New to View: March 28
By Bob Bloom
The following titles are being released on Tuesday, March 28, unless otherwise noted:
Missing (Blu-ray + digital)
Details: 2023, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: PG-13, strong violence, language, teen drinking, thematic material
The lowdown: Storm Reid (“A Wrinkle in Time,” “The Last of Us”) plays June, a tech savvy young woman whose search for answers are hindered by international red tape after her mother goes missing while on vacation with her boyfriend in Colombia.
June, in Los Angeles, uses the latest technology to try and find her mother before it is too late. But as her digital sleuthing goes deeper, she finds more questions than answers. And when June ultimately unravels all the secrets about her mother, she discovers that she never really knew who she is.
This engaging mystery is a salute to Gen Z and their way of life.
The film impressed critics who awarded it an 87 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital and English and French 5.1 Dolby digital audio description tracks; English SDH, English, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include deleted scenes, a hunt for the missing Easter eggs, a featurette on Reid and the challenge of “Missing,” a look at the social media mystery, a “Screens That Rule Our Lives” featurette and a commentary track.
Batman: The Doom that Came to Gotham (4K UHD + Blu-ray + digital)
Details: 2023, Warner Home Entertainment
Rated: PG-13, strong violence, disturbing images, language, partial nudity
The lowdown: This newest feature from the DC Animated Movie series is a scary and bizarre story that melds the world of Batman with classic cosmic horror fiction.
The feature is a 1920s-based DC Elseworlds story.
Bruce Wayne, returning to Gotham City from a decades long voyage of discovery, discovers that a doomsday cult is planning the destruction of his beloved city.
Wayne has returned to Gotham with three international orphans who are various iterations of Robin. To save the city, Wayne must once again don the guise of Batman.
The Dark Knight soon learns that he is not dealing with ordinary criminals or crazies, but ancient magic, fiery demons and interdimensional Old Gods.
He must fight to retain his sanity and prevail. Also appearing are reimagined versions of Green Arrow, Ra’s al Ghul, Mr. Freeze, Killer Croc, Two-Face and James Gordon.
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: Bonus options include a commentary track, a “Batman: Shadows of Gotham” featurette and two bonus cartoons from the DC vault.
Black Sunday (Blu-ray)
Details: 1977, Arrow Video
Rated: R, violence, language, partial nudity
The lowdown: At the time of its release, this political action-thriller seemed far-fetched — a group of terrorists crashing the Goodyear blimp into a Super Bowl crowd with the intent of killing thousands.
But as recent history has shown us, acts of terror can be even more horrifying and deadly.
The movie stars Robert Shaw as Major Kabakov, an Israeli agent attempting to avert a terrorist attack on U.S. soil, Bruce Dern as Michael Lander, a Vietnam War veteran who wants to strike back at the nation he believes betrayed him and Marthe Keller as the Black September operative with whom Lander works.
Dern, who is a blimp pilot, has laced the airship with explosives that will detonate when he crashes it into the Orange Bowl during the game.
The movie, directed by John Frankenheimer and adapted by the best-selling debut novel by Thomas Harris (“The Silence of the Lambs”), also features Fritz Weaver, Steven Keats and Bakim Fehmiu. The film received a 71 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, 2.0 LPCM and LPCM monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: An hour-long portrait of Frankenheimer, a commentary track and a visual essay that looks at the film’s place among 1970s terrorism thrillers.
The Exorcist III: Collector’s Edition (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)
Details: 1990, Scream Factory
Rated: Unrated & R, violence, language
The lowdown: A three-disc set featuring this hit-and-miss second sequel to “The Exorcist.”
George C. Scott takes over as Police Lt. Kinderman from Lee J. Cobb in this outing, in which Kinderman remains haunted by the death of his friend, Father Damien Karras.
On the 15th anniversary of his friend’s death, Kinderman must begin an investigation of a boy found decapitated and crucified. That death is just the first in a series of brutal and bizarre religious killings.
Soon, a psychopath claiming to be the infamous Gemini Killer, admits responsibility for the murders. Kinderman is horrified because the suspect knows details of the deaths that only the killer would know.
