The following article was written by my friend and colleague Alonso Duralde. You can learn more about him HERE.
NEW ON 4K/BLU-RAY/DVD IN AUGUST: KARATE KID, LILO & STITCH, BEYOND TRAINSPOTTING AND MORE!
NEW RELEASE WALL
Karate Kid: Legends (Sony): This one got short shrift in theaters earlier this summer, but here’s hoping it finds its audience on home video. The charismatic Ben Wang takes over as the titular kid, a martial-arts prodigy uprooted from his home in China and moved to New York by his doctor mom (Ming-Na Wen). He not only runs afoul of an evil dojo but also finds time to train his girlfriend’s dad (Joshua Jackson), a pizzeria owner forced by gangsters to return to the boxing ring. All this and appearances by both Jackie Chan and OG Ralph Macchio make for a breezy tale with some memorable fight sequences.
Also available:
The Accountant 2 (WBD): Ben Affleck returns as the number-cruncher and bone-cruncher, once again teaming up with estranged bro Jon Bernthal, this time to take down a human-trafficking ring.
Bring Her Back (A24): The twisted minds behind Talk to Me return with another intense tale of horror, featuring a searingly out-of-character turn from Sally Hawkins.
Friendship (A24): Tim Robinson brings the awkwardly uncomfortable comedy of I Think You Should Leave to the big screen with this tale of middle-aged male bonding.
How to Train Your Dragon (Universal) / Lilo & Stitch (Disney): Two big hits of the summer – the first is a live-action remake of an animated film co-directed by Dean DeBlois, the other is also a live-action remake of an animated film co-directed by Dean DeBlois, but only the first remake was also directed by Dean DeBlois. Got it?
Locked (Paramount): Would-be carjacker Bill Skarsgård is held prisoner inside a tricked-out SUV by Anthony Hopkins, a victim of crime who’s decided not to take it anymore, in this entertaining genre exercise.
Vermiglio (Janus Contemporaries): The sudden arrival of a deserter in a remote Italian town in 1944 changes everyone’s lives in Maura Delpero’s acclaimed drama.
NEW INDIE
Barron’s Cove (Well Go USA): An impressive ensemble – Garrett Hedlund, Hamish Linklater, Brittany Snow, Christian Convery, Tramell Tillman, Raúl Castillo, and Stephen Lang – headlines this mystery-thriller.
Perpetrator (Arrow): Alicia Silverstone tackles a very different kind of role as the mysterious aunt of a young woman whose friends have gone missing.
Rent Free (Cinephobia): Two friends in Austin, Texas, attempt to spend an entire year couch-surfing in this low-budget comedy.
NEW INTERNATIONAL
The Maiden (Altered Innocence): Canadian director Graham Foy makes his directorial debut with this ambitious mood piece about disaffected teenagers adrift in a world and trying to find their place in it. Calling to mind Gus Van Sant at his most Béla Tarr – or even the nearly-forgotten Texas indie Odile and Yvette at the Edge of the World – Foy places his characters in a natural habitat that is both beautiful and foreboding, less about plot and more concerned with dreamy atmosphere.
Also available:
Block Pass (Distrib/Icarus): This acclaimed French queer coming-of-age film is set against the macho backdrop of motocross.
Delegation (Greenwich): Three Israeli high-school students take one last trip together before heading off to military service, figuring out where they’ve been and where they’re going.
Just the Two of Us (Music Box Films): French stars Virginie Efira and Melvil Poupaud star in this acclaimed thriller from Cannes 2023.
Shikun (Kino Lorber): Irène Jacob stars in Amos Gitai’s metaphorical comedy-drama, based loosely on Ionesco’s Rhinoceros.
Wolf and Dog (IndiePix): On the island of São Miguel, a young woman embarks on a journey of erotic discovery.
NEW DOCUMENTARY
Beyond Trainspotting: The World of Irvine Welch (Cleopatra): An exploration of the groundbreaking and influential Scottish novelist.
Simple Minds: Everything Is Possible (Greenwich): An exploration of the groundbreaking and influential Scottish rock band.
NEW GRINDHOUSE
High Tension: Four Films by Lamberto Bava (Severin): Originally made for Italian TV – and subsequently rejected for being too intense for the small screen – this legendary quartet of films from Lamberto Bava get a 2K restoration and a first-ever English-language soundtrack. Horror fans can now experience The Prince of Terror, The Man Who Wouldn’t Die, School of Fear, and Eye Witness, long available only as bootlegs, as they were originally meant to be seen.
Also available:
Baby Assassins 3 (Well Go USA): Those homicidal slackers are back, this time to take out a would-be competitor who seeks to take their position at the top of the murderous heap.
Blaxploitation Classics Vol. 2 (Shout Factory) This essential series continues with the 4K premieres of Foxy Brown, Friday Foster, Cotton Comes to Harlem, Bucktown, Slaughter, and Slaughter’s Big Rip-Off, in a 12-disc set loaded with extras, including a new documentary.
