For this latest batch of new releases, there’s a fantastic array of titles available that range from recent Academy Award-winners to cult flicks to TV favorites to Hollywood classics and beyond. It’s an amazing time to be a fan of physical media, something that these new releases can attest to! Take a look!
Minari (2020)
In the 1980s, Korean immigrant Jacob Yi (Steven Yuen) sought his piece of the American dream when he packed up his family from California for an Arkansas parcel where he’d farm his homeland’s produce. The strains of their new existence, and the fitful bonding of sickly son David (Alan Kim) with the grandmother (Oscar-winner Youn Yuh-jung) come to help care for him, are lyrically explored in writer-director’s Lee Isaac Chung’s acclaimed, semi-autobiographical opus. Yeri Han, Noel Kate Cho co-star.
The Father (2020)
Proud 80-year old retiree Anthony (Best Actor Oscar-winner Anthony Hopkins) would thunder to his concerned daughter Anne (Olivia Colman) that he no longer needed a caretaker to assist him in his London flat. As the narrative proceeds, however, it becomes apparent that he’s in denial about his encroaching dementia–and destined for a heartbreaking confrontation with the truth. Director Florian Zeller adapted his play for the screen; Mark Gattis, Imogen Poots, Olivia Williams, Rufus Sewell co-star.
Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)
Five centuries past, humans and dragons peacefully coexisted in the realm of Kumandra–but the dragons sacrificed themselves to save all from the threat of the wraithlike Druun. Now, the Druun have been revived–and the warrior princess Raya (voiced by Kelly Marie Tran) sets out to find the sole surviving dragon Sisu (Awkwafina) and the key to making the land whole once more. Rousing Disney adventure also features the voices of Gemma Chan, Daniel Dae Kim, Benedict Wong, Sandra Oh.
Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948)
Cary Grant and Myrna Loy’s third screen pairing casts them as big-city adman Jim Blandings and his wife Muriel, who share a tiny apartment with their two daughters in Manhattan. Deciding to move to the suburbs of Connecticut, the family’s idyllic dreams turn into renovation nightmares after they pour their money into a 200-year-old “fix-‘er-upper,” and meet with one construction calamity after another. Gag-filled rib-tickler from Eric Hodgins’ novel co-stars Melvyn Douglas, Reginald Denny, Louise Beavers.
Escape from Fort Bravo (1953)
During the Civil War, Union officer Capt. Roper (William Holden) kept an unwavering eye on the Confederate prisoners housed in his Arizona stockade–until distracted by beautiful visitor Carla Forrester (Eleanor Parker). He’d find too late that she was there to spring her ex-beau (John Forsythe) and other POWs…and, thanks to angry Mescalero Apaches, no one might return from the ensuing manhunt. John Sturges’ arresting Western saga co-stars William Demarest, Polly Bergen, William Campbell.
The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939)
Somewhat infamous for the contentious backstage relationship between leads Errol Flynn and Bette Davis, this lush historical drama revolves around Queen Elizabeth I’s plan to give up her throne and wed the Earl of Essex. But when the queen (Davis) uncovers a treasonous plot orchestrated by Essex (Flynn), she must reluctantly order his execution. Olivia de Havilland, Donald Crisp, Alan Hale, and Vincent Price also star in director Michael Curtiz’s adaptation of Maxwell Anderson’s play. AKA: “Elizabeth and Essex,” “Elizabeth the Queen.”
Drunken Master II (1994)
This hit-filled sequel finds drunken-style kung fu master Wong Fei-Hung (Jackie Chan) taking on a crooked businessmen illegally selling Imperial Chinese treasures. With knockout fights under a train, in a busy marketplace, and in an iron foundry (where Chan lands on a bed of hot coals!). Great Jackie entry given a 2000 American release as “The Legend of Drunken Master” co-stars Ti Lung, Johnny Lo, and Anita Mui as the mah jongg-crazy stepmother.
Wildcats (1986)
Funny football farce stars Goldie Hawn as Molly McGrath, the frustrated coach of a girls’ high school track team who wants to follow in her father’s footsteps and coach boys football. Molly’s wish is granted when she gets a job at a tough inner-city school where her sunny disposition and upbeat personality make it twice as hard to earn the respect of her team of gridiron goof-offs. James Keach, Swoosie Kurtz, Robyn Lively, Wesley Snipes, and Woody Harrelson also star.
Hunted (2020)
For Eve (Lucie Debay), a construction supervisor miserable at her backwoods project, things seemed on the uptick when a handsome stranger (Arieh Worthalter) saved her from a barfly. She’d get proven wrong after her white knight and his creepy sidekick (Ciaran O’Brien) stuffed her in their trunk…but her subsequent escape and flight would have stunning repercussions for her overmatched pursuers. Distinctive revenger from director Vincent Paronnaud co-stars Simone Milsdochter, Ryan Brodie.
