New to View: Sept. 11
By Bob Bloom
The following titles are being released on Tuesday, Sept. 11, unless otherwise noted:
Ocean’s 8 (Blu-ray + DVD + digital)
Details: 2018, Warner Home Video
Rated: language, drug use, some suggestive content
The lowdown: Sandra Bullock heads a strong cast that includes Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Sarah Paulson, Awkwafina, Rihanna and Helena Bonham Carter in this delightful heist movie.
Bullock plays Debbie Ocean, sister of Danny, who, after being released from prison sets out to plan the biggest score of her career — $150 million in diamonds that a famous actress, played by Hathaway, will wear at the annual Met Gala.
Of course, some plot twists and surprises are added to the mix, which only boosts the fun of the feature.
The movie tickled critics, who gave it a 68 percent fresh rating at Rottentomatoes.com.
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English Dolby Atmos TrueHD, English 5.1 Dolby digital 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, Spanish and French 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus options include a featurette on the making of the movie, a look at the cast, deleted scenes and a featurette on recreating the Met Gala.
Superfly (DVD + digital)
Details: 2018, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: R, violence, language, drug content, nudity, sexual content
The lowdown: This reimagining of the original blaxploitation hit that starred Ron O’Neal is set in Atlanta.
The premise is about the same as the first film, with cocaine kingpin Priest (Trevor Jackson) wanting to abandon the life. To do so, he travels to Mexico to arrange one final score, but must outmaneuver the machinations of the cartel, corrupt cops and various and sundry double dealers and double crossers.
The film has a nice soundtrack that abets the movie, but it really is just a highly-stylized feature with more action than character development.
Critics were nearly divided, giving the movie a 52 percent fresh rating at Rottentomatoes.com.
Technical aspects: 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital and audio description track; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental materials include a scene breakdown with Director X, a look at the music, a featurette on the “Superfly” remix, a making of featurette and a music video.
Tag (Blu-ray + DVD + digital)
Release date: Aug. 28
Details: 2018, Warner Home Video
Rated: R, language, sexual content, brief nudity, drug use
The lowdown: A comedy about five friends, all highly competitive, who, one month every year, play an extreme game of tag that they have been playing since first grade.
When playing, they take risks in their personal and professional lives, just to tag an opponent and say, “You’re it.”
The movie’s premise is that the annual event is coinciding with the wedding of one of their group — who also happens to be the only undefeated member.
The others think the ceremony will make him an easy target, but, of course, they are mistaken.
The movie, which stars Ed Helm, Jake Johnson, Hannibal Buress, Jeremy Renner, Annabelle Wallis, Isla Fisher, Rashida Jones, Jon Hamm and Leslie Bibb.
The movie split critics, who gave it a 54 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 Dolby digital 5.1 descriptive audio and French 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles; DVD: 2.40:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English and French 5.1 Dolby digital and English Dolby digital descriptive audio; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a featurette on the brothers who inspired the film, deleted scenes and a gag reel.
This Is Us: The Complete Second Season
Details: 2017-18, Fox Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: The second season of the hit NBC show that probably has spiked tissue sales is ready for home consumption.
So, you can relive your favorite moments of the season and get weepy all over again, as the triumphs and tragedies of the Pearson family continue to touch your lives.
Good writing, a strong cast and embraceable characters are the hallmark of this series, which continues to go back and forth between the 1980s and contemporary times.
Technical aspects: 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, English closed-captioned, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: “The Aftershow” on each episode is the major extra.
Silicon Valley: The Complete Fifth Season (DVD + Ultraviolet)
Release date: Sept. 4
Details: 2018, HBO Home Entertainment
Rated: TV-MA, language
The lowdown: In season five of this popular HBO comedy series, the Pied Piper team is closer to fame and fortune.
With the team and the company growing, new responsibilities are being shared by Richard (Thomas Middleditch) as CEO, as well as the other core group.
The show costars Amanda Crew, Suzanne Cryer, Kumail Nanjiani and Martin Starr.
This satiric look at the tech industry was created by Mike Judge and Alec Berg, who offer some very pointed jabs at that world.
Technical aspects: 1.78:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English and French 5.1 Dolby digital and Spanish 2.0 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Scorpion: The Final Season
Details: 2017-18, CBS DVD-Paramount Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A six-disc set that features the final 22 episodes of this CBS series about an eccentric group of geniuses who are recruited by the government to deal with high-tech threats.
