This week, we’ve got superheroic hits, Hollywood epics ranging from film noir favorites to James Cagney classics, cult films, indies, and everything inbewteen. Get yourself ready, because these new DVDs and Blu-rays are now available!
Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (2020)
After the events of Suicide Squad, Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) dumped the Joker and set out to blaze her own trail of crazy across Gotham. After young thief Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco) was marked for death by ganglord Black Mask (Ewan McGregor), Harley forged a tenuous alliance with vigilantes Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), and GCPD cop Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez), to ensure the kid’s safety. Edgy DCEU entry co-stars Chris Messina.
The Call of the Wild (2020)
Leavening the Jack London adventure staple with striking CGI animal effects, this engaging effort follows the odyssey of Buck, the sturdy mutt stolen from his home in 1890s California and shipped to the Yukon for service as a sled dog during the Klondike Gold Rush. Rescued from an abusive owner by elderly prospector John Thornton (Harrison Ford), the two forge a bond that will be tried by unforgiving fate. Dan Stevens, Omar Sy, Karen Gillan, Bradley Whitford also star.
The Photograph (2020)
After her celebrated–and long-estranged–photographer mother Christina (Chanté Adams) died, Mae Morton (Issa Rae) knew there was too much left unsaid and too many questions unanswered. A single photo in the estate’s belongings sent Mae on a search into her mom’s private past–and complicated a growing mutual attraction with Michael Block (LaKeith Stanfield), a journalist covering Christina’s life. Kelvin Harrison, Jr., Courtney B. Vance, Teyonah Parris, Lil Rey Howery co-star.
Blumhouse’s Fantasy Island (2020)
The fondly remembered ‘70s/’80s TV series is effectively reworked as a quirky horror tale, courtesy of Blumhouse Productions. On a remote island resort, five people prepare to have their ultimate fantasies come alive. But things soon take a dark and ominous turn, and now the guests’ very lives will depend on them discovering the truth about the island. With Maggie Q, Lucy Hale, Austin Stowell, Michael Rooker, and Michael Peña as mysterious host, Mr. Roarke.
Wuthering Heights (1958)
Long believed lost, this CBS “DuPont Show of the Month” adaptation of the Emily Brontë Gothic classic offered Richard Burton in his American TV debut as the bitter, self-made manor lord Heathcliff, whose forbidden love for lifelong soul mate Catherine Earnshaw (Rosemary Harris) sent him on a path of revenge that would prove ruinous to all in their orbit. With Denholm Elliott, Cathleen Nesbitt, John Colicos, Barry Jones, and Patty Duke as the young Cathy.
Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933)
Over a decade after a mysterious fire destroyed his London exhibition and crippled him in the process, sculptor Ivan Igor (Lionel Atwill) surfaced in Manhattan to open a new wax museum. Scoop-hungry reporter Florence Dempsey (Glenda Farrell) was curious about what made his creations so lifelike–but his ghastly trade secret is one he’s ready to kill to preserve. Early Technicolor pre-Code shocker co-stars Fay Wray, Frank McHugh, Gavin Gordon, Edwin Maxwell; Michael Curtiz directs.
The Great Escape (Criterion Collection)(1963)
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.
The Traitor (2019)
In the early ‘80s, embittered Sicilian gangster Tomasso Buscetta (Pierfrancesco Favino)–knowing his relatives were claimed in a turf war as he laid low in Brazil–opted to flip on the Mafia after his extradition back to Italy. The odyssey of the “Maxi Trial” that marked the nation’s largest criminal prosecution, and Buscetta’s remaining life in American witness protection, is chronicled in this absorbing true crime tale. Maria Fernanda Cândido, Luigi Lo Cascio co-star.
Inside Daisy Clover (1965)
In the mid-’30s, Southern California tomboy Daisy Clover (Natalie Wood) got the chance of a lifetime when movie mogul Raymond Swan (Christopher Plummer) decided to roll the dice on her. However, her rise up the show business ladder was accompanied by heartache, courtesy of her troubled mother (Ruth Gordon) and the narcissistic co-star (Robert Redford) who brought his share of secrets into their marriage. Robert Mulligan’s acerbic look inside Hollywood co-stars Roddy McDowall, Katherine Bard.
Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema II
Three-disc set includes Thunder on the Hill (1951), The Price of Fear (1956) and The Female Animal (1958).
Lazy Susan (2020)
Oblivious, self-involved and unmotivated Wisconsinite Susan O’Connell (Sean Hayes, who co-wrote) drifted into middle age with zero prospects for either career or romance…and a family that was way tired of having to prop her up. Will a surprising courtship from an indoor trampoline park manager (Jim Rash) give her the chance to unleash those pent-up told-ya-sos? Quirky character study co-stars Allison Janney, Matthew Broderick, Margo Martindale.
