New to View: April 30
By Bob Bloom
The following titles are being released on Tuesday, April 30, unless otherwise noted:
Star Wars: Andor: The Complete First Season Steelbook: Collector’s Edition (Blu‑ray)
Details: 2022, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment-Buena Vista‑Lucasfilm
Rated: TV‑14, violence, language
The lowdown: This three-disc, 12‑episode series is a prequel to “Star Wars: Rogue One,” set five years before the events of that movie — itself a prequel to the original “Star Wars.”
Diego Luna, reprises his role as Cassian Andor from “Rogue One,” as the thief and scavenger who is transformed into a valued member and leader of the rebellion against the Galactic Empire.
The series’ first season details the beginnings and growth of the rebellion and Andor’s growing role in it.
Others in the cast include Stellan Skarsgård, Fiona Shaw, Kyle Soller, Adria Arjona, Genevieve O’Reilly, Denise Gough, Faye Marsay and Varada Sethu.
Watching the episodes is a good way to prepare for season two, which is likely to air in 2025.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS‑HD Master Audio, 2.0 Dolby digital descriptive audio and French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include a featurette with Luna, creator Tony Gilroy and producer Kathleen Kennedy discussing the origins of the series; a behind‑the‑scenes look at filming in Scotland, including training, stunts and VFX breakdowns; a featurette exploring the stories of a few supporting characters; a look at the Empire’s penal system; and a behind‑the‑scenes look with Luna, Gilroy and cast and crew members at the season finale.
Madame Web (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + digital)
Details: 2024, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: PG‑13, violence, action, language
The lowdown: Dakota Johnson stars as Cassandra Webb, a New York City paramedic, who begins to demonstrate signs of clairvoyance.
The movie, part of Sony’s Spider‑Man universe franchise, is the original story of Webb’s Madame Web, who realizes she must save three women — all future Spider-Women ‑– from a killer from the future who wants to destroy them.
The young women, Julie Cornwall (Sydney Sweeney), Anya Corazon (Isabela Merced) and Mattie Franklin (Celeste O’Connor), are hunted by Ezekiel Sims (Tahar Rahim), a scientist and explorer responsible for the death of his colleague, Cassandra’s mother, Constance.
Sims has enhanced strength, abilities and clairvoyance that allows him to see the future as well as his own death, which is one of the three potential Spider‑Women.
The movie’s ties to the Spider‑Man franchise include the characters Ben Parker (Adam Scott), Webb’s paramedic partner, and Mary Parker (Emma Roberts), Ben’s sister‑in‑law, and the mother of Peter Parker, the future Spider‑Man.
The movie was roundly criticized for its predictable plot and uneven and distracting execution.
Technical aspects: 4K: 2160p ultra‑high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English Dolby Atmos (7.1 Dolby TrueHD compatible), French and Spanish 5.1 DTS‑HD Master Audio and 5.1 Dolby digital audio description tracks; English SDH, English, French and Spanish subtitles; Blu‑ray: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; English Dolby Atmos (7.1 Dolby TrueHD compatible), French and Spanish 5.1 DTS‑HD Master Audio and 5.1 Dolby digital audio description tracks; English SDH, English, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: A gag reel, Easter eggs, a deleted scene and four featurettes — “Oracle of the Page,” “Fight Like a Spider,” “Future Vision” and “Casting the Web” — comprise the bonus materials.
Moon Knight: The Complete First Season Steelbook: Collector’s Edition (Blu‑ray)
Details: 2022, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment‑Buena Vista‑Marvel Studios
Rated: TV‑14, violence, language
The lowdown: Oscar Isaacs stars and plays multiple characters in this six‑episode Marvel series that aired on Disney+.
Isaacs characters, Steven Grant, a mild-mannered gift‑shop employee and deadly mercenary Marc Spector, suffer from dissociative identity disorder. They are drawn into a mystery centering on ancient Egyptian gods.
