What’s New on DVD/Blu-ray in January: ‘Bergman Island,’ ‘The Return of Tanya Tucker,’ Jackie Chan and More

Alonso Duralde highlights the month’s major physical-media releases — because on Netflix, nothing lasts forever

Bergman Island
IFC Films

New Release Wall

“Bergman Island” (The Criterion Collection): Writer-director Mia Hansen-Løve’s seventh feature is graceful and complex, a story about stories and the sometimes fragile connections between partners and friends. A couple (Vicky Krieps, Tim Roth) travel to Fårö, Sweden, where Ingmar Bergman lived and worked, in order to work on their own respective filmmaking projects. There they discover more about themselves than they anticipated. The Blu-ray includes an essay from critic Devika Girish; a short film, “Bergman’s Ghosts,” made during production by actor Gabe Klinger; and interviews with Krieps and Hansen-Løve.

Also available:

“Black Adam” (Warner Bros): Dwayne Johnson is the DC Comics anti-hero, freed from his tomb after 5000 years, now ready to deliver his own version of justice.

“Bones and All” (Warner Bros): The latest from “Call Me By Your Name” director Luca Guadagnino is a romantic horror film about cannibals in love — it’s as divisive as his “Suspiria” remake — and stars Taylor Russell and Timothée Chalamet.

“Father of the Bride” (Warner Bros): This fresh, funny update of the classic film (and its remake) moves the action to Miami and involves a Cuban American family led by Andy Garcia and Gloria Estefan.

“The Menu” (20th Century): A young couple (Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult) go to an exclusive island restaurant, only to learn that they and the other diners are in for some shocking surprises in this dark comedy.

“Prey for the Devil” (Lionsgate): The first woman exorcist discovers that Satan is a misogynist (not shocking) and so are her fellow priests (also not shocking).

“She Said” (Universal): Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan star as the real-life reporters who cracked the Harvey Weinstein case in this bracing procedural drama.

New Indie

“Voodoo Macbeth” (Lightyear): A lesser-known slice of American theater history is re-enacted in this film that centers the moment in 1936 when Orson Welles worked with the Negro Theatre Unit and actress Rose McClendon (one of the leading figures in the Harlem Renaissance) on an all-Black, Haitian-set stage adaptation of “Macbeth.” The disc features interviews with the film’s actors and, most excitingly, footage of the 1936 stage production from the National Archives and Records Administration.

Also available:

“Actual People” (Factory 25): Kit Zauhar’s acclaimed feature debut has been hailed as an incisive portrait of Gen-Z, both comic and anxious in its portrayal of a young woman’s hopes and fears for the future.

“Detective Knight: Redemption” (Lionsgate): Bruce Willis returns as Detective James Knight in this action sequel which is, like another Willis action saga, a Christmas movie.

“The Ghosts of Monday” (Cleopatra Entertainment): Julian Sands stars in this spooky tale about a haunted hotel.

“Inbetween Girl” (Utopia): Mei Makino’s acclaimed coming-of-age tale follows a high-schooler who responds to her parents’ divorce by having a secret affair with a classmate.

“Next Exit” (Magnet): Karen Gillan stars as a scientist who learns to track people into the afterlife in this spooky sci-fi outing.

“When I Consume You” (Yellow Veil Pictures): Two sisters team up against a stalker in Perry Blackshear’s atmospheric thriller.

New Foreign

“This is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection” (Criterion Collection): This 2020 feature from Mosotho filmmaker Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese is a stunning and serious-minded exploration of the idea of home and how progress often threatens the needs of a community. An elderly woman (the late Mary Twala Mhlongo) prepares for her own death and mobilizes her family and friends to stand up to developers. This Criterion Blu-ray includes the expected commentaries and essays, as well as Mosese’s less-seen, critically acclaimed 2019 essay film, “Mother, I Am Suffocating. This Is My Last Film About You.” Cause for rejoicing for fans of international cinema.

