By Harley Lond - 10/18/22 at 12:20 AM CT
FROM THE BIG SCREEN
"Bullet Train" (2022) Brad Pitt stars as Ladybug, an unlucky assassin determined to do his job peacefully after one too many gigs gone off the rails. Fate, however, may have other plans, as Ladybug’s latest mission puts him on a collision course with lethal adversaries from around the globe - all with connected, yet conflicting, objectives - on the world’s fastest train. The end of the line is just the beginning in this non-stop thrill-ride through modern-day 
Japan from David Leitch, the director of "Deadpool 2." Vitals: Director: David Leitch. Stars: Brad Pitt, Joey King, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Andrew Koji, Hiroyuki Sanada, Michael Shannon, Benito A Martínez Ocasio, Sandra Bullock. 2022, CC, MPAA rating: R, 126 min., Action Comedy, North American box office gross: $78.214 million, worldwide $173.614 million, Sony. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Code, 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo + Digital Code, VOD, Digital. Extras: "Mission Accomplished: Making of Bullet Train," "Trained Professionals: The Cast." Blu-ray adds Outtakes & bloopers, "Catch What You Missed: Easter Eggs," "All Aboard the Pain Train: Stunts," "Select Stunt Previs," audio commentary with David Leitch, Kelly McCormick & Zak Olkewicz. Read more here
"Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank" (2022) In this fanimated family adventure, hard-on-his-luck hound named Hank (Michael Cera) finds himself in a town full of cats who need a hero to defend them from a ruthless villain's (Ricky Gervais) evil plot to wipe their village off the map. With help from a reluctant teacher (Samuel L. Jackson) to train him, our underdog must assume the role of town samurai and team up with the villagers to save the day. 
The only problem ... cats hate dogs! Vitals: Directors: Chris Bailey, Mark Koetsier, Rob Minkoff. Stars: Voices of Michael Cera, Ricky Gervais, Mel Brooks, George Takei, Aasif Mandvi, Gabriel Iglesias, Djimon Hounsou, Michelle Yeoh, Samuel L. Jackson. 2022, CC, MPAA rating: PG, 98 min., Animated, North American box office gross: $6.321 million, worldwide $20.131 million, Paramount. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray + Digital Code, VOD, Digital. Extras: "In the Drawing Room with Director Rob Minkoff." Blu-ray adds: "Cool Cats and One Hot Dog" featurette, "Giving Voice to Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank" featurette. Read more here
"Bodies Bodies Bodies" (2022) When a group of 20-somethings get stuck at a remote family mansion during a hurricane, a party game ends with a dead body on the ground and fingers pointed everywhere. As they try to find the killer among them, fake friends and real enemies have to learn who to trust - and how to survive - in this horror-comedy Gen-Z meltdown. Vitals: Director: Halina Reijn. Stars: Amandla Stenberg, Maria Bakalova, Myha’la Herrold, Chase Sui Wonders, Rachel Sennott, Lee Pace, Pete Davidson. 2021, CC, MPAA rating: R, 93 min., 
Horror Comedy, North American box office gross: $11.301 million, worldwide $11.895 million, Lionsgate. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Code, 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo + Digital Code (Best Buy), VOD, Digital. Extras: Audio commentary with director Halina Reijn; "Who Wants to Play? Making Bodies Bodies Bodies"; deleted scenes. Read more here
THIS WEEK'S BEST BETS:
Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s arresting international breakthrough "Cure" (1997 - Japan) established him as one of the leaders of an emerging new wave of Japanese horror while pushing the genre into uncharted realms of philosophical and existential exploration. A string of shocking, seemingly unmotivated murders -- each committed by a different person
yet all bearing the same grisly hallmarks -- leads Detective Takabe (Koji Yakusho) into a labyrinthine investigation to discover what connects them, and into a disturbing game of cat and mouse with an enigmatic amnesiac (Masato Hagiwara) who may be evil incarnate. Awash in hushed, hypnotic dread, "Cure" is a tour de force of psychological tension and a hallucinatory journey into the darkest recesses of the human mind. In a Blu-ray debut, with 4K digital restoration, supervised by cinematographer Tokusho Kikumura, with uncompressed stereo soundtrack. Read more here. From The Criterion Collection ... 
