by Darcy Moynahan

It’s New Release Tuesday! This week we’ve got the fast, the furious, Pufnstuf, a newly heroic dognapper, love as well as basketball, Kurt Russell vs. truckers, a whole mess of Dolly Parton, Kubrick in 4K, and more!

ALFRED HITCHCOCK HOUR: SEASON 1 (DVD)

After 7 seasons of half-hour episodes, Alfred Hitchcock Presents expanded to an hour long program, retitled The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. Available as a complete series for the first time in North America (and in NTSC,) the first season features directorial turns by Hitchcock himself, along with Sydney Pollack and John Brahm, adapting stories by Patricia Highsmith, Cornell Woolrich, Richard Matheson, David Goodis, and a trio by Columbo creators Richard Levinson and William Link.

BACK: SEASON 2 (2021) (DVD)

One of the United Kingdom’s most famous comedy duos, David Mitchell and Robert Webb, return again for this comedy series. The long struggle for control of the family pub between the two foster brothers, Stephen and Andrew continues and rivalries remain just as bitter as ever before. Stephen returns to the John Barleycorn feeling rejuvenated from some time away, only to find that Andrew, struggling under both the pressure and mundanity of landlording, is feeling restricted by his new responsibilities.

BARBARA LEE-SPEAKING TRUTH TO POWER (2020) (DVD)

With unique access to a sitting member of Congress, Barbara Lee: Speaking Truth to Power tells the complex story of Rep. Barbara Lee, a steadfast voice for human rights, peace, and economic and racial justice who was the lone vote in opposition to the broad authorization of military force following the September 11th attacks and is the highest-ranking African American woman in the United States Congress.

BATWOMAN-COMPLETE 2ND SEASON (2021) (DVD)

Season 2 kicks off with a game changer that alters Gotham and Team Bat forever. A new hero emerges from the shadows. Relatable and messy, Ryan Wilder couldn’t be more different than the woman who wore the Batsuit before her. Feeling trapped and powerless by the system, Ryan believes the Batsuit is the key to breaking out of it. But it’s not the suit that makes her powerful, it’s the woman inside.

BERLIN STATION SEASON 3 (2019) (DVD)

Transitioning from his job as a CIA analyst in the U.S., cerebral officer Daniel Miller’s new mission puts him under cover at the agency’s Berlin branch, tasked with sorting out messy cases involving damaging leaks, whistle-blowers, terrorism and more. Mentored by jaded veteran officer Hector DeJean, Daniel learns the disorderly world of field work means dealing with deception, danger and moral compromises. As he dives deeper into the German capital’s hall of mirrors and discovers conspiracies that lead back to Washington, D.C., he wonders if anyone can ever be the same after a posting to Berlin.

BIRD ON A WIRE (1990) (BLU-RAY)

From John Badham, the acclaimed director of Saturday Night Fever, Blue Thunder, WarGames, Stakeout and The Hard Way, comes this action-packed comedy starring screen legends Mel Gibson (Mad Max), Goldie Hawn (Deceived) and David Carradine (The Long Riders). Hiding under the FBI Witness Protection Program, Rick Jarmin (Gibson) gets nervous when old flame Marianne Graves (Hawn) recognizes him. But before he can assume a new identity, the man he put in jail (Carradine) is released and comes to pay his respects. Rick and Marianne find themselves thrown together on an exhilarating cross-country scramble, barely evading the gangsters, police and an amorous veterinarian (Joan Severance, See No Evil, Hear No Evil). The strong supporting cast includes Bill Duke (Predator), Stephen Tobolowsky (Mississippi Burning), Jeff Corey (The Balcony) and Clyde Kusatsu (The Challenge). The outstanding soundtrack features music by The Neville Brothers, The Allman Brothers Band and Bob Dylan.

BLUE CHIPS (1994) (BLU-RAY)

Pete Bell (Nick Nolte) is a college basketball coach who has to improve his team’s standing — by any means necessary. His hopes are pinned on a trio of talented players: Neon Boudeaux (Shaquille O’Neal), Butch McRae (Penny Hardaway) and Ricky Roe (Matt Nover). But in order to get them to sign to his school, Bell will have to illegally pay the players off. If he’s caught, it could destroy Bell’s coaching career and cast a cloud of shame over his team. Will he risk it all to win? 