Also available:

“200 Meters” (Film Movement): A Palestinian father, blocked from getting to his injured child in an Israeli hospital, embarks on a desperate journey to reach his family.

“Brother’s Keeper” (Altered Innocence): A young Kurdish boy fights bureaucracy and uncaring adults in an effort to save his best friend’s life.

“The Grandmaster of Kung Fu” (Well Go USA): When the Japanese military seizes a Chinese martial arts stronghold, there’s a battle brewing.

“Inu-oh” (GKIDS): The latest anime from acclaimed director Masaaki Yuasa is a visually and musically inventive glam-rock opera set during the 14th century.

“Piggy” (Magnet): A Spanish teenage outsider must decide if she wants to rescue her tormentors when they’re kidnapped in this revenge-horror movie.

“Poppy” (IndiePix Unlimited): A New Zealand teenager with Down Syndrome is determined to get her driver’s license and became an auto mechanic in this warm-hearted drama.

“The Stranger by the Shore” (Crunchyroll): This anime involves two young men slowly falling in love in the context of grief and making art.

New Documentary

“The Return of Tanya Tucker” (Sony Pictures Classics): Country music star Tanya Tucker, famous from her early teens, fell from the spotlight as the years rolled by. And then 21st century country singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile wrote an album about and for the legendary Tucker, kick-starting the legendary entertainer’s recent, critically acclaimed comeback. This doc uses a wealth of archival material and covers Tucker’s career, past and present, her past troubles and current triumphs, and a heartwarming friendship between collaborating artists.

Also available:

“Being Thunder” (Film Movement): A Two-Spirit gender nonconforming teenager named Sherente from Rhode Island’s indigenous Narragansett tribe experiences bigotry (and support) while participating in traditional dance ceremonies.

“The Celluloid Bordello” (First Run Features): An exploration of how film history has portrayed and characterized sex workers. Spoiler: rarely sympathetically or accurately.

“Dressed in Blue” (Altered Innocence): Before “Paris is Burning,” this landmark, highly influential 1983 documentary about trans women living in Madrid helped shatter cultural taboos for filmmakers like Pedro Almodóvar.

“Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance” (Canadian International Pictures): This new 10th anniversary Blu-ray of the legendary doc about a stand-off between indigenous peoples and the Quebecois authorities, includes three subsequent documentaries from director Alanis Obamsawin, tracking the continuing story of the conflicts over land.

“My Imaginary Country” (Icarus Films): Chilean filmmaker Patricio Guzmán captures the front lines of the 2019 social and political protests in his country in this acclaimed ground-level doc.

New Grindhouse

“Lady Whirlwind” / “Kapkido” (Arrow): Angela Mao was discovered by “Enter the Dragon” producer Raymond Chow while still in the Beijing Opera School, and she became one of the 1970s toughest action stars. This two-disc set showcases her finest hours with “Lady Whirlwind,” co-starring Sammo Hung and Carter Wong, as well as “Hapkido,” which also features an early appearance by Jackie Chan. New restorations, interviews, commentaries, and an illustrated collectors’ booklet make this a must for fans.

Also available:

“The Asphyx” (KL Studio Classics): British scientists discover the ancient Greek spirit of the dead in this 1972 gothic chiller.

“Attack of the Beast Creatures” (AGFA): This micro-budget, Connecticut-filmed monster movie makes its physical-media debut with a new Blu-ray taken from the original 16mm negative.

“Death Knot” (Well Go USA): Two adult siblings return home after their mother’s death to find the townspeople wanting to burn down their home because she was probably (definitely) a wicked witch.

“The Dentist” Collection (Lionsgate): Corbin Bernsen stars in “The Dentist” and “The Dentist 2” as the insane titular doctor with a habit of torturing his patients.

“Don’t Look at the Demon” (Outsider Pictures): Fiona Dourif and Harris Dickinson are paranormal investigators who find themselves overwhelmed with demonic possessions.

