New streaming, on-demand highlights February 26-March 3, 2024

SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — It's another eclectic week of releases featuring two of the most talked about films in the multiplex: “Poor Things” and “Saltburn.” If I had to pick sides, I’d lean towards the Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone teaming of “Poor Things” for the fantasy world that it takes place in. If we’re talking soundtracks, it would be “Saltburn.” I may be scarred for life, but anything that getsSophie Ellis-Bextor to tour America is fantastic as far as I’m concerned. You really should visit her Disco Kitchen sometime. There are lots of fantastic songs to be found in the cupboard. The use of the Pet Shop Boys' “Rent” was pretty vicious. I’d expect nothing less from writer and directorEmerald Fennell.

Two other major titles, “The Beekeeper,” aDavid Ayer action film starring Jason Statham, and “Lisa Frankenstein,” a dark comedy from writerDiablo Cody starring Kathryn Newton, are also now available.

Those willing to explore the untaken path have numerous options as well.

The most notable Blu-ray and DVD releases for the week include the perfectly delightful “Wonka,” A24’s “Dream Scenario” withNicolas Cage, and the animated family film “Migration.” You’ll also find catalog titles like the pandemic thriller “Contagion,” Stanley Kubrick ‘s “Fear and Desire,” and James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart in “The Roaring Twenties” on 4K UHD for the first time.

Poor Things

Studio Synopsis:From filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos and producer Emma Stone comes the incredible tale and fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter (Stone), a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe). Under Baxter’s protection, Bella is eager to learn. Hungry for the worldliness she is lacking, Bella runs off with Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo), a slick and debauched lawyer, on a whirlwind adventure across the continents. Free from the prejudices of her times, Bella grows steadfast in her purpose to stand for equality and liberation.
Also Available: Blu-ray, DVD March 12, 2024

Saltburn

Studio Synopsis:Academy Award winning filmmaker Emerald Fennell ("Promising Young Woman") brings us a beautifully wicked tale of privilege and desire. Struggling to find his place at Oxford University, student Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) finds himself drawn into the world of the charming and aristocratic Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi), who invites him to Saltburn, his eccentric family’s sprawling estate, for a summer never to be forgotten.

The Beekeeper

Studio Synopsis:Jason Statham stars in "The Beekeeper," a heart-pounding action-thriller about a mysterious Beekeeper. Adam Clay (Statham), a former operative of a powerful organization known as Beekeepers, upends his covert life and embarks on a brutal revenge mission to dismantle corruption at the highest levels of our society.

Dr. Cheon and Lost Talisman

Studio Synopsis:Despite being the grandson of a famed village shaman, Dr. Cheon doesn’t actually believe in ghosts, yet makes a living performing fake exorcisms on camera. But when a mysterious client arrives at his door, Dr. Cheon is drawn into a series of strange and unexplainable events that will challenge everything he has ever believed—and resurface childhood horrors he’s tried to forget.
Also Available: Blu-ray, DVD

Lisa Frankenstein

Studio Synopsis: A coming of rage love story from acclaimed writer Diablo Cody ("Jennifer's Body") about a misunderstood teenager and her high school crush, who happens to be a handsome corpse. After a set of playfully horrific circumstances bring him back to life, the two embark on a murderous journey to find love, happiness ... and a few missing body parts along the way.

Monster

Studio Synopsis:After a mother (Ando Sakura) discovers that a teacher’s bullying is behind her young son’s sudden strange behavior, she storms into his school demanding an explanation. Continually left without satisfactory answers—and with an increasingly distressed child—she furiously escalates her concerns to the school board and the media. But as the story unfolds through the multilayered perspectives of mother, teacher, and child, the real truth gradually emerges—and proves much more complex than anyone could have expected.
Also Available: Blu-ray, DVD April 9, 2024

The Moon

Studio Synopsis: Seven years after Korea's first fully manned mission to the moon ends in disaster, a second human spaceflight is launched successfully—until a strong solar wind causes the spacecraft to malfunction. With an astronaut left stranded in space and quickly running out of oxygen, the Naro Space Center turns to its former managing director to avert yet another fatal catastrophe.
Also Available: Blu-ray, DVD

