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Blu-ray/DVD Roundup for February 24, 2023

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Welcome to another look at highlights arriving on Blu-ray and DVD. Once again, it’s an interesting edition with a wide variety of pictures in numerous genres. So, if you can’t make it out to the movies this week or need to stay indoors, be sure to give one of these titles a try!

 

BIG NEW RELEASES!

BROKER: This drama from South Korea details two individuals who partake in an illegal operation selling orphaned infants to the wealthy. Rationalizing their business by stating that the babies are going to opulent homes, the unexpected arrival of a mother and a newborn surprises them. She wants her baby to be taken in by a rich family and insists on supervising their search. The group form an unlikely bond as they seek out the right parents for this baby.

Response was very positive toward this foreign-language feature.  A small percentage didn’t think the movie worked, calling it overlong, mushy and difficult to relate to. Still, the vast majority suggested it effectively handled its unusual subject matter and complimented the end results as thought-provoking.

It stars Song Kang-ho, Gang Dong-Won, Bae Doo-Na and Lee Ji-eun.

EMPIRE OF LIGHT: Set in a seaside town in the 1980s, this story follows a young black man who takes a job at a movie theater. There, he meets and gets close to other employees, including ushers, the projectionist and a duty manager. Despite the age gap, he and the duty manager hit it off and begin a relationship. When she starts behaving erratically, the young man isn’t sure how to help.

Reaction from North American critics towards this title was slightly more negative than positive. Almost half thought it was gorgeously shot (it has since been nominated for an Oscar for its cinematography). They also believed it had complex characters and subtly conveyed how movies provide a very brief respite in troubled lives. However, slightly more called the film dull and took issue with the central relationship, saying it wasn’t believable.

The cast includes Olivia Colman, Michael Ward, Colin Firth, Toby Jones, Crystal Clarke and Tanya Moodie.

THE INSPECTION: Based on the real experiences of the film’s writer/director, this tale is about a young, gay black man whose mother disowns him. With no prospects on the horizon, he decides to apply for a position in the Marines. The protagonist decides to do whatever it takes to succeed, battling prejudice and the tough physical conditions of basic training. Along the way, he makes friends and begins to see a future for himself.

Overall, the press liked this film. A small number thought its points were delivered with the subtlety of a sledgehammer and that it had a lot of contradictory messages. Still, the consensus was that the cast were uniformly excellent and the story was powerful and handled the lead’s emotional journey in an inspiring way.

It features Jeremy Pope, Raúl Castillo, McCaul Lombardi, Aaron Dominguez, Bokeem Woodbine and Gabrielle Union.

NOCEBO: An English fashion designer struggles with a bizarre sickness that baffles doctors and her family. A Filipino caregiver unexpectedly arrives and tells the fashionista that she knows a cure for her troubles. The nurse’s traditional folk healing methods have an immediate positive effect, but before long the designer’s husband becomes concerned that this guest is controlling his spouse and plotting something sinister.

Critics generally enjoyed this genre film. Nearly one-third did complain that the themes were less-than-subtle and that there weren’t any real surprises or shocks. Regardless, most complimented the creepy atmosphere generated by the events and thought that it had enough distressing moments to earn it a recommendation.

It stars Eva Green, Mark Strong, Chai Fonacier, Billie Gadsdon and Cathy Belton.

THE OLD WAY: In this western, a vicious gunslinger puts away his weapons and becomes a hard-working family man. After more than a decade, he and his family are living a quiet and happy existence on a ranch. That is, until an outlaw and his gang arrive and try to take hostages. Determined to protect those around him, the killer decides to dust off his weapons. He also gets help from an unlikely source, his sharp-shooting 12-year-old daughter.

Reviews weren’t particularly strong for this effort. About one-third of write-ups liked the cast and said the onscreen personalities were so entertaining that they were intrigued to see what happened. But the remainder commented that the screenplay didn’t make the most of its intriguing concept, saying the end results were formulaic and uninteresting. Nicolas Cage, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Clint Howard and Abraham Benrubi headline the film.

