New streaming highlights for the week of April 10-16, 2023
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — This week's digital and physical releases are an ecclectic array of indie titles – the only notable exception could be Lionsgate's "Jesus Revolution." The faith based film's current box office gross is $51 million after just 6 weeks (which is likely more than the ticket sales of the rest of this week's digital titles combined). I'm more interested in "Emily," a fictional take onEmily Brontë’s " “Wuthering Heights" and "No Bears," the latst film from Iranian director Jafar Panahi. "The New Abolitionists," a documentary about sex trafficking in Southeast Asia is also of interterest. I'm just not entirely sure I'm emotionally prepared for it.
I can, however, joyfully tell you that "Living," an English-language remake of the Akira Kurosawa film "Ikiru" starring Bill Nighy, is now available on Blu-ray. Other notable releases include "Flashdance" and "The Fisher King" in 4K and a pair of Jackie Chan films in "Gorgeous" and "Heat of Dragon." Horror fans will want to note the release of "Infinity Pool." Those looking for a thriller should track down "AmnesiA."
Emily
Studio Synopsis:"Emily" imagines Emily Brontë’s own Gothic story that inspired her seminal novel, “Wuthering Heights.” Haunted by the death of her mother, Emily struggles within the confines of her family life and yearns for artistic and personal freedom, and so begins a journey to channel her creative potential into one of the greatest novels of all time.
One Fine Morning
Studio Synopsis:Sandra (Léa Seydoux) is a widowed young mother raising her daughter on her own, while also caring for her sick father (Pascal Greggory). She’s dealing with the loss of the relationship she once had with her father, while she and her mother and sister fight to get him the care he requires. At the same time, Sandra reconnects with Clément (Melvil Poupaud), a friend she hasn’t seen in a while and, although he’s married, their friendship soon blossoms into a passionate affair.
Jesus Revolution
Studio Synopsis:In the 1970s, young Greg Laurie (Joel Courtney) is searching for all the right things in all the wrong places: until he meets Lonnie Frisbee (Jonathan Roumie), a charismatic hippie-street-preacher. Together with Pastor Chuck Smith (Kelsey Grammer), they open the doors of Smith's languishing church to an unexpected revival of radical and newfound love, leading to a "Jesus Revolution" that changed the world.
Linoleum
Studio Synopsis:Cameron Edwin (Jim Gaffigan), the host of a failing children's science TV show called "Above & Beyond", has always had aspirations of being an astronaut. After a mysterious space-race era satellite coincidentally falls from space and lands in his backyard, his midlife crisis manifests in a plan to rebuild the machine into his dream rocket. As his relationship with his wife (Rhea Seehorn) and daughter (Katelyn Nacon) start to strain, surreal events begin unfolding around him -- a doppelgänger moving into the house next door, a car falling from the sky, and an unusual teenage boy forging a friendship with him. He slowly starts to piece these events together to ultimately reveal that there's more to his life story than he once thought.
No Bears
Studio Synopsis:One of the world’s great cinematic artists, Jafar Panahi has been carefully crafting self-reflexive works about artistic, personal, and political freedom for the past three decades, despite his oppression at the hands of the Iranian government. Now, as the international film community vehemently denounces his summer 2022 arrest and continued imprisonment for his vocal support of a fellow artist’s independence, Panahi has gifted us all with a new virtuosic sleight-of-hand. In "No Bears," as in many of his recent titles, Panahi plays a fictionalized version of himself, in this case relocated to a rural border town to remotely direct a new film in nearby Turkey - the story of which comes to sharply mirror disturbing events that begin to occur around him. As he struggles to complete his film, Panahi finds himself thrust in the middle of a local scandal, confronting the opposing pulls of tradition and progress, city and country, belief and evidence, and the universal desire to reject oppression.