A country’s bloody history stains the present in "La Llorona" (2019 - Guatemala), the Guatemalan auteur Jayro Bustamante’s transfixing fusion of folk horror and searing political commentary, inspired by the real-life indictment of the authoritarian Efraín Ríos Montt for crimes against humanity. A notorious, now aging former military dictator stands trial for atrocities committed against Guatemala’s Mayan communities. While battling legal repercussions and the people’s demands for justice, he and his family are plagued by a series of increasingly strange and disturbing occurrences, seemingly brought on by an enigmatic new housekeeper (María Mercedes Coroy). With a restraint that renders the film’s shocks all the more potent, Bustamante crafts a chilling vision of a nation reckoning with collective harms and the restless ghosts of a past that refuses to die. On DVD, Blu-ray, with 2K digital master, approved by director Jayro Bustamante, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray. Read more here. From The Criterion Collection ... 
In "No Escape" (1994), the year is 2022. John Robbins (Ray Liotta), a former Marine Captain, has been sentenced for assassinating his commanding officer and is banished to a secret and remote prison island run by The Warden (Michael Lerner). In this prison of the future, inhabited by society's most violent and feared criminals, Robbins is left to the mercy of the elements and his fellow man. He finds the island divided into two camps: The Outsiders, led by the brutal and bloodthirsty Marek (Stuart Wilson); and The Insiders, led by the strong-willed, benevolent Father (Lance Henriksen) and his followers Hankins (Ernie Hudson) and Casey (Kevin Dillon). Robbins doesn't care to join either - his one aim is to break free of an island from which there is no escape. To aid him, he steals a powerful and destructive weapon from The Outsiders, sparking off a major war between the two encampments. Now bloody battle and the brutality of hand-to-hand combat will take many lives before Robbins can think of freedom again. Trapped on an island where nature can be as deadly as man, there is only one thought which keeps Robbins alive ... escape. On Blu-ray, from Unearthed Films. The DVD edition was released October 11. Read more here ... 
While Mario Bava remains the best-known purveyor of Italian Gothic horror, many other filmmakers tried their hand at the form throughout the 1960s. "Gothic Fantastico: Four Italian Tales of Terror (Limited Edition)" (1963) presents four titles from this classic period, all of which demonstrate Italy's ability to expand genre beyond the classic literary monsters that dominated elsewhere. Gaslighting abounds in Massimo Pupillo's "Lady Morgan's Vengeance" - a tale of romance and mystery sprinkled with sadism and the supernatural - as newlywed Sir Harold Morgan tries to destroy his bride with help from his sinister maid. Meanwhile, the perverse influence of Poe is used to great effect in Alberto De Martino's "The Blancheville Monster" - a tale of family curses and madmen in the attic, as Emilie de Blancheville returns home to her brother Roderic and finds her own family out for her blood. Mino Guerinni's "The Third Eye" features an early role for Italian cult icon Franco Nero and a plot that borrows elements from Hitchcock, layered with a whiff of necrophilia. Finally, Damiano Damiani's "The Witch" takes a more avant-garde approach, when a young historian is lured to work for an ageing woman, only to be held captive when he becomes obsessed with her beautiful daughter. Madness, obsession and messed up families are the order of the day in these four lesser-known monochrome gems from Italy's peak Gothic period, restored in 2K from their original negatives for the first time alongside an array of in-depth extras. On Blu-ray, from Arrow Video/MVD Entertainment. Read more here.BUZZIN' THE 'B's:
With its super-saturated color palette, tenebrous art design and electrifying soundtrack, "Two Witches" (2021) presents two truly terrifying conjoined tales of witchery, paranoia and terror that hark back to the gory thrills of classic Euro horrors such as "Suspiria," "Shock" and "The Beyond." Expectant young mother Sarah is convinced she has
been given the evil eye from a mysterious blank-eyed old hag while she is dining with her bullish and insensitive partner Simon.When the couple go to visit his new-agey friends Dustin and Melissa, dark forces are unleashed after an ill-advised attempt at consulting a Ouija board to allay her fears. Meanwhile, tensions grow between grad school student Rachel and her new roommate Masha after a violent incident involving a man that the strange and impulsive young woman has brought home. First-time feature director Pierre Tsigaridis, who also shot, edited and contributed to the film's soundtrack, singles himself out as one to watch in a deft and unnerving depiction of unspeakable evil that truly delivers. On Blu-ray from Arrow Video/MVD Entertainment. Read more here ... In "Kingslayer" (2022), starring John Rhys-Davies, Stuart Brennan, Carolina Carlsson, Ryan Gage, David Hayman and Ellie-Rose Mackinlay, with his kingdom on the brink of chaos, Richard the Lionheart must decide whether to fight for his crown ... or for his love for a commoner. Days away from his coronation, a secret meeting with the woman he loves turns into a life-or-death fight for survival for the future King of England. Ambushed by hired mercenaries, and with the identity of the man who ordered his murder a mystery, Richard is left with no allies he can trust. As civil war looms, the young prince is forced to face not only his enemies but the harsh responsibilities of leadership.On DVD, Blu-ray, from Shout! Studios. Read more here ... In "The Possessed" (2021), starring John Jarrat, Lincoln Lewis, Angie Kent, Lauren Grimson, Jade Kevin Foster, Romy Poulier and Sean Lynch, Jacob Chandler is an ordinary man ... with an extraordinary gift. A true 
