Sunday, April 28, 2019
My brief thoughts on season 3 episode 8 of Game of Thrones. (Spoilers)
Thursday, April 25, 2019
Fantastic New Releases Coming From PBS.
MASTERPIECE
Les Misérables
A blockbuster novel for over 150 years comes vividly to life in award-winning screenwriter Andrew Davies’s multi-layered retelling of Les Misérables by Victor Hugo. This enthralling six-episode adaptation (not a musical) stars Dominic West (The Affair, The Wire) as Jean Valjean, the most famous fugitive in literature, David Oyelowo (Selma, Queen of Katwe) stars as his relentless pursuer, Javert, and Lily Collins (Rules Don’t Apply; Love, Rosie) as the tragic seamstress, Fantine; Ellie Bamber (Nocturnal Animals) plays her adolescent daughter, Cosette; Academy Award winner, Olivia Colman (The Favourite) and Adeel Akhtar (Unforgotten) are Cosette’s cruel overseers, the Thénardiers; and Josh O'Connor (The Durrells in Corfu) is the student and reluctant revolutionary Marius, who falls in love with Cosette at first sight.
Joining the extensive cast are David Bradley (Game of Thrones, Harry Potter) as Marius’s formidable grandfather, Monsieur Gillenormand, and Derek Jacobi (Gladiator, Last Tango in Halifax) as the kindly Bishop of Digne, who rescues Valjean at his lowest ebb. The Guardian called it “A rich feast…c’est magnifique!”
- Street Date: May 21, 2019
- Run Time: DVD and Blu-ray: 371 minutes on 2 discs
- SRP: DVD, $39.99, Blu-ray, $49.99
- Format: DVD, Digital
Unforgotten, Season 3
When human remains are found by a motorway near London, the crime-solving duo, Cassie and Sunny are called to the scene. Dogged work leads the team to Hayley Reid, a 16-year-old girl who went missing on the eve of the millennium. The police’s failure to find out what happened to Hayley wrecked her family’s life. Cassie’s compassion makes her determined to correct the mistakes made by the original investigating team - whatever the cost is to herself. A close-knit group of old school friends hold the key to what happened - Doctor Tim Finch, television host James Hollis, failing salesman Pete Carr, and artist Chris Lowe. As the four suspects find themselves under the spotlight, their tight bond is put to the test. They all have secrets in their past – events that have pulled their lives apart. None of them are quite who they seem to be, but is one of them capable of murder?
- Street Date: May 7, 2019
- Run Time: 360 minutes on 2 discs
- SRP: DVD, $34.99
- Format: DVD, Digital
- Genre: British, Mystery
NOVA
Rise of the Rockets
An explosion of private companies is sparking the development of new technologies and lowering costs to bring space closer than ever. And at the same time, NASA is returning 
to crewed spaceflight with gusto, building a rocket more powerful even than the storied Saturn V to take us far beyond Earth. Will today’s optimism prove prescient, or nothing more than hype and wishful thinking? As costs come down and rockets with new capabilities come online, a new generation is reaching for the cosmos, daring to dream big and yearning to go farther, in greater numbers than ever before.
- Street Date: May 7, 2019
- Run Time: 56 minutes on 1 disc
- SRP: DVD, $24.99
- Format: DVD, Digital
- Genre: Science & Nature: Technology & Inventions
The Next Pompeii
In THE NEXT POMPEII, NOVA joins investigators as they hunt for clues hidden beneath the surface of Italy’s lesser-known volcano Campi Flegrei, and assesses the risk of a new and potentially devastating eruption. The program also follows historians and geologists as they discover the latest evidence of Pompeii’s fiery destruction, unpacking the chain of events that led to the ancient world’s most notorious disaster. What lessons does the tragedy of Pompeii hold for Naples’ citizens, who may face a mounting threat from the unseen forces beneath their feet?
- Street Date: May 14, 2019
- Run Time: 53 minutes
- SRP: DVD, $24.99
- Format: DVD, Digital
- Genre: History: Ancient
FRONTLINE
The Trial of Ratko Mladic
In the aftermath of the brutal wars that decimated Yugoslavia in the early 1990’s, former Bosnian Serb General Ratko Mladic was accused of genocide and other war crimes – including the massacre of more than 7,000 Muslim men and boys in the town of Srebrenica in July 1995 – considered the worst crime perpetrated on European soil since World War II. After 16 years on the run, Mladic was apprehended and brought to The Hague to stand trial before the UN’s International Criminal Tribunal, the biggest and only truly international war crimes tribunal since Nuremburg.
In the two-hour special FRONTLINE goes inside the historic five-year trial, with unprecedented, behind-the-scenes access to the prosecution and defense teams, as well as to witnesses from both sides who came to present evidence.
THE TRIAL OF RATKO MLADIC provides haunting insights into a war criminal’s motives, and the genocide he commanded his troops to carry out – as well as an intimate look at the victims left behind, who remain haunted by what their families endured. It tells an epic story of justice, accountability and a country trying to escape its bloody past.
