Welcome to another week of Blu-ray and DVD new releases! This time around, we’ve got everything from heroic hits to vintage favorites making their physical media debut, so sit back, relax, and browse what amazing titles are now available!
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Those who thought they knew slacking San Francisco car valet “Shaun Xu” (Simu Liu) best didn’t know him at all. In actuality, he was the son of Asia’s most dreaded crime lord–the centuries-lived Wenwu (Tony Leung)–who’d had him trained from the cradle to be the greatest martial artist alive…and whose patience with him to come home and claim his infamous birthright has just run out. Action- and fantasy-packed screen bow for Marvel Comics’ Master of Kung Fu co-stars Awkwafina, Michelle Yeoh, Ben Kingsley.
Malignant (2021)
Having lost husband and unborn child to a home invasion, the level of trauma experienced by Madison (Annabelle Wallis) beggared description. However, since it was now plaguing her with visions of unspeakably violent assaults–which turned out to be actual murders committed in that moment–it could be fairly described as unholy. James Wan’s intense, giallo-redolent return to horror filmmaking also stars Maddie Hasson, George Young, Michole Briana White, and Ingrid Bisu (who co-scripted).
Jet Pilot (1957)
Produced by Howard Hughes, this high-flying Cold War drama stars John Wayne as Col. Jim Shannon, an American Air Force officer charged with looking after defecting Soviet pilot Lt. Anna Marladovna (Janet Leigh). They fall for each other–and he marries her to block her deportation–but what will happen when Shannon learns that his new love is actually a double agent? With Jay C. Flippen, Paul Fix, Roland Winters, Hans Conried; Josef von Sternberg directs.
Reds (1981)
Warren Beatty directed, co-wrote, and starred in this Academy Award-winning biodrama of radical American writer John Reed, who, along with fellow journalist and lover Louise Bryant (Diane Keaton), ventured into the chaos of Revolutionary Russia and chronicled the events in his book “Ten Days That Shook the World.” Maureen Stapleton, Jack Nicholson, Edward Herrmann also star.
Party Girl (1958)
Superior crime drama by director Nicholas Ray stars Robert Taylor as slick attorney Thomas Farrell in Roaring ’20s Chicago, who tries–with the love and support of beautiful party girl Vicki Gaye (Cyd Charisse)–to get out from under the thumb of crime boss Rico Angelo (Lee J. Cobb) and end his career of defending mob figures. Unique Metrocolor film noir co-stars John Ireland, Kent Smith, Claire Kelly.
To Hell and Back (1955)
The most decorated soldier of World War II, Audie Murphy, stars as himself in this gritty, unflinching war film based on his 1949 autobiography. Follow the exploits of a reluctant, unlikely hero who left his life as a Texas sharecropper to enlist in the army where he would serve in Africa, Italy, France, Austria, and Germany. David Janssen, Marshall Thompson, Charles Drake, Denver Pyle co-star.
The O. Henry Playhouse: The Complete Series, Vol. 1 (1957)
Directed by such Hollywood veterans as Bernard Girard and George Waggner, this release contains thirteen half-hour episodes that shine the spotlight on such timeless tales as “The Reformation of Calliope” and “Two Renegades”; and also features a glittering array of movie and TV stars in Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, John Carradine, Peggie Castle, Jackie Coogan, Ellen Corby, Johnny Crawford, Jim Davis, Dick Foran, Mona Freeman, Lawrence Dobkin, Beverly Garland.
Heaven Can Wait (1978)
Fantastic adaptation of Harry Segall’s 1938 play (filmed in 1941 as “Here Comes Mr. Jordan”) stars Warren Beatty as Joe Pendleton, an NFL quarterback who is killed before he’s due “upstairs.” Returned to Earth in the body of a wealthy playboy, Joe attempts to restart his football career while overseeing his new businesses. But after meeting a beautiful Englishwoman (Julie Christie), Joe learns just how heavenly living can be. With James Mason, Charles Grodin, Dyan Cannon, Buck Henry.
Freud (1962)
In late 19th century Vienna, disillusioned with prevailing procedures for treatment of mental illness, doctor Sigmund Freud (Montgomery Clift) opened his own practice for treatment of mental disorders. While initially relying on hypnosis, he discovered that allowing his patients to simply free associate would give him the needed insights for their treatment. John Huston’s long-demanded biopic also stars Susannah York, Larry Parks, Susan Kohner, Eric Portman. AKA: “Freud: The Secret Passion.”
