‘Tis the season for awesome Blu-ray Discs and DVDs, led by “The Waltons’ Homecoming.”
“The Waltons’ Homecoming (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment) is an all-new TV feature-length movie that commemorates the original holiday film that launched the long-running series. This time, though, Logan Shroyer (from “This Is Us”) stars as John Boy Walton. However, the original John Boy, Richard Thomas, reprises his role as the adult John Boy and narrator.
The film is set in 1933 through the eyes of John Boy, the 17-year-old eldest child of John and Olivia Walton. The Depression Era is tough on everyone, and John Boy wants to be a writer even though his parents expect him to support the family in other ways. John Sr. is out of town but writes a letter that he plans to make it home for Christmas. But a storm threatens his arrival on Christmas Eve, and John Boy ventures out to find his dad. The journey will change John Boy’s life forever.
“Saint-Narcisse” (Film Movement) may sound like St. Nick, but it’s far from that. This film from Bruce LaBruce, Canada’s “king of kink,” delves into a man’s fetish for himself. He finds out that he has a twin brother raised in a remote monastery by a depraved priest. What follows is a web of sex, revenge, and redemption.
“The Many Saints of Newark” (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment) might also sound like a holiday-related title, but it’s about a young Anthony Soprano (Michael Gandolfini) as a young man while rival gangsters challenge the DiMeo crime family’s hold over Newark, N.J. His uncle (Alesandor Nivola) influences him to become the powerful mob boss we’ll later know as Tony Soprano. The Blu-ray comes with a making-of featurette, deleted scenes, and a “Sopranos Family Hour” feature.
“The 2021 World Series Film” (Shout! Factory) is the official 2021 World Series film from Major League Baseball. The two-disc Blu-ray plus DVD combo pack contains the 90-minute love letter to the Atlanta Braves, who won the 2021 World Series over the Houston Astros, dispatching the Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers along the way in the playoffs. Grammy Award-winning Chris “Ludacris” Bridges narrates.
“Rick and Morty: The Complete Fifth Season” (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment) features all 10 episodes from Season 5 plus 10 bonus features.
“El Hombre Bufalo” (IndiePix Films) delves into the noble profession of investigative journalism. A driven young journalist in Mexico City focuses on inequality, abuse of authority, and other atrocities. He receives death threats along the way. But his biggest investigation may prove his undoing: A deep dive into “the Buffalo Man,” who takes care of abandoned children. The fantastical thriller is inspired by true events and directed and written by David Torres.
“Shirobako the Movie” (Shout! Factory) is a Blu-ray plus DVD combo pack that is an anime movie about making anime movies. The film showcases the talent and pressures that are involved and includes a four-page booklet.