New Blu-ray Reviews

Never-Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki Blu-ray Movie  

終わらない人 宮﨑駿 / Owaranai Hito Miyazaki Hayao / Blu-ray + DVD

Shout Factory | 2016 | 1 Movie, 2 Cuts | 70 min | Not rated | Apr 30, 2019 | Neil Lumbard

In 2013, film director and animator Hayao Miyazaki suddenly announced his retirement at the age of 72. But he couldn't shake his burning desire to create. After an encounter with young CGI animators, Miyazaki embarked on a new endeavor, his first project ever to utilize CGI. But the artist, who had been adamant about hand-drawn animation, confronted many challenges. The film even faces the danger of being cancelled Can an old master who thinks he's past his prime shine once again? This program goes behind the scenes over two years as Miyazaki overcomes struggles to create his short film using CGI.

Anime / Documentary / Foreign

A Space Program Blu-ray Movie  

Zeitgeist Films | 2015 | 69 min | Not rated | May 28, 2019 | Neil Lumbard

In A Space Program, internationally acclaimed artist Tom Sachs takes us on an intricately handmade journey to the red planet, providing audiences with an intimate, first person look into his studio and methods. The film is both a piece of art in its own right and a recording of Sachs’ historic piece, Space Program 2.0: MARS, which opened at New York’s Park Avenue Armory in 2012. For Space Program 2.0: MARS, Tom and his team built an entire space program from scratch. They were guided by the philosophy of bricolage: creating and constructing from available yet limited resources. They ultimately sent two female astronauts to Mars in search of the answer to humankind’s ultimate question… are we alone? Directed by Van Neistat, A Space Program is a captivating introduction to Sachs’ work for the uninitiated, and required viewing for his longtime fans.

Documentary

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World 3D Blu-ray Movie    

Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray + Digital Copy

Universal Studios | 2019 | 104 min | Rated BBFC: PG | Jun 10, 2019 | Neil Lumbard

As Hiccup fulfills his dream of creating a peaceful dragon utopia, Toothless’ discovery of an untamed, elusive mate draws the Night Fury away. When danger mounts at home and Hiccup’s reign as village chief is tested, both dragon and rider must make impossible decisions to save their kind.

Action / Adventure / Animation / Comedy / Family / Fantasy

Bitter Moon Blu-ray Movie  

Kino Lorber | 1992 | 140 min | Rated R | May 21, 2019 | Dr. Svet Atanasov

Nigel Dobson is an English perfect gentleman, married to equally respectable Fiona. On a cruise heading for India, they meet a highly unconventional couple, American unpublished would-be literary celebrity Oscar, in a wheelchair, and his much younger Parisian wife, Mimi.

Drama / Romance / Thriller / Dark humor / Erotic

Taking Tiger Mountain Blu-ray Movie  

Blu-ray + DVD

Vinegar Syndrome | 1983 | 1 Movie, 2 Cuts | 83 min | Not rated | Jul 02, 2019 | Brian Orndorf

Militant feminist scientists brainwash a research subject to assassinate the Welsh Minister of Prostitution. Meanwhile, World War III is being fought and the USA has been invaded.

Sci-Fi

Night Owl Blu-ray Movie  

Standard Edition

Vinegar Syndrome | 1993 | 80 min | Not rated | Jul 02, 2019 | Brian Orndorf

A vampire in the East Village picks up women, and while having sex with them kills them and drinks their blood. Meanwhile, a young Puerto Rican guy begins searching the Village for his sister, who is one of the vampire's victims.

Crime / Drama / Horror

Sailor Moon S: The Movie Blu-ray Movie  

Sailor Moon S: The Movie - Hearts in Ice / Blu-ray + DVD

Viz Media | 1994 | 60 min | Rated TV-14 | Oct 02, 2018 | Martin Liebman

A sudden snowstorm has hit Tokyo, marking the return of an ancient being named Princess Snow Kaguya! She has a chilling plan to freeze Earth, but it requires the recovery of a missing piece of her ice crystal. After falling ill due to the cold, Luna is rescued by a kind hearted but misunderstood astronomer, Kakeru, who happens to have the remaining shard of the crystal! Called into action to protect Luna and her newfound crush, Sailor Moon and her team of Sailor Guardians are now the only hope the world has of avoiding eternal winter!

