By There were two notable deaths last week which I feel like I should acknowledge here: actor and filmmaker Lau Kar Leung and actor Jim Kelly (Enter the Dragon). Each left their own imprint on action films and martial arts movies, Lau Kar Leung especially, whose work with Shaw Brothers Studios resulted in many kung fu classics, including The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (aka Shaolin Master Killer), Heroes of the East, My Young Auntie, and Legendary Weapons of China. Both will be missed, and both belong in the Badass Hall of Fame.
Without a fitting segue, what’s new this week?
Well, it’s actually pretty slow for new releases. Apart from 56 Up (and a full box set of the Up documentaries), there’s not much on the new side. There’s Tai Chi Hero if you’re interested in completing the duology started in Tai Chi Zero, and there’s the shelved and retitled 6 Souls.
The re-releases are where it’s at this week. In addition to the Up Series box set (over half-off at Amazon!), there are re-releases of E.T., Jaws, The Producers (the superior original version starring Gene Wilder and Zero Mostel), and The Kentucky Fried Movie, which was one of my favorite movies back in high school.
After the cut, the DVDs and Blu-Rays out this week, and a little bit of kung fu heroism courtesy of Lau Kar Leung and Jim Kelly.
New Releases
56 Up (DVD)
6 Souls (DVD, Blu-ray)
An American Girl: Saige Paints the Sky (DVD, Blu-ray)
The Autobiography of Nicolae Ceausescu (DVD)
Black Sabbath – DVD Collector’s Box (DVD)
Blood Runs Cold (DVD, Blu-ray)
Bon Jovi – The Second Phase (DVD)
Buddy Guy – Listen To This: A Musical Documentary (DVD)
David Guetta – The Life Of The Party (DVD)
The Employer (DVD)
Falcón (DVD)
Fangoria Presents: Entity (DVD)
The Girl (DVD)
Gotye – Life As A Painting (DVD)
Guido (DVD)
Herman’s House (DVD)
Hot Wet Nurses (DVD)
The House I Live In (DVD)
Inescapable (DVD, Blu-ray)
Inside World War II (DVD)
Ivan the Incredible (DVD)
Jake Shimabukuro: Life on Four Strings (DVD)
Nicky Deuce (DVD)
Santa’s Summer House (DVD)
Smart Cookies (DVD)
Tai Chi Hero (DVD, Blu-ray)
Tower Block (DVD, Blu-ray)
Venus and Serena (DVD, Blu-ray)
Why We Laugh: Funny Women (DVD)
Wiener Dog Nationals (DVD)
Re-releases
An American Tail | Balto | An American Tail: Fievel Goes West Triple Feature Film Set (DVD)
Best of Warner Bros 20 Film Collection Comedy (A Night At The Opera | Stage Door | Bringing Up Baby | The Philadelphia Story | Arsenic and Old Lade | The Long Long Trailer | The Great Race | Blazing Saddles | The In-Laws | Caddyshack | National Lampoon’s Vacation | Risky Business | The Goonies | Spies Like Us | Beetlejuice | Grumpy Old Men | Ace Ventura Pet Detective | Analyze This | Wedding Crashers: Uncorked Edition | The Hangover) (DVD)
Blowing Fuses Left & Right: Legendary Detroit Rock Interviews Limited Deluxe Edition (DVD)
Corleone (DVD)
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (DVD, Blu-ray)
Glastonbury The Movie: Box Set With In Flashback (DVD)
Good Day for a Hanging (DVD)
Gordon Lightfoot – Greatest Hits Live (DVD)
Jaws (DVD, Blu-ray)
The Kentucky Fried Movie (Blu-ray)
The Producers (DVD, Blu-ray)
The Trouble with Harry (Blu-ray)
Smokin’ Aces | Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels | The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift Triple Feature Film Set (DVD)
The Up Series (Seven Up – 56 Up) (DVD)
BONUS: I wish this song played every time I entered a room
