Posted February 23, 2025 11:38 PM by Sean Greenwood
For the week of February 24th, Decal Releasing, in association with Bleecker Street, will release Mike Leigh's Hard Truths, starring Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Michele Austin, David Webber, Elliot Edusah, Tuwaine Barrett and Sophia Brown.
Description: Mike Leigh returns to the contemporary world with a fierce, compassionate, and often darkly humorous study of family and the thorny ties that bind us. Reunited with Leigh for the first time since multiple Oscar-nominated Secrets and Lies, the astonishing Marianne Jean-Baptiste plays Pansy, a woman wracked by fear, tormented by afflictions, and prone to raging tirades against her husband, son, and anyone who looks her way. Meanwhile, her easygoing younger sister, played by Michele Austin (Another Year), is a single mother with a life as different from Pansy's as their clashing temperaments - brimming with communal warmth from her salon clients and daughters alike. This expansive film from a master dramatist takes us into the intensities of kinship, duty, and the most enduring of human mysteries: that even through lifetimes of hurt and hardship, we still find ways to love those we call family.
Also coming from Decal Releasing is a Blu-ray for Asif Kapadia's 2073, starring Samantha Morton, Naomi Ackie, Hector Hewer, Maria Ressa, Carole Cadwalladr and Rana Ayyub Ben Rhodes.
Description: It's the year 2073, and the worst fears of modern life have been realized. Surveillance drones fill the burnt orange skies and militarized police roam the wrecked streets, while survivors hide away underground, struggling to remember a free and hopeful existence.
In this ingenious mixture of visionary science fiction and speculative nonfiction, Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Asif Kapadia (Amy) transports us to a future foreshadowed by the terrifying realities of our present moment. Two-time Academy Award® nominee Samantha Morton (In America, Sweet and Lowdown, Minority Report) plays a survivor besieged by nightmare visions of the past—a past that happens to be our present, visualized through contemporary footage interconnecting today's global crises of authoritarianism, unchecked big tech, inequality, and global climate change. 2073 is an urgent, unshakable vision of a dystopic future that could very well be our own.
New on Blu-ray from Shudder is Kurtis David Harder's Influencer, starring Cassandra Naud, Emily Tennant, Rory J Saper, Sara Canning, Justin Sams and Paul Spurrier.
Description: While struggling on a solo backpacking trip, social media influencer Madison meets CW, who shows her a more uninhibited way of living. But CW's interest in Madison takes a darker turn.
Shudder's Blu-ray of Influencer contains two filmmaker commentary tracks, deleted and extended scenes, proof of concept footage, behind-the-scenes, a teaser, trailer and a booklet with an essay by Molly Henery. For a full release breakdown, read Brian Orndorf's Blu-ray review.
New on Blu-ray and 4K UHD from Capelight Pictures is Kim Tae-gon's Project Silence (프로젝트 사일런스), starring Lee Sun-kyun, Ju Ji-Hoon, Kim Hee-won, Moon Sung-Keun, Ye Soo-jung and Kim Su-an.
Description: Jung-won and his daughter are on their way to Incheon Airport when a thick fog causes a massive chain-reaction crash on the airport bridge. They get stuck in the chaos with a group of people including a brash-yet-harmless tow truck driver. Things take a turn for the worse when mutated military dogs are accidentally released from their transport vehicle and start preying upon humans, putting the group in a terrifying life-or-death situation.
As the bridged is shut down, it is now up to Jung-won aided by the other survivors to figure out a way to make it through the night while uncovering the conspiracy behind the dogs.
Capelight Pictures' Blu-ray releases of Project Silence contain the film's Korean: Dolby Atmos audio with English subtitles, as well as an English dubbed audio option and Dolby Vision HDR on the 4K UHD disc.
Note: Capelight's 4K UHD release of Project Silence is currently only available in SteelBook packaging.
