By Glenn Kay
For the Sun
Welcome to another look at highlights arriving on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD. This is another fun edition with a lot of great titles. 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!
ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT: Set in Mumbai, India, this drama tells the story of two female roommates. One works as a nurse and is estranged from her husband. This was an arranged marriage, he lives in Europe, and she hasn’t heard from him in a year. Her cohort is beginning to form a relationship with a new man. When unexpected complications arise, the pair confide in each other as they look to the future.
Critics were unanimously positive about this foreign-language feature and it earned praise in many “Best of the Year” lists from 2024. All reviewers called it an intimate and authentic-feeling look at the lives of two Indian women that would reward those who allowed it to slowly build its characters up and put them in believable situations. They also thought the cinematography was beautiful, and the finale memorable.
It stars Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha, Chhaya Kadam and Hridhu Haroon.
ASH: A woman living on a distant space station awakens to find all the crew around her have been viciously slaughtered. She sends word and a man arrives saying he has been sent to retrieve her. She is initially relieved, but can’t help but wonder if he might actually be the killer simply acting like a rescuer. Additionally, he begins to distrust her as well, as she appears to be the only survivor of a brutal attack. As time passes, the truth is eventually revealed.
Response was more positive than negative towards this independent science-fiction thriller. Almost one-third of write-ups did comment that the dialogue wasn’t sharply written and the end result was derivative, lacking consistent intrigue or tension. However, the majority thought the film contained a lot of fascinating ideas, had a memorable cast, and provided enough jolts and excitement to please genre fans.
The cast includes Eiza González, Aaron Paul and Iko Uwais.
FIGHT OR FLIGHT: An exiled American agent is told by superiors that, in spite of his recent behavior, he can get his old life back if he helps with a covert operation. An important mark and unknown hacker/terrorist will be boarding a flight from Bangkok to San Francisco. The lead is tasked with identifying and arresting the figure, but quickly discovers the airplane is filled with assassins and criminal figures who all want the same individual. All sorts of fights occur in the not-so-friendly skies.
The press was upbeat about this over-the-top action/comedy. About one-quarter of reviewers thought that after an interesting set-up, things became repetitive and the repeated beatings stopped amusing them. But most stated that this film’s simple goal was to entertain with exaggerated battles between quirky figures in incredibly enclosed spaces, and the movie succeeded at delivering the promised wild and entertaining set pieces.
It features Josh Hartnett, Charithra Chandran, Katee Sackhoff, Julian Kostov and Marko Zaror.
FINAL DESTINATION: BLOODLINES: The sixth chapter in this famous horror franchise arrives some 14 years after the previous installment. A young woman has a harrowing dream about her estranged grandmother surviving the collapse of a large tower with an observation deck. When she asks family members about it, they refuse to talk. However, when relatives around her begin to die in unexpected ways, the protagonist starts to suspect that her elderly granny and those who followed may all be in trouble as dark forces catch up and try to eliminate their bloodline.
Notices were very good for this horror film. A small number of critics complained that the film ran out of momentum well before the end, resorted to familiar genre tropes and gave few characters to care about. But everyone else thought that this sequel was one of the best entries in the franchise, delivering memorably graphic executions and doses of humor in equal measure, recharging the franchise.
The film will be available in multiple formats, including a 4K Ultra HD disc, a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray Steelbook, a Blu-ray only release, and a “6-Film Collection” Blu-ray set. Kaitlyn Santa Juana, Teo Briones, Rya Kihlstedt, Richard Harmon, Owen Patrick Joyner, April Telek and Tony Todd headline the film.
THE JURASSIC GAMES: EXTINCTION: In the future, the world is addicted to watching nationally broadcast virtual realities in which competitors fight dinosaurs. But if they are killed online, they die in real life. After a group of new players are enlisted to compete in the latest round of battles, they learn that one figure has inserted themselves into the show as a virus, hoping to take down the government responsible for the program. The lead squares off with dinos, while also helping the mysterious freedom fighter.
This low-budget independent feature hasn’t been seen by many mytrouembers of the press yet, and the few online reviews that have appeared aren’t very strong. They suggest that the lack of production funds hinders the final product and note that the film is choppily put together and poorly paced.
It stars Katie Burgess, Todd Terry, Ryan Francis, Todd Jenkins, Cory Phillips and Adam Hampton.
THE TROUBLE WITH JESSICA: A London couple suffering through a financial crisis decides to throw a dinner party and invite another couple. The friends arrive, along with an unexpected guest who leaves the room and commits suicide. Shocked and horrified by the discovery, all involved realize that this death could seriously hamper their future plans. They awkwardly conspire to cover it up so that they won’t be involved in any police investigation. But of course, things don’t go according to plan.
This British comedy earned more positive reviews than negative ones. A sizable number did suggest that the film played it too safe and that the end result wasn’t as shocking or hilarious as hoped for. Still, the majority did think the cast were charismatic, the various plot twists and turns were surprising, and that the end result was a sharp and winning dark comedy.
For the time being, this is a DVD-only release. The cast includes Rufus Sewell, Shirley Henderson, Alan Tudyk, Indira Varma and Olivia Williams.
YOU KNOW, FOR KIDS!
Below is a list of titles that kids (and in the case of the second feature, older kids) may enjoy
Madagascar (2005) (Universal Studios) 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray combo
Small Soldiers (1998) (Paramount Pictures) 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray Steelbook
ON THE TUBE!
All TV-released releases can be found here.
Bewitched The Complete Series (Mill Creek Entertainment) Blu-ray
Knight Rider The Complete Series (original 1980s show) (Universal) 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray
Walking with Dinosaurs (2025 T.V. mini-series) (BBC) Blu-ray
VISIT: WWW.CINEMASTANCE.COM