What scares Kinderman the most is the fact that the Gemini Killer was executed in the electric chair 15 years earlier. Brad Dourif portrays the Gemini Killer and Jason Miller, who played Karras in the original, returns as a mental patient who claims to be the dead Gemini Killer.
The cast also includes Ed Flanders, Scott Wilson and Nicol Williamson.
The set contains the theatrical version of the 4K and a Blu-ray disc as well as “Legion,” the director’s cut of the movie. Both were written and directed by “Exorcist” author William Peter Blatty.
The film received mixed reviews, garnering a 58 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
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 DTS-HD Master Audio and stereo (“The Exorcist III”) and DTS-HD Master Audio stereo (“Legion”); English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras includes a vintage featurette, deleted scenes, alternate takes, bloopers, a deleted prologue, vintage cast and crew interviews, a five-part documentary on the making of “The Exorcist III” and an audio interview with Blatty.
Code of the Assassins (Blu-ray)
Details: 2022, Well Go USA Entertainment
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A young assassin on his first assignment after completing his training. He is quickly ensnared in a complex plot devised by powerful people who are pulling all the strings.
Upon failing to complete his mission, the young man is forced to flee from government agents and rival assassins as he seeks to uncover those hiding in the shadows.
The movie contains some plot twists that are telegraphed early as well as the identities of the two major villains.
The action sequences are exciting including a bionic arm and hand, the young assassin is fitted with.
Technical aspects: 1080p, 2.23:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; Mandarin 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Counsellor-at-Law (Blu-ray)
Details: 1933, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: John Barrymore stars and William Wyler directs this adaptation of Elmer Rice’s play about George Simon (Barrymore), a successful attorney, who climbed from a Jewish ghetto to elegant offices in the Empire State Building.
Simon’s life is in turmoil: he allowed a former client to commit perjury to win a case and realizes he can be disbarred and his upper-class wife, Cora (Doris Kenyon), is having an affair, having run off to Europe with another man.
Simon is shattered and is desperate to find out who his true friends really are. The one person he knows is steadfast is his secretary, Rexy Gordon (Bebe Daniels).
Barrymore gives a restrained and natural performance.
The cast also includes Melvyn Douglas, Onslow Stevens, Isabel Jewell, Thelma Todd and Mayo Methot.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 full-screen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: The major bonus feature is a commentary track with film historian-filmmaker Daniel Kremer and Catherine Wyler.
Knockabout (Blu-ray)
Details: 1979, Arrow Video
Rated: PG-13, action violence
The lowdown: Sammo Hung directed and costarred in this martial arts action pix about two brothers, Yipao (Yuen Biao) and Taipao (Leung Kar-Yan), who are up-and-down career hustlers, conning everyone they can.
One day, they con a kung fu master who they convince to reluctantly become their teacher in hand-to-hand combat.
Yipao soon discovers their master is a murderer. The teacher kills Taipao when he blocks a blow aimed at Yipao.
The anguished surviving brother wants revenge and turns to a portly beggar (Hung), who is trained in the ways of the monkey fist.
The movie features some wonderful martial arts choreography as well as humor.
The Blu-ray features two cuts of the movie, the 104-minute Hong Kong release and the 94-minute English export version.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; Cantonese and Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio monaural and English (dubbed) 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio and DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH and English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental options include two commentary tracks, 2006 interviews with Hung, Leung Kar-Yan and monkey fist grandmaster Chan Sau Chang, deleted scenes and a booklet.
If I Had a Million (Blu-ray)
Details: 1932, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: To keep his greedy relatives from inheriting his fortune, a dying steel tycoon chooses eight random strangers from the phone book and gives each of them a million dollars.
The anthology film utilized 15 writers and five credited directors to tell this anecdotal tale about the recipients of the unexpected windfalls.
The all-star cast includes Gary Cooper, W.C. Fields, George Raft, Charles Laughton, Jack Oakie, Frances Dee, Charles Ruggles, Alison Skipworth, Mary Boland and May Robson.
Fields plays a vaudevillian who uses the money to buy old cars to clear the road of bad drivers; Cooper is a Marine who believes the check in an April Fool’s Day joke; Laughton is an office clerk who, upon receiving the check, gives his boss and raspberry and quits; Raft is a forger who cannot cash the check for fear of arrest; a condemned inmate receives the check on the day of his execution; and a prostitute uses her check to rent a hotel suite and sleep alone.
