New to View: May 11
By Bob Bloom
The following titles are being released on Tuesday, May 11, unless otherwise noted:
The Mauritanian (Blu-ray + DVD + digital)
Details: 2021, Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Rated: R, sexual assault, violence, language
The lowdown: This is a movie that stirs passions and reopens old wounds. It is based on the book “Guantánamo Diary,” by Mohamedou Ould Slahi, who was detained and imprisoned for nearly 15 years at Guantánamo without ever being charged by the United States government.
Slahi, on the word of others involved in the horrific events of 9/11, was suspected of being the recruiter for those who flew the airplanes into the Twin Towers and the Pentagon.
That he was not involved in the deadly plot did not seem to concern the government, which only wanted to get results and punish — even if they were innocent people.
It turns out a confession given by Slahi was acquired through the euphemistic techniques of “enhanced interrogation,” meaning he was tortured — subject to waterboarding, sleep deprivation and physical, mental and emotional abuse.
“The Mauritanian” centers on the efforts of Slahi’s lawyers, Nancy Hollander (Jodie Foster) and Theresa “Teri” Duncan (Shailene Woodley), to get their client justice.
Benedict Cumberbatch plays Marine Col. Stuart Couch, assigned to prosecute Slahi and, if successful, “stick a needle in his arm.”
The film follows two trajectories — Slahi’s harrowing ordeals at Gitmo and, second, the frustrating work of his lawyers to get to the truth of his situation and overcome the roadblocks placed in their path by the government.
“The Mauritanian” is a solid endeavor that is a compelling story of a government run amok. A majority of critics agreed, awarding the movie a 74 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and 2.0 Dolby digital DVS; English SDH and Spanish subtitles; DVD: 2.39:1 anamorphic widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital and 2.0 DVS; English SDH and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus features include deleted scenes, an alternate opening, a behind-the-scenes featurette and a profile of director Kevin Macdonald.
Land (Blu-ray + digital)
Details: 2021, Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Rated: PG-13, thematic elements, nudity
The lowdown: “Land” is a story of survival — of the body, yes, but mostly of the mind and spirit.
Robin Wright makes a stirring directorial debut as well as starring in this poignant drama about Edee, who has been so traumatized by a tragic event, that she runs away from people and life.
Edee is a city girl, but she buys a rundown cabin high in the Rockies, throws away her cell phone and decides to isolate herself from the world.
She soon discovers that, despite bringing all kinds of canned goods and other supplies, she is not equipped to confront her wilderness existence. Things especially get dire when the severe and harsh winter hits.
Edee, on the verge of hypothermia, is saved by Miguel (Demián Bichir), a local hunter and Alawa (Sarah Dawn Pledge), a local nurse.
Edee is reluctant to accept their help, but the low-key Miguel allows Edee her space and, as she begins to recover, he offers to teach her to trap and hunt so she can survive.
Though she is alone, Edee is not lonely. She slowly learns to become self-sufficient, but even as she takes long walks and learns to appreciate the natural splendor of the land around her, she remains in mourning.
Grief, it appears, is her almost-constant companion. Edee spends her days building a fenced-in garden and planting vegetables, fishing and hunting. That solitude gives her solace.
“Land” is a character study of a woman who wants to create a new life for herself. And, as the movie progresses, you come to realize that “Land” is a story of renewal and rebirth that will touch your heart.
A majority of critics appreciated the movie, awarding it a 70 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.66:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and 2.0 DVS and French and Spanish 5.1 DTS digital surround; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus options include a featurette on crafting the movie and the challenges of shooting in a beautiful, but brutal, location; a featurette on Wright and why she chose “Land” for her directorial debut; and a look at the mental trauma Eddie goes through in the aftermath of tragedy.
The Marksman (Blu-ray + DVD + digital)
Details: 2021, Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Rated: PG-13, violence, bloody images, language
The lowdown: Liam Neeson is a former Marine sharpshooter and current Arizona rancher who simply wants to be left alone so he can work his isolated stretch of borderland in peace.
His life changes when he witnesses an 11-year-old migrant boy and his mother fleeing from drug cartel assassins.
After becoming involved in a shootout, the mortally wounded mother begs Neeson’s Jim Hanson to save her son and take him to her family in Chicago.
With both cartel assassins and law enforcement in pursuit, Hanson does what he must to fulfill his promise to the boy’s mother.
This is another bloody action thriller in which Neeson plays a character with a definite set of skills — this time with weapons.
Critics were not that impressed with the movie, giving it a 36 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH and Spanish subtitles; DVD: 2.39:1 anamorphic widescreen picture; English 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby digital; English SDH and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: The major extra is a making of featurette.
Justice Society: World War II (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + digital)
Details: 2021, Warner Home Entertainment
Rated: PG-13, violence, bloody images
The lowdown: So, the latest animated feature from the DC Cinematic Universe features The Flash’s Barry Allen creating a time rift and finding himself in the midst of World War II.
In this era, he meets Wonder Woman and the other members of the Justice Society of America, including Hourman, Hawkman, Black Canary, Steve Trevor and Jay Garrick, the Flash of the Golden Age.
Together they battle Nazis, all the while trying to find a way for Allen’s Flash to return to his own time.
This entry into the DC annals is middling at best, with an uneven script and action. Still, fans will most likely enjoy seeing the two Flashes speed around.
Technical aspects: 4K UHD: 2160p UHD, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH and French subtitles; Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a new animated short, “Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth!”; a featurette about creating some of the touchstone sequences in this “Justice Society” entry; a sneak peek at the next DC Universe Movie, “Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One”; and two cartoons from the DC Vault.
Big Fish (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + digital)
Release date: May 4
Details: 2003, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: PG-13, brief nudity, fight sequences, suggestive references
The lowdown: Tim Burton likes to gravitate to odd characters and stories such as “Edward Scissorhands,” “Beetlejuice” and “Sleepy Hollow.” All have a nightmarish, fairy-tale quality.
Burton’s “Big Fish” is a celebration of imagination as it traces the extraordinary life of Edward Bloom, a teller of tall tales.
His life, though, remains a mystery to his estranged son, William (Billy Crudup). Edward is now a hospitalized sick old man, and William, a journalist, wants to discover the truth about his father, so he begins piecing together the extraordinary adventures of Edward as a young man.
The elder Edward is portrayed by Albert Finney, with the younger version played by Ewan McGregor.
The film is one of Burton’s best; a magical journey that, in my review upon the movie’s release, I wrote, “ ‘Big Fish’ is a three-ring circus of sometimes outlandish situations and characters, yet Burton makes it all so plausible … that some part of you aches to accept it.”
The movie’s supporting cast includes Jessica Lange, Helena Bonham Carter, Alison Lohman, Robert Guillaume, Marion Cotillard, Steve Buscemi and Danny DeVito.
At Rotten Tomatoes, the movie received a 75 percent fresh rating.
Technical aspects: 4K UHD: 2160p Ultra HD, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English Dolby Atmos (7.1 Dolby TrueHD compatible); English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles; Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, English and French 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a commentary track with Burton, moderated by Mark Salisbury; a look at the characters’ journeys; a featurette on Burton, his vision and the making of the movie; original cast interviews and behind-the-scenes featurette; and Easter eggs.
King Kong: Collector’s Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 1976, Scream Factory
Rated: PG, violence
The lowdown: I never cared for this version of “King Kong.” It lacked heart both when it was a mechanical figure or when makeup legend Rick Baker was in an ape suit.
The movie lacked the magic and majesty of the 1933 original. That version honored a king, the low-brow remake treated him as a jester.
The story was altered from an adventure saga to a tale of environmental poaching and corporate greed.
The movie marked future Academy Award-winner Jessica Lange’s debut, while it gave a young Jeff Bridges a heroic role to add to his growing resume.
This set includes the 134-minute theatrical version and 182-minute television cut of the movie. You can take your pick; I’m going to stick with the original.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental materials include a commentary track, a 2016 panel discussion, interviews with Baker, actor Jack O’Halloran, assistant director David McGiffert, production manager Brian Frankish, sculptor Jack Varner, second unit director William Kronick, photographic effects assistant Barry Nolan and production assistants Jeffrey Chernov and Scott Thaler.
Morgue (Blu-ray)
Details: 2019, Well Go USA Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Diego Martinez is about the start a new job as a night security guard at the local morgue.
Before he begins the gig, he has an accident in which, while driving distracted, he hits a pedestrian. Instead of doing the right thing, he flees the scene.
That night — his first on the job — who should be wheeled in, but the corpse of the guy he hit.
You can readily predict what happens during the rest of the movie.
“Morgue” is an OK horror feature, despite telegraphing the majority of its punches.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; Spanish and Paraguayan Guarani 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
The Reason I Jump (Blu-ray)
Details: 2020, Kino Lorber
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Jerry Rothwell’s documentary, based on the best-selling book by Naoki Higashida, is an exploration of neurodiversity through the experiences of nonspeaking autistic people from around the world.
The movie presents portraits of five young people and offers audiences a look into an intense and overwhelming, but often joyful, sensory universe.
The movie captures moments in the lives of its subjects, using narrated passages of Higashida’s writings, which reflects what autism means to Higashida — who wrote the book when he was 13 — and others.
The film’s message is simple — just because you are unable to speak, that does not mean you have nothing to say.
The movie earned an impressive 98 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby Atmos and 2.0 DTS-HD stereo; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include an interview and question-and-answer session with Rothwell.
The Columnist (DVD)
Details: 2020, Film Movement
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This Dutch comedy thriller centers on Femke Boot (Katja Herbers), a columnist who is obsessed with reading the seemingly endless abusive messages and death threats posted about her on social media.
Her fixation has put Boot’s life on hold, preventing her from concentrating on the novel she promised her publisher.
One day, Boot reaches her breaking point; her rage overflowing into a brutal act of violence.
Ironically, her murderous outburst inspires her to begin writing.
This causes her to channel her fury and begin leading a double life — a writer by day, and a killer by night.
The movie garnered an 81 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 2.39:1 widescreen picture; Dutch 5.1 Dolby digital surround sound; English subtitles.
Lapsis (DVD)
Details: 2020, Film Movement
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Technology is the focus of this science-fiction feature set in an alternate present.
A quantum computing revolution is under way and investors are making fortunes in the trading market.
Building this network, though, takes miles of cable laid across rough and foreboding terrain by unprotected workers.
Ray Tincelli, a Queens delivery man, is skeptical about the “cabling” boom, especially since it is so expensive to buy into.
Tincelli lands a shady permit and believes his fortune has changed.
Soon, though, he becomes involved in a conspiracy involving hostile cablers, corporate greed (Is there any other kind?) and the mysterious “Lapsis,” which may hold the key to everything.
This satire is a blue-collar sci-fi feature that resonates. The movie impressed critics, who gave it a 93 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English closed-captioned subtitles.
Don’t miss: The major extra is a short film entitled “Guts” that inspired some of the ideas used in “Lapsis.”
Other titles being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
Antidote (DVD & VOD) (Uncork’d Entertainment)
Bastards’ Road (DVD & digital & VOD) (Gravitas Ventures)
The Final Stand (Blu-ray & DVD) (Shout! Studios)
Freedom (DVD) (Corinth Films)
Giants and Toys (Blu-ray) (Arrow Video)
The Legend of Hei (Blu-ray + DVD) (Shout! Studios)
Send It! (DVD & VOD) (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
What Lies West (DVD & digital & VOD) (Passion River Films)
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD
Blurred Vision (Indican Pictures)
Death Rink (Wild Eye Releasing)
French Exit (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
Goodbye Honey (Freestyle Digital Media)
The Long Way Back (Breaking Glass Pictures)
Long Weekend (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
Together Together (Bleecker Street)
The Upshaws (Netflix, May 12)
Trickster (Sundance Now, May 13)
The Killing of Two Lovers (Neon, May 14)
North Hollywood (Illegal Civ-Brainstorm Media, May 14)
Trying: Season 2 (Apple TV+, May 14)
The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye (Sundance Now, May 17)
Digging for Britain: Series 5 & 6 (Acorn TV, May 17)
I Killed My Mother (Sundance Now, May 17)
Like Father Like Son (Acorn TV, May 17)
The Nevers (HBO Home Entertainment, May 17)
The Whale and the Squid (Sundance Now, May 17)
Coming next week: Raya and the Last Dragon
I am a founding member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. I review movies, 4K UHD, 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 at ReelBob or the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My movie reviews also can be found at Rotten Tomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com.