Out of Darkness

Studio Synopsis:A small boat reaches the shores of a raw and desolate landscape. A group of six have struggled across the narrow sea to find a new home. They are starving, desperate, and living 45,000 years ago. First they must find shelter, and they strike out across the tundra wastes towards the distant mountains that promise the abundant caves they need to survive. But when night falls, anticipation turns to fear and doubt as they realize they are not alone. Terrifying sounds suggest something monstrous at large in this landscape, something that could kill or steal them away. As relationships in the group fracture, the determination of one young woman reveals the terrible actions taken to survive.
Also Available: Blu-ray, DVD March 26, 2024

Sophie Scholl: The Final Days

Studio Synopsis:The true story of Germany’s most famous anti-Nazi heroine is brought to thrilling life in the multi-award winning drama "Sophie Scholl: The Final Days". Academy Award Nominee for Best Foreign Language Film, "Sophie Scholl" stars Julia Jentsch in a luminous performance as the young coed-turned-fearless activist. Armed with long-buried historical records of her incarceration, director Marc Rothemund expertly re-creates the last six days of Sophie Scholl’s life: a heart-stopping journey from arrest to interrogation, trial and sentence.
Also Available: Blu-ray, DVD

Blu-ray & DVD Highlights

Wonka

Studio Synopsis:Based on the extraordinary character at the center of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl’s most iconic children’s book and one of the best-selling children’s books of all time, “Wonka” tells the wondrous story of how the world’s greatest inventor, magician and chocolate-maker became the beloved Willy Wonka we know today.

Dream Scenario

Studio Synopsis:An ordinary family man Paul Matthews (Nicolas Cage) finds his life turned upside down when millions of strangers suddenly start seeing him in their dreams. But when his nighttime appearances take a nightmarish turn, Paul is forced to navigate the consequences of his newfound stardom. A wickedly entertaining comedy from writer-director Kristoffer Borgli ("Sick of Myself"), producer Ari Aster ("Hereditary"), and a rollicking ensemble cast featuring Julianne Nicholson, Michael Cera, Kate Berlant, Tim Meadows, and Dylan Gelula.

Fear the Walking Dead

Studio Synopsis:Can Madison protect everyone from Troy Otto and his army of the dead? Find out on the final episodes of "Fear the Walking Dead."

Migration

Studio Synopsis:The Mallard family is in a bit of rut. While dad Mack is content to keep his family safe paddling around their New England pond forever, mom Pam is eager to shake things up and show their kids -- teen son Dax and duckling daughter Gwen -- the whole wide world. After a migrating duck family alights on their pond with thrilling tales of far-flung places, Pam persuades Mack to embark on a family trip, via New York City, to tropical Jamaica. As the Mallards make their way South for the winter, their well-laid plans quickly go awry. The experience will inspire them to expand their horizons, open themselves up to new friends and accomplish more than they ever thought possible, while teaching them more about each other -- and themselves -- than they ever imagined.

Next Goal Wins

Studio Synopsis:"Next Goal Wins" follows the American Samoa soccer team, infamous for their brutal 31-0 FIFA loss in 2001. With the World Cup Qualifiers approaching, the team hires down-on-his-luck, maverick coach Thomas Rongen (Michael Fassbender) hoping he will turn the world’s worst soccer team around in this heartfelt underdog comedy.

V/H/S/85

Studio Synopsis:A heart-pounding journey into the grim underbelly of the forgotten 80s through five tales of terror on a taped-over made-for-TV documentary.

Allonsanfan

Studio Synopsis:After the fall of Napoleon, the Restoration begins. Fulvio (Marcello Mastroianni, "La dolce vita"), an aristocrat who has dedicated his life to the revolution has become disillusioned and his cowardice keeps him from joining his comrades. As he struggles to manage his evasion and lies he gets swept up in a suicidal uprising in Southern Italy.

All Quiet on the Western Front (2022) 4K UHD Steelbook

Studio Synopsis:All Quiet on the Western Front tells the gripping story of a young German soldier on the Western Front of World War I. Paul and his comrades experience first-hand how the initial euphoria of war turns into desperation and fear as they fight for their lives, and each other, in the trenches.

