Although July is winding down, the same can’t be said for this month’s new releases. As you’ll see below, titles ranging from recent theatrical releases to classics from the Golden Age of Hollywood to TV season sets are now available. Which of these will become a part of your physical media library?
Spiral (2021)
A department pariah since he rolled over on a corrupt partner a decade earlier, detective Zeke Banks (Chris Rock) got saddled with a grisly subway murder–and he’d discover the perpetrator to be a copycat of the infamous Jigsaw. As the body count grew, he’d discover the victims’ stunning linkage–and have to figure out how to end the carnage. Anticipated “Saw” spin-off co-stars Samuel L. Jackson, Max Minghella, Marisol Nichols; director Darren Lynn Bousman makes his franchise return.
Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949)
Fast and fun turn-of-the-20th-century musical stars Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly as pro baseball players who work as vaudeville performers during the off-season. After getting over the shock that their team’s new owner is a woman (Esther Williams), Dennis (Sinatra) falls for her while Eddie (Kelly) must deal with gangsters looking to take him out of the game so they bet against the team. Betty Garrett, Edward Arnold co-star under Busby Berkeley’s direction. Features the title tune, “Yes, Indeedy,” and more.
The Bride Comes Home (1935)
Following the collapse of her father’s business, penniless socialite Jeannette Desmereau (Claudette Colbert) takes a job working with gruff magazine editor Cyrus Anderson (Fred MacMurray) and charming writer Jack Bristow (Robert Young). Before you can say “battle of the sexes,” Jeannette and Cyrus transform their bickering into romance–and wedding plans. But when an argument sends his would-be bride into the arms of Jack, Cyrus hatches a plan to get her back. Hilarious comedy co-stars William Collier, Sr.
Step By Step (1946)
Ex-Marine Johnny Christopher (Lawrence Tierney) shrugged it off when his surfside come-on to sunbathing government secretary Evelyn Smith (Anne Jeffreys) was rebuffed. Car trouble, though, left him knocking at her beach house door…which was opened by an impostor (Myrna Dell)! Though freeing Evelyn from a ring of saboteurs, what’s the plan when they’re fingered as the spies themselves? Crisp RKO mystery co-stars Lowell Gilmore, Addison Richards, Jason Robards, Sr.
Flight to Mars (1951)
Man’s first expedition to the red planet is forced to crash-land, with their prospects of coming home nonexistent. Scouting for survival, the explorers uncover a subterranean city populated by the humanoid members of the Martian race…but the gracious welcome masks a plan to take the travelers’ technology and evacuate the dying planet for Earth. Fanciful science-fiction thriller, the first shot in color, stars Arthur Franz, Cameron Mitchell, Marguerite Chapman, Virginia Huston, Morris Ankrum.
I Wouldn’t Be In Your Shoes (1948)
The long layoff between gigs left nightclub hoofer Tom Quinn (Don Castle) taking his frustrations out on the neighborhood cats, as he chucked his custom shoes out the apartment window. He’d have cause to regret it, as matching footprints were found at the scene of a murder–and his spouse/partner Ann (Elyse Knox) faced a desperate search for the real culprit to get him off Death Row. Monogram noir based on a Cornell Woolrich novel also stars Regis Toomey, Charles D. Brown.
Unconquered (1947)
On the American frontier of the mid-1700s, Virginia militia leader Capt. Christopher Holden (Gary Cooper) has his hands full defending Fort Pitt from marauding Indians–led by Chief Guyasuta (Boris Karloff) and supplied with guns by villainous trader Garth (Howard da Silva)–while also romancing pretty colonist Abby (Paulette Goddard). Thrilling costume saga from Cecil B. DeMille also stars Cecil Kellaway, Ward Bond.
The Gilded Lily (1935)
In this romantic comedy, Claudette Colbert stars as stenographer Marilyn David, who remains oblivious to the desires of friend/newspaper reporter Peter Dawes (Fred MacMurray) as she pursues a rich Englishman. When she turns down the wealthy man’s marriage proposal, an overjoyed Peter writes an article about the event–making Marilyn an instant star. But will the pair end up together? Ray Milland, C. Aubrey Smith co-star.