Grant also is Mr. Knight, the avatar for the Egyptian god Khonshu.
The series, which also features Ethan Hawke and F. Murray Abraham, is filled with action and graphic violence.
The foundation of the series is Isaac’s performances as he creates distinctions between all his characters, using various accents and personalities.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS‑HD Master Audio, 2.0 Dolby digital descriptive audio and French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include deleted scenes, a gag reel, a featurette on the Egyptology that is the foundation of the series and a making of featurette.
Obi‑Wan Kenobi: The Complete Series Steelbook: Collector’s Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 2022, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment‑Buena Vista‑Lucasfilm
Rated: TV‑14, violence
The lowdown: This six-episode miniseries in the “Star Wars” franchise takes place years after the tragic events in “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.”
Obi‑Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) has exiled himself to the planet of Tatooine where he lives a low-key existence and quietly keeps an eye on a very young Luke Skywalker.
Obi‑Wan also must be on the alert for the Empire’s elite and deadly Jedi Hunters as well as for his former Jedi apprentice Anakin Skywalker, father of Luke and Leia, who turned to the dark side as evil Sith Lord Darth Vader (Hayden Christensen).
Other returning characters include those played by Jimmy Smits, Ian McDiarmid, Joel Edgerton and Bonnie Piesse.
The plot centers on the kidnapping of young Leia as a ploy to draw out Obi‑Wan to capture or kill him. Events lead to a confrontation between Obi‑Wan and Darth Vader, in which Vader is incapacitated allowing Obi‑Wan to escape.
The series is exciting that fans of the “Star Wars” franchise will embrace.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS‑HD Master Audio, 2.0 Dolby digital descriptive audio and French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental options include featurettes on the lightsaber battles between Obi-Wan and Vader and the lore about the deadly Inquisitors and Vader’s iconic look; a look at Leia’s sidekick Lola and the new planets in the “Star Wars” galaxy and a commentary track on the series finale.
Dogfight: Special Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 1991, The Criterion Collection
Rated: R, language, sexual situations
The lowdown: River Phoenix and Lili Taylor star in this bittersweet and sensitive story of love and war set in early 1960s San Francisco.
Phoenix portrays Eddie Birdlace, a Marine bound for Vietnam who, with his buddies, plan to attend a cruel bar event called a “dogfight,” which requires Marines to bring unattractive dates who will be judged by their ugliness.
Eddie meets the shy, folk‑singing Rose and invites her to the bar. But as the night goes on, Eddie finds himself falling for the sweet young woman.
The movie, which earned an 81 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes, features the music of Joan Baez, Bob Dylan and Peter Seeger.
The film, written by Bob Comfort and directed by Nancy Savoca, costars Anthony Clark, Richard Panebianco, Holly Near and Mitchell Whitfield.
“Dogfight” examines the psychological impact of young men being sent to fight in a land they know nothing about and a war about which they know less.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 2.0 DTS‑HD Master Audio; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental materials include a commentary track with Savoca and producer Richard Guay, interviews with Savoca, Taylor, cinematographer Bobby Bukowski, production designer Lester W. Cohen, music supervisor Jerry Kimball, supervising sound editor Tim Squyres and editor John Tinton and an essay about the movie by film critic Christina Newland.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier: Steelbook: The Complete First Season: Collector’s Edition (Blu-ray)
Details: 2021, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment-Buena Vista-Marvel Studios
Rated: TV‑14, violence, language
The lowdown: Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan team up as The Falcon and The Winter Soldier in this six-episode Marvel miniseries that aired on Disney+.
The story, set after the events in “Avengers: Endgame,” have the two dealing with anti-patriots who believe the world was better during the Blip.
Mackie’s Sam Wilson and Stan’s Bucky Barnes must stop the Flag Smashers, a terrorist group enhanced with a recreation of the super soldier serum.
The series features double-dealings, betrayals, action and a new Captain America who, spoiler alert, does not carry the shield well.
