For the week of May 27th, the Criterion Collection will release Justine Triet's Anatomy of a Fall (Anatomie d'une chute), starring Sandra Hüller, Swann Arlaud, Antoine Reinartz, Samuel Theis, Jehnny Beth and Saadia Bentaïeb.
Description: The closer we look, the less we know in Justine Triet's masterful Palme d'Or–winning Anatomy of a Fall, an eerily riveting courtroom thriller that examines the line where truth becomes fiction and fiction becomes truth. When Sandra Voyter (a transfixing Sandra Hüller), a writer who turns the material of her life into autofiction, is put on trial for the suspicious death by defenestration—or was it suicide?—of her husband, it opens up an inquiry that will turn a troubled home inside out. Tapping into the minimalist intensity of a chamber drama—and using intricate, elliptical editing—Triet constructs a mystery that is ultimately less about a death than about the hidden lives we lead.
Criterion's Blu-ray of Anatomy of a Fall contains DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio. Extras include a new interview with Justine Triet, deleted and alternate scenes with commentary by Triet, audition and rehearsal footage, a program on Messi, the dog who plays "Snoop"in the film, as well as a trailer. Also included is an essay by critic Alexandra Schwartz.
Also new on Blu-ray from Criterion is Shaunak Sen's documentary All That Breathes.
Descrption: Shaunak Sen's All That Breathes reinvents the environmental documentary by portraying, in incisive yet lyrical fashion, the reciprocal influence of animals and humans. For more than a year, Sen followed New Delhi brothers Mohammad Saud and Nadeem Shehzad as they rescued birds of prey from the increasingly destructive effects of urban pollution. While charting the siblings' daily struggles and successes, he also documented their poetic reflections on humankind's relationship to the environment, the interaction of wildlife with the city, and India's explosions of anti-Muslim violence. Suffused with beauteous, sobering, and contemplative imagery, All That Breathes ponders the delicate bonds of interconnectivity among humans and between species.
Criterion's Blu-ray of All That Breathes contains a new interview with Shaunak Sen and a trailer.
Finally from Criterion is a Blu-ray for Karyn Kusama's Girlfight (2000), starring Michelle Rodriguez, Jamie Tirelli, Paul Calderon, Santiago Douglas, Ray Santiago and Víctor Sierra. Sourced from a new 4K master (supervised by Karyn Kusama and cinematographer Patrick Cady) Criterion presents Girlfight with a DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio track. Extras include audio commentary with Karyn Kusama, new interviews with Kusama, editor Plummy Tucker and composer Theodore Shapiro, a storyboard-to-film comparison with commentary from Kusama and a trailer. Also included is an essay by author Carmen Maria Machado.
New on Blu-ray and 4K UHD from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment is Mike Mitchell's Kung Fu Panda 4, starring Jack Black, Awkwafina, Viola Davis, Dustin Hoffman, James Hong and Bryan Cranston.
Description: This spring, for the first time in almost a decade, comedy icon Jack Black returns to his role as Po, the world's most unlikely kung fu master, with a hilarious, butt-kicking new chapter in DreamWorks Animation's beloved action-comedy franchise: Kung Fu Panda 4.
After three death-defying adventures defeating world-class villains with his unmatched courage and mad martial arts skills, Po, the Dragon Warrior (Golden Globe nominee Jack Black), is called upon by destiny to … give it a rest already. More specifically, he's tapped to become the Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace.
That poses a couple of obvious problems. First, Po knows as much about spiritual leadership as he does about the paleo diet, and second, he needs to quickly find and train a new Dragon Warrior before he can assume his new lofty position.
Even worse, there's been a recent sighting of a wicked, powerful sorceress, Chameleon (Oscar® winner Viola Davis), a tiny lizard who can shapeshift into any creature, large or small. And Chameleon has her greedy, beady little eyes on Po's Staff of Wisdom, which would give her the power to re-summon all the master villains whom Po has vanquished to the spirit realm.
So, Po's going to need some help. He finds it (kinda?) in the form of crafty, quick-witted thief Zhen (Golden Globe winner Awkwafina), a corsac fox who really gets under Po's fur but whose skills will prove invaluable. In their quest to protect the Valley of Peace from Chameleon's reptilian claws, this comedic odd-couple duo will have to work together. In the process, Po will discover that heroes can be found in the most unexpected places.
Universal's Blu-ray releases of Kung Fu Panda 4 contain the film's Dolby Atmos audio, with Dolby Vision HDR on the 4K UHD disc. Extras include filmmaker commentary, the new short Dueling Dumplings, deleted scenes and the featurettes Mastering the Dumpling, Bad Bunny Review, Kung Fu Talking, Meet the Cast, Kung Fu Panda 4 All!!, How to Draw and Shadow Puppet Theater. In addition to standard packaging, a Walmart Exclusive Blu-ray with "Kid-sized Training Chopsticks" will also be available.
