New to View: April 10
By Bob Bloom
The following titles are being released on Tuesday, April 10, unless otherwise noted:
All the Money in the World (DVD + digital)
Details: 2017, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: R, violence, language, disturbing images, drugs
The lowdown: It’s a shame that this movie will be remembered more for its off-screen drama than the story it tells.
This is the feature in which director Ridley Scott recast the role of J. Paul Getty with Christopher Plummer after original cast member Kevin Spacey was publicly shamed for sexual abuse and harassment.
Scott reshot Spacey’s scenes in about 10 days with Plummer and was able to release the film on its release date.
Still, it’s the tale about the kidnapping of Getty’s grandson, John Paul Getty III (Charlie Plummer, no relation to Christopher), and his grandfather’s refusal to pay the ransom for his release, despite the pleadings of the young Getty’s mother, played by Michelle Williams.
The movie is a hybrid of thriller and family drama as it speaks about the corrosive nature of wealth and its meaning.
The film was admired by critics, who gave it a 78 percent fresh rating at Rottentomatoes.com.
Technical aspects: 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen picture; English, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital and English and French Dolby surround audio description track; English SDH, English, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus features include a behind-the-scenes featurette on Scott, deleted scenes, a look at the cast and a featurette on recasting and reshooting the Getty scenes.
Vice Principals: The Complete Series (DVD + digital)
Details: 2016-17, HBO Home Entertainment
Rated: TV-MA, language
The lowdown: Danny McBride and Walton Goggins co-star in this biting and hilarious HBO series that makes going to school a killer experience.
McBride, who co-created the series, and Goggins portray the devious and immoral vice principals who conspire to run a southern suburban high school after both are denied a promotion to principal.
The two rivals conspire to sabotage the newly appointed principal, but they soon learn that gaining power may be difficult, but retaining it is even harder.
The three-disc set features both seasons of the series.
Technical aspects: 16:9 picture; English and French 5.1 Dolby digital (season one only) and Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese 2.0 Dolby digital; English SDH, English, French, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese and Thai (season one only) subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include deleted scenes, a blooper reel and commentaries.
Proud Mary (Blu-ray + digital)
Details: 2017, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: R, violence
The lowdown: Taraji P. Henson stars in this action thriller as Mary, a professional hitwoman who works for an infamous crime family led by Benny (Danny Glover).
Mary gets in trouble when she shoots a protected mobster to save a young boy. This good deed makes her a target for various crime figures, including Russian mobsters and those close to her.
Mary uses her wits and her arsenal to do whatever it takes to protect herself and her new charge.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English and French 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English 5.1 Dolby digital audio description track and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, English, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: A trio of behind-the-scenes featurettes, “Mary’s World,” “The Beginning of the End” and “If Looks Could Kill.”
Father Figures (Blu-ray + DVD + digital)
Release date: April 3
Details: 2017, Warner Home Video
Rated: R, sexual references, language
The lowdown: Here’s a stretch — Owen Wilson and Ed Helms as twin brothers? Want more? Glenn Close as their mother?
Wilson and Helms were told by their mom that their father died when they were young.
Of course, that’s a lie that the twins uncover, prompting them to begin a road trip to find their real dad.
Along the way they meet up with J.K. Simmons, Ving Rhames, Christopher Walken, Terry Bradshaw and Katt Williams.
The movie offers some low-brow laughs, but not much more.
Critics were not chuckling, giving the film a 20 percent fresh rating at Rottentomatoes.com.
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English 5.1 descriptive audio and French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles; DVD: 2.40:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: A gag reel and deleted scenes comprise the major bonus offerings.
Insidious: The Last Key (Blu-ray + digital)
Release date: April 3
Details: 2018, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: PG-13, thematic content, violence and terror, language
The lowdown: Lin Shaye reprises her role as parapsychologist Dr. Elise Rainer in this sequel that finds the good doctor returning to her family home to face the demons that have plagued her since she was a little girl.
Her investigative partners, Specs and Tucker, accompany her as they delve deep into the Further so they can unlock the mystery that surrounds Rainer and destroy her greatest fear.
This latest movie in the franchise did not frighten critics, who gave it a 32 percent fresh rating at Rottentomatoes.com.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English 5.1 descriptive audio and Spanish and French 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, English and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include a deleted scene, alternate ending, a look inside the “Insidious” universe, a featurette on Shaye as Rainer, a behind-the-scenes look at the new demon and a featurette on going into The Further.