BOYS FROM COUNTY HELL (2020) (DVD)

Strange events unfold in Six Mile Hill — a sleepy Irish town that claims to have been traveled by the famed author Bram Stoker — when construction on a new road disrupts the alleged grave of Abhartach, a legendary Irish vampire said to have inspired Dracula. Deadly and sinister forces terrorize the work crew led by Francie Moffat and his son Eugene, a free-spirited young man who prefers pints to pickaxes, and they’re forced to fight to survive the night while exposing the true horror that resides in the town’s local myth. 

BREAKDOWN (1997) (LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY)  

When married couple Jeff (Kurt Russell) and Amy Taylor’s (Kathleen Quinlan) car stalls on a remote Southwest highway, passing trucker “Red” Barr (J.T. Walsh) offers to drive Amy to a café down the road while Jeff stays behind. But when Jeff reaches the diner and both Red and the people there claim to have never seen him or his wife, a desperate and deadly search for the truth begins, in this hit suspense thriller. 

CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1971) (4K-UHD) (BLU-RAY)

Stanley Kubrick wrote and directed this dark, dazzling, satirical tale based on the novella by Anthony Burgess. In a dystopian future filled with marauding gangs, decaying cities, and bizarre technologies, psychotic teen Alex is sent to prison where he undergoes an intensive round of aversion therapy in an effort to break him of his ultra-violent tendencies. Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Godfrey Quigley star. Score includes Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, “Singin’ in the Rain,” and electronic music by Wendy Carlos.

CRUELLA (2021) (BLU-RAY) (DVD)

Academy Award winner Emma Stone (“La La Land”) stars in Disney’s “Cruella,” an all-new live-action feature film about the rebellious early days of one of cinema’s most notorious – and notoriously fashionable – villains, the legendary Cruella de Vil. “Cruella,” which is set in 1970s London amidst the punk rock revolution, follows a young grifter named Estella, a clever and creative girl determined to make a name for herself with her designs. She befriends a pair of young thieves who appreciate her appetite for mischief, and together they are able to build a life for themselves on the London streets. One day, Estella’s flair for fashion catches the eye of the Baroness von Hellman, a fashion legend who is devastatingly chic and terrifyingly haute, played by two-time Oscar winner Emma Thompson (“Howards End,” “Sense & Sensibility”). But their relationship sets in motion a course of events and revelations that will cause Estella to embrace her wicked side and become the raucous, fashionable and revenge-bent Cruella.

DEAD MEN DONT WEAR PLAID (1982) (BLU-RAY)

Steve Martin stars in the hilarious spoof of 1940’s film noir in Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid. Rigby Reardon (Martin) is the private eyes of private eyes. He’s tough, rough and ready to take on anything when Juliet Forrest (Rachel Ward) appears on the scene with a case: her father, a noted scientist, philanthropist and cheesemaker, had died mysteriously. Reardon immediately smells a rat and follows a complex maze of clues that lead him to the “Carlotta Lists.” With a little help from his “friends”, Alan Ladd, Barbra Stanwyck, Ray Milland, Burt Lancaster, Humphrey Bogart and Charles Laughton, Reardon gets his man. Directed by Carl Reiner and featuring clips of some of the most iconic film noir movies in Hollywood history, this unique film captures the fun and excitement the way of an unforgettable era in motion picture history!

DEMENTIA 13: DIRECTORS CUT (1963) (BLU-RAY)

After John Haloran (Peter Read) dies, his wife, Louise (Luana Anders), fears that she will be denied his inheritance. Fabricating a story about John traveling to the United States, she joins the rest of the Haloran family at their Irish estate as they hold a memorial for John’s sister, who died in a lake eight years ago. Louise schemes to convince Lady Haloran (Eithne Dunne) that she can speak with the dead child. However, this plan is interrupted by an axe murderer loose on the estate.

DOLLY: ULTIMATE COLLECTION (2021) (DVD)

Hold onto your wigs—this is truly the ultimate collection! This box set includes highlights from Dolly’s variety show, her early appearances from the 60s, interviews, concerts, TV appearances, etc. Honestly, who doesn’t love Dolly and can’t get enough of her? Who hasn’t been trying to go to Dollywood for years?? Who doesn’t want a huge wig to hide their mic packs in??? She’s a gem and needs to be remembered and this is the way to do it! Here’s more specifics on what you’ll find in this collection:

