Hello and welcome to another look at highlights arriving on Blu-ray and DVD. Some interesting material is coming your way this week, including everything from big studio films to privately financed, independent fare. So if you can’t make it out to the movies this week, be sure to give one of these titles a try!

Big New Releases!

Alita: Battle Angel - Based on the Japanese manga series, this sci-fi/action picture follows a cyborg who wakes up with no memory of who she is or where she came from. A scientist attempts to replace parts and restore the teen to her full potential. She soon develops incredible abilities and sets out to uncover the truth about her past. Critics were a...

Computer techniques add a lot, but take away something vital

 

Rating: «« out of ««««

Running Time: 118 minutes

This week’s big release is Disney’s photo-realistic take on the 1994 animated classic, The Lion King. Fans of the original film may be happy to learn that the primary story hasn’t been changed a great deal. Instead, the selling point is the CGI animal creations backed by an impressive Africa savannah. On a technical level it’s a marvel, with stunning visual effects and imagery. Unfortunately, the extended running time drags events out, resulting in some logy pacing.

The story follows Simba (Donald Glover), a kind-hearted lion forced into self-banishment...

Welcome back to another edition of new release highlights on Blu-ray and DVD. As always, there’s plenty to choose from in a wide variety of genres. So, if you can’t make it out to the movies this week, be sure to give one of these titles a try!

Big New Releases!

Abduction - A SWAT team member wakes up in a park fountain in the Far East, believing it is the year 1985, and having no memory of who he is or how he got there. After trying to put fragmented memories together, he determines that he was out searching for his kidnapped young daughter. He then teams up with a gangster who is hunting for his own missing wife and the pair try to solve the mystery. What they soon discover...

Rating: ««« out of ««««

Running Time: 105 minutes

Remember action films from the ‘80s that featured a brawny tough guy mowing down countless enemies through city streets and elaborate backdrops? The new comedy Stuber certainly does, pay some homage to the genre, while deconstructing it and playing a few tropes for laughs. Admittedly, there are a few tonal imbalances and it took this reviewer a while to get onto the movie’s wavelength. However, this feature improves as it progresses and results in some enjoyable popcorn summer entertainment.

Stu (Kumail Nanjiani) is a nice-guy Uber driver who is underappreciated by co-workers, and can’t seem to attract the romantic...