The cast includes Wyatt Russell, Erin Kellyman, Danny Ramirez, Don Cheadle, Daniel Brühl, Emily VanCamp, Florence Kasumba and Julia Louis‑Dreyfus.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.39:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 DTS‑HD Master Audio, 2.0 Dolby digital descriptive audio and French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby digital; English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus options include a making of featurette, a look at Captain America’s shield, a gag reel, a pair of deleted scenes and a “Flight Lesson: Still Not Funny” featurette.
Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths, Part Two Steelbook (4K Ultra HD + digital)
Release date: April 23
Details: 2024, Warner Home Entertainment
Rated: PG‑13, violence, disturbing images, thematic elements
The lowdown: The second part of this breathtaking animated trilogy finds Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and the rest of their superhero allies from various alternate universe Earths battling to stop the horde of Shadow Demons bent on destroying reality and all parallel Earths.
The Justice League and their new friends battle to discover what is the mysterious driving force behind the Shadow Demons and concoct a method of stopping the before all existence is destroyed.
And how do long-buried secrets of the Monitor and Supergirl threaten to crush the last defenses of reality?
How this all will play out should be revealed in part three, which is scheduled for release later this year.
Voice talent in part two includes Jensen Ackles as Batman/Bruce Wayne, Darren Criss as Superman and Earth-2 Superman, Meg Donnelly as Supergirl and Harbinger and Stana Katic as Wonder Woman and Superwoman.
Technical aspects: 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.
Don’t miss: Extras include a featurette on the voice talents, a look at the Bat-Family of the various universes and a sneak peek at part three.
Steel Magnolias: 35th Anniversary (4K Ultra HD + digital)
Release date: April 23
Details: 1989, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated: PG, language
The lowdown: A strong cast of women actors headed by two‑time Academy Award‑winner Sally Field, Julia Roberts, Oscar‑winners Shirley MacLaine and Olympia Dukakis, Dolly Parton and Daryl Hannah headline this sweet, heartwarming story of life, love and loss in a small Louisiana parish.
Roberts’ Shelby Eatenton is at the center of the drama. She is newly married, happy and pregnant, despite the fact that her diabetes could make her childbirth life‑threatening.
Field, as her mother M’Lynn, is scared and angry that her only daughter did not heed her warnings, and she dreads the possibility of losing Shelby.
For comfort and support, M’Lynn turns to her four dearest friends. The wisecracks and eccentricities of MacLaine and Dukakis’s characters offer some light moments that offset the sometime somber atmosphere that pervades the movie.
Technical aspects: 2160p ultra‑high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English Dolby Atmos (7.1 Dolby TrueHD compatible), English 5.1 DTS‑HD Master Audio, English and French DTS‑HD Master Audio 2‑Channel surround and Spanish monaural; English SDH, English, French and Spanish subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a commentary track with director Herbert Ross, a “Remembering ‘Steel Magnolias’ ” featurette, 10 deleted scenes and a 1990 “Steel Magnolias” TV pilot.
Mad Props (Blu-ray)
Details: 2024, Virgil Films & Entertainment‑Kino Lorber
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: The focus of “Mad Props” are collectors who search for items that had been used in movies.
Unlike collectors such as myself, who began 50-pllus years ago collecting 16mm film, original posters and lobby cards — they were not very costly back then — these movie buffs seek costumes, masks and props that connect them with movies they remember and enjoy.
These collectors are willing to spend hundreds of thousands to hang or display a movie memory in their homes.
The focus of the movie is Tom Biolchini, a Tulsa, Oklahoma, lawyer who also is a collector. Among his items is the chalice from “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,” for which he paid six figures.
Biolchiini decided to look up other collectors to see what drives their passions. His journey took him to England, France and Italy, as well as other like souls in the United States.
The film also looks at museums and curators who see these one-time throwaway items as art rather than artifacts.