Black Tight Killers

Studio Synopsis:After wooing stewardess Yoriko (Chieko Matsubara, "Tokyo Drifter"), war photographer Hondo (Akira Kobayashi, "Battles Without Honor" and "Humanity") sees her kidnapped by a team of deadly female assassins who use vinyl records as weapons. Investigating her whereabouts, Hondo uncovers a conspiracy to steal a buried stash of World War II-era gold. Soon he must dodge go-go dancing ninjas and chewing-gum bullets to save Yoriko, whose family secret is tied to the hidden treasure.

Contagion 4K UHD

Studio Synopsis:When Beth Emhoff (Gwyneth Paltrow) returns to Minneapolis from business in Hong Kong, what she thought was jet lag takes a virulent turn. Two days later, she's dead in the ER and the doctors tell her shocked and grieving husband (Matt Damon) they have no idea why. Soon more cases are reported as the virus begins to spread. Researchers mobilize to break the code of this unique biological pathogen as it continues to mutate. Deputy Director Cheever (Laurence Fishburne) tries to allay the growing panic despite his own personal concerns, and must send a brave young doctor (Kate Winslet) into harm's way. As the death toll escalates and people struggle to protect themselves and their loved ones in a society breaking down, one activist blogger (Jude Law) claims the public isn't getting the truth about what's really going on, and sets off an epidemic of paranoia and fear as infectious as the virus itself.

The Early Films of Asghar Farhadi

Studio Description:From master director Asghar Farhadi (Academy Award winners for Best International Film, "The Salesman" and "A Separation"), Film Movement presents his first two films, "Dancing In The Dust" and "Beautiful City," restored and released as a double feature on Blu Ray for the first time ever in North America.

Dancing in the Dust
Shortly following their impulsive wedding, the naive, young Nazar is pressured by his family into divorcing his new wife, Reyhane, after rumors circulate of her mother's possible sex-work. Still deeply in love, he insists on paying back Reyhane's marriage dowry despite his insolvency. Nazar is soon on the run from creditors and finds himself hiding out in the desert where he meets a taciturn old snake hunter. Much to the man's chagrin, Nazar insists on working with the hunter until he earns enough money to return to the city and make good on his mistakes.

Beautiful City
After spending two years in juvenile detention for killing his girlfriend as a teenager, the troubled, young Akbar is transferred to an adult facility shortly after turning 18. No longer a minor, his death sentence will soon be legally carried out. Meanwhile outside, Ala — Akbar’s friend and newly paroled petty thief — along with Akbar's sister Firoozeh (played by Taraneh Alidoosti, in the first of her three collaborations with director Farhadi) set out to convince the victim's bereaved father to forgive Akbar, which could potentially reduce his sentence from death to life in prison. Navigating the complexities of Iran's judicial system together, the two form a close bond in their desperate attempts to seek clemency before it is too late.

Fear and Desire 4K UHD

Studio Synopsis: Virtually unseen since its theatrical premiere in 1953, FEAR AND DESIRE was the ambitious first feature film by legendary filmmaker Stanley Kubrick. An existential war film often compared with the director's Paths of Glory (1957) and Full Metal Jacket (1987), FEAR AND DESIRE follows a squad of soldiers who have crash-landed behind enemy lines and must work their way downriver to rejoin their unit. In the process, they encounter a peasant girl (Virginia Leith) and bind her to a tree, where she is tormented by a mentally unbalanced soldier (future director Paul Mazursky). Before making their escape, the soldiers determine the location of an enemy base and formulate a plot to assassinate its commanding officer.

The Criterion Collection: The Roaring Twenties 4K UHD

Studio Synopsis:Ripped from the headlines of the turbulent era between the Great War and the Great Depression, this dynamic, nostalgia-tinged crime drama balances tommy-gun action with epic historical sweep. Legends James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart star as army buddies whose fortunes rise and fall as their fates intersect, first in a foxhole on the front lines of World War I, then in Manhattan’s Prohibition-era underworld. Directed by Hollywood master Raoul Walsh, and based on a story by prolific journalist turned screenwriter and producer Mark Hellinger, The Roaring Twenties brought to a close the celebrated Warner Bros. gangster cycle of the 1930s, and it remains one of the greatest and most influential crime films of all time.