New to View: Nov. 1
By Bob Bloom
The following titles are being released on Tuesday, Nov. 1, unless otherwise noted:
The Good Boss (Blu-ray)
Details: 2021, Cohen Media Group
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Javier Bardem is the main attraction of this drama-comedy with his portrayal of Básculas Blanco, head of a Spanish company producing industrial scales in a provincial Spanish town.
Blanco is awaiting a visit from a committee that will decide if the company deserves a local business excellence award.
To make that happen, Blanco is pushing his employees to make sure everything is perfect when the committee members arrive.
Blanco is doing everything possible to address and resolve issues with his employees and, in doing so, crossing every imaginable line — ethical or not — in the process.
The movie, written and directed by Fernando Leon de Aranda, pushes the thin line that separates a good boss from a nasty employer.
Bardem’s charismatic performance is one of the major factors leading to the movie’s 92 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; Spanish 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus options include a pair of interviews with Bardem and de Aranda.
Loving Highsmith (DVD)
Details: 2022, Zeitgeist Films-Kino Lorber
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Patricia Highsmith was a novelist who, among other works, wrote “Strangers on a Train,” “The Talented Mr. Ripley” and “Carol,” all of which were adapted into successful movies.
This documentary uses Highsmith’s diaries and notebooks as well as insights from her lovers, friends and family members to paint a picture of an individual seeking to find a place for herself.
Highsmith wrestled with her search for love and her troubled identity. In the 1950s, she was forced to lead a double life, keeping her love affairs secret from her family and the public.
She only opened up about her private life in her unpublished writings.
Excerpts from those are voiced by Gwendoline Christie (“Game of Thrones”), and are artfully interwoven with archival material of her most famous novel adaptations, thus helping create a touching portrait of one of the most fascinating female writers of her — or any — time.
Technical aspects: 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English, German and French 5.1 Dolby digital; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a look at the recording of the film’s score, additional interviews and additional footage of Highsmith’s family from Alabama and Fort Worth.
Monsieur Hire (Blu-ray)
Release date: Oct. 25
Details: 1989, Cohen Film Collection-Kino Lorber
Rated: PG-13, violence, sexual material
The lowdown: A murder mystery that centers on Monsieur Hire, a cold and reclusive individual, who is considered a suspect in the killing for the simple reason that his neighbors consider him strange.
Hire spends his nights watching obsessively watching his beautiful neighbor through his window. When she discovers his spying, she turns the tables on the peeping Tom, becoming the aggressor creating an erotically volatile relationship that leads to a deadly game of cat-and-mouse.
The movie, which earned a 100 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes, is a creepy psychological thriller that will rivet your attention.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; French 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include an interview with director Patrice Leconte and costar Sandrine Bonnaire and a commentary track.
Summer Ghost (Blu-ray + DVD)
Details: 2021, GKids-Shout! Factory
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This Japanese anime feature is a supernatural story involving three unhappy teenagers and an urban legend about the “summer ghost.”
Tomoya, Aoi and Ryo are high school students who are unhappy with the directions of their lives.
They meet at an abandoned airfield and, following the legend, set off fireworks to summon the spirit.
A ghost named Ayane appears. Unfortunately, the news she gives the teenagers is disturbing — it seems she is visible to those “who are about to touch their death.”
The message soon forces Tomoya to begin regularly visiting the airfield to uncover the true purpose of Ayane’s visits.
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; Japanese and English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH, English and Spanish subtitles; DVD: 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen picture; Japanese and English 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, English and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include an interview with Loundraw, the director; a featurette about the movie and a look at the animatics.
After the Murder of Albert Lima (DVD)
Details: 2021, Gunpowder & Sky-Kino Lorber
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A documentary that looks at the lengths a son will go to see that there is justice for his slain father.
Paul Lima has spent a decade trying to get the man convicted of killing his father, Albert, behind bars. The killer remains free in Honduras, much to Albert’s frustration. Paul believes the legal system has failed his family.
Paul then decides on an unorthodox and dangerous measure. He hires two bounty hunters to track down the killer and make him pay.
The movie explores the importance of family as well as the dangers of taking the law in your own hands.
The film is also a look at legal and judicial corruption.Technical aspects: 1.85:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: The main extra is a commentary track with director Aengus James.
Let There Be Drums! (DVD)
Details: 2022, Greenwich Entertainment-Kino Lorber
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Music fans will totally enjoy this documentary in which such legendary drummers as Ringo Starr, Taylor Hawkins from Foo Fighters, Stewart Copeland from The Police, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann from the Grateful Dead, Chad Smith from Red Hot Chili Peppers and others reflect on the art of drumming and how it has impacted their lives.
Because drummers are rarely front and center, it is the singers and guitarists who seem to get the most attention, but without a great drummer leading and keeping the beat, a band is just a group of people trying to make music.
This sharp movie celebrates the musicians who are the hearts of most bands.
Technical aspects: 1.78:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH subtitles.
Other titles being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
The Area 51 Incident (DVD & digital) (Uncork’d Entertainment)
Hex (DVD & digital & VOD) (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
Paul Taylor: Creative Domain (DVD & VOD) (First Run Pictures)
FOR KIDS
Sesame Street: My Favorite Holidays (DVD) (Sesame Street Workshop-Shout! Kids)
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD
The Ambush (Saban Films)
God Forbid: The Sex Scandal That Brought Down a Dynasty (Hulu)
Gratitude Revealed (Moving Art-Area 23A)
Hot Blooded: Once Upon a Time in Korea (Epic Pictures)
The Killing Tree (Uncork’d Entertainment)
Loving Highsmith (Zeitgeist Films-Kino Lorber)
Raymond Lewis: L.A. Legend (Beach City Media-Retro Bros. Productions)
See How They Run (Disney Media-Searchlight Pictures)
The Sleep Experiment (Red Water Entertainment)
NOV. 2
The D’Amelio Show: Season 2, Episode 7 (Hulu)
The Handmaid’s Tale: Season 5, Episode 9 (Hulu)
Tell Me Lies: Episode 10 (Hulu)
NOV. 3
Blockbuster (Netflix)
NOV. 4
Acapulco: Episode 4 (Apple TV+)
Central Park: Episode 11 (Hulu)
Girl at the Window (XYZ Films)
I’m Totally Fine (Decal)
The Manhattan Project (Good Deed Entertainment)
The Minute You Wake Up Dead (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
The Mosquito Coast: Season 2, Episode 1 (Apple TV+)
On the Line (Saban Films-Paramount Entertainment)
Selena Gomez: My Mind and Me (Apple TV+)
Shantaram: Episode 6 (Apple TV+)
Sleep. Walk. Kill. (Terror Films)
Soft & Quiet (Momentum Pictures-Blumhouse)
NOV. 5
The Hair Tales: Episodes 5 & 6 (Hulu)
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.