Movie buffs will enjoy “Mad Props,” as it will stir memories of your own movie‑going experiences. It is a joyful and fascinating documentary that may spur you to visit area estate or yard sales to see if you can uncover some cinematic treasure that will remind you of your past.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 16:9 (enhanced) widescreen picture; English DTS‑HD Master Audio stereo; English subtitles.
The Tin Star: Limited Edition (Blu‑ray)
Details: 1957, Arrow Video
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: Henry Fonda and Anthony Perkins star in this Antony Mann‑directed Western about a former sheriff turned bounty hunter who comes to the aid of an inexperienced deputy after the town’s sheriff is killed.
Fonda’s Morg Hickman decides to help Perkins’ Ben Owens by teaching him how to assert himself and maintain order. Owens biggest problem is Ben Bogardus (Neville Brand), a bully who continually provokes the young lawman.
The movie is more a dramatic than action Western, as Hickman teaches Owens, who gradually gains respect for the former lawman.
“The Tin Star,” which received an 88 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes, costars Betsy Palmer, John McIntire, Michael Ray, Mary Webster and Lee Van Cleef.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; English 5.1 and 2.0 DTS‑HD Master Audio and LPCM monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Extras include a commentary track by film historian Toby Roan; an interview with Peter Bernstein, son of composer Elmer Bernstein, about his father’s score for the movie; a new appreciation of the movie by author-critic Neil Sinyard; a booklet with new writing about the film; six postcard‑sized reproduction artcards and a fold‑out poster.
Basket Case: Limited Edition (4K Ultra HD)
Details: 1982, Arrow Video
Rated: Not rated, graphic violence, sexual situations, nudity
The lowdown: This low‑budget horror feature has evolved into a cult classic as it tells the story of Duane Bradley (Kevin VanHentenryck), a seemingly ordinary young man, who walks around New York City with a wicker basket that contains his formerly conjoined twin, Belial, now a hideously deformed creature.
They are in the Big Apple to exact revenge on the surgeons responsible for separating them.
Filmed on a shoestring budget with a very small crew — names had to be faked in the end credits to make it appear the film crew was more than just a handful of people — “Basket Case” has attracted a dedicated following over the years.
Though it is gory, and not everyone’s taste in horror, it is a prime example of ingenuity in moviemaking when money is tight.
The movie earned a 77 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 2160p ultra‑high definition, 1.37:1 full‑screen picture; English LPCM monaural; English SDH subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus materials include the animated short, “Belial’s Dream”; outtakes; “Slash of the Night,” a 30-minute film, with commentary, by “Basket Case” director Frank Henenlotter; a documentary that looks at the three films in the “Basket Case” series; an archival location featurette; a video essay about the movie, conjoined twins and freaks; footage from the movie’s 2017 restoration premiere; interviews with film critic Joe Bob Brigg and “Basket Case” actor Beverly Bonner; a “Latvian Connection” featurette that includes interviews with producer Edgar Ievins, casting person-actor Ilze Balodis, associate producer‑special effects artist Ugis Nigals and Belial performer Kika Nigals; a brief interview with Henenlotter; interviews with “Basket Case” twins Florence and Maryellen Schultz, VanHentenryck and Duane Bradley; an archival commentary track with Henenlotter, VanHentenryck, Bonner and filmmaker Scooter McRae; and another commentary with Henelotter and VanHentenryck.
The Shape of Night (Blu‑ray)
Details: 1964, Radiance Films
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: This Japanese feature centers on a young woman from the countryside who falls in love with a handsome criminal whose constant demands for money push her into a life of prostitution.
When his bosses see her, she finds herself trapped inside the maze of the city’s nightlife.
The movie, directed by Noburo Nakamura, a veteran of the Shochiku studio’s Golden Age family drama, was made as a reaction to the radical film styles of the Japanese New Wave.
The film features lush cinematography filled with saturated colors. “The Shape of Night” contains a lyrical tone in its story of love that leads to unpreventable tragedy.