“The Dunwich Horror” (Arrow): Roger Corman’s 1970 B-movie classic is a psychedelic freakout starring Dean Stockwell and Sandra Dee.

“The Executioner” Collection (Arrow): Sonny Chiba classics “Executioner” and “Excecutioner II: Karate Inferno” bundled into one face-kicking package.

“Ghost Warrior” (KL Studio Classics): A 400-year-old samurai warrior frozen in time finds himself thawed, awake and dropped into the modern world.

“Gunfight at Rio Bravo” (Shout Studios): When a Russian gunslinger (three-time Mr. Universe Alexander Nevsky) rides into town, a gang of Old West outlaws are determined to destroy him.

“Missing in Action” Trilogy (KL Studio Classics): Chuck Norris retrieved American POWs over and over in these three 80s hits. Includes “Missing in Action,” “Missing in Action 2: The Beginning,” and “Braddock: Missing in Action III.” (All three titles also available individually.)

“Programmed to Kill” (KL Studio Classics): Sandahl Bergman is a murderous android in this violent, fun 80s nonsense.

“Undead” (Umbrella Entertainment): A small-town beauty queen leads the onslaught against zombies revived by infected meteors in this over-the-top Australian cult fave.

New Classic

“The Adventures of Baron Munchausen” (Criterion Collection): One of the most notorious box-office flops of all time grows more beloved with each passing year. Terry Gilliam’s 1988 fantasy spectacle gets a 4K restoration and the full Criterion treatment: commentaries, a documentary, behind-the-scenes footage, deleted scenes, storyboards, marketing materials, and more. And even though she wrote about the horrors of enduring the shoot as a young actor, Sarah Polley says we’re still allowed to watch and enjoy it.

Also available:

“Belly” (Lionsgate): This Hype Williams crime thriller/90s hip-hop cinema cult fave, now making its 4K debut, stars Nas, DMX, T-Boz, and Method Man.

“Cloverfield” (Paramount Home Entertainment): Celebrate the 15th anniversary of this first-person-POV horror classic with a limited edition 4K Ultra HD release in a SteelBook package with lots of extras like commentaries, deleted scenes and alternate endings.

“Death Wish” (KL Studio Classics): Charles Bronson turns judge, jury, and executioner in this oft-imitated 70s landmark of vigilante cinema.

“Dragons Forever” (MVD Visual): Sammo Hung directed this 1988 martial-arts classic starring Jackie Chan, and this limited edition box is bursting with various cuts of the film, commentaries, a book, a poster, and more.

“Groundhog Day” (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment): New 4K Ultra HD in a SteelBook package that also includes deleted scenes and a commentary by the late director Harold Ramis.

“Highlander” (Lionsgate): There can be only one 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray SteelBook director’s cut featuring lots of fan-friendly extras.

“Imitation of Life” (Criterion Collection): This 1934 stunner from John M. Stahl was the first filmed adaptation of Fannie Hurst’s classic novel. Starring Claudette Colbert and Louise Beavers, it’s the story of the friendship between a white woman climbing the business ladder and her Black housekeeper, a woman devastated when her white-passing daughter rejects her. It’s a film that dared to connect to the ugly racist reality of its era and remains relevant 89 years later. This 4K Criterion restoration comes with interviews and critical essays.

“The Italian Job” (KL Studio Classics): Michael Caine stars in this legendarily cool 1969 heist action-comedy.

The Jackie Chan Collection: Volume 1, 1976 – 1982 (Shout Factory): Seven classic early Chan movies with lots of extras rounding out the package: “The Killer Meteors,” “Shaolin Wooden Men,” “To Kill with Intrigue,” “Snake & Crane Arts of Shaolin,” “Dragon Fist,” “Battle Creek Brawl” and “Dragon Lord.”

