New Releases for June 14!

New Release Tuesday! Any day that sees the latest from Michael Bay AND Paul Verhoeven is a big one. Plus so much more!

AMBULANCE (2022)

Over one day across the streets of L.A., three lives will change forever. In this breakneck thriller from director-producer Michael Bay, Will Sharp (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), in desperate need of money asks for help from his career-criminal brother Danny (Jake Gyllenhaal), who instead offers him a score: the biggest bank heist in Los Angeles history: $32 million. But when their getaway goes spectacularly wrong, the desperate brothers hijack an ambulance with a wounded cop and ace EMT Cam Thompson (Eiza González) onboard. In a high-speed pursuit, Will and Danny must evade a massive law enforcement response and keep their hostages alive, while executing the most insane escape L.A. has ever seen. (Blu-ray)

BENEDETTA (2021)

A 17th-century nun in Italy suffers from disturbing religious and erotic visions. She is assisted by a companion, and the relationship between the two women develops into a romantic love affair. (BLU-RAY & DVD)

BILLIONS: SEASON 6 (2016) (4 DISKS)

In season six of BILLIONS, the dust clears to reveal a world that has evolved. With Axe (Damian Lewis) gone and Michael Prince (Corey Stoll) assuming his place, Chuck (Academy Award nominee and Emmy Award winner Paul Giamatti) must develop a new strategy that is keener and more sophisticated than before. All the players, from Wags (David Costabile) to Wendy (Maggie Siff), from Taylor (Asia Kate Dillon) to Sacker (Condola Rashad), and of course Senior (Jeffrey DeMunn), must sharpen their weapons and look for new alliances in order to survive. (DVD)

CAGED BIRDS (2020)

In CAGED BIRDS, Barbara “Babs” Hug (Marie Leuenberger, The Divine Order) is a young radical lawyer fighting Switzerland’s antiquated prison system in the 1980s, and finds it to be an endless, draining battle. One day, she’s approached by the country’s most wanted criminal, Walter Stürm (Joel Basman, The Monuments Men), in a public square. Intelligent and sensitive, “Walti” –nicknamed “The Jailbreak King” — isn’t your average criminal, as he’s recently escaped from prison for the seventh time. He’s also a Robin Hood-like figure and Swiss counter-cultural icon, taunting the establishment with outrageous thefts and media savvy. Babs quickly sees an opportunity to use his popularity to reform the penal system, and they form an unlikely alliance. That plan, however, goes awry when the unpredictable Stürm uses his newfound freedom to commit another crime, and soon finds the authorities closing in. Using her connections, she finds the charming criminal temporary refuge with a militant organization, and takes him on as a client. Stürm, however, has a very different ideology of freedom, and proves to be far more difficult to manage than she ever realized. (DVD)

CHELSEA DETECTIVE: SERIES 1 (2022) (2 DISKS)

London’s Chelsea neighborhood is a beautiful borough for beautiful people, but it has a dark underside of deception, violence, greed―and murder. Bodies have a way of showing up, and things are rarely what they seem. DI Max Arnold (Adrian Scarborough) and his partner, DS Priya Shamsie (Sonita Henry), must root out the truth and bring those responsible to justice, no matter their wealth or status. (DVD)

CLOUDY MOUNTAIN (2021)

When a tunnel under construction is threatened by a chain reaction of natural disasters, it’s up to a father and his scientist son to save the small town in the newly built path of danger. (DVD)

COMEDY CONFESSIONS (2018)

There are over 58,000 homeless people in Los Angeles County, and on any given night, there are over 550,000 homeless people in America. Here are three of their stories, told in their own words. COMEDY CONFESSIONS takes you on a journey into the lives of three struggling comedians who have decided to pursue their dreams of careers in stand-up comedy despite the harsh realities of being homeless. For these comedians, their cars are lifesavers providing safety and shelter at night and transportation to auditions and performances during the day. Their daily struggle to avoid sleeping on the street is startlingly juxtaposed with the extravagant wealth of the opulent mansions they park in front of at night. One of them, Tiffany Haddish will achieve her dreams to become a true Hollywood movie star, the other two, Doc Jones and Steve Lolli find the lure of the spotlight takes an unforgiving toll on their hopes and ambitions. This honest and touching movie is told in their own words revealing the passions, dedication and pains that drive them. (DVD)

