New streaming highlights for the week of April 3-9, 2023
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — This week's digital releases are predominantly art house or genre films – the notable exceptions being Woody Harrelson's "Champions" (which was actually released last week) and theKaley Cuocoand Pete Davidson romcom "Meet Cute." I watched "Living with Chucky," a documentary about the people behind the making of the various horror films in the "Child's Play" and "Chucky" universe. It's fairly conventional until the last chapter, which explores the relationships and family-like bonds that the filmmakers and their families made because of their involvement in the movies. That's certainly worth a look for fan fans of the franchise. "Unicorn Wars" looks incredibly interesting as well.
On the physical front we have some excellent box sets and collections as part of theWarner. Bros. 100th Anniversery, The Disney100 Celebration, and the 25th Anniversery of "Cowboy Bebop." Paramount also released a set containing the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" films in 4K UHD for the first time.
New Streaming to Rent & Own
Juniper
Studio Synopsis: Ruth (Oscar nominee Charlotte Rampling) is a worldly former war correspondent now bored in retirement with a drinking problem and a newly fractured leg. Sam (George Ferrier) is her unruly grandson, recently kicked out of boarding school and grieving the death of his mother. When the two are brought together under the same roof, they form an unexpected bond.
The Quiet Girl
Studio Synopsis:Nine-year-old Cait is sent away from her overcrowded, dysfunctional family to live with foster parents for the summer. Quietly struggling at school and at home, she has learned to hide in plain sight from those around her. She blossoms in their care, but in this house where there are meant to be no secrets, she discovers one painful truth.
Living with Chucky
Studio Synopsis:Living with Chucky takes an in-depth look at the groundbreaking horror franchise. Featuring interviews with cast and crew, including genre favorites Lin Shaye, Alex Vincent, Jennifer Tilly and creator Don Mancini, the film recounts the dedication and creativity that went into making "Child's Play" and its lasting impact on the horror community.
Colorblind
Studio Synopsis:The emotionally captivating feature "Colorblind" follows the story of Magdalene, a colorblind black artist, and her son Monet as they move into a new neighborhood where they are challenged when they see the true colors of people. When their racist landlord Walton is forced to babysit Monet due to an unexpected emergency, he discovers a more colorful world through the child's black-and-white perspective. "Colorblind" takes the audience through a heart-wrenching journey of the complexities of race and social injustices, seeing it through the lens of a colorblind mother and son.
Meet Cute
Studio Synopsis:When Sheila (Kaley Cuoco) and Gary (Pete Davidson) meet, it’s love at first sight - until we realize their magical date wasn’t fate at all. Sheila’s got a time machine, and they've been falling in love over and over again. But when the perfect night is never quite enough, Sheila travels to Gary’s past to change him into the perfect man.
A Radiant Girl
Studio Synopsis:In Paris during the summer of 1942 a bubbly, young Jewish girl discovers a world full of friendship, love and the theatre.
Godless
Studio Synopsis:Lara is a woman tormented, torn between science and faith. Pushed by her husband to seek treatment from a congregation of zealots, a ruthless exorcist will try to save her soul by putting an innocent woman through hell.
Unicorn Wars
Studio Synopsis:For ages, teddy bears have been locked in an ancestral war against their sworn enemy, the unicorns, with the promise that victory will usher in a new era. Aggressive, sadistic teddy bear Bluey and his sensitive, withdrawn brother Tubby could not be more different. As the rigors and humiliation of teddy bear bootcamp turn to the psychedelic horrors of a combat tour in the Magic Forest, their complicated history and increasingly strained relationship will determine the fate of the entire war.
Virtual Reality
Studio Synopsis:A film director agrees to a dark pact to help his career take off. When he summons the cast and crew to his house for a first-cut screening, they will have to survive a reality they never saw coming.
The Amazing Maurice
Studio Synopsis:Maurice is a sassy, street-smart cat with a sneaky disposition. Together with his band of rats and pied-piper friend, Maurice travels across the countryside, swindling villagers with a staged rat plague. All seems to be going as planned until the gang arrives in a scenic market town and quickly realize something more nefarious is afoot.
Champions
Studio Synopsis:Woody Harrelson stars in the hilarious and heartwarming story of a former minor-league basketball coach who, after a series of missteps, is ordered by the court to manage a team of players with intellectual disabilities. He soon realizes that despite his doubts, together, this team can go further than they ever imagined.
Thomas & Friends: The Mystery of Lookout Mountain
Studio Synopsis:When cars go missing in the Mines, Thomas and Percy think they have a perfect adventure for the Biggest Adventure Club. Their search takes them under waterfalls, into unknown tunnels, new Crystal Caverns and face to face with a mythical Mine Monster!