THE PRICE WE PAY: Two crooks rob a pawn shop and get more than they bargained for at the beginning of this thriller. They take a hostage and hit the road, only to have their vehicle break down in the middle of nowhere. The group go to a nearby farm and ask if they can wait for car assistance on the property. After they wander around and find a secret barn door, the group discover some truly horrifying things occurring onsite.

This genre-switching effort split the press. Half of reviewers suggested that while it started off interestingly, once the horror kicked in the true emphasis was on the gore rather than the characters. By the time the climax arrived, they had lost interest in the story. Just as many claimed that this was a simple, but energetically shot and effective chiller that blurred the lines between good and evil and delivered everything a genre fan would want.

It features Stephen Dorff, Emile Hirsch, Gigi Zumbado, Tyler Sanders and Vernon Wells.

THE RETALIATORS: After an upstanding pastor’s teenage daughter is viciously murdered, he decides to help officials find the responsible party. As he gets deeper into the investigation, he becomes obsessed with seeking retribution. Despite a friend’s warning that he can’t return to a normal existence after committing murder, the lead travels into the criminal underground to find vengeance.

Genre critics enjoyed this horror/revenge feature. A small number stated that its influences were obvious and that it tried too hard to be shocking, instead coming off as ridiculous. Still, the majority called the movie effective, were impressed by the make-up effects and thought it interestingly depicted how much an individual changes in their quest for revenge.

The cast includes Michael Lombardi, Marc Menchaca, Joseph Gatt, Katie Kelly, and features appearances by Five Finger Death Punch, Tommy Lee, Papa Roach and many more.

RUNNING THE BASES: This baseball drama and faith-based picture follows a small-town baseball coach. After being hired as the head coach for a large high school program, he uproots his family. Not long after starting his tenure, the lead faces strong opposition from the school superintendent. Simply put, his boss doesn’t appreciate the role religion plays in the teacher’s methods and his attempts to bring the players together like a family.

Only a handful of reviewers saw this picture. They stated that it was very preachy and that the acting wasn’t exemplary, but that the tale would appeal to its target demographic. A few more have popped up online noting that there’s a lot of fear mongering in the script and that it plays up the lead character as being persecuted so much that the movie ends up feeling absurd. Brett Varvel, Gigi Orsillo and Todd Terry headline the picture.

SALVATORE: SHOEMAKER OF DREAMS: Salvatore Ferragamo was an Italian shoemaker who found work in Hollywood during the silent film era. He created and dressed stars in innovative and iconic footwear. This documentary tells the man’s life story, from growing up in Italy, crossing the sea as a young man, and setting up shop in motion picture studios.

This documentary from Luca Guadagnino (Call Me by Your Name, Suspiria, Bones and All) premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2020, but it took a while to find a release date and distributor (perhaps due to the pandemic). Critical reception was generally positive. A small number thought that while genial, it didn’t provide much insight or depth about its subject. Regardless, the consensus was that the documentary brought attention to an important figure and noted his role in shoemaking inspired and changed fashion worldwide.

It is narrated by Michael Stuhlbarg and features interviews with Martin Scorsese, costume designer Deborah Nadoolman, and many more.

BLASTS FROM THE PAST!

There’s plenty of older efforts arriving on disc as well.

A couple of months back, 88 Films intended to release the period action film Magnificent Warriors (1987). It was delayed, but the Blu-ray is finally arriving this week. The tale is set against the backdrop of World War II and stars Michelle Yeoh as a daredevil pilot and mercenary who tries to gather intelligence for China revealing a potential Japanese invasion.

The disc includes the original theatrical cut (including the original ending), a movie expert commentary, archival interviews with Yeoh, the stunt coordinator, publicity materials, a special limited slipcase and a booklet on the film.