Grantchester: The Complete Sixth Season (Masterpiece Mystery)(2021)
“Masterpiece Mystery” brings James Runcie’s books to the small screen with this British detective series about the unique if unlikely partnership between Anglican priest Sidney Chambers (James Norton) and Detective Inspector Geordie Keating (Robson Green). The two join forces to solve baffling crimes when the vicar decides to take up sleuthing work as a hobby in his home village of Grantchester. With Morven Christie, Tessa-Peake Jones. All eight episodes from the sixth season are included in this two-disc set.
Death in Paradise: Season Ten (2021)
Dispatched to the (fictional) Caribbean island of Saint Marie to investigate the murder of a British officer, London lawman Richard Poole (Ben Miller) initially clashes with new partner Camille Bordey (Sara Martins), whose emotional disposition runs counter to his own–but their effective teamwork and Poole’s knack for solving baffling cases soon has him relocating to the exotic beat on a permanent basis. Scintillating British-French crime dramedy co-stars Danny John-Jules, Gary Carr. All eight episodes from the tenth season are featured in this two-disc set.
The Drowning (2021)
In the nine years since her 4-year-old son Tom perished in a lakeside accident, Jodie Walsh (Jill Halfpenny) watched her marriage and business disintegrate. The day she saw teenaged Daniel Tanner (Cody Molko) in the street, she was certain that he was Tom, somehow survived–and over the skepticism of the authorities and her ex (Jonas Armstrong), starts a fateful insinuation into the boy’s life. Rupert Penry-Jones, Deborah Findlay, Jade Anouka also star.
Eden: Untamed Planet (2021)
There are precious few regions on Earth that have been left undisturbed by the encroachment of mankind. This eye-opening six-part BBC America documentary series explores some of those still-pristine areas in places like Borneo, Alaska, Africa, South America, and others, examining their beautiful ecosystems and wildlife communities. Narrated by Helena Bonham Carter. 6 episodes on 2 discs.
Wild Indian (2021)
As teens on a Wisconsin reservation in the ‘80s, indigenous cousins Makwa (Phoenix Wilson) and Teddo (Julian Gopal) agreed to cover up a tragic homicide. Today, Makwa (Michael Greyeyes), or preferably “Michael,” is an assimilated but inwardly raging executive, Teddo (Chaska Spencer) is a tormented ex-con…and the ghosts of their shared past have them on a fateful collision course. Singular thriller also stars Jesse Eisenberg, Kate Bosworth, Scott Haze, Lisa Cromarty.
The Laughing Dead (1989)
A lapsed priest (Tim Sullivan) signed on as guide for a tourist junket into Mexico to visit Aztec ruins. Once there, he was approached by a local doctor (Somtow Sucharitkul, who wrote and directed) to aid in an exorcism…but the mad medico’s endgame was to open a gate to hell, with the ritual sacrifice of children as the key. Singular shock entry–peppered with cameos from Sucharitkul’s peers in the horror fiction community–co-stars Wendy Webb, Premika Eaton.
Summer of ’84 (2018)
In a small Oregon town back in the Reagan days, teenage conspiracy buff Davey Armstrong (Graham Verchere) obsessed on the child disappearances that plagued the region…and one day, circumstantial evidence pointed at local cop Wayne Mackey (Rich Sommer). As Davey wheedles his bored buddies into surveillance, will they find they’re on an accurate–and dangerous–track? Canadian stunner co-stars Tiera Skovbye, Judah Lewis, Caleb Emery, Cory Gruter-Andrew.
Slow Dancing in the Big City (1978)
Emotionally charged drama from “Rocky” director John G. Avildsen stars Paul Sorvino as Lou Friedlander, a New York Daily News columnist who strikes up an unlikely romance with his neighbor, beautiful ballerina Sarah Gantz (Anne Ditchburn). But the new couple will face a potentially insurmountable challenge as it turns out Sarah’s future as a dancer is jeopardized by a serious medical condition. With Nicolas Coster, Anita Dangler, Thaao Penghlis.
Click here for a rundown of all of this week’s new releases!