Beside saving the world and putting their lives in danger on a weekly basis, Team Scorpion members also must deal with personal issues.
They are guided by a Homeland Security agent played by the veteran Robert Patrick who, at times, is the adult in the room.
This series was fun while it lasted, and here’s your chance to be able to savor the adventures later down the road.
Technical aspects: 16:9 picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include an overview of the season a gag reel, deleted scenes, and “Dance With Me” and “Go with the Flo” featurettes.
Rolling Stone: Stories from the Edge (Blu-ray)
Details: 2017, Shout! Factory
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Alex Gibney and Emmy-winner Blair Foster, this movie, narrated by Jeff Daniels, chronicles the past 50 years of “Rolling Stone” as well as music, pop culture and politics.
The film celebrates not only the magazine and its impact on helping shape the nation.
The music of many of the people and bands the magazine profiled, including The Rolling Stones, Tina Turner, Janis Joplin, The Clash, Ice-T and the Sex Pistols, is featured, as is the work of its writers.
The documentary offers a crash course in a half century of popular culture and its influence on generations of people.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: The major bonus offering includes deleted scenes and extended interviews.
The Seventh Sign (Blu-ray)
Details: 1988, Scream Factory
Rated: R, violence, sexual situations, language
The lowdown: Demi Moore stars in this supernatural thriller about the end of days.
Signs are appearing that indicate the apocalypse is near.
Abby Quinn (Moore) soon learns that she and her unborn baby have terrifying parts to play in events that are destined to end the world.
Abby, who is having a difficult pregnancy, is upset by everything around her. Things get stranger when Abby and her husband, played by Michael Biehn, rent their studio apartment to David (Jurgen Prochnow), an enigmatic drifter.
Soon, Abby is becoming more and more ensnared in otherworldly events, and it appears that David is orchestrating the mythical prophecies of Judgment Day.
Abby, it seems, has been selected as the instrument of the Seventh Sign. The question is can she save the world — and her baby?
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio stereo; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include interviews with Biehn, director Carl Schultz, screenwriters Clifford and Ellen Green and actors Peter Friedman and John Taylor.
The Guardians
Details: 2018, Music Box Films
Rated: R, violence, sexual content
The lowdown: A historical drama set in 1915 France during World War I.
The movie focuses on the women of the Paridier farm, who must take care of everything while the men are away fighting.
The matriarch of the family and her daughter must hire an orphaned teenage girl to help them with the day-to-day operations.
But when the matriarch’s son returns home on leave and begins a romance with the hired girl, divisions and tests of loyalty are created.
The movie impressed reviewers, who gave it a 94 percent fresh rating at Rottentomatoes.com.
Technical aspects: 2.35:1 widescreen picture; French 5.1 Dolby digital; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus offerings include a question-and-answer session with director Xavier Beauvois, a look at the recording of the film’s music, interviews with Caroline Champetier and Nicolas Giraud, a casting featurette, outtakes and a booklet that includes an interview with Beauvois.
The Girl Downstairs (DVD-R)
Release date: Aug. 28
Details: 1938, Warner Archive Collection
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Franciska Gaal was an Austrian actress who came to Hollywood in the 1930s to make her mark.
Gaal career was rather ordinary, as she starred in a few films, but never caught fire like Greta Garbo or Marlene Dietrich.
In the romantic comedy “The Girl Downstairs,” Gaal plays Katerina, a downstairs scullery maid for a wealthy family.
She becomes involved with Paul Wagner (Franchot Tone), a rich and reckless playboy who disguises himself as his own chauffeur to gain entrance to the mansion of Katerina’s employers so he can woo Rosalind (Rita Johnson) and avoid her disapproving father, played by the blustery Walter Connolly).
This being a comedy, you can guess who winds up happily ever after.
The film also features such fine character actors as Reginald Gardiner, Reginald Owen and Franklin Pangborn.
The release is a made-on-demand DVD-R from the Warner Archive Collection and can be ordered at www.wb.com/warnerarchive or other online retailers.
Technical aspects: 1.37:1 (4×3) full-screen picture; English Dolby digital monaural.
Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist
Details: 2018, Greenwich Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A documentary that looks at the life of Vivienne Westwood, who ignited the punk movement with her ex-partner and Sex Pistols’ manager Malcolm McLaren, Westwood has been at the forefront and redefining British fashion for more than four decades.
The movie, which also delves into Westwood’s activism and cultural importance and impact, uses archival footage and interviews with friends and collaborators to tell her story.
