It’s an exciting week for new releases, as there a fantastic assortment of recent hits and archival classics that are making their Blu-ray, DVD and 4K Ultra HD debuts. So take a minute to check out these film and TV releases that will become a cherished part of your home library!
Dune (2021)
Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) was expected to someday steer his noble family’s appointed duties mining precious spice from the desert world of Arrakis. He’ll have to deal with the treachery of the Harkonnen clan, who abused their prior stewardship–and who will foment war with the native Fremen to get it back. Denis Villeneuve’s expectedly grand-scale take on the Frank Herbert sci-fi saga co-stars Oscar Isaac, Rebecca Ferguson, Stellan Skarsgård, Josh Brolin, Zendaya, Javier Bardem.
Halloween Kills (2021)
In the aftermath of 2018’s “Halloween,” Michael Myers emerged from the fiery deathtrap sprung by perennially pursued Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) burned but unbowed. However, the town of Haddonfield has had it, as a mob fueled by generations of fear and anger quickly takes to the streets–but actually delivering vigilante justice to the undying monster may be something else again. Fright-filled follow-up co-stars Judy Greer, Anthony Michael Hall, Andi Matichak, Will Patton.
Spencer (2021)
The marriage of Princess Diana (Kristen Stewart) and Prince Charles (Jack Farthing) has long since grown cold. Though rumors of affairs and a divorce abound, peace is ordained for the Christmas festivities at the Queen’s Sandringham Estate. There’s eating and drinking, shooting and hunting. Diana knows the game. But this year, thinks will be profoundly different. This film is an imagining of what might have happened during those few fateful days.
Journey to Shiloh (1968)
After Fort Sumpter was fired upon, Buck Burnett (James Caan) headed a contingent of seven young Texans as they saddled up and rode toward Richmond, dreaming of fighting for the Confederate cause. They didn’t anticipate the various injustices they’d witness throughout their journey, nor the harsh realities of combat once they enlisted. Long-demanded allegorical adventure co-stars Harrison Ford, Jan-Michael Vincent, Michael Sarrazin, Don Stroud, Paul Petersen.
The Pink Jungle (1968)
It sounded cut and dried for fashion photographer Ben Morris (James Garner) to head to the Amazon for a cosmetics shoot featuring model Alison Duquesne (Eva Renzi). Once there, it didn’t take long for them to get embroiled with unsavory soldiers of fortune hunting for a legendary diamond mine–and the double- and triple-crosses would follow apace, in this long-sought adventure-comedy. Co-stars George Kennedy, Michael Ansara, Nigel Green; Delbert Mann directs.
The Great Escape (1963)(4K Ultra HD)
One of the greatest war films ever made, director John Sturges’ unforgettable WWII adventure based on a true story stars Steve McQueen as Hilts, “the Cooler King.” As Hilts attempts to lead Allied prisoners in a dangerous escape by tunnel from a German POW camp, he and his men must outwit their captors and make their way out of Nazi-occupied Europe. James Garner, Richard Attenborough, Charles Bronson, James Coburn also star.
Cobra Kai: Season 3 (2021)
Prosperous L.A. car dealer Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) still felt the sting of losing Mr. Miyagi, the mentor who schooled him in martial arts as a teen. Down-and-out janitor Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) sought new purpose by reopening the controversial dojo where he trained in his youth. Odd fate would find their adolescent rivalry renewed in middle age, in this popular web series continuation of the “Karate Kid” saga; Courtney Henggeler, Tanner Buchanan, Xolo Maridueña, Mary Mouser also star. All 10 episodes from the third season are included in this three-disc set.
Ema (2019)
Little was left of the union between volatile Santiago dancer Ema (Mariana Di Girolamo) and her choreographer husband Gastón (Gael García Bernal) after disturbing behavior on the part of their adoptive son Polo (Cristián Suárez) caused them to return the boy to the system. Ema’s own fracturing sanity, however, ultimately propels her on a subversive campaign to get Polo back. Pablo Larraín’s disquieting opus co-stars Paola Giannini, Santiago Cabrera.
Gambit (1966)
Suave British art thief Harry (Michael Caine) recruits Eurasian chorine Nicole (Shirley MacLaine) as his helpmate in a convoluted scheme to relieve Middle Eastern tycoon Shahbandar (Herbert Lom) of a priceless sculpture. While the plan looks good on paper, the actual execution winds up leaving something to be desired. Charming caper comedy co-stars Roger C. Carmel, John Abbott; Ronald Neame directs.
Laughing Heirs (1933)
Young salesman Peter Frank (Heinz Rühmann) couldn’t believe his luck when he stood to inherit his late uncle’s prosperous champagne vineyard lock, stock, and barrel. Unfortunately, the will came with a caveat–that he couldn’t consume the product, or any alcohol, for a month. Further complications arise when he tries to woo the lovely daughter (Lien Deyers) of a competing vintner. Early-career charmer from Max Ophüls co-stars Ida Wüst.
MLK/FBI (2020)
From the time that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. emerged as a resonant voice in the American civil rights movement, FBI director J. Edgar Hoover regarded him as a danger to the status quo that needed to be discredited. This stunning documentary lays bare the Bureau’s unflagging campaign to surveil and undermine Dr. King through the balance of his life–and the disturbing resonance that the questions raised here have in our contemporary politics.
The 7th Dawn (1964)
This gripping adventure story with political intrigue showcases William Holden as Ferris, a former guerrilla leader living in Malaya after World War II. Now a successful plantation owner, Ferris finds himself caught in the middle of a struggle between British authorities and a former friend (Tetsurô Tanba) attempting to convert the country to communism. Susannah York, Capucine, Michael Goodliffe also star.
