New Blu-ray Reviews

White Mane Blu-ray Movie  

Crin blanc: Le cheval sauvage

Criterion | 1953 | 40 min | Not rated | No Release Date | Dr. Svet Atanasov

A boy comes across a white-haired wild horse in the Camargue. Ranchers seek to capture the horse, but it escapes. What will happen as the boy sets out to find the horse again?

Adventure / Drama / Family / Short / Foreign

The Red Balloon Blu-ray Movie  

Le ballon rouge

Criterion | 1956 | 34 min | Not rated | No Release Date | Dr. Svet Atanasov

On the way to school one morning, a small boy finds a red balloon that attaches itself to him with a human-like intent.

Family / Fantasy / Short / Foreign / Surreal

Code Geass Akito the Exiled: Complete OVA Series Blu-ray Movie  

コードギアス 亡国のアキト / Blu-ray + DVD

FUNimation Entertainment | 2012-2016 | 291 min | Rated TV-14 | Jun 27, 2017 | Neil Lumbard

The world of Code Geass returns in a brand-new five part series. Experience the expanded storyline with new characters, new Knightmares, and familiar faces. While the war for Area 11 rages on, a different battle plagues Europe. Leila Malcal, the new commander of Assault Unit wZERO for the Europia European army, takes on dangerous missions with her powerful and mysterious lieutenant, Akito Hyuga. When the need for more soldiers arises, she recruits a group of rebels to form the Wyvern Squad. Tasked with suicidal missions, the five of them face the Britannia forces head on. After a difficult battle and an encounter with Britannia's The Holy Order of Michael, a figure from Akito's past rears his head and brings with him the threat of Akito's demise. But for someone who has died once before, the promise of death holds no weight. As the war between the E.U. and Britannian armies continues, a notable power comes to light—the power of Geass. When the E.U. pushes, Britannia reveals a secret weapon—a man familiar with advanced war tactics and the darkness of Geass. With his guard Suzaku Kururugi at his side, he carries the king's sceptre and the power that comes with it. But something is amiss with this Julius Kingsley, and a past story finds its missing piece. The power of Geass—is it a blessing or a curse?

Action / Anime / Sci-Fi / Foreign

Code Geass Lelouch of the Rebellion: Season 2 Blu-ray Movie  

コードギアス 反逆のルルーシュR2

FUNimation Entertainment | 2008 | 625 min | Rated TV-14 | Oct 04, 2016 | Neil Lumbard

In 2017, parts of the world are under the control of the Holy Britannian Empire. Japan is now known as Area 11, the proud people treated as lower class citizens. Lelouch Lamperouge was once a Britannian prince but when his mother was assassinated, he was left in Japan and thought to be dead. After getting caught up in a terrorist attack, he encounters a strange girl known as C.C., who grants him the power of Geass and the ability to command others. With his newfound powers, Lelouch becomes Zero, a rebel leader for justice, and forms his own anti-government group. His goals are simple: get answers about his mother's murder and make a world that is worthy of his beloved little sister, Nunnally. Even with his Geass, Lelouch will encounter countless challenges. The power of Geass: Is it a blessing...or a curse?

Action / Anime / Drama / Sci-Fi / Foreign

Code Geass Lelouch of the Rebellion: Season 1 Blu-ray Movie  

コードギアス 反逆のルルーシュ

FUNimation Entertainment | 2006-2007 | 602 min | Rated TV-14 | Oct 04, 2016 | Neil Lumbard

In the year 2017 of the Imperial Calendar, parts of the world are under the control of the Holy Britannian Emprie. Japan is now known as Area II, the proud people treated as lower-class citizens. Lelouch Lamperouge was once a Britannian prince, but when his mother was assassinated, he was sent to Japan and thought to be killed. But he survived. After getting caught up in a terrorist attack, he encounters a strange girl known as C.C. who grants him the power of Geass and the ability to command others. With his newfound powers, Lelouch becomes Zero, a rebel leader for justice, and forms his own anti-government group. His goals are simple: get answers about his mother's murder and make a world that is worthy of his beloved little sister, Nunnally. Even with his Geass, Lelouch will encounter countless challenges. But nothing can prepare him to face his former best friend, Suzaku Kururugi, a Japanese citizen...and soldier of Britannia? The power of Geass: is it a blessing...or a curse?