accidental exorcist, Jacob and his nephew Liam have forged a career clearing demons from the bodies of their clients. Lately, something has changed, as possessions are increasing. Jacob fights those he loves safe, the burden weighing heavily on his shoulders. When he crosses paths with Liam’s new girlfriend, Atalie Carlisle, he recognizes something in her dark, broken gaze. She, too, can see what lies beyond the world of the living. Jacob never expected to meet anyone else like himself ... nor did he anticipate needing her help. On DVD, Blu-ray, from Scream Factory. Read more here ... In "Mack & Rita" (2022), starring Elizabeth Lail, Taylour Paige, Diane Keaton and Dustin Milligan, when 30-year-old self-proclaimed homebody Mack Martin (Lail) reluctantly joins a Palm Springs bachelorette trip for her best friend Carla (Paige), her inner 70-year-old is released - literally. The frustrated writer and influencer magically transforms into her future self: “Aunt Rita” (Keaton). Freed from the constraints of other people’s expectations, Rita comes into her own, becoming an unlikely social media sensation and sparking a tentative romance with Mack’s adorable dog-sitter, Jack (Milligan). On DVD, Blu-ray + Digital Code, from Lionsgate. Read more here ... In "Fall" (2022), starring Grace Caroline Currey, Virginia Gardner, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Mason Gooding, for best friends Becky (Currey) and Hunter (Gardner), life is all about conquering fears and pushing limits. But after they climb 2,000 feet to the top of a remote, abandoned radio tower, they find themselves stranded with no way down. Now Becky and Hunter's expert climbing skills will be put to the ultimate test as they desperately fight to survive the elements, a lack of supplies, and vertigo-inducing heights. On DVD, Blu-ray + Digital Code, from Lionsgate. Read more here.FOR THE FAMILY:
In "Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo!" (2022), Mystery Inc. has cracked the case to top all cases! They’ve tracked down Coco Diablo, the head of the notorious costume crime syndicate that colludes The Black Knight, Space Kook and the Ghost Diver. With Coco and her kitty in prison, Mystery Inc. thinks that they can finally enjoy a break. Wrong! Suddenly, menacing doppelgänger ghosts of the Scooby crew and favorite classic foes show up in Coolsville to threaten Halloween. Now it’s up to the meddling kids - and their unlikely new partner Coco - to unmask the latest scoundrel and save Halloween! From Warner. Read more here ...
From Aardman Animations, the multiple award-winning studio that brought you "Chicken Run" and "Wallace & Gromit" comes a wild and woolly lamb-venture, "A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon!" (2019). When a mischievous alien crash-lands near Mossy Bottom Farm, Shaun sets off on a thrilling rescue mission to help her return home, while a secret government UFO organization is hot on their trail. Can Shaun and the flock avert Farmageddon before it’s too late? On DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo, from Shout! Factory ... Since her father's death, the kind-hearted and courageous Cinderella lives with her cruel stepmother and spoiled stepsister, Dora, who treat her like a servant in her own house in "Three Wishes for Cinderella" (2021 - Norway). During one of her escapes to the forest, Cinderella meets the handsome prince of the kingdom. They immediately feel attracted to each other, but he is expected to find a suitable bride at the next royal ball, which Cinderella is not allowed to attend. Equipped with a great deal of courage, she decides to stand up for herself and determine her own fate. On DVD, Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Code, from Shout! Studios. Read more here.FROM TV TO DISC:
"The Flash: The Complete Eighth Season" (2021-22) is a four-disc DVD set, three-disc Blu-ray set with all 20 episodes. After defeating Godspeed with the help of his speedster children from the future, Barry Allen aka The Flash is back to face new challenges. With the help of Team Flash at STAR Labs including Caitlin Snow, Frost, Allegra Garcia and Chester P. Runk along with his family, The Flash will face villains old and new in Central City. The season begins with an epic five-episode event, “Armageddon,” featuring crossover characters from across the Arrowverse. From Warner ... "The Time Travelers Wife: The Complete Series" (2022) is a two-disc set with all six episodes. Based on the book about a man who suffers from a rare genetic disorder that causes him to drift uncontrollably back and forth through time. On one of his sojourns, he meets the love of his life, and they marry, but the problems and complexities of any relationship are multiplied by his inability to remain in one time and place, so that he and his beloved are continually out of sync. From HBO/Warner.
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