New to View: Jan. 17
By Bob Bloom
The following Blu-rays and DVDs are being released on Tuesday, Jan. 17, unless otherwise noted:
The Girl on the Train (Blu-ray + DVD + Ultraviolet)
Details: 2016, Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Rated: R, violence, sexual content, nudity, language
The lowdown: Emily Blunt stars in this adaptation of Paula Hawkins’ best-selling thriller about a recently divorced woman who spends her commute to work fantasizing about the seemingly perfect couple in a house her train passes daily.
But when she sees something shocking happen there, her life is upended.
The movie offered more questions than answers as it plodded along. Most critics found the film flimsy, giving it a 43 percent positive rating at Rottentomatoes.com.
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English DTS-X, DTS Headphone X, Spanish and French 5.1 DTS digital surround and English 2.0 Dolby digital DVS; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles; DVD: 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen picture; English, Spanish and French 5.1 Dolby digital and English 2.0 Dolby digital DVS; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include a look at the women behind the movie, deleted and extended scenes, a commentary track and an no board the train featurette.
Keeping Up with the Joneses (Blu-ray + DVD + digital HD)
Details: 2016, Fox Home Entertainment
Rated: PG-13, action violence, sexual content, language
The lowdown: Zach Galifianakis and Isla Fisher star as a suburban couple who befriend their new, sophisticated neighbors, only to become embroiled in espionage when they discover their new friends, played by Jon Hamm and Gal Gadot, are international spies.
The movie’s humor is predictable and familiar, and the laughs are sketchy.
Hamm and Gadot show a sense of fun, at least.
Critics were not at all impressed, giving the movie a 19 percent positive rating at Rottentomatoes.com.
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 widescreen picture; English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English 5.1 descriptive audio and Spanish and French 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles; DVD: 2.40:1 widescreen picture; English, 5.1 Dolby digital, English 5.1 descriptive audio and French and Spanish 2.0 Dolby digital surround; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a featurette on the cast members revealing their roles in the love story, car chases and other goofy happenings; deleted scenes; and a featurette on the Georgia location shoot.
Something Wild: Special Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 1961, The Criterion Collection
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Carroll Baker stars in this drama as a college student who attempts suicide after a sexual assault.
She is stopped by a friendly mechanic, played by Ralph Meeker, whose kindness soon takes a darker turn.
The psychological realism of this independent film, which features many actors from New York’s Actors Studio, helped transform how movies dealt with — what was then — taboo subjects in mid-20th century America.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.66:1 picture; English LPCM monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include an interview with Baker, a discussion between director Jack Garfein and critic Kim Morgan, an interview with scholar Foster Hirsch on the Actors Studio, a 2014 recording with Garfein featuring one of his lectures on acting techniques and an essay by critic Sheila O’Malley.
Jason Bourne (Blu-ray + DVD + Ultraviolet)
Release date: Dec. 6
Details: 2016, Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Rated: PG-13, graphic and action violence, language
The lowdown: “Jason Bourne” utilizes hand-to-hand fights, chases — on foot and in vehicles — gunshots and roadway mayhem as diversions to cover a flimsy plotline and some wooden and pedestrian performances.
On the uptick, if you want to see a fast-paced movie that rushes through its nearly two-hour running time like an out-of-control canoe barreling down some rapids, plus fine stunt work and fight choreography, then you will definitely enjoy “Jason Bourne.”
The feature is filled with double crosses, treachery, murder and all the necessary ingredients that comprise the genre.
The movie, basically, is a story of discovery. Matt Damon returns as Jason Bourne. In his fourth outing as the rogue outsider, Damon’s Bourne remembers his real name and how he was recruited into the CIA.
He also remembers his father, and seeks the man who assassinated him.
The movie’s storyline is predictable, but never dull.
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 widescreen picture; English DTS-X Immersive Audio, DTS Headphone, DTS 2.0 descriptive audio, Spanish 7.1 DTS-HD and French 5.1 DTS digital surround; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles; DVD: 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen picture; English, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital and English 2.0 descriptive audio; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental materials include a featurette on bringing back Damon as Bourne, a look at bare-knuckle boxing, a featurette on close quarters combat, a look at the underground rumble, a behind-the-scenes featurette on the Athens escape, a convention chaos featurette and a behind-the-scenes experience on shutting down the Las Vegas strip for filming.
The Whole Truth (Blu-ray + Ultraviolet)
Details: 2016, Lionsgate Home Entertainment|
Rated: R, violence, a sexual assault, language
The lowdown: Keanu Reeves stars as a defense attorney who is trying to clear a teen-age suspect in the fatal stabbing of his father.
However, as he uncovers more evidence, the truth seems to grow darker, especially about what kind of man the father was.
And while Reeves’ Richard Ramsey fights to get his client acquitted, his new associate, played by Gugu Mbatha-Raw, digs deeper and begins discovering some disturbing information about the case and others.
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.
Rizzoli & Isles: The Seventh and Final Season
Details: 2016, Warner Home Video
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A three-disc set featuring the final 13 episodes of this popular TNT series set in Boston, starring Angie Harmon as Detective Jane Rizzoli and Sasha Alexander as medical examiner Dr. Maura Isles.