New on Blu-ray from Lionsgate Home Entertainment is Simon Cellan Jones' Arthur the King, starring Mark Wahlberg, Simu Liu, Juliet Rylance, Nathalie Emmanuel, Ali Suliman and Rob Collins.
Description: Over the course of ten days and 435 miles, an unbreakable bond is forged between pro adventure racer Michael Light (Mark Wahlberg) and a scrappy street dog companion dubbed Arthur. Based on an incredible true story, ARTHUR THE KING follows Light, desperate for one last chance to win, as he convinces a sponsor to back him and a team of athletes (Simu Liu, Nathalie Emmanuel, and Ali Suliman) for the Adventure Racing World Championship in the Dominican Republic. As the team is pushed to their outer limits of endurance in the race, Arthur redefines what victory, loyalty and friendship truly mean.
Lionsgate's Blu-ray of Arthur the King contains the film's Dolby Atmos audio. extras include three filmmaker commentary tracks, four featurettes and a trailer. For a full disc breakdown, read Jeffrey Kauffman's Blu-ray review.
Also new on Blu-ray from Lionsgate is Michael Keaton's Knox Goes Away, starring Michael Keaton, James Marsden, Suzy Nakamura, Joanna Kulig, Ray McKinnon and John Hoogenakker.
Description: Academy Award nominee Michael Keaton directs and stars in this unpredictable thriller as John Knox, a hit man attempting to make amends before his recently discovered dementia takes over. Aided by a trusted friend (Academy Award® winner Al Pacino) with his own shady past, Knox races against the police — and his own rapidly deteriorating mind — to save his estranged son (James Marsden) from a vengeance-fueled mistake and "cash out" before it's too late.
Lionsgate's Blu-ray of Knox Goes Away contains filmmaker commentary and the featurette Building the Performances of Knox Goes Away.
Also new from Lionsgate is a Blu-ray for Terry McDonough's Damaged, starring Samuel L. Jackson, Vincent Cassel, John Hannah, Kate Dickie and Gianni Capaldi.
Description: How do you catch a brilliant monster? When a sadistic murderer surfaces in Scotland, terrified local authorities call on a Chicago police detective who investigated a killing spree with the same horrific pattern five years earlier. Samuel L. Jackson and Vincent Cassel star in this shocking thriller about two detectives with tortured pasts trying to stop a merciless serial killer before he claims his next victim.
New on Blu-ray and 4K UHD from Paramount Home Media Distribution is Marcus Green's Bob Marley: One Love, starring Kingsley Ben-Adir, Lashana Lynch, James Norton, Tosin Cole, Umi Myers and Anthony Welsh.
Description: Celebrate the life and music of an icon who inspired generations through his message of love, peace, and unity. In One Love, discover Bob Marley's powerful story of overcoming adversity and the journey behind his revolutionary music that changed the world.
Paramount's Blu-ray releases of Bob Marley: One Love contain the film's Dolby Atmos audio, with Dolby Vision HDR on the 4K UHD edition. Extras include five featurettes and deleted and extended scenes. In addition to standard packaging, a 4K UHD / Blu-ray SteelBook will also be available. For a full release breakdown, read Martin Liebman's 4K UHD review.
New from Arrow Video is a Blu-ray for Quarxx's Pandemonium, starring Arben Bajraktaraj, Ophélia Kolb, Carl Laforêt, Hugo Dillon, Manon Maindivide and Jérôme Paquatte.
Description: Director Quarxx (All the Gods in the Sky) explores the peculiar, welcoming all those hungry for wonder, in Pandemonium, a unique cinematic blend of fantasy, drama, genre, and humor.
Nathan (Hugo Dillon) and Daniel (Arben Bajraktaraj) are caught in a road accident that kills them both. As they come to grips with their deaths, Nathan confronts his past and the consequences of his actions. Now trapped in the hellish void of Pandemonium, he encounters tortured souls like Jeanne (Manon Maindivide), a disturbed child; Julia (Ophélia Kolb), a grief-stricken mother; and Norghul (Jean Rousseau), the guide of the great void. Will he find a way to escape the torment that awaits him for eternity?
Pandemonium takes the viewer on a chilling journey as three interconnected stories unravel in this macabre exploration of tales depicting fallen souls. From the intricacies of everyday drama to the realms of supernatural intrigue, each narrative weaves a haunting tapestry that blurs the lines between the mortal and the supernatural.