• 22 star-studded episodes of Dolly’s variety shows

• 7 episodes of The Porter Wagoner Show
• A special Christmas disc featuring A Down Home Country Christmas and Bob Hope’s Jolly Christmas Show
• Dolly’s spectacular Live and Well concert
• Dolly’s unforgettable Live from London concert 
• Rare TV appearances of Dolly throughout her career from The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The Oprah Winfrey Show, and Crook & Chase
• The entire Song by Song: Dolly Parton series
• Dolly’s University of Tennessee Commencement Address
• Classic duets with Dolly & Porter Wagoner
• Unforgettable Dolly Parton performances from the CMA Awards in the ’70s
• Exclusive, complete, and never-before-seen interviews
• BBC documentary Dolly Parton: Here I Am
• An Exclusive Collector’s Book

DOWN A DARK STAIRWELL (2020) (DVD)

When a Chinese-American police officer kills an innocent, unarmed Black man in a darkened stairwell of a New York City housing project, it sets off a firestorm of emotion and calls for accountability. When he becomes the first NYPD officer convicted of an on-duty shooting in over a decade, the fight for justice becomes complicated, igniting one of the largest Asian-American protests in history, disrupting a legacy of solidarity, and putting an uneven legal system into sharp focus.

DREAMING GRAND AVENUE (2020) (DVD)

Though they’ve never crossed paths in waking life, Maggie and Jimmy keep meeting in dreams. Each recently devastated by loss and struggling to find meaning in any of it, fate has undeniably tied them together in ways they don’t yet comprehend. In Dreaming Grand Avenue, their experiences become the very way through the disconnection that haunts them. As Maggie and Jimmy navigate their anguish with help from a dream detective, a sleep scientist and even the poet Walt Whitman himself they’ll discover not only the truth of their own linked destiny, but that of the waking world, too.

EDGE OF THE WORLD (2021) (DVD)

In 1839, Brooke flees Victorian England to explore Borneo. After a pirate attack, Brooke allies with rival princes to seize a rebel fort. To save prisoners from beheading, Brooke agrees to be crowned Rajah. James begs the Royal Navy for a steamship to fight pirates, but the British want his kingdom as a colony. Makota’s pirates massacre Brooke’s capital, leaving James half-dead. To save his people, he must shed Englishness and embrace the jungle: “All of it, the beauty and the blood.” 

EVIL NEXT DOOR (2020) (DVD)(SWEDISH/ENGLISH-DUB)

Not long after recent widower Fredrik (Linus Wahlgren) moved into a suburban duplex with his girlfriend Shirin (Dilan Gwyn) and 5-year-old son Lukas (Eddie Eriksson Dominguez), business called him out of town. The pair’s discomfort as being left with one another will soon pale, however, as the haunted history of the conjoined dwellings starts to manifest itself in unholy ways. Shocker from Sweden also stars Henrik Norlén, Niklas Jarneheim. AKA: “Andra Sidan,” “The Other Side.”

F9-FAST SAGA (2021) (4K-UHD) (BLU-RAY) (DVD)

Dom Toretto thought he’d left his outlaw life in the rear-view mirror, but not even he can outrun the past. When his forsaken brother Jakob unexpectedly resurfaces as an elite assassin, the crew comes back together to help Dom settle an old score and stop a familiar foe’s diabolical plot from destroying their family. Franchise veteran Justin Lin returns to the director’s seat for F9 and delivers this supercharged version of the hit film. From extended action to spectacular scenes that weren’t shown in theaters, F9: The Director’s Cut explodes with additional content that can only be experienced on home entertainment! Includes: Gag Reel;F9: All In;Practically Fast; Shifting Priorities; Justice for Han; A Day on Set with Justin Lin; ;John Cena: Supercar Superfan; and Feature Commentary with Producer/Co-Writer/Director Justin Lin. 

GAIA (2021) (DVD)

An injured forest ranger on a routine mission is saved by two off-the-grid survivalists. What is initially a welcome rescue grows more suspicious as the son and his renegade father reveal a cultish devotion to the forest. When their cabin is attacked by a strange being it’s clear there is a far greater threat in this unrelenting wilderness.

GOD OF WAR II (2021) (DVD)

Lü Bu, general to warlord Dong Zhuo, has blazed a trail of victories on the battlefield. But when a beautiful apprentice arrives claiming to be his long-lost love, he soon realizes that his closest allies may yet be his most dangerous foes. 

GOLDEN NEEDLES-SPECIAL EDITION (1974) (BLU-RAY)

The suspense story of a priceless ancient Chinese statue that is pursued halfway across the world. The legend of the golden statue (which contains seven youth-restoring acupuncture needles) promises the owner health and incredible vigor…but can also deliver a painful death.