The movie mixes humor and tragedy, running a brisk 88 minutes.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 full-screen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary track with filmmaker Allan Arkush and film historian-filmmaker Daniel Kremer is the main extra.
“Arsène Lupin Collection” (Blu-ray)
Release date: Feb. 28
Details: 1957-62, Kino Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Maurice Leblanc’s legendary gentleman thief Arsène Lupin has been the subject of several books and movies dating back to the early 20th century.
Lupin has been portrayed by several French and American actors including John Barrymore and Melvyn Douglas.
This set features three Lupin movies, two of which star Robert Lamoureux and the third that deals with his two sons taking up his professional.
The movies are: “The Adventures of Arsène Lupin” (1957), in which the master thief is offered a challenge by Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany to steal of jewel of great value from a secret hiding place; “Signed, Arsène Lupin” takes place after World War I, with Lupin resuming his not-so-honest lifestyle. The theft of three paintings by an adversary lead Lupin to the mysterious treasure of the Golden Fleece; “Arsène Lupin vs. Arsène Lupin” centers on his two sons, Francois and Gérard, who decide to rescue some gems for a beautiful princess.
Fans of Lupin will enjoy these features, which are in French with English subtitles.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 full-screen picture (“The Adventures of Arsène Lupin”), 1.66:1 widescreen picture (“Signed, Arsène Lupin”) and 2.35:1 widescreen picture (“Arsène Lupin vs. Arsène Lupin”); French 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Border River (Blu-ray)
Details: 1954, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Joel McCrea stars in this Civil War-era Western as Confederate soldier Clete Mattson, who steals $2 million in gold bars from the Union, hoping to turn the tide of the war.
Mattson heads for the Mexican border town of Zona Libre, where he hopes to buy munitions and supplies.
The movie includes the usual intrigue as Northern troops pursue Mattson and he must contend with a greedy Mexican despot, played by Pedro Armendáriz, crooked businessmen and other shady characters set on double-crossing Mattson.
The cast also includes Yvonne De Carlo and Alfonso Bedoya. The movie was directed by veteran George Sherman, who helmed dozens of B-Westerns in the 1930s and ’40s at Republic Pictures.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 full-screen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary track by film historian Toby Roan is the main extra.
Maigret: Season 3 (Blu-ray)
Release date: Feb. 28
Details: 1962, Kino Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Rupert Davies returns as Commissioner Jules Maigret in a three-disc set featuring 13 episodes in which Georges Simenon’s Maigret must solve several baffling cases.
The series, produced by the BBC, has been remastered from original film elements.
In season three, Maigret must deal with “The Madman of Vervac” and “The Crooked Castle,” as he investigates to see that justice prevails.
Fans of Maigret will enjoy the episodes, with Davies performance winning the endorsement of Simenon.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.33:1 full-screen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Maigret: Season 4 (Blu-ray)
Details: 1963, Kino Lorber
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This four-disc set features the final season of episodes devoted to Georges Simenon’s Commissaire Jules Maigret.
Rupert Davies reprises his role as the determined French detective, solving cases that appear baffling, but that Maigret can unravel with precision.
Among the 13 episodes in this set are “The Fontenay Murders” and “The Crime at Lock 14.” It takes all of the moody detective’s skills to solve the various cases that confront him.
Fans of the detective — and mysteries in general — will savor these episodes.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.33:1 full-screen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental materials include a “Play of the Month: Maigret at Bay” from 1969 and “The State of Maigret” restoration notes.
Dear Mr. Brody (DVD)
Release date: March 7
Details: 2021, Greenwich Entertainment-Kino Lorber
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Hippie-millionaire Michael Brody Jr. ignited a firestorm when, at age 21, he decided to give away his $25 million fortune to anyone in need.
His offer made him an instant celebrity who was mobbed in public, scrutinized by the press and overwhelmed by the onslaught of personal letters responding to his offer.
Fifty years later, an enormous cache of these letters are discovered — unopened.
The documentary is unevenly executed, but remains a compelling look at money, media and idealism. It also details how the chasm between rich and poor is as challenging today at it was in 1970.
