New to View: Feb. 28
By Bob Bloom
The following titles are being released on Tuesday, Feb. 28, unless otherwise noted:
Marathon Man (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)
Details: 1976, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: R, graphic violence, sexual content, nudity, language
The lowdown: Director John Schlesinger, working from William Goldman’s adaptation of his own novel, instilled a fear of dentists as well as making the phrase, “Is it safe?,” the most ominous question to ask in the late 1970s.
Dustin Hoffman stars as graduate student “Babe” Levy in this thriller about intrigue, betrayal, double crosses, hidden diamonds and a fugitive Nazi.
Laurence Olivier’s chilling Academy Award-nominated performance as Christian Szell, the quiet, ruthless dentist who uses his dental instruments as tools of torture, is one of the highlights of this suspenseful drama.
Roy Scheider plays Hoffman’s brother, “Doc,” Marthe Keller is Elsa, “Babe’s” girlfriend and William Devane is Janeway, a duplicitous government agent.
The movie, which garnered an 81 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes, also features Marc Lawrence, Fritz Weaver and Richard Bright.
Technical aspects: 4K: 2160p ultra high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles; Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include a commentary track with film historians Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson, an original making of featurette, rehearsal footage and a “Remembering ‘Marathon Man’ ” featurette.
The Adventures of Batman: The Complete Collection (Blu-ray)
Details: 1968-69, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A two-disc set that features all 34 episodes of this animated series that found Batman and Robin battling Joker, Mr. Freeze, Penguin, Catwoman, Riddler, Mad Hatter and Dollman.
The series was produced by Filmation, which later paired the series with the last son of Krypton to become “The Batman/Superman Hour.”
The voice talent included Olan Soule as Batman and Casey Kasem as Robin, roles they continued for several years in other iterations of Batman series.
Other talent included Ted Knight as Commissoner Gordon, Larry Storch as Joker and Jane Webb as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.33:1 full-screen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH and French subtitles.
The Remains of the Day: 30th Anniversary Edition (4K Ultra HD + digital)
Release date: Feb. 21
Details: 1993, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: PG, mature themes
The lowdown: Academy Award-winners Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson, who co-starred in “Howard’s End,” reunite for this quiet, elegant and moving story about blind devotion and repressed love.
Hopkins portrays James Stevens, a proper English butler to the boorish Lord Darlington (James Fox). Thompson portrays Miss Kenton, the estate’s housekeeper. She is a high-spirited, strong-minded woman.
Stevens is such a dedicated butler that he forgoes visiting his father on his deathbed in order to serve Darlington. He also overlooks his employer’s Nazi sympathies and increasing anti-Semitism.
Miss Kenton watches all this unfold in silence, even though she is horrified.
Over time, Stevens and Kenton fall in love, but neither will admit it. The method they use to vent their feelings is arguments.
Years after his employer’s death, Stevens tries to reconnect with Miss Kenton, as he also begins to regret his devotion to Darlington.
The film, which received a 95 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes, was directed by James Ivory from a screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvla, adapting the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro.
This is an intelligent and moving character study that should be viewed to appreciate the meticulous performances by Hopkins and Thompson. The supporting cast also includes Christopher Reeve, Hugh Grant and Peter Vaughan.
Technical aspects: 2160p ultra high definition, 2.40:1 widescreen picture; English Dolby Atmos (7.1 Dolby TrueHD compatible), English 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio, French and Spanish 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH, English, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a commentary track with Thompson, Ivory and producer Ismail Merchant; a making of featurette; a filmmaker’s journey featurette; an England’s fatal flaw featurette; and deleted scenes.
Northern Shade (Blu-ray)
Details: 2022, Bayview Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: An Army veteran who has kept to himself is forced from his isolation when his younger brother, Charlie, goes missing.
The veteran, Justin McLaughlin, teams up with Frankie, a private investigator. Together they discover that Charlie has been recruited by an extremist militia group led by a paramilitary individual named Billy.
Justin must decide how much of his Army past he is willing to let surface to prevent Charlie from going through with the militia’s violent plan.
This well-written movie draws you in, offers a few surprises and features relatable characters.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 LPCM audio; English SDH subtitles.