EXPANSE, THE: SEASON 4 (2015) (3 DISKS)

With the Ring Gates now open to thousands of new planets, a blood-soaked gold rush begins, igniting new conflicts between Earth, Mars and the Belt. Meanwhile, on one unexplored planet, the Rocinante crew gets caught in a violent clash between an Earth mining corporation and desperate Belter settlers as deadly new threats from the protomolecule emerge. (DVD)

FAREWELL AMOR (2020) (CRITERION)

In her luminous feature debut, filmmaker Ekwa Msangi chronicles a broken family’s journey to wholeness with empathy and insight. Seventeen years after his family was separated by the civil war in Angola, a New York taxi driver (Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine) is reunited with his now devoutly religious wife (Zainab Jah) and teenage daughter (Jayme Lawson) when they are finally able to follow him to America. But after living thousands of miles apart for so long, the three find they must discover one another’s strengths, forgive one another’s weaknesses, and bridge cultural and generational divides in order to build a life together. Told in three perspective-shifting chapters that honor the multitude of struggles and emotions that make up the immigrant experience, Farewell Amor is a bittersweet, compassionate evocation of how it feels when your heart and your home are in different places. (BLU-RAY & DVD)

FATHER STU (2022)

Based on a true story, Father Stu is an unflinchingly honest, funny and uplifting story about finding purpose in a most unexpected place. After surviving a terrible motorcycle accident, Stuart Long (Mark Wahlberg) wonders if he can use his second chance to help others find their way — and leads this former amateur boxer to the surprising realization that he is meant to be a priest. Despite a devastating health crisis and the skepticism of Church officials and his estranged parents (Mel Gibson and Jacki Weaver), Stu pursues his vocation with courage and compassion, inspiring not only those closest to him but countless others along the way. (DVD)

FATHERHOOD (2021)

Kevin Hart stars in a heartwarming true story about a widowed dad who copes with doubts, fears, heartache and dirty diapers as he sets out to raise his daughter on his own. (DVD)

FEAR (2020)

Svetla, a strong-willed widow, lives alone in a small Bulgarian village close to the Turkish border. She has recently lost her job as a teacher due to the lack of families with young children. One day, while hunting in a forest, she encounters an African refugee, Bamba, who is trying to reach Germany, and will bring about a dramatic turn in her life. Reluctantly, she offers him hospitality, but day after day, a bond develops as Bamba learns the language and takes part in her daily life. Svetla will make life-changing choices that go against her traditional community creating a revolt among the villagers. Absurd, comic and tragic situations ensue as she breaks barriers of loneliness, close mindedness and fear of the outsider. Bulgaria’s official submission to the 2022 Academy Awards. (DVD)

FOR ME AND MY GAL (1942) (WARNER ARCHIVE)

Judy Garland and Gene Kelly star in the classic musical directed by Busby Berkeley. Young vaudeville performers Harry Palmer and Jo Hayden (Kelly and Garland) dream of stardom, but the United States enters World War I and Harry receives his draft notice–trapping the two between their obligation to each other’s dreams and their duty to their country. (Blu-ray)

GOLD (2022)

In the not too distant future, two drifters (Zac Efron, Anthony Hayes) traveling through the desert stumble across the biggest gold nugget ever found and the dream of immense wealth and greed takes hold. They hatch a plan to excavate their bounty with one man leaving to secure the necessary tools. The other man remains and must endure harsh desert elements, ravenous wild dogs, and mysterious intruders, while battling the sinking suspicion that he has been abandoned to his own fate. (DVD)

GUILTY, THE/HIGH TIDE (1947) BLU-RAY

The Guilty (1947), released by Monogram Pictures, is a triumph of resourcefulness for its nomadic Viennese director, John Reinhardt. Based on a short story by legendary suspense writer Cornell Woolrich, this little-seen B movie centers on war veterans Mike Carr (Don Castle) and Johnny Dixon (Wally Cassell), roommates in a low-rent tenement. They are romantically entangled with twin sisters Estelle and Linda Mitchell (Bonita Granville, in a dual role). When one sister turns up dead, the boys are hounded by a suspicious police inspector (Regis Toomey)—although there’s no shortage of suspects. Working on only three sets, with a shoestring budget, Reinhardt and director of photography Henry Sharp evoke the dreadful, dead-of-night ambiance that was the domain of the era’s most prolific noir scribe, Cornell Woolrich.

