New to View: British period piece looks at futility of war
By Bob Bloom
The following Blu-rays and DVDs are being released on Tuesday, Oct. 20
Testament of Youth (Blu-ray)
Details: 2015, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: PG-13, mature themes, bloody war violence, disturbing images
The lowdown: Alicia Vikander and Kit Harington star in this World War I-era romantic drama told from a woman’s perspective.
The movie looks at young love, the futility of war and how to cope an make sense of such tragic events.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English and German 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English 5.1 Dolby Digital audio description track and Czech, Hungarian, Polish, Spanish and Thai 5.1 Dolby Digital; English SDH, English, Bulgarian, Chinese traditional, Croatian, Czech, French, German, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian Bahasa, Korean, Polish, Romanian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovene, Spanish, Thai and Turkish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a behind-the-scenes featurette, deleted scenes and a commentary track.
Nurse Jackie: Season Seven (Blu-ray + Ultraviolet)
Details: 2015, Lionsgate Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Award-winning actress Edie Falco returns for her seventh season as troubled nurse Jackie Peyton.
Jackie fights to save and redeem herself as her addiction becomes public knowledge in this dark comedy Showtime series.
The two-disc set features the final 12 episodes of this acclaimed series that puts the spotlight on Falco’s immense talents.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH, English and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include a “Last Patient at All Saints” featurette, deleted scenes, a “Final Shift” featurette, a flash mob with Falco featurette, a gag reel and cast and crew commentaries.
The Wolfpack (Blu-ray)
Details: 2015, Magnolia Home Entertainment
Rated: R, language
The lowdown: A documentary about the six Angulo brothers who have been forced by their father to live locked away from the world in an apartment on New York’s Lower East Side.
All they know of the outside world comes from the movies they watch and obsessively and meticulously recreate using the detailed sets they make in the tiny living space.
In doing so, the film shows how the brothers have created a closer bond and increased their chances of making it in the real world outside.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include an interview with the Angulo brothers, another with director Crystal Moselle, two short films directed by and starring the Wolfpack, a featurette on the making of the short film, “Mirror Heart” and a featurette on the Wolfpack’s first trip to Los Angeles and Hollywood.
Kwaidan: Special Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 1965, The Criterion Collection
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This quartet of ghost stories from director Masaki Kobayashi features tales of spiritual trials and demonic revenge, adapted from Japanese folklore.
This is the original three-hour version of the film that has never been seen in the United States.
The film features surreal sets and haunting cinematography to heighten the supernatural mood of the feature.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; Japanese LPCM monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a commentary with film historian Stephen Prince, a 1993 interview with Kobayashi, a new interview with assistant director Masahiro Shinoda, a featurette on author Lafcadio Hearn, whose writings served as the foundation for the film and an essay about the movie.
Legends: The Complete Season 1
Release date: Oct. 13
Details: 2014, Fox Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Sean Bean stars as a deep cover FBI operative who has the gifted ability to transform himself into a different person.
This three-disc set contains all 10 first-season episodes as the operative learns that his life may be a lie and decides to seek the truth about who he really is.
Technical aspects: 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby Digital.
Z for Zachariah (Blu-ray + Ultraviolet)
Details: 2014, Lionsgate Home Entertainment
Rated: PG-13, sexual content, nudity, language
The lowdown: After a catastrophe that has wiped out most of mankind, a young man finds herself in a love triangle with two men.
Margot Robbie plays the woman torn between Chiwetel Ejiofor and Chris Pine in this post-apocalyptic romantic drama.
This is a theme popular in a few post-nuclear films such as “The World, the Flesh and the Devil” as far back as 1959.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH, English and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus offerings include a making of featurette, interviews and deleted scenes.
A Special Day: Special Edition (Blu-ray)
Release date: Oct. 13
Details: 1977, The Criterion Collection
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Italian acting icons Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni star in this moving drama about two people who remain in their apartment building on the day in 1938 when Italian leader Benito Mussolini welcomed fellow dictator Adolf Hitler to his country.