New Blu-ray & DVD
Midnight Run
Studio Synopsis: Jack Walsh (Robert De Niro) is a tough ex-cop turned bounty hunter. Jonathan "The Duke" Mardukas (Charles Grodin) is a sensitive accountant who embezzled $15 million from the mob, gave it to charity and then jumped bail. Jack's in for a cool $100,000 if he can deliver The Duke from New York to L.A. on time... and alive. Sounds like just another Midnight Run (a piece of cake in bounty hunter slang), but it turns into a cross-country chase. The FBI wants The Duke to testify, the mob wants him for revenge and Walsh wants him to just shut up. If someone else doesn't do the job, the two unlikely partners may end up killing each other in this hilarious, action-filled ride from producer-director Martin Brest (Beverly Hills Cop).
Confess, Fletch
Studio Synopsis:In this delightful comedy romp, Jon Hamm stars as the roguishly charming and endlessly troublesome Fletch, who becomes the prime suspect in a murder case while searching for a stolen art collection. The only way to prove his innocence? Find out which of the long list of suspects is the culprit - from the eccentric art dealer and a missing playboy to a crazy neighbor and Fletch’s Italian girlfriend. Crime, in fact, has never been this disorganized.
Aftersun
Studio Synopsis:At a fading vacation resort, 11-year-old Sophie treasures rare time together with her loving and idealistic father, Calum (Paul Mescal). As a world of adolescence creeps into view, beyond her eye Calum struggles under the weight of life outside of fatherhood. Twenty years later, Sophie's tender recollections of their last holiday become a powerful and heartrending portrait of their relationship, as she tries to reconcile the father she knew with the man she didn't, in Charlotte Wells’ superb and searingly emotional debut film.
Mickey & Friends: 10 Classic Shorts - Volume 2
Studio Synopsis:Celebrate 100 magical years of Disney with this collectible compilation of animated shorts! Join Mickey and his friends in these 10 hilarious, madcap adventures which have entertained generations of children and adults alike. Highlights include "The Band Concert," where Maestro Mickey and his friends face wild challenges while performing outdoors. Then see what happens when Goofy is in the driver's seat pulling "Mickey's Trailer." In "Pluto's Sweater," Pluto gets hot under the collar when Minnie knits him a warm turtleneck, and in Pluto and the Gopher, Pluto stops to smell the flowers, but finds himself outwitted by a mischievous rodent. And there's no stopping Donald's nephews from coming between their uncle and the lovely Daisy Duck when "Mr. Duck Steps Out." Five more charming, funny stories complete this legacy collection that's sure to delight.
Cowboy Bebop: The Complete Series - 25 Anniversary
Studio Synopsis:Five intergalactic loners team up to track down fugitives and turn them in for cold hard cash. From a drug bust on asteroid Tijuana to a stained-glass serenade with the Syndicate, cruise around the galaxy with the coolest gang of bounty hunters in 2071. (Available in Limited Edition Box or Special Edition)
Star Trek: The Next Generation 4-Movie Collection
Studio Synopsis:All four films will be available together in the "Star Trek: The Next Generation four-movie collection." The 4-Movie Collection includes each film on 4K Ultra HD, as well as fully remastered on Blu-ray™, plus all legacy bonus content and access to Digital copies of each film. The Collection is presented in a slipcase beautifully illustrated to complement the "Star Trek: The Original" six-movie collection, making this a must-own set to complete every fan’s collection.
Cool Hand Luke 4K UHD
Studio Synopsis:Academy Award winner Paul Newman stars with George Kennedy in this story of a man who will not surrender to authority--even at the cost of his life. When Luke Jackson (Newman) is sentenced to a Southern prison for a minor infraction, his intelligence, calm under pressure and inability to accept defeat soon gain him the respect of his fellow inmates on the chain gang – and the nickname Cool Hand Luke. But they also earn Luke the enmity of the warden, who cannot allow any inmate to challenge his authority. When Luke's mother dies, he decides to escape ... and he will not allow anyone to stop him.
The Maltese Falcon 4K UHD
Studio Synopsis:Academy Award winner Humphrey Bogart stars in this classic film noir as tough San Francisco private detective Sam Spade in the classic, convoluted story of Spade's involvement with a deadly band of international thieves who will lie, double cross and murder to obtain a small, jewel-encrusted statue known as The Maltese Falcon. Sam Spade's (Bogart) partner, Miles Archer (Jerome Cowan), accepts a job protecting a young woman (Mary Astor). Neither Spade nor Archer believe the woman or the story she tells them, but they do believe her money. Then, when Archer is murdered, Spade's search for the killer drags him in the web of lies and death spun by the desperate people seeking 'The Maltese Falcon.'
Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema - Vol. XII
This collection features three film noir classics.
Studio Synopsis:Undertow (1949) – Best known for fright fare such as "House on Haunted Hill," "The Tingler," and "Let’s Kill Uncle," cult director William Castle turns his lens on guns and gangsters for the film noir gem "Undertow." Scott Brady ("I Was a Shoplifter") stars as Tony Reagan, a gambler just out of wartime military service. No longer interested in wagers and speculations, Reagan wants only to open up a mountain vacation lodge. Before this can take place, however, he is framed for murder and forced to go on the run from both the police and the unknown killers. Dorothy Hart ("Larceny") and Peggy Dow ("Shakedown") play the love interests in this serpentine tale of mob-and-moll double-crosses, with John Russell ("Yellow Sky"), Bruce Bennett ("Mildred Pierce") and future star Rock Hudson ("The Tarnished Angels") in his second film appearance.