The film, which garnered a 97 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes, is moving and fascinating.
Technical aspects: 1.78:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby digital; English SDH subtitles.
The Crusades (Blu-ray)
Release date: March 7
Details: 1935, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This Cecil B. DeMille historical epic is more histrionics that history. But it is filled with exciting battle sequences and court intrigue.
Receiving top billing is Loretta Young as Berengaria, Princess of Navarre. Longtime DeMille actor Henry Wilcoxon portrays English king, Richard the Lion-Hearted.
The film is set during the time of the Third Crusade in the late 12th century when Christian nations, inspired by The Hermit, plan to travel to the Holy Land to wrest the Holy City of Jerusalem from the Saracens, led by the Muslim sultan Saladin.
DeMille’s focus is less on history than romance, drama, treachery and spectacle.
The film features a strong supporting cast, including Ian Keith as Saladin and C. Aubrey Smith as The Hermit as well as C. Henry Gordon, Katherine DeMille, Joseph Schildkraut and Alan Hale.
This is a movie you watch for entertainment, not a history lesson.
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 with filmmaker Allan Arkush and film historian-filmmaker Daniel Kremer is the main bonus offering.
The Super 8 Years (DVD)
Release date: March 7
Details: 2022, Kino Lorber
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This gorgeous documentary written and directed by French writer and 2022 Nobel Prize awardee Annie Ernaux, takes us on a delicate journey into her family’s memory.
The movie is compiled from home movie images from 1972 to 1981, when her first books were published, her sons became teenagers and her husband, Philippe, brought an 8mm camera everywhere the family went.
The film is a portrait of a time, place and moment of personal and political significance throughout France.
Clips range from the rituals of suburban bourgeois France to trips to Albania, Egypt, Spain and the Soviet Union.
Ernaux supplies an introspective voiceover. The movie is an extension of Ernaux’s ongoing literary project to make sense of the past and the unknown future.
Technical aspects: 1.33:1 (16×9 enhanced) full-screen picture; French 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby digital; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus options include a discussion with Ernaux and her son, David Ernaux-Briot about the movie.
Tomahawk (Blu-ray)
Details: 1951, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: George Sherman is again behind the camera for this action-packed Western starring Van Heflin and Yvonne De Carlo.
Heflin portrays real-life frontiersman Jim Bridger, who fights for justice and territorial rights for the Sioux nation after the U.S. government decides to build a wagon route to in 1866, running directly through the Sioux’s hunting grounds.
The government’s actions don’t sit well with the Sioux, leading to a full-scale conflict with the cavalry. Bridger tries to keep the peace, having to deal with a bigoted cavalry officer, played by Alex Nicol.
The cast also includes Preston Foster, Jack Oakie, Tom Tully and Susan Cabot.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 full-screen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary track with film critic-author Lee Gambin and actress-film historian Rutanya Alda is the main bonus feature.
Let It Be Morning (Blu-ray)
Release date: March 7
Details: 2021, Cohen Media Group-Kino Lorber
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: An Israeli drama about Sami, a Palestinian who lives in Jerusalem with his wife and child. Sami accepts an invitation to his brother’s wedding, which means he must return to the Arab village where he grew up.
After the wedding, without a warning or explanation, the village is put under military lockdown by Israeli soldiers and cut off from the outside world.
Chaos ensues overnight amongst the people stuck within the village’s walls.
The film exposes the absurdist world of Palestinian reality while also spotlighting human stories about being trapped in an unexpected situation.
The movie’s emotional currents are strong as is its deeper context about Palestinian-Israeli relations. The movie garnered an 88 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; Hebrew and Arabic 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
The Wildcat (Blu-ray)
Sumurun (Blu-ray)
Release date: March 14
Details: 1921 (“The Wildcat”), 1920 (“Sumurun”), Kino Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Before he came to the United States to direct such Hollywood classics as “Trouble in Paradise,” “Ninotchka,” “The Shop Around the Corner” and “To Be or Not to Be,” Ernst Lubitsch made films in his native Germany.
Silent film star Pola Negri stars in “The Wildcat” and is featured in “Sumurun.”
“The Wildcat” is a farce about a charming lieutenant who is captured by outlaws who roam the snow-covered mountains. When the bandit leader’s untamed daughter, played by Negri, falls for the young officer, a flavorful sex comedy is set in motion.