Kubo and the Two Strings: Steelbook (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)
Details: 2016, Shout! Factory-LAIKA
Rated: PG, scary images, thematic elements, action and danger
The lowdown: An animated action-adventure fantasy about Kubo, a young boy who entertains the people of his village with his magical gift for spinning wild stories with origami.
When Kubo accidentally summons an evil spirit seeking revenge, the boy is forced to go on a quest to solve the mystery of his fallen samurai father and his mystical weapons as well as discover his own magical powers.
This imaginative tale features the vocal talents of Academy Award-winners Charlize Theron and Matthew McConaughey.
Critics were very impressed with the film, awarding it a 97 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 4K; 2160p ultra high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English Dolby Atmos and French, Japanese and Spanish 5.1 DTS digital surround; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and French and Spanish 5.1 DTS digital surround; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental materials include an inside LAIKA featurette on the making of the movie, a behind-the-scenes with the LAIKA animation team revisiting the puppets, feature-length storyboards, character concept art, an audio descriptive track, a commentary track, a Kubo’s journey featurette and original, archival featurettes.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Steelbook (4K Ultra HD)
Details: 1974, MPI Media Group-Dark Sky Films
Rated: R, graphic violence, language
The lowdown: This violent and horrific feature is a touchstone in the slasher film genre creating many of the elements that became commonplace in other slasher pictures.
The movie, produced, directed and co-written by Tobe Hooper, faced much controversy upon its release. Yet it earned enough money at the box office to inspire a sequel, franchise and various remakes.
The character of the chainsaw-wielding Leatherface became an iconic and recognizable figure for the slasher genre, inspiring such characters as Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers and Freddy Krueger.
And while the movie was generally reviled upon its release for its gore and violence, today it is recognized as a pioneer production, earning an 88 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 2160p ultra high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English Dolby Atmos; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: With the exception of four commentaries on the 4K Ultra HD disc, the supplemental materials are featured on a Blu-ray disc. They include a new feature-length documentary on the legacy of the movie; a conversation about the movie with Hooper and filmmaker William Friedkin; “The Shocking Truth” look the movie featurette; outtakes from “The Shocking Truth”; a tour of the chainsaw massacre house with Gunnar Hansen, who played Leatherface; interviews with supporting cast members Teri McMinn and John Dugan, production designer Ron Bozman and editor J. Larry Carroll; deleted scenes and outtakes; a blooper reel; a “Horrors Hallowed Grounds” featurette; and a “Making Grandpa” featurette.
The Boxtrolls: Steelbook (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)
Details: 2014, Shout! Factory-A LAIKA Film
Rated: PG, action, rude humor, some peril
The lowdown: A magical family-friendly feature that centers on box-wearing creatures who have raised a human boy named “Eggs” (Isaac Hempstead Wright).
They live in a cavern below the busy streets of Cheesebridge.
But when evil Archibald Snatcher (voiced by Oscar-winner Ben Kingsley) decides to capture the creatures, it is up to Eggs and his friend, Winnie (voiced by Elle Fanning) to save the Boxtrolls.
Other voice talents include Nick Frost, Jared Harris, Toni Collette and Tracy Morgan.
The movie earned a 77 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 4K: 2160p ultra high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and English, French and Spanish 5.1 DTS digital surround; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles; Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English, French and Spanish 5.1 DTS digital surround; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include a discovering the movie’s characters with never-before-seen test footage; revisiting the puppets with the LAIKA animation team; feature-length storyboards; character concept art and behind-the-scenes photo galleries; a making of featurette; original archival featurettes; and a commentary track with directors Graham Annable and Anthony Stacchi.
Millionaires’ Express: Limited Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 1986, Arrow Video
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Sammo Hung stars in this action-packed, martial-arts feature about a former criminal who schemes to make with the citizens of his struggling hometown of Hanshui.
His plan: Derail a brand new luxury express train enroute to Shanghai so that its super-rich passengers will have no choice but to spend their money in the town.
But a gang of crooks also desire the money of those passengers as well as a priceless map being guarded by a trio of Japanese samurai.
The film is loaded with bullets and fists flying. The two-disc set features four versions of the movie, including a recently-assembled “hybrid” edition, the original theatrical version, an export version and an extended international cut.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; Cantonese and English LPCM monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental options include alternate English opening and closing credits, archival interviews with actors Yukari Oshima and Yuen Biao, three video interviews with costar Cynthia Rothrock, two archival interviews with Hung, commentaries on the theatrical and extended versions, a select scene commentary, a collector’s booklet and a double-sided fold-out poster.