Castle of Evil (Vinegar Syndrome Labs): Scott Brady, Virginia Mayo, and future Will & Gracescene-stealer Shelley Morrison star in this old-dark-house mystery-thriller set on a Caribbean island.
City on Fire (Shout Studios): Chow Yun-Fat stars in Ringo Lam’s influential crime drama, available in 4K for the first time and featuring new subtitles, interviews, and commentary.
Confessions of a Psycho Cat/The Fat Black Pussycat (Distribpix): A spin on The Most Dangerous Game featuring Jake LaMotta in a rare acting appearance, and a beatnik murder-mystery re-edited into a giallo-style slasher – both are must-sees for genre fans.
Fear Cabin: The Last Weekend of Summer (Cleopatra): It’s a cabin. In the woods. You do the math.
The Films of Larry Fessenden, Volume 1 (Vinegar Syndrome): The first collection honoring the mumblecore horror legend features new 4K versions of Habit and No Telling.
Frankenstein’s Bloody Terror (Kino Cult): New 3D Blu-ray of the 1968 Paul Naschy vehicle which, contrary to the title, focuses on vampires and werewolves.
Invasion USA/Rocket Attack USA (Film Masters): Both of these low-budget faves wound up as Mystery Science Theater 3000 episodes, but they offer a fascinating glimpse at Cold War paranoia propaganda. This Blu-ray features new 4K scans, interviews, commentaries, and documentaries.
Martial Law: Lo Wei’s Wuxia World (Eureka): Before collaborating with Bruce Lee on The Big Boss and Fist of Fury, director Lo Wei created acclaimed martial-arts films in the wuxia genre, three of which — The Black Butterfly, Death Valley, Vengeance of a Snow Girl – are featured here, alongside new extras.
The Medium (Raro Video): A widow and his son move into a haunted mansion in Rome and then hire a spiritualist to drive out the malevolent presence there.
Playroom (Vinegar Syndrome): Christopher McDonald gives a gleefully over-the-top performance in this tale of a young man who returns to the Yugoslavian archaeological site where his father was murdered.
Robo Warriors (Vinegar Syndrome Archive): In a future post-apocalypse, only humankind’s last remaining giant robot can push back against an alien invasion.
Sgt. Kabukiman NYPD (Vinegar Syndrome): New 4K of the Troma saga of a clumsy cop who is reincarnated as a superhero imbued with the powers of Japanese theater. Or something like that.
Shinobi: Volume 2 (Radiance): Three more ninja epics from director Raizo Ichikawa: Shinobi No Mono 4: Siege, Shinobi No Mono 5: The Return of Mist Saizo, and Shinobi No Mono 6: The Last Iga Spy.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre / The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (both Arrow): Platinum Dunes’ 21st century take on the Tobe Hooper classic, now in 4K and featuring lots of bonus material.
The Vengeance of Dr. Mabuse (Kino Cult): Jesús Franco brings the legendary silent-movie villain into the 1970s.
NEW CLASSIC
Saving Face (The Criterion Collection): Alice Wu made an impressive 2004 directorial debut with this comedy about closeted lesbian doctor Wil (Michelle Krusiec) whose middle-aged mother Hwei-Lan (Joan Chen) gets pregnant out of wedlock and is, in turn, kicked out of the house by her own mother. Hwei-Lan moves in with her daughter, complicating Wil’s burgeoning love life. A charming queer love story set against the vibrancy (and inescapable gossip) of the Taiwanese-American immigrant community in New York City, this was Wu’s only film until her triumphant comeback with 2020’s The Half of It, after taking time off to tend to her ailing mother. This new Criterion set features a new HD remaster and new interviews with Wu and Chen.
Also available:
Better Off Dead (Paramount): Savage Steve Holland’s delightfully absurdist teen comedy (and Christmas movie) gets a 4K release.
The Burmese Harp / Fires on the Plain (both The Criterion Collection): Two powerful 1950s dramas from Kon Ichikawa dealing with the aftermath of WWII on the Japanese populace.
Cairo Station (The Criterion Collection): Youssef Chahine’s 1958 tale of romantic obsession became an early key work in Arab cinema, now restored in 4K.
Compensation (The Criterion Collection): Recently named to the National Film Registry, Zeinabu irene Davis’ 1999 tale of deaf African Americans at the turn of the 20th century is finding a new audience.
Coneheads (KL Studio Classics): Consumption of mass quantities, now in 4K.
Confessions of a Co-Ed/Ladies of the Big House(KL Studio Classics): If you know Sylvia Sidney only from Beetlejuice, clutch your pearls and get ready for a double feature of saucy pre-code films from the early-talkies starlet.
A Confucian Confusion/Mahjong: Two Films by Edward Yang (The Criterion Collection): A double-bill of two acclaimed films from the late Taiwanese director best known for Yi Yi.
The Conjuring (WBD): Just in time for the fright franchise’s (promised) final entry, here’s the one that started it all, now in 4K.
Convoy (KL Studio Classics): Sam Peckinpah, Kris Kristofferson, and Ali MacGraw take on a one-hit wonder, making its 4K debut.
