THE SACRIFICE Blu-ray Review

Alexander (Erland Josephson) the well to do patriarch of a Sweedish family is celebrating his birthday on a remote island when news of a new World War breaks. The previously relaxed and cheerful mood of the family morphs to terror. They immediately begin to spiral out of control, devastated by the catastrophic news.

The film's masterful cinematography by Sven Nykvist (Ingmar Bergman's longtime collaborator) underscores the emotional state of the family through its color palette and movement. The arresting choice of color displays a bleak landscape around the families home. Painfully long shots evoke the sheer dread and anxiety that has engulfed this once carfree tribe.

Alexander, philosophical in nature, is deeply worried about man's lack of spirituality. Faced with man kinds inevitable annihilation he is compelled to enter an agreement with God. The director's last film, made as he was dying of cancer, The Sacrifice is Tarkovsky's personal statement, a profoundly moving, redemptive tragedy steeped in unforgettable imagery and heart-wrenching emotion.

Kino Classics new 4K restoration of Andrei Tarkovsky's 1986 masterpiece gives the film the stunning treatment it deserves. This haunting story of a family coming to terms with the looming threat of nuclear annihilation was the final film of acclaimed Russian filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky. Highly acclaimed on its initial release, The Sacrifice won the Best Foreign Language Film Award at the 1988 BAFTA Awards, and won the FIPRESCI Prize, Grand Prize of the Jury, Prize of the Ecumenical Jury, and Best Artistic Contribution Awards at the 1986 Cannes Film Festival, where it was also nominated for the Palme d'Or.

This new 4K restoration of The Sacrifice screened at the 2017 New York Film Festival and has played at select theatrical engagements in key national markets including Chicago, Portland, and Los Angeles.

The Sacrifice is a strikingly salient exploration of what it means to face one's own demise and comes highly recommended. The two-disc special edition Blu-ray from Kino Classics can be purchased HERE.

Special Features

Booklet with excerpts from Tarkovsky's diaries
Essay by film scholar Robert Bird.
Audio commentary by Layla Alexander-Garrett, Tarkovsky's translator on the set of The Sacrifice
Interview with Michal Leszczylowski, editor of The Sacrifice and director of Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky.
Documentary directed by Andrei Tarkovsky about the making of The Sacrifice (102 minutes)

POPULATION PURGE Trailer and Release Info

In a dystopian world where a radical government has unleashed a deadly poison to control population, only those with blood type AB positive remain unscathed. But instead of outright death, the rest of the population is left to suffer in a state of chronic illness, causing widespread chaos and panic. As the majority slowly succumbs to the effects of the poison, their only hope lies in receiving transfusions of AB positive blood from the few immune survivors, like Charlie and his granddaughter Maya. Living in the decrepit remains of an abandoned amusement park, Charlie is a renegade supplier of blood to the underground market. But their sanctuary is threatened by the iron-fisted rule of District 22's ruthless warden, Onslow, who will stop at nothing to save his own dying son. As Charlie and Maya fight to defend their haven and their own sanity, the eccentric duo must navigate through a world of danger and betrayal. POPULATION PURGE was written by Brian Johnson and Toby Osborne and di

A SACRIFICE Trailer and Release Info

Written and Directed by Jordan Scott Produced by Ridley Scott, Michael Pruss, Jonas Katzenstein, Maximilian Leo, Georgina Pope Starring Eric Bana, Sadie Sink, and Sylvia Hoeks A Sacrifice is an emotionally turbulent story that follows American social psychologist Ben Monroe (Eric Bana) who is investigating a local Berlin cult connected to disturbing events. While he immerses himself in his work, his rebellious teenage daughter, Mazzy (Sadie Sink), becomes embroiled with a mysterious local boy who introduces her to the city’s underground party scene. As their two worlds head toward a dangerous intersection, Ben will need to race against the clock in order to save his daughter. A SACRIFICE will be in theaters on June 28th, 2024

Blue Underground to Release Goodbye Uncle Tom on 4K/Blu-ray!

In a bold move, Blue Underground has announced the upcoming release of "Goodbye Uncle Tom" on Limited Edition 4K UHD and Blu-Ray on April 23rd. This release will offer viewers a chance to witness one of the most notorious and graphic films ever made, showcasing a haunting portrayal of America's dark history of slavery. Originally released in 1971, "Goodbye Uncle Tom" is an Italian mondo-docudrama directed by Gualtiero Jacopetti and Franco Prosperi, the masterminds behind "Mondo Cane." Drawing from period documentation and historical accounts, the film vividly recreates the antebellum South and delves into the horrors of the slave trade. However, the film's unflinching depiction of slavery's atrocities sparked controversy from its inception. Distributors in the US insisted on radical edits to tone down the graphic content before its release. Despite these efforts, "Goodbye Uncle Tom" continued to stir strong reactions among critics a

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