As January rolls into February, we are in the long winter chill. Fortunately though, there’s plenty of terrific new releases to keep you warm! Take a look at what fantastic titles are available now!
The Addams Family 2 (2021)
Just because they’re mysterious and spooky, that doesn’t mean they don’t have the same problems as “normal” families. With Wednesday (voiced by Chloë Grace Moretz) and Pugsley (Javon Walton) growing up and spending less time at home, Gomez (Oscar Isaac) and Morticia (Charlize Theron) plan a wacky cross-country road trip for the whole Addams Family–in a haunted camper, no less–in an effort to spend some quality time together. Bette Midler, Snoop Dogg also supply voices to this computer-animated sequel.
Last Night in Soho (2021)
Come from Cornwall to pursue fashion design in London–and struggling– fragile Eloise (Thomasin McKenzie) always had her fascination with the ’60s to fall back on. The fateful fissure comes when she starts experiencing life back in the Mod era–through the eyes of aspiring singer Sandie (Anya Taylor-Joy)–and the consequences in both past and present may be dire. Edgar Wright’s stylish shocker co-stars Matt Smith, Rita Tushingham, Terence Stamp and, in her screen farewell, Diana Rigg.
Song of the Thin Man (1924)
In the sixth “Thin Man” entry, Nick and Nora Charles (William Powell, Myrna Loy) find all hands on deck aboard a floating casino, as they try to determine who’s responsible for the slaying of the gambling ship’s disgruntled bandleader. Swan song for the celebrated sleuth series co-stars Keenan Wynn, Gloria Grahame, Leon Ames, Patricia Morison, Jayne Meadows, Marie Windsor, and, of course, Asta.
A Hard Day’s Night (1964)(Criterion Collection)(4K Ultra HD)
Meet the Beatles! Just one month after they exploded onto the U.S. scene with their Ed Sullivan Show appearance, John, Paul, George, and Ringo began working on a project that would bring their revolutionary talent to the big screen. This film, in which the bandmates play slapstick versions of themselves, captured the astonishing moment when they officially became the singular, irreverent idols of their generation and changed music forever. Directed with raucous, anything-goes verve by Richard Lester and featuring a slew of iconic pop anthems—including the title track, “Can’t Buy Me Love,” “I Should Have Known Better,” and “If I Fell”—A Hard Day’s Night, which reconceived the movie musical and exerted an incalculable influence on the music video, is one of the most deliriously entertaining movies of all time.
Hoffman (Limited Edition)(1970)
One of the most unsettling films in the Peter Sellers canon, Hoffman sees the actor in a sinister starring role as a bachelor who obsesses over his secretary Miss Smith (Sinéad Cusack). Hoffman discovers Miss Smith’s boyfriend (Jeremy Bulloch) has been fiddling the books at work, and blackmails her into spending a weekend with him. Their time together reveals Hoffman’s tragic, lonely existence.
Alpha Rift (2021)
For nerdy Nolan Parthmore (Aaron Dalla Villa), heroism was something confined to the dice and tokens of the fantasy gaming store he operated. That would change with the stunning discovery he was blood heir to a seat with a centuries-old order of knights…and that the otherworldly demons the paladins were pledged to defend mankind from are about to come knocking. Throwback action tale co-stars Rachel Nielsen, Philip N. Williams, Graham Wolfe, and Lance Henriksen.
This Is Us: The Complete Season 4 (2022)
When one of their triplets is stillborn, Caucasian couple Jack and Rebecca Pearson adopt an African-American baby born on the same day. Debuting in 2016, this acclaimed and offbeat NBC drama series jumps between past and present as it tells the moving story of the Pearsons and their children Randall, Kate, and Kevin over the course of many years. Milo Ventimiglia, Mandy Moore, Sterling K. Brown, Chrissy Metz, Justin Hartley star. 18 episodes on 5 discs.
Don’t Let Her In (2021)
Renting out a room in your home to a complete stranger can lead to such potential problems as loud music, a toilet seat that gets left up, and maybe a messy kitchen. But for a young couple (Cole Pendery and Kelly Curran), taking on a sexy and enigmatic tenant (Lorin Doctor) brought with it a host of horrors neither could have possibly imagined, putting both of them in grave danger. Creepy shocker from producer Charles Band co-stars Austin James Parker.
Riverdale: The Complete Fifth Season (2021)
The eternal American teenagers of Archie Comics fame received a stylish, strikingly dark, and compelling re-imagining with this hit CW series. The benign little burg of Riverdale, USA, was rocked by a stunning murder…and the web of deceit and old vendettas underlying the small-town facade started enveloping local kids like aspiring musician Archie Andrews (K.J. Apa), school journalist Betty Cooper (Lili Reinhart), rich transplant Veronica Lodge (Camila Mendes), and cynical outsider Jughead Jones (Cole Sprouse). All 19 episodes from the fifth season are included in this release.