Westwood’s constant battles to main her integrity and beliefs are at the foundation of this remarkable film that received a 77 percent fresh rating at Rottentomatoes.com.
Technical aspects: 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH subtitles.
China Passage (DVD-R)
Release date: Aug. 28
Details: 1937, Warner Archive Collection
The lowdown: An action-drama about Baldwin and Dugan, two soldiers of fortune, who are hired to ensure the safe arrival of a priceless diamond to a shop in Shanghai.
Shortly after delivery, the shop is attacked, and the diamond disappears. Aided by local authorities, Baldwin (Vinton Haworth) and Dugan (Gordon Jones), round up a group of suspects, including a tough broad, a dipsomaniac, a mystery writer, his British valet and a mysterious Chinese doctor.
The movie features a nice cast of character actors, including Constance Worth, Joyce Compton, Dick Elliott, Leslie Fenton, Alec Craig and Philip Ahn.
All these people wind up on a ship heading to the United States. Soon, the bodies begin to pile up until the thief and killer is unmasked.
This 65-minute programmer is a made-on-demand DVD-R from the Warner Archive Collection and can be found at www.wb.com/warnerarchive or other online sellers.
Technical aspects: 1.37:1 (4×3) full-screen picture; English Dolby digital monaural.
Between Land and Sea
Details: 2016, Film Movement
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This documentary examines a life in the year of a surf town that is at the mercy of the Atlantic Ocean.
The movie’s backdrop is Ireland’s west coast, the town’s surfing community and the diehards who risk danger by going into the challenging waters.
The surfing footage should entice fans of the sport, and the profiles of local residents add a nice touch to the film.
Technical aspects: 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 Dolby digital; English closed-captioned subtitles.
Personal Maid’s Secret (DVD-R)
Release date: Aug. 28
Details: 1935, Warner Archive Collection
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Ruth Donnelly stars as Lizzie, a maid who has spent her life serving the needs of the super-elite.
For her next post, Lizzie takes a step down and accepts a job with the middle-class Smith family after taking a shine to Joan Smith (Margaret Lindsay).
Lizzie soon wins over Smith’s reluctant husband, Jimmy (Warren Hull). Using all she has learned over the years, Lizzie helps guide the family up the social ladder.
Among the new people the Smiths hobnob with is Diana Abercrombie (Anita Louise), a young woman of particular interest to Lizzie.
Joan’s younger brother falls for Diana as does a married and predatory cad.
To protect the Smiths, Lizzie must reveal a secret that could threaten the Smiths’ standing and her future.
The cast also includes Frank Albertson and Gordon Elliott, who in a few years would be known as “Wild Bill” Elliott, one of the biggest B-Western stars of the late 1930s and ’40s.
The release is a made-on-demand DVD-R from the Warner Archive Collection and can be found at www.wb.shop/warnerarchive or other Internet sellers.
Technical aspects: 1.37:1 (4×3) full-screen picture; English Dolby digital monaural.
Other titles being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
Goldstone (Lightyear Entertainment)
Mambo Cool (IndiePix Films)
Revolution: New Art for a New World (Film Movement)
Wyeth (PBS Distribution)
The Big Take (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Sept. 4)
FOR KIDS
Paw Patrol: Halloween Heroes (Nickelodeon-Paramount Home Entertainment)
Paw Patrol: Mighty Pups (Nickelodeon-Paramount Home Entertainment)
Scooby-Doo! And the Gourmet Ghost (Warner Home Video)
SpongeBob Squarepants: The Legend of Boo-Kini Bottom (Nickelodeon-Paramount Home Entertainment)
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD
The Quest of Alain Ducasse (Magnolia Home Entertainment)
Susanne Bartsch: On Top (The Orchard)
800 Words: Season 3, Part 2, Episode 5 (Acorn TV, Sept. 12)
The Basement (Uncork’d Entertainment, Sept. 14 — VOD & Sept. 15 — digital download)
e-demon (Dark Cuts, Sept. 14)
MDMA (Shout! Factory, Sept. 14)
Solo: A Star Wars Story (Lucasfilm-Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, Sept. 14)
Diane (Random Media, Sept. 17)
A Place to Call Home: Season 6, Episode 4 (Acorn TV, Sept. 17)
Wire in the Blood: Series 1 & 2 (Acorn TV, Sept. 17)
Coming next week: Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
The Looming Tower
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.