Rare Objects
Studio Synopsis:A young woman with a traumatic past seeks to rebuild her life when she begins working at a New York City antique shop. Starring Katie Holmes and Alan Cumming.
iMordecai
Studio Synopsis:When Mordecai, a Holocaust survivor, portrayed by Academy Award Nominee Judd Hirsch ("The Fabelmans," "Ordinary People") is given a new iPhone, an unexpected series of events upends his world. A heartwarming Miami-set comedy based on a true story. Co-starring Sean Astin ("The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, "The Goonies") and Academy Award Nominee Carol Kane ("Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt," "Hester Street").
One of These Days
Studio Synopsis: In a small US southern town, the annual 'Hands On' endurance contest offers the chance of a lifetime to win a brand new pickup truck. Each contestant has their own reasons for entering, but the true cost of the competition is higher than it appears.
The New Abolitionists
Studio Synopsis: Filmmaker Christina Zorich journeys to Southeast Asia to investigate why and how sex trafficking flourishes in the “most trafficked” region of the globe. She follows four Christian ministries and NGOs fighting this criminal industry, to probe the issues behind it while creating a platform for the victims and their allies to speak for themselves, illuminate the problems, and generate solutions. Christina observes the attempted rescue of a karaoke girl in Cambodia, visits an NGO’s aftercare facilities, and learns about trauma therapy. She follows a mission trip to trafficking hotspots, explores prevention, and the causes and conditions that create a breeding ground for those at-risk. Christina then travels to Thailand and tracks a team of missionaries through their pre- and post-outreach meetings, illuminating the battleground of this crisis. Survivors and their allies share their individual stories and why they’ve chosen to dedicate their lives to rescue, rehabilitation, and prevention.
New Gods: Yang Jian
Studio Synopsis:Thirteen years after Yang Jian (known to some as Erlang Shen) imprisoned his sister beneath a mountain, the once powerful god now scrapes by as a penniless bounty hunter. When a mysterious woman hires him for a new job, Yang Jian soon finds himself chasing down a familiar figure. He must stop Chenxiang, his long-lost nephew, who is in search of the magical lotus lantern that will free his mother, even if it will bring catastrophe. As Yang Jian confronts the actions of his past, he must face a host of dangerous vigilantes seeking the same treasure with the power to alter the balance of their worlds.
Strain 100
Studio Synopsis:After surviving a terrifying car crash, a young woman discovers that aggressive, flesh-eating zombies have overtaken the entire area. She must figure out what is happening and why in hopes of escaping her horrifying circumstances.
Breakout
Studio Synopsis:Having taken control of a maximum-security prison and recruited the other prisoners as his army, a criminal mastermind and former LAPD explosives expert faces off against a rogue hostage negotiator and a retired Black Ops agent who had been visiting his incarcerated son.
Blu-ray & DVD
Living
Studio Synopsis:In a career-defining performance, Bill Nighy ("Love Actually") plays Williams, a 1950's London civil servant who struggles to maintain order under mountains of paperwork. Overwhelmed at work and lonely at home, his life takes a heartbreaking turn when a medical diagnosis tells him time is short. Influenced by a local decadent (Tom Burke) and the vibrant Margaret (Aimee Lou Wood), Williams continues to search for meaning until a simple revelation gives him the purpose to create a legacy for the next generation. Adapted by Nobel Laureate Kazuo Ishiguro ("Remains of the Day") and based on the classic Akira Kurosawa film "Ikiru."
Infinity Pool
Studio Synopsis:James and Em are enjoying a perfect vacation at an isolated island resort, when the seductive Gabi leads them outside the resort grounds into a culture filled with violence, hedonism, and horror. A tragic accident leaves them facing a zero tolerance policy for crime: either you'll be executed, or, if you're rich enough to afford it, you can watch yourself die instead.
AmnesiA
Studio Synopsis:The story follows photographer Alex (Fedja van Huêt) as he receives word from his twin brother Aram (also van Huêt) that their mother (Sacha Bulthuis) is gravely ill and will not survive much longer. Alex returns home to "AmnesiA," the family estate, to in some way ease the panic and dread that continues to plague him and his photography. As he confronts the past he left behind, his deep-rooted psychological turmoil is laid bare. AmnesiA is a surreal, highly stylized thriller you won’t soon forget.