Thanks to the dedication of the Film Noir Foundation, The Guilty has been restored from a 35mm nitrate composite fine-grain master by UCLA Film & Television Archive.

High Tide (1947) forgotten noir, set in a spectacularly corrupt Los Angeles, is a crackling crime thriller rescued thanks to the combined efforts of the Film Noir Foundation, UCLA Film & Television Archive, and the British Film Institute.

Restoration funding was provided by the Film Noir Foundation in conjunction with the Packard Humanities Institute. The action gets rolling with one of the greatest framing gimmicks in noir: a speeding car crashes onto a rocky shoreline and its occupants, newspaper editor Hugh Fresney (Lee Tracy) and private eye Tim Slade (Don Castle) recount the plot as the rising tide threatens to drown them. (BLU-RAY and DVD)

HACKS: SEASON 1 (2021) (2 DISKS)

Multiple Emmy Award winner Jean Smart stars as a legendary Las Vegas comedian who is forced to hire an ambitious young writer (Hannah Einbinder). These two talented comedic voices from different generations form an unlikely bond in this new comedy from Broad City alums Paul W. Downs, Lucia Aniello and Jen Statsky and Emmy Award—winning executive producer Michael Schur. (DVD)

HERZOG: THE COLLECTION Vol. 2

He has taken his camera to parts of the world no other director would dare go and told stories in ways no one had ever considered. These eleven films illustrate why Werner Herzog is the most daring, visionary and dangerous filmmaker of our lifetime — the director that both Milos Forman and François Truffaut have called “the greatest filmmaker alive today.” Films include: SIGNS OF LIFE (1968), THE GREAT ECSTASY OF WOODCARVER STEINER (1974), HOW MUCH WOOD WOULD A WOODCHUCK CHUCK (1976), LA SOUFRIÈRE (1977), GOD’S ANGRY MAN (1981), HUIE’S SERMON (1981), THE DARK GLOW OF THE MOUNTAINS (1985), HERDSMEN OF THE SUN (1989) ECHOES FROM A SOMBER EMPIRE (1990), WHEEL OF TIME (2003), THE WILD BLUE YONDER (2005)

INFINITE STORM (2022)

Based on the thrilling true survival story. As an experienced climber (Naomi Watts) ascends New Hampshire’s Mt. Washington, a huge blizzard approaches, forcing her to turn back before reaching the summit. On her way down she encounters a lone, stranded man, taking it upon herself to get them both down the mountain before they succumb to the storm and nightfall. (DVD)

KING TWEETY (2022)

Tweety’s large and in charge as he takes the throne in this zany new full-length movie. When the queen of an island paradise disappears, Tweety unexpectedly becomes next in line for the crown. His Little Highness’ entourage includes motorbike daredevil Granny and sly Sylvester, whose allegiance is tested when he uncovers a sinister plot to eliminate Tweety for good! Feathers and fur will fly in this hilarious story that proves royalty – and loyalty – can come in many shapes and sizes. (DVD)

LOVE SLAVES OF THE AMAZONS (1957)

From Curt Siodmak, the sensational mind behind The Wolf Man, The Ape, The Magnetic Monster, I Walk with a Zombie and Donovan’s Brain, comes the thrilling Love Slaves of the Amazons. An American archaeologist (Don Taylor, The Naked City) and his partner (Eduardo Ciannelli, Mysterious Doctor Satan) are captured by a lost tribe of women warriors intent on turning the men into their “love slaves.” Together with another captive, Gina, they must escape from the lustful clutches of the Amazons if they hope to return to civilization. Beautifully filmed on location in Brazil, this eye-popping, action-packed adventure features river pirates, alligators, snakes, exotic dance numbers and green-skinned beauties of the jungle! (BLU-RAY)

MORBIUS (2022)

Biochemist Michael Morbius tries to cure himself of a rare blood disease, but he inadvertently infects himself with a form of vampirism instead. (BLU-RAY and DVD)