Action / Anime / Drama / Sci-Fi / Foreign

Code Geass: Lelouch of the Re;surrection Blu-ray Movie  

Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy

FUNimation Entertainment | 2019 | 112 min | Rated TV-14 | Feb 25, 2020 | Neil Lumbard

The day Lelouch vi Britannia fell was the day his war-torn world found peace. Now, as his friends work to keep the peace, a terrorist attack could risk everything. Can he outwit death and save them all? Or will Lelouch’s legacy end here?

Action / Anime / Sci-Fi / Foreign

The Kill Room 4K Blu-ray Movie  

4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray

Shout Factory | 2023 | 97 min | Rated R | Dec 05, 2023 | Brian Orndorf

A hitman, his boss, an art dealer and a money-laundering scheme that accidentally turns the assassin into an overnight avant-garde sensation, one that forces her to play the art world against the underworld.

Comedy / Mystery / Thriller

Nil by Mouth Blu-ray Movie  

Sony Pictures | 1997 | 128 min | Rated R | Sep 26, 2023 | Kenneth Brown

A rough, short-tempered patriarch of a working-class family sees his life and the relationships around him slowly unravel.

Drama

Guarding Tess Blu-ray Movie  

Sony Pictures | 1994 | 96 min | Rated PG-13 | Nov 14, 2023 | Kenneth Brown

A former First Lady of the US wants a particular Secret Service agent to head her bodyguard detail, even though he can't stand her.

Comedy / Drama

Blacula Blu-ray Movie  

Sandpiper Pictures | 1972 | 92 min | Rated PG | Dec 05, 2023 | Kenneth Brown

An ancient African prince, turned into a vampire by Dracula himself, finds himself in modern Los Angeles.

Horror

Showdown Blu-ray Movie  

Kino Lorber | 1973 | 99 min | Rated PG | Mar 23, 2021 | Dr. Svet Atanasov

Billy Massey and Chuck Garvis have been buddies since childhood, but when Chuck got married, Billy took his cue and left the newlyweds on their own. Chuck's star shone bright as he distinguished himself as the town's hard-working, honest sheriff, while Billy drifted into a life of crime. The two friends' paths cross, however, when Billy robs a train and it is Chuck who must hunt and arrest him. So begins a classic confrontation in the Old West, as Chuck is determined to catch and possibly help his old pal, and Billy is just as determined not to get caught... no matter the price.

Western

Three Films by Yasujirō Ozu Blu-ray Movie    

Dragnet Girl / Record of a Tenement Gentleman / A Hen in the Wind

BFI Video | 1933-1948 | 3 Movies | 256 min | Rated BBFC: PG | Oct 23, 2023 | Dr. Stephen Larson

This year marks the 120th anniversary of Japanese filmmaker Yasujirō Ozu’s birth. From his early silent films to his final features in the 1960s, Ozu perfected a style that stripped away unnecessary plot mechanics and camera movement. In doing so, he produced a cinema whose surface simplicity belies character studies of depth, warmth and on occasion, humour. This new set features three newly restored films, all presented on Blu-ray in the UK for the first time.

Crime / Drama / Foreign

Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion III - Glorification Blu-ray Movie  

FUNimation Entertainment | 2018 | Rated TV-14 | No Release Date | Neil Lumbard

With his spell of impressive successes seemingly behind him, Lelouch Lamperouge’s hopes of destroying the Britannian Empire presided over by his father are crumbling at an alarming rate. With his sister kidnapped, his former friend Suzaku ignoring his pleas for help, and his organisation the Black Knights losing their faith in him, the man behind Zero’s mask is left with nowhere to turn. With his power waning and betrayals around him rising, the only option left on Lelouch’s board in this all-or- nothing game of political chess is to take on the Britannian Empire - and his father - from the inside.