HUGH HARMAN & RUDOLF ISING UNCENSORED CARTOONS V.4 (2021) (DVD)

More classic cartoons from the creators of Bosko! After leaving the Leon Schlesinger studio over budget disputes in 1933, talented cartoonists Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising headed to MGM, where they directed the Happy Harmonies cartoon series, created Barney Bear, and more. Later on, they produced training films for the US Army during WWII and several charming animated industrial films. The Discontented Canary (1934, color) This is the very first film the talented duo produced for MGM, as well as the first entry in the Happy Harmonies series.To Spring (1936, color) Another Happy Harmonies cartoon that was produced in beautiful technicolor about gnomes who bring Spring to life. The March of Progress (1945, B+W) A live action industrial film about the former Key System trolley that served the eastern San Francisco Bay Area from 1903 to 1960. The end of the film features a charming animated sequence. Winky the Watchman (June 1945, color) Dick Tracy actor Ralph Byrd plays a dentist who tells an animated story to children about a battle going on in their mouths! Easy Does It (January 1946, color) Produced for Stokely Van Camp, this film was shown to grocery store owners in the 1940s. It was possibly made for an adult audience instead of regular theatergoers and features some racy scenes and scenarios that were risque for the time. Seaman Tarfu in the Navy (January 1946, B+W) Part of the Private Snafu series produced for military men during WWII. Johnny Learns His Manners (1946, B+W) Produced in a storyboard sketch style, a rude sloppy little boy turns into a pig – literally!

HUMAN FACTOR (2019) (DVD)

With unprecedented access to the foremost American negotiators, THE HUMAN FACTOR is the behind-the-scenes story from the last 25 years, of how the United States came within reach of pulling off the impossible — securing peace between Israel and its neighbors. Today, the need to learn from past mistakes couldn’t be more urgent.

I CARRY YOU WITH ME (2020) (DVD)

Based on a true story, this decades-spanning romance between an aspiring chef and a teacher follows their treacherous journey from Mexico to New York with dreams, hopes, and memories in tow.

LADY OF MANOR (2021) (DVD)

Past and present collide in this supernaturally funny buddy comedy when stoner-slacker Hannah (Melanie Lynskey) is hired to portray Lady Wadsworth (Judy Greer), a Southern belle who died in 1875, in a tour at Wadsworth Manor. Hannah, a hot mess, figures she can fake it — until the ghost of Lady Wadsworth appears! Lady Wadsworth tells Hannah it’s time to change her wild ways — and she’ll haunt her until she does — in this hilarious movie co-starring Justin Long and Ryan Phillippe. 

LAST MATINEE (2020) (DVD)

A crazed killer begins to pick off audience members attending the last showing of a horror film in a small downtown cinema. Meanwhile, the only person to notice that something strange is going on is the projectionist’s daughter.

LONGEST YARD (2005 BLU-RAY)

The Longest Yard is the story of pro quarterback Paul Crewe and former college champion and coach Nate Scarboro, who are doing time in the same prison. Asked to put together a team of inmates to take on the guards, Crewe enlists the help of Scarboro to coach the inmates to victory in a football game “fixed” to turn out quite another way.

LOVE & BASKETBALL (2000) (BLU-RAY) (DVD)

Sparks fly both on and off the court in this groundbreaking feature debut by writer-director Gina Prince-Bythewood (The Old Guard), which elevated the coming-of-age romance by giving honest expression to the challenges female athletes face in a world that doesn’t see them as equal. Sanaa Lathan (Alien vs. Predator) and Omar Epps (Higher Learning) make for one of the most iconic screen couples of the 2000s as the basketball-obsessed next-door neighbors who find love over flirtatious pickup games, fall apart under the strain of high-pressure college hoops and families, and drift in and out of each other’s lives as they pursue their twin aspirations of playing professionally. Aided by stellar supporting performances and an eclectic R&B soundtrack, Love & Basketball captures the intoxicating passions, heartbreaking setbacks, and sky-high ambitions that mark a young woman’s journey to the top of her game and to lasting love.

This 4k restoration comes jam-packed with extras: Two audio commentaries from 2000: one featuring Prince-Bythewood and actor Sanaa Lathan and the other featuring Prince-Bythewood, editor Terilyn A. Shropshire, and composer Terence Blanchard; New making-of documentary featuring Prince-Bythewood, Lathan, actors Omar Epps and Alfre Woodard, producer and writer Reggie Rock Bythewood, and basketball adviser Colleen Matsuhara; Editing “Love & Basketball,” a new program featuring Prince‑Bythewood and Shropshire; New conversation among Prince-Bythewood, WNBA legend and Hall of Famer Sheryl Swoopes, and writer-producer-actor Lena Waithe; Deleted scenes with optional audio commentary by Prince-Bythewood and Shropshire; Audition tape excerpts; Two short films by Prince-Bythewood: her UCLA thesis film, Stitches (1991), and Progress (1997), with a new introduction by Prince-Bythewood; Trailer; English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing; PLUS: An essay by author Roxane Gay. 