- Street Date: May 28, 2019
- Run Time: 115 minutes
- SRP: DVD, $24.99
- Format: DVD, Digital
- Genre: Issues/Events: Society
SECRETS OF THE DEAD
The Nero Files
The Roman emperor Nero is considered one of history's greatest criminals - a cruel, insane, and brutal ruler. His name has become synonymous with evil, and he stands accused of killing his step-brother, his wife, and his mother, as well as burning Rome to the ground for his own artistic inspiration. But are these stories true? Can they be proven? Recent research, modern interpretations of historical sources, and new discoveries cast a different light on the accusations levelled at the Roman emperor. THE NERO FILES investigates Nero's reign with the help of criminal psychologist Thomas Müller, using "cold case" methodology. Did history get it wrong? Was Nero a far better ruler than he’s ever been given credit for?
- Street Date: May 14, 2019
- Run Time: 60 minutes
- SRP: DVD, $24.99
- Format: DVD, Digital
- Genre: History: Ancient
Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Season 5
This season features an array of celebrated guests who are cultural trailblazers with fascinating family stories, including Academy Award winner Marisa Tomei; Emmy and Golden Globe Award winners Laura Linney and S. Epatha Merkerson; and actors Michael K. Williams, Chloë Sevigny and Kal Penn. Season Five also includes superstar author George R.R. Martin; acclaimed journalists Christiane Amanpour, Ann Curry, Joe Madison and Lisa Ling; bestselling author and Facebook executive Sheryl Sandberg; TV hosts Seth Meyers and Michael Strahan; artists Marina Abramović
and Kehinde Wiley; politicians Marco Rubio, Tulsi Gabbard and Paul Ryan; Academy Award-winning filmmakers Alejandro G,Iñárritu and Michael Moore; and comedians Tig Notaro and Sarah Silverman.
The roots of these guests cover the globe — from Samoa, Nigeria, Taiwan and Sicily to Iran, Ireland, India and Cuba — and almost everywhere in between. Their family trees are filled with compelling characters — slaves and kings, artists and entrepreneurs, abandoned children and missing parents, revolutionaries, soldiers, and a constant flow of ordinary individuals who did remarkable things, laying the groundwork for their successful descendants. Each episode weaves together these stories, gleaned from cutting-edge DNA analysis and old school genealogical detective work, all hosted by executive producer and Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
- Street Date: May 14, 2019
- Run Time: 600 minutes on 3 discs
- SRP: DVD, $39.99
- Format: DVD, Digital
- Genre: Issues/Events: Race & Ethnicity
Henry IX: The Lost King
This program takes viewers on a journey to investigate the mysterious disappearance from history of a forgotten Scottish prince - Henry Fredrick Stuart, the best king Britain never had. Not many of us know his name but Henry started the British Museum and the Royal Collection and was the first royal prince to back a permanent settlement on American soil in the early 17th century. In this immersive documentary, host Paul Murton brings this forgotten figure from the shadows of history into the light of the modern world. It’s a detective story which reveals the tragedy of Henry’s lost potential. During his investigating, Paul visits Henricus, the colony founded in Virginia under Henry’s patronage, 14 years before the Mayflower and the pilgrims set sail for Plymouth. How has the story of this renaissance man, who changed the course of Britain’s history, been largely lost until now? Whatever happened to the best king they never had?
- Street Date: May 7, 2019
- Run Time: 60 minutes
- SRP: DVD, $24.99
- Format: DVD, Digital
- Genre: History: World
The Best of the World’s Greatest
The world is full of inspiring places just waiting to be discovered and explored. This new, epic six-part series goes on a timeless journey around the planet, revealing the world’s greatest ancient cities, natural wonders, extreme animal encounters, lost cities, journeys and adventures, monuments, and coral islands. Viewers get a chance to explore exciting cities such as Venice, Rio, and Cairo, the islands of Galapagos, Hawaii, and the Maldives, and others. Viewers also explore Stonehenge, Machu Picchu, Angkor Wat, the Taj Mahal, as well as Mt. Everest, the Great Barrier Reef, and the Grand Canyon. In addition viewers get up close and personal with killer whales, grizzlies, and silver-backed gorillas, among other animals in the wild.
- Street Date: May 7, 2019
- Run Time: 312 minutes on 2 discs
- SRP: DVD, $19.99
- Format: DVD, Digital
- Genre: Travel: Air & Ocean
Korea: The Never-Ending War
Written and produced by John Maggio and narrated by Korean-American actor John Cho, this documentary sheds new light on the global upheaval that led to the Korean War in 1950, a moment when the Cold War turned hot, and how today that war’s brutal legacy has forced the world into a deadly nuclear showdown. With testimony from the soldiers on the frontlines, civilians caught in the crossfire, political leaders from then and now, journalists and historians, the film is a comprehensive re-examination of a war that took the lives of tens of thousands of American GI’s and millions of Koreans. It is a war that has raged for generations. A war that most Americans don’t remember, and Koreans can never forget. The film documents how the conflict has continued post-1953; the events that triggered North Korea’s nuclear program; and South Korea’s economic expansion. The consequences of the war’s stalemate contribute to a dangerous stand-off between North and South Korea, and the United States and China. The 'end' of this conflict is still an open question.