Expresso Bongo (1959)
Fast-talking promoter Johnny Jackson (Laurence Harvey) thinks he’s found the next teen singing sensation when he spies bongo-playing troubadour Bert Rudge (Cliff Richard) in a Soho coffeehouse. Join them on the rocky road to stardom in this classic British rock-and-roll satirical musical that also stars Sylvia Sims, Yolande Donlan; directed by Val Guest (“The Quatermass Xperiment”). Songs include “Bongo Blues,” “Love,” “A Voice in the Wilderness.”
The Last Son (2021)
In late 19th-century Montana, stone-cold killer Isaac Lemay (Sam Worthington) became obsessed with a Cheyenne chieftain’s prophecy that he would die at the hands of his own offspring…and picking off his progeny, he saved his rendezvous with son Cal (Machine Gun Kelly) for last. The task will be complicated by Cal’s having inherited the family knack for murder–as well as by bounty hunters seeking them both. Atmospheric oater co-stars Thomas Jane, Heather Graham, James Landry Hébert.
The Dry (2020)
Melbourne federal agent Aaron Falk (Eric Bana) went back to his drought-stricken rural hometown for the first time in decades on the news that a boyhood friend had killed his family, and them himself. Asked to stay around and investigate the shocking incident, he’d face opposition from the locals–including some who thought he knew more than he told about another friend’s death back in the day. Thriller from the Jane Harper novel co-stars Genevieve O’Reilly, Bruce Spence.
Titane (2021)
A Cannes Film Festival sensation and 2021 Palme d’Or winner, this film is a feverish and jaw-dropping ride from the mind of Julia Ducournau. With a titanium plate surgically fused to her skull following a car crash as a child, car model Alexia embarks on a wild and ultimately unpredictable journey that questions our assumptions about family, identity and love. Vincent Lindon, Agathe Rousselle, Garance Marillier star.
An Unquiet Grave (2020)
A year after losing her twin sister Julia to a collision with a drunk driver, Ava (Christine Nyland, who co-wrote) still couldn’t process her grief. That left her willing to listen as her no-less-stricken brother-in-law Jamie (Jacob A. Ware) proposed she participate in an unholy ritual to resurrect Julia…one which required her to be blindfolded at the accident site. The stunning consequences that follow drive this spare and shocking two-hander.
Time (Criterion Collection)(2020)
In 1997, Robert “Rob Rich” and Sibil “Fox Rich” Richardson were convicted of armed robbery for the holdup of a Shreveport credit union. Then pregnant and with four sons at home, she was released after three years–while he faced 60 years without parole. Her two-decade effort since to argue for her husband’s early release, as partially chronicled through the home movies she sent to Rob over the years, receive a sobering recounting in Garrett Bradley’s acclaimed feature.
Shock (1977)
Released in America as “Beyond the Door II,” Italian frightmaster Mario Bava’s final feature follows a family whose young son seems to be able to talk to the dead. What will his “gift” reveal about the sinister truth behind his father’s death, and what price will the boy’s mother and her new husband pay? Daria Nicolodi, John Steiner star.
The Brute (Limited Edition)(1977)
Sarah Douglas gives a courageous performance as Diane, a glamorous fashion model trying to escape the brutal blows of her sadistic husband, fearsomely portrayed by Julian Glover. After a particularly savage attack, Diane leaves to stay with photographer friend Mark (Bruce Robinson) and his girlfriend Carrie (Suzanne Stone). Finding solidarity with other victims at a nearby women’s refuge, she aims to forge a new life alone, but her violent ex-partner is determined to track her down.
Girl Stroke Boy (Limited Edition)(1971)
Based on David Percival’s acclaimed play Girlfriend, Girl Stroke Boy is a one-of-a-kind comedy which tells of two everyday, middle-class parents who are confounded when their son brings home his new partner: an elegant, confusingly androgynous West Indian (actor and pop star Peter Straker in a pioneering performance).
The Blockhouse (Limited Edition)(1973)
Based upon harrowing real events which were turned in to a 1955 novel by Jean-Paul Clébert, The Blockhouse starts explosively with an Allied air raid on a Nazi prison camp. Six escaped prisoners take shelter in an underground blockhouse, which is soon destroyed by heavy shelling. Trapped underground, with an almost endless supply of food, wine and candles, the men must endure confinement with no prospect of escape or rescue. Featuring a stunning ensemble cast that includes Peter Sellers, Charles Aznavour, Peter Vaughan, Jeremy Kemp, Per Oscarsson, and Leon Lissek.
Hive (2021)
With her husband presumed lost in the Krusha massacres, Fahrije (Yllka Gashi) led other similarly situated neighbor women in a quest for answers–while simultaneously struggling to provide for her children. With the family apiary not producing enough for survival, her entrepreneurial choice to make and market a condiment runs afoul of the patriarchal notions of the community…and those of her own family. Acclaimed effort co-stars Çun Lajçi, Kaona Sylejmani.