Heart of Champions (2021)
In the late ’90s, the seniors on an Ivy League rowing team were coming off the embarrassment of a last-place finish in the nationals. It took the installation of ex-military Jack Murphy (Michael Shannon) as their new head coach to break down their destructive petty rivalries and get them to function as an actual crew. Fact-inspired rouser also stars Alexander Ludwig, Charles Melton, Alex MacNicoll, Ash Santos, and David James Elliott. AKA: “Swing.”
Billions: Season Five (2020)
Bobby “Axe” Axelrod (Damian Lewis) is a successful hedge fund manager and 9/11 survivor known for his generosity. Chuck Rhoades (Paul Giamatti) is the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York who specializes in taking down moneyed crooks trying to buy their way out of trouble. When it looks like Axelrod may not be the pillar of the community he purports to be, Rhoades goes after him, a situation complicated by the fact that his wife (Maggie Siff) has worked for Axe for 15 years. Malin Akerman co-stars in this Showtime drama that debuted in 2016. All 12 episodes of the fifth season are featured in this collection.
Impasse (1969)
This thrilling actioner stars Burt Reynolds as Pat Morrison, an adventurer who enlists the help of four World War II veterans to find $3,000,000 in gold that was hidden by the Japanese in the Philippines. Willing to do whatever it takes to get his hands on the riches, Morrison encounters plenty of danger and excitement on his quest for fortune. With Anne Francis, Miko Mayama, Lyle Bettger, Rodolfo Acosta.
Lantern’s Lane (2021)
A quartet of midwestern twentysomethings decided to mark their first get-together since high school with a nighttime jaunt to a secluded neighborhood marked by the violent urban legend they’d grown up with. They’d quickly regret their choice to party in an abandoned house, as the dwelling had already been claimed by a lurking figures who’s as homicidal as he is territorial. Effective little shocker stars Brooke Butler, Ashley Doris, Andy Cohen, Sydney Carvill.
Mass (2021)
Several years after their son became one of the casualties in an Idaho school shooting, Gail (Martha Plimpton) and Jay (Jason Isaacs) pursued the only way forward that they could see–a church-brokered sit-down with Linda (Ann Dowd) and Richard (Reed Birney), the now-divorced parents of the shooter who’d taken his own life. Anger, recriminations and, perhaps, understanding memorably follow in this absorbing four-hander from writer-director Fran Kranz.
The Celebration (1998)(Criterion Collection)
In this highly acclaimed effort from Thomas Vinterberg and the guerrilla-like film collective Dogma 95, three grown children gather at an estate to honor their father on his 60th birthday. The happy occasion turns ugly when the partygoers get drunk and reveal some unsettling secrets about the past and the patriarch. With Henning Moritzen, Ulrich Thomsen.
I’m Your Man (2021)
Looking for funding–and not looking for a relationship–stoic archeologist Alma (Maren Eggert) reluctantly agreed to three weeks’ beta testing of a controversial new product: Tom (Dan Stevens), a lifelike android personally programmed to anticipate her every want and need. The cynical scientist finds herself slowly worn down, in Maria Schrader’s sweetly subversive fantasy rom-com; Sandra Hüller co-stars.
Deep Red (1975)(4K Ultra HD)
A psychic (Macha Méril) on the trail of a killer is brutally slain in her apartment, and the murder is witnessed through a window by jazz musician neighbor Marcus Daly (David Hemmings). Partnering with reporter Gianna Brezzi (Daria Nicolodi) to delve into the case, the pair encounter no end of creepy goings-on…and ensure that they’ll be next on the psychopath’s list. Dario Argento’s striking terror tale also stars Gabriele Lavia, Glauco Mauri, Giuliana Calandra. AKA: “Deep Red Hatchet Murders,” “Dripping Deep Red,” “The Hatchet Murders.”
Juice (1992)(4K Ultra HD)
This powerful look at day-to-day life in ‘90s Harlem focuses on Q (Omar Epps), an aspiring disc jockey, and his teenage friends–Bishop (Tupac Shakur), Raheem (Khalil Kain), and Steel (Jermaine Hopkins)–who have to make a difficult decision: Walk the straight and narrow or lead a life of crime. Eventually, following the death of a friend, they decide they have to rob a neighborhood store to get the respect–or “juice”–they feel they’re due. With Samuel L. Jackson, Queen Latifah; Ernest R. Dickerson directs.
The Man with the Answers (2021)
With the passing of the grandmother who lived with him, withdrawn factory worker and onetime ranked diver Victoras (Vasilis Magouliotis) opted to drive from Greece to Bavaria in search of his estranged mother. Reluctantly gaining a road companion in the outgoing, oddball backpacker Mathias (Anton Weil), the initially rocky journey would come to have a romantic conclusion. Charming effort co-stars Stella Fyrogeni.
All Summer Long (2019)
Disillusioned lawyer Tia (Autumn Reeser) once dreamed of captaining a boat on the open sea. She’s thrilled to get the chance to do just that when her uncle needs a skipper for his new floating restaurant. But Tia’s dream could quickly become a nightmare when she discovers that her ex, Jake (Brennan Elliott), has been hired as the chef…unless, of course, there’s still something cooking between them. Flavorful Hallmark romance co-stars Anne Marie DeLuise, Peter DeLuise.
Suzanna Andler (2021)
Accompanied by her lover, Suzanna (Charlotte Gainsbourg), 40, views a Riviera beach house for her family’s summer vacation. This day, this break in her routine, in this new house, will mark a turning point in her life. Based on the Marguerite Duras play of the same name, Suzanna Andler is the portrait of a woman trapped in her marriage to a wealthy, unfaithful businessman in the 1960s. She must choose between her conventional destiny as a wife and mother, and her freedom, embodied by her young lover (Niels Schneider).
Click here for an overview of all of this week’s new releases.