- Street Date: May 14, 2019
- Run Time: 120 minutes
- SRP: DVD, $24.99
- Format: DVD, Digital
- Genre: History: War & Military
Nicholas and Alexandra: The Letters
Ever since their brutal murders one hundred years ago, the world has been fascinated by Tsar Nicholas II and his wife, the Empress Alexandra. Through the couple’s politically damning, sexually intimate and personally revealing letters, this two-part docu-drama, explores Nicholas and Alexandra’s complex love story and the couple’s role in the lead up to the Russian Revolution of 1917 which led to their eventual brutal and tragic execution. Their thousands of love letters reveal the intimate details of their affection, sex life, delusions, and above all the road to revolution. From their total isolation to their political ineptitude and reliance on Rasputin, these letters chronicle their disastrous leadership in graphic detail. And as the Revolution took hold in the country, their position became increasingly precarious as widespread blame for Russia’s woes was aimed solely at the Royal couple.
- Street Date: May 21, 2019
- Run Time: 100 minutes on 1 discs
- SRP: DVD, $24.99
- Format: DVD, Digital
- Genre: History: World
Saturday, April 20, 2019
Wednesday, April 17, 2019
GLORY The Modern Classic Directed by Edward Zwick Starring Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, Cary Elwes & Morgan Freeman Celebrates its 30th Anniversary on 4K Ultra HD™ July 30
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
GLORY
The Modern Classic Directed by Edward Zwick
Starring Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington,
Cary Elwes & Morgan Freeman
Celebrates its 30th Anniversary on 4K Ultra HD™ July 30
Film Returns to Movie Theaters Nationwide July 21 and 24
CULVER CITY, Calif. (April 17, 2019) –Sony Pictures Home Entertainment celebrates the 30th Anniversary of the Academy Award®-winning classic directed by Edward Zwick, GLORY, debuting on 4K Ultra HD and in 4K with HDR via participating Digital platforms on July 30. Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington—in his first Oscar®-winning performance (Best Supporting Actor, 1989)—Cary Elwes and Morgan Freeman star in the compelling story behind the U.S. Civil War's first all-black volunteer company, where they fight prejudices from both the Union and the Confederate Armies. Nominated for five Academy Awards and winning three,* the 4K Ultra HD release truly showcases both the film’s imagery and sound. Freddie Francis’ win for Cinematography is highlighted by the film’s 4K resolution scan from the original camera negative, with a resulting 4K HDR master approved by director Edward Zwick, while the all-new Dolby Atmos audio mix, as well as the original theatrical audio mix, spotlight the team who won the Best Sound Oscar (Donald O. Mitchell, Gregg Rudloff, Elliot Tyson, Russell Williams II).
To mark the 30th anniversary of this Civil War epic, Fathom Events, Turner Classic Movies and Sony Pictures will presentGlory as part of the yearlong TCM Big Screen Classics series. The film will play in more than 600 movie theaters nationwide for two days only: July 21 and 24. Tickets and more information are available atwww.FathomEvents.com.
Synopsis:
Commemorate the 30th anniversary of Edward Zwick’s GLORY: the heart-stopping story of the first black regiment to fight for the North in the Civil War, starring Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, Cary Elwes and Morgan Freeman. Broderick and Elwes are the idealistic young Bostonians who lead the regiment; Freeman is the inspirational sergeant who unites the troops; and Denzel Washington, in an Academy Award®-winning performance (1989, Best Supporting Actor), is the runaway slave who embodies the indomitable spirit of the 54th Regiment of Massachusetts. Screenplay by Kevin Jarre.
Bonus Materials Include:
§ Director’s Commentary
§ Deleted Scenes with Commentary
§ Virtual Civil War Battlefield Interactive Map
§ “The True Story Continues” Documentary
§ “The Voices of Glory” Featurette
§ “The Making of Glory” Featurette
§ Visual Feature-Length Commentary (on the 4K Ultra HD disc)
§ Theatrical Trailer (on the 4K Ultra HD disc)
GLORY has a run time of approximately 122 minutes and is rated R.
*In addition to its wins for Best Supporting Actor, Best Cinematography and Best Sound,GLORY was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration (Norman Garwood, Garrett Lewis) and Best Film Editing (Steven Rosenblum).
Academy Award® and Oscar® are the registered trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
What No One Seems To Be Asking...
Tuesday, April 16, 2019
Manifest: The Complete First Season Flight 828 Disappeared in 2013. Today, it Came Home. Brace Yourself. The DVD is Landing July 23rd
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Monday, April 15, 2019
TBS PROGRAMMING ALERT WEEK OF MAY 5
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Wednesday, April 10, 2019
ASIANCRUSH & MIDNIGHT PULP April Streaming Premieres: KARAOKE CRAZIES, MICROWAVE MASSACRE, a Romero Celebration with THE CRAZIES & SEASON OF THE WITCH + More!
