What’s New on Blu-ray DVD in August 2022

New Release Wall

David Cronenberg plays the hits “Crimes of the Future” (Neon), but there’s no other filmmaker today with hits like his. Viggo Mortensen and Léa Seydoux are a pair of surgery-based performance artists whose interests intersect with a sect of plastic-eaters, while bureaucrats Kristen Stewart (giving the screen’s most divisive performance since Jared Leto in “House of Gucci”Don McKellar (right) and I look on in fannish wonderment. If you enjoy the auteur’s brand of surgical implements that look like insect exoskeletons and furniture that looks like tumors, this is your kind of movie.

Also available:

“Charm City Kings” (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment): Denied a proper release during the pandemic lockdown, this saga of a young Baltimorean getting involved in the city’s motorbike culture is a powerful drama not to be missed.

“Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” (Marvel Studios): Audiences differed on whether Sam Raimi bent Marvel movies to his will or vice versa, but either way, there’s plenty to enjoy in this creepy, dimension-spanning saga (even if “Everything Everywhere All at Once”Did the multiverse idea work better?

“Lux Aeterna” (Yellow Veil Pictures): One of two Gaspar Noë films to get a U.S. release this year, this one’s the short starring Béatrice Dalle and Charlotte Gainsbourg as “themselves,” swapping stories on the set of a movie that’s spinning out of control.

“Men”(Lionsgate.) Audiences seemed to either love or hate Alex Garland’s latest film, but most people agreed that Rory Kinnear is a great actor in this terrifying thriller.

“Mr. Malcolm’s List”(Decal/Bleecker Street). “Bridgerton”You can look to this period romance for Austen-adjacent love between seasons.

“The Phantom of the Open” (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment): Mark Rylance plays one of the UK’s worst golfers, who nonetheless competes in the British open, in this Brits-do-eccentric-things comedy, co-starring Sally Hawkins.

“Sonic the Hedgehog 2” (Paramount Home Entertainment): The success of this sequel confirms that Paramount has a hit franchise of its own and that video-game adaptations don’t necessarily have to be flops.

“Vivo”(Sony Pictures Home Entertainment). Lin-Manuel Miranda voiced a kinkajou who was on a mission to complete this animated musical adventure.

New Indie

If you’re unfamiliar with the concept of “creepypasta,”The highly acclaimed indie “We’re All Going to the World’s Fair”Jane Schoenbrun’s (Utopia) will get you up-to-speed. Anna Cobb stars in Casey, the web-obsessed teen. She documents the physical changes she experiences and goes further down the rabbit hole that leads to a creepy urban legend. (Or are they?) This disturbing film shows that mood and concept can accomplish so much, even with limited resources.

Also available:

“American Carnage”(Lionsgate). The undocumented children of immigrants are captured and agree to help the elderly commute their sentences. But then, they discover a terrifying conspiracy in this comedy-thriller starring Jorge Lendeborg Jr.

“The Enormity of Life”(Bayview Entertainment: Breckin Meyer stars in the role of a man who reaches rock bottom but finds help from some unlikely sources.

“Icon”(KDMG: A teenage pregnancy forces a young dad-to-be into examining his relationship with his father in this Tony Ahedo debut feature.

“Neptune Frost” (Kino Lorber): This Afro-futurist sci-fi musical from Saul Williams and Anisia Uzeyman is one of the year’s most highly-acclaimed films.

“The Oregonian” (Factory 25): Director Calvin Lee Reeder offers a twisted take on the Pacific Northwest in his 2011 cult fave, now on a packed Blu-ray that includes the filmmaker’s early shorts as well as essays by David Lowery and Craig Zobel.

‘Neptune Frost’ Film Review: Afrofuturist Sci-Fi Musical Sends a Loving Battle Cry to the Laboring Class

New Foreign

The success of Yorgos Lanthimos has arguably helped the company to become an international brand. “Greek Weird Wave”It now includes up-and-coming filmmakers such as Athina Rachel Tsangari“Chevalier”Christos Nikou is now the featured actor. “Apples”(Cohen Media Group), which was chosen to be the Greek entry in the Academy Awards, received rave reviews at Telluride and Venice festivals. In this surreal and haunting drama, a man is amnesic after a global pandemic. He rebuilds his memories using instructions from doctors and Polaroid photos of his new daily life.

