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You are here: Community Film Blu-ray/DVD Roundup for April 24, 2020

Blu-ray/DVD Roundup for April 24, 2020

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It’s time for another look at some highlights that are arriving on Blu-ray and DVD. There are plenty of high profile hit titles in this edition, as well as a great selection of independent features. So, since you can’t make it out to the movies this week, be sure to give one of these titles a try!

Big New Releases!

Blood & Flesh: The Reel Life & Ghastly Death of Al Adamson - Al Adamson was a low-budget genre filmmaker known among cult movie aficionados for his incredibly cheesy flicks that include Psycho a Go-Go, Blood of Ghastly Horror, Dracula vs. Frankenstein, some nudie films, and even a bizarre kid’s feature about a talking chimp called Carnival Magic. Eerily enough, Adamson was brutally murdered by an associate in 1995, who then tried to hide his body from authorities. This documentary examines his career and the famous persons whose careers he helped launch, as well as his untimely end. Notices were excellent for the feature.

Reviewers stated that the movie was fascinating as it detailed the man’s life and career, telling one wild and outrageous story after another in an enlightening way. They also mentioned that the documentary makes his sudden end seem like even more of a tragedy.

The Last Full Measure - Vietnam War hero William H. Pitsenbarger is the subject of this biopic that is set during two different time periods. When a Pentagon staff member receives a request to award Pararescue team member Pitsenbarger a medal, he finds out about the medic’s selfless efforts in the war, staying in the line of fire and rescuing 60 men from certain death. The official also learns of a nasty cover-up by officials preventing the serviceman from receiving public recognition. Write-ups were generally good for this effort.

A small percentage did think that jumping back and forth between eras minimized some of the suspense and felt the movie was a little predicable. It stars Jeremy Irvine, Sebastian Stan, Christopher Plummer, William Hurt, Ed Harris, Samuel L. Jackson, Peter Fonda, Diane Ladd, Amy Madigan, LisaGay Hamilton, and Bradley Whitford.

Track: Search for Australia’s Bigfoot - Even Australia has its own bigfoot, at least according to this documentary. The creature is reported to live in the Blue Mountains and this feature follows a cyptozoologist determined to prove that the legendary Sasquatch is real. He also claims that he has had his own strange encounter with what must be the beast and shows what he captured with his camera. A team of cameramen move with the expert as he travels into the wild, looking for more evidence.

Along the way, he talks to other researchers who suggest that the creature may have also been sighted across the countryside. As you might have imagined, this little Aussie non-fiction feature has played a few film festivals in its homeland, but hasn’t yet garnered a lot of attention in this part of the world.

Why Don’t You Just Die! - A Russian detective with some personality issues and whom his own family claims is abusive, decides to open his doors and allow visitors to drop by and say hello. Numerous unsavory attendees arrive, including his daughter, various violent criminals, and a very nasty co-worker. It seems that everyone wants revenge on the cop for one reason or another, but as the confrontations escalate, it becomes clear that all may not be as it initially appears. Known as Papa, Sdokhni in its homeland, this foreign-language thriller received high marks from the press.

In fact, only one reviewer found the material not to their liking, stating that the film was too repetitive. Everyone else called it an amusing black comedy. The cast includes Aleksandr Kuznetsov, Vitaliy Khaev and Elena Shevchenko.

Blasts from the Past!

Secret Ceremony (1968), a psychodrama starring Elizabeth Taylor and Mia Farrow, has been given an HD upgrade and is debuting on Blu-ray. The release arrives with a movie historian audio commentary and trailer.

The new release section of this article drew attention to a documentary on low-budget, B-movie maverick Al Adamson. This week, Severin is releasing a Blu-ray/DVD combo of the filmmaker’s strange foray into family films, Carnival Magic (1981). The bizarre film details a friendship between a magician with real powers and his pal, a talking chimp. When one of their envious co-workers at a carnival decides to get rid of his competition by selling the primate to a lab for experimentation, the protagonist decides to fight back.

Despite this being a kid’s flick, it is said to be pretty odd and features a number of inappropriate references to alcoholism, domestic violence, vivisection and suicide. Of course, these surreal bits are exactly what will make it fascinating to older viewers who enjoy what might be described as not-so-great film entertainment. The disc includes an audio commentary with the producer, a couple of movie critics and fans who analyze of the picture’s weirder elements. It also includes the director’s second foray into kid’s flicks, another eccentric feature called Lost (1989) about a little girl and her dog trudging endlessly through the desert (sounds like an earlier, family-friendly version of the Gus Van Sant movie Gerry).

If that and the various promotional materials included wasn’t interesting enough, you’ll also get rushes from an unfinished Adamson family movie called The Happy Hobo. Sounds like demented fun.

You Know, For Kids!

Only one title for youngsters this week and it comes with a big word of warning. The movie is likely more than a bit disturbing and inappropriate for little kids. The young-at-heart may be more amused by the weirdness on display.

Carnival Magic (1981)

On the Tube!

And here are this edition’s TV-themed releases.

30 Rock: The Complete Series

Blood Sugar Rising: America’s Hidden Diabetic Epidemic (PBS)

China Beach: The Complete Collection

Nature: Wild Florida (PBS)

World on Fire: Season 1