“Sumurun,” originally titled “One Arabian Night,” stars Jenny Hasselqvist as Sumurun, a rebellious member of the old sheikh’s harem who has committed the greatest of sins — rejecting the elderly potentate, played by Paul Wegener (“The Golem”).
Sumurun has fallen in love with a charming cloth merchant.
Negri costars as a traveling dancer who is drawn to the harem and the sheikh’s handsome son.
Lubitsch appears in the film as a hunchbacked clown in love with the dancer. The film was praised for its risqué with.
All three films were restored in 1999 and 2000.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.33:1 full-screen picture; German intertitles; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras on “The Wildcat” include a 1916 short film by Lubitsch, “When I Was Dead,” a commentary track with film historian Anthony Slide and a commentary on “When I Was Dead” by Joseph McBride, author of “How Did Lubitsch Do It?” The main extra on “Sumurun” in screen test footage for Lubitsch’s unrealized American production of “Marguerite and Faust” (1923).
Making Mr. Right (Blu-ray)
Release date: March 7
Details: 1987, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: PG-13, sexual situations, language
The lowdown: John Malkovich plays a dual role in this romantic comedy about Jeff Peters (Malkovich), a scientist who invents a human-like android he names Ulysses (also Malkovich), which is a near-perfect duplicate of himself.
Ulysses has the capability to mimic and reciprocate human emotions.
Peters, though, is very anti-social who doesn’t care for people. So, he hires public relations executive Frankie Stone (Ann Magnuson) to teach Ulysses how to schmooze so that Congress will fund Peters’ research.
As you’d expect, Frankie and Ulysses fall in love. Director Susan Seidelman (“Desperately Seeking Susan”) keeps the pace moving and the satire fresh.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus options include a commentary track with Seidelman and Magnuson and interviews with Seidelman and Magnuson.
No Man Is an Island (Blu-ray)
Release date: March 14
Details: 1962, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A World War II drama based on the life of Navy man George Tweed, played by Jeffrey Hunter, who is the only serviceman on the island of Guam not captured by the Japanese.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Tweed has received his discharge papers and is looking forward to returning home. But that “day of infamy” thrusts him and others into the war.
Other American military personnel on the island are either killed or surrender to the invading Japanese. But Tweed and a few others escape into the mountains. Over time, one by one, they are tracked down and killed. Tweed is the lone survivor.
Alone, he begins an ordeal that lasts almost three years before he is saved.
The movie costars Marshall Thompson and Filipino star Barbara Perez.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary track with filmmaker-historian Steve Mitchell and “Combat Films: American Realism” author Steven Jay Rubin is the main bonus component.
Blue Thermal (Blu-ray)
Release date: March 14
Details: 2022, Shout! Factory-Eleven Arts
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A Japanese anime that centers on Tamaki Tsuru who, in high school, lived day and night for volleyball.
Things are not going well for the Nagasaki transplant at her new school. Looking for an extracurricular club to join, she immediately damages a glider at aviation club tryouts and winds up having to work it off.
Disillusioned with campus life, Tamaki is taken under the wing of Kuramochi, the aviation club leader and pilot, who takes Tamaki up for a flight.
She immediately is captivated by the beauty of the sky.
This is a breezy and enjoyable feature.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; Japanese 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio;; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include an interview with director Masaki Tachibana and character highlights.
The Man Without a World (Blu-ray)
Release date: March 14
Details: 1991, Milestone Film & Video-Kino Lorber
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This supposed “lost” 1920s silent Soviet film is actually the creation of filmmaker Eleanor Antin.
The drama, set in a Jewish shtetl, is writer-director Antin’s love letter to her mother, who had been an actress in the Yiddish theater.
When a gypsy caravan and its lovely dancer, played by Antin, arrive in the village, the life of the shtetl residents — a mix of Zionists, religious zealots, socialists and lovers — are thrown into turmoil.
But as the Jewish villagers pursue their dreams for a better future, the Angel of Death is ever near.
This clever and thought-provoking feature that takes many of its narrative cues from pre-Holocaust Jewish-Yiddish movies.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.33:1 full-screen picture; musical score 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio stereo.