Studio Synopsis: Outside the Wall (1950) – Richard Basehart ("He Walked by Night") stars as Larry Nelson, paroled from prison after serving nearly half of his thirty-year sentence. Larry is determined to not fall into the clutches of the law again and takes a quiet job at a country sanitarium. There he meets and falls for a gold-digging nurse, Charlotte Maynard ("Marilyn Maxwell," "Race Street"), and he knows the only way to enter her web is to make a lot of fast money. So when Larry learns that the sanitarium is a front for a robbery syndicate, he soon finds himself a clay pigeon for the gang. Meanwhile, sweet-and-wholesome nurse Ann Taylor ("Dorothy Hart," "Undertow") does her best to help Larry out of the unpleasant situation. Also starring Swedish sensation Signe Hasso ("The House on 92nd Street"), Outside the Wall is a classic noir story of an ex-con’s struggle to go straight.
Studio Synopsis: Hold Back Tomorrow (1955) – What Strange Law Answered His Last Request...to Bring THIS Beautiful Woman to His Cell? Hollywood great John Agar ("Sands of Iwo Jima," "Shield for Murder") stars as Joe, a death row inmate with one final request before his impending hanging: to spend the night with a woman. The police bring him a down-on-her-luck former “waitress” named Dora, played by femme fatale extraordinaire Cleo Moore ("On Dangerous Ground," "The Other Woman"). At first these two tormented souls meet with disdain, but soon gain each other’s respect. After a night of raw and unexpected passion, Joe informs Dora that, with her love, he will not be afraid to die. The nihilistic noir two-hander Hold Back Tomorrow comes written, produced and directed by Czech star and cult auteur, Hugo Haas ("The Girl on the Bridge," "Bait").
Warner Bros. 100th 25-Film Collection: Vol. One - Award Winners
Films included: GRAND HOTEL, MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY, THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD, MRS. MINIVER, CASABLANCA, KEY LARGO, A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (THE ORIGINAL RESTORED VERSION), BEN-HUR, WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE?, WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?, BONNIE AND CLYDE, COOL HAND LUKE, BULLITT, ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST, PURPLE RAIN, THE COLOR PURPLE, UNFORGIVEN, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS, MYSTIC RIVER, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING, MILLION DOLLAR BABY, THE DEPARTED, ARGO, A STAR IS BORN, and JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH.
Warner Bros. 100th 25-Film Collection: Vol. Two - Comedies, Dramas, and Musicals
Films included: 42nd STREET, THE WIZARD OF OZ, CITIZEN KANE, SINGIN' IN THE RAIN, A STAR IS BORN, REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE, DOCTOR ZHIVAGO, THE OUTSIDERS (THE COMPLETE NOVEL), RISKY BUSINESS, GREMLINS, THE GOONIES, LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (THE DIRECTOR’S CUT + THEATRICAL VERSION), BULLITT, EMPIRE OF THE SUN, THE BODYGUARD, DUMB AND DUMBER (UNRATED VERSION), FRIDAY (DIRECTOR’S CUT), BOOGIE NIGHTS, SELENA, PRACTICAL MAGIC, THE IRON GIANT (SIGNATURE EDITION + THEATRICAL VERSION), ELF, HAIRSPRAY, THE HANGOVER (UNRATED + THEATRICAL VERSIONS), INVICTUS, and CRAZY RICH ASIANS.
Warner Bros. 100th 25-Film Collection: Vol. Three - Fatasy, Action, and Adventure
Films included: SUPERMAN, THE NEVERENDING STORY, SUPERGIRL, LETHAL WEAPON, BATMAN, TWISTER, HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE, WONDER WOMAN, OCEAN'S ELEVEN, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, V FOR VENDETTA, PAN'S LABYRINTH, 300, THE DARK KNIGHT, MAN OF STEEL, CONSTANTINE, JUSTICE LEAGUE, FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM, AQUAMAN, SHAZAM!, JOKER, BIRDS OF PREY, THE SUICIDE SQUAD, and BLACK ADAM
Warner Bros. 100th 25-Film Collection: Vol. Four - Thrillers, Sci-Fi, and Horror
Films included: KING KONG, THE MALTESE FALCON, CHILDREN OF THE DAMNED, 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, A CLOCKWORK ORANGE, THE EXORCIST (EXTENDED DIRECTOR’S CUT), ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN, THE SHINING, BLADE RUNNER: THE FINAL CUT, A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, FULL METAL JACKET, GOODFELLAS, NATURAL BORN KILLERS (THE DIRECTOR’S CUT), THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE, SEVEN, THE MATRIX, THE GREEN MILE, INCEPTION, THE CONJURING, GRAVITY, HER, ANNABELLE, IT, and DUNE.