Action / Anime / Sci-Fi / Foreign

Record of a Tenement Gentleman Blu-ray Movie    

長屋紳士録 / Nagaya shinshiroku

BFI Video | 1947 | 72 min | Rated BBFC: PG | No Release Date | Dr. Stephen Larson

In an impoverished Tokyo neighborhood that has been partly destroyed in bombing raids, a hard-hearted middle-aged widow reluctantly takes in a child abandoned by his father. Bitter at first, she soon finds herself growing fond of the boy.

Drama / Foreign

Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion II - Transgression Blu-ray Movie  

FUNimation Entertainment | 2018 | Rated TV-14 | No Release Date | Neil Lumbard

Having racked up numerous miraculous victories against the odds in his quest to end their tyrannical reign across the globe, Lelouch Lamperouge - via his anonymous public persona of Zero - has shocked the empire of Britannia to its core. From humble beginnings, Zero is now the leader of the Black Knights, an increasingly powerful para-military organisation with the equipment and tactical nous to match even Britannia’s finest. However, there are still plenty of hurdles in Lelouch’s path... not least close friend turned rival Suzaku Kururugi, whose own abilities also appear to be reaching their zenith. With more unexpected arrivals and appearances as the conflict between Britannia and the Black Knights intensifies, the ability of Lelouch to navigate this increasingly complex game of chess - and the sacrifices he’s willing to make - will be tested to the limit.

Action / Anime / Sci-Fi / Foreign

Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion I - Initiation Blu-ray Movie  

FUNimation Entertainment | 2017 | Rated TV-14 | No Release Date | Neil Lumbard

In a world dominated by the Holy Empire of Britannia, most of the globe has been conquered and forced into submission by this behemoth of a superpower. Japan, now renamed Area 11 after its defeat at the hands of the Empire, continues to harbour pockets of seemingly futile resistance that seems powerless in the face of the might before them. Enter Lelouch Lamperouge, an exiled Britannian prince hidden away under a false name in Area 11 – harbouring a deep hatred for the empire which has forsaken him, he grabs the chance to fight back when a mysterious power known as “Geass” is bestowed upon him, and begins working from the shadows to bring Britannia to its knees as the faceless leader of Area 11’s resistance.

Action / Anime / Sci-Fi / Foreign

Dumb Money Blu-ray Movie  

Blu-ray + Digital Copy

Sony Pictures | 2023 | 104 min | Rated R | Dec 12, 2023 | Kenneth Brown

A ragtag group of amateur investors, gamers and internet trolls bring Wall Street to its knees by reviving the challenged brick-and-mortar video game retailer GameStop, making it the first so-called meme stock.

Biography / Comedy / Drama

The Monster Squad Blu-ray Movie  

4K Restoration

Kino Lorber | 1987 | 82 min | Rated PG-13 | Nov 28, 2023 | Dr. Svet Atanasov

A small town is disrupted with the arrival of Dracula to retrieve an amulet controlling the balance between good and evil.

Action / Comedy / Family / Horror / Supernatural

The Monster Squad 4K Blu-ray Movie  

4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray

Kino Lorber | 1987-2018 | 2 Movies | 83 min | Rated PG-13 | Nov 28, 2023 | Dr. Svet Atanasov

A small town is disrupted with the arrival of Dracula to retrieve an amulet controlling the balance between good and evil.

Action / Comedy / Documentary / Family / Horror / Supernatural

The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz Blu-ray Movie  

Fun City Editions | 1974 | 121 min | Rated PG | Dec 12, 2023 | Brian Orndorf

Duddy Kravitz is an enterprising young Jew with big dreams but little going in coming from a motherless family and in competition with his medical school bound brother.

Comedy / Drama