A showdown decades in the making brings the Donovan family legacy full circle. As the events that made Ray who he is today finally come to light, the Donovans find themselves drawn back to Boston to face the past. Each of them struggles to overcome their violent upbringing, but destiny dies hard, and only their fierce love for each other keeps them in the fight. Whether they stand together or they go down swinging, one thing is certain – Ray doesn’t do loose ends. — from CBS / Paramount
So when Ray Donovan was cancelled before its planned eighth and final season, fans freaked out and raised such a fuss that reportedly they caused this to be born: a TV movie to finish out the story of Ray and his dad (Liev Schreiber and Jon Voight). The movie brings back the cast, picks up where they left off, and was co-written by Schreiber himself. There are no bonus bits, which is a shame, since it could have been a nice way to give the show and its fans a proper send-off, but as it stands, it’s a good pick for any fan who wants to complete the series collection on their shelf. You can snag that from Amazon here.
For generations, the Price family has made very sensible, very conservative shoes for men. But to save the business from imminent bankruptcy, young Charlie Price (Edgerton) turns to an unlikely new creative consultant: a fabulous drag performer (Ejiofor) whose creative style and wild designs are a breath of fresh air in the stuffy old factory. – from Paramount
Well, if you’ve recently seen Multiverse of Madness and want more of Chiwetel Ejiofor, and you want to check out a different sort of role, this Blu-Ray debut of Kinky Boots is for you. Also in the cast: Joel Edgerton (The Green Knight), Sarah-Jane Potts (The Chameleon), and Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead). And it did go on to inspire the musical of the same name that earned a slew of awards. This HD release gives you “legacy content” (in other words, it’s been released before): an audio commentary with the director and members of the cast, behind the scenes featurettes, and deleted scenes. If you’ve been waiting for it on Blu-Ray to snag it, now’s the time.
Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) is back where he doesn’t belong, this time going “deep, deep, deep undercover” to stop a gang of international munitions smugglers. Also returning are Judge Reinhold and John Ashton as Murphy’s crime-busting sidekicks, ready to unleash blazing gunfire alongside rapid-fire gags. – from Paramount
In this time of films have anniversaries and making us feel old, at least some of the releases do give us added value in return for the trauma about our age. Case in point: this edition of Beverly Hills Cop II has nothing in the way of bonus bits, but I assume that’s to give it the maximum amount of space on the disc to cram hi-def-ness on there, since this is the 4K release. So if you’re needing Eddie Murphy in 4K, then this is what you want on your shelf. Grab it here.
It’s 1961 and there’s a new crop of seniors ready to rule rockin’ Rydell High, including the coolest cliques on campus—the Pink Ladies and T-Birds. Michael Carrington (Caulfield) is the new kid in town, but he’s been branded a brainiac. Can he fix up an old motorcycle, don a leather jacket, and avoid a rumble with the leader of the T-Birds (Adrian Zmed) to win the heart of Pink Lady Stephanie Zinone (Pfeiffer)? This cool rider is surely going to try!
While we’re on the topic of sequels and anniversaries, it’s the 40th anniversary of Grease 2. Hard to believe this was the beginning of Michelle Pfeiffer’s rise to stardom, but there you have it. You also have the feature film debut of Maxwell Caulfield (we’re not counting the 1967 film where he was eight and under a pseudonym). Again, there are no bonus bits except for the digital copy of the film, but you do have a “limited edition” steelbook release here, I know many people are addicted to the steelbook cases. If that’s been what’s keeping you from taking the plunge on this in real media, then your ship has come in. The docks await you over on Amazon.
Chris Pine stars in the action-packed thriller as Special Forces Sergeant James Harper, who is involuntarily discharged from the Army and cut-off from his pension. In debt, out of options and desperate to provide for his family, Harper contracts with a private underground military force. When the very first assignment goes awry, the elite soldier finds himself hunted and on the run, caught in a dangerous conspiracy and fighting to stay alive long enough to get home and uncover the true motives of those who betrayed him. Also starring Kiefer Sutherland, Ben Foster, Gillian Jacobs and Eddie Marsan. – from Paramount
Well, as Chris Pine continues his quest to have one of the most varied CVs in acting these days, we come to The Contractor, which he both stars in and executive produced. It’s the English language feature debut for director Tarik Saleh, who helmed a number of Swedish thrillers. This is another 4K home video release that’s unfortunately devoid of special features (albeit with a digital copy). While it’s available on streaming services, if you want it permanently and in hi-def, this is the path to making that happen. Snag it from Amazon.
Get ready for edge-of-your-seat thrills in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Indy (Harrison Ford) and his feisty ex-flame Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen) dodge booby-traps, fight Nazis and stare down snakes in their incredible worldwide quest for the mystical Ark of the Covenant. Experience one exciting cliffhanger after another when you discover adventure with the one and only Indiana Jones. – from Paramount
So this is the first time the original film is available on 4K Ultra HD and it’s not a part of a set. So for those of you who wanted the hi-def and yet didn’t want to have to confess to owning a copy of Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, your patience has paid off. Although be aware this is the first of 4K individual releases for all four films, so you can mix and match to your heart’s content. And this is a steelbook as well…so that apart from the included mini-poster are the only real features to speak of. Again, we assume they left off any features in order to save room for the Dolby Atmos audio, etc. You can preorder it on Amazon.
