It’s been awhile since there has been a week packed with so many monumental new releases, yet here we are! Along with several new titles from the Criterion Collection, the latest DVD and Blu-ray releases also include the latest entry in the Purge franchise, some classic TV movies, and complete series sets spanning over fifty years of television. Yeah, there’s a lot of great stuff to choose from here!
The Naked Prey (Criterion Collection)
In 19th-century West Africa, the head of a small ivory safari made the mistake of tormenting the indigenous people…and paid for it when the party was ambushed, captured, and tortured. The tribesmen dictated a special fate for one lone hunter (Cornel Wilde), who was stripped to a loincloth and given a head start before he was hunted for sport. His desperate race for survival propels this thrilling adventure classic directed by Wilde; Gert Van den Bergh, Ken Gampu, Patrick Mynhardt also star.
Ace in the Hole (Criterion Collection)
Billy Wilder’s biting, ahead-of-its-time commentary on the sensationalized nature of the news media stars Kirk Douglas as struggling, unscrupulous Albuquerque reporter Chuck Tatum, who eyes a chance at fame when he breaks the story of a man trapped in a mine. Teaming with the local sheriff, Tatum schemes to prolong the rescue effort until the story gains national notoriety. Jan Sterling, Robert Arthur, Ray Teal also star. AKA: “The Big Carnival.”
Blacklisted American director Jules Dassin’s groundbreaking French film noir–with a memorable music- and dialogue-free opening scene–follows four thieves who pull off a heist at a reputedly impenetrable jewelry shop, then watch as their “perfect crime” falls apart before their eyes. Jean Servais, Carl Mohner, Robert Manuel, and Dassin (under the alias “Perlo Vita”) star; based on the novel by Auguste Le Breton.
Ever wonder how allowing 12 hours of punishment-free crime and violence once every year seemed like a good idea in the first place? This prequel entry in the hit action/horror film series depicts the initial Purge as a sociological experiment intended to be limited to the Staten Island area. Opposing it are an idealistic activist (Lex Scott Davis) and her ex-boyfriend (Y’lan Noel), a drug dealer who sees it as a potential threat to his business. Joivan Wade, Mugga, Patch Darragh, and Marisa Tomei co-star.
CIA agent Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) and black ops specialist Alejandro Gillick (Benicio Del Toro) plan to further the war between the Mexican drug cartels in the hopes it will stop Islamic terrorists from being brought into the U.S. over the border. They kidnap the daughter (Isabela Moner) of one of the cartel bosses, but when Gillick refuses Graver’s order to execute her, the two comrades find themselves on opposite sides of a very deadly conflict. Jeffrey Donovan, Catherine Keener co-star in this thrilling sequel.
In the early ‘80s, the odd saga of Eddy Galland, David Kellman, and Robert Shafran–identical triplets given up at birth, adopted into different social strata, and reunited as college-age young men by quirks of fate–became a popular feel-good item in the national press. However, the brothers’ story took dark and incredible turns in the years after the spotlights shut off, as the stunning truth about their separation surfaced, and as revealed in this remarkable chronicle.
It’s a killer creature double feature as two terrifying tales take flight with fright! First time either film has been available in high definition! Nightwing A wave of mysterious deaths on a Native American reservation in New Mexico are being investigated and… it’s killer bats! Nick Mancuso, David Warner, Kathryn Harrold star. Then, in Shadow of the Hawk, an old Native American shaman trains his skeptical grandson as a Medicine Man who must battle enemies and black magic. Jan-Michael Vincent, Chief Dan George star.
Left as a single parent to his 13-year-old daughter, Tom (Thomasin McKenzie), traumatized veteran Will (Ben Foster) tried to give her the upbringing he felt she needed…off the grid in the expanse of a Portland, Oregon, state park. The bonds both forged and tested by the experience–as well as by their ultimate and inevitable discovery by the authorities–are shown in Debra Granik’s compelling take on the Peter Rock novel “My Abandonment”; Dale Dickey, Dana Millican also star.
DC Superhero Girls: Legends of Atlantis
Dive deep into adventure with the DC Super Hero Girls in this all-new underwater epic. Sisters of the sea, Siren and Mera catch the students of Super Hero High off guard in a surprise attack to steal a very powerful relic – the Book of Legends. With the book in her possession and harnessing more power than ever, Siren aims to raise an army from the depths of the ocean’s trenches. It’s up to Wonder Woman, Batgirl and Supergirl to help Aquaman in defending Atlantis and stop the sinister Siren! Get ready for a thrilling adventure featuring the DC Super Hero Girls!