The Fencer
Details: 2017, Music Box Films
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This inspirational sports movie centers on Estonian fencing champion Endel Nelis, who fleeing from the Soviet secret police, finds work in his homeland as a children’s sports instructor.
Nelis soon becomes a popular figure and role model for his charges as he teaches them competitive fencing techniques.
Later, the children are invited to participate in a fencing competition in Leningrad, which forces Nelis to make a difficult choice: put his safety at risk or disappoint his students by bypassing the invitation.
Critics were impressed with this import, giving it an 85 percent fresh rating at Rottentomatoes.com.
Technical aspects: 1.85:1 widescreen picture; Estonian 5.1 Dolby digital; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental features include an interview with director Klaus Haro and select scene director commentaries.
My Friend Dahmer (Blu-ray)
Details: 2017, FilmRise
Rated: R, disturbing images, language, sexual content, nudity, teen drug use, drinking
The lowdown: What was Jeffrey Dahmer like in high school? This film, adapted from Derf Backderf’s acclaimed 2012 graphic novel by Marc Meyers — who also directed — gives you an inside look.
Dahmer, as portrayed by Ross Lynch, is an awkward teen trying to survive high school. His home life is in turmoil, causing him to act strangely at school.
His behavior attracts some unexpected friends, a group of band-nerds who form The Dahmer Fan Club, headed by Backderf (Alex Wolff).
Bur as graduation nears, Dahmer’s behavior becomes more deprave and out of control.
This haunting and funny film touched the majority of critics who saw it, giving it an 83 percent fresh rating at Rottentomatoes.com.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 widescreen pictures; English 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby digital; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include an interview with Ross and a behind-the-scenes slide show.
Luther (Blu-ray)
Details: 1974, Kino Lorber
Rated: PG
The lowdown: Stacy Keach stars in this American Film Theatre production of John Osborne’s play that looks at the life of Martin Luther.
The movie covers his strengths and frailties and presents the religious firebrand’’ condemnation of the Catholic Church.
The film features a strong cast, including Dame Judi Dench as the nun Luther takes for his wife, Robert Stephens, Hugh Griffith, Leonard Rossiter and Patrick Magee.
The movie was produced by Ely Landau, directed by Guy Green and photographed by the great Freddie Young.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English audio.
Don’t miss: Supplemental materials include interviews with Keach and Edie Landau, a promotional film with Ely Landau and a series of trailers for the American Film Theatre productions.
Mighty Ground (DVD + digital download)
Details: 2017, Random Media
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A documentary that follows a gifted, homeless singer who lives on the streets of Los Angeles’ Skid Row.
In the film from director Delila Vallot and producer Aimee Schoff, the talent of Ronald Troy Collins is highlighted.
The movie puts a spotlight on the homeless situation in the nation, with the filmmakers showing how individuals can be helped one person at a time.
The movie, in conjunction with HomeAid America, has been shown at film festivals throughout the nation.
Technical aspects: Widescreen picture; English Dolby digital.
Gone Are the Days (Blu-ray + DVD + Ultraviolet)
Details: 2016, Lionsgate Home Entertainment
Rated: R, violence, language, drug use, nudity
The lowdown: A trio of veteran actors, Lance Henriksen, Tom Berenger and Danny Trejo, star in this Western about a fading gunman’s journey for justice.
Gunfighter Taylon, knowing he has only a short time to live, rises from his deathbed and heads out seeking redemption.
He stops in a gold-rush town, where he finds his daughter working in a brothel. To earn her freedom, he must confront the town’s sheriff (Berenger), who has an old score to settle with Taylon.
Taylon accepts the challenge aiming to perform one good deed and save his soul before he dies.
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH, English and Spanish subtitles; DVD: 2.40:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, English and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: A behind-the-scenes featurette and cast and crew interviews comprise the major bonus offerings.
Seijun Suzuki: The Early Years Vol. 2 Limited Edition (Blu-ray + DVD)
Details: 1957-61, Arrow Video
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A four-disc set that offers five early crime thriller, mob dramas and action films from Japanese director Seijun Suzuki.
The set includes Eight Hours of Terror (1957), The Sleeping Beast Within (1960), Smashing the O-Line (1960), Tokyo Knights (1961) and The Man with a Shotgun (1961).