Also available:

“Ali & Ava”(Greenwich Entertainment). A chance encounter between two musicians from different areas of their lives leads to an unlikely love.

“Cocoon”(Film Movement: In this well-known drama by Leonie Krippendorf, a lesbian teen experiences a memorable coming of age in Berlin.

“Fire in the Mountains” (Kino Lorber): The strength and agency of a determined woman in the Himalayas is constantly tested as she battles the patriarchy and fights for her child’s health in Ajitpal Singh’s directorial debut.

“Gulliver Returns”(Shout Kids: The biggest selling point of this animated sequel would be the “from an idea by”Volodymyr Zilensky credit (and, one supposes, Jonathan Swift)

“Jesus Kid” (IndiePix Films): In Aly Muritiba’s satirical fantasy (Brazil’s submission to the 2022 Oscars), a blocked writer is haunted (and taunted) by visions of a Western gunslinger, the author’s most popular character.

“The Old Man: The Movie” (Unearthed Films): In this Estonian stop-motion-animation comedy-horror tale, the titular dairy farmer has 24 hours to find one unmilked cow before there’s an udder catastrophe.

“Olga”(Kinolorber) A young Ukrainian gymnast trains abroad, and struggles to keep her head up despite the fact that her mother is fighting for her life back home.

“A Tale of Love and Desire”(Icarus Films Home Video). A love for erotic Arabic poems brings together a conservative Parisian and an outgoing Tunisian immigrant to create this modern love story.

“Tey” (Kino Lorber): “Neptune Frost”Saul Williams is the co-director in this moving tale about a Dakar villager that has been chosen by Gods to die at the end.

“Tremble All You Want” (Kani Releasing): Maya Matsuoka (“Shoplifters”This acclaimed Japanese romantic comedy stars ) and is about a woman whose ideas about love are totally rewritten.

New Doc

The original medium of VHS cassettes was YouTube. It was much more difficult for short films to become viral. “Heavy Metal Parking Lot”It is all the more impressive because of Circle Collective. This pioneering examination of fandom — specifically, devotees of Judas Priest, captured tailgating before a 1986 concert in Maryland — has endured over the decades, spawning countless variations, many of which are included in this new Blu-ray set. This collection contains two discs. “Heavy Metal Picnic,” “Neil Diamond Parking Lot,” “Harry Potter Parking Lot”You can also get more information in a limited edition hi-def release.

Also available:

“Are You Proud?”(Indican Photos): Ashley Joiner, Director of Indican Pictures, examines 50+ Years of Progress for the LGBTQ+ Community and discusses the battles still to be won.

“Cow”(IFC): Director Andrea Arnold takes a close look at the life cycle a hard-working dairy cow.

“Fanny: The Right to Rock”(Film Movement). The beloved documentary features the all-female, original rock band who are now back in the spotlight.

“Faya Dayi”(The Criterion Collection). Jessica Beshir paints a beautiful and sensual portrait about her childhood home. It includes Harar in Ethiopia and Oromo in rural Oromo. The khat is their main cash crop.

“Jazz Fest: A New Orleans Story” (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment): If you’ve never attended this legendary annual performance event, this exuberant look at the fest’s 50-year history is the next best thing to being there.

“Samira’s Dream”(IndiePix Films). Nino Tropiano was a filmmaker who spent seven years with Samira, a Zanzibari girl torn between her modern ambitions and traditional traditions.

“Waiting: The Van Duren Story”(MVD Visual). Two new directors set out to capture Van Duren, the legendary musician of Big Star. They were surprised to discover that they became part of his story.

‘Jazz Fest: A New Orleans Story’ Film Review: Music Doc Combines Funky Delights With Lots of Heart

New Grindhouse

If the shout-out from Natalie Portman’s astrophysicist character in “Thor: Love and Thunder” wasn’t enough to convince you that the once-reviled “Event Horizon”After a thorough review, (Paramount Home Entertainment), this 25th anniversary 4K steelbook should be sufficient to satisfy the critics. Laurence Fishburne is joined by Sam Neill and Kathleen Quinlan. Joely Richardson, Jason Isaacs, and Joely Richardson are also part of the crew.