The Mary Tyler Moore Show: The Complete Seasons 1-7
One of the best-loved and most acclaimed TV comedies of all time starred Mary Tyler Moore as Mary Richards, a single woman in her thirties who worked as an associate producer of a news program at a Minneapolis TV station where she found a surrogate family in her quirky batch of co-workers. The series, which aired from 1970-77 and led to the spin-offs “Rhoda,” “Phyllis,” and “Lou Grant,” also starred Ed Asner, Valerie Harper, Ted Knight, Cloris Leachman, Gavin MacLeod, and Betty White. All 168 episodes of the series are included in this 22-disc set!
Darren McGavin stars as rumpled Las Vegas reporter Carl Kolchak in the first of two classic made-for-TV chillers that spawned the 1974-75 series. While tracking a string of bizarre deaths that leave the victims drained of their blood, Kolchak becomes convinced a vampire is roaming the neon streets. And with the local authorities dismissing him as a crackpot, he takes it upon himself to bring the fanged menace down. With Barry Atwater, Carol Lynley, Simon Oakland.
Exiled from Vegas and now living in Seattle, journalist Carl Kolchak (Darren McGavin) looks into a series of brutal murders, the latest in a succession of similar slaying sprees that have occurred every 21 years since 1889. The investigation sends the monster-hunting newshound into the catacombs of an underground city and headlong into a confrontation with a seemingly immortal killer. Spooky TV-movie sequel to 1972’s “The Night Stalker” also stars Jo Ann Pflug, Simon Oakland, Richard Anderson.
In this sequel to “Finding Father Christmas,” Miranda (Erin Krakow), one year after learning the late biological father she never knew was a famed actor, is happy to be spending Christmas with a bunch of relatives she’s only now getting to know. Attempts to keep her paternity a secret are jeopardized by mysterious messages that threaten to reveal the truth and bring scandal to her newfound family. Holiday-themed Hallmark Movies & Mysteries drama also stars Niall Matter, Wendie Malick, Michael Kopsa.
Eric Redford’s (Jesse Metcalfe) dedication to his bachelor lifestyle leaves little room for a Christmas celebration. But when he gets stuck watching his niece and nephew around the holidays, he has no choice but to turn to Yuletide-loving neighbor April (Fiona Gubelmann) for help. As he and April begin spending more time together, Eric starts to appreciate the joys that both Christmas and true love can bring. Brittany Bristow, Jenna Weir co-star in this Hallmark Channel original.
M*A*S*H: The Complete Collection
The irreverent, anti-war attitude of the hit 1970 movie was deftly transferred to the small screen with this acclaimed sitcom that ran on CBS from 1972 to 1983. Follow the exploits of the doctors, nurses, and staff of the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital unit during the Korean War. Alan Alda led a frequently changing cast that also included Wayne Rogers, McLean Stevenson, Larry Linville, Loretta Swit, Gary Burghoff, Mike Farrell, Harry Morgan, David Ogden Stiers, Jamie Farr, and William Christopher. All 256 episodes of the series are featured in this 33-disc set.
Based on the experiences of real-life forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs, this chilling Fox mystery series focuses on Dr. Temperence “Bones” Brennan (Emily Deschanel), a forensics expert and part-time novelist who gets recruited by FBI agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) to help solve a series of murders involving victims who cannot be identified by conventional means. Jonathan Adams, Michaela Conlin, Eric Millegan also star. This 67-disc set includes all 245 episodes of the series.
Rowan & Martin’s Laugh In: The Complete Series
Hosted by Dan Rowan and Dick Martin, this groundbreaking variety show was a fast-moving barrage of jokes, one-liners, running skits and musical numbers. The group of regulars including Goldie Hawn, Lily Tomlin, Jo Anne Worley, Ruth Buzzi, Arte Johnson, Henry Gibson, Judy Carne, Alan Sues, Chelsea Brown and Gary Owens, plus frequent guests like Barbara Feldon, Flip Wilson and Don Rickles, left a lasting impression on America. All 140 episodes are featured in this 38-disc box set that is packed with special features.
Which of these will you be viewing in the week ahead?