“The Lady from Shanghai” (KL Studio Classics): Orson Welles directed Rita Hayworth in one of the all-time great noirs from 1948. The stunning hall-of-mirrors climax has to be seen to be believed.

Lars Von Trier’s Europe Trilogy (Criterion Collection): The acclaimed Danish filmmaker’s first three features — “The Element of Crime,” “Epidemic,” and “Europa” — are collected in this handsome Criterion box with all the standard cinephile-courting extra features, including short films, commentaries, interviews, making-of documentaries, and critical essays.

The Lukas Moodysson Collection (Arrow) Seven films on six discs from the acclaimed Swedish filmmaker. “Show Me Love/Fucking Amal,” “Together,” “Lilya 4-ever,” “A Hole in My Heart,” “Container,” “Mammoth,” and “We Are The Best!” are all included in this limited edition box, as well interviews and a 200-page hardback book bursting with press materials and essays.

“No Mercy” (KL Studio Classics): Richard Gere and Kim Basinger star in this underrated 80s erotic action thriller.

Peter Falk Comedy Collection (Mill Creek Entertainment): Four Falk classics: the Neil Simon–scripted “The Cheap Detective,” John Cassavetes’ “Big Trouble,” Broadway adaptation “Luv,” and French-heist remake “Happy New Year,” with co-stars that include Ann-Margret, Alan Arkin, Elaine May, Beverly D’Angelo and Charles Durning.

“Sergeant Ryker” (KL Studio Classics): Lee Marvin is accused of aiding the enemy in this 1968 Korean War drama co-starring Vera Miles, Peter Graves and Lloyd Nolan.

“Solomon King” (Deaf Crocodile): Writer-director-actor Sal Watts stars in this restoration of a nearly lost, Oakland-based, 1974 action drama. It’s atime capsule of Black cinema, about a man who fights crime, corruption and a racist system.

“Warning Shot” (KL Studio Classics): David Janssen is a cop who accidentally kills a suspect in this 1967 drama co-starring Joan Collins, Carroll O’Connor, Stefanie Powers and Lillian Gish.

New TV

“Yu Yu Hakusho” 30th Anniversary Blu-ray Box Set (Crunchyroll): The legendary anime series gets the fan-friendly box treatment for its 30th anniversary. It delivers all four seasons (112 episodes), two never-before-dubbed OVAs with the original cast, and more than 90 minutes of special features, including audio and video commentaries, interviews, a mini-special about the trading cards, outtakes, and more. It may be January, but suddenly, it’s Christmas again.

Also available

“And Just Like That”: The Complete First Season (Warner Bros): The “Sex and the City” pals return. One of them gets hip replacement surgery, and they all meet Che Diaz.

“Biography”: WWE Legends, Volume 3 (Lionsgate) Nine episodes, each one showcasing a famous professional wrestler, featuring The Undertaker, Goldberg, The Bella Twins, and more.

“Colosseum” (Lionsgate): This docuseries covers the rise and fall of the Roman Empire through historian interviews and reenactments.

“Fear the Walking Dead”: Season 7 (Lionsgate): More zombies, more walking, more of everything.

“Requiem for a Heavyweight” (Mill Creek Entertainment): This classic 1956 Emmy- and Peabody Award–winning Rod Serling drama for “Playhouse 90” (which recently turned up in the background of a “George & Tammy” episode) stars Anthony Quinn, Jackie Gleason, Mickey Rooney and Julie Harris.

“Sesame Street — Elmo & Tango: Furry Friends Forever” (Shout Factory Kids): Elmo and his puppy Tango have a lot of adventures.

“Star Trek: Prodigy”: Season 1, Episodes 1-10 (Paramount): Teen space travelers learn the ways of “Star Trek”  canon in this new animated series.

“Ultraman Max: The Complete Series” (Mill Creek Entertainment): This 2005 Ultra series — the 19th — brings mythological monsters into the mix.

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