This week’s new releases include everything from a killer clown to Stanley Kramer classics. We think that you’ll love this rundown of DVD and Blu-ray new releases! Which of these will you want to check out? Let us know in the comments!
Every 27 years, the otherwise nondescript town of Derry, Maine, finds itself stalked by a monstrous, sewer-lurking circus clown who lures trusting children to unholy demises. With the local adults powerless to act, one local 13-year-old (Jaeden Lieberher)–who lost his kid brother to the creature–bands his misfit friends together for a pursuit that confronts them with their greatest fears. Blockbuster big-screen take on the Stephen King classic co-stars Jeremy Ray Taylor, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, and Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise.
American Masters: This Is Bob Hope
Over eight decades in the public spotlight, where he conquered every medium he ever tackled, Bob Hope carved an enduring comic legacy while becoming the benchmark for every entertainer’s aspiration to public service. This “American Masters” entry combines copious film and TV clips from across the breadth of Ol’ Ski Nose’s career with unprecedented access to his own personal archives to craft a remarkable portrait, as fans like Woody Allen, Dick Cavett, Conan O’Brien and many more weigh in.
Jackie Chan stars as a Chinese restaurant owner and former special ops soldier whose daughter (Katie Leung) is killed when a group calling themselves the “Authentic IRA” sets off a bomb in London. His unquenchable thirst for revenge puts him up against an Irish government official (Pierce Brosnan), himself an admitted former leader of the Irish Republican Army. Based on the novel “The Chinaman” by Stephen Leather, this multi-national actioner co-stars Michael McElhatton, Charlie Murphy, Orla Brady.
The first class compartment of the December 1935 departure of the Orient Express from Istanbul is full, unusual for this time of the year. Regardless, famed and fastidious Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot, who needs to get back to London immediately, is able to secure last minute passage in the compartment with the assistance of his friend, Signor Bianchi, one of the directors of the train line who is also making the trip. Some of the first class passengers seem concerned about Poirot’s presence on the train. At least one of them has reason to be concerned, as later, another first class passenger, who earlier in the trip asked Poirot to provide protection for him due to several death threats, is found murdered in his stateroom by multiple stabbings. At the time the victim is found, the train is unexpectedly stopped and delayed due to snow in remote Yugoslavia, which may be problematic for the murderer in getting away now that Poirot is on the case. Albert Finney, Martin Balsam, Lauren Bacall, Vanessa Redgrave, Jacqueline Bisset star.
When small-town educator Bert Cates breaks the law and is jailed for teaching Darwin’s theory of evolution, the stage is set for a dramatic courtroom face-off between prosecution-retained political lion Matthew Anderson Brady (Fredric March) and cagey defense counsel Henry Drummond (Spencer Tracy). Stanley Kramer’s memorable take on the Scopes “monkey” trial-inspired stage play by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee co-stars Gene Kelly, Dick York, Harry Morgan, Florence Eldridge.
Stanley Kramer’s masterful, emotional drama depicts the 1948 war crimes trials of German judges in battle-scarred Nuremberg and the aftermath of the Holocaust. Abby Mann’s Academy Award-winning script is performed by a stellar cast that includes Spencer Tracy, Montgomery Clift, Marlene Dietrich, Judy Garland, Burt Lancaster, Best Supporting Actor Oscar-winner Maximilian Schell, and Richard Widmark.
A star-studded melodrama featuring Robert Mitchum as Lucas Marsh, a poor intern who marries an older head nurse (Olivia de Havilland) in order to use her money to get through medical school. Upon graduating, he takes a job in a small town where, after an affair with a wealthy patient (Gloria Grahame), Marsh sees his marriage and career dissolve. Stanley Kramer’s first directorial effort also stars Frank Sinatra, Broderick Crawford, Charles Bickford, and Lee Marvin.
Based on the novel by Bryan Smith, this pitch dark crime comedy follows Chip (Matthew Gray Gubler), a hapless sewer worker willing to do just about anything for his beautiful–if somewhat unstable–girlfriend Liza (AnnaLynne McCord). Chip’s unwavering devotion lands him in the middle of a wild and dangerous situation when he agrees to help Liza steal $68,000 from her landlord, and the pair winds up on the run with an unexpected hostage (Alisha Boe). Sheila Vand, Sam Eidson also star.
Based on the TV series “My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic,” this fun-filled animated adventure finds the land of Equestria invaded by evil storm creatures led by Tempest Shadow (voiced by Emily Blunt), a unicorn with a broken horn. Now, it’s up to winged unicorn Twilight Sparkle (Tara Strong)–Equestria’s princess of friendship–to lead five of her friends on a daring journey to seek help in defending their home. The second cartoon feature inspired by the popular toy line also stars the voices of Kristin Chenoweth, Liev Schreiber, Zoe Saldana.