Arrow's Blu-ray of Pandemonium contains French: DTS-HD MA 5.1 and LPCM 2.0 audio tracks, with optional English subtitles. Extras include interviews with Quarxx and make-up/FX supervisor Olivier Afonso, footage from the film's premiere, a making of featurette and a trailer. Collectible packaging includes a reversible cover, a double-sided fold-out poster, and an "illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Anton Bitel, and a director's statement and director Q&A". For a full disc breakdown, read Jeffrey Kauffman's Blu-ray review.
Also coming from Arrow is a 4K UHD upgrade for Guillermo del Toro's Crimson Peak (2015), starring Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain, Tom Hiddleston, Charlie Hunnam, Jim Beaver and Burn Gorman. Sourced from a 4K master, Arrow presents Crimson Peak with DTS: X audio (with a DTS-HD MA 7.1 core) and Dolby Vision HDR. Extras replicate Arrow's 2019 Blu-ray edition and include filmmaker commentary, interviews, featurettes, deleted scenes, trailers and more. Packaging includes a double-sided fold-out poster, four double-sided postcards, an "80-page, hard-bound book featuring writing by David Jenkins and Simon Abrams, an archival interview with Guillermo del Toro, and original conceptual design illustrations by artists Guy Davis and Oscar Chichoni" and a slipbox. For a full disc breakdown, read Jeffrey Kauffman's 4K UHD review.
New on Blu-ray from Samuel Goldwyn Films is Robert Lorenz's In the Land of Saints and Sinners, starring Liam Neeson, Ciarán Hinds, Colm Meaney, Jack Gleeson, Kerry Condon and Sarah Greene.
Description: Ireland, 1970s. Eager to leave his dark past behind, Finbar Murphy (Liam Neeson) leads a quiet life in the remote coastal town of Glencolmcille, far from the political violence that grips the rest of the country. But when a menacing crew of terrorists arrive, led by a ruthless woman named Doirean (Kerry Condon), Finbar is drawn into an increasingly vicious game of cat and mouse, forcing him to choose between exposing his secret identity or defending his friends and neighbors.
New on Blu-ray from Oscilloscope Pictures is Carolina Cavalli's Amanda (2023), starring Benedetta Porcaroli, Galatéa Bellugi, Giovanna Mezzogiorno and Monica Nappo.
Description: Born into an upper-class family with a doting mother who foots the bill for her indolent lifestyle, 24-year-old combative Amanda (emerging talent Benedetta Porcaroli) searches for boyfriends but only finds misfits who are repelled by her intensity. She longs for connection but has never had a friend of her own… until she discovers a long lost childhood bond, spurring a mission to convince another recluse that they are still best friends. A playful, provocative feature debut from writer-director Carolina Cavalli.
Oscilloscope's Blu-ray of Amanda contains the behind-the-scenes music video "Amanda: On Set", deleted scenes and a trailer.
New on Blu-ray from Cohen Media Group is a Blu-ray for Matteo Garrone's Io capitano, starring Issaka Sawadogo, Joseph Beddelem, Doodou Sagna, Hichem Yacoubi, Moustapha Fall and Seydou Sarr.
Description: Nominated for Best International Feature at the Academy Awards®, and from the acclaimed director of Gomorrah and Dogman, Io Capitano narrates the epic journey of a teenage boy and his cousin as they decide to leave Senegal for the promise of Europe. Throughout this compelling odyssey, the young man confronts a myriad of challenges, from the harsh realities of the desert to the harrowing experiences in Libyan detention centers and the risks of the open sea. Filmed over a span of 13 weeks in Senegal, Italy, and Morocco, with a cast of non-professional actors, this uplifting film ventures into the intricacies and contradictions of the human experience. Within the narrative, the aspirations, dreams, and ambitions of the main characters evolve into a gripping struggle for survival, reflecting the indomitable spirit of those who dare to seek a better life. Io Capitano stands as a powerful exploration of human resilience, navigating the delicate balance between hope and the unforgiving realities of the world.
Cohen Media Group's Blu-ray of Io capitano contains a Q&A with Seydou Sarr, Moustapha Fall, Mamadou Kouassi and Matteo Garrone, as well as a theatrical trailer.
New on Blu-ray from Vertical Entertainment is Renny Harlin's The Bricklayer, starring Aaron Eckhart, Nina Dobrev, Oliver Trevena, Clifton Collins Jr., Ori Pfeffer and Tim Blake Nelson.
Description: From Renny Harlin, the director of Die Hard 2: Die Harder and Cliffhanger, comes The Bricklayer. When a rogue insurgent blackmails the CIA by assassinating foreign journalists and framing the government, the agency must lure their most brilliant yet rebellious operative out of retirement to unravel the international conspiracy.
New on Blu-ray from Magnolia Home Entertainment is Eshom Nelms and Ian Nelms' Red Right Hand, starring Orlando Bloom, Andie MacDowell, Brian Geraghty, Garret Dillahunt, Alexandra Park and Scott Haze.