Vivarium (2019)
In the market for a starter home, young marrieds Gemma (Imogen Poots) and Tom (Jesse Eisenberg) follow the directions of an odd realtor (Jonathan Aris) to a new development known as “Yonder.” Unimpressed by the cookie-cutter dwellings, they attempt to drive off…and stunningly find that every road leads them back to the same sample house. The waking nightmare only spirals from there in this darkly satirical fantasy-thriller; Senan Jennings, Olga Wehrly, Danielle Ryan co-star.
Enemy Gold (1993)
When a suspension leads to an impromptu vacation, federal agents Chris Cannon (Bruce Penhall), Mark Austin (Mark Barriere), and Becky Midnite (Playboy model Suzi Simpson) find themselves going up against crime czar Santiago (Rodrigo Obregón) and assassin Jewel Panther (Penthouse Pet Julie Strain)–an exotic beauty as sexy as she is deadly–with a fortune in hidden Civil War-era treasure up for grabs. Tai Collins co-stars in this sex-and-shoot excursion from the Andy Sidaris family.
The Dallas Connection (1994)
A rash of assassinations targeting scientists associated with a high-tech satellite system that can pinpoint weapons from orbit has Dr. Morales (Rodrigo Obregón) rightfully quaking in his boots. Now, the sexy Agent Samantha Maxx (Samantha Phillips) must risk her life to protect the doc from Black Widow (Julie Strain), the villainous vixen behind the slayings. Bruce Penhall, Mark Barriere, Julie K. Smith also star; directed by Christopher Drew Sidaris (Andy’s son).
Teenage Hitchhikers (1975)
This sleaze-packed gem from the sinful ’70s follows two nubile young ladies who flaunt their figures in order to hitch their way across the country. How far are they willing to go? Enough to become instant groupies for a hippie band, assistants to a rapist, and participants in an orgy, among other sexcapades! Sandra Peabody (Cassell), Chris Jordan, Nikki Lynn, and Margaret Whitton star.
G Men (1935)
Streetwise criminal defense lawyer Brick Davis (James Cagney) rethought his priorities after a longtime friend–who’d joined the still-fledgling FBI–fell in the line of duty. Signing up with the Bureau in order to hunt down the killers, Davis finds that his old connections might mean the difference in making sure justice is done. Exciting crime drama also stars Robert Armstrong, Margaret Lindsay, Ann Dvorak, and Lloyd Nolan (his screen debut). Includes the 1949 re-issue introduction.
The Mayor of Hell (1933)
Big-city gangster Patsy Gargan (James Cagney) is given a patronage job by his political machine bosses and is sent to inspect the state reform school. When he learns of the brutal treatment the boys receive under a sadistic warden, an incensed Gargan takes over the institution and, with help from a sympathetic nurses, tries to improve conditions. Intriguing blend of Warners’ crime and social drama genres also stars Frankie Darro, Madge Evans, Dudley Digges, Arthur Byron.
Each Dawn I Die (1939)
Crusading reporter Frank Ross (James Cagney) got under the skin of the local political machine…so they framed him on a DUI manslaughter rap. Gamely trying to keep from being broken by prison–and those trying to ensure he never gets out–the alliance for survival he strikes with connected inmate Hood Stacey (George Raft) might be his only ticket to freedom. Top-notch “big house” drama that was a Warners staple also stars George Bancroft, Jane Bryan, Victor Jory, Maxie Rosenbloom.
Smart Money (1931)
Barber and back-room gambler Nick Venizelos (Edward G. Robinson) was encouraged to take his poker skills to the big town…and promptly got taken by swindlers. Together with shop assistant Jack (James Cagney), they track down the con men for a successful revenge game–but their new notoriety might mean tragedy’s in the cards. Snappy crime drama marking the only screen pairing of WB’s legendary gangster leads co-stars Evalyn Knapp, Margaret Livingston, and an uncredited Boris Karloff.
While in San Francisco, Chan (Sidney Toler) is approached to look into several disappearances, and the trails lead to a murder-for-insurance racket in “Shadows over Chinatown” (1946). Mantan Moreland, Victor Sen Yung, Tanis Chandler co-star. A visit to the Big Easy presents a hard case for Chan (Roland Winters), as a chemical magnate meets a mysterious demise, in “Docks of New Orleans” (1948). Moreland, Sen Yung, Virginia Dale co-star. The same sets of fingerprints are found at three different homicides. When the prints prove to belong to a dead man, however, Chan (Winters) rises to the challenge, in “Shanghai Chest” (1948). Moreland, Sen Yung, Tristram Coffin co-star. When a supposedly tapped Arizona gold mine starts producing, its wary owner asks Chan (Winters) to investigate why, in “The Golden Eye” (1948). Moreland, Sen Yung, Evelyn Brent co-star.
Three-disc set of Barbara Stanwyck favorites includes Internes Can’t Take Money (1937), The Great Man’s Lady (1942), and The Bride Wore Boots (1946).
Click here for a complete overview of all of this week’s new releases.