The movie has been compared to films by Douglas Sirk as well as an inspiration for movies by Wong Kar‑wai.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 2.35:1 widescreen picture; Japanese LPCM monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Bonus options include a visual essay on the artistic conflicts at Shockiku studios during the 1960s and a booklet about the movie.
Misunderstood (Blu‑ray)
Details: 1966, Radiance Films
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: John Duncombe, the British consul in Florence, Italy, returns home from his wife’s funeral to his two children — who are unaware of their mother’s death.
Duncombe, portrayed by Anthony Quayle, decides to tell his eldest son, Andrew, the truth, but hides the fact from his sickly younger son, Miles.
Duncombe makes Andrew promise that he also will not tell his young brother — a heavy burden to place on a child, who must now suppress his own grief.
Because of his diplomatic responsibilities, Duncombe is often absent, leaving the 8-year‑old Andrew to be the man of the house and take care of 4‑year‑old Miles.
“Misunderstood” is a poignant movie about childhood featuring strong performances by the two young actors portraying Ducombe’s sons.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.85:1 widescreen picture; Italian LPCM monaural; English subtitles.
Don’t miss: Supplemental materials include interviews with co‑screenwriters Piero De Bernardi and Christina Comenicini, daughter of Luigi Comenicini, the movie’s director, and critic Michel Ciment; a visual essay by David Caims on Comenicini; and a booklet featuring an archival interview with Comenicini.
Blue Giant (Blu‑ray)
Details: 2023, GKids‑Shout! Factory
Rated: Not rated
The lowdown: An anime feature about a young man whose life changes when he discovers jazz.
The man, Dai Myamoto, picks up a tenor saxophone and practices every day. After leaving his home in Sendai, he pursues a music career in Tokyo with help from his friend Shunji.
One day Dai, playing passionately from the heart, convinces talented pianist Yukinori to join him in starting a band.
Along with Shunji, a beginner drummer, they form the three-piece band, JASS. And with each live performance, they get closer and closer to their dream of playing So Blue, the most famous jazz club in Japan. Their ultimate goal is to forever change the world of jazz.
The movie, directed by Yuzuru Tachikawa and featuring original music by HIROMI, earned a 100 percent fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Technical aspects: 1080p high definition, 1.78:1 widescreen picture; Japanese 5.1 Dolby TrueHD, 7.1 Dolby Atmos and 2.0 LPCM; English SDH, English and Spanish subtitles.
Other titles being released on Tuesday, unless otherwise indicated:
Ordinary Angels (Blu‑ray & DVD) (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
DIGITAL DOWNLOAD, STREAMING or VOD
Alienoid: Return to the Future (Well Go USA Entertainment)
The Barkers: Mind the Cat (Lionsgate Home Entertainment)
Enter the Clones of Bruce Lee (Severin Films)
Femme (Utopia)
In the Company of Kings (Virgil Films‑Amazon Prime‑Apple TV+)
Remembering Gene Wilder (Kino Lorber)
The Veil (Hulu)
MAY 1
Acapulco: Season 3, Episodes 1 & 2 (Apple TV+)
The Big Door Prize: Season 2, Episode 4 (Apple TV+)
Loot: Season 2, Episode 6 (Apple TV+)
Palm Royale: Episode 9 (Apple TV+)
Shardlake (Hulu)
Under the Bridge: Episode 4 (Hulu)
MAY 2
Borje — The Journey of a Legend: Episodes 1 & 2 (Viaplay)
The Contestant (Hulu)
The Idea of You (Amazon Prime)
We Were the Lucky Ones: Episode 8 (Hulu)
MAY 3
The American Society of Magical Negroes (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment)
Catching Fire: The Story of Anita Pallenberg (Magnolia Home Entertainment)
Franklin: Episode 4 (Apple TV+)
New Life (Brainstorm Medi)
Sugar: Episode 6 (Apple TV+)
Walled Off (Watermelon Pictures)
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.