Flowers of Shanghai (Criterion Collection)(1998)
In late-19th-century Shanghai, the volatile lives of a group of concubines are detailed, as rich and privileged men try to keep the women subservient to them by creating a sheltered and decadent world for themselves inside the city’s brothels. This breeds a variety of emotions in the different women as they fight for their own sense of self. Hou Hsiao-hsien’s opulent period opus stars Tony Leung, Michiko Hada, Michelle Reis, Jack Kao, Carina Lau.
Tom and Jerry: The Movie (2021)
The great cartoon cat and mouse rivalry returns to where it started–the big screen–in this delightful feature animation/live-action mix. After Jerry takes up residence in the baseboards of a posh Manhattan hotel poised to host the society wedding of the season, desperate rookie event planner Kayla (Chloë Grace Moretz) makes the ill-advised choice of turning to Tom for pest control. With Michael Peña, Colin Jost, Ken Jeong, Rob Delaney, and Bobby Cannavale as the voice of Spike.
From the playpen to your TV, the funny and refreshing Nickelodeon animated series, which ran from 1991-2004, has earned Emmy Awards and the adoration of children and parents nationwide. Follow the adventures of 1-year-old Tommy Pickles, his toddler pals Chuckie, Phil and Lil, and the “sweet ” Angelica, who all prove to be much wiser than their parents think. Featuring the voice talents of E.G. Daily, Christine Cavanaugh, Nancy Cartwright, Cheryl Chase. 172 episodes on 26 discs.
The Alienist: Angel of Darkness (2018)
Having hung out her private detective’s shingle in 1897 New York, Sara Howard (Dakota Fanning) found herself once more pooling her skills with psychologist Laszlo Kreizler (Daniel Brühl) and journalist John Moore (Luke Evans) to locate the kidnapped child of a Spanish envoy. An executed child murderess swearing innocence, street gangs, and a shadowy maternity hospital figure in this second procedural from Caleb Carr’s fiction. Robert Wisdom, Matthew Shear, Douglas Smith co-star.
The Sting (1973)(4K Ultra HD)
Winner of seven Academy Awards including Best Picture, George Roy Hill’s lively classic set in 1930s Chicago stars Paul Newman and Robert Redford as Henry Gondorff and Johnny Hooker, grifters out to dupe ruthless banker Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw). Seeking revenge for the murder of Johnny’s former partner, the daring pair concocts an elaborate “sting” to relieve big bettor Lonnegan of his riches without leaving their fingerprints on the job. With Eileen Brennan.
Debuting in 2004, this second spin-off to “CSI” transplants the action to the Big Apple. Gary Sinise stars as Detective Mac Taylor, a celebrated criminologist who heads a forensics team that includes his brash partner Stella Bonasera (Melina Kanakaredes), street-smart investigators Don Flack (Eddie Cahill) and Aiden Burn (Vanessa Ferlito), crime lab whiz Danny Messer (Carmine Giovinazzo), and chief medical examiner Sheldon Hawkes (Hill Harper). All 198 episodes of the series are featured in this 55-disc set.
Cosmic Sin (2021)
Five centuries from now, man’s reach into space will extend to mining colonies on other worlds–and when first contact with an alien power proves decidedly hostile, General Ryle (Frank Grillo) is charged with ending the conflict quickly. Assembling a task force including disgraced hardcase Gen. James Ford (Bruce Willis) to deliver a doomsday device to the enemy’s door, their mission might meet a fateful pitfall. Brandon Thomas Lee, C.J. Perry, Perrey Reeves, Lochlyn Munro also star.
Beverly Hills 90210: The Ultimate Collection
Aaron Spelling’s 1990-2000 Fox drama followed Minnesota twins Brandon and Brenda Walsh (Jason Priestley, Shannen Doherty) as they relocated to one of America’s wealthiest zip codes. Joining them on their journey from adolescence to adulthood were rich girl Kelly Taylor (Jennie Garth), the slick Steve Sanders (Ian Ziering), and brooding surfer Dylan McKay (Luke Perry). With Gabrielle Carteris, Brian Austin Green, Tori Spelling. This release includes 284 episodes from the original series and 6 episodes from the 2019 series “BH90210” on 74 discs.
The Twentieth Century (2019)
Inviting comparisons from Guy Maddin to Monty Python, this visually striking absurdist farce from Canada takes a skewed look at the young manhood of W.L. Mackenzie King, the efficient if eccentric three-time Prime Minister of the ‘20s through the ‘40s. The turn of the century found a clueless Mackenzie King (Dan Beirne) repeatedly flummoxed in his early political aspirations, as well as by his sexual inhibitions. Sarianne Cormier, Catherine St-Laurent, Sean Cullen, Mikhaïl Ahooja also star.