The final cases they investigate begin with locating and capturing Alice Sands — the woman who is trying to destroy Rizzoli’s life.
Other investigations involve zombies, ghosts and a bloodthirsty mortician.
The series covers the professional and personal challenges of Rizzoli and Isles with humor and heart, grit and wit.
As always, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of this DVD set for review purposes. The opinions I share here are my own.
Technical aspects: 16×9 widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH and French subtitles.
Don’t miss: A gag reel is the major bonus component.
Battleground (Blu-ray)
Release date: Jan. 10
Details: 1949, Warner Archive Collection
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Director William A. Wellman helmed this tribute to the GIs of troops from the 101st Airborne resisting the onslaught of German troops during the Battle of the Bulge and the siege of the city of Bastogne.
The cast includes James Whitmore, Van Johnson, George Murphy, a young Ricardo Montalban, John Hodiak, a fresh-faced Marshall Thompson, Don Taylor, Douglas Fowley and Leon Ames.
The movie received six Academy Award nominations, including best picture.
This Blu-ray release is part of the Warner Archive Collection and can be found at www.wbshop.com or other online retailers.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 (4×3) full-screen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a cartoon, “Little Rural Riding Hood,” and a featurette entitled, “Let’s Cogitate.”
Zero Days
Details: 2016, Magnolia Home Entertainment
Rated: PG-13, language
The lowdown: During these times in which hacking by foreign entities is dominating the news, this documentary from award-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney feels very timely.
The film tells of a black ops cyber-attack launched by the United States and Israel on an Iranian nuclear facility that unleashed malware with unforeseen consequences.
The virus not only infiltrated its target, but spread outside that exposed systemic vulnerabilities that threatened the safety of the planet.
The feature takes viewers deep into the murky world of digital warfare and its consequences.
Technical aspects: 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: An interview with Gibney is the major bonus feature.
Bad Day at Black Rock (Blu-ray)
Release date: Jan. 10
Details: 1954, Warner Archive Collection
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Spencer Tracy received a best actor Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of one-armed World War II veteran John J. Macreedy in this thriller, directed by John Sturges.
Macreedy arrives in Black Rock and encounters hostility and danger as he seeks out the father of a Japanese-American soldier killed in the war in order to present the man with his son’s medal.
The town, dominated by an oily Robert Ryan and his thugs, are hiding a dark secret that puts Macreedy’s life in danger as he tries to uncover the truth.
The movie costars Anne Francis, Dean Jagger, Walter Brennan and Ernest Borgnine and Lee Marvin as Ryan’s henchmen.
The Blu-ray release is part of the Warner Archive Collection and can be found at www.wbshop.com or other online dealers.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio stereo; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary track by film historian Dan Polan is the major bonus offering.
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: Johnny and Friends, Featuring Jerry Seinfeld
Release date: Jan. 10
Details: 1985-88, Time Life
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A DVD featuring three episodes from the iconic Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.
The shows have a common thread — appearances by Jerry Seinfeld.
The first, from 1985, is one of the comedian’s earliest spots on the show.
The second, from 1986, also includes Oprah Winfrey’s debut on The Tonight Show.
The third, from 1988, features Arnold Schwarzenegger as a guest, along with a then-18-year-old Andre Agassi.
These shows are wonderful time capsules that can be enjoyed over and over.
Technical aspects: 1.33:1 full-screen picture; English Dolby stereo.
I Love Lucy: Superstar Special #2
Details: 1955, CBS DVD-Paramount Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A DVD featuring two episodes from “I Love Lucy,” offered in colorized versions as well as their original black-and-white broadcasts.
In “Lucy Visits Grauman’s,” the red-headed comedian discovers that John Wayne’s cement footprint block is loose. She decides to take it home as a souvenir, which, of course, creates havoc for Lucy, Ricky and their friends, Fred and Ethel Mertz.
In “Lucy and John Wayne,” Ricky calls on the Duke to help him keep Lucy out of jail for stealing the actor’s footprint block. More hilarity results.
Technical aspects: 4:3 full-screen picture; English Dolby digital monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Snorks: The Complete Third & Fourth Seasons (DVD-R)
Release date: Dec. 6
Details: 1987-89, Warner Archive Collection
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Another animated set from the Hanna-Barbera Classic Collection, this one containing all 62 third- and fourth-season underwater adventures of the Snorks.
The third season featured the introduction of a new character, Corky of the Snork Patrol, and new bad guys such as Bigweed, Lil Seaweed and Great Snork Nork.
Season four features two-part adventures and more backstories abou the history of the Snorks.
This set is a made-on-demand DVD-R from the Warner Archive Collection and can be found at www.wbshop.com or other online dealers.
Technical aspects: 1.33:1 (4×3) full-screen picture; English Dolby digital monaural.
Other Blu-rays and DVDs being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
Bubba the Redneck Werewolf (MVD Visual Entertainment)
The Love Boat: Season Three, Volumes One and Two (CBS DVD-Paramount Home Entertainment)
FOR KIDS
Long Way North (Shout! Kids)
DIGITAL DOWNLOADS and STREAMING
Masterminds (Fox Home Entertainment)
Voltron Legendary Defender: Season Two (DreamWorks-Netflix, Jan. 20)
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.