Description: Descend into the world of true-crime podcasts. This NAACP Image Award–winning mystery anthology drama series stars Octavia Spencer as podcaster Poppy Parnell, who risks everything—including her life—to pursue truth and justice. Kate Hudson joins Octavia Spencer for the new season of this gripping mystery. Based on the novel by Kathleen Barber, "Truth Be Told" provides a unique glimpse into America's obsession with true crime podcasts and challenges its viewers to consider the consequences when the pursuit of justice is placed on a public stage.
Fifth Season's Blu-ray of Truth Be Told: The Complete Series is an eight-disc box set with all three seasons.
Turning to catalog titles, Film Masters has a Blu-ray for Dudley Murphy's The Emperor Jones (1933), starring Paul Robeson, Dudley Digges, Frank H. Wilson, Fredi Washington, Ruby Elzy and George Haymid Stamper. Sourced from a new master, Film Masters presents The Emperor Jones with audio commentary by Karen Burroughs Hannsberry, the feature-length Paul Robeson documentary The Tallest Tree in Our Forest (1977), as well as a full-color booklet with an essay by Hannsberry.
New on 4K UHD from Lionsgate Home Entertainment is Carol Reed's The Third Man (1949), starring Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles, Trevor Howard, Paul Hörbiger and Ernst Deutsch. Sourced from a new 4K master, Lionsgate presents The Third Man with DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono audio and HDR on the 4K UHD disc. Extras include a 2010 audio commentary by Guy Hamilton, Simon Callow, and Angela Allen, the 2024 featurette Noreen Ackland on Saving The Third Man, the documentary Shadowing The Third Man (2005), the archival featurettes The Third Man Interactive Tour, The Third Man on the Radio, The Third Man - A Filmmaker's Influence, and Restoring The Third Man, an interview and zither performance by Cornelia Mayer, Joseph Cotten's alternate narration for the US version, a behind-the-scenes still gallery and a 75th anniversary trailer. Packaging includes a poster, four art cards and a"56-page booklet featuring on-set photos and essays describing the cinematic impact of The Third Man".
Coming to Blu-ray from Kino Lorber is Dick Powell's The Conqueror (1956), starring John Wayne, Susan Hayward, Pedro Armendáriz, Agnes Moorehead, Thomas Gomez and John Hoyt. Kino presents The Conqueror with a new audio commentary by film historian David Del Valle and film historian / producer Dan Marino, as well as the film's theatrical trailer.
Also coming to Blu-ray from Kino is Gary Nelson's miniseries Noble House (AKA James Clavell's Noble House) (1988), starring Pierce Brosnan, Deborah Raffin, Ben Masters, John Rhys-Davies, Julia Nickson and Nancy Kwan. Kino presents Noble House with new audio commentaries on all four episodes by TV historian Amanda Reyes, joined by Hong Kong film historian Frank Djeng (on Episode 2), Projection Booth podcast host Mike White (on Episode 3) and Scott Humphries (on Episode 4).
Coming to remastered Blu-ray and 4K UHD from Kino is Ralph S. Singleton's Graveyard Shift (AKA Stephen King's Graveyard Shift) (1990), starring David Andrews, Stephen Macht, Andrew Divoff, Brad Dourif, Robert Alan Beuth and Kelly Wolf. Sourced from a new 4K scan of the original camera negative, Kino presents Graveyard Shift with lossless 2.0 or 5.1 audio tracks and Dolby Vision HDR on the 4K UHD disc. Extras include a new audio commentary by film historians Howard S. Berger and Marc Edward Heuck, while the Blu-ray additionally includes interviews with Ralph S. Singleton, Stephen Macht, Kelly Wolf and Alan Beuth, as well as the film's theatrical trailer.
Finally from Kino comes a 4K UHD release for Eric Red's Body Parts (1991), starring Jeff Fahey, Kim Delaney, Zakes Mokae, Lindsay Duncan, Brad Dourif and Paul Ben-Victor. Sourced from a new 4K scan of the original camera negative, Kino presents Graveyard Shift with lossless 2.0 or 5.1 audio tracks and Dolby Vision HDR. Extras include audio commentary by Eric Red, while a special features Blu-ray includes interviews with Eric Red editor Anthony Redman and actors Paul Ben-Victor and Peter Murnik, as well as a stills gallery, TV spots and the film's theatrical trailer.
