1975 and aired for four seasons. The original cast includes a young John Travolta playing the role of Vinnie Barbarino in his first principal TV role. The series also stars Gabe Kaplan as Gabe Kotter, Marcia Strassman as Julie Kotter, John Sylvester White as Mr. Woodman, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs as Washington, Robert Hegyes as Epstein, and Ron Palillo as Horshack. Formats: DVD. (Warner).
DVD
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