Don’t miss: Extras include interviews with Antin and actress Christine Berry and two of Antin’s historical conjuring short films — “The Last Night of Rasputin” and “From the Archives of Modern Art.
“Sadness and Joy in the Life of Giraffes (DVD)
Details: 2019, IndiePix Films
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This Portuguese import follows the adventures of Girafa, a tall 10-year-old girl, determined to figure out how the world works for a school project.
She is unable to find answers at home, so Girafa sets out across the city of Lisbon with a “living” teddy bear companion named Judy Garland to find the only person who can help her — the prime minister of Portugal.
A nationwide economic crisis, the Discovery Channel, a black panther and the Russian playwright Anton Tchekhov all are part of Girafa’s inspiring journey who wants answers so she can solve an enormous problem.
Technical aspects: 2.39:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; Portuguese 2.0 Dolby digital stereo; English subtitles.
Little Miss Marker (Blu-ray)
Release date: March 7
Details: 1934, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: In one of her earliest roles, Shirley Temple stars in this Damon Runyan story as a little girl left by her dad with bookie Sorrowful Jones (Adolphe Menjou) as an I.O.U.
Of course, the hardened gambler and his cronies are softened by the little girl. Nightclub singer Bangles Carson (Dorothy Dell) helps Sorrowful take care of the child, despite her racketeer boyfriend, played by Charles Bickford, who is in big trouble.
The movie has been remade several times, including a 1949 version, “Sorrowful Jones,” starring Bob Hope, and a 1980 version using the original title with Walter Matthau.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 full-screen picture; English DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: The main extra is a commentary track with film critic-author Lee Gambin and costume historian Elissa Rose.
Asphalt (Blu-ray)
Release date: March 14
Details: 1929, Kino Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Joe May was a pioneer of the German movie industry who fled his native land when the Nazis came to power.
“Asphalt,” written and directed by May, tells of Holk, a strait-laced traffic cop given the simple task of escorting a diamond thief to police headquarters. Things become complicated he discovers the criminal in his custody is the exotic and beautiful Else.
May and his cinematographer, Günther Rittau, transform a simple melodrama into a masterwork with a brooding, visual style, nuanced performances by stars Gustav Frölich as Holk and Betty Amann as Else, as well as psychological complexity.
The film, restored in 1994, features a musical score performed by the Brandenburgische Philharmonie Potsdam.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.33:1 full-screen picture; German intertitles and 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby digital surround and stereo for the musical score; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary track by film historian Anthony Slide is the main extra.
Secret Defense (Blu-ray)
Release date: March 14
Details: 1997, Cohen Media Group-Kino Lorber
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Sylvie (Sandrine Bonnaire, a brilliant scientist, discovers that her father did not die accidentally, but was murdered by a family friend.
Swearing vengeance, her quest embroils her in a mystery of lust and intrigue leading to discovering the truth about her father, which shakes her foundation to the core.
At 174 minutes, the movie is a cinematic game of chess, with various twists all held together by Bonnaire’s strong performance.
A vast majority of critics appreciated the film, awarding it an 85 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; French 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio stereo; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary track is the main bonus component.
DEEMO: Memorial Keys (Blu-ray + DVD)
Details: 2022, Shout! Factory-Eleven Arts
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A music-centric anime feature about Deemo, a mysterious and lonely character who lives alone and plays the piano in a castle.
One day, a girl who has lost her memory falls from the sky. Deemo wants to help her recover her memories and return to the world. Deemo discovers that a tree kept atop the piano will grow whenever the piano is played.
Deemo is somewhat conflicted. He knows that if he succeeds in helping her, he will lose her companionship.
The film is a tender and ephemeral fantasy of the love created by Deemo, the girl and the mystical residents of the castle.
Technical aspects: Blu-ray: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; Japanese and English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio; English SDH and English subtitles; DVD: 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen picture; Japanese and English 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH and English subtitles.
I Got a Monster (DVD)
Release date: March 14
Details: 2023, Greenwich Entertainment-Kino Lorber
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A documentary that looks at the nation’s most corrupt police unit — the Gun Trace Task Force, which terrorized the city of Baltimore for several years.