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (4K Ultra HD)(2009)
Recruited into the international special ops team G.I. Joe, U.S. soldiers Duke (Channing Tatum) and Ripcord (Marlon Wayans) must help stop arms dealer James McCullen (Christopher Eccleston) from using nanomite warheads to cause global panic and usher in a new world order. Based on the long-running toy line, this exciting actioner also stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Sienna Miller, Rachel Nichols, Dennis Quaid, Arnold Vosloo, and Ray Park as Snake Eyes.
G.I. Joe: Retaliation (4K Ultra HD)(2013)
This hit sequel to the 2009 actioner finds most of the Joe team killed in an ambush and its remaining members wanted for a crime they didn’t commit. Now, Roadblock (Dwayne Johnson), Lady Jaye (Adrianne Palicki), Flint (D.J. Cotrona), and Snake Eyes (Ray Park) enlist the aid of old foe Storm Shadow (Byung-hun Lee) and the original G.I. Joe (Bruce Willis) to prove their innocence and stop the evil Cobra organization’s plot to rule the world. With Jonathan Pryce and Channing Tatum.
Una (2021)
Directionless 28-year-old Una (Rooney Mara) has been haunted for over half a lifetime by the sexual liaison she had with middle-aged neighbor Ray (Ben Mendelsohn), an act that sent him to jail for statutory rape. Her decision to track him down and confront him for his conduct at his workplace leads to stunning revelations. Dramatist David Harrower adapted his stage play “Blackbird” for the screen; with Riz Ahmed, Natasha Little, Tara Fitzgerald, and Ruby Stokes as the 13-year-old Una.
Whirlpool of Fate (1925)
Left alone and poor after her father dies and her uncle spends all of her money on liquor, a young girl (Catherine Hessling) is taken in by a kindly Bohemian family, and begins to win the heart of the clan’s shy son (Harold Levingston). The courtship may be dashed when the boy’s own shiftless uncle frames her for a theft–and the accusation sticks. The first feature directed by legendary French filmmaker Jean Renoir, this silent romance also stars Pierre Champagne.
An American in Paris: The Musical (2018)
Performed at the Dominion Theatre in the West End, this production of Craig Lucas’s stage take on the 1951 MGM classic musical offers original Broadway and Paris leads Robert Fairchild as lingering U.S. G.I./aspiring artist Jerry Mulligan, and Leanne Cope as Lise Dassin, the pretty Parisienne involved with a friend. With Zoë Rainey, Haydn Oakley, David Seadon-Young, Jane Asher; great Gershwin songs include “I Got Rhythm,” “But Not for Me,” “I’ll Build a Stairway to Paradise.”
The Wraith (1986)
A gang of hard-riding, car-thieving punks has an entire Southwest town in a grip of fear…or did, until dirt bike-riding stranger Jake Kesey (Charlie Sheen) showed up. Not long after, a mysterious armored driver in an otherworldly Dodge Turbo started giving the hoods a taste of their own medicine. Is there a connection–and does it have an earthly explanation? Mix of high-octane action and supernatural shocks co-stars Sherilyn Fenn, Randy Quaid, Nick Cassavetes, Griffin O’Neal.
Initiation (2021)
Charged with making sure the first-years left a rush party safely, sorority sister Ellery (Lindsay LaVanchy) discovers the unconscious Kylie (Isabella Gomez) locked in a bedroom…and that her own star-jock brother Wes (Froy Gutierrez), whose involvement in a similar incident had been papered over, was implicated. She won’t be torn for long, as an unknown driller killer starts extracting payback from Wes and his frat bros. Surprising shocker co-stars Jon Huertas, Lochlyn Munro, Yancy Butler
Jakob’s Wife (2021)
Anne is married to a small-town minister and feels like her life and marriage have been shrinking over the past 30 years. After a chance encounter with “The Master,” she discovers bite marks on her neck, a new sense of power and an appetite to live bigger and bolder than ever. As Anne is increasingly torn between her enticing new existence and her life before, the body count grows and Jakob realizes he will have to fight for the wife he took for granted. Barbara Crampton, Larry Fessenden star.
Feral State (2021)
In the Florida backwaters, charismatic veteran/grifter Mack Monroe (Ronnie Gene Blevins) became the patriarch for a pack of adolescent runaways that he trained to steal from those who had, good or bad. If a determined cop (AnnaLynne McCord) doesn’t break his operation, that might be up to his own most recent recruit–a young girl with an uncanny secret that could destroy the gang from within. Octavio Pisano, Jaden Piner, Veronica Burgess also star.