Action / Adventure / Anime / Comedy / Fantasy / Romance / Comic book / Foreign

Lonesome Dove Blu-ray Movie  

Blu-ray + Digital Copy

Mill Creek Entertainment | 1989 | 374 min | Not rated | Jul 09, 2019 | Martin Liebman

Based upon the Pulitzer Prize-winning book by Larry McMurtry and set in the late nineteenth century, this sprawling epic of the Old West is the story of the last defiant frontier, a daring cattle drive, and an undying love. Lonesome Dove continues to be a treasured classic for all generations.

Adventure / Drama / Western / Melodrama

Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas Blu-ray Movie  

Disney / Buena Vista | 1999 | 66 min | Not rated | No Release Date | Martin Liebman

Disney's biggest stars shine in a magical heartwarming movie - sure to become a holiday classic! Mickey, Minnie and their famous friends Goofy, Donald, Daisy and Pluto gather together to reminisce about love, magic and surprises in three wonder-filled stories of Christmas past. In the fine tradition of Disney's superb storytelling, Minnie and Mickey recall the year they both gave up what was most important to them for the sake of the other, making for one unforgettable Christmas. Goofy and Max retell when they experienced a series of hilarious but season-shaking events... until a visit from a real Santa made it a most magical holiday. Thinking back to when they wished Christmas was every day, Donald's nephews, Huey, Dewey and Louie, remember their dream turning into a comical catastrophe, eventually learning what true holiday spirit is all about. Featuring the entire cast in a finale of merry, magical Christmas songs - all the excitement of MICKEY'S ONCE UPON A CHRISTMAS is ready to unwrap for holiday family fun!

Animation / Comedy / Family / Holiday

Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas Blu-ray Movie  

Disney / Buena Vista | 2004 | 67 min | Rated G | No Release Date | Martin Liebman

Santa Claus joins Mickey, Minnie, and all their pals in an original movie about discovering the true joys of Christmas. Watch the hilarious antics of stubborn old Donald as he tries in vain to resist the joy of the season, and laugh along with Mickey and Pluto as they learn a great lesson about the power of friendship.

Animation / Comedy / Family / Holiday

Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas / Twice Upon a Christmas Blu-ray Movie  

2 Movie Collection | Special Edition / Blu-ray + DVD

Disney / Buena Vista | 1999-2004 | 2 Movies | 133 min | Rated G | Nov 04, 2014 | Martin Liebman

Unwrap the wonder of the holidays with two beloved Disney Christmas classics in one unforgettable package. The magic of Disney animation warms up the season as MICKEY'S ONCE UPON A CHRISTMAS and MICKEY'S TWICE UPON A CHRISTMAS arrive on Blu-ray for the first time ever with a new digital remaster. First, join Mickey, Minnie and their famous friends Goofy, Donald, Daisy and Pluto for hilarious and heartwarming stories of their most memorable Christmases together. MICKEY'S ONCE UPON A CHRISTMAS is a merry and madcap collection of adventures and magical Christmas songs celebrating the true joys of the holiday season. Then find out who's been naughty and who's been nice as Santa Clause joins Disney's biggest stars in MICKEY'S TWICE UPON A CHRISTMAS. Give your family the perfect holiday treat with two timeless Christmas collections together for the first time on Disney Blu-ray!

Animation / Comedy / Family / Holiday

Spirits of the Air, Gremlins of the Clouds Blu-ray Movie    

Beyond Genres #05

Umbrella Entertainment | 1987 | 96 min | Rated ACB: M | Sep 05, 2018 | Jeffrey Kauffman

Set against an overwhelming desert landscape, Felix (Michael Lake, Fortress) and Betty Crabtree (Rhys Davis, Dead End Drive-In) are eccentric siblings living together in an isolated homestead in a post-apocalyptic era. Modern technology is absent, with wheels and gears operating a variety of broken devices to assist their struggle to survive. When they encounter a wandering stranger named Smith (Norman Boyd), their simple lives become tumultuous as the wheelchair-bound Felix dreams of flying and Betty believes their new arrival to be a demonic presence - the characters all yearning for escape but seemingly do not know how.