Corpse Bride (WBD): Tim Burton’s creepy animated romance celebrates its 20th anniversary with a new 4K steelbook.
The Farmer’s Daughter (KL Studio Classics): The Martha Raye comedy, which came out seven years earlier than the Loretta Young comedy.
Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema XXVI (KL Studio Classics): A trio of shadowy faves, including Dr. Broadway, Smooth as Silk, and the first big-screen adaptation of The Great Gatsby. (The GatsbyBlu-ray is also available separately.)
Finis Terrae (Eureka): A silent classic from French impressionist Jean Epstein about four fishermen losing their minds on a three-month expedition.
The 40-Year-Old Virgin (Universal): Celebrate the 20th anniversary of this Judd Apatow comedy – dang, Steve Carell’s character would be 60 now? – with its very first 4K release.
Gung Ho (KL Studio Classics): Ron Howard’s 1986 culture-clash comedy about American labor and Japanese management.
Happy Gilmore (KL Studio Classics): Ignore the dreadful sequel on Netflix, pick up the original in 4K.
His Motorbike, Her Island (Cult Epics): Director Nobuhiko Obayashi (Hausu) melds romance, drama, and fantasy in this tale of a biker and the woman who loves him. This new Blu-ray features two visual essays, a commentary track, and an archival interview with Obayashi.
Huckleberry Finn (KL Studio Classics): Jackie Coogan stars as Mark Twain’s resourceful river rat.
The Lords of Discipline (KL Studio Classics): A new 4K of the adaptation of Pat Conroy’s novel that ripped the lid off his experiences at The Citadel.
Mixed Blood (Cinématographe): Paul Morrissey’s dark comedy about drug-dealing kids in New York – like the members of Menudo, they eventually age out of the gig – makes its 4K debut (and features John Leguizamo in his very first film role).
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (Sony): Hoist your shrubbery for the 50th anniversary of this comedy masterpiece, now available as a 4K steelbook.
The Odd Job (Severin): Speaking of Monty Python, Graham Chapman starred in and co-wrote this comedy caper from Peter Medak (The Ruling Class), now making its global Blu-ray debut.
Poseidon (Arrow): Not that one, the remake. But it’s in 4K.
Repossessed (KL Studio Classics): Linda Blair and Leslie Nielsen gamely attempt to do to The Exorcistwhat Airplane! did to disaster movies.
The Rundown (KL Studio Classics): The Rock’s movie-star trajectory begins with this action-comedy, opposite Seann William Scott, Christopher Walken, and Rosario Dawson.
Save the Tiger (KL Studio Classics): Jack Lemmon won a Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of a factory owner driven to the brink.
Scoop (KL Studio Classics): From Woody Allen’s Scarlett Johansson period, also featuring Hugh Jackman.
Shoeshine (The Criterion Collection): Vittoria De Sica’s neo-realist masterpiece about two boys trying to survive the mean streets of Rome in the years following World War II.
Smoke / Blue in the Face / Smoke/Blue in the Face (all KL Studio Classics): Director Wayne Wang and novelist Paul Auster collaborated on these two films about various denizens of a Brooklyn neighborhood, all gravitating around Harvey Keitel’s tobacco shop. Features an extraordinary ensemble, but Smoke offers a particularly impressive breakout performance by Harold Perrineau.
Sunset Blvd. (Paramount): Seventy-five years later, and this Billy Wilder classic is still ready for its close-up, this time in 4K.
Through and Through (Radiance): This 1973 noir brought international attention to Polish auteur Grzegorz Królikiewicz.
The Two Jakes (KL Studio Classics): Jack Nicholson’s Chinatown sequel has garnered some critical reevaluation in recent years, with no doubt more to come following this 4K release.
Undisputed (KL Studio Classics): Boxing drama starring Wesley Snipes and Ving Rhames, now in 4K.
Vampire Hunter D (Sentai): One of the first major anime releases to get a foothold with US audiences, this action-horror classic gets its first hi-def remaster.
Wolf Children (GKIDS): Continuing the 4K reissue of the films of anime master Mamoru Hosoda, this new release features new artwork and a steelbook option.
The Woman Chaser (Cinématographe): Long unavailable due to music-rights issues, this acclaimed 2000 film, starring Patrick Warburton as a car dealer with filmmaking aspirations, finally makes it to 4K.
Xanadu (KL Studio Classics): A box-office flop with ardent fans (and some haters, too, but whatever) gets the shimmering 4K release it deserves.
NEW TV
1923: A Yellowstone Origin Story: Season Two (Paramount): More grim prairie tales from Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford.
The Boys: Season Four (Sony): The caped fascists are back in town.
NCIS: Origins – Season One (Paramount): Mark Harmon narrates the early adventures of his character (played here by Austin Stowell) in this hit prequel series.
Single, Out: Season Three (Cinephobia): In this latest installment, Adam must contend with the charm and the mess that is his half-brother Ethan.
Ultraman Decker: The Complete Series + Ultraman DeckerFinale: Journey to Beyond (Mill Creek): More kaiju excitement as part of a reissue of the complete Ultraman run.