Description: Cash (Orlando Bloom) is trying to live an honest and quiet life taking care of his recently orphaned niece Savannah (Chapel Oaks) in the Appalachian town of Odim County. When the sadistic kingpin Big Cat, (Andie MacDowell) who runs the town, forces him back into her services, Cash learns he's capable of anything – even killing – to protect the town and the only family he has left. As the journey gets harder, Cash is drawn into a nightmare that blurs the lines between good and evil.
Finally for new releases this week, Film Movement have a Blu-ray for Jessica Hausner's Club Zero, starring Mia Wasikowska, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Sam Hoare, Camilla Rutherford, Amanda Lawrence and Elsa Zylberstein.
Description: At an international boarding school, an unassuming, yet rigorous, Miss Novak (Mia Wasikowska) joins the teaching staff to instruct a new class on "conscious eating." Her impressionable teenage students each have their own reasons for joining the class – to improve fitness, reduce their carbon footprint, or get extra credit. Although early lectures focus on mindful consumption, Miss Novak's discussions soon become increasingly disordered and extreme. A suspicious headmistress, concerned parents and the failing health of her students lead everyone to question the inscrutable Miss Novak's motivations for teaching the class. As a few devoted pupils fall deeper under her cult-like tutelage, they are given a new, even more sinister goal to aspire to – joining the ominous "Club Zero."
Combining a pitch-black comedic sensibility with elements of body horror, CLUB ZERO satirizes contemporary inclinations toward myopic insularity and blind faith brought on by anxieties regarding food, consumerism and environmental catastrophe. "Riddled with uncomfortable dialogue, audacious sequences, and a piercing score," this "future cult classic" (Screen Rant), which had its world premiere in competition at Cannes, is the latest from Austrian writer/director Jessica Hausner, one of Europe's most fearless and provocative auteurs.
Film Movement's Blu-ray of Club Zero contains interviews with Jessica Hausner and Mia Wasikowska, a masterclass with Hausner from the Munich International Film Festival and trailers. For a full disc breakdown, read Jeffrey Kauffman's Blu-ray review.
Turning to catalog titles, Kino Lorber have several Blu-ray releases on offer. They are:
A box set: The Sci-Fi Chillers Collection (1957-1966), a three-disc set including The Unknown Terror (1957), The Colossus of New York (1958) and Destination Inner Space (1966). Sourced from new 4K masters from Paramount Pictures, Kino presents the Sci-Fi Chillers Collection with new audio commentaries by film historian Stephen Bissette (The Unknown Terror), film historians Tom Weaver, Larry Blamire and Ron Adams (The Colossus of New York), and film historians David Del Valle and Miles Hunter (Destination Inner Space) as well as sidebars on The Colossus of New York and Destination Inner Space with Bissette and Tim Lucas.
A special edition of Sam Firstenberg's Revenge of the Ninja (1983), starring Shô Kosugi, Keith Vitali, Virgil Frye, Kane Kosugi, Professor Toru Tanaka and Mario Gallo. Originally released by Kino in 2015, this special edition is authored on a dual-layered BD-50 disc and adds a new audio commentary by film historians Mike Leeder and Arne Venema. Additional extras include audio commentary with Sam Firstenberg and stunt coordinator Steven Lambert, an introduction by Firstenberg a photo gallery and a theatrical trailer.
A 4K UHD and remastered Blu-ray for John Waters' Cry-Baby (1990), starring Johnny Depp, Amy Locane, Susan Tyrrell, Polly Bergen, Iggy Pop and Ricki Lake. Kino presents the theatrical cut of the film (sourced from a 4K scan of the original camera negative) on 4K UHD with Dolby Vision HDR, while the director's cut of the film is presented on Blu-ray from the remaster (with additional footage sourced from the the Director's Cut Interpositive and missing footage upscaled from SD video). New for this release is an audio commentary on the theatrical cut with John Waters, (moderated by Black Mansion Films Producer Heather Buckley), as well as the new featurette Bringing Up Baby (featuring interviews with Waters, associate producer / casting director Pat Moran, cinematographer David Insley and actress Mink Stole) and new interviews with actors Amy Locane, Traci Lords, Iggy Pop, Ricki Lake, Patricia Hearst, Darren E. Burrows and Stephen Mailer, as well as barber Howard 'Hep" Preston. Additional extras include the documentary It Came from… Baltimore!/i (2005), five deleted scenes and a theatrical trailer.
Finally from Kino is a Blu-ray for Monk: The Complete Seventh Season (2008-2009). The four-disc set contains all 16 episodes, sourced from new 4K masters, and includes an Anatomy of an Episode featurette, six video commentaries, a Monk P.I. promotional ad and five Little Monk webisodes as extras.