Above Suspicion (2019)
In the late ‘80s, well-married FBI rookie Mark Putnam (Jack Huston) arrived in rural Kentucky to catch a notorious bank robber, and was successful in large part because of troubled local turned informant Susan Smith (Emilia Clarke). However, the relationship would become more than business–and when she confronted him over her pregnancy, the stage was set for tragedy and scandal. Philip Noyce’s true-crime tale co-stars Sophie Lowe, Johnny Knoxville, Thora Birch, Chris Mulkey.
Mackintosh and T.J. (1975)
As he drifted across Texas in search of work, aging cowpoke Mackintosh (Roy Rogers) kept crossing paths with runaway 14-year-old T.J. (Clay O’Brien). Finding himself becoming a mentor to the kid, it looked like their travels would end with jobs at a prospering spread–but what happens when Mackintosh is made the fall guy for a fellow hand’s murder? Contemporary western that was Roy’s last starring saddle-buster co-stars Joan Hackett, Billy Green Bush, Andrew Robinson.
Day of the Animals (1977)
A group of hikers exploring the mountains of Northern California learns that it’s not nice to mess with Mother Nature, as ozone depletion turns birds and beasts occupying high altitudes into savage man-eaters. Can they make it off the mountain alive, and what effect will this deadly phenomenon have on humans? Christopher George, Linda Day George, Leslie Nielsen, Michael Ansara, and Richard Jaeckel star. AKA: “Something Is Out There.”
The Seventh Day (2021)
The Vatican may have disavowed exorcisms, but some within the Church assert the demons are still out there…like the cynical and grizzled Fr. Peter Costello (Guy Pearce), who’s been tasked with instructing the fresh-from-seminary Fr. Daniel Garcia (Vadhir Derbez) in the rites. The task at hand–a boy (Brady Jenness) in lockup for killing his family–may be more than the eager young priest can deal with. Eerie “The Exorcist” by way of “Training Day” co-stars Stephen Lang, Keith David, Chris Galust.
He Knows You’re Alone (1980)
Getting jilted is tough to process, but Ray Carlton (Tom Rolfing) chose to work it out by slaying his ex on her wedding day…and going on to commit serial slashing murders of brides-to-be. Staten Island student Amy Jenson (Caitlin O’Heaney) looks to be the next on his guest list, and her only refuge might be with the morgue worker (Don Scardino) she had dumped. Nasty nuptial nerve-wracker also stars Paul Gleason, James Rebhorn, and, in his screen debut, Tom Hanks.
Son (2020)
If Laura (Andi Matichak) thought the demonic cult she escaped from when she was a kid was out of her life for good, she was sadly mistaken. When the creepy cultists’ failed attempt to abduct her 8-year-old son David (Luke David Blumm) leaves him infected with a strange illness, Laura realizes she’ll have to do the unthinkable in order to save the boy’s life. Emile Hirsch, Erin Bradley Dangar, Ethan McDowell co-star in this intense horror tale from Ireland.
The Nest (2020)
Moving back to his native England with American wife Allison (Carrie Coon) and their children (Oona Roche, Charlie Shotwell), Rory O’Hara (Jude Law) has lofty aspirations of a wealthy lifestyle. But he soon finds his world beginning to crumble around him when business deals don’t pan out as expected, forcing Rory to maintain an illusion of opulence and creating rifts within the family that may never be repaired. Engaging, 1980s-set drama also stars Tanya Allen, Tattiawna Jones.
It Happened Tomorrow (1944)
Novice reporter Larry Stevens (Dick Powell) is able to get a jump on his competitors when a mysterious colleague gives him copies of the next days’ newspapers. But is the future carved in stone? Larry had better hope not, since one of the headlines warns of his imminent death. Set in 1890s New York, director René Clair’s charming, comical fantasy co-stars Linda Darnell, Jack Oakie, and Edgar Kennedy.
Supernova (2020)
Concert pianist Sam (Colin Firth) and novelist Tusker (Stanley Tucci) knew a happy domestic partnership for 20 years before Tusker’s diagnosis with early onset dementia. As they set out in their camper to journey across England–for what’s essentially a goodbye tour visiting old friends–the depth and tenderness of their bond come into unforgettable relief. Wistful heartbreaker also stars Pippa Haywood, Peter Macqueen, Nina Marlin, Ian Drysdale.
Star Trek: Lower Decks: Season 1 (2020)
Service aboard a Federation starship–at least, as seen through the jaded view of the rank and file–gets entertainingly explored in this animated, semi-comic, and singular Paramount+ “Star Trek” spinoff developed by “Rick and Morty” mainstay Mike McMahan. Ensigns Beckett Mariner (voiced by Tawny Newsome), Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid), D’Vana Tendi (Noël Wells), and Sam Rutherford (Eugene Cordero) tried to keep their gaffes cloaked from the senior officers of the U.S.S. Cerritos; Dawnn Lewis, Jerry O’Connell also provided voices. 10 episodes on 2 discs.
Click here for a complete overview of all of this week’s new releases!