Flashdance 4K UHD
Studio Synopsis:The music, the dancing, the romance, the leg warmers...oh, what a feeling! Get ready to re-experience all the drama as Alex (Jennifer Beals) bravely fights her way out of the welding gear, off the stripper pole and onto the dance-school floor. Flashdance, the pop-culture phenomenon of the ’80s, is back and fl ashier than ever with brand-new featurettes exploring the history, the look, the music and much more! Academy Award-winner for Best Song, “Flashdance–What A Feeling,” it’s the hit film that inspired a generation.
The Fisher King 4K UHD
Studio Synopsis:A fairy tale grounded in poignant reality, Terry Gilliam’s magnificent, Manhattan-set "The Fisher King" features Jeff Bridges and Robin Williams in two of their most brilliant roles. Bridges plays a former radio shock jock reconstructing his life after a scandal, and Williams a homeless man on a quest for the Holy Grail—which he believes to be hidden somewhere on the Upper East Side. Unknowingly linked by their pasts, the two men aid each other on a fanciful journey toward their own humanity. This singular American odyssey features a witty script by Richard LaGravenese, evocative cinematography by Roger Pratt, and superb supporting performances by Amanda Plummer and an Oscar-winning Mercedes Ruehl, all harnessed by Gilliam into a compassionate, funny modern-day myth.
Up, Down, Fragile
Studio Synopsis:Inspired by the backstage Hollywood musicals of the 1930s, this later period Rivette recounts the adventures of three young women (Nathalie Richard, Marianne Denicourt, and Laurence Côte) in Paris, each at a turning point in her life – and with a musical number (or two)!
Joseph W. Sarno Retrospect Series
The Naked Fog
Studio Synopsis:In a provincial fishing village on the upper east coast, failed writer and weary sophisticate Marge (Tammy Latour) longs for a quiet life and a traditional romance. But soon after she’s settled in, she discovers a hotbed of infidelity, violence and financial ruin all stemming from the town brothel. Intrigued, Marge rents a room in the brothel, convincing herself she’s researching a potential novel until her past mistakes in love and work catch up with her. A steamy drama about the successes and failures of a young writer caught up in the 1960s sexual revolution from exploitation auteur Joe Sarno.
Moonlighting Wives
Studio Synopsis:1960s suburbia becomes a hotbed of rampant adultery and illicit sexual encounters in this torn-from-the-headlines drama from the master of psycho-sexual erotica, Joseph Sarno. Disgruntled housewife Joan turns her stenography service into a thriving prostitution ring that has local law enforcement baffled. Needing more housewives to grow her business with wealthy clientele, Joan gives adulterous and well-connected golf pro Frank a piece of the action, sparking a chain of events that lead her on an odyssey of blackmail and ever closer to the police.
Gorgeous
Studio Synopsis:Young and beautiful Bu (Shu Qi, The Transporter) finds a romantic message in a bottle near her family restaurant in Taiwan. On a whim, she flies to Hong Kong to meet her potential soul mate, who turns out to be Albert (Tony Leung, Infernal Affairs), a gay beautician pining for his ex. Taking pity on the girl, he brings her to his workplace, where she falls for the wealthy and lonely C.N. Chan (Jackie Chan, Rush Hour, Supercop). But when Chan's lifelong enemy, Lo, discovers Chan has a new love, he decides to ruin their happiness.
Heart of Dragon
Studio Synopsis:Tat (Jackie Chan) is a hotshot cop with more stresses than he can bear: if he's not on the verge of getting beaten up on his day job, he's looking out for his mentally handicapped brother Dodo (Sammo Hung), who needs constant supervision in case his naïve, kind nature gets taken advantage of. Tat wants nothing more than to escape his obligations and see the world; but when Dodo accidentally winds up in the line of fire, Tat must run into danger and make the ultimate sacrifice to save his brother.