New to View: Sept. 29
By Bob Bloom
The following titles are being released on Tuesday, Sept. 29, unless otherwise noted:
Five Graves to Cairo (Blu-ray)
Details: 1943, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Billy Wilder directed, and with writing partner Charles Brackett, adapted Lajos Biros play — a wartime espionage thriller starring Franchot Tone, Anne Baxter, Akim Tamiroff and the legendary Erich von Stroheim as Gen. Erwin Rommel.
Tone plays John J. Bramble, the sole survivor of a British tank crew, who finds his way to a desolate desert town where he is given sanctuary the local hotel owner, played by Tamiroff, and a French chambermaid, played by Baxter.
They are preparing the hotel to receive Rommel and his staff.
Bramble, posing as the hotel’s waiter, attempts to infiltrate Rommel’s inner circle and report the general’s plans to the Allies.
The movie was Wilder’s second time behind the camera.
Von Stroheim’s portrayal of Rommel is not the more honorable presentation made nearly a decade later by James Mason in “The Desert Rats” and “The Desert Fox.”
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 full-screen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: The major bonus offering is a commentary track by film historian Joseph McBride.
Desert One (DVD)
Details: 2019, Greenwich Entertainment-Kino Lorber
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Two-time Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Barbara Kopple’s “Desert One” examines the failed 1980 mission to free the hostages of the 1979 Iranian Revolution.
The mission was aborted because only five of the eight helicopters sent to the mission’s first staging area arrived in operational condition.
As the U.S. forces prepared to withdraw, one of the helicopters crashed into a transport aircraft, resulting in the deaths of eight servicemen.
Kopple talks to survivors of the mission as well as former President Jimmy Carter, who blames the mission’s failure for his re-election loss in the 1980 presidential race, former Vice President Walter Mondale and newsman Ted Koppel, whose late-night broadcasts covered the hostage crisis.
Technical aspects: 1.78:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH subtitles.
Ghost Ship: Collector’s Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 2002, Scream Factory
Rated: language, violence, sexuality
The lowdown: A team of salvagers finds an abandoned ship floating in international waters and claims it.
But this derelict luxury liner holds some dark and deadly secrets.
Julianna Margulies, Gabriel Byrne, Ron Eldard and Isaiah Washington comprise part of the salvage team that sees a big payday for patching up the ship and bringing it into port.
They discover a fortune in gold, but also find some lost souls walking the decks who are not too friendly toward the interlopers.
The best parts of the movie are the early sequences of horror and gore on the ship’s dance floor.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a commentary track, interviews with cast members and filmmakers, a behind-the-scenes looks at the gore and the ship, a featurettes on designing the movie and a music video.
The Legend of Tomiris (Blu-ray + DVD)
Details: 2019, Well Go USA Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This historical drama is based on the life of Tomiris, the queen of the steppe, who unites the Scythian/Saka tribes under her rule and slays the founder and first king of the Persian empire.
Queen Tomiris of Massagetae and her army of female warriors were the real-life Amazonians of the 6th century B.C.
This nomadic ruler overcame many challenges to unite the tribes of the Great Steppe.
This action-packed feature is epic at 155 minutes.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 (16:9 enhanced) widescreen picture; Turkish 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and 2.0 Dolby digital; English subtitles.
Thomas and the Magic Railroad: 20th Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray + DVD)
Details: 2000, Shout! Kids
Rated: G
The lowdown: There’s trouble on the enchanted Island of Sodor as the wicked Diesel #10 undertakes his nefarious plan to dominate the other island engines by finding and crushing their dwindling supply of magical gold dust.
It’s up to Lily (Mara Wilson) and Mr. Conductor (Alec Baldwin) to go to the workshop of Lily’s grandfather, played by Peter Fonda, on Muffle Mountain. Lily believes her grandfather holds the key to rescuing the little engines.
Baldwin’s very likable performance is one of the kid-friendly film’s highlights.
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles; DVD: 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras a two-part documentary about the movie, interviews with Baldwin, Wilson, Didi Conn and composer Hummie Mann, deleted storylines and a behind-the-scenes reel.
Other titles being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
Alien Addiction (Blu-ray & DVD & VOD) (Gravitas Ventures)
Amerika Square (DVD) (Corinth Films)
El Calor Después de la Lluvia (The Heat After the Rain) (DVD) (IndiePix Films)
Find Your Voice (DVD & digital) (Indican Pictures)
Pizza: A Love Story (DVD & VOD) (MVD Visual Entertainment)
Seniors, a Documentary (DVD & VOD) (MVD Visual Entertainment)
The Silencing (Blu-ray + digital & DVD) (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
Ursula Von Rydingsvard: Into Her Own (DVD & VOD) (Icarus Films)
Tokyo Home Stay Massacre (DVD & VOD) (CultureSHOCK Japan, Oct. 2)
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD
Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution Kizuna (Shout! Factory)
Michelle Buteau: Welcome to Buteaupia (www.netflix.com/michellebuteauwelcometobuteaupia) (Netflix)
Wives of the Skies (Hewes Pictures)
The Boys in the Band (Netflix, Sept. 30)
The Glorias (LD Entertainment-Roadside Atrractions, Sept. 30)
One Lane Bridge: Episode 3 (Sundance Now, Oct. 1)
The Split: Season 2, Episode 1 (Sundance Now, Oct. 1)
We Got This: Episode 5 (Sundance Now, Oct. 1)
Dick Johnson Is Dead (www.netflix.com/dickjohnsonisdead) (Netflix, Oct. 2)
Let’s Scare Julie (Shout! Studios, Oct. 2)
The Rising Hawk (Shout! Studios, Oct. 2)
Selling Lies (ShortsTV, Oct. 2)
Bloodlines (Acorn TV, Oct. 5)
Finding Oscar (Sundance Now, Oct. 5)
The Gulf (Acorn TV, Oct. 5)
Lynch: A History (Sundance Now, Oct. 5)
The Sounds: Episodes 7 & 8 (Acorn TV, Oct. 5)
Tales of Irish Castles (Acorn TV, Oct. 5)
Yes (Stonecutter Distribution, Oct. 5)
I am a founding 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 Rotten Tomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com.