Eugenie (1970) aka Marquis De Sade’s Philosophy in the Boudoir arrives as a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray set from Blue Underground. This kinky dream-like flick from Jess Franco features Christopher Lee in a supporting role and tells the story of a young woman who vacations on an island and finds herself in the company of sexual sadists. It comes with a film historian commentary, a trailer, an interview with a man who once worked with Franco on another feature, a discussion about the movie maker’s body of work, a featurette on the production history of the movie, a trailer and a poster and still gallery.

Dazed and Confused (1993) is a brilliant coming-of-age tale from writer/director Richard Linklater (Before Sunrise, School of Rock, Bernie, Boyhood, Everybody Wants Some!!) that follows a group of students in Austin on their last day of high school. They gather with friends, party and attempt to figure out what their future holds. Criterion is giving the movie the 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray treatment. Well, it appears that the 4K version features a new restoration and improved picture quality, but the regular Blu-ray is from the distributor’s previous edition. It comes with all of the same, exceptional extras from the last Criterion release of the film.

Kino is presenting The Crimson Rivers (2000) on Blu-ray. This French murder/mystery stars Jean Reno and Vincent Cassel and involves detectives hunting down a killer at a prestigious university in the Alps. Extras include a director commentary with the two stars, a documentary on the movie, a making-of, storyboard comparisons with commentary, a multi-angle featurette on a big avalanche sequence, as well as a theatrical trailer.

The Hunter (1980) is also appearing on Blu-ray from the distributor. The film marks Steve McQueen’s last film role. He plays a bounty hunter who is pursued by a vengeful psychopath. The movie has received a 4K restoration for this release, in addition to a film historian commentary track, trailers and TV sets. The first copies also include a slipcase for the disc.

Additionally, The Werewolf of Washington (1973) is being released on Blu-ray. Dean Stockwell plays a press reporter who is bitten by a werewolf while visiting Hungary. He gets a job as a press assistant to the President as bodies start piling up at the White House. This disc presents a 4K restoration of the Director’s Cut that was prepared by the filmmaker shortly before his passing in 2021.

The action picture Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014) is being rereleased in a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray set from Paramount. Chris Pine takes over the role of the heroic CIA analyst (also played by Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford and Ben Affleck) in this prequel.

Shout! Factory is putting out several titles as well. The first is Giovanni’s Island (2014), an animated post-WWII feature from Japan about a pair of kids who live on a tiny fishing island and make friends with a little girl arriving from Russia. It comes with a making-of, an interview with one of the voice actors, a music video and an art gallery.

They also have a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray Collector’s Edition of the classic The Magnificent Seven (1960). This tale follows a group of gunfighters with shady pasts who are hired to protect a small Mexican town from an invading force of bandits. It stars Yul Breener, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, Eli Wallach, Robert Vaughn and James Coburn. Besides the new picture restoration, you’ll also receive multiple archived commentary tracks, a making-of, lost images, publicity materials and much more.

Additionally, you can pick up a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray double-feature of the slashers The Slumber Party Massacre (1982) and The Slumber Party Massacre II (1987). Both films have been given new, upgraded 4K scans from the original camera negative and come with commentary tracks and loads of publicity materials. The Blu-ray of the second movie also contains an unrated cut of the film.

Finally, Sony is presenting the Catherine Deneuve drama Indochine (1992) on Blu-ray. The film won an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film during its original release.

YOU KNOW, FOR KIDS!

Pokémon The Series: Black & White Adventures in Unova and Beyond The Complete Series (Warner Bros.) DVD

ON THE TUBE!

And below is a list of all of the TV-themed releases arriving this week.

The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet Season 9 (MPI Home Video) DVD

The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet Season 10 (MPI Home Video) DVD

Battle Kaiju Series#1: Ultraman Vs. Red King (Mill Creek) Blu-ray

Pokémon The Series: Black & White Adventures in Unova and Beyond The Complete Series (Warner Bros.) DVD

Station Eleven (TV Mini-series) (Paramount) 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray or Blu-ray

The Suspect Series 1 (Sundance) DVD

Sweet Revenge: A Hannah Swensen Mystery (Hallmark) DVD

VISIT: WWW.CINEMASTANCE.COM

By Glenn Kay
For the Sun