Alice (Movie Review)
July 23rd, 2020 by Gerard Iribe
Happily married Alice’s (Emilie Piponnier) life is turned upside down when she discovers her husband (Martin Swabey) has spent all their money on prostitutes and they are now a year behind on their mortgage. In a last-ditch bid to support herself and her child, Alice becomes a high-end escort, which challenges her perceptions of life and love. At times bitterly funny but always brutally honest, the film traces Alice’s journey to her own kind of freedom. Writer-director Josephine Mackerras’ powerful debut feature won the Grand Jury Award at last year’s SXSW, and the ‘Spirit of The Festival Award’ at the 27th Raindance Film Festival, and stars Emilie Piponnier in a breakout performance.
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Four ghoulish fables in one modern nightmare. On August 25, 2020, Scream Factory proudly presents the anthology Tales from the Darkside: The Movie. (Collector’s Edition) in its ultimate Blu-ray debut. The horror fan-favorite comes home in a release packed with bonus features, including a new audio commentary with co-producer David R. Kappes and a new six-chapter feature-length documentary featuring a bevy of cast and crew. Fans who order from shoutfactory.com will also receive an exclusive poster, while supplies last. From the clever and creepy minds of Stephen King (Pet Sematary), Michael McDowell (Beetlejuice), George A. Romero (Dawn of the Dead) and Arthur Conan Doyle (creator of Sherlock Holmes), comes an all-star anthology of horror.
One month, two Jerry Zucker titles from two different decades and two completely directions for the Paramount Presents brand label. We first talked about Ghost, but now lets shift landing gears to Airplane! A landmark comedy that has never left the “movie quotes” lexicon and still works its magic on generation after generation. And this year it is turning 40 years old. Holy moly, you have earned that exclamation point! For this new edition there is a new 4K transfer of the film, overseen by its directors. The Filmmaker Focus is here, but another new bonus feature comes in the likes of a Q&A recorded back in January at the Egyptian Theater (Remember when we used to go to those places? Ah, fond memories). Its available now in this edition or a steelbook which are both handsomely priced. You can nab this one with the standard Paramount Presents packaging by clicking on the Amazon Associates link that follows the review.
Scooby-Doo has long been one of the most popular children’s cartoons in the Amercian pop culture lexicon. Since its creation 40 years ago, the toon has constantly been refurbished, re-run, re-invented and re-introduced to brand new generations. Like many a Mickey Mouse or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, once Scooby-Doo arrived on the scene, he never left. The latest iteration, SCOOB!, was one of the famed movies that were prepared for a theatrical released, but as a result of the (continuing in the US) pandemic, altered its distribution to be a direct to VOD title. Probably influenced by the success of Trolls: World Tour, SCOOB! just up and gave it a go. As a father of two, I took the bait, seeing as we would have seen it in theaters anyway at the same cost. Now, happily, its arriving on physical media AND on the glorious 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray format. So, all you dastardly Why So Blu readers go forth, read the review and order yourself your own copy of SCOOB!
For the 25th anniversary of Clueless, and almost on the exact day, Paramount will be re-releasing the Amy Heckerling film on Blu-ray with a special steelbook to commemorate the milestone. To shoot straight to the point, this is the exact same disc that has been out for eight years now, just in brand new and more fashionable clothing. One would wish that they’d have offered up something more; a new transfer, a retrospective, an interview, a 4K Ultra-HD Blu-ray release…something that felt a little more worthwhile. Steelbooks are cool, but what about the big fans that already have the film? At least the pricepoint isn’t too bad. You can own the new packaging when it releases to stores online and physical on July 21st. Lets revisit this same same disc disc.
The treasured and enduring classic ROMAN HOLIDAY debuts on Blu-ray for the first time ever as part of the Paramount Presents line on September 15, 2020 from Paramount Home Entertainment. The exquisite Audrey Hepburn lights up the screen in her first starring role opposite the charismatic Gregory Peck in this funny, beautiful, and intoxicating romantic comedy. Ranked as the #4 greatest love story of all time by the American Film Institute, ROMAN HOLIDAY earned 10 Academy Award® nominations, including Best Picture, and won Best Actress for Hepburn, Best Costume Design for legendary designer Edith Head, and Best Writing for Dalton Trumbo.
Sherlock Holmes and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows will be available on September 1 on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack for $24.99 (expected retail price) each, and feature an Ultra HD Blu-ray disc with the feature film in 4K with HDR, a Blu-ray disc with the feature film and special features in HD, and a Digital HD* version of the feature film. Fans can also own the 2 films in 4K Ultra HD via purchase from select digital retailers. Sherlock Holmes and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray will contain the same special features that were included on each of the film’s previous Blu-ray releases.
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment announced today that Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice (1988) will be released on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray on September 1, 2020. Beetlejuice will be available on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack and feature an Ultra HD Blu-ray disc with the feature film in 4K with HDR, a Blu-ray disc with the feature film and special features in HD, and a Digital HD* version of the feature film. Fans can also own the 4 films in 4K Ultra HD via purchase from select digital retailers. 4K Ultra HD showcases 4K resolution with High Dynamic Range (HDR) and a wider color spectrum, offering consumers brighter, deeper, and more lifelike colors for a home entertainment viewing experience like never before. For the complete 4K Ultra HD experience with HDR, a 4K Ultra HD TV with HDR, an Ultra HD Blu-ray player and a high-speed HDMI (category 2) cable are required. But, you Why So Blu faithful readers knew that already, right? 
Arriving on 4K UHD Blu-ray September 1st: From the imagination of Steven Spielberg, The Goonies plunges a band of small heroes into a swashbuckling surprise-around-every corner quest beyond their wildest dreams! Following a mysterious treasure map into a spectacular underground realm of twisting passages, outrageous booby-traps and a long-lost pirate ship full of golden doubloons, the kids race to stay one step ahead of a family of bumbling bad guys… and a mild-mannered monster with a face only a mother could love.
Earlier this year the final season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars debuted on Disney+ to a great degree of fanfare and excitement. It was an appropriate closure to the show with some new characters introduced along the way. While the story of sisters Rafa and Trace seemed to just kind of evaporate, there were others that sparked curiosity as viewers approached the arrival of Order 66, most especially the quartet known as the Bad Batch. Now there’s news that Disney+ plans to release a full on spin-off series revolving around this ragtag group of specialized clones.
In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the original and groundbreaking 1980 film Friday the 13th, Scream Factory™, the fan-driven entertainment brand devoted to all things horror, has announced the Friday the 13th Collection (Deluxe Edition), to be released on Tuesday, October 13th, 2020. The 16-disc set is the definitive Blu-ray™ collection of one of the most influential horror franchises ever created and includes all 12 original films from Paramount Pictures and New Line Cinema.
The Vestron Video Collector’s Series returns when legendary director David Cronenberg’s (The Fly, Scanners) horror classic Shivers arrives on Blu-ray™ and Digital September 15 from Lionsgate. Vestron Video has been a leader in remastering the most unique and wide-ranging selection of classic films. A timeless take on sexual horror produced by Ivan Reitman (Ghostbusters), the film stars Paul Hampton, Joe Silver, and Lynn Lowry. With five new special features including an all-new audio commentary with David Cronenberg, Shivers will be available on Blu-ray September 15th.