Also available:

“Baby Assassins” (Well Go USA Entertainment): Two teen-girl killers are forced to get legit cover jobs and to share an apartment, but when they’re forced to face off with the Yakuza, they’ve got each other’s backs.

“Battle of the Worlds”(The Film Detective: Claude Rains traveled to Italy to star as this flying-saucer film from the 1960s.

“Catch the Heat” (KL Studio Classics): Tiana Alexandra stars as a one-woman fighting force who goes undercover as an exotic dancer to expose Rod Steiger’s heroin empire.

“Child’s Play” / “Child’s Play 2” / “Child’s Play 3” (Scream Factory): These 4K Collector’s Editions reissues of the first three Chucky movies come loaded with new interviews with cast and crew members.

“Code Name Banshee” (Screen Media): Retired assassin Antonio Banderas teams up with protegée Jaime King to bring down a plot that threatens them both.

“Dog Soldiers” (Scream Factory): Neil Marshall’s warrior-and-werewolves tale gets the 4K treatment.

“Drive” (88 Films): This 1997 Hong Kong import stars Mark Dacascos — as a super-powered Chinese agent on the run in San Francisco — and features Kadeem Hardison and Brittany Murphy.

“Electra Glide in Blue”(KL Studio Classics: Robert Blake plays an iconoclastic cop in this classic motorcycle saga. He finds more common ground with a group made up of hippies and his fellow officers than he does with his colleagues.

“Flying Guillotine Part II”(88 Films). Outlaw Lung Ti teams with a group female freedom fighters in this Shaw Brothers classic.

“A Force of One” / “Good Guys Wear Black” / “The Octagon”KL Studio Classics has released a trio new 2K masters for vintage Chuck Norris fistravaganzas.

“High Desert Kill”(Scorpion Releasing: Three hunters, including Marc Singer and Anthony Geary, become the prey for Chuck Connors in Badlands.

“Hot Seat”(Lionsgate). Hacker Kevin Dillon race against the clock in this thriller that stars Shannen Doherty & Mel Gibson.

“Jack Be Nimble”(Altered innocence): Alexis Arquette stars in this New Zealand horror classic about a pair who are reunited by their psychic powers.

“Kill a Dragon”(KL Studio Classics). Soldier of fortune Jack Palance fights Fernando Lamas in this schlock-fest starring Aldo Ray.

“Maid in Sweden”(Code Red). This 1970 Scandinavian erotica makes her Blu-ray debut in a brand new 2K transfer.

“Mata Hari”(KL Studio Classics: Sylvia Kristel is directed by Curtis Harrington, a Hollywood mestic. Golan-Globus — what more could you want?

“Mercenary Fighters” (Code Red): Mercenary Reb Brown has a change of heart and joins the rebels in this action saga that co-stars Peter Fonda and Ron O’Neal.

“Murder at Yellowstone City”(RLJE Films). While the title may seem to be a trick for TV viewers to buy a Blu-ray, the Western features an impressive cast, including Nat Wolff, Anna Camp and Thomas Jane.

“Naked Over the Fence”(Cult Epics). Sylvia Kristel’s 1973 feature Blu-ray is also available in a limited edition with a soundtrack CD.

“Running Out of Time”Collection (Arrow Video): This box set of Johnnie To’s “Running Out of Time”Its sequel contains new and previously-released additional materials, as well a new commentary track.

“Samson and the 7 Miracles of the World”(KL Studio Classics). Gordon Scott stars in the epic swords-andsandals battle on Blu-ray. The Blu-ray includes both the American International Pictures cut and the longer European version.“Maciste at the Court of the Great Khan”).

“Satan’s Children”(AGFA/Something Weird: Gays, satanists, and more in this truly bizarre creation of a Tampa-based, one-and-done exploitation filmmaker.

“White Elephant”(RLJE Films: Michael Rooker plays a mob hitman. This action saga stars Olga Kurylenko, Bruce Willis and John Malkovich.