MACHO CALLAHAN (1970) (BLU-RAY) (DVD)

Diego Macho Callahan (David Janssen, TVs The Fugitive, S.O.S. Titanic), a man tricked into enlisting in the Confederate army, is later thrown into a hellish stockade on desertion charges. He eventually breaks out of the prison camp and sets out to kill Duffy (Lee J. Cobb, 12 Angry Men), the man in yellow boots who bamboozled him into signing enlistment papers. However, after accidentally killing a Confederate officer (David Carradine, The Long Riders), he finds himself pursued by a gang of vicious bounty hunters intent on collecting the reward put up by the dead officer’s widow (Jean Seberg, Line of Demarcation). TV and film veteran Bernard L. Kowalski (Stiletto, Krakatoa, East of Java) directed this dark and gritty western with wonderful supporting turns by James Booth (Robbery), Pedro Armendriz Jr. (The Mask of Zorro), Bo Hopkins (White Lightning), Anne Revere (National Velvet), Richard Anderson (The Gunfight at Dodge City), Diane Ladd (Wild at Heart) and Matt Clark (The Grissom Gang).

MASQUERADE (1988) (BLU-RAY)

Rob Lowe (Youngblood, St. Elmos Fire, About Last Night), Meg Tilly (The Big Chill, Agnes of God, Impulse) and Kim Cattrall (Unforgettable, Mannequin, TVs Sex and the City) ignite the screen in this sexually charged mystery about a wealthy woman who falls for the wrong man. Olivia (Tilly) seems to have it all: good looks, good breeding and a two-hundred-million-dollar fortune. But behind the serene faade of her Easthampton seaside estate, something is missing: passion. Enter Tim (Lowe), the sexy sailing instructor and playboy who’s not ashamed of sleeping with his boss’ insatiable wife (Cattrall) or social climbing for sport. And when he sets his sights on Olivia, she falls under the seductive spell of this handsome stranger, unaware that he has his eye on more than just her beauty and his mind on something unimaginable! Written by renowned TV producer Dick Wolf (Law & Order, Chicago Fire) and directed by Bob Swaim (Half Moon Street, La Balance), this sizzling thriller features Doug Savant (TVs Melrose Place), John Glover (52 Pick-Up) and Dana Delany (Exit to Eden) in supporting roles.

MR. BUNGLE – THE NIGHT THEY CAME HOME (BLU-RAY)

Following 20 years of inactivity, Mr. Bungle ended its hiatus with a new record and the Halloween streaming special “The Night They Came Home.” Featuring an opening set by Neil Hamburger and cameos by Henry Rollins, Buzz Osbourne, Eric Andre, and Brian Posehn, the concert – filmed near the band’s original stomping grounds in Eureka, California, the Eureka Public Library, to be exact – features choice covers, songs from their new album, and more. In addition, the blu-ray includes 3 official music videos as well as behind-the-scenes bonus features.

NAKED SPUR (1953) (DVD)

Howard Kemp (James Stewart) has been tracking killer Ben Vandergroat (Robert Ryan) for a long time. In the Colorado Rockies, he teams up with prospector Jesse Tate (Millard Mitchell) and former Union soldier Roy Anderson (Ralph Meeker). Thinking Kemp is a sheriff, they agree to help for a small fee. When they catch Vandergroat, he tells them Kemp is pursuing a $5,000 bounty. After demanding equal shares, the uneasy alliance heads for Kansas as Vandergroat tries to turn them against each other. 

NATIONAL THEATRE’S ROMEO & JULIET (2021) (DVD)

Conceived as a National Theatre stage revival, but scuttled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the cast assembled without an audience at the Lyttleton Theatre to capture the production for television. Josh O’Connor and Jessie Buckley lead the ensemble as the star-crossed lovers in this modern-dress interpretation set against a Verona evoking contemporary Naples; Tamsin Grieg, Lucian Msamati, Colin Tierney, Fisayo Akinade, David Judge also star. 