MR. JONES (2019)

Agnieszka Holland’s thriller, set on the eve of world WWII, sees Hitler’s rise to power and Stalin’s Soviet propaganda machine pushing their “utopia” to the Western world. Meanwhile an ambitious young journalist, Gareth Jones (Norton) travels to Moscow to uncover the truth behind the propaganda, but then gets a tip that could expose an international conspiracy, one that could cost him and his informant their lives. Jones goes on a life-or-death journey to uncover the truth behind the façade that would later inspire George Orwell’s seminal book Animal Farm. (DVD)

NEW GAME!: SEASON 1&2 (2016) (4 DISKS)

Aoba Suzukaze just landed her dream job at a video game company, but the office culture is challenging for this total noob. From her first day, to eventually following her manager’s footsteps and training recruits, she’s got a lot of skills to level up. (BLU-RAY)

OFF SEASON (2022)

Marie becomes stranded on the isolated offshore island where her late mother is buried and realizes that something is not quite right in this small town. She must unveil the mystery behind her mother’s troubled past to make it out alive. (DVD)

POLICE: AROUND THE WORLD (1982)

Around the World, available for the first time on Blu-ray, is presented with restored picture and remastered audio. It follows The Police on their first world tour in 1979-80. The film offers a jovial glimpse of the band as they travel the globe with visits to local sights between performances. It includes complete performances of 4 songs as bonus features. Live tracks featured on the Digipak CD were recorded in Japan, Hong Kong, and the UK. Limited Edition. (BLU-RAY)

PUTIN’S WITNESSES (2018)

On December 31, 1999, Russian president Boris Yeltsin went on live television just before midnight. He announced he was stepping down, and his chosen successor, Vladimir Putin, would take over as acting president. Putin promised a presidential election in three months. Soon after, Mansky set to work filming Putin and those around him. As a director working for Russian state TV, his purpose was making a film that would boost Putin’s electoral success. In PUTIN’S WITNESSES, Mansky―now an acclaimed filmmaker (UNDER THE SUN)― looks back at that footage. We get early glimpses of Putin’s casual ruthlessness, and watch as Mansky stages heartwarming scenes, like Putin “dropping in” on one of his former teachers. Mansky is with Boris Yeltsin on election night, when the newly elected president snubs him, and in the war room with the election braintrust―most of whom have since become political foes. (Several have died under questionable circumstances.) Putin is clearly at ease with Mansky, allowing the director to stage him, and candidly discussing with him choices like his decision to reinstate former Soviet symbols of glory, including a new version of the Soviet national anthem. PUTIN’S WITNESSES serves as a fascinating look at Putin in the earliest days of his presidency, when the seeds of his authoritarianism were already being sown. It also raises difficult questions about the role of Mansky himself. As a filmmaker who witnessed and in some cases shaped these events, is he in some way complicit? DVD Includes “How Putin Came to Power” A detailed investigation, with archives and exclusive interviews with the participants, into how Vladimir Putin rose from mayoral aide in St. Petersburg, to President of Russia, in only eight years. (DVD)

RAG DOLL (2021) (2 DISKS)

DS Rose and his colleagues, newly promoted DI Baxter and young American ingenue, DC Edmunds are called to a grim discovery in a block of flats. Rose sets out on a secret investigation to find the killer before it’s too late. (DVD)

RAILWAY HEROES (2021)

Based on a true story. In the winter of 1939, when the Japanese army captures the Jin-Pu Railway in Shandong during World War II, an underground resistance group forms to combat them. In Mandarin with English subtitles. (DVD)

RESTART THE EARTH (2021)

A task force is sent to stop a new breed of plants that can think, react, and grow at an exponential rate, taking over cities and eradicating human life on Earth. (DVD)

SEARCHING FOR MR. RUGOFF (2019)

The true story of Donald Rugoff, the crazy genius who kicked art films into the mainstream in the 1960’s and 1970’s with outrageous marketing schemes and pure bluster. Rugoff’s impact on cinema culture in the United States is inestimable, and his influence on the art film business is undeniable. Yet, mysteriously, Rugoff has become a virtually forgotten figure. (DVD)

SMURFS, THE: SEASON 1 VOLUME 1 (2021)