Coming to remastered Blu-ray and 4K UHD from the Criterion Collection is Donald Cammell and Nicolas Roeg's Performance (1970), starring James Fox, Mick Jagger, Anita Pallenberg, Michèle Breton, Ann Sidney and John Bindon. Sourced from a new 4K master, Criterion presents Performance with its original UK version LPCM Mono audio and Dolby Vision HDR on the 4K UHD disc. Extras include the documentary Donald Cammell: The Ultimate Performance (1998), a new visual essay about David Litvinoff (the film's dialogue coach and technical adviser), interviews with the actors, a program on the dubbing for the US version of the film, the archival featurettes Influence and Controversy: Making "Performance" (2007) and Memo from Turner, as well as a trailer. Also included is "an essay by film critic Ryan Gilbey and a 1995 article by scholar Peter Wollen".
Also coming to 4K UHD from Criterion is Guillermo del Toro's Cronos (1993), starring Federico Luppi, Ron Perlman, Claudio Brook, Tamara Xanath, Margarita Isabel and Juan Carlos Colombo. Sourced from a new 4K master (supervised and approved by Guillermo del Toro), Criterion presents Cronos with DTS-HD MA 2.0 Surround audio and Dolby Vision HDR. Extras include commentary in English with Guillermo del Toro and commentary in Spanish with producers Arthur H. Gorson and Bertha Navarro and co-producer Alejandro Springall, while an included copy of Criterion's 2010 Blu-ray also includes del Toro's short film Geometria (1987 / 2010), a tour of del Toro's home office, interviews with del Toro, Ron Perlman and Federico Luppi, a stills gallery and a trailer. Also included is "an essay by film critic Maitland McDonagh and excerpts from del Toro's notes for the film". For a full release breakdown, read Svet Atanasov's 4K UHD review.
Coming to Blu-ray from Radiance Films is Kinji Fukasaku's Hokuriku Proxy War (北陸代理戦争) (1977), starring Shin'ichi Chiba, Kô Nishimura, Nenji Kobayashi, Harumi Sone, Tatsuo Endô and Mikio Narita. Sourced from an HD master provided by Toei, Radiance presents Hokuriku Proxy War with Japanese: LPCM 2.0 audio and optional, newly-improved English subtitles. Extras include new interviews with actress Yoko Takahashi, screenwriter Koji Takada and Yakuza film historian Akihiko Ito, as well as a theatrical trailer for the film. Limited edition content includes a "booklet featuring newly translated archival writings on the film". For a full release breakdown, read Jeffrey Kauffman's Blu-ray review.
Also on Blu-ray from Radiance is Dominik Graf's The Cat (Die Katze) (1988), starring Götz George, Gudrun Landgrebe, Joachim Kemmer, Heinz Hoenig, Ralf Richter, Ulrich Gebauer. Sourced from an HD master (with additional grading by Radiance, overseen by Dominik Graf), Radiance presents The Cat with a choice of German: DTS-HD MA 2.0 or 5.1 audio options and optional, newly-translated English subtitles. Extras include new select-scene audio commentary by Dominik Graf, new interviews with Graf, screenwriter Christoph Fromm and producer Georg Feil, as well as a theatrical trailer for the film. Limited edition content includes a booklet with an essay by Brandon Streussnig. For a full release breakdown, read Jeffrey Kauffman's Blu-ray review.