Secret of the Incas (Blu-ray)
Details: 1954, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Charlton Heston stars as adventurer Harry Steele in this potboiler set in Peru about a group of people seeking a fabled Inca treasurer.
The movie, often cited as a key source of inspiration for the Indiana Jones movies, was filmed at Machu Picchu. The movie carries the colonial mentality of the times. To reach his goal Steele must contend with a cut-throat rival, played by Thomas Mitchell, and a dedicated archeologist, portrayed by Robert Young.
Of interest, is the rare film appearance of legendary singer Yma Sumac.
The movie is not the rousing adventure it claims to be, but it may be of interest to fans of Heston’s early movie roles.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary track by film historian Toby Roan is the main bonus component.
The Man in the Basement (DVD)
Details: 2021, Greenwich Entertainment-Kino Lorber
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: In this French import, a Jewish couple sells their basement to a former history teacher, unaware that he leads a secret life as an anti-Semitic conspiracy theorist.
The couple struggle to rescind the sale, but in the meantime, the buyer befriends their naïve teenage daughter.
This interesting and provocative thriller shows how simple Holocaust denial can influence a person’s mind.
This cautionary tale garnered an 85 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 1.85:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; French 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby digital; English subtitles.
Nudist Life: 10 Days in a Nudist Camp & Shangri-La (Blu-ray)
Details: 1961, Kino Classics-Something Weird
Rated: Not rated, nudity
The lowdown: Throughout the first half of the 20th century, filmgoers had to endure schlock, cheap movies that were represented as health or educational documentaries to see nudity on the screen.
Today, all you have to do is click a button on your computer. Ah, technology!
Nudist movies combined newly-shot footage with cannibalized nudist films, stock footage and decades-old ethnographic movies.
This set contains a trio of such offerings: “Nudist Life” (1961), which follows five ringers who visit a Florida nudist colony; “10 Days in a Nudist Camp” (1957), is a reworking and expansion of 1932’s “This Nude World” and “Shangri-La” (1961) features Sammy Petrillo, best known as a Jerry Lewis impersonator, who offers an ongoing monologue of cringe-inducing jokes and nightclub shtick while he stalks a pair of sun worshippers down the Eastern seaboard.
It ain’t art, but these features are a product of their times.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.33:1 full-screen picture; English audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Five short films comprise the bonus materials: “Back to Nature” (1955), “The Expose of the Nudist Racket” (1938), “Nature Girls” (1952), “Nudes, Nudists and Nudism Around the World” and “Nudist Memories” (1961).
Other titles being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
The Adventures of Jurassic Pet 2 (DVD & digital & VOD) (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
B’Twixt Now and Sunrise (Blu-ray & digital) (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
Detective Knight: Independence (Blu-ray & DVD) (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
Hunt (DVD & VOD) (Magnolia Home Entertainment)
Orange Is the New Black: Complete Series Collection (DVD) (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD
A Man Called Otto (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
Free Skate (Indiecan Pictures)
Maigret: Season 3 (Amazon)
Wolf Garden (Gravitas Ventures)
MARCH 1
American Bolshevik (Lemon Martini Productions)
Wreck: Complete Season 1 (Hulu)
Wu Tang: An American Saga: Season 3, Episode 5 (Hulu)
MARCH 2
The Park (XYZ Films)
Sex/Life: Season 2 (Netflix)
MARCH 3
A Little White Lie (Saban Films-Paramount Pictures)
The Burial (Terror Films)
Dear Edward: Episode 7 (Apple TV+)
The Donor Party (Vertical Entertainment)
Gulmohar (Hulu)
Hello Tomorrow! Episode 5 (Apple TV+)
Liaison: Episode 2 (Apple TV+)
Palm Trees and Power Lines (Momentum Pictures)
Servant: Season 4, Episode 4 (Apple TV+)
Shrinking: Episode 7 (Apple TV+)
Split at the Root (Netflix)
Still the Water (Film Movement)
Triangle of Sadness (Hulu)
Truth Be Told: Season 3, Episode 7 (Apple TV+)
MARCH 6
History of the World: Part II: Episodes 1 & 2 (Hulu)
The Serpent Queen (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
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.