NIGHT DRIVE  (2019) (DVD)

Russell (AJ Bowen) is a driver in Los Angeles who’s reeling from a series of bad decisions. While his life seems to be caught in a downward spiral, a business proposition from an alluring but enigmatic passenger named Charlotte (Sophie Dalah) proves too good to turn down. A simple ride turns deadly, catapulting Russell into an even darker place, but Charlotte may be the key to a second chance he thought he’d never have…if he can make it through the night.

POWER (2021) (DVD)

London, 1974. As Britain prepares for electrical blackouts to sweep across the country, trainee nurse Val (Rose Williams) arrives for her first day at the crumbling East London Royal Infirmary. With most of the patients and staff evacuated to another hospital, Val is forced to work the night shift, finding herself in a dark, near empty building. Within these walls lies a deadly secret, forcing Val to face both her own traumatic past and deepest fears in order to confront the malevolent force that’s intent on destroying everything around her. 

PUFNSTUF (1970) (BLU-RAY)

From Land of The Lost producers, Sid & Marty Krofft, comes a family comedy filled with mirth, magic and music. After a bad day at school, Jimmy (Jack Wild, Oliver!, Melody, TVs H.R. Pufnstuf) runs to the shore to play his flute, but he can’t believe his eyes when his ordinary flute comes to life! When a magical talking boat appears, he boards the ship only to discover that it has been sent by an evil witch named Witchiepoo to keep him prisoner and take his flute. It’s up to the fantastic dragon H.R. Pufnstuf and his comical companions, Cling and Clang, come to the rescue in an adventure beyond anyone’s wildest imagination. Directed by TV veteran Hollingsworth Morse (Zorro, The Lone Ranger) and co-starring Billie Hayes (The Black Cauldron), Martha Raye (Jumbo), Billy Barty (Foul Play), Felix Silla (Buck Rogers in the 25th Century) and music legend Mama Cass Elliot.

RESIDENT ALIEN-SEASON 1 (2021) (DVD)

A comedic sci-fi drama based on the Dark Horse comic book series of the same name, Resident Alien follows a crash-landed alien (Alan Tudyk) who must take on the identity of a small-town Colorado doctor and somehow find a way to fit in with the local human population. While attempting to complete his secret mission on Earth, he is forced to consider the possibility that humans might be worth saving after all.

SKULLDUGGERY (1970) (BLU-RAY) (DVD)

Screen legend Burt Reynolds (100 Rifles, Fuzz, White Lightning) stars in the missing-link adventure film Skullduggery. An expedition into the interior of Papua New Guinea comes across a tribe of ape-like people, the Tropis, who may or may not be ancestors of early man. However, the influence of modern man is to have devastating effects upon these forgotten people. When one of the Tropis is allegedly murdered, the following murder trial centers around the question of whether the Tropis are human or animal. Susan Clark (Coogan’s Bluff), Roger C. Carmel (Breezy), Paul Hubschmid (Funeral in Berlin), Chips Rafferty (Wake in Fright), Alexander Knox (Modesty Blaise), Edward Fox (Wild Geese II), Wilfrid Hyde-White (P.J.), William Marshall (Blacula) and singer Pat Suzuki co-star in this mix of sci-fi adventure and courtroom drama directed by Gordon Douglas (Them!, Barquero, They Call Me Mister Tibbs!).

SMALL AXE (2020) (DVD)

Small Axe is a British anthology film series, created and directed by Steve McQueen. The anthology consists of five films that tell distinct stories about the lives of West Indian immigrants in London from the 1960s to the 1980s

STAR TREK-ENTERPRISE-COMPLETE SERIES (2001) (BLU-RAY)

Set in the mid-22nd century, over 100 years before James T. Kirk helmed the famous vessel, this installment of the “Star Trek” franchise is set on the Enterprise NX-01 — the first Earth starship capable of warp 5 — and explores the history of the interplanetary upheaval that eventually leads to the formation of the Federation. Despite the awful theme song, Enterprise is a solid Star Trek series that we’re excited to have on Blu-Ray!

STATE OF THE UNION (1948) (BLU-RAY)

Aircraft tycoon Grant Matthews (Spencer Tracy) is goaded into running for president by his politically ambitious longtime girlfriend, newspaper publisher Kay Thorndyke (Angela Lansbury). At the suggestion of unscrupulous campaign manager Spike McManus (Van Johnson), Matthews reunites with his long-estranged wife, Mary (Katharine Hepburn), for the sake of appearances. But when the idealistic Mary learns of Kay’s behind-the-scenes role, it throws the entire campaign into turmoil. 