Coming to 4K UHD from Arrow Video is William Friedkin's Cruising (1980), starring Al Pacino, Paul Sorvino, Karen Allen, Richard Cox, Don Scardino and Joe Spinell. Sourced from a brand new remaster from the original 35mm camera negative by Arrow, they present Cruising in its original theatrical version with DTS-HD MA Mono audio and Dolby Vision HDR. Additional audio options include DTS-HD MA 2.0 Stereo and 5.1 remixes (both from the 2007 remaster), an alternate "Heavy Leather" soundtrack from 2019 (in DTS-HD MA 2.0) and the extra There Were Cops, a Dark Bar, and Al Pacino..., a new compilation of interviews which plays as an audio track over the film. Also included are two archival audio commentary tracks: one from 2007 with William Friedkin and another from Arrow's 2019 Blu-ray with Friedkin and critic and broadcaster Mark Kermode. Video extras include deleted scenes and additional footage, original on-set audio, including an interview with sound mixer Kim Ornitz, alternate elements used in the French and Spanish releases of the film, a comparison of censored material, a comparison of the masters used for the 2007 and 2019 releases of the film and this release, the 2007 featurettes The History of Cruising and Exorcising Cruising, the original teaser, theatrical trailer, TV spots (with test TV spots and optical tests for the TV spots), stills galleries of promotional items (from Argentina, Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain, Thailand, the UK, USA and Yugoslavia), key art, musical releases, an on-set sketch gallery and set items. A Blu-ray of extras contains new interviews with Karen Allen and actor and police advisor Randy Jurgensen, as well as legacy extras, including 2017 interviews with editor Bud S. Smith, actors Jay Acovone, Mike Starr and Mark Zecca, a 2022 BeyondFest Q & A with William Friedkin and more. Limited edition content includes a "120-page perfect-bound collector's book featuring articles from The Village Voice and The New York Times, essays from the film's extras cast, an introduction from William Friedkin, and an archive interview with Al Pacino". For a full release breakdown, read Jeffrey Kauffman's 4K UHD review.
Coming to 4K UHD from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is Milos Forman's Amadeus (1984), starring Tom Hulce, F. Murray Abraham, Elizabeth Berridge, Roy Dotrice, Simon Callow and Christine Ebersole. Previously only available on Blu-ray in a 2002 director's cut, the 1984 theatrical version of Amadeus won eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture. According to Warner: "the original theatrical release version of Amadeus was digitally restored in 2024 by the Academy Film Archive and the Saul Zaentz Co.", and Warner present this version of Amadeus with DTS-HD MA 5.0 audio and HDR. Extras include the new featurette Amadeus: The Making of a Masterpiece and the documentary The Making of Amadeus (2002). For a full release breakdown, read Randy Miller's 4K UHD review.
Coming to 4K UHD from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is Howard Zieff's My Girl (1991), starring Dan Aykroyd, Jamie Lee Curtis, Macaulay Culkin, Anna Chlumsky, Richard Masur and Griffin Dunne. Sourced from a 4K scan of the original camera negative, Sony presents My Girl with a choice of DTS-HD MA 2.0 or 5.1 audio tracks Dolby Vision HDR (HDR grade approved by cinematographer Paul Elliott). Extras include commentary with writer Laurice Elehwany, A Day on the Set featurettes and an original behind-the-scenes featurette, as well as a theatrical trailer.
Also coming from Sony are Blu-rays for Mike Van Diem's Character (Karakter) (1997), starring Jan Decleir, Fedja Van Huet, Betty Schuurman, Tamar Van Den Dop, Victor Low and Hans Kesting and Emanuele Crialese's Respiro (2002), starring Valeria Golino, Vincenzo Amato, Francesco Casisa, Veronica D'Agostino, Filippo Pucillo, and Muzzi Loffredo. Both films are making their worldowide debuts on Blu-ray.
Finally this week, Unearthed Films have a Blu-ray and 4K UHD release for David Grieco's Evilenko (2003), starring Malcolm McDowell, Marton Csokas, Ronald Pickup, Frances Barber, John Benfield and Ihor Ciszkewycz. Sourced from a new 4K scan of the original camera negative, Unearthed Films presents Evilenko with DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio and HDR on the 4K UHD disc. Extras include audio commentary with David Grieco and Malcolm McDowell, while an included Blu-ray additionally features 81-minutes of cast and crew interviews, including Grieco, McDowell, Marton Csokas, Ronald Pickup and composer Angelo Badalamenti, the featurette Evilenko Dossier: Andrei Chikatilo, a 69-minute retrospective interview with Grieco and McDowell from 2021, a photo gallery and an original trailer. For full release breakdowns, read Kenneth Brown's Blu-ray review and 4K UHD review.