Suzuki’s movies are bleak, brash and filled with action, dealing with missing persons, drugs, human trafficking and organized crime.
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, widescreen picture; Japanese stereo; English subtitles; DVD: widescreen picture; Japanese stereo; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a commentary track on “Smashing the O-Line,” a featurette looking at Suzuki’s career and a 60-page collector’s book.
Mohawk (Blu-ray)
Details: 2017, Dark Sky Films
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A historical drama set during the War of 1812 finds a young female Mohawk pursued by a band of renegades thirsting for revenge after members of her tribe set fire to an American soldiers’ camp.
The woman, Oak) another Mohawk youth and their British companion flee into the deep woods, where they try to evade the bloodthirsty small army of soldiers hunting them.
The sadistic band of soldiers leave a trail of death and destruction in their wake. As the pursuit continues, Oak finds her true warrior spirit, which she unleashes upon her enemies.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and 2.0 Dolby digital; English SDH subtitles.
Deep Red: Limited Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 1975, Arrow Video
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Another Italian giallo feature from Dario Argento, that nation’s master of the macabre.
This outing centers on a musician, portrayed by David Hemmings, is walking down a street when he casually looks up and sees a man with an axe murder a woman in her apartment.
Hemmings’ Marcus races to the apartment and just misses the killer. Marcus becomes an amateur detective, and soon finds himself in the midst of a bizarre web of mayhem and mystery, in which nothing is what it seems.
Soon, we don’t know what’s really and what is images from Marcus’ mind.
The two-disc set features the original and export versions of the movie.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, Italian 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and English LPCM monaural; English SDH and English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus offerings include behind-the-scenes look at Argento’s workshop, a featurette on the movie’s music, Argento’s comments on the creation and making of the movie, a commentary track, a visual essay about the film, a booklet with writings about the movie and the Italian giallo movement and six postcard-sized lobby card reproductions.
The Tribes of Palos Verdes (Blu-ray)
Details: 2017, Shout! Factory
Rated: R, language, drug use, sexual content
The lowdown: A family drama centering on a teenager, Medina, who moves with her family to Palos Verdes, Calif., to start their lives anew.
However, their past follows them as her parents’ marriage falls apart, her mother spirals into depression and her twin brother turns to drugs.
Medina must now rely on her inner strength while indulging her new passion and escape — surfing.
Technical aspects: 2.40:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and stereo; English SDH and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Deleted scenes comprise the major bonus component.
Jasper Jones
Details: 2016, Film Movement
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This Australian feature, based on the book by Craig Silvey, centers on 14-year-old Charlie Bucktin, who lives in a small Australian town.
One night during the summer of 1989, the local town outcast, Jasper Jones, pays Charlie an unexpected visit, begging for his help.
Charlie is entrusted with a dangerous secret, and his experiences teach him about courage and friendship, as he joins Jasper on a journey to solve a chilling mystery.
Technical aspects: 2.40:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital and 2.0 Dolby digital stereo; English closed-captioned subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a short film, “Death for a Unicorn,” and director and cast interviews.
Other titles being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
Are We Not Cats (Cleopatra Entertainment)
Braven (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
Full Moon High (Scream Factory)
Rave Party Massacre (DVD + VOD) (Breaking Glass Pictures)
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD
12 Strong (Warner Home Entertainment)
Cover Versions (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
Den of Thieves (Universal Studios Home Entertainment)
House on Elm Lake (Wild Eye Releasing)
Maze Runner: The Death Cure (Fox Home Entertainment)
Crashing: Season 2 (HBO Home Entertainment, April 9)
An Ordinary Man (Saban Films, April 13)
The Bill Murray Experience (Gravitas Ventures, April 13)
Fear, Love and Agoraphobia (Leomark Studios, April 13)
Wilding (IFC Midnight, April 13)
The Good Karma Hospital: Series 2, Episode 3 (Acorn TV, April 16)
Killer Net (Acorn TV, April 16)
Murdoch Mysteries: Season 11, Episode 17 (Acorn TV, April 16)
No Offense, Series 1 (Acorn TV, April 16)
Coming next week: The Awful Truth: Special Edition
I am a member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. I review movies, Blu-rays and DVDs for ReelBob (ReelBob.com), The Film Yap and other print and online publications. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com. You also can follow me on Twitter @ReelBobBloom and on Facebook. My movie reviews also can be found at Rottentomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com.