New to View: March 14
By Bob Bloom
The following titles are being released on Tuesday, March 14, unless otherwise noted:
Last Hurrah for Chivalry (Blu-ray)
Details: 1979, The Criterion Collection
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This martial arts feature, one of director John Woo’s early endeavors, a “wuxia” film about two skilled swordsmen who join forces with a son out to avenge his father’s murder.
The swordsmen are unaware that they are being used as pawns in a deadly game of deception.
The movie, a tribute to Woo’s mentor, filmmaker Chang Cheh, is filled with dynamic swordplay, treachery and honor. It also displays the beginnings of the filmmaking style for which Woo became famous.
The movie, which stars Wai Pak, Damian Lau and Fung Hak-On, received a 100 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; Cantonese 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and 2.0 LPCM monaural and English (dubbed) 2.0 LPCM monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include interviews with Woo and author Grady Hendrix and an essay about the movie.
Leonor Will Never Die (Blu-ray)
Details: 2022, Music Box Films
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This interesting Filipino movie marks the debut feature of director Martika Ramirez Escobar.
Its main character is Leonor Reyes, a once-legendary screenwriter, now an aging woman on the verge of senility living in poverty.
By chance, she sees newspaper article about a screenplay writing contest and decides to dust off an old screenplay that she abandoned years earlier, finish it and submit it.
Events take an odd turn after Leonor is struck on the head by a falling television and knocked into a coma. As she lies unconscious in the hospital, fantasy and reality blur as Leonor finds herself awake inside her script, becoming the hero of her story, which sends it into unexpected directions.
The movie earned a very respectable 91 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes, where it was hailed for its cleverness, playfulness and hopefulness.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; Filipino 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental materials include a commentary track with Escobar, a making of video journal, “A Film That Built Itself” featurette and a short film by Escobar.
Air Force One: Steelbook (4K UHD + Blu-ray + digital)
Release date: March 7
Details: 1997, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: R, graphic violence
The lowdown: Harrison Ford stars as President James Marshall in this “Die Hard”-like thriller about a group of Russian neo-nationalists who hijack Air Force One, demanding the release of their imprisoned leader.
The story line is familiar, with no surprises. It moves because of the direction of Wolfgang Petersen, who supplies plenty of action and builds suspense.
Gary Oldman plays the hijack leader and offers a bit of humanity to what could have been a one-dimensional characterization.
The 4K UHD upgrade accentuates the action sequences, with explosions and gunfire resonating cleanly and loudly.
The movie, which garnered a 78 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes, costars Glenn Close as Marshall’s vice president, Wendy Crewson as Marshall’s wife, Liesel Mathews as his daughter, and Paul Guilfoyle, William H. Macy, Dean Stockwell, Bill Smitrovich, Xander Berkeley and Elya Baskin.
Technical aspects: 4K: 2160p ultra high definition, 2.40:1 widescreen picture; English Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 compatible), English and French 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and Spanish DTS-HD Master Audio stereo; English SDH, English, French and Spanish subtitles; Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 widescreen picture; English and French 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and Spanish DTS-HD Master Audio stereo; English SDH, English, French and Spanish subtitles.Don’t miss: A commentary track by Petersen is the main bonus component on the Blu-ray disc.
The Mask of Zorro: Steelbook (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + digital)
Release date: March 7
Details: 1998, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: PG-13, intense action and violence
The lowdown: Antonio Banderas picks up the sword formerly wielded by the likes of Douglas Fairbanks, Tyrone Power and Guy Williams as he adopts the guise of the legendary Zorro.
This Martin Campbell-directed feature actually offers two Zorros — the first being Anthony Hopkins as Don Diego Vega, who is captured and imprisoned by his enemy Don Rafael Montero (Stuart Wilson).
Twenty years later, Vega escapes and finds aimless drunk Alejandro Murrieta (Banderas) as his successor, as Vega is too old to fight Montero, who has returned from Spain with a plan to take over California.
Catherine Zeta-Jones stars as Montero’s “daughter,” who is actually Vega’s child, stolen as an infant by Montero.
The movie is filled with swashbuckling swordplay and action closer to stunts performed by Jackie Chan than a Spanish caballero.
The film, which also features Matt Letscher, Maury Chaykin, Tony Amendola and L.Q. Jones, received an 83 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 4K: 2160p ultra high definition, 2.40:1 widescreen picture; English Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 compatible) an English, French and Spanish 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SHD, English, French and Spanish subtitles; Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 2.40:1 widescreen picture; English, French and Spanish 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH, English, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include 10 deleted scenes on the 4K disc and, on the Blu-ray disc, a commentary track with Campbell, an “Unmasking Zorro” featurette, two more deleted scenes and a music video.