Join these beloved blue characters as they go on ALL-NEW adventures that will push the charm, absurdity, and humor of the original series to even greater heights! Smurf we go! (DVD)

TERROR LAKE DRIVE: SEASON 1 (2020)

In the midst of a pandemic and calls for social distancing, a single mother sets her sights on starting a new life by relocating to Atlanta, but quickly discovers she can’t outrun her past and a love gone wrong. (DVD)

TITANS – COMPLETE 1ST & 2ND SEASONS

This gritty take on classic Teen Titans characters follows a team of soon-to-be Super Heroes. In Season One, Detective Dick Grayson/Robin emerges from the shadows of his traumatic past when he crosses paths with Rachel Roth/Raven, a teen possessed by a strange darkness. When they become entangled in a conspiracy that could spark Hell on Earth, they are joined by the mysterious Kory Anders/Starfire and loveable Gar Logan/Beast Boy. In Season Two, the Titans reteam with Hank Hall/Hawk, Dawn Granger/Dove, Jason Todd/Robin and Donna Troy/Wonder Girl, who have attempted to transition into regular lives. But when old enemies resurface, everyone must come together to take care of unfinished business. As the old and new Titans – including Conner Kent/Superboy and Rose Wilson/Ravager – learn to coexist, the arrival of Slade Wilson/Deathstroke brings to light the sins of the past, threatening to tear apart the Titans family once more. (DVD)

VIVE L’AMOUR (1996)

The sophomore feature from Tsai Ming-liang (REBELS OF THE NEON GOD; GOODBYE, DRAGON INN) finds the acclaimed master of Taiwan’s Second New Wave demonstrating a confident new cinematic voice. VIVE L’AMOUR follows three characters unknowingly sharing a supposedly empty Taipei apartment. The beautiful realtor May Lin (Yang Kuei-mei) brings her lover Ah-jung (Chen Chao-jung) to a vacant unit she has on the market, unaware that it is secretly being occupied by the suicidal funeral salesman Hsiao-kang (Lee Kang-sheng). The three cross paths in a series of precisely staged, tragicomic erotic encounters, but despite their physical proximity, they find themselves no closer to a personal connection. Featuring an intoxicating mix of Antonioni-esque longing and surprising deadpan humor, VIVE L’AMOUR catapulted Tsai to the top of the international filmmaking world and earned him the prestigious Golden Lion at the 1994 Venice International Film Festival (BLU-RAY and DVD)

WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING (2021)

Seeking shelter from a storm, a family find themselves trapped for days with no sign of rescue and untold evils lurking just beyond the walls in this wildly fun house-of-horrors thrill ride. (DVD)

WHY IS WE AMERICANS? (2020)

From the Newark Rebellion of 1967 to current day, the city’s narrative has been one of revolution with each generation picking up where the previous had left off. WHY IS WE AMERICANS? weighs in on Newark’s struggle against oppression through the personal triumphs and tragedies of the Baraka family — from Amiri’s civil rights leadership and ultimate artistic marginalization, to the horrific murder of his sister, Kimako, through the homicide of daughter Shani (one of the first openly gay black activists) to the historic election of Ras Baraka as mayor of Newark, NJ. And through it all, it is the matriarch, Amina Baraka, who emerges as story’s lode star and moral compass. Spanning decades of social activism, poetry, music, art, and politics, this kaleidoscopic family saga is framed by on-camera interviews with Ms. Lauryn Hill, rare archival footage and revealing personal testimonials. As we connect with the iconoclastic poet Amiri Baraka, his wife, Amina, and their son, Ras, a portrait of a city emerges with an inspiring call to arms in the fight for class and racial justice. (DVD)

WILDE (1997)

This lush, historical drama is based on the late Richard Ellmann’s definitive biography of creative genius and author Oscar Wilde. (BLU-RAY)

WITCHES, THE (2020)

Based on Roald Dahl’s 1983 classic book ‘The Witches’, the story tells the scary, funny and imaginative tale of a seven year old boy who has a run in with some real life witches! (DVD)

Category: New Releases

Tags: New Releases

Content Archives

Scarecrow

Uniting People With Film

New Releases for June 14!

You can help the Scarecrow Project!