Loren plays a conservative housewife who is taking care of her domestic chores, while Mastroianni is a liberal radio broadcaster awaiting deportation.
The film, directed by Etlore Scola, looks at two little people who are helpless against the rising tide of Fascism.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; Italian LPCM monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include “Human Voice,” a 2014 short film directed by Scola and starring Loren, new interviews with Loren and Scola, two 1977 episodes of “The Dick Cavett Show” featuring Loren and Mastroianni and an essay about the movie.
Tales From the Crypt Presents: Bordello of Blood: Collector’s Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 1995, Scream Factory
Rated: R, graphic violence, language, sexual content
The lowdown: Comedian Dennis Miller plays a wisecracking private eye — Is there any other kind? — in this horror feature about a brothel filled with hungry female vampires as well as a strange televangelist who has an unstoppable talisman.
The movie is bloody and funny, and features a supporting cast that includes Corey Feldman, Erika Eleniak and Aubrey Morris.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: A making of featurette, interviews with cast members and filmmakers and a commentary track are among the major bonus offerings.
The Vatican Tapes (Blu-ray + Ultraviolet)
Details: 2015, Lionsgate Home Entertainment
Rated: PG-13, disturbing and violent content, sexual references
The lowdown: An ordinary young woman suddenly is dangerous to those around her, causing injury and death.
During an examination, it is determined that she is possessed. The Vatican is notified and asked perform an exorcism.
But the possession proves to be an ancient evil force more powerful than church officials had ever imagined.
The movie really adds nothing new to the demonic-possession parade of features.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital; English SDH and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental materials include deleted and extended scenes, a behind-the-scenes featurette and a commentary track.
The Snows of Kilimanjaro
Release date: Oct. 13
Details: 1952, Fox Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner and Susan Hayward star in this adaptation of the Ernest Hemingway story about a gravely wounded writer who feverishly looks back at what he believes are his triumphs and failures as a writer and a man.
In the jungle, his neglected wife tends to his wounds and tries to restore his will to live all the while having to listen to his rants about his lost loves.
The release is a video-on-demand DVD-R from the Fox Cinema Archives collection and can be found at www.foxconnect.com or other online retailers.
Technical aspects: 4×3 full-screen picture.
Tales From the Crypt Presents: Demon Knight: Collector’s Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 1995, Scream Factory
Rated: R, graphic violence, language
The lowdown: A mysterious stranger, Brayker, played by William Sadler, holds the last of seven ancient keys that have the power to stop the forces of darkness and evil as well as protect humanity.
However, the stranger must keep on the run from the demonic Collector (Billy Zane) who holds the other six keys. To catch Brayker, the Collector unleashes a horde of demonic minions.
At a rundown hotel, Brayker and a group of its inhabitants must stave off the assault using automatic weapons and sacred blood.
The movie features among its supporting cast Jada Pinkett-Smith, Thomas Haden Church, CCH Pounder, Brenda Bakke, Dick Miller and Charles Fleischer.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include a making of featurette, a commentary track, cast and filmmaker interviews and a panel discussion from The American Cinematheque with director Ernest Dickerson and Miller.
Other Blu-rays and DVDs being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
The Curse of Oak Island: Season 2 (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
James Bond Gadgets (Lionsgate Home Entertainment, Oct. 13)
Kingdom: The Complete Season 1 (Fox Home Entertainment, Oct. 13)
The Silent Call (Fox Home Entertainment, Oct. 13) (Fox Cinema Archives DVD-R)
Sniper’s Ridge (Fox Home Entertainment, Oct. 13) (Fox Cinema Archives DVD-R)
Hidden (Warner Home Video, Oct. 6)
Coming next week: Pixels
Bob Bloom is a member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. He reviews movies, Blu-rays and DVDs for ReelBob (ReelBob.com), The Film Yap and other print and online publications. He can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com. You also can follow Bloom on Twitter @ReelBobBloom and on Facebook. Movie reviews by Bloom also can be found at Rottentomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com.