La Piscine (The Swimming Pool) (The Criterion Collection)(1969)
Jean-Paul (Alain Delon) and Marianne (Romy Schneider) had been enjoying the sun, the scenery–and one another–while vacationing at a friend’s French Riviera villa. After the arrival of her record producer ex Harry (Maurice Ronet), who brought his teenage daughter Penelope (Jane Birkin) in tow, jealousies and tensions old and new will build to a stunning release. Jacques Deray’s sensual thriller also stars Paul Crauchet.
The Plainsman (1936)
Epic C.B. DeMille production (what other kind was there?) of the opening of the West stars Gary Cooper as Wild Bill Hickok and Jean Arthur as Calamity Jane. The rip-roarin’ pair fall in love while trying to put down an Indian uprising and ruthless gunrunners. With James Ellison, Charles Bickford, Gabby Hayes; look for Anthony Quinn as a Native American.
Thunderbolt (1929)
Locked up in Sing Sing and awaiting execution, violent criminal Thunderbolt Jim Lang (George Bancroft) seethes over the knowledge that his girl Ritzy (Fay Wray) is the object of affection of bank clerk Bob Moran (Richard Arlen). He frames the innocent Moran for robbery and murder, getting him put in a nearby cell. Can Thunderbolt rub out his new fellow inmate before his own number comes up? Early noir effort also stars Tully Marshall, Eugenie Besserer, James Spottswood; Josef von Sternberg directs from a script by Herman Mankiewicz.
The Go-Go Boys: The Inside Story of Cannon Films (2014)
Their names became synonymous with ‘80s action, sci-fi, and exploitation flicks, and now, Cannon Films honchos Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus are the subjects of their own outrageous tale. How the Israeli cousins built the enormously profitable–if not always respected–indie film company, and what led to their ultimate failure are examined in this documentary. Jean-Claude Van Damme, Eli Roth, Michael Dudikoff, and Golan and Globus themselves are among those interviewed.
Code 3: The Complete Series (1957)
Airing in syndication, this crime anthology based on actual case files from the Los Angeles County sheriff’s department was presented from the perspective of Assistant Sheriff George Barnett (Richard Travis), with recaps from then-L.A. Sheriff Eugene Biscailuz. Guest performers included Claude Akins, Mike Connors, Guy Williams, Don “Red” Barry, Russell Johnson, DeForest Kelley, Denver Pyle, James Best, Robert Horton, Douglas Fowley, Lola Albright.
Die in a Gunfight (2021)
Already chafing against the expectations that come with being born to a Manhattan media empire, Ben Gibbon (Diego Boneta) found himself falling for Mary Rathcart (Alexandra Daddario), the daughter of his father’s bitterest rival. The forbidden affair–and the ruthless parents’ at-any-costs efforts to squelch it–fuel this intense modern-dress “Romeo and Juliet” co-starring Justin Chatwin, Travis Fimmel, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Wade Allain-Marcus.
A Stranger Is Watching (1982)
Three years after she witnessed the brutal home invasion killing of her mother, young Julie Peterson (Shawn von Schreiber) braced for the remarriage of her father (James Naughton) to a TV news reporter (Kate Mulgrew). Unfortunately, the real murderer (Rip Torn) had never been caught…and to ensure his continued freedom, he kidnaps Julie and her stepmom-to-be, and imprisons them in the catacombs beneath Grand Central Station. Sean S. Cunningham directed this gripping adaptation of the Mary Higgins Clark novel.
Siege (1983)
During the Halifax police strike, a paramilitary club thought they’d use the occasion to intimidate a gay bar…but when the harassment accidentally turned deadly, they opted to leave no witnesses. The one survivor (Terry-David Després) fled to a nearby apartment building, where the residents took him in…and armed themselves to meet the assault of his fascistic pursuers in kind. Canadian exploitation favorite also stars Tom Nardini, Brenda Bazinet, Daryl Haney. AKA: “Self Defense.”