“Yellowbrickroad”(Lightyear Entertainment). A cult horror story about researchers searching for a missing town (after watching). “The Wizard of Oz”Blu-ray release for ‘(10)anniversary’

New Classic

Meta-self-parodies are a different matter. “Back to the Beach”(Paramount Presents). “The Brady Bunch Movie”You could also see countless other postmodern comedies. Annette Funicello, Frankie Avalon, and Annette Funicello proudly display their image as the queen and king of the sand. They now live quiet lives in Ohio 25 years later. When they return to their adolescent seaside haunts, they confront what’s changed (the bad-guy bikers are now surf punks) and what hasn’t (Annette can still knock out “Jamaica Ska,”Only now with Fishbone as accompaniment Lyndall Hobbs, the director who deserved a better career after his debut feature, contributes a warmly nostalgic interview to this otherwise features-bereft release. However, this 1987 comedy is still a Big Kahuna.

Also available:

“Buck and the Preacher” (The Criterion Collection): One of the posters in Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer’s house in “Nope”This tribute to the pioneering Black Western directed by Sidney Poitier (who also stars with Harry Belafonte) pays homage.

“The Burned Barns”(Cohen Film Collection: Alain Delon meets Simone Signoret in this 1973 murder mystery.

“Cat People” (Scream Factory): Paul Schrader’s sexy remake of the horror classic retains its erotic power in a new 4K release.

“Coming Apart”(Kino Classics). Rip Turn’s performance as an analyst secretly filming himself undergoing a mental-breakdown is one of his best performances. The psychodrama features Viveca Lindfors and co-starred Rip Torn.

“The Criminal Life of Archibaldo de la Cruz” (VCI Entertainment): This creepy comedy from Luis Buñuel follows the life of a pampered young man who is convinced he’s a serial killer, even as he remains oblivious to the actual forces at play that bring down his “victims.”

“Daddy Longlegs”(The Criterion Collection: This is an early film by the Safdie brothers“Uncut Gems,” “Good Time”Ronald Bronstein (longtime collaborator) examines the decision of a young father to be a parent, or a buddy for his children.

“Dirty Dancing” (Lionsgate): Have The time of your life (and carry a watermelon) all over again in a new 4K release for The film’s 35th anniversary.

“Don’t Let the Angels Fall” (Canadian International Pictures): The first Canadian film to compete for the Palme d’Or stars Arthur Hill as the patriarch of a family dissolving in the face of 1960s alienation.

“Don’t Tell Her It’s Me” (Code Red): This oddball rom-com with Steve Guttenberg, Shelley Long and Jami Gertz has gone from box-office flop to what-were-they-thinking cult classic.

“Ferngully: The Last Rainforest” (Shout Kids): If you grew up on this animated favorite — and still enjoy telling people that it was ripped off by “Avatar” — enjoy a new 4K scan for the film’s 30th anniversary.

“Flatliners” (Arrow Video): Joel Schumacher’s stylish medical thriller — starring Julia Roberts, Kiefer Sutherland, Kevin Bacon and Oliver Platt — makes its 4K debut.

“Frownland” (The Criterion Collection): One of the oddest and most disturbing of the mumblecore movies, from the Safdie brothers’ collaborator Ronald Bronstein, gets the full Criterion treatment.

“Heartbreakers” (Fun City Editions): Peter Coyote and Nick Mancuso star as womanizing best pals who have an existential crisis when they both fall for gallery manager Carole Laure in Bobby Roth’s perceptive and long-unavailable cult favorite.

“Heat” (20th Century Studios): Michael Mann’s much-loved heist picture gets its first 4K release.

“Hôtel du Nord” (The Criterion Collection): In Marcel Carné’s poetic drama, the castoffs of Paris cross paths and find love, betrayal and violence at the titular boarding house.

“Little Man, What Now” (KL Studio Classics): Margaret Sullavan stars in Frank Borzage’s working-class romance, set in Berlin against the rise of the Nazi party.

“Natural Enemies” (Fun City Editions): Hal Holbrook stars as a successful businessman who snaps and searches for life’s meaning in this long-unseen drama from Jeff Kanew, co-starring Louise Fletcher and Viveca Lindfors.