STRAIGHT TIME (1978) (BLU-RAY)

After years behind bars, Max Dembo faces Straight Time. He hopes it will mean a new life, a job, a place to call home, perhaps even a girl of his own. Instead, it’s a one-way ticket to disaster. Dustin Hoffman plays Max, a freed con trapped by an indifferent criminal system and his self-destructive bent. Before and during the film’s shoot, Hoffman apprenticed himself to Edward Bunker, the ex-con whose book No Beast So Fierce inspired the movie. The resulting experience is intensely real and superbly acted by Hoffman and a terrific ensemble cast (Theresa Russell, Harry Dean Stanton, Gary Busey, M. Emmet Walsh and Kathy Bates).

SUN CHILDREN  (2020) (DVD)

SUN CHILDREN is the story of 12-year-old ALI and his three friends. Together they work hard to survive and support their families, doing small jobs in a garage and committing petty crimes to make fast money. In a turn of events that seems miraculous, Ali is entrusted to find a hidden treasure underground. He recruits his gang, but first, to gain access to the tunnel, the children must enroll at the Sun School, a charitable institution that tries to educate street kids and child laborers, close to where the treasure is located. 

THROW DOWN (2004) (BLU-RAY) (DVD)

One of the most personal films by the prolific Hong Kong auteur Johnnie To is a thrilling love letter to both the cinema of Akira Kurosawa and the art and philosophy of judo. Amid the neon-drenched nightclubs and gambling dens of Hong Kong’s nocturnal underworld, the fates of three wandering souls—a former judo champion now barely scraping by as an alcoholic bar owner (Louis Koo), a young fighter (Aaron Kwok) intent on challenging him, and a singer (Cherrie Ying) chasing dreams of stardom—collide in an operatic explosion of human pain, ambition, perseverance, and redemption. Paying offbeat homage to Kurosawa’s debut feature, Sanshiro Sugata, To scrambles wild comedy, flights of lyrical surrealism, and rousing martial-arts action into what is ultimately a disarmingly touching ode to the healing power of friendship.

This 4k restoration includes: Interview from 2004 with director Johnnie To; New interviews with co-screenwriter Yau Nai-hoi, composer Peter Kam, and film scholars David Bordwell and Caroline Guo; Short making-of documentary from 2004 featuring To and actors Louis Koo, Aaron Kwok, Cherrie Ying, and Tony Leung Ka-fai; New English subtitle translation; PLUS: An essay by film critic Sean Gilman.

VIOLATION (2021) (BLU-RAY) 

With her marriage about to implode, Miriam returns to her hometown to seek solace in the comfort of her younger sister and brother-in-law. But one evening a tiny slip in judgement leads to a catastrophic betrayal, leaving Miriam shocked, reeling, and furious. Believing her only recourse is to exact revenge, Miriam takes extreme action, but the price of retribution is high, and she is not prepared for the toll it takes as she begins to emotionally and psychologically unravel. 

WALK ON THE WILD SIDE (1962) (BLU-RAY)

In the 1930s, lovesick Texan Dove Linkhorn (Laurence Harvey) hits the road to search for his long-lost sweetheart, Hallie Gerard (Capucine). He meets free-spirited Kitty Twist (Jane Fonda) along the way, and she joins him on his trip to New Orleans, where the two find Hallie working at a brothel. When Dove tries to take Hallie away with him, he is confronted by the brothel’s possessive madam, Jo Courtney (Barbara Stanwyck), who is unwilling to give up her favorite employee without a fight. 

WINDOW (1949) (BLU-RAY)

Nine-year-old Tommy Woodry has a history of making things up, but he insists he really saw this: a murder in his own apartment building! No one believes Tommy’s story. No one except the killers. From its taut pursuits to its sinister sense of danger lurking behind any apartment door, The Window is a minor gem of film noir. Bobby Driscoll, playing perhaps the genre’s youngest protagonist, received an honorary Oscar * for his portrayal of the imperiled boy. Noted cinematographer Ted Tetzlaff (Notorious) directs, ramping up the tension in this film based on a story by Cornell Woolrich (Rear Window).

WOODY WOODPECKER SCREWBALL COLLECTION (2021) (BLU-RAY)

Ha-ha-ha-HA-have yourself a blast, as a peck of classic animated adventures from Walter Lantz’s scarlet-crested scamp are ready for your pleasure. Twenty-five shorts–including “Woody Woodpecker” (1941), “The Hollywood Matador” (1942), “The Beach Nut” (1944), “Chew-Chew Baby” (1945), “Fair Weather Fiends” (1946), “Wet Blanket Policy” (1948), “Termites from Mars” (1952), and “The Bird Who Came to Dinner” (1961)–are collected here.25 cartoons on 1 disc. 

SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES (1983) (BLU-RAY)

On a grim and gusty October day, two young boys encounter a distressed man who foretells of danger blowing their way. Soon after, the town is visited by a seductive stanger named Mr. Dark and his Pandemonium Carnival. Written by Ray Bradbury.

THE WATCHER IN THE WOODS (1982) (BLU-RAY)

When an American teenager joins her family in an English country house, she experiences strange and supernatural occurrences. Mrs. Alywood, the kindly caretaker, knows the dark secret behind the happenings, and prepares for the return of a young girl who died mysteriously some 30 years earlier!

HERBIE: FULLY LOADED (2005) (BLU-RAY)

This movie still holds up!! Directed by Angela Robinson and written by Thomas Lennon (and others), with a cast including Lindsay Lohan, Justin Long, Matt Dillon, Michael Keaton, Breckin Meyer (yes, the man who slept in a coffin), Cherly Hines, and a bunch of NASCAR drivers. If you’re not excited by now then clearly you weren’t in middle school when this came out. Anyways, the plot to this is irrelevant, but what is relevant is that Lindsay’s song “First” is still a banger and that the GameBoy Advance game that came out of this movie is still awful.

THE PACIFIER (2005) (BLU-RAY)

Another Disney blu-ray from 2005 written by Thomas Lennon! I saw this in theaters and literally don’t remember anything about it other than I used to get Vin Diesel confused with every other buff Hollywood actor of that era. Vin Diesel is a Navy SEAL who is assigned to look after the family of a man who was killed during a botched mission. You can imagine exactly how the story of this one goes. Of note is a minor role by Gilmore Girls favorite Lauren Graham, and Brittany Snow as one of the children Vin must “pacify.” According to wikipedia Vin Diesel said in 2015 that a sequel is being written. We’re all waiting on the edge of our seat for that!

ICE PRINCESS (2005) (BLU-RAY)

Though she longs to become a graceful champion figure skater, gawky Casey Carlyle has always been just a brainy high school misfit. And with a strong-willed mother pushing her toward a top university, it seems as if she’ll never get the chance to be like the elite skating prodigies she sees at the rink. But when Casey uses her head and follows her heart, she’ll find herself transformed beyond her wildest dreams!

 A KID IN KING ARTHUR’S COURT (1995) (BLU-RAY)

To 14-year-old little leaguer Calvin Fuller, life is like one big strikeout when he lets his team down. Then an earthquake sends him through a magical time rift, and he finds himself in King Arthur’s court. But all is not well with the realm. An aged King Arthur is in danger of losing control to the evil Lord Belasco, and now it’s up to Calvin to save the kingdom. But before he can find a way to vanquish Belasco, he must first find a way to conquer his own fears.

DISNEY’S THE KID (2000) (BLU-RAY)

Successful, high-powered Russ Duritz has spent all of his incredibly empty life forgetting the child he used to be—until one day, he meets him face-to-face! Thinking this kid is a hallucination, Russ does everything he can to make him go away. But 8-year-old Rusty, who’s anything but happy that he grows up to be a loser without real meaning in his life, can’t leave—at least not yet.

TOM AND HUCK (1995) (BLU-RAY)

Tom and his rebellious friend Huck witness a midnight killing. They swear not to reveal what they saw – but that causes a real problem. If Tom doesn’t speak up, an innocent friend may be hanged. But if he does tell the truth, the real killer, knife-throwing Injun Joe, will come after him!

MAN OF THE HOUSE (1995) (BLU-RAY)

Funnyman Chevy Chase is Jack, a guy who’s found the woman of his dreams. Too bad her stubborn 11-year-old son, Ben thinks Jack is a geek! As a test, Ben coaxes Jack into joining the YMCA Indian Guides. Chaos ensues as Jack struggles to prove to Ben that he’s not totally uncool! From rain dancing to building a teepee, Jack will do anything to win Ben’s approval – and his mom’s affection! Directed by James Orr.

THE BIG GREEN (1995) (BLU-RAY)

Nothing ever happens in Elma, Texas, at least not until British schoolteacher Anna Montgomery arrives. Determined to motivate her students, Anna decides to form a soccer team. She enlists the aid of out-of-shape sheriff Tom Palmer, who agrees to coach the team so he can beat his old nemesis, the ruthless coach of the big city bullies, the Knights.