Phenomena: Two-Disc Set (4K Ultra HD)
Details: 1985, Synapse Films
Rated: R, violence
The lowdown: Jennifer Connelly, in her third film, stars in this macabre thriller from Italian director Dario Argento, who also co-wrote the script.
Connelly portrays Jennifer, who is sent to a private Swiss academy for girls where a vicious killer is on the loose.
Jennifer also has trouble with sleepwalking. She soon befriends an entomologist, Dr. John McGregor (Donald Pleasance), who enlists her help in finding the killer.
It also turns out that Jennifer has the ability to telepathically communicate with insects — a good thing to have if you want to avoid being stung by bees or wasps.
As with most Argento scripts, several twists and turns are featured before the killer is unmasked.
This two-disc set features three versions of the movie — the original 116-minute Italian release, the 110-minute international cut and the U.S. version, retitled “Creepers,” which runs 83 minutes.
At Rotten Tomatoes, “Phenomena” garnered a 76 percent fresh rating.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.67:1 widescreen picture; Italian 5.1, 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio, hybrid English/Italian 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and English 2.0 and 1.0 LPCM monaural on “Creepers”; English SDH and English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include commentary tracks by film historian-author Troy Howarth and, on the international version by Argento scholar Derek Botelho and film historian David Del Valle; a 2017 documentary with filmmaker and cast interviews about the movie; and a visual essay comparing the different cuts of the movie.
A Bag of Marbles (DVD)
Details: 2017, Omnibus Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This movie is set in 1941 Paris after the invasion of the Nazis. Joseph, a 10-year-old Jewish boy, has little understanding of the dangers surrounding him and doesn’t think twice about trading his yellow star for a bag of marbles.
His parents, though, realize that escape may be their only hope of survival, so they send Joseph and his older brother, Maurice, on their own into the “free zone” of Vichy, France.
The boys travel by foot, with danger all around them. They must use all their wits and courage to reach safety and be reunited with family members.
The movie, an adaptation of Joseph Joffo’s autobiographical novel, is a story of strength and resilience, which earned an 83 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 2.39:1 widescreen picture; French, German, Yiddish and Russian 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby digital; English subtitles.
All Eyes Off Me (DVD)
Details: 2021, Film Movement
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This Israeli feature is an examination of love and sex among the younger generation — especially its dishonesty and lack of communication.
At a party in Tel Aviv, a young woman named Danny is looking for Max. The two recently had a casual fling, and Danny is now pregnant with Max’s child.
But Max has moved on and is busy with his new girlfriend, Avishag, who soon turns her attentions to a growing relationship with an older man.
The movie, written and directed by Hadas Ben Aroya, is very frank in its depiction of relationships. It earned an 88 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 1.85:1 widescreen picture; Hebrew 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby digital; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: The main extra is a short film entitled “Daddy’s Girl.”
Other titles being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
Blue Thermal (Blu-ray + digital) (Shout! Factory-Eleven Arts)
The Good Fight: The Final Season (DVD) (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
The Walking Dead: Season 11 (Blu-ray + digital & DVD) (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD
Back to the Drive-in (Uncork’d Entertainment)
Full Time (Music Box Films)
I Got a Monster (Kino Now)
The Siege (Saban Films)
Unwelcome (Well Go USA Entertainment)
MARCH 15
Ted Lasso: Season 3, Episodes 1 & 2 (Apple TV+)
Wu Tang: An American Saga: Season 3, Episode 7 (Hulu)
MARCH 16
Shadow and Bone: Season 2 (www.netflix.com/shadowandbone) (Netflix)
MARCH 17
Agent Elvis (www.netflix.com/agentelvis) (Netflix)
Are You Lonesome Tonight? (Film Movement)
Cram (Terror Films)
Dear Edward: Episode 9 (Apple TV+)
Extrapolations: Episodes 1-3 (Apple TV+)
Hello Tomorrow!: Episode 7 (Apple TV+)
Liaison: Episode 4 (Apple TV+)
The Magician’s Elephant (www.netflix.com/TheMagiciansElephant) (Netflix)
Monster Factory (Apple TV+)
Servant: Season 4, Episode 10 (Apple TV+)
Shrinking: Episode 9 (Apple TV+)
Supercell (Saban Films)
Truth Be Told: Season 3, Episode 9 (Apple TV+)
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.