Hello and welcome to another look at some of the Blu-ray and DVD highlights coming your way. With the Memorial Day holiday, it seems that the movie studios have also decided to take a bit of a breather. Still, there are a few noteworthy titles arriving on shelves. So, if you can’t make it to the movies or shouldn’t be going out this week, be sure to give one of these titles a try!
BIG NEW RELEASES!
OTHER MUSIC: It looks like this music-themed documentary was released at theaters just before the beginning of the pandemic, but hasn’t found its way to disc until this week.
The film tells the story of the title location, an extremely popular New York record store that helped establish numerous bands from the early 2000s, including Vampire Weekend, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Neutral Milk Hotel and many others. Alas, the film captures the final years of the shop, as rent increases and the proliferation of streaming causes a downturn in business leading to its closure. It also includes discussions with those who miss the spot and what it brought to the music scene.
This film received nothing but raves from critics. They wrote that it beautifully eulogized the record store scene in general and featured moving comments and observations from some famous individuals.
POUPELLE OF CHIMNEY TOWN: A young boy living in a strange and remote city covered in soot and smoke yearns to see the stars and sky. In order to make his dream a reality, he decides to venture out and see if there is anything past the gray. Along the way, the youngster meets an odd-looking but friendly man made entirely of garbage who is also looking for something clearer and cleaner in life.
This animated family film from Japan was generally well-received. A small contingent complained that the movie was too sentimental and would have benefitted from a darker and grimier approach. However, the vast majority appreciated the sweetness, suggesting that the film was fun and dynamic, visually spectacular and had a lot of subtle but important things to say about authoritarian leaders and oppressive societies.
You can watch it in its original Japanese with subtitles or an English dub featuring the voice talents of Tony Hale, Antonio Raul Corbo, Stephen Root, Misty Lee and Hasan Minhaj.
STRAWBERRY MANSION: According to this unique fantasy film, in the future our dreams will be controlled by the government and will be taxed and fused with advertising and product placements.
One taxman arrives at the home of a woman to perform an audit. He finds himself traveling deep into her subconscious and begins to fall in love with an earlier version of herself, causing all sorts of complications in dreamland.
This independent title was very well-received and earned great reviews. A tiny percentage had trouble connecting with the movie and found it tonally unbalanced. Still, the majority said it was completely unique and were blown away by the trippy visuals and interestingly homemade feel of the events being presented. It features Kentucker Audley, Albert Birney, Penny Fuller and Grace Glowicki.
BLASTS FROM THE PAST!
If you’re looking for something a little older, it’s such a busy week that I’m going to have to go through the options a little more quickly than usual.
Canadian International Pictures have a Blu-ray of the crime picture, “The Mob” (1975). It’s about a Montreal-based hitman trying to make his mark in New York City. The movie has been restored in 2K for its Blu-ray debut. It is considered a lost Canadian classic and comes with another feature by the filmmaker as well as some shorts, a series of French-Canadian crime movie trailers and many other extras.
Speaking of Canadian flicks, you can also pick up “Beauty Day” (2011) on Blu-ray from Circle Collective. This is a film about a person named Ralph Zavadil, who was something of a forerunner to the Jackass gang, performing dangerous stunts for his radio show in the early 1990s. This movie features the man trying to recapture the magic of old. It comes with a commentary, deleted scenes and more.
“Double Indemnity” (1944) is a film noir from Billy Wilder (“Some Like It Hot,” “The Apartment”) that is considered one of the best features ever made. It was nominated for seven Academy Awards including Best Picture and stars Fred MacMuray as an insurance agent who gets in over his head with a femme fatale (played by Barbara Stanwyck).
You can pick this up in either a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray pack or as a standalone Blu-ray. This release includes a new digital restoration of the film, interviews with movie historians, a 1992 film about the director, radio adaptations, commentary tracks and more!
Fun City Editions have a Blu-ray of “Born to Win” (1971), a well-regarded feature with George Segal about a smart-mouthed junkie who spends his days looking for one more fix. The movie has been given a 2K restoration for this disc and comes with a film historian commentary and more.
Scorpion would like you to know that you can pick-up the teen comedy, “Almost Summer” (1978) on Blu-ray. It’s about a high school presidential election that gets out of hand. The disc includes a 2K transfer of the movie and several interviews with crew and cast members like Tim Matheson.
Shout! Factory are upgrading the recent horror hits “Happy Death Day” (2017) and “Happy Death Day 2U” (2019) with 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray sets.
But personally, their highlight of the week is the Blu-ray debut of “The Ninth Configuration” (1980), a very strange and eccentric thriller about a group of men in a psychological institution. It was written and directed by author William Peter Blatty (who wrote “The Exorcist”) and arrives as Shout! Factory Exclusive that can only be ordered through their website.
Sony are releasing a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray edition of the patriotic feature “1776” (1972) to mark its 50th Anniversary. It includes two different cuts of the film.
Finally, Warner Bros. are releasing a box set called “The Conjuring Universe 7-Film Collection” set. As you might have already guessed, it contains all of the films relating to “The Conjuring” in one package.
YOU KNOW, FOR KIDS!
Here are some titles that might appeal to kids in the household.
“Astro Boy” The Complete 1980 Series (Discotek) Blu-ray
“Double Dragon” The Complete Series (1993-1994 animated series) (Discotek) Blu-ray
ON THE TUBE!
And here are the week’s TV-themed releases.
“Agatha Raisin” Series 4 (Acorn) DVD
“Astro Boy” The Complete 1980 Series (Discotek) Blu-ray
“Becker” The Complete Series (Paramount) DVD
“The Boys” Seasons 1 & 2 Collection (Sony) Blu-ray
“Double Dragon” The Complete Series (1993-1994 animated series) (Discotek) Blu-ray
“Gomorrah” The 5th and Final Season (Kino) Blu-ray
“The Gulf” Season 2 (Image) DVD
“Lucifer” Season 5 (Warner Archives) Blu-ray or DVD
“Why Women Kill” Season 2 (CBS made-on-demand) DVD
“Yellowstone” The First 4 Seasons (Paramount) Blu-ray
VISIT: WWW.CINEMASTANCE.COM
By Glenn Kay
For the Sun