Midnight Masquerade (2014)
A young woman inherits her father’s candy company just as it becomes the target of a huge lawsuit, bringing her troubles to the attention of a handsome lawyer put in charge of the case. Immediately attracted to his client, the attorney finds a creative way to woo her when she throws a masked ball and invites everyone at his firm to attend. Hallmark romance stars Autumn Reeser, Christopher Russell.
Hide and Seek (2021)
Family estate business sent wealthy Noah (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) in reluctant pursuit of his long-estranged black sheep brother, with the trail leading to a derelict building in Queens. In trying to piece together his sibling’s whereabouts from the other squatters there, he only finds disturbing clues…and unknown menace will be following him home. Remake of the 2013 South Korean shocker from writer-director Joel David Moore co-stars Joe Pantoliano, Jacinda Barrett.
A Walk in the Sun (4K Definitive Restoration)(1945)
Terrific WWII drama from director Lewis Milestone follows one infantry platoon in battle from the time they land on an Italian beach to their bloody drive to destroy a bridge and claim an enemy-held farmhouse six miles inland. Dana Andrews stars as one of the outfit’s senior NCOs, who finds himself inheriting command of the dangerous mission. Top-notch cast also includes Richard Conte, John Ireland, Lloyd Bridges, Norman Lloyd, and Huntz Hall.
Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road (2021)
An unprecedented look at the prodigious and oft-troubled genius behind the sound of The Beach Boys is served up by documentarian Brent Wilson (“Streetlight Harmonies”). Brian Wilson joins rock journalist Jason Fine for a revelatory road trip through his old stomping grounds as they discuss his life and works. Rounding out the film are appreciative interviews with Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Nick Jonas, Jakob Dylan, many others.
King of the Royal Mounted (1940)
Based on the comics series credited to Zane Grey, this action-packed serial stars Allan Lane as Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer Sgt. Dave King. Can King and the rest of his Mountie brethren stop a gang of spies from stealing “Compound X,” a priceless magnetic mineral they plan to use to wage war on England? Robert Strange, Robert Kellard, Lita Conway also star. 12 episodes.
Adventures of Red Ryder (1940)
Don “Red” Barry acquired his famous nickname after starring in this thrilling serial as comic strip hero Red Ryder, a rancher who organizes a group of fellow landowners to stand up to scheming banker Calvin Drake (Harry Worth) and his gang. It seems Drake will stop at nothing to control their property in order to make way for the construction of a railroad. With Noah Beery, Maude Allen, and Tommy Cook as Little Beaver. 12 episodes.
The Last Frontier (1932)
A thrill-a-minute Western serial (the only serial produced by RKO) teeming with hair-breadth escapes, blazing gun battles and cattle stampedes. Lon Chaney, Jr. plays a newspaper editor determined to squash a plot by money-hungry traders to supply guns to Indians and drive settlers away. With Francis X. Bushman, Jr., Richard Neil, Dorothy Gulliver. 12 chapters.
Three Women (1924)
Handsome wastrel Edmund Lamont (Lew Cody) had his eyes on the Wilton family wealth as a means to stave off the angry creditors. Will he seduce matronly mother Mabel (Pauline Frederick), or gullible daughter Jeanne (May McAvoy)…and how long before the “winner” gets thrown over for vivacious mistress Harriet (Marie Prevost)? Early Hollywood effort for Ernst Lubitsch also stars Willard Lewis, Pierre Gendron.
The Night the World Exploded (1957)
An attempt to ascertain the cause of a series of earthquakes results in the discovery of E-112, a brand new element found deep within the planet’s core. But E-112 proves to be violently unstable, causing massive explosions when it makes contact with air. As large amounts of the dangerous substance are pushed towards the surface, scientists must race against the clock in a desperate attempt to save the world. Kathryn Grant, William Leslie, Tristram Coffin star in this sci-fi thriller.
The Capture (1950)
Set in Mexico, this noirish drama stars Lew Ayres as Lin Vanner, an American oil company supervisor who shoots and kills a man he suspects robbed the company’s payroll. But Vanner discovers he was innocent and, complicating matters even further, is the deceased man’s widow (Teresa Wright), with whom he has fallen in love. Victor Jory, Jacqueline White, Jimmy Hunt co-star; directed by John Sturges.
Red Angel (1966)
War, madness, sex, and body horror are explored in this brutal drama from Japan, set in the late 1930s during the Sino-Japanese War. While enduring horrifying physical and emotional trauma as she works on the front lines of combat, a Japanese army nurse edges towards self-destruction as she tries to rescue the desperate amputees and drug addicts in her charge. Ayako Wakao, Shinsuke Ashida, Yusuke Kawazu star.
Click here for an overview of all of this week’s new releases!