The movie, by director Kevin Abrams, looks at every aspect of a cat-and-mouse game in which cops also were robbers as those meant to protect the public turned out to be the ones jeopardizing citizens.
The movie offers a warning about how a criminal justice system built around a concept that cops are honorable and truthful can be open to abuse.
What the movie makes clear is that this kind of corruption is not limited to one city, but is ripe to blossom anywhere police go unchecked.
Technical aspects: 1.78:1 (16×9 enhanced) widescreen picture; English 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby digital; English subtitles.
Double Crossbones (Blu-ray)
Release date: March 14
Details: 1951, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Donald O’Connor stars as Davey Crandall, a bumbling shopkeeper’s apprentice who, along with coworker Tom Botts (Will Geer), is falsely accused of dealing in stolen treasure.
Davey and Tom try to find refuge aboard the ship of Capt. Ben Wickett, and through a series of funny mishaps, Davey soon finds himself the supposed captain and is embraced by the ruthless pirate community, including Captains Kidd, Blackbeard and Henry Morgan.
He then convinces his new comrades to lay siege to Charleston, expose the corrupt Gov. Elden (John Emery) and rescue his true love, Lady Sylvia Copeland (Helena Carter).
O’Connor’s personality carries the movie, which also costars Hope Emerson, Alan Napier, Robert Barret, Charles McGraw and Glenn Strange.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.37:1 full-screen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: A commentary track with film critic-author Lee Gambin and actor-film historian Gary Frank is the main extra.
Burlesque: Heart of the Glitter Tribe (DVD)
Release date: March 14
Details: 2017, Virgil Films-Kino Lorber
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: A documentary that goes behind the scenes displaying the personalities and passions at the heart of a new wave of burlesque.
In candid conversations as well as onstage, 12 performers reveal the truth about an exotic world where artifice and pretending to be someone else is the ultimate journey to becoming oneself.
The performers talk about their artistic visions, financial struggles and the misconceptions that infuriate them.
The movie has an infectious vibe as it delves into this subculture.
Technical aspects: 16:9 widescreen picture; English Dolby digital stereo; English closed-captioned subtitles.
Secret Admirer (Blu-ray)
Release date: March 7
Details: 1985, Kino Lorber Studio Classics
Rated: R, language
The lowdown: C. Thomas Howell, Kelly Preston and Lori Loughlin star in this romantic comedy about an anonymous note that sets off a chai-mail reaction of suspicion, confusion and misunderstandings.
It all begins when Howell’s Michael receives an unsigned love letter on the last day of school. He is convinced that it is from prom queen Deborah Anne (Preston) instead of his best friend, Toni (Loughlin) — who actually wrote the letter to Michael.
When Michael misplaces the letter, it makes its way into parents who believe their spouses are cheating on them.
The movie is not as funny as it sounds, with mistaken identities and mixed-up motives.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: The major extra is a commentary track with director David Greenwalt, co-writer Jim Kouf and associate producer Lynn Kouf, moderated by film historian-filmmaker Daniel Kremer.
Other titles being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
Adalynn (DVD & digital & VOD) (Summer Hill Entertainment)
The Weapon (DVD) (Lionsgate Home Entertainment
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD
Avatar: The Way of Water (Walt Disney Studios)
Filmmakers for the Prosecution (Kino Lorber)
How I Met Your Father: Season 2, mid-season finale (Hulu)
I’m an Electric Lampshade (Gravitas Ventures)
Maigret: Season 4 (Kino Lorber)
The Quest for Tom Sawyer’s Gold (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
MARCH 29
The Big Door Prize: Episodes 1-3 (Apple TV+)
Ted Lasso: Season 3, Episode 4 (Apple TV+)
Wu Tang: An American Saga: Season 3, Episode 9 (Hulu)
MARCH 30
RapCaviar Presents (Hulu)
MARCH 31
Capsules (Cranked Up)
Extrapolations: Episode 5 (Apple TV+)
Hello Tomorrow!: Episode 9 (Apple TV+)
Hypnoitca (Terror Films)
Liaison: Episode 6 (Apple TV+)
Murder Mystery 2 (www.netflix.com/MurderMystery2) (Netflix)
Tetris (Apple TV+)
The Unheard (Shudder)
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.