“Next Time We Love”(KL Studio Classics: They teamed up before they did. “Shop Around the Corner,” Margaret Sullavan teamed with James Stewart (in his first lead role) about a married couple separated by their jobs (she’s a Broadway star, he’s a journalist assigned to Rome) and the temptations of a man (Ray Milland) who’d like to be her second husband.

“Paths of Glory” (KL Studio Classics): Stanley Kubrick’s blistering anti-war tale makes its 4K debut.

“Sampo”(Deaf Crocodile). If you know this Finnish-Soviet epic fantasy only from its appearance “Mystery Science Theater 3000” (as “The Day the Earth Froze”It is possible to give it another try.

“Sex & Lucia” (Music Box Films): This scorching Spanish import finally makes its way to Blu-ray, and Paz Vega’s star-making performance remains as powerful as ever.

“Summer Heat”(KL Studio Classics). Lori Singer is tempted by Anthony Edwards to get away from her husband during a hot summer in steamy neonoir.

“Symphony for a Massacre” (Cohen Film Collection): Jacques Deray’s heist classic lives on in a new Blu-ray struck from a scan of the surviving 35mm interpositive (the negative has been lost).

“The Tenth Man”(KL Studio Classics: Anthony Hopkins, Kristin Thomas, and Derek Jacobi star as the heroes in this WWII story, which is adapted from Graham Greene’s novel.

“They Went That-a-Way & That-a-Way”(KL Studio Classics). A 1978 comedy starring Chuck McCann & Tim Conway. The two play bumbling deputies in the undercover operation of a maximum-security prison. When the only person who knows their identities is dead, they must get out.

“The Trials of Oscar Wilde”(KL Studio Classics). Peter Finch and James Mason stars in one of two 1960 movies (the other starred Robert Morley). This film tells the story about the literary icon who was brought to a halt by a court ruling. “the love that dare not speak its name.”

“Warrior”(Lionsgate). Joel Edgerton and Tom Hardy star as estranged brothers who are MMA fighters. This bone-crunching male weepie is available exclusively at Best Buy in 4K.

“When Tomorrow Comes”(KL Studio Classics). “Love Affair,” Irene Dunne and Charles Boyer reteamed for this adaptation of a James M. Cain story about a waitress who falls in love with a concert pianist without realizing he’s already married.

‘Dirty Dancing’ Sequel: Jonathan Levine to Direct Jennifer Grey for Lionsgate

New TV

Part true-crime story, part flashback, part exploration, of celebrity culture “Pam & Tommy”(Lionsgate), takes a dark tale and makes it into a funny character study. It examines contemporary culture and sexuality in surprising ways. Sebastian Stan and Lily James become Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson. Their spontaneous marriage was too hot for them to stop, especially after they released their private sex tapes. It’s a riveting story, compassionately told.

Also available:

“1883”(Paramount Home Entertainment). “Yellowstone”Prequel follows the Dutton Family as they strive for a better Montana life.

“The Bionic Woman”: The Complete Series(Shout Factory). This action series is given the box-set treatment that it deserves. The Blu-ray debut of the Gen X favorite makes its Blu-ray debut, with hours of bonus features as well as commentaries.

“DC’s Legends of Tomorrow”: The Final and Seventh Season(DC/WB: A CW superhero show that is both bizarre and wonderful takes its bow.

“The Gilded Age”: The Complete First Season (HBO/WB): While the first season of Julian Fellowes’ take on new money versus old money in late 19th century New York didn’t quite rise to “Downton Abbey” levels, the conflicts between Christine Baranski’s doyenne and Carrie Coons’ climber have been pretty delish.

“Krypto the Superdog”: The Complete Series(Warner Bros. Home Entertainment). “DC’s League of Super-Pets” left out Streaky the Supercat and other beloved characters, they’re all here on this five-disc collection.

“Mysterious Island of Beautiful Women”(KL Studio Classics). This 1979 TV-movie features a group of dudes who crash-land in a place full of mistrusting women.

“The Outer Limits”Season One / “The Outer Limits”Season 2(KL Studio Classics). This anthology series is a classic that still controls the horizontal as well as the vertical. These two collections feature oodles more commentary and scholarship about this important show.

“South Park”The Complete 24ThSeason (Comedy Central/Paramount): Whatever it is, they’re still doing it.

Latest News

Related Articles

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here