Born for Hell (aka Naked Massacre) (1976)
Vietnam vet Cain Adamson (Mathieu Carrière)–troubled by atrocities he saw in combat and news of his wife’s infidelity–waits in Belfast for a flight back to America. An encounter with a young nurse (Carole Laure) leads him to hold several women hostage in their boarding house, torturing and degrading them in a violent frenzy, in this shocker inspired by the real-life story of Richard Speck. Debby Berger, Andrée Pelletier, Leonora Fani, Christine Boisson, Ely Galleani also star. AKA: “Naked Massacre.”
J.C. (1972)
Truly unique and overlooked entry in the biker film genre focuses on J.C. Masters (William F. McGaha, who also wrote and directed), a motorcycle-riding, marijuana-loving carpenter…who might just be a modern-day incarnation of Jesus Christ himself. Abandoning his stern Southern Baptist upbringing, J.C. and his biker pals are soon waging war against a racist sheriff (Slim Pickens). Hannibal Penney, Joanna Moore, Burr DeBenning also star.
Little Big League (1994)
A 12-year-old boy inherits the Minnesota Twins baseball franchise from his grandfather and, because of a lack of on-field success, names himself manager, much to the players’ chagrin. Can the school-age skipper lead the team to the World Series? Luke Edwards, Jason Robards, and Timothy Busfield star; major leaguers Ken Griffey, Jr., Randy Johnson, and Wally Joyner also appear.
Nana (1926)
For his second feature, Jean Renoir mounted an ambitious and lavish adaptation of the Émile Zola novel, with Catherine Hessling in the title role as the common-born and calculating actress who charms an unfortunate nobleman (Werner Krauss) into bankrolling a starring vehicle for her. However, after the play flops, she begins on a downward path littered with exploited lovers. Jean Angelo, Pierre Lestringuez, Claude Autant-Lara also star.
The Time Guardian (1987)
Hailing from the 41st century, a soldier (Tom Burlinson) and a historian (Carrie Fisher) arrive in late-1980s Australia to scout a location for the City, a time-traveling stronghold carrying the last human survivors from their war-ravaged future. With help from a present-day geologist (Nikki Coghill), can they defeat a team of cyborg warriors who’ve tracked them across the centuries? Dean Stockwell, Peter Merrill, Tim Robertson also star in this exciting sci-fi actioner from Down Under
The Brokenwood Mysteries: Series 7 (2021)
In the sleepy town of Brokenwood, New Zealand, the affable residents may seem harmless, but killers, blackmailers, and thieves lurk in every picturesque corner. To quell the community’s alarming murder rate, Detective Mike Shepherd (Neill Rea) uses an unconventional style that contrasts with the methodical approach of his partner, Detective Kristin Sims (Fern Sutherland), and the eager assistance of DC Sam Breen (Nic Sampson). All six episodes of the seventh series are featured in this three-disc set.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Season 22 (2021)
All 16 episodes from the 22nd season are featured in this four-disc set.
The Walking Dead: The Complete Tenth Season (2020)
Based on the popular graphic novel series, this hit AMC series focuses on a small group of survivors living in the wake of an unknown catastrophe that has revived the dead as “walkers,” shambling, flesh-eating zombies. As the ragtag band, led by Southern lawman Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), makes their way across a walker-infested America, they soon discover that the dead may be the least of their problems. Norman Reedus, Steven Yeun, Chandler Riggs, Melissa McBride, Danai Gurira co-star.
22 episodes on 7 discs.
Shameless: The Eleventh and Final Season (2020)
The hit British series is brought to American television with this offbeat Showtime comedy/drama. William H. Macy stars as Frank Gallagher, a hard-drinking, self-absorbed Chicago single father whose utter incompetence as a parent leaves eldest daughter, Fiona (Emmy Rossum), picking up the slack and taking care of her five brothers and sisters. With Justin Chatwin, Cameron Monaghan, Jeremy Allen White, Shanola Hampton. All 12 episodes from the final season are featured in this three-disc set.
Star Trek: Discovery: Season Three (2020)
Debuting in 2017, this exciting entry in the ever-popular sci-fi franchise takes place approximately 10 years before the original “Star Trek” series. Imprisoned for mutiny, disgraced Starfleet officer Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) gets a chance at redemption when she’s recruited to join the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery on an important interstellar mission. Doug Jones, Shazad Latif, Anthony Rapp, Mary Wiseman, Jason Isaacs also star. 13 episodes on 4 discs.
Click here for an overview of all of this week’s new releases!