By Harley Lond - 04/04/22 at 11:33 PM CT
FROM THE BIG SCREEN
Scream (2022) Twenty-five years after a streak of brutal murders shocked the quiet town of Woodsboro, a terrifying new killer resurrects the Ghostface mask. As the deaths mount, Woodsboro’s new targets must seek help from the survivors of the original Ghostface attacks. Now, only Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), former sheriff Dewey Riley (David Arquette), and reporter Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) can find a way to stop the killer when everyone is a suspect. 
Vitals: Director: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett. Stars: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Marley Shelton, Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Dylan Minnette, Jack Quaid, Mary Shelton. 2021, CC, MPAA rating: R, 114 min., Horror, US box office gross: $80.288 million, worldwide $138.688 million, Paramount. Formats for Scream": DVD, Blu-ray + Digital Code, 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo + Digital Code, VOD, Digital. Blu-ray extras: Filmmaker commentary; "Bloodlines" behind-the-scenes featurette with Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette; "New Blood" featurette on the new generation of Woodsboro victims and potential killers; "In the Shadow of the Master" featurette honoring movie maestro Wes Craven; deleted scenes. Read more here
Parallel Mothers" (2021 - Spain) Two women, Janis and Ana, coincide in a hospital room where they are going to give birth. Both are single and became pregnant by accident. Janis, middle-aged, doesn’t regret it and she is exultant. The other, Ana, an adolescent, is scared, repentant and traumatized. Janis tries to encourage her while they move like sleepwalkers along the hospital corridors. 
The few words they exchange in these hours will create a very close link between the two, which by chance develops and complicates, and changes their lives in a decisive way. Vitals: Director: Pedro Almodóvar. Stars: Penélope Cruz, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, Milena Smit, Israel Elejalde, Julieta Serrano, and Rossy de Palma. 2021, CC, MPAA rating: R, 123 min., Drama, North American box office gross: $1.843 million, worldwide $16.631 million, Sony. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray, VOD, Digital. Read more here
Death on the Nile" (2022) Agatha Christie's Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot's Egyptian vacation aboard a glamorous river steamer turns into a terrifying search for a murderer when a picture-perfect couple's idyllic honeymoon is tragically cut short. Set against an epic landscape of sweeping desert vistas and the majestic Giza pyramids, this tale of unbridled passion and incapacitating jealousy features a cosmopolitan group of impeccably dressed travelers, and enough wicked twists and turns to leave audiences guessing until the final denouement. 
Vitals: Director: Kenneth Branagh. Stars: Kenneth Branagh, Tom Bateman,Annette Bening, Russell Brand, Ali Fazal, Dawn French, Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer, Rose Leslie, Emma Mackey, Sophie Okonedo, Jennifer Saunders, Letitia Wright. 2021, CC, MPAA rating: PG-13, 127 min., Drama, North American box office gross: $45.425 million, worldwide $134.789 million, Fox/Disney. Formats: DVD, Blu-ray + Digital Code, 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo + Digital Code, VOD, Digital. Extras: "Death on the Nile: Novel to Film" featurette, "Agatha Christie: Travel Can Be Murder" featurette, "Design on the Nile" featurette, "Branagh/Poirot" featurette, deleted scenes. Read more here
THIS WEEK'S BEST BET
After one of its lead actors (cherub-faced action icon Alexander Fu Sheng) unexpectedly died midway through production, fight-choreographer-turned-master-director Lau Kar-leung retooled his latest film, "The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter"" (1984 - Hong Kong) "The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter," as the ultimate action spectacular in tribute to his young star. Loosely based upon the legendary Yang dynasty chronicled in Chinese folklore, the film starts as a family patriarch and all
but two of his sons are brutally wiped out in a bloody battle with a rival family. One surviving son (Fu Sheng) returns to his mother and two sisters, driven mad with grief; the other (Gordon Liu) escapes and joins a nearby monastery while in hiding. Once he learns his sister (Kara Hui) has been captured by their enemies, however, the warrior-turned-monk realizes he must renounce his peaceful ideals in order to mount a rescue mission and avenge his family. One of Shaw Brothers' final all-star martial arts epics before they ceased filmmaking altogether, "The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter" is often regarded as Lau's masterpiece, as elegiac and suffused with anguish as it is thrillingly violent (not least in its bone-crunching, teeth-smashing climax). Brand new 2K restoration from the original camera negative by Arrow Films. On Blu-ray from Arrow Video/MVD Entertainment. Read more here.BUZZIN' THE 'B'S:
In "Jockey"" (2021), starring Clifton Collins Jr., Logan Cormier, Vincent Francia, Molly Parker, Marlon St. Julien and Moises Arias, an aging jockey (Collins Jr.) hopes to win one last title for his longtime trainer (Parker), who has acquired what appears to be a championship horse. But the years – and injuries – have taken a toll on his body, throwing into question his ability to continue his lifelong passion. And the arrival of a young rookie rider (Arias), who claims to be his son, and whom he takes under his wing, further complicates the path to fulfilling his dream. On DVD, Blu-ray, from Sony. Read more here ...
In "The Long Night" (2021), starring Scout Taylor-Compton, Nolan Gerard Funk, Deborah Kara Unger and Jeff Fahey, while searching for the parents she’s never known, New York transplant Grace (Taylor-Compton) returns to her childhood southern stomping grounds with her boyfriend (Funk) to investigate a promising lead on her family’s whereabouts. Upon arrival, the couple’s weekend takes a bizarre, terrifying turn as a nightmarish cult and their maniacal leader terrorize the pair en route to fulfilling a twisted ancient apocalyptic prophecy. On DVD, Blu-ray, from Well Go USA ... In "Vicious Fun"" (2020), starring Evan Marsh, Amber Goldfarb, Ari Millen, Julian Richings, Robert Maillet and David Koechner, Joel is a caustic film critic for a national horror magazine who unwittingly finds himself trapped in a self-help group for serial killers. With no other choice, he attempts to blend in with his homicidal surroundings or risk becoming the next victim. On DVD, Blu-ray, from RLJE Films ... In the Western "Desperate Riders"" (2022), starring Trace Adkins, Tom Berenger, Drew Waters, Vanessa Evigan, Sam Ashby, Victoria Pratt and Cowboy Troy, the action begins as Kansas Red (Waters) rescues young Billy from a card-game shootout. The boy asks Red for help protecting his family from the outlaw Thorn (Adkins), who’s just kidnapped Billy’s mother, Carol. As Red and Billy ride off to rescue Carol, they run into beautiful, tough-as-nails Leslie, who’s managed to escape Thorn’s men. The three race to stop Thorn’s wedding to Carol with guns a-blazing - but does she want to be rescued? On DVD, Blu-ray, from Lionsgate.FOREIGN FILMS:
Anyone who's ever had a difficult roommate will relate to the outrageous and violent Japanese comedy "2LDK"" (2003 - Japan), starring Maho Nonami and Eiko Koike. Small town girl Nozomi and her glamorous, big city roommate, Lana, share a Tokyo apartment (2 bedrooms, living room, dining room, and kitchen, hence the titular abbreviation). They already have their little
disagreements, but when it comes to light that they are competing for the same movie role and the same man, their fights escalate from arguments to all-out power tool battles. Taking place entirely within the confines of the apartment, "2LDK" is a short, thrilling ride for fans of offbeat cinema. On DVD, Blu-ray, from Unearthed Films ... In "Armageddon (aka Armaguedon)" (1977 - France), starring Alain Delon, Jean Yanne, Renato Salvatori, Michel Duchaussoy and Marie Dea, Delon must stop a madman from triggering Armageddon in this slick Eurocrime thriller. A repairman named Louis Carrier (Yanne) uses his newly inherited fortune to launch a campaign of terror that will make him a household name. Becoming more and more mentally unstable, Carrier threatens the police and various government institutions while operating under the alias “Armageddon.” A psychologist from Interpol (Delon) heads the investigation and prepares a trap at an international conference of world leaders in Paris. On DVD, Blu-ray, from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.FROM TV TO DISC:
"CSI: Vegas Season One" (2021) is a three-disc set with all 10 episodes. Another entry in the “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” franchise, opening a new chapter in Las Vegas -- the city where it all began. Facing an existential threat that could bring down the entire Crime Lab and release thousands of convicted killers back onto the neon-lit streets of Vegas, a brilliant new team of investigators led by Maxine Roby (Paula Newsome) must enlist the help of old friends, Gil Grissom (William Petersen), Sara Sidle (Jorja Fox) and David Hodges (Wallace Langham). This combined force will deploy the latest forensic techniques to do what they do best - follow the evidence - in order to preserve and serve justice in Sin City. From CBS Home Entertainment/Paramount ... "The Handmaid’s Tale: The Complete Fourth Season" (2021) is a three-disc set with all 10 episodes. In Season Four, June (Elisabeth Moss) strikes back against Gilead as a fierce rebel leader but the risks she takes bring dangerous new challenges and her quest for justice and revenge threatens to consume her. Starring alongside Moss are Joseph Fiennes, Yvonne Strahovski, Alexis Bledel, Madeline Brewer, Amanda Brugel, Ann Dowd, O-T Fagbenle, Max Minghella, Samira Wiley, Bradley Whitford and Sam Jaeger. From Warner.
Check out other new DVD/Blu-ray releases, streaming films, and information and reviews at OnVideo.