Adventure / Sci-Fi

Bronco Billy Blu-ray Movie  

Warner Archive Collection

Warner Bros. | 1980 | 116 min | Rated PG | Jul 09, 2019 | Randy Miller III

Bronco Billy McCoy is the proud owner of a small traveling Wild West show. But the business isn't doing too well: for the past six months he hasn't paid his employees. At a gas station he picks up Antoinette, a stuck-up blonde from a rich family, who was left behind without a penny by her husband on their wedding night. Billy likes her looks and hires her as his assistant. She seems to bring them bad luck and the business gets even worse. In these hard times she loses her reluctance and starts to like her new way of life... and Bronco Billy.

Action / Adventure / Comedy / Drama / Romance / Western

Moon 4K Blu-ray Movie  

10th Anniversary Edition / 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital Copy

Sony Pictures | 2009 | 97 min | Rated R | Jul 16, 2019 | Martin Liebman

In this critically-acclaimed space isolation drama, Sam Bell is a worker for Lunar Industries who is nearing the end of a three-year contract to mine the moon's surface for the precious gas Helium 3, the solution to Earth's energy crisis. As he approaches his return to Earth, Sam reflects on the lessons he has learned during his prolonged isolation and looks forward to his reunion with his wife and young daughter. But a fortnight before his departure he starts seeing and hearing strange things that lead him to suspect that his employers intend to replace him in a far more sinister way than he imagined. Sam's only companion, a small robotic computer called Gerty.

Drama / Mystery / Sci-Fi / Psychological thriller / Surreal

The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales Blu-ray Movie  

Le Grand Méchant Renard et autres contes / Blu-ray + DVD

Shout Factory | 2017 | 83 min | Rated G | Jul 16, 2019 | Brian Orndorf

The countryside isn't always as calm and peaceful as it's made out to be, and the animals on this farm are particularly agitated: a fox who mothers a family of chicks, a rabbit who plays the stork, and a duck who wants to be Santa Claus. If you think life in the country is a walk in the park, think again! Directors Benjamin Renner and Patrick Imbert adapt Renner's own acclaimed graphic novel into a delirious, delightful triptych of interlocking stories, with a pacing and visual spontaneity that harkens back to classic Looney Tunes shorts and slapstick two-reelers. But underneath the gags (and there are plenty of them), the three stories offer a sensitive and beautiful portrayal of family, and the anxieties of modern life.

Animation / Comedy / Family / Foreign

Putney Swope Blu-ray Movie  

Blu-ray + DVD

Vinegar Syndrome | 1969 | 85 min | Rated R | Jul 02, 2019 | Brian Orndorf

Dark satire in which the token black man on the executive board of an advertising firm is accidentally put in charge. Renaming the business "Truth and Soul, Inc.", he replaces the tight regime of monied white ad men with his militant brothers. Soon afterwards, however, the power that comes with its position takes its toll on Putney...

Comedy

Birdy Blu-ray Movie  

Sony Pictures | 1984 | 120 min | Rated R | Jun 25, 2019 | Martin Liebman

After two friends return home from the Vietnam War one becomes mentally unstable and obsesses with becoming a bird.

Drama / War

Kind Hearts and Coronets Blu-ray Movie    

Remastered 70th Anniversary Collector’s Edition | Vintage Classics / Blu-ray + DVD

Studio Canal | 1949 | 106 min | Rated BBFC: U | Jun 24, 2019 | Dr. Svet Atanasov

In the early twentieth century, young Louis Mazzini vows to take revenge on his family, the D'Ascoynes, when he learns how they disinherited his mother. Working his way into their trust, Louis begins to bump off his distant relatives one by one, but complications set in when Edith D'Ascoyne, the widow of his first victim, falls in love with him.

Comedy / Crime / Dark humor

Lonesome Dove Blu-ray Movie  

Mill Creek Entertainment | 1989 | 374 min | Not rated | Oct 20, 2015 | Martin Liebman

Based upon the Pulitzer Prize-winning book by Larry McMurtry and set in the late nineteenth century, this sprawling epic of the Old West is the story of the last defiant frontier, a daring cattle drive, and an undying love. Lonesome Dove continues to be a treasured classic for all generations.

Adventure / Drama / Western / Melodrama

Run the Race Blu-ray Movie  

Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy

Universal Studios | 2019 | 102 min | Rated PG | Jun 18, 2019 | Martin Liebman

Against the backdrop of high school football and track, two brothers in a small Southern town face escalating problems with two different worldviews, straining—but ultimately strengthening—the bonds of brotherhood.

Drama / Sport