New to View: Sept. 20
By Bob Bloom
The following titles are being released on Tuesday, Sept. 20, unless otherwise noted:
Batman: The Long Halloween: Deluxe Edition (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + digital)
Details: 2021, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
Rated: R, violence, bloody images
The lowdown: The two parts of this original release are combined in this 4K UHD reissue that tells the complete saga of the war between the Falcone and Maroni crime families and the murders by the Holiday serial killer who, true to his name, strikes on holidays.
Batman, James Gordon and Harvey Dent race to solve the killings. Their investigation is complicated by a breach at Arkham Asylum, which draws Poison Ivy, Scarecrow and Mad Hatter into this deadly cat-and-mouse game.
The seamlessly combined feature, running 168 minutes, is filled with other familiar characters, mostly notably, Catwoman, The Joker and Solomon Grundy.
The saga, which features the vocal talents of Jensen Ackles as Batman-Bruce Wayne, Josh Duhamel as Harvey Dent-Two-Face, Billy Burke as James Gordon and the late Naya Rivera as Selina Kyle-Catwoman, is an exciting animated feature that fans of the DC Universe animation series will greatly appreciate.
Technical aspects: 4K: 2160p ultra 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; 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 look at the making of the movie and four bonus cartoons from the DC Vault.
Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris (Blu-ray + digital)
Release date: Sept. 6
Details: 2022, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: PG, suggestive material, language, smoking
The lowdown: Lesley Manville stars in this charming movie about a 1950s widowed cleaning lady who lives in London and falls in love with couture Dior dress.
She decides she must have one, so she saves, starves and gambles to raise the money needed to fulfill her dream. But that is just part of the story.
She travels to Paris, where she faces obstacles and ridicule, but perseveres. Her adventure changes her outlook on life as well as impacting the future of the House of Dior.
Manville shines in this effervescent story of one an ordinary woman becomes an inspiration. Critics embraced the film, giving it a 95 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
The movie costars Jason Isaacs, Isabella Huppert and Lucas Bravo.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, 2.0 DVS and French and Spanish 5.1 DTS digital surround; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include deleted and extended scenes and a gag reel.
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (Blu-ray)
Details: 1946, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Barbara Stanwyck stars in another film noir drama as another deadly seductress, capitalizing on her performance in “Double Indemnity.
The movie centers around a deadly secret — the killing by young Martha Ivers of her cold and cruel grandmother. Witnessing the incident is her childhood friend, Walter. Martha believes that another friend, Sam, also witnessed the death, but he already had fled.
Years later, Martha (Stanwyck) has married Walter (Kirk Douglas, in his film debut). Through her businesses and his position as the town’s district attorney, they control Iverstown.
But events go awry when Sam (Van Heflin) returns to town. Martha, who still carries a torch for Sam, believes he has come back to blackmail her. A cat-and-mouse game ensues between the three, with Sam being cajoled, threatened and seduced.
Being swept up in all the intrigue is Toni (Lizabeth Scott), a hard-boiled woman on probation, who wants only to go straight and start a new life.
The film was directed by two-time Academy Award-winner Lewis Milestone (“All Quiet on the Western Front,” “Two Arabian Knights”) and features a score by Miklós Rózsa. The movie also features Judith Anderson.
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 an informative commentary track with author-film historian Alan K. Rode.
The Last Train From Madrid (Blu-ray)
Details: 1937, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: An all-star cast populates this movie about a group of people from divergent backgrounds fleeing from the devastation of the Spanish Civil War.
Dorothy Lamour, Lew Ayres, Gilbert Roland, Karen Morley, Robert Cummings, Lionel Atwill, Helen Mack and Anthony Quinn share snippets of their lives and loves before and during the conflict, thus illustrating the impact of the war on each individual.
The movie, though not universally appreciated, uses a familiar premise to explore the lives of its main characters.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 full-screen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary track is the main bonus feature.
Dreamchild (Blu-ray)
Details: 1985, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A fantasy-drama that begins in 1930s and follows 80-year-old Alice Hargreaves (Coral Browne) who is haunted by the characters that, as a child, she found so amusing.
Alice reflects on her relationship with the Rev. Charles L. Dodgson (Ian Holm) who, as Lewis Carroll, used Alice as the inspiration for his books.
The elderly Alice confronts unsettling memories of her past as well as the repressed Dodgson’s powerful affection for the child surfaced in his writing.
The movie features special-effects creatures by Jim Henson to transport us into Alice’s memories and Dodgson’s imagination.
The film is somewhat dark and unsettling, but also inspirational.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary by author-film historian Lee Gambin is the main extra.
Sniper: The White Raven (Blu-ray)
Release date: Sept. 13
Details: 2022, Well Go USA Entertainment
Rated: R, violence, bloody images, sexuality, nudity
The lowdown: This military drama is set in 2014 in the Donbass region of Ukraine. It centers on a former Ukrainian psychics teacher who, after a senseless tragedy, renounces his peaceful way of life to seek revenge.
He joins the military and earns a coveted spot as a sniper. He sets his sights on an elite Russian sniper whose death could change the tide of the conflict.
The current war in Ukraine makes this movie a more compelling experience.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; Ukrainian and English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and 2.0 Dolby digital; English subtitles.
The Turning Point (Blu-ray)
Details: 1952, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: William Holden and Edmond O’Brien star in this film noir about a John Conway (O’Brien), a crusading distract attorney, tasked with taking down a crime syndicate in his midwestern city.
Conway recruits his friend, tough newspaper reporter Jerry McKibbon (Holden), his girlfriend, Mandy (Alexis Smith), and his veteran detective father, Matt (Tom Tully), to help in his crusade.
What Conway doesn’t know is that his dad is mixed up with the racket, which is headed by seemingly respectable trucking company owner Neil Eichelberger (Ed Begley).
As the screws tighten, the racketeers continue to take more violent actions to thwart the law.
The cast also includes Ted de Corsia, Neville Brand and Ray Teal.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 full-screen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary track by author-film historian Alan K. Rode is the major extra.
Randy Rhoads: Reflections of a Guitar Icon (Blu-ray)
Release date: Sept. 23
Details: 2022, VMI Releasing
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Randy Rhoads was a fabulous guitarist, playing lead guitar for Quiet Riot and Ozzy Osbourne.
Even though he was in his early 20s, his fame in the music industry was on the rise, especially for his solos on the albums “Blizzard of Oz” and “Diary of a Madman.”
Rhoads died at 25 in a plane crash, and this musical documentary looks at his life and musical impact. It features interviews with bandmates and music clips.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 16:9 widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include additional interviews with Quiet Riot bandmates Rudy Sarzo and Drew Forsyth, Quiet Riot photographer Ron Sobol and music clips of Rhoads with Quiet Riot.
Other titles being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
Game Boys: The Movie (DVD) (Dark Star Pictures)
Highway One (DVD & VOD) (Indican Pictures)
Lost Illusions (Blu-ray & DVD) (Music Box Films)
Post Mortem (Blu-ray & DVD) (Shout! Studios)
The Reef: Stalked (Blu-ray & DVD) (RLJE Films)
Theodore Roosevelt (DVD) (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD
Bitterbrush (Magnolia Home Entertainment)
Me to Play (Cinedigm-Fandor)
Murina (Kino Lorber)
Nope (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment)
Reboot: Episodes 1-3 (Hulu)
Simchas and the Sorrows (Gravitas Ventures)
The Story of Film: A New Generation (Music Box Films)
SEPT. 21
The Handmaid’s Tale: Season 5, Episode 3 (Hulu)
Tell Me Lies: Episode 5 (Hulu)
SEPT. 23
Bad Sisters: Episode 7 (Apple TV+)
Bandit (Quiver Distribution)
Blank (Brainstorm Media)
Carmen (Good Deed Entertainment)
Central Park: Episode 5 (Apple TV+)
The Infernal Machine (Paramount Pictures)
Lou (www.netflix.com/Lou) (Netflix)
See: Season 3, Episode 5 (Apple TV+)
Sidney (Apple TV+)
SEPT. 26
Legacy: The True Story of the L.A. Lakers: Episode 8 (Hulu)
Coming